The Syndicate
| Official Name: | The Anti-Trust Lobby |
| Other Names: | N/A |
| Headquarters: | That's Classified |
| Structure: | {{{structure}}} |
| Denonym(s): | Not Specified |
| Founded: | FSC-130 |
- We Hate Nanotrasen
- We Hate Nanotrasen
- We Fucking Hate Nanotrasen
“I fucking hate Nanotrasen and I sincerely wish that everyone on their board of directors dies a horrible, gruesome death.”
— A Luna dome-city resident when asked about their thoughts on the weather.
The Syndicate is a coalition formed on one core ideological tenet: Nanotrasen must fall. Though each member faction of the Syndicate have different ideas on how far they should go with this, all of them believe that Nanotrasen is too big and too powerful, and that their iron grip over the cosmos needs to be broken. Each member faction of the Syndicate has dedicated itself to contributing towards the common goal of opposing Nanotrasen in any way, shape, or form, whether it be by organizing demonstrations and rallies or by planning the bombardment of orbital stations.
Below are the five largest organized groups to support the cause.
The Anti-Corporation Liberation Front
What initially began as a hunger strike on a Nanotrasen station snowballed into the current largest opposition group against Nanotrasen, the Anti-Corporation Liberation Front. The ACLF is the founding member of the Syndicate and by far the largest, with conservative estimates of ACLF membership within the hundreds of millions.
- The motivations, ideology and goals of individual members of the ACLF vary wildly, from passing simple anti-trust legislation to the total dissolution of Nanotrasen. Various sub-factions exist within the ACLF, sharing closer ideological beliefs.
- Action taken by ACLF members varies wildly as well; most participate in protests and demonstrations, but some go as far as to actively sabotage Nanotrasen activity. ACLF affiliation and even sympathies are against the law in most Nanotrasen-controlled sectors.
- A Syndicate Operative is most likely to be picked from a surprisingly large volunteer pool of the ACLF. Irregular warfare is practiced by some especially militant elements of the ACLF, and although rare, the most organized elements of the ACLF provides manpower for conventional actions
The Gorlex Marauders
Although most ACLF combatants are untrained and inexperienced with the rigors of armed conflict, there is one group that stands out: The Gorlex Marauders.
- Famous for their professionalism, skill, and efficiency, the Gorlex Marauders are an elite group of former colonists who resorted to piracy when the colony of Gorlex was left without supplies for months.
- Leaders of the Gorlex Marauders hold influential positions within the Syndicate, with some even being able to sway decision-making in other factions.
- However, in the wake of the Corporate Wars, without the material support of their allies and facing a crisis of faith due to the near-destruction of the Syndicate in their efforts, the Gorlex themselves have split into three sub-factions.
- The 2nd Battlegroup, the largest of the three and with the closest cohesion with the rest of the ACLF (mainly due to believing the other two groups are nuttier than peanut brittle), currently maintains a small, labor-friendly benevolent dictatorship in a former Nanotrasen colony far from well-traveled space.
- The Hardliners, the ideological strongpoints of the group, continue to fight Nanotrasen hard and fast under the Cybersun banner – a situation they are not particularly fond of given Cybersun's less-than-friendly motivations – in exchange for guns, ships and logistical support.
- The Ramzi Clique, the smallest and most mercenary of the groups, consists essentially of very well-armed and well-trained pirates hunting mercantile traffic under the cult of personality maintained by one Commander Mohammed Ramzi.
For more information on the Gorlex Marauders, refer to the page here.
The Gat Drones
Although not explicitly associated with the Syndicate, the Gat Drones are noteworthy for being the primary suppliers of firearms for Syndicate militants. A specific batch of automated repair drones had a minor flaw in their programming that resulted in a law malfunction, leading to heightened decision-making ability and a hyperfixation on the creation and maintenance of firearms. Due to the ACLF and the Gorlex Marauders forming the foremost military arm of the Syndicate, they are considered under the ACLF banner.
Donk! Corporation
Initially started as a toys and novelties company, Donk! Co. is a rapidly expanding megacorporation primarily focused on logistics. They are the newest member of the Syndicate, yet are quickly becoming one of the most instrumental groups to its operations.
- Donk! takes unconventional approaches to many aspects of their business model, most notably gating shopping with Donk! Corporation behind an annual membership fee. This, among other unorthodox practices, has resulted in Donk! being able to improve working conditions, employee morale, and overall customer satisfaction without a significant loss in profits.
- Donk! Corporation's expansion was spurred on indirectly by the aftermath of the Corporate Wars, making a fortune by offering delivery, courier, and transportation services in the frontier with their relatively large fleet.
- Donk! Corporation is one of the few Syndicate members who works with Nanotrasen on any level. This cooperation is seen as a conflict of interests with many other Syndicate members, making most uncomfortable with working with Donk!. Despite this, Donk! has been cooperative with factions such as the ACLF, giving the Syndicate much needed logistical ability.
Cybersun Virtual Solutions
Cybersun Virtual Solutions, originally a pioneer of in the field of cybernetic implants, is now one of the most respected cybersecurity firms in the market. They have a deep-rooted grudge against a competitor implicated in an attempt to ruin their reputation: Nanotrasen.
- Cybersun Solutions operates coldly, looking to cut expenses and increase profits wherever it can. Although they do not sacrifice the quality of their products (to keep an edge over Nanotrasen), worker conditions in Cybersun offices and facilities are notoriously poor.
- While this would normally put them at odds with the more radical elements of the ACLF and Galactic Engineers Concordat (next section), Cybersun's advanced equipment and rapid prototype-to-production rollout gives them strong leverage with the ACLF and a strange, uncomfortable relationship with the GEC. They might be the only chance a GEC engineer has to submit a design and have it mass-produced for usage.
- What resulted was a compromise: Cybersun Industries promises better workplace conditions in exchange for continual design improvements from GEC engineers.
- A number of rumors and conspiracies regarding Cybersun circulate commonly: intentionally creating ransomware that targets vulnerabilities they discover, pouring a majority of their research budget into researching occult rituals, using mind control technologies to strongarm negotiations and deals. Evidence to back these rumors has yet to be found.
Galactic Engineer's Condordat
Formed initially as a unionization effort for engineers, the GEC has evolved into a large political-activist group, advocating for worker-controlled organizations and workplace democracy, making decisions about labor as laborers. The GEC joined the Syndicate to help in repairing the damage caused by the Corporate Wars and to protest against Nanotrasen in a more direct way.
- Two major subfactions: the Moderates, and the Eccentrics.
1. Moderates fight for the rights of workers, especially in regards to Nanotrasen stations. They advocate for a similar hierarchy in the workplace to that of NT stations, with a Chief Engineer overseeing projects.
2. Eccentrics fight for the freedom to push the limits of what is possible, even if it means safety is ignored. They advocate for workplace anarchy; we do not need a Chief Engineer, only the trust of your fellow workers.
- Syndicate companies and captains have preferences towards engineers from one of the two sub-factions. Safety-minded Captains prefer Moderates, while risk-takers may gamble with an Eccentric.
- Chief Engineers aboard Concordat-controlled vessels are elected by the crew to enforce labor standards, and are often required to answer to the workers aboard the vessel.
The Naturalienwissenschaftlicher Studentenverbindungs-Verband (The Student Union Association of Natural Sciences)
Translating to "Student-Union Association of Naturalistic Sciences", the NSV is a loose coalition of several student unions from prestigious universities, united in the pursuit of knowledge in the natural sciences. After several squabbles regarding Nanotrasen, the NSV has called for a hold on internal conflicts to address a growing threat to scientific progress.
- The NSV is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge in the Natural Sciences of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but have a distaste for cybernetics and biomechanical technology as they are deemed to be unnatural. This aversion has complicated relations with Cybersun Solutions, who the NSV views with distrust.
- Composed of several small, mildly militaristic student unions, with the most notable being the Terrestische Generalmedizinischer Corps (Engl: Terrestrial General Medicine Corps) and the Aestische Agronomium (Engl: Aestuum Agricultural Association).
- The Terrestrial General Medicine Corps specialize in researching medical applications of newly discovered organisms.
- The Aestuum Agricultural Association focuses on researching the effects of bluespace on plant life and terraforming.
- These two groups in particular harbor a deep-rooted rivalry for a number of arbitrary issues, which ties in closely with the next bulletpoint.
- The NSV shares a stringent moral ruleset with all other SolGov Student Associations, requiring members to uphold and defend their honor in duels if challenged or slighted. NSV members are rarely seen without a blade and are well-drilled in the basic moves of academic fencing (which lacks any practical combat application in the modern day).
