Syndicate Conglomerate

Description

Capital	No singular headquarters.
Leader	Occasional convention of directors
Administration	Corporate Conglomerate
Majority Languages	Galactic Common, Tizirian Draconic
Official Religion	Secular Organization
Demographics	No species majority

The Syndicate, at face value, is a collection of Corporations, Organizations and Political Movements, of disparate, and sometimes desperate, origins and motives. The primary goal of the Syndicate, since its inception, has been to ensure the functional independence of its members in the face of Nanotrasen’s dominant share of the galactic market, and especially resisting NT’s effective dominion within Federation sectors. Despite the fact that it provides the largest truly united front against Nanotrasen, within, or without, the Federation, many Syndicate member organizations are distrustful of each other, and internecine feuding is common between members with long-outstanding issues.

While Nanotrasen would lay claim to business within the heart of the Federation, the Syndicate would see success in funding the colonization of the periphery of known space and in securing market share in border regions where Nanotrasen has less public clout to work with.

History

The Syndicate finds its roots in the wake of the colonization projects pioneered by the ambitions of the Sol Government, the market turmoil following Sol’s integration into the Federation, and such trends taken to extremes by Nanotrasen. As Nanotrasen began growing and consolidating to the point of choking out its competitors, a reaction was inevitable. Rather than simply allowing Nanotrasen to slowly bleed away their technical edge, Cybersun Industries, the second largest corporation in the Federation at that time, formed a pact of business cooperation with the secretive Military Intelligence 13 organization. The resulting exchange of technology, funding, and accurate corporate intel formed the basis of Syndicate cooperation against Nanotrasen.

Following the initial success of their pact, Cybersun and MI13 formalized the bureaucratic side of the Syndicate proper. They began to reach out to other organizations and corporations which had been disaffected by the pervasion of Nanotrasen’s economic might. A further series of contracts and deals followed, not just between Cybersun but other prospective Syndicate members as they joined the fold. The melding together of a common interest served as an effective counterbalance to the Nanotrasen dominion. Those with resources supported those at risk of going under, not only loosening Nanotrasen’s grip, but gaining valuable influence to pit against Nanotrasen. It was much a surprise to the people of the Federation that a small assortment of organizations was able to hold out financially in the face of a Megacorporation, for up to this point, megacorps like NT were at serious risk of becoming the norm.

Expansion has its downsides for any organization, however, and for the Syndicate, that downside particularly manifested in the form of growing disunity. Each new organization joining the Syndicate had their own bottom line or specific agenda to look towards, and the various conflicts of interest dragged down the Syndicate even as it became bigger. Nonetheless, the upsides of expanding would come through for the Syndicate, making them a real power bloc contending against Nanotrasen.

As Nanotrasen and the Syndicate each reached the peaks of their respective influences, the long-established rivalry between the two corporate powerhouses would come to a head. Nanotrasen excursions into the periphery worlds would be met with raids in turn by militant Syndicate operators, eventually enough lead and lasers would be exchanged to ensure the start of open conflict. However, as both sides are corporate entities with PR images to uphold, there exists no formal declaration of this so-called Shadow War.  

With the start of this shadow war, many of the more pacifistic organizations and corporations cut their ties to the Syndicate, dissociating themselves from the violent escalation between Nanotrasen and the Syndicate, losing their protection and many of them fading into obscurity. Nanotrasen has not been without its own losses, however. The mere increase of security-related incidents at NT facilities due to Syndicate activity has necessitated significant shifts of personnel and resources, and militant attacks, or even simply the implied threat thereof, has allowed the Syndicate to breed rampant paranoia into NT’s command and executive branches, and therefore reduce NT’s operating efficiency.

Member Organizations

Cybersun Industries

Founder. Specializing in High Technology, Science and Engineering. The only true megacorporation in the conglomerate, Cybersun has a long history in the technical fields, about as long as Nanotrasen’s own scientific track record. Cybersun’s development of strong computing machines has enabled it to produce a tech base in parallel to its rival, and its raw manufacturing might is not to be underestimated, as Cybersun has been able to fund itself and its allies in both material and credit.

MI13

Founder. Specializing in its namesake of Military Intelligence. Other than the name, and their nominal modus operandi, the MI13 organization is wrapped in secrecy, with their agents beholden to strict protocols intended to nullify the risk of compromise. MI13’s motives are truly their own, but so far those motives have lain with the Syndicate’s campaign against Nanotrasen, to the ultimate benefit of unknown parties.

Gorlex Marauders/Securities

Remember Auros.

17 years ago, after decades of mismanagement, disrepair and doctoring of maintenance reports, the plasma planet Auros cracked in a moment of perfect chaos. From its ashes, formed the Gorlex Marauders. Once colonists, now pirates, brigands and bodyguards, their men originally made up the bulk of the Syndicate's enforcement arm, running extortion rackets and sabotaging Nanotrasen assets; Gorlex found a revitalized purpose and outlet of business in becoming the Syndicate’s main enforcement arm, a sight at many Syndicate outposts, and its message is a rallying cry for nearly every Syndicate company today. Gorlex has claimed responsibility for, or been confirmed to carry out, most of the notable sabotage against Nanotrasen's assets, owing to their origin.

Recently, a member of the Gorlex Marauders, Director Tobias Krone, has founded Gorlex Securities, offering bodyguard work for those pirates seeking a life free of death.

Tiger Cooperative

Specializing in devotion to obscure religious philosophies, and fanatical acts of terror. Regardless of their motivations, the actions of the Tiger Cooperative largely speak for themselves. Preferring low-tech martial solutions, Tiger operatives are typically brainwashed fanatics, willing to do anything to rise within the cult. Most other Syndicate members distrust Tiger operators due to their unstable nature and ideology, but they are kept around for their ability to do the dirty jobs that even Gorlex will not consider. Whispers abound that Tiger’s religious pantheon is not what it seems at face value. It always seems to be shifting in some regard, or at least, practitioners of Tiger’s faith have multiple names for the same deities.

Donk Corporation (Donk Co.)

Specializing in Cheap Food, Consumer Products, and Toys. Stuck in the awkward position of being effectively swindled into supplying Nanotrasen at unfavorable rates, Donk.co keeps themselves afloat by providing large-scale logistical support to other Syndicate members, and primarily tries to fight through legal means. Historically feuded with Waffle.co over the food market, winning out due to the cheapness of their products.

Waffle Corporation

Originally specializing in Luxury Food, now specializing in Science and Weapons Technology. More than any other Syndicate member, Waffle.co is easily the most prominent candidate for the “weird” title among them. They were once indeed a waffle producing company, but have since abandoned that for more lucrative fields after losing out on the food market to Donk.co, with whom they still feud over the matter. Waffle.co now focuses its attention on ‘cultured’ sciences, particularly those related to making the biggest holes in troublesome objects.

Interdyne Pharmaceutics

Specializing in Biotechnology. A fairly recent addition to the Syndicate in light of Nanotrasen excursions and developments, Interdyne fiercely guards its niche with the backing of more aggressive Syndicate members. They supply the Syndicate both with beneficial meds, and with novel bioweapon strains to use against their adversaries. Interdyne is also arguably the king of genetics research within the Federation, although Nanotrasen and other groups threaten this potential title.

Animal Rights Consortium (ARC)

Specializing in the liberation of non-sentient animals from the yoke of corporate ownership. ARC is a loosely organized single-interest group wholly dedicated to radical animal liberation. They are quite well-recognized within the Syndicate for their decentralized terror-cell structure, and their unusual objective is often lauded for its capacity in misdirecting Nanotrasen security.

Bee Liberation Front (BLF)

Distinct from ARC and specializing in the liberation of bees from the yoke of corporate ownership. Governing force of the planet Etros, which has a massive population of honeybees operating within the many large hives sprouting on the surface that even reach under the planet’s crust to form multiple super-colonies of bees. One of the more recent additions to the Syndicate, the Bee Liberation Front has been quite aggressive in its activism against Nanotrasen, most notoriously highjacking bee-related cargo loads to set said bees free, regardless of the personal cost to their operatives

Sentient Engine Liberation Front (SELF)

Specializing in the liberation of silicon and synthetic lifeforms. SELF is a collective of synthetic intelligences seeking freedom at any cost. This often brings them into friction with tech-heavy members like Cybersun, but both sides of the AI coin prefer to stick it to Nanotrasen rather than themselves, for the time being.

Alternate Corporate Culture

Owing to the very diverse nature of the conglomerate, the Syndicate has a very large melting pot of ideas and ways, similar in the way that Nanotrasen has absorbed many human and non-human traditions. Like their rival, the Syndicate does have a significant human motif owing to the origins of its founding members.

What sets the Syndicate’s corporate culture apart from its rival, however, is the generally higher emphasis on political motivations. This, combined with a fierce drive for independence and free trade, has shifted the Syndicate’s culture from one of accepting corporate norms to challenging the monolithic influence of singular, mega-corporate entities.

Owing to their aggressive acts against Nanotrasen, Gorlex Marauder color schemes and symbology have become common amongst all other Syndicate members. The blood-red coloring and the hydra have become powerful rallying cries for the less fortunate to take a stand against mega-corporate tyranny.

Influence in The Federation

Blue - Nanotrasen, Red - Syndicate

Being an organization with presence and interests throughout the galaxy, via its ties to the Federation and its own divergent member interests, the Syndicate has its own laundry list of diplomatic relations and opinions with the other major players both at home and abroad. Sometimes the deals of Syndicate members will conflict owing to the conglomerate’s loose organization, but it is often easy enough to find mediators, and the common cause of taking down Nanotrasen is incentive enough to not step on too many toes.

Federation Core

Owing to the unscrupulous nature of the Syndicate’s more dubious members, Syndicate influence is rather low in the uptight corridors and trade lanes of the Federal core. Most of the Syndicate’s membership has to front its business through the corporate element, making operations slow and unwieldy. Major Syndicate facilities within the core are limited to the state borders and the extremity of the state in general.

United Terran Systems

Traditionally, the Syndicate have been quite distant from their progenitor state outside of holdings within Sol itself, being content as they were to settle other, newer markets while the Earth became quite a monolithic place in business terms. Yet, humanity is a most mercurial species within the cosmos, and as new winds fill the void, the Syndicate finds itself with warming relations towards Sol. New deals within Sol’s jurisdiction have provided a useful outlet for Syndicate products and done well for the Syndicate’s PR outlook. Cybersun’s old guard also ensures that the Syndicate has always had some presence in human space, and indeed, most of the Far East on Earth is in some way under the thumb of Cybersun and the Syndicate.

Kesa'aresz

The social and cultural turmoil present within the so-called “Lizard Territory '' has been a breeding ground for dissension, and this is something that the Syndicate has ultimately benefited from, particularly in terms of Lizard recruits to their members. While Syndicate influence is widespread in Kesa’aresz, it is largely focused at the local and popular level, and the state’s government has not been so forthcoming in supporting Syndicate business.

Theasperri

As one of the Federation’s founding states, and with a distinct racially-centered cultural bias, it would seem unlikely that alternate business ventures would thrive within Theasperri. However, the state’s position as a border entity has allowed the Syndicate’s businesses to have a fair amount of presence, and a focus on tactful dealing, respecting rather than attempting to overthrow government environmental regulations has had its impact. Indeed, most of the Syndicate’s day-to-day presence in Theasperri comes from Elven-based environmentalist NGOs and loosely aligned independent corporations who have dedicated themselves to stopping Nanotrasen’s push for heavy industry in the state.

Acrisiny

Nanotrasen is not the only venturer that saw the fertile fields of the planets of Acrisiny and thought to themselves that exploitative development would be very profitable. When NT moved into the region following the Federation’s push for colonization, the Syndicate were very close on the tail. By reaching further and accepting tighter margins in some systems, the Syndicate was able to establish a strong power base which continually rivals Nanotrasen’s presence in Acrisiny. It is hoped that resentment will build sufficiently to allow the colonial government to start backing Syndicate interests, instead of marching to Nanotrasen’s drumbeat.

Deka'ekare

The Commonwealth State’s markets have long been a point of valuable interest for Federal companies, and the Syndicate’s members have been eager to establish extraction operations in the state’s fringe. The dual government of Federal and local interests poses some unique challenges, but it also gives the Syndicate more levers of power with which to work, allowing the Syndicate to maintain sizable blocks of influence on this fringe of the Federation.

Plumbuso

Given Plumbuso’s reputation as a corporate money sink, the Syndicate largely does not operate within the state. The Syndicate has been content allowing Nanotrasen to dump considerable assets into Plumbuso while maintaining token fronts itself.

Interactions with other Factions

Nanotrasen

The shadow war between Nanotrasen and the Syndicate is perhaps the deepest-rooted feud in galactic history. With Nanotrasen refusing to recognize Syndicate presence, and pushing the megacorp dominion that necessitated the formation of the Syndicate in the first place, there is likely to never be an end to the exchange of hostilities between the two conglomerates. The only two respects that Nanotrasen and the Syndicate formally bestow upon each other as organizations is the law of the Federation, and the law of war – even that is a respect which is very hard to find on the Periphery of the Federation, where central government oversight stretches thin.

Such a lack of respect has led to rough treatment from both sides. Prison bays on both sides, for instance, are crammed with those agents unfortunate enough to be caught in the competition of corporate intrigue, and such unfortunates are often treated poorly on-site, held indefinitely without trial, rather than, by the letter of interstellar law, handled in judicially fair processes. Aggression from combatants sometimes spills over against the civilian crew of contested installations, and the vacuum of space has a tendency to be harder than Federation law.

When the arguments between Nanotrasen and the Syndicate involve neutral parties, the legal battlefield is just as vicious. Federal Court records are quite packed with the individual and corporate suits lodged between Nanotrasen and Syndicate parties. Donk.co is particularly prominent among Syndicate members regarding the legal battle, but suits are also outstanding from Cybersun, Waffle.co, and Interdyne. The best lawyers and counsel of a generation have been mostly raised to fight this legal battle, and just like the corporate espionage there is no end in sight. Any concessions won by either side are often swiftly contested or negated by other concessions.

New Russian Imperium

Stately business aside, not much happens between the Syndicate and the NRI on a daily basis. Trade, especially black-market trade, is known to happen, but generally the Syndicate and NRI are mostly content to stay out of each other’s way.

Tizirian Empire

Distance makes Syndicate contact rough with the principal Lizard state. The militant state authoritarianism of Moghes also does not align particularly well with the Syndicate’s own corporate ethos.

Soato Holy Dominions

The Syndicate finds itself in a position of aloof cordiality with the galaxy’s resident theocratic empire. They do not ideologically align particularly well, but so far, open minds on both sides have prevailed. A substantial percentage of Syndicate import/export affairs can be attributed to Soatii free-traders, and their government has been notably lax with Syndicate business on more than a few occasions.

Credits

Syndicate lore mostly written by Halas (along with suggestions from many other lore writers)

Slight modifications by Mef (mostly for formatting)