Y'know, I think this is the earliest we've ever had someone koshed in one of these stories...
The "someone" in question here, however, is A. Gana Belea, Tharka's partner in every sense of the word, and that thing she's in there? That's called a phone booth, something that's become nearly extinct in our world.
As for the rest, well, welcome to our 27th storyline. For information about the Corsine mob--and other things--I'll suggest reviewing the whole of storyline #17, "Cradle to Grave" as well as this page from "Administrative Oversight," the 18th storyline, and for a brief mention of corrupt famreps--a word I promise to define here shortly--I'll send you back to this page from the seventh storyline, "Pocketful of Dreams."
Twenty-Seven - Foreign Correspondence