As soon as it was announced as a one-shot, I knew this was just going to be a cheap, quick cash grab. They should have done a proper fleshed out prequel novel if they were going to do anything at all.
The comic doesn't give much of a timeframe, but it's implied that everything happens only a few days after Chap is brought on board, suggesting the station has been in freefall for months.
Kind of makes it even more absurd that no one from the company checked it out at all.