Elegy Chapter Six: Epsilon Sector

The Epsilon Sector was unevenly divided among the participants of the Terran-Kilrathi War and was one of its most volatile theaters. Star systems in this Sector constantly changed hands, with systems in this Sector falling to the Kilrathi in the later stages of the war. After the war, many of the remaining Terran-occupied systems banded together to form the heart of the Union of Border Worlds. The Firekka system, homeworld of the Firekkan people and the Firekkan Planetary Alliance, is also located in this Sector. In the interregnum between the end of the Black Lance Affair and the beginning of the Nephilim War, the Sector remained a very volatile region of space, with Kilrathi raids against Terran and Firekkan interests in the Sector common (and with reciprocal activity also taking place). (The Sector would ultimately be one of the most volatile and hardest hit areas in the Nephilim War of the 2680s and 2690s, though that conflict has yet to occur during the timeframe of the Elegy campaign.)
==Sector Navigational Data Overview==
 Epsilon Sector lies directly spinward of M'Shrak Sector, anti-spinward of Enigma Sector and rimward of Vega Sector. Alternative names for Epsilon Sector include Antares, Deneb, Firekka, Leyton, Locanda, Orsini and Yarin.
*Galactic Coordinates: A7C-A8D
*Total Number of Systems: 62
*Quadrants
**Spinward/Coreward Quadrant Designation: Deneb, 13 Systems.
**Anti-Spinward/Coreward Quadrant Designation: Sa'Kahn, 15 Systems.
**Spinward/Rimward Quadrant Designation: Antares, 20 Systems.
**Anti-Spinward/Rimward Quadrant Designation: Tr'L Rass, 14 Systems.
*System Names/Alignments by Quadrant
**Deneb Quadrant (Confederation, Border Worlds): Ayer's, Canewdon (UBW), Chanel (UBW), Deneb (UBW), Epsilon Prime (UBW), Goddard (TC), Locanda (TC), Morpheus (TC), Orestes (UBW), Orsini (TC), Peleus (UBW), Ross 34F (UBW), Torgo (UBW).
**Sa'Kahn Quadrant (Border Worlds, Kilrathi Alliance of Clans): Border Zone (KAC), Cephid 17 (KAC), K'hotan (lan Gorth), Lennox (UBW), Masa (UBW), Pasqual (KAC), Qual'lat (KAC), Silenos (UBW), T'Rel Meh (KAC), T'kon (KAC), T'kon H'hra (KAC), T'kon Meth (KAC), Tas Mahran (KAC), Valgard (KAC), Vigrid (KAC).
**Antares Quadrant (Border Worlds, Kilrathi Aliance of Clans, Firekkan Planetary Alliance): Antares (UBW), Bistangio (UBW), Charon (KAC), Circe (UBW), Corsair (KAC), D'vd Tang (KAC), Firekka (FPA), Granita (UBW), K'k-Tahn (KAC), K'ta Mek (KAC), Khar Takh (KAC), Khar-Sa (KAC), Midgard (KAC), N'Tanya (KAC), S'thran-Pak (KAC), Shariha (KAC), T'kirsa (FPA), Trafalgar (UBW), Tv'x Aq (KAC), Veronica (UBW).
**Tr'L Rass Quadrant (All Kilrathi Alliance of Clans): Anchorage†, Asgard, B'shriss, Bifrost, Ingraya, Jakal†, Jakarta†, Jotunheim, K'nag Rha, K'nag Rahl, Kabla Meth, Tr'L Rass (1), Tr'L Rass (2), Tr'L Rass (3).
:†: Though technically owned by the KAC, these systems are controlled by the Crimson Claw pirate clan
Sector Points of Interest: Antares, Antares System, Antares Quadrant; Ayer's Rock, Ayers System, Deneb Quadrant; Bifrost Supply Depot, Bifrost System, Tr’L Rass Quadrant; Bistangio X, Bistangio System, Antares Quadrant; Charon III, Charon System, Antares Quadrant; Chloe, Corsair System, Antares Quadrant; Circe V, Circe System, Antares Quadrant; Circe VII, Circe System, Antares Quadrant; Firekka, Firekka System, Antares Quadrant; Ghorax Tha, Charon System, Antares Quadrant; Goddard I, Goddard System, Deneb Quadrant; Goddard II, Goddard System, Deneb Quadrant; Granita, Granita System, Antares Quadrant; Hampton Station, Orsini System, Deneb Quadrant; Kabla Meth, Kabla Meth, Tr'L Rass.; Locanda IV, Locanda System, Deneb Quadrant; Masa III, Masa System, Sa’Kahn Quadrant; Midgard, Midgard System, Antares Quadrant; N'tanya, N'tanya System, Antares Quadrant; Odell, Antares System, Antares Quadrant; Orestes IX, Orestes System, Deneb Quadrant; Pasqual X, Pasqual System, Sa’Kahn Quadrant; Peleus System, Deneb Quadrant; Polaris Roads Naval Station, Antares System, Antares Quadrant; TCS Port Broughton, Corsair System, Antares Quadrant; Quarto, Trafalgar System, Antares Quadrant; Shariha, Shariha System, Antares Quadrant; Silenos Nebula, Silenos System, Sa’Kahn Quadrant; S'thant, T'kirsa System, Antares Quadrant; Sting, Midgard System, Antares Quadrant; The Bearpit, T'kirsa System, Antares Quadrant; The Boneyard, Charon System, Antares Quadrant; Torgo Sector HQ, Torgo System, Deneb Quadrant.
Native Denizens: Firekkans, Firekka, Firekka, Antares Quadrant.
==Factions in Epsilon==
===Governments===
====Terran Confederation====
The Terran Confederation is a democratic republic comprised of dozens of systems, mainly with inhabitants of Terran origin. The head of state is the President; in 2680, the President of the Confederation is David Quinson, who served out President Harold Rodham's term as President after the former's resignation during the 2668 False Armistice Crisis, was elected to office in 2672 and survived a tumultuous re-election in 2676. 2680 is the final year for which President Quinson is eligible to hold the office. The main legislative body is the Grand Assembly; in 2680, the Grand Master of the Assembly is Emilio Cavazos, who was elected to the position after the term of eligibility expired for the previous Grand Master, James Taggart. Cavazos has already announced his intention to run for the office of Governor of Sol Sector in the 2680 elections. The Confederation was founded on 2416.236 through the ratification of the Articles of Confederation; over time, the Confederation has evolved from its original confederal form of government to that of the federal republic that it is today. For much of the Confederation’s history, its primary duty has been to provide defense for those within its borders; the Confederation military is comprised of the Navy, the Marines and the Space Forces. The Joint Chiefs of Staff command these forces.
On 2629.105, the explorer ship TCS Iason encountered KIS K'rath'kan and was subsequently destroyed. This marked the first recognized encounter between the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire, and the following forty years would see the bloodiest space war in the history of Terrankind. Facing defeat at the hands of the Kilrathi, a last minute strike with a new planet-busting weapon saved the Confederation, putting an end to the war. The next four years saw increased political tensions between the core worlds of the Confederation and its outer territories, as well as a number of economic problems with the decrease in military spending. In 2673, alleged attacks by Border Worlds forces on Confederation space reach a fevered pitch. This lead to a short period of tension along the border with a number of small engagements and raids on both sides along with a biological attack on the Telamon colony. Eventually, the entire situation was revealed to be a plot headed by Space Martial Geoffrey Tolwyn and a number of Confederation personnel. The discovery of this plot resulted in the end of martial law, which had been in effect throughout the Kilrathi War, and a review of the Confederation military and black projects. As a further result of the conflict, a number of colonies along the former border with the Kilrathi Empire declared independence and the Union of Border Worlds was formed; it received formal diplomatic recognition as a sovereign starfaring state by the Confederation Grand Assembly a number of months later.
By 2680, the Confederation had lost most of its holdings in Epsilon Sector to the nascent Union of Border Worlds, keeping only four systems within Deneb Quadrant - Morpheus, Orsini, Locanda and Goddard. Of those, Morpheus and Orsini were the only ones with significant economic impact to the Confederation, housing the refinery bases of Ikelos and Hampton Station respectively, and of those two Hampton Station was far and away the busier and more prosperous port. Locanda system was the site of a Kilrathi biological attack late in the war and was placed under indefinite quarantine as a result; its lack of jump nodes leading to other destinations within Epsilon also limited any strategic or economic impact it had on the Sector as a whole. Goddard II was the site of the first (and last) operational use of the Proton Accelerator Gun by the Kilrathi in 2655, resulting in the destruction of the main colony and the deaths of 250,000 Confederation citizens. A weigh station to begin the process of planetary cleanup and terraforming was later established; Goddard Transfer Station remains committed to this ongoing effort and while the cleanup of Goddard II is slow going there is some progress being made. An effort to terraform Goddard II-A (Steltka) is also ongoing.
Despite their limited holdings, the influence of the Confederation in Epsilon Sector is quite significant, with multiple military bases located in the Sector in areas that are otherwise holdings of the Union of Border Worlds; their continued existence was part of a deal brokered with the Union in exchange for diplomatic recognition. Major bases include the Polaris Roads facility in Antares, the three Halsey-type ports - Marcinko Station in Lennox, Torgo Sector HQ in Torgo, and Farragut Station in Veronica - as well as the Valgard Military Prison complex in Valgard system. Confederation military assets in the Sector are centered on the Vesuvius-class carrier TCS McKinley (CV-72) and two war-era Jutland-class carriers, TCS Salamis (CV-66) and TCS Red Cliffs (CV-67), along with a small number of Plunkett-class cruisers and Murphy-class destroyers. The Confederation is also a major economic player within the Sector; most of the major corporations operating within the Sector are Confederation-based.
*Disposition of Forces - Terran Confederation / Confederation Navy (Government Faction)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Vesuvius-class Super Carrier x1 (TCS McKinley (CV-72))
**Capital Ship (Standard): Jutland-class Fleet Carrier x2 (TCS Salamis (CV-66); TCS Red Cliffs (CV-67))
**Escort Ship (Elite): Plunkett-class Heavy Artillery Cruiser
**Escort Ship (Standard): Murphy-class Fast Destroyer
**Transport (Elite): Peleliu-class Troop Transport
**Transport (Standard): Pelican-class Transport
**Strike Craft (Elite): TB-80 Devestator Class-A Torpedo Bomber (Default)
**Strike Craft (Standard): TB-81 Shrike Class-B Torpedo Bomber (Default)
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): F-109 Vampire Class-A Space Superiority Fighter (Default)
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): F-108 Panther Class-B Space Superiority Fighter (Default)
**Medium Fighter (Elite): F-110 Wasp Interceptor/Anti-Bomber (Default)
**Medium Fighter (Standard):  F/A-105A Tigershark Medium Multi-Purpose Fighter (Default)
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-106A Piranha Scout Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-106A Piranha Scout Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 1
**Allies: In-System Security, Border Worlds Militia, Guinterin Combine, Bronte Corporation
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Thieves Guild, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Jezebels, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Floxk, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 6-13
**Ruxfra: 14-21
**Luxury Foods: 22-29
**Soylents: 30-37
**Space Salvage: 38-45
**Groundcars: 46-53
**Tungsten: 54-61
**Plasteel: 62-69
**Armaments: 70-77
**Terran Liqueurs: 78-85
**Pornochips: 86-93
====Union of Border Worlds====
The Union of Border Worlds is a representative democratic confederation of forty star systems stretching from Vega Sector through Epsilon Sector and into Enigma Sector, with a single system represented in Landreich Sector. Like the Confederation, its inhabitants are predominantly of Terran origin, though there are significant populations of other races (such as the Firekkans, Varni and Wu) living within its borders. The Union was formed after a declaration of independence from the Terran Confederation on 2673.226, in the middle of what is commonly known as the Black Lance Affair. The head of state is styled as the Governor of the Border Worlds; the current Governor of the Border Worlds is Bendt Guildenstern of Nifelheim. The main legislative body is the Border Worlds Council, a unilateral legislative body consisting of three representatives from each member world of the Union. A Chancellor of the Council is selected from among the members of the group; the current Chancellor of the Council is Halas Hodge, who is also one of the representatives to the Council from Dakota. The Border Worlds military is comprised of the Outerworlds Naval Reserve, the Border Worlds Militia and the Border Worlds Marine Corps; all three of these are nominally under the command of the Commander of the Outerworlds Naval Reserve. Until very recently, that was Rear Admiral Eugene Wilford; he has of late temporarily left this post at the behest of Confederation Senator James Taggart to join the Confederation's nascent megacarrier project. His pro temp replacement is Commodore Elrad Weizman, commander of the Border Worlds Militia outpost at Elohim.
The history of the Union of Border Worlds is largely tied-in with that of the Confederation and the Terran-Kilrathi War. Most of the Border Worlds (as members of the Union are frequently called) were initially colonized either just before the war's beginning or immediately afterwards, with none of them having sufficient populations to apply for Confederation membership by the time the war was underway. The Confederation declared martial law shortly after the near disaster at McAullife and assumed de facto control and responsibility of the Border Worlds, something that at the time was accepted by the Border Worlds for the sake of their own survival. The Border Worlds remained under the effective control of the Confederation for the 45-year span of the war, despite never actually becoming signatories to the Articles of Confederation. The Confederation for its part used the Border Worlds as a region to conduct some of its more unsavory activities during the war, such as using the area as a dumping ground for waste materials and convicts as well as for military proving grounds. The situation was not made any better by the invading Kilrathi, who at times briefly controlled nearly every Terran world that eventually signed on to become members of the Union.
At the war's end, the Confederation did not relinquish its control over the region, despite the vastly diminished Kilrathi threat. Citizens from the Border Worlds suffered greatly when the post-war economic crisis took full force, and when the decision was made by the Confederation to place eighteen Kilrathi reservation worlds, the selection of sites within the Border Worlds was the final straw for most along the war-torn border. With the Confederation's attention turned towards a potential conflict with the Free Republic of the Landreich instead of regional reconstruction, a meeting was held by representatives from each of the worlds to discuss methods for mutual support and defense. The outcome of that meeting was the Agreement of Economic Support and Mutual Defense of the United Border Worlds, a document that would later factor heavily into the constitution of the nascent Union.
Despite their problems with the Confederation, there was no talk of secession from the Confederation until early 2673, when attacks on civilian shipping within the Border Worlds ramped up. Evidence (later proven to be false) indicated that the attacks were originating from worlds that were signatories to the Agreement, and the Confederation military was brought in to "clamp down on the dissidents". The attacks continued to escalate and Confed continued to clamp down, until it seemed all-out open warfare would become imminent. An emergency meeting of the signatories to the Agreement was convened on Epsilon Prime to discuss a strengthening of the Mutual Defense portion of the Agreement. The end result of this meeting was the formation of the Union of Border Worlds. At the time, the signatories to the meeting cited the fact that none of the signatories to the Agreement had ever been signatories to the Articles of Confederation, and that as a result they were not (and had never in fact been) Confederation member worlds. This position would later be supported by several key members of the Confederation Grand Assembly when the conflict was revealed as a plot to provoke a war.
Following their independence, the Union has worked to reduce its former dependence on the Terran Confederation, and is steadily empowering its own military forces while working to establish unity among its people. However, the Union remains a scene of much political strife. The region is still recovering from the after-effects of the War and still has to deal with certain elements within the Confederation that do not recognize the Union as a sovereign state. Many of the members worlds have ongoing economic and ecological problems, and are having trouble accepting certain terms of the Confederation's recognition of the Union's independence. This includes the continued operation of Confederation military bases within Union territory as well as the transfer of responsibility of the Kilrathi reservations to the Union, despite nominal oversight remaining with the Confederation's Broken Claw Agency. Many within the Union resent having to now play caretaker to the enemy they fought so long and hard against, and as a result as usually hostile towards Kilrathi on sight.
Eighteen of the forty Border World systems - almost half - are located in Epsilon and they form its economic and geophysical heart. Military assets still consist of most of the same hardware they had available during the Black Lance Affair seven years ago, mostly war-era craft of Confederation design. The Union has retired their small fleet of old Durango-class pocket carriers, having kept the captured TCS Princeton and later having bought TCS Langston from the Confederation. These two carriers comprise the bulk of the Union's current defensive forces. Work has been ongoing to ramp up independent ship construction and design in earnest, and the Union is slowly but surely beginning to make some headway on building up their military.
*Disposition of Forces - Union of Border Worlds / Outerworlds Naval Reserve (Government Faction)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Concordia-class Fleet Carrier x2 (BWS Princeton, BWS Langston)
**Capital Ship (Standard): Tallahassee-class Cruiser x6
**Escort Ship (Elite): Southampton-class Destroyer
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate
**Transport (Elite): Clarkson-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Clarkson-class Transport
**Strike Craft (Elite): F-107 Dragon Heavy Attack Fighter
**Strike Craft (Standard): TBP Avenger Heavy Torpedo Bomber
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): F-104 Bearcat Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): HF-66 Thunderbolt-VII Heavy Fighter / Bomber
**Medium Fighter (Elite): F2M Vindicator Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor
**Light Fighter (Elite): F3V Banshee Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F3V Banshee Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Firekkan Defense Force, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Broken Claw Agency, Hurston Dynamics, Bronte Corporation, AMQ
**Competitors: KAC Police
**Enemies: Thieves Guild, All Criminal Factions
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-13
**Ruxfra: 14-22
**Soylents: 23-31
**Space Salvage: 32-40
**Groundcars: 41=49
**Tungsten: 50-58
**Plasteel: 59-67
**Armaments: 68-76
**Terran Liqueurs: 77-85
**Pornochips: 86-94
====Firekkan Planetary Alliance====
The Firekkan Planetaty Alliance is an autocratic unitary state consisting of two star systems, Firekka and T'Kirsa, in which there are two inhabited planets - Firekka and the Firekkan colony world of S'thant. 98% of the inhabitants of the Alliance are Firekkans, though there are a small number of Terrans, Varni and Wu living within the region. The Alliance formally came into being on 2675.065 with the announcement of the settlement of S'thant. The head of the Alliance is the Teehyn Ree (Flock Leader of Flock Leaders) of Firekka; as of 2680, the Teehyn Ree is Rikik of the White Flower flock. Nominal governance is continued through the flock matrons in accordance to the cultural doctrine of the Flame Winds. Firekka does maintain a militia known as the Firekkan Defense Force (FDF), which is commanded by the Shenrikke; the current Shenrikke of Firekka is Ri'ki of Grey Moon flock, who ascended to the post upon the retirement of the previous (and long-standing) Shenrikke, K'Kai.
Firekka was a non-starfaring world at the turn of the 27th Century, its people seeing no real reason to want to leave the comforts of hearth and home in order to explore the unkown depths of the void. The few who did want to leave were generally discouraged from doing so, reminding the potential dissidents that they had to obey to the will of the flock, which meant comfort and family. There are records that suggest that Pilgrim explorers first visited the world late in the 26th Century, but no formal relations were ever established between the Pilgrims and the Firekkans. The next contact with Terrankind was in 2619, where the world was visited by merchants from the newly independent Landreich and shortly afterwards by merchants from the Confederation. Again, no formal relations were established at that time and while the Firekkans were friendly to the alien visitors, the idea of a return trip was out of the question. So things might have remained had it not been for a set of events that would ultimately lead to the Firekkan people becoming a starfaring power.
It began with an accident. In 2632, all but one member of the entire Yellow Flower flock was lost in an unexpected eruption during a visit to one of Firekka's legendary fire caves. The survivor, a male fledgling named Larrhi, found himself divested of the rights and holdings of the Yellow Flower; since he was a male, he could not legally inherit his flock's property. His injuries also permanently singed his plumage and rendered it difficult to fly, significantly reducing his chances of ever attracting a mate. Destitute, he one day found himself near where a Terran merchant ship had landed for trade, and signed on as a crewhand then and there with no one to try to convince him otherwise. He formally applied for Confederation citizenship at the first opportunity and was accepted. When the war with the Kilrathi began, Larrhi signed up for service with the Confederation Navy and soon made a name for himself, reaching near-celebrity status within the Confederation. His exploits became the stuff of legend and soon made it back to his homeworld of Firekka where, despite attempts by the old guard to the contrary, he inspired a new young generation of Firekkans to reach out and join the greater universe. His message appealed in particular to those members of his species who felt themselves outcast, disenfranchised by their leaders - though there were some notable members of high society that eventually answered his beckon call to space. In the most notorious - and deepest reaching - case, the next Teehyn Ree of Firekka, K'Kai of the White Flower, abdicated in order to leave Firekka. K'kai's departure would have far reaching consequences to the Firekka as a whole.
By 2650, encounters between Terrankind and Firekka were occurring frequently enough that spaceports were established on the planet's surface. Kree'kai of the White Flower, then Teehyn Ree of Firekka, sent a request to the Terran leadership to begin negotiations for formal diplomatic relations. A delegation was sent to the planet Firekka with the goal of establishing a formal peace treaty and trade agreement, but Kree'kai caused a stir both among her own people and in the Confederation by requesting that Firekka become a member world of the Confederation (she was mainly concerned with economic trends at the time). The diplomats jumped at this opportunity and work began on a formal treaty, which was not signed until 2655. Shortly after the signing of the treaty, the Kilrathi attempted an invasion of the Firekka system in order to conduct their yearly Sivar-Eshrad ceremony. The diplomatic delegation sent to Firekka for the signing of the treaty was too small to fully face the brunt of the Kilrathi onslaught and was ultimately forced to withdraw, but not before intelligence brought forth by a Kilrathi traitor led to the disruption of the ceremony and the withdrawal of the Kilrathi. The new Teehyn Ree of Firekka, Rikik, understood the reason for the Confederation withdrawal and yet like most of her people felt somewhat betrayed - they learned early on that the Confederation had a tendency to neglect and abandon their worlds near their borders if necessary. Post-invasion Firekka was largely left to its own devices to clean up in the aftermath of the Kilrathi invasion, though they did receive some support from the neighboring border systems and from the Landreich. The invasion also left most Firekkans with a desire to exact revenge upon the Kilrathi; their kind took to space in unprecedented numbers in the late 2650s and early 2660s. Firekka vehemently opposed the armistice deal offered by the Kilrathi in 2668, so much so that Rikik withdrew Firekka from the Confederation when it became clear the Terran leadership intended to go forward with it. Independent Firekka was immediately recognized by the Free Republic of the Landreich and the Grovsner Colonies, and in the aftermath of the Battle of Earth the Firekkans chose to remain independent rather than attempt to rejoin the Confederation. Having witnessed the abuse of their neighbors and remembering the aide they lent them, Firekka was among the first starfaring states to formally recognize the Union of Border Worlds as an independent starfaring state. Firekka did finally clean up the remaining traces of the Kilrathi invasion thanks to good trade relations with their immediate Terran neighbors, and by the mid-2670s the economy had recovered enough to allow an attempt at colonization. In 2675, the world of S'Thant was colonized and Rikik announced the formation of the Firekkan Planetary Alliance.
The Firekkan Planetary Alliance remains a small but influential state in Epsilon. Their options for further expansion are very limited given the current financial state of the Alliance, but even so the Firekkans are still having some reluctance overcoming their natural tendency to flock and so there has not yet been much effort placed into further expansion as yet. An effort to boost tourism is the S'thran Tahn over S'Thant (nicknamed "The Bearpit" by Terran pilots), construction of which is well underway at this point. Firekka is a destination of choice for merchants from the Confederation, Union of Border Worlds and Landreich; to this day, the Firekkans will not knowingly allow a Kilrathi to enter the system, let alone allow one to land on the planet. They have established a small but potent system defense force whose sole duty is to watch over, challenge and if necessary destroy any craft that enters Firekka system from either Natanya or Corsair. Unlike most of the powers in the Sector, the Firekkans utilize their own craft designs rather than rely on leftover Confederation war-era craft. Firekkan ships are the match of any other design in space, their already potent capabilities augmented by the natural ability of their pilots.
*Disposition of Forces - Firekkan Planetary Alliance / Firekkan Defense Force (Government Faction)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): Warrax-class Destroyer Escort
**Escort Ship (Standard): Vrystall-class Corvette
**Transport (Elite): Spikeri-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Dramik-class Transport
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Yoshira Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Yoshira Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Helbraus Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Helbraus Medium Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): Valtar Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Valtar Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 1
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Hurston Dynamics, Rondell Corporation
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: KAC Police, Thieves Guild, Retros, Jezebels, Despoilers, DeathHeads, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-13
**Grain: 14-22
**Millet Product: 23-31
**Space Salvage: 32-40
**Tungsten: 41-49
**Plasteel: 50-58
**Armaments: 59-67
**Firekkan Artwork: 68-76
**Kika'li: 77-85
**Amusements: 86-94
====Free Republic of the Landreich====
The Free Republic of the Landreich is a unitary state consisting of fourteen star systems located in the Gonwyn and Tara Quadrants of the Landreich Sector. Like the Confederation, its inhabitants are predominantly of Terran origin, though there are significant populations of other races (such as the Firekkans, Varni and Wu) living within its borders. The Landreich hosts the largest extant population of Terrans of Pilgrim descent of any of the Terran factions (in general those that did not leave aboard Exodia in 2654 with the remaining Pilgrim populace); the progeny of the Pilgrim movement are generally treated as equals within Landreich borders. The Republic came into being on 2648.246 in a near-direct response to the rescue of Hans Kruger, the calls for his arrest by the Confederation and a subsequent address he broadcast to all of the Terran worlds of Landreich Sector. The head of state is styled as the President of the Landreich; since its inception, the President has been Hans Maximillian Kruger. The Republic has a unicameral legislature styled as the Landreich Council of Delegates, the head of which was until early 2671 the President of the Landreich; since then, a constitutional referendum has established the office of Premier to act as the head of the Council; the current Premier is Daniel Galbraith of Orleans. The Landreich's military consists of its Navy and Marine Corps; via the constitution, both the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps is the President of the Landreich. In practice, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations is the operational commander of the Landreich military; as of 2679, that is Rear Admiral Jason Bondarevsky.
The Free Republic got it start as an outpost of the Pilgrim Alliance. Its founders, who happened to be of Germanic descent, found a world optimally suited for colonization rimward of the Alliance in 2515 and subsequently obtained special permission from the Pilgrim leadership to establish a colony world there, with the understanding that it would receive no special support from Beacon. They named their new outpost "Landreich", or "rich land". Despite a lack of support from the Pilgrim leadership, the new colony flourished, largely in part due to the acumen of their leaders. When the Confederation began their initial exploratory forays with Akwende Drives, the Landreich leaders saw potential trading partners instead of the descendants of the damned, and welcomed both Confederation trade and additional colonists. This did not please the Pilgrim leadership, who threatened the colony with military action on several occasions towards the early part of the 27th Century. Seeing the writing on the wall and predicting a bloody conflict, Landreich declared its independence from the Pilgrim Alliance in 2615. Lack of action on the part of the Alliance can be attributed solely to Confederation intervention; it would be the only time in the history of the Landreich that the Confederation would take a truly active interest in the region. In early 2635, the Pilgrim Alliance fell and was incorporated into the Confederation. Because the Pilgrim Alliance leadership had never recognized Landreich's declaration of independence, the final treaty stipulations technically made Landreich an official territory of the Confederation. The Kilrathi threat prevented the Confederation from pursuing the matter more closely, and it became abundantly clear in the early days of the war that the Confederation would not take very many steps to defend Landreich and its surrounding neighbors. As they had been for most of their existence, the people of Landreich were on their own. In early 2647, the Confederation ordered a general withdrawal of all their forces from the Landreich Sector in order to concentrate on the Kilrathi threat in Vega. On hearing this news, Hans Kruger led a mutiny aboard TCS San Jacinto and later used the ship to continue the fight against the Kilrathi, proving himself to be an effective (if hell-bent) leader. The ship was eventually shot down but Kruger subsequently led a raiding campaign against the local Kilrathi forces on the world on which he found himself and his surviving crew until they were all rescued by an allied privateer. Kruger's actions made him a hero throughout the Landreich Sector upon his return; the demand for his arrest lead to the Landreich's declaration of independence from the Confederation and Kruger was elected as President of the newly-formed Free Republic of the Landreich (despite being a wanted criminal within the Confederation).
As one of the Terran spheres of influence, the Kilrathi actively fought against the forces of the Landreich for the duration of the war. Through the use of private donations, Hans Kruger began building up an independent Navy for the Republic. Though it did include a few home grown designs, most of the Landreich's purchases were older, outdated warships purchased from the Confederation and refitted for wartime service. The Landreichers gained a great deal of knowledge in salvaging operations and became near legends in other Terran spheres for their willingness to use contraptions that no respectable dockmaster would ever deem spaceworthy. They gained a reputation for their ferocity and suicidal tactics even among some of the warriors of the Kilrathi.
When the Kilrathi offered an armistice in 2668, Hans Kruger sent no delegation; he was (correctly) of the opinion that the armistice offer was a deception, and kept his fleet in a state of war with the Kilrathi along the border. The Confederation's Wake-class of Escort Carriers shortly thereafter became available for purchase, and Kruger snapped up as many of them as he could given the near absence of any carrier of any class in the Landreich inventory up to that point. It proved to be a smart move for him - he was able to "save the day" by sending a few of these ships back to Earth just in time to save it from Kilrathi bombardment, and received a full pardon from the Confederation administration afterwards for his actions early in the war. He also received assistance from the Confederation when the Kilrathi launched a retaliatory strike towards Landreich, crippling a Kilrathi Bhantkara-class Super Carrier in the skies over Baka Kar (though at the cost of two Confederation cruisers). Kruger would later be able to send a salvaging crew to recover and put the carrier back into service for the Landreich as her nominal flagship, FRLS Mjollnir. Political tensions in 2671 and 2672 led to a brief conflict between the Landreich and the Confederation, but once again due to the tenacity of the Landreichers and the leadership of men like Jason Bondarevsky, the situation concluded in a strategic draw (though the Landreich Navy lost three escort carriers - half of their total carrier projection force - during the conflict). The Landreich supported the formation of the Union of Border Worlds in 2673 and offered some logistical support to the nascent state during the Black Lance Affair.
The Landreich does not hold territory within Epsilon Sector but they are a major trading partner with the Union of Border Worlds and Firekka. Their merchant marine may be frequently encountered in the Deneb and Sa'Khan Quadrant systems of the Union of Border Worlds owing to a direct line jump between Orleans in Landreich Sector and Orestes in Deneb. They are less prevalent in Antares owing to the longer distance from Landreich space. A few brave souls can be found taking the shortcut between Orestes and Firekka through Vigrid, Charon and Corsair; these convoys never travel that route without being heavily escorted. Landreich military assets are occasionally known to enter Epsilon, usually to guard crucially important and potentially lucrative shipments. It's fairly common to see a Landreich destroyer running escort to one of their trade convoys, less so to see one of their larger, more important craft, and virtually unheard of to see one of their carrier groups. While it has only happened a few times, there have been occasions where the Landreich has sent Mjollnir herself to escort a trade convoy; most of the time the super carrier remains in what seems to be a constant state of repair in drydock. Since the success of the raid on Baka Kar, the Landreich has adopted many Kilrathi tactics and design philosophies, and has begun a slow acquisition of Kilrathi war-era assets.
*Disposition of Forces - Free Republic of the Landreich / Landreich Navy (Government Faction)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Bhantkara-class Super Carrier x1 (FRLS Mjollnir)
**Capital Ship (Standard): Wake-class Escort Carrier x3 (FRLS Independence, FRLS Arboath, FRLS Magna Carta)
**Escort Ship (Elite): Waterloo-class Cruiser
**Escort Ship (Standard): Gilgamesh-class Destroyer
**Transport (Elite): Clydesdale-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Drayman-class Transport, Mk-II
**Strike Craft (Elite): Paktahn Heavy Torpedo Bomber
**Strike Craft (Standard): F-57 Sabre Fighter/Bomber
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Vaktoth Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): A-14 Raptor Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Dralthi-IV Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-44/G Rapier-II Space Superiority Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): Strakha Medium Stealth Fighter, Uprated
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-36 Hornet Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, Mercenaries Guild, Paulsen Kinetics
**Competitors: KAC Police
**Enemies: Thieves Guild, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Jezebels, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Floxk, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-13
**Kika: 14-22
**Soylents: 23-31
**Space Salvage: 32-40
**Groundcars: 41-49
**Tungsten: 50-58
**Plasteel: 59-67
**Armaments: 68-76
**Terran Liqueurs: 77-85
**Pornochips: 86-94
====Kha'nari'Kilrathi (Kilrathi Assembly of Clans; KAC)====
The Kha'nari'Kilrathi, known in English as the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans or KAC, is the "official" successor state to the Rag'nith'Kilrah (Empire of Kilrah). It is de jure an elective constitutional monarchy and unitary state, whose members are the systems belonging to the former Kilrathi Empire; de facto the Terran Confederation acts as a regional hegemon over KAC territory through the Broken Claw Agency, with local administration enacted via the KAC Council on Pasqual X and law enforcement supplied via the Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve and local militias (formally known as the KAC Police Force). The bulk of the populace of the KAC are Kilrathi and those races enthralled to them at the time of the collapse of the Empire, mainly Varni and Wu but including a few others. It was formally established on 2675.165 in the wake of Murragh dai Nokhtak's attempt to assume control over the old Empire, taking the place of the Kilrathi provisional council formed shortly after Kilrah's destruction. The head of state is styled as the Thraqal (thrak-kal, or "Great Lord"); the current Thraqal of the KAC is Nrallos nar Juk’Teth (formally Nrallos dai Juq'teth ko Druka lan N'Ryllis nar Caxki). The Thraqal is elected by the Kilrathi people and sits in office for a six year term; like the Chancellor, the Thraqal is required to denounce their loyalty to a specific clan upon entering office, but by law is allowed to use their house name (the dai honorific) as their "clan" name for state purposes. The Thraqal acts as president over the Council of the Assembly, who also elect one of their own number to serve in the office of Chancellor, a holdover from the days of the provisional council; the Chancellor holds similar powers to the Thraqal and may serve as Regent (Hyilghthraqal) in the event that the Thraqal is unable to discharge their duties. As of 2680, the Chancellor of the KAC is Melek (Melek va Daimaksnar, formally Melek hrai Thrakhath nar Kiranka), who has held the office since the formation of the provisional council in late 2669 (and was the founder of the provisional council).
The Raid on Kilrah on 2669.267, which saw the destruction of the planet and the deaths of the Emperor, Prince Thrakhath and most of the legitimate heirs to the Empire, brought about a sudden and wholly unexpected end to the war. The Kilrathi were utterly shocked and dismayed by this turn of events; such a horrific defeat had never been seen as conceivable by the general populace. For its own part, the Confederation had not made any significant occupation or reconstructive plans for the Kilrathi Empire (as was done by the Allied Powers for the nations of Germany and Japan towards the end of the Second World War); indeed, for most of the last year of the war it was considered a foregone conclusion that the Kilrathi would ultimately achieve victory. Their sudden defeat was as much a surprise to the Confederation as it was to the Kilrathi, and it left both sides scrambling.
The destruction of Kilrah brought with it the sudden collapse of the Empire; without the Imperial apparatus to keep them in check, local clan leaders had a free hand and the opportunity to make a grab for power. Any kil with any modicum of power - no matter how small, no matter how insignificant they had been in the Empire - took steps to consolidate and increase their influence over as much territory as possible. The result was chaos - nearly overnight the former Empire fragmented into thousands of warring territories, with destruction, famine and disease throughout Kilrathi space as the end result. Seeing the need for some kind of formal government with which to negotiate to the Confederation for the Kilrathi people, Cheedyachee Melek nar Kiranka, chief retainer to the late Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka, formed a provisional council on T'Kon-Sa Du (Pasqual X) in Epsilon Sector, and invited all nascent warlords that wished to do so to send representatives to the council to be recognized and have a say in the future of the government (in particular, Melek stressed that the recognized Kal Thakhra, the leaders of the Great Clans, come to sit on the council). The aristocratic oligarchy ultimately worked only due to the fact that all eight clan Barons agreed, and that happened only after Melek denounced his loyalty to the nar Kiranka and declared himself loyal to no clan, appointing himself as Chancellor over the Council (citing that only one who had no clan loyalty could be accepted by all). From the beginning, Melek made it clear that he would abdicate his Chancellorship if and when the Barons could decide who had the best claim to the throne. Almost immediately the Council faced issues of legitimacy and challenges to its right to rule. Few of the warlords sent representatives, and those who did often bickered over petty issues that concerned their immediate territorial concerns.
The immediate concern of the Council was establishing a means of providing food for the Kilrathi people and for providing security for innocents caught up in the power struggle. For that, they turned to the Confederation. A representative from the Council, M’ragrakath nar Hhallas, was appointed to speak on its behalf before the Confederation Grand Assembly. Unfortunately, he was assassinated during an interplanetary conference on Venus. In the wake of his assassination, the Confederation went ahead with a proposed plan to establish a series of "reservations" for the Kilrathi; the Broken Claw Agency was formed and eighteen Kilrathi reservation worlds were established within the Border Worlds. The designated reservation worlds were intended to act as safe havens for those wishing to escape the ongoing horrors of the civil wars engulfing the Empire. Pre-fabricated housing, food and medical care were to be made available to the residents of the reservations, along with guaranteed security. That was how the system was supposed to work; in practice, though, those Kilrathi who relocated to these worlds rapidly found themselves living in squalor, having received almost none of the promised benefits. Ownership of the reservation worlds switched hands to the Union of Border Worlds when that body was formed and most of them were subsequently dismantled. In 2674, the novel "Clipped" by Robert Brindle was published; a tragedy about conditions in Kilrathi placement facilities on their designated reservation worlds, the novel was criticized as inflammatory and inaccurate but it did lead to a review of conditions in the reservations and served to raise awareness of the plight of the Kilrathi people within the Confederation. Civilian protestors the following year use the novel as ammunition in acts of civil disobedience near the Grand Assembly Headquarters, resulting in hundreds of arrests and dozens of injuries in demonstrations that last throughout the Assembly’s quarterly sessions.
Meantime, many would-be Emperors vied with the military forces of the provisional council, which was slowly growing in influence. No challenger to the throne was deemed worthy of the throne by the Barons by the time Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak made his attempt to claim the Kilrathi throne. His subsequent defeat and retreat at the hands of the KAC police, which was largely in part to a decision on the part of Hans Kruger to not support his bid with elements of the Landreich Navy, disheartened the Barons. (In truth, Kruger and the Landreich government were perfectly happy of the notion of their not being a new Kilrathi empreror or Kilrathi Empire, hence the order to the fleet to hold their position at Orestes rather than proceed to Pasqual). With the best claimant out of the picture, it council came to the reluctant decision that the old Imperial order would have to be abolished entirely. How to proceed became a source of extreme contention within the council, with sessions nearly resulting in blows on several occasions. When it became apparent the Council could not reach a consensus, Melek once again turned to the Confederation for help - at roughly the same time that the protests over the reservations were reaching their peak. The Confederation agreed to help set up a new government for the Kilrathi, and set to the task of building a "hybrid" government, one that was not completely like the old Imperial system but that didn't discard it entirely either. Within two weeks, the Confederation had the framework set up for a self-governing body, the Kilrathi Alliance of Clans. A constitutional monarchy, the government would include an elected monarch with a limited term of office, the continuation of the council of Barons to be known as the Council of the Assembly, and another house of legislature to regulate the remnants of the Cult of Sivar to act as a check on both.
Conditions with the KAC had remained tumultuous over the five years that the group has been in existence. A clan rally in 2676 ended in violence after an enigmatic young leader from the Kiranka clan, Ra'Khaj nar Ghoran, called for "true" Kilrathi self-determination and named several parties he considered "complicit in the destruction of Kilrathi honor". There have been reports of ongoing corruption going on within the KAC leadership, with some of them implying that the Thraqal himself was guilty of profiteering in the reservations, selling off priceless Kilrathi artifacts to wealthy Confederation collectors. Such remors have yet to be substantiated, though they continue to persist. Conditions within the reservations have improved marginally since the KAC was formed, but not to the degree or with the speed that many Kilrathi would like to see. Warlords who had previously sent representatives to the provisional council found themselves disenfranchised within the new KAC government, and many, many Kilrathi continue to balk at the notion of the group's legitimacy, particularly given that it still must largely bow to the wishes of the Confederation and the ill-treatment of the Broken Claw Agency.
The size of the former Kilrathi Empire remains an unknown; it was known to cover most of five known Sectors of space at a minimum. Technically the KAC holds sovereignty over that vast territory; in truth the KAC's influence doesn't spread that far, with the Hralgkrak and Ral'Ifra Quadrants of Landreich Sector under the control of the lak Haka and all Trk'Pahn, M'Shrak and Vukar Tag Sectors under the control of local warlords. Thirty-nine of Epsilon Sector's 62 systems - more than half - are in the demesne of the KAC. By provision of the Treaty of Torgo, the KAC is not allowed to operate a standing interstellar navy or other armed forces, though the KAC Police is allowed to operate a small force for the purpose of maintaining order and for self-defense. The bulk of the KAC Police's forces are centered on war-era Kamrani-class corvettes, though it does maintain a pair of Dubav-class carriers for crucial operations. There are few ports in Epsilon where Kilrathi merchants are welcome and most of their ships are prime targets for pirates and other fanatical groups such as the Black Lance, leaving most Kilrathi worlds dependent on the good will of Terran corporations for food and other supplies.
*Disposition of Forces - Kha'nari'Kilrathi / KAC Police (Government Faction)†
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): Dubav-class Escort Carrier x2
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Kamrani-class Corvette
**Transport (Elite): Sha'kar-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Jakhari-class Fast Transport Drone
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Vaktoth Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Vaktoth Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Dralthi-IV Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Dralthi-IV Medium Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): Strakha Medium Stealth Fighter, Uprated
**Light Fighter (Standard): Darket Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: None
**Competitors: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Landreich Navy
**Enemies: Firekkan Defense Force, Black Lance, Retros, Jezebels, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Flock
†Some warlords maintain other Kilrathi War-era craft; these craft are illegal and are generally fired upon on sight.
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Universal Meat Product: 11-16
**Ruxfra: 17-22
**Arakh: 23-28
**Fresh Meat: 29-34
**Kilnip: 35-40
**Millet Product: 41-46
**Space Salvage: 47-52
**Tungsten: 53-58
**Plasteel: 59-64
**Armaments: 65-70
**Ikbhakil: 71-76
**Arakh Tea: 77-82
**Amusements: 83-88
**Kilrathi Artifacts: 89-94
===Guilds and Organizations===
====Merchants Guild====
The Merchants Guild is one of the oldest starfaring guilds in the history of Terrankind, with its roots tied into organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the World Federation of Trade Unions and the International Maritime Organization of the 20th and 21st Centuries. The Merchants Guild's primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for interplanetary shipping, ensuring the safety and well-being of the mercantile fleet of its member organizations, which as of 2680 include elements from all of the Terran starfaring states, some from the lesser races such as the Jarma and Hagarin, and (most recently) the Kha'nari'Kilrathi. The Guild is governed by an Assembly of members and is financially administered by a Council of members elected from the Assembly. Member organizations may observe the proceedings of Guild meetings, while observer status is granted to qualified non-governmental organizations.
The Guild is supported by a permanent secretariat of employees who are representative of its members, headed by a Secretary-General, and is headquartered in London, England, Earth, Sol Sector.
Becoming a member of the guild is fairly simple. Ship's masters must be properly registered with their respective merchant marine and must maintain all of their legal documentation. For a reasonable membership fee (¤2,500 as of 2680, with ¤100 annual dues for members who joined the Guild after 2674), pilots are able to take a variety of jobs cleared by the Guild; these are usually specific cargo runs between worlds, though the Guild has been known to offer substantial bounties on pirates and privateers that are known to have harassed or killed Guild members. Any one individual may not have more than three missions accepted from the Guild at any one time in order to prevent racketeering or simply over-committing out of ambition. For a mission brokerage firm, they are useful, professional, and are known to keep almost too nice offices regardless of the hole in which they may otherwise be located. All members have access to mission listings at any Guild office and are paid as soon as all mission requirements are fulfilled; reporting to an office for payment is not necessary.
Members of the Guild typically operate cargo-carrying vessels of various tonnages, from small bulk transports such as the Tarsus Merchant Scout or Galaxy Merchant Transport, to larger vessels like the RSI Constellation, to heavy bulk freighters such as Clarkson or Pelican-class Transports. Prospective members of the Guild are advised to consider the type of work they would like to do before joining; for a pilot with a small cargo hold there is only a little work available through the Guild. That has not stopped some smaller privateers with craft such as the Centurion Heavy Fighter or one of the Origin 300 series from signing up; those that do generally do so for the protection that Guild membership often entails. Still, it's more common to find privateers flying these craft in the Mercenaries Guild than the Merchants Guild.
*Reputation Factors - Merchants Guild (Guild)
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Mercenaries Guild, Guinterin Combine
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Thieves Guild, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Flock, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
====Mercenaries Guild====
The roots of the Mercenaries Guild can be found in the private military companies of the 21st Century, whose job it was to provide logistics, military training and other services to their clients. Though controversial and banned by convention in many countries at the time, there were still parts of the world where one could join a PMC and make a living as a "civilian contractor" or "private security guard". PMCs were protected by law when the Terran Confederation was formed. The Mercenaries Guild itself has existed since the early 2590s, about roughly the time when commercial Akwende drives started hitting the markets and any member of the general public with a sufficient amount of coin could travel through space. Its membership picked up when Enigma, Hawking and Landreich Sectors were opened for general colonization by the Confederation government, again with the opening of Argent and Avalon Sectors, and yet again with the opening of Gemini Sector in the 2650s as colonial groups sought security prior to the establishment of formal police and militia units. Of particular note, it was members of the Mercenaries Guild who held the line against the Kilrathi in the early part of the Terran-Kilrathi War, with the Confederation Grand Fleet still engaged with the Pilgrim Alliance and most of the Vega Sector Fleet lost in the McAullife Ambush. Mercenaries still play a major part in keeping law and order in today's post-War world, performing tasks that would otherwise fall to local Navies, corporate police forces or planetary militias. The Mercenaries Guild is considered by all its member organizations to be an honorable, professional society.
For a reasonable membership fee (¤7,000 as of 2680), pilots are able to take a variety of jobs for various clients that have been authorized by the Guild, generally involving system patrol, areal defense, authorized military raids and bounty hunting. No missions offered by the Guild are illegal and payment at the conclusion of a Guild-brokered mission is always guaranteed. The Guild also guarantees their clients that all Guilds-persons are registered and can therefore be tracked and penalized for any indiscretions they may commit; in particular, known pirates, Retros and members of the Thieves Guild are not allowed to join the Guild and any member that either joins or is discovered to be a member of any of these groups are subsequently expelled from the Guild for life (and often shortly thereafter find themselves with a price on their heads posted by the Guild itself). Any one individual may not accept more than three missions from the Guild at any one time in order to prevent racketeering or simply over-committing out of ambition. All members have access to mission listings at any Guild office and are paid as soon as all mission requirements are fulfilled; reporting to an office for payment is not necessary.
Members of the Guild are typically operators of civilian-grade military craft such as the Centurion heavy fighter or one of the Anvil Hornet series. As with their mercantile counterpart, the Merchants Guild, there are some exceptions to this rule; there are a few registered Guilds-persons that are Draymen drivers and operators of even heavier transport vehicles. The Merchants Guild and Mercenaries Guild often work hand in hand with one another, and it is not uncommon to find ship-masters that are members of both Guilds as a result.
*Reputation Factors - Mercenaries Guild (Guild)
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Landreich Navy, Merchants Guild, Bronte Corporation, Rondell Corporation, Paulsen Kinetics
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Thieves Guild, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Jezebels, Despoilers, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
====Thieves Guild====
The Thieves Guild is not a true guild per se but rather a group that supports collaboration between organized criminal elements of all kinds. The history of the organization itself is unknown, though it likely developed out of Earth's historical transnational organized crime groups (such as the mafia, triads, yakuza and drug cartels). The Guild is based on a clandestine cell system; a single leader organizes the activities of local cells, calling on members based on their known skill sets to conduct various jobs as needed by the organization's patrons. The Guild has branches and cells throughout the Terran spheres of influence, including the Confederation, Landreich and Union of Border Worlds. If the money offered is good, a cell leader will risk his guilds-men in any kind of criminal activity, from petty theft and racketeering all the way to kidnapping and grand theft, though as a rule most cell leaders will avoid jobs that involve assassination or other excessive forms of violence due to the unwanted attention such activities usually bring. Members of the Guild who are apprehended by the authorities are expected not to reveal what they know about the organization; those that are known to have done so usually find themselves with large bounties placed upon their heads by "anonymous patrons". The Guild will very rarely attempt to assist an apprehended member, again due to the risk of unwanted exposure. Members are also expected not to interfere with the activities of other members; those members who find their jobs at cross-purposes can either settle matters between them equitably or, if no compromise can be reached, can approach the local cell leader for arbitration. Verified members of the Guild may contact members of other Guild cells for assistance in times of need; such contact is rare, and if the other cell agrees to assist, it's usually at a cut of any profits made. Most local Guild cells are heavily involved with smuggling contraband and fencing stolen goods in their given communities.
Becoming a formal member of the Guild is generally a time-consuming process; it usually requires a lengthy period of contact between a member in good standing of the Guild and a new recruit, with the exact length required before formal induction varying between cells. During the period of contact, the new recruit must direct a portion of the proceeds of their activities to their contact, generally ranging from four to ten percent with higher percentages usually applicable in those cases where the contact must also provide shelter for the recruit. After the contact period, the new inductee is generally required to undergo some kind of initiation rite (generally either a high-value theft or smuggling run), after which they are inducted in a formal ceremony, which also includes their introduction to the leader of the local cell. 
Three of Epsilon's pirate clans are known to be closely affiliated with the Guild - the Morgans, the Jezebels, and (quite recently) the Demon's Eye Pack. Curiously enough these three groups are competitors with one another; the Morgans and the DEP in fact consider one another enemies, on account of the method by which the DEP acquired the Demon's Eye base. The Guild will allow members of the Merchants Guild and Mercenaries Guild into their ranks, but usually if it is known that a member of one of these Guilds is attempting to join the Thieves Guild, that particular recruit can expect their initiation rite to be difficult; ex-members of the Mercenaries Guild have particularly excruciating initiation rites as a rule.
*Reputation Factors - Thieves Guild (Guild)
**Faction Object Factor: 1
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Morgans, Jezebels, Demon's Eye Pack
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, Merchants Guild, Mercenaries Guild, Retros
====Broken Claw Agency====
The Broken Claw Agency (BCA, known by the Kilrathi as Kha Najr'ink and more colorfully as Yanshi) is an agency of the Terran Confederation within its Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is responsible for the administration and management of the territory held by the former Kilrathi Empire held in trust by the Union of Border Worlds for Kilrathi citizens living within Enigma, Trk'Pahn, Vega and Epsilon Sectors. The Agency was first proposed to the Confederation Grand Assembly during the initial draft of the Treaty of Torgo, as a commission whose main function would be to oversee the transition of the Kilrathi society from one geared towards war into one that guaranteed fundamental Terran rights such as freedom of speech, religion and thought as well as one that respected fundamental rights of sapient beings (i.e. one wherein sapient beings were used as neither slave labor nor food - both of which had been well documented in Imperial Kilrathi society). The group would also have a secondary mandate of steering Kilrathi infrastructure and manufacturing to reduce their ability to make war while increasing their potential as a future business partner. Such radical changes to the defeated Kilrathi were not pursued at the time of the Treaty itself as there was significant fear the Kilrathi would not sign the Treaty were those provisions made, and so the matter sat until about six weeks after the treaty was signed. The matter was to be discussed with the Kilrathi during an interplanetary conference on Venus late in 2669, but the representative appointed by the Kilrathi provisional council, M'ragrakath nar Hhallas, was assassinated before the matter was brought up for discussion. The assassination of nar Hhallas was proof enough that change was needed in Kilrathi society; within a week of the diplomat's assassination, the Kilrathi reservations were drawn up and the Broken Claw Agency was formed to oversee and manage them, with Kabla Meth station selected as the site of the nascent group's headquarters.
To say that the Broken Claw's history since its inception and its policies toward the Kilrathi have both been controversial would be an extreme understatement; there have been almost no stories of successful integration of Kilrathi into Terran society that even mention the involvement of the Broken Claw. Some of the group's ineffectiveness can be attributed to the haste with which the reservations came into being and inadequate planning; of the eighteen selected reservation sites, all but one were located in systems that would ultimately become members of the Union of Border Worlds, and had in general were on worlds that had seen heavy ecologic and infrastructural damage during the War. Broken Claw reservation facilities were generally hastily constructed by Confederation contractors based on a military barracks model, and in some cases lacked such basic amenities as running water. No real budget or plan was set for the services such as medical and educational facilities, and in many cases the Kilrathi residents that ultimately chose to live at reservation sites had to fend for themselves. The Broken Claw also generally lacks sufficient funding to perform its work effectively, and there is some evidence to suggest corruption among certain high-ranking members of the Agency, worsening matters. Some of the more controversial policies of the BCA towards the Kilrathi have included the banning of traditional goods (such as vaq'ku, which was used in certain religious ceremonies) and the incorporation of Kilrathi laborers into Terran workplaces, where violent clashes have occurred between members of the different labor forces. Their most controversial decision to date has been to prohibit the Cult of Sivar in the areas under their control; the Grand Assembly is divided as to whether or not denying a defeated people access to their principal faith is such a good idea, given the violent nature of most forms of Sivaran worship. In some areas under BCA control (such as the T'kon H'hra facility), enforcing this policy has proven impossible, and the BCA tolerates - though it does not approve of by any means - the Cult of Sivar representation in the Kilrathi government. Not all of the results of the BCA's efforts have been completely negative, though; some of the more charitable things the organization has accomplished have included an attempt to revitalize the economy of the Kabla Meth system, the employment of Kilrathi labor at BCA facilities, and a part-sponsorship of an effort to make the Kilrathi language more widely known among the Terran spheres of influence.
The Broken Claw Agency doesn't operate any craft of their own, relying instead on Border Worlds military and police forces for law enforcement and on civil and commercial traffic to supply the worlds under their jurisdiction. While this keeps the agency's operating costs down, it hasn't done much to help the Kilrathi under the BCA's jurisdiction, as most military and police forces working for the Agency at the moment are veterans of the War in addition to being UBW citizens, most of whom have hard feelings towards the Kilrathi. Most commercial ship's masters within the Terran spheres of influence likewise have little love lost for the Cats, and as a result they're more apt to "supply" Kilrathi reservations with things they neither want nor truly need. Finally, members of the Mercenaries Guild are sometimes called upon by the BCA to supplement their police forces when needed. Guild members are, in general, particularly unkind to the Cats, and there have been several documented incidents of severe abuse of Kilrathi nationals at the hands of mercenaries under BCA contract.
*Reputation Factors - Broken Claw Agency (Organization)
**Faction Object Factor: N/A
**Mission Score Factor: N/A
**Allies: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Borderworlds Militia
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Black Lance, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
===Corporations===
====Guinterin Combine====
Guinterin is the first and oldest of the Earth-based mega-corporations, and can trace its roots back to some of the most influential and pervasive companies of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. When the first of the Great Pandemics broke out on Earth in the 23rd Century, many of these corporations found themselves without the necessary resources or materiel necessary to maintain the massive quarterly profits they had previously enjoyed up to that point. A proposal by Guillermo Guinterino, the President and CEO of the most influential social media network of the time, led to an initial set of mergers that would ultimately lead to the formation of the Combine. Despite several anti-trust lawsuits brought against it, the Combine survived through to the formation of the Confederation. With the advent of affordable commercial space travel, Guinterin was in a position to lead Terrankind into space, with operational "divisions" involved in nearly every aspect of the necessary design and manufacturing of space-going freighters. Guinterin remains one of the largest interstellar shipping interests to this day, with manufacturing and transportation hubs in every Sector of Terran occupied space, and it has recently become a leader in the development of nano-fabrication technologies as well as commercial robotics. The company has also operated an interestellar passenger service for nearly 150 years; its operation played a major role in the colonization and development of Hawking, Avalon and Argent Sectors. The Combine maintains a very tight relationship with the Merchants Guild; over 98% of Guinterin employees are registered members with the Guild as well.
One of Guinterin's more famous endeavors is their interstellar tourism division, which began operations in Sol and Hawking Sectors shortly after the initial push by the Confederation into Vega via the establishment of resort colonies in the Celeste, Wolf 359 and Outreach systems. Guinterin would later establish resorts with more "infamous" reputations, including Vespus and Xanadu. In 2628, the company launched an interstellar cruise line division, with the intent of using the liners as a means to interconnect their various resort interests. Unfortunately for the company, the final war between the Confederation and the Pilgrim Alliance began shortly after the launch of SS Mandalay, the company's first operational cruise liner. The liner was destroyed in an Pilgrim ambush during the conflict, leading to a major lawsuit between Guinterin and the families of the lost passengers, which Guinterin's lawyer's dragged out for decades; the suit wasn't finally settled until 2671, lasting longer than the entire Terran-Kilrathi War. Guinterin's cruise line division was put on indefinite hold during that time, with the hulls of the remaining ships of the Mandalay-class under construction being refurbished into transports of the Drayman-class. The company announced the re-launch of their cruise line division in 2672, with the first ship of the new Stardust-class coming on line in 2678. Guinterin currently operates ten Stardust-class cruise liners in Confederation and Border Worlds territory, with two more ships - SS Anna Maria Alberghetti and SS Blue Horizon - expected to come on-line later this year.
As one of the Confederation's most successful corporations, it's not surprising that Guinterin operates some of the more advanced craft currently available on the commercial market. Guinterin is the one of only two starfaring interests operating the new Pelican-class of super-heavy transports (the other being the Confederation Navy). The company was able to pick up several TCN destroyer escorts headed to the scrap heap at the end of the war and retrofit them for service with the company's private militia, where they serve as a heavy escort and command vessel for particularly high-profile or high-value cargoes and have proven themselves effective against Epsilon's pirate clans. The company has worked out an exclusive contract with Origin Jumpworks GmbH to be the supplier of craft for the company militia; at the moment Guinterin security details can be found flying craft of the Origin 300 series. The company has also picked up a fair number of mid-model after-market F-27s, which they utilize as fast scouts and light escorts.
*Disposition of Forces - Guinterin Combine (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Paradigm-class Destroyer Escort
**Transport (Elite): Stardust-class Starliner
**Transport (Standard): Pelican-class Transport
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Origin Jumpworks GmbH 300 Series, 325a Interdictor Model
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Origin Jumpworks GmbH 300 Series, 325a Interdictor Model
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): Origin Jumpworks GmbH 300 Series, 350r Racing Model
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-27/J Arrow Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Confederation Navy, In-System Security, Merchants Guild
**Competitors: Bartok Industries, AMQ, Paulsen Kinetics
**Enemies: Retros, All Pirate Clans
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 15-16
**Soylents: 17-18
**Construction Equipment: 19-20
**Factory Equipment: 21-22
**Mining Equipment: 23-24
**Industrial Robotics: 25-26
**Space Salvage: 27-28
**Iron: 29-30
**Plastics: 31-32
**Plutonium: 33-34
**Tungsten: 35-36
**Uranium: 37-38
**Base Metal Ore: 39-40
**Rare Metal Ore: 41-42
**Trans-Uranic Ore: 43-44
**Plasteel: 45-46
**Nutritum Ore: 47-48
**Gravity Pure Crystals: 49-50
**Home Appliances: 51-52
**Pre-Fabricated Materials: 53-54
**Computers: 55-56
**Software: 57-58
**Neural Nets: 59-60
**Nano-Teks: 61-62
**Terran Artwork: 63-64
**Bookchips: 65-66
**Furs: 67-68
**Games: 69-70
**Gems: 71-72
**Gotherian Crystals: 73-74
**Home Entertainment: 75-76
**Terran Liqueurs: 77-78
**Movies: 79-80
**Pets: 81-82
**Sexware: 83-84
====Hurston Dynamics====
Hurston Dynamics, Inc. can trace its history back nearly 800 years, all the way back to the Holland Torpedo Boat Company and its early evolution into the General Dynamics Corporation, a manufacturer of aircraft and submarines for the United States of America in the 20th, 21st and 22nd Centuries and later a manufacturer of early Terran-manufactured skimmers and gravships. The company was the principal contractor behind the design and manufacturing of the early Morvan-drive craft, Exodia; ship's theft and subsequent loss put the company into considerable financial distress and it was only an offer from corporate magnate Dr. Walter K. Hurston to purchase the company at well below its market value that saved the company from having to declare bankruptcy. The company has carried the Hurston name since then, and has bounced back with renewed vigor as a manufacturer of weapons systems for the Terran spheres of influence. They are at present the principal supplier of arms to the armed forces of the Union of Border Worlds and have expanded their markets recently to include the Firekkan Defense Force. The company has indicated that it has plans to expand into the field of commercial robotics as well as propulsion systems within the next decade, and has already made some significant inroads into these fields.
The company has in recent years come under scrutiny by the Confederal Trade Commission due to reports of unethical business practices, including accusations of using unfair business practices to undermine their competitors; in particular AMQ attributes most of the financial difficulties they are currently having in their commercial robotics manufacturing divisions to Hurston-based activities. There are even rumors that Hurston is secretly funding the DeathHeads, one of the more dangerous organized pirate clans operating in Argent, Enigma, Sol and Epsilon Sectors. Some of these rumors would suggest that the DeathHeads are a full-on division of the company, though of course the company itself vehemently denies any connection. It has been observed that Hurston is very rarely targeted by the pirate clan, and it has also been observed that the DeathHeads operate Anvil Hornets and at least one Savannah-class cruiser, which Hurston insists were purloined from their stocks. Hurston maintains that it detests all forms of piracy on the spacelanes; the company has a noteworthy track record of its militiamen going to the aid of non-company-affiliated merchantmen when a pirate attack is reported. As their principal supplier of military goods, Hurston currently has a strong relationship with the military and police forces of the Union of Border Worlds as well as the Firekkan Defense Force, who have also started using Hurston-manufactured products among their units. The company also has a strong relationship with the Persotech corporation, who utilizes Hurston-based hardware in several of its cybernetic products and in turn provides Hurston facilities with communications equipment.
Hurston is the parent company of Anvil Aerospace, manufacturer of all variants of the F-108 Panther heavy fighter and F-110 Wasp interceptor and principal supplier of weapons components and systems for those craft. The company utilizes several Anvil designs in its corporate militia, including the F7C Hornet light fighter series originally developed for the Bradbury/Shelton and Dakota Planetary Militias (and by extension the nascent Union of Border Worlds, who got most of their fighter forces from these two units) - the militias chose to go with Verier Underground's FSM Banshee design instead due to substantially decreased cost, despite the flexibility of the Hornet series (including a heavy fighter variant). The Hornet has proven itself to be a very effective escort fighter, easily outclassing anything currently wielded by any of Epsilon's pirate clans; the Confederation has even expressed some interest in the design. Like Guinterin, Hurston picked up a substantial number of aftermarket military fighters after the War's end to supplement their existing forces; ironically, the F-42s and F-27s in their possession were manufactured by Douglas Aerospace, one of their chief competitors (though at least the company picked up the craft at a substantial discount). Hurston is currently the exclusive operator of the new Mk-III Drayman-class of heavy transports, giving them a substantial edge in shipping over their competitors and putting them in a position to rival Guinterin in terms of raw shipping capacity, though no serious attempt to try to compete with Guinterin in that market has yet to get underway. The company does maintain a few late-War era aftermarket Savannah-class light cruisers, which they use to escort particularly sensitive shipments when necessary.
*Disposition of Forces - Hurston Dynamics (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): Savannah-class Light Cruiser
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): Drayman-class Heavy Transport, Mk.-III
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Anvil Aerospace F7C-M Super Hornet Space Superiority Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor, 2673 Variant
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor, 2673 Variant
**Light Fighter (Elite): Anvil Aerospace F7C Hornet Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-27/J Arrow Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, Border Worlds Militia, Persotech, DeathHeads
**Competitors: AMQ, Paulsen Kinetics
**Enemies: Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Jezebels, Despoilers, BlackFire Flock, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 8-12
**Soylents: 13-17
**Construction Equipment: 18-22
**Factory Equipment: 23-27
**Space Salvage: 28-32
**Groundcars: 33-37
**Advanced Fuels: 38-42
**Mixed-Oxide Fuel: 43-47
**Tungsten: 48-52
**Plasteel: 53-57
**Commercial Robotics: 58-62
**Super Conductors: 63-67
**Servo Mechanisms: 68-72
**Armaments: 73-77
**Terran Liqueurs: 78-82
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 83-87
**Pleasure Droids: 88-92
====Bartok Industries====
Bartok Industries is a scientific research and development company. It was founded by corporate magnate Anton Bartok in 2316, near the height of the Great Pandemics on Earth during the period. The company is credited with playing a significant role in the development of a final set of cures for the Pandemics and for enabling the emergence of the Terran Confederation into a full-fledged starfaring state after the invention of the first Terran Morvan drives, and later Akwende drives. Bartok's focus remains on research and development to this day, and they are credited as being the developers of many modern technologies in the fields of communications, nanofabrication, industrial robotics and even some weaponry. It is rumored that they have at least made an attempt at some point in their history to create a working teleportation device and that they have successfully created (or at least reverse-engineered) a Terran version of a Kilrathi-style cloaking system. Roberts Space Industries, one of their subsidiaries, controls a shipbuilding arcology in Enigma and is currently in development of a new class of cruiser for the Confederation, the company's first foray into building a true military craft of any kind.
Bartok prides itself in being able to work with any company or group, including (on occasion) their nominal competitors such as the Guinterin Combine and AMQ, both of whom are working on developing more reliable and cheaper nano-fabrication techniques. Recently the company has been working alongside Hurston Dynamics in the development of new weaponry for the Confederation, while at the same time assisting Paulsen Kinetics - with whom Bartok has a very close relationship - in that company's quest to develop faster-working lock-on mechanisms for ordnance systems. Bronte Corporation also has a close, almost symbiotic relationship with Bartok, whose research has helped Bronte continue to develop new and better ways to grow synthetic crops and fuel sources. Bartok-developed products are quite valuable, which has made the company a target for almost every pirate and fanatical paramilitary group there is out there; pirates know that when they hit a ship flying Bartok's livery that whatever the nature of the cargo inside, it will either be quite useful or will command a handsome reward for its return.
All of the craft utilized by Bartok for its shipping purposes are manufactured by RSI, as are the craft the company utilizes as escorts. The company's main transport craft is the Belleau Wood-class, whose ease of manufacture and automated capabilities made it an ideal choice for use in 2669 by the Terran Intelligence Agency during a mission to establish a series of Theta-class starbases in the Kilrah system (which ultimately helped lead the Confederation to victory against the Kilrathi). Where more sensitive cargos are involved, the company's growing fleet of RSI Constellation-class long-range transports are employed instead; even then, Bartok shipping craft are very lightly manned. RSI Auroras comprise the bulk of escort craft in service with Bartok, though the company also utilizes RSI's war-era F-98 Phantom (which also went with Lexington to Kilrah and while not very popular were extremely easy to manufacture) as well as a large force of surplus F-27s.
*Disposition of Forces - Bartok Industries (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): RSI Constellation Mk-III Long-Range Merchant Transport
**Transport (Standard): Belleau Wood-class Fast Transport Drone
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): None
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): RSI Aurora Explorer Craft, LE Variant
**Medium Fighter (Elite): RSI Aurora Explorer Craft, LE Variant
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-98 Phantom Medium Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): RSI Aurora Explorer Craft, MR Variant
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-27/J Arrow Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Bronte Corporation, Paulsen Kinetics
**Competitors: Guinterin Combine, AMQ, Persotech
**Enemies: Retros, All Pirate Clans
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 10-12
**Soylents: 13-15
**Factory Equipment: 16-18
**Industrial Robotics: 19-21
**Space Salvage: 22-24
**Power Generators: 25-27
**Tungsten: 28-30
**Non-Synthetic Timber: 31-33
**Plasteel: 34-36
**Pre-Fabricated Materials: 37-39
**Computers: 40-42
**Software: 43-45
**Neural Nets: 46-48
**Organic Material: 49-51
**Nu-Flesh: 52-54
**Synthetic Organs: 55-57
**Cybernetic Enhancers: 58-60
**Medix: 61-63
**Nano-Teks: 64-66
**Home Entertainment: 67-69
**Terran Liqueurs: 70-72
**Pets: 73-75
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 76-78
**Pleasure Droids: 79-81
**Sexware: 82-84
**Xenomorphs: 85-87
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 88-90
====Bronte Corporation====
Throughout its history, Bronte Corporation's main focus has been on bioengineering, biotechnology and genetic engineering, with its main goal being increased production of cash crops throughout the Terran spheres of influence. The company, which was named after its founder Dr. Piran Bronte, was one of several such biotechnology companies founded during the middle part of the 21st Century, and it was the company's successes in modifying viable, palatable Earth-based crops to grow in the pre-biotic environment of Titan that propelled it to one of the leading companies in its field. It was largely Bronte's genetically modified food sources that fed the outer colonies while Earth remained under quarantine during the 23rd Century, a fact that led some to believe the company had pro-Pilgrim sympathies (it cannot be denied that it was Bronte that supplied the food for the voyages of Exodia and many other early McDanielite expeditions beyond the solar system), and the lifting of the quarantines in the 25th Century brought Bronte into direct competition with its chief rival to this day, Rondell Corporation. In addition to being one of the Confederation's chief food growers and suppliers, Bronte is a major supplier of biofuel throughout the Terran spheres of influence.
Bronte has come under fire in recent years for its practice of paying its employees in company scrip rather than hard currency, particularly on the planets where Bronte is the sole employer and provider of infrastructure for their residents. Accusations of low earnings leading to corporate debt bondage have been levied against the company on multiple occasions, and the company has been frequently cited by the Confederation's Offish of Safety and Health for maintaining poor working conditions for its employees. The company has also been accused of unfair and unscrupulous business practices in its relationships with its competitors on several occasions, particularly in regards to its antagonistic relationship with Rondell Corporation. Things have come to near open warfare between the two corporations on more than one occasion; the latest and most egregious of incidents between the two was Bronte's blockade of planet Palan in the Gemini Sector a decade ago, which Rondell was able to break only by hiring a force of local privateers; Rondell has since created a private company militia to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. There are even rumors that Bronte is the force behind the funding of the Jezebels, a major pirate clan operating in most of Terran-controlled space. It has been observed that Bronte is very rarely targeted by the Jezebels while Rondell is among their preferred targets, and it has also been observed that the Jezebels operate several craft that Bronte utilize, such as Gladii, Draymen-II-class transports and Caernaven-class frigates. Bronte, of course, insists that the notion of any friendly relationship between them and the Jezebels is absurd, and notes that they are frequently targeted by other paramilitary groups and pirate clans throughout known space. As a primary supplier of both non-perishable foodstuffs and aviation fuel, Bronte has very strong ties to both the Confederation and Border Worlds military forces.
After the failure of the Palan blockade and the damage the whole debacle caused with the company's relationship to the Mercenaries Guild, Bronte decided to expand the mandate of its corporate police force in 2670 to include a standing spacefaring militia force, which has been charged with ensuring the safe passage of Bronte cargo ships from one port of call to another. The company bought up a lot of surplus military hardware at the end of the War, mainly excess A-15s and F-71s originally stationed out of Perry Naval Base that were retired from service at the close of the War but also including a few retired frigates from the Confederation arsenal. The company still utilizes the Mk-II Drayman as its sole class of transport, though a feasibility study is underway to see if the company can economically operate newer, larger classes of transports such as the Pelican or Mk-III Drayman.
*Disposition of Forces - Bronte Corporation (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): Drayman-class Transport, Mk-II
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): A-15/B Gladius Medium Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): A-15/B Gladius Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 2
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Bartok Industries, Jezebels
**Competitors: AMQ
**Enemies: Rondell Corporation, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Flock, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 13-15
**Universal Meat Product: 16-18
**Luxury Foods: 19-21
**Soylents: 22-24
**Hydrocultures: 25-27
**Tanned Products: 28-30
**Kilnip: 31-33
**Millet Product: 34-36
**Space Salvage: 37-39
**Agricultural Equipment: 40-42
**Hydroponic Equipment: 43-45
**Power Generators: 46-48
**Filtration Systems: 49-51
**Standard-Grade Petro-Chems: 52-54
**Ferti-lite: 55-57
**Advanced Fuels: 58-60
**Hi-Grade Petro-Chems: 61-63
**Mixed-Oxide Fuel: 64-66
**Tungsten: 67-69
**Non-Synthetic Timber: 70-72
**Plasteel: 73-75
**Food Dispensers: 76-78
**Super Conductors: 79-81
**Terran Liqueurs: 82-84
**Textiles: 85-87
====Rondell Corporation====
Despite its fresh face, the Rondell Corporation got its start in the late 20th Century as an automotive cleaning supply company based out of Little Rock, Arkansas, noted even in its early going for its character, business protocol and integrity. As the company continued to grow during the middle and late 21st Centuries, it began to specialize in farming equipment supplies, and later added a manufacturing division for farm equipment such as tractors and crop dusters to its produce line. The company had begun operating as a food growing consortium in its own right by the turn of the 22nd Century. Rondell was one of the few Earth-based food growing consortiums that survived the Great Pandemics of the 23rd and 24th Centuries without having to resort to the use of generically-modified organisms, a fact that was largely attributed to the acumen of the company's leaders of the period and a source of great pride for the company to this very day. Any Rondell employee will tell you that they are a producer of "pure food" as they like to call it, always have been and always will be. The company has recently bought a controlling share in the HPW Media Group, publisher of noted periodicals such as Intergalactic Planetological, The Polaris Examiner, Sudden Death and Star*Soldier; this has put them into competiton with Persotech, which is also a manufacturer of communications equipment and has several publication subsidiaries of its own.
It's Rondell's philosophy of "pure food" product that put them in the line of sight of their chief competitor, Bronte Corporation, which is well-known for its production of artificial foodstuffs. While Bronte Corporation boasts more food production capacity than Rondell, Rondell almost always comes out on top in terms of food quality throughout the Terran spheres of influence, with the end result being that most worlds naturally capable of supporting lifeforms of Earth-origin are legislated under the control of Rondell, while less suitable worlds go to Bronte. It's a source of endless frustration for Bronte and they have resorted to dirty tricks to reduce Rondell's market share. The most egregious offense Bronte has committed against Rondell has unquestionably been Bronte's 2669 blockade of planet Palan in the Palan system, one of Gemini's top food producers and a nominal Rondell holding. Rondell was able to break the blockade through the use of hired help, and since that time has reluctantly formed a permanent "corporate police" to prevent such a thing from happening again. The situation between the two corporations is deteriorating, and there are some in the Confederation Grand Assembly who worry about a quasi-war breaking out between the two corporations with the next major incident. Meantime, Rondell has gained a powerful ally in the people of Firekka, bringing Firekkan foodstuffs and liqueurs to a wider market. The company has also attempted to bring ruxfra to a wider Terran market; their efforts there are being stymied by the massive tribute they are currently paying to the Crimson Claw pirate clan for safe passage through to the Jakarta system. 
Rondell's corporate police force was formed mainly from members of the Gemini Sector chapter of the Mercenaries Guild, most of whom brought their craft along with them when they signed up (and most of whom agreed to join due to the handsome signing bonus Rondell offered at the time). Centurion and Demon fighters can be usually be seen guarding Rondell food shipments in the Terran spheres of influence, their potency made stronger due to the experience of their pilots. Like their rival Bronte, Rondell was able to procure a few retired Caernaven-class frigates from the Confederation Navy at the end of the War, and has started employing them as a control craft and heavy escort for sensitive shipments. The company also inherited the Confederation's remaining Clydesdale-class transports when the Navy retired them from service and uses them as a heavy compliment to the company's fleet of aging Galaxy-class transports.
*Disposition of Forces - Rondell Corporation (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate
**Transport (Elite): Clydesdale-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Galaxy-class Merchant Transport
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Centurion Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Centurion Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): Demon Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Demon Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 2
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Firekkan Defense Force
**Competitors: Persotech
**Enemies: Bronte Corporation, Retros, Scavages, Jezebels, Morgans, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Flock, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 8-12
**Ruxfra: 13-17
**Grain: 18-22
**Arakh: 23-27
**Kika: 28-32
**Luxury Foods: 33-37
**Fresh Meat: 38-42
**Soylents: 43-47
**Space Salvage: 48-52
**Agricultural Equipment: 53-57
**Filtration Systems: 58-62
**Tungsten: 63-67
**Plasteel: 68-72
**Communication Units: 73-77
**Holographic Projectors: 78-82
**Terran Liqueurs: 83-87
**Textiles: 88-92
====AMQ Industries====
AMQ is the youngest of the major corporations based in Epsilon Sector, and has the distinction of being the only one based out of the Union of Border Worlds. The corporation was formed in 2673 by Dr. Marlene Auerbach, Dr. Miyazawa Shioko and native daughter Dr. Amimah ibnat Qassim al-Dhanab ad-Dajāja, three engineering sorority sisters of Deneb University's chapter of Phi Sigmo Rho and all honors graduates, with Auerbach and Miyazawa graduating magna cum laude and ibnat Qassim receiving an extremely rare egregia cum laude distinction for both her outstanding academic performance as well as services rendered to the University during the Kilrathi invasion of Deneb in 2667. The formation of the corporation was made possible through the offer of incentives from the nascent Border Worlds Council, who at the time were looking to reduce their dependency on the Confederation for infrastructural support, including services ordinarily rendered through Confederation-based corporations. The three engineers took the Council up on its offer, allowing them to continue their research collaboratively into each of their respective fields while gradually expanding and eventually reaching the point where they could offer consumer products to the Union as well as to some of the worlds in the territory of the adjacent KAC and Confederation worlds in close proximity. Today, AMQ has three main operational divisions: AMQ Technologies, AMQ Chemical, and AMQ Research. Each division boasts multiple research facilities in Deneb and Antares Quadrant; a coup for the company was the effective takeover of the industrial district of the community of Masu Sar on Antares, where a movement towards establishing a localized corporate state is underway. 
Despite the successes the corporation has achieved in recent years, the company's profit margins have been in a state of steady decline. Part of this has to do with the general financial recession ongoing in the Border Worlds, but a fair amount of it has to do with the activities of AMQ's Confederation-based competitors. The main products that AMQ's respective divisions output (corresponding to the specializations of the company's founders - nanofabrication, commercial robotics and advanced fuels) put the company into direct competition with four of the most powerful corporations in the Terran spheres of influence: Guinterin, Hurston, Bartok and Bronte. AMQ often finds themselves outbid and/or undercut in dealings related to the opening of new markets. The company's product shipments are also the frequent targets of paramilitary and pirate groups; the Jezebel and DeathHeads pirate clans have been noted to go out of their way to raid AMQ trade convoys. At the rate that the company's fortunes are declining it may very well be that - barring some kind of major breakthrough in one of its main fields of research - it will be forced to go out of business sometime in the next decade or two. Meanwhile, the company has found allies in the Border Worlds Militia, with whom they have made arrangements to be a primary supplier of aviation fuel, as well as with the Vega-based Persotech corporation.
Due to their money woes, AMQ's shipping service is comparatively low-tech and somewhat outdated. The company currently owns about a dozen Satohri-class Heavy Transports and a number o Barque-class Light Freighter, which deliver AMQ products from their manufacturing facilities directly to their markets. The company was able to procure the few remaining Durango-class destroyers from the Outerworlds Naval Reserve when they finally retired the class, and though they don't have a lot of these rugged if obsolete vessels, the company makes good use of them as heavy escort craft. An effort by the company to retrofit the relatively few unmodified Durangos in their inventory to make them more capable of handling the threat presented by pirate fighter craft is underway. The company primarily relies on Martina Nostra's Falchion Heavy Fighter to protect its trade convoys from pirate activity, though it was able to purchase several squadrons of converted aftermarket Broadsword missile boats a few years ago and has begun putting them to use as a heavy escort as well,
*Disposition of Forces - AMQ (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): Durango-class Heavy Destroyer, Variant
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Durango-class Heavy Destroyer
**Transport (Elite): Sathori-class Heavy Transport
**Transport (Standard): Meilink-Roelofsz Barque-class Light Freighter
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): A-17/C Broadsword Very Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): A-17/C Broadsword Very Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): None
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 4
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Persotech
**Competitors: Guinterin Combine, Hurston Dynamics, Bartok Industries, Bronte Corporation
**Enemies: Retros, All Pirate Clans
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 13-14
**Soylents: 15-16
**Construction Equipment: 17-18
**Factory Equipment: 19-20
**Mining Equipment: 21-22
**Space Salvage: 23-24
**Power Generators: 25-26
**Standard-Grade Petro-Chems: 27-28
**Ferti-lite: 29-30
**Advanced Fuels: 31-32
**Hi-Grade Petro-Chems: 33-34
**Mixed-Oxide Fuel: 35-36
**Iron: 37-38
**Plastics: 39-40
**Plutonium: 41-42
**Tungsten: 43-44
**Uranium: 45-46
**Base Metal Ore: 47-48
**Rare Metal Ore: 49-50
**Trans-Uranic Ore: 51-52
**Plasteel: 53-54
**Nutritum Ore: 55-56
**Gravity Pure Crystals: 57-58
**Commercial Robotics: 59-60
**Home Appliances: 61-62
**Pre-Fabricated Materials: 63-64
**Super Conductors: 65-66
**Computers: 67-68
**Software: 69-70
**Neural Nets: 71-72
**Nano-Teks: 73-74
**Terran Artwork: 75-76
**Gems: 77-78
**Gotherian Crystals: 79-80
**Terran Liqueurs: 81-82
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 83-84
**Sexware: 85-86
====Paulsen Kinetics====
The Paulsen family has been helping Terrankind make war for at least the past 500 years, since the development of the first power lasers for space-based defensive platforms; more fanciful histories connect the present-day Paulsens to Earth’s dark ages, crediting the family with everything from broad-axes and crossbows to fixed-wing aircraft and atomic weapons. The company is one of the premier supplies of armaments to the Terran spheres of influence, with manufacturing divisions that produce everything from light arms to tactical nuclear weapons. The current company patriarch, Spencer J. Paulsen, has adopted this backstory and applied it to the company's public corporate image, infusing the company’s advertising and corporate culture with comparisons to medieval weaponry (ballistae in particular) wherever possible. His eldest son, Hugh, was a noted Confederation officer, acting as liaison to several Confederation-based R&D consortiums (including Bartok Industries, with whom Paulsen Kinetics still has a very close relationship) and serving as program manager for the Confederation Bureau of Weapons, where he was involved with development of the Mk-V Torpedo and third generation Mass Driver; he was later killed in action during the Black Lance Affair.
Spencer Paulsen has had a somewhat difficult time dealing with his son's untimely demise. Aside from the personal loss, it was proven in 2676 and subsequently published that Hugh had embezzled funds from one of the company's major private accounts and had used it to help fund the Genetic Enhancement project, making Paulsen and his company a de facto private sponsor of the Black Lance. The company's reputation took a major hit in the process despite Paulsen vehemently denying any knowledge or personal involvement in his son's activities, with the result that the Union of Border Worlds awarded an arms supply contract to Paulsen's major rival, Hurston Dynamics, despite a concentrated effort to underbid them. Paulsen was able to keep an ongoing arrangement with the Free Republic of the Landreich, but Hans Kruger made it abundantly clear that the only reason why he hadn't also switched over was that "the purse-strings ain't as loose as they used to be". In the meantime, Paulsen has been able to maintain its relationship with Confederation military and police forces, though that relationship is not as strong as it once was. The company's recent decision to begin sales of industrial robotics equipment has brought it into competition with the Guinterin Combine, though as yet Paulsen's share of that market is too small to warrant too much of Guinterin's time. Paulsen convoys are frequently targeted by pirate groups, who know that ships flying Paulsen livery will be almost undoubtedly be hauling at least some weaponry. Paulsen is paying the Crimson Claws tribute for safe passage to their company's office in the Anchorage system.
Despite the recent setbacks, Paulsen is still an arms manufacturer working in an environment where arms are in high demand; the company's profit margins are high enough for it to be able to afford some pretty decent hardware. The company also believes in having a versatile shipping fleet. For jobs where time is of the essence, the company relies on its fleet of Averson Dynamics Artemis couriers, which are capable of outrunning almost any other craft in space on its normal ion engines (noteable exceptions include some of the early model F-27s and the Dralthi-III). If defensability is more crucial than speed, the company will utilize its fleet of Orion Gunships, which it also utilizes as a light escort craft for the company's bulk-shipping fleet of aftermarket Clarkson-class transports. It's rare to see the Orion deployed as both transport craft and escort simultaneously, but the company has been known to do such a thing in situations where a little extra freight at the destination is desired, or in situations where the bulk transport is being utilized as a decoy (i.e. the truly valuable cargo is on an Orion instead of the bulk transport. A recent addition to Paulsen shipping fleets is the Martina Nostra Claymore, an advanced heavy fighter craft that gives Paulsen a significant edge against would-be attackers.
*Disposition of Forces - Paulsen Kinetics (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Clarkson-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Averson Dynamics Artemis-class Light Courier
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Orion-class Mercenary Gunship
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Orion-class Mercenary Gunship
**Light Fighter (Elite): None
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Landreich Navy, Bartok Industries
**Competitors: Guinterin Combine, Hurston Dynamics
**Enemies: Retros, Scavages, Jezebels, Morgans, Despoilers, DeathHeads, BlackFire Flock, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Construction Equipment: 17-22
**Factory Equipment: 23-28
**Industrial Robotics: 29-34
**Space Salvage: 35-40
**Groundcars: 41-46
**Tungsten: 47-52
**Plasteel: 53-58
**Neural Nets: 59-64
**Servo Mechanisms: 65-70
**Armaments: 71-76
**Nu-Flesh: 77-82
**Cybernetic Enhancers: 83-88
**Terran Liqueurs: 89-94
====Persotech====
There have been several companies throughout the Terran history incorprating the idea of "personal technologies"; the company that would ultimately be renamed Persotech began in the late 24th Century as "Tecnologie Personali", an Italian-based firm specializing in cellular communications equipment founded by Edvige Drei. The company changed its name to Persotech - both anglicizing and shortening the original name in the process - in 2603 when it moved its base of operations to the main world of the Pephedro system. When the War with the Kilrathi broke out, the Drei family dug in their heels despite their base of operations being located a mere two jumps from the Kilrathi border; they supplied the Confederation military in Vega with most of its working communications systems during the period, and survived through to see the end of the War despite the destruction of their main factory by the Kilrathi on no fewer than three separate occasions. The current company patriarch, Egon Drei, added cybernetic augmentation devices to the company's product line-up when he took over the company in 2652; they have since become a leader in that field, with their sales of cybernetic equipment surpassing those of their traditional communications gear for the first time eight years ago. Simon Drei, eldest son of Egon Drei and heir apparent to the company, has an expressed an interest in developing "organic cyber-systems" and reportedly has already drawn up a number of plans for "body augmentation devices", though commercial production of these goods are likely a number of years away.
Persotech's product line-up has put them in a unique position with several of the other corporations in Epsilon. On the one hand, they have strong relationships with both Hurston Dynamics and AMQ, companies whose focus on robotics technically put them in competition with Persotech in the field of cybernetics. Persotech maintains their friendly relations with these corporations through a mutually beneficial licensing agreement, which allows Persotech to utilize Hurston and AMQ products in the manufacture of their own goods in exchange for Persotech communications equipment. In the case of AMQ, Persotech is technically a middleman in an elaborate scheme of what could be described as industrial espionage; Persotech crews occasionally exchange raw Hurston goods to AMQ in exchange for advanced fuels, which keeps AMQ abreast of what one of their principle competitors is doing. The companies that Persotech considers "competitors", Bartok and Rondell, have only recently become so - Bartok due Simon Drei's organic cyber-system private research and Rondell through that company's recent purchase of a media conglomerate.
For all their successes, Persotech still relies heavily on shipping firms such as Guinterin to transport most of their finished goods to market. The company does maintain a flotilla of Errant merchantmen craft for inter-office shipments between worlds, and as recently acquired a small number of aftermarket Clarkson-class transports, which they have begun to utilize for (very rare) bulk shipments. The company does not like to ship things in bulk due to their craft being frequently targeted by pirate groups, who know that Persotech craft will always be hauling high-tech equipment. The company does have a security division with a partial mandate to curtail pirate activity; they have only recently switched over to using Martina Nostra's Dirk interdictor design as the sole escort and fighter craft in their employ, having retired their existing inventory of F-38s.
*Disposition of Forces - Persotech (Corporation)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Clarkson-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Proxima Spaceworks Errant-class Merchantman
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): None
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Light Fighter (Elite): None
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Hurston Dynamics, AMQ
**Competitors: Bartok Industries, Rondell Corporation
**Enemies: Retros, All Pirate Clans
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 14-16
**Soylents: 17-19
**Factory Equipment: 20-22
**Space Salvage: 23-25
**Groundcars: 26-28
**Tungsten: 29-31
**Plasteel: 32-34
**Commercial Robotics: 35-37
**Food Dispensers: 38-40
**Home Appliances: 41-43
**Pre-Fabricated Materials: 44-46
**Super Conductors: 47-49
**Communication Units: 50-52
**Computers: 53-55
**Holographic Projectors: 56-58
**Software: 59-61
**Neural Nets: 62-64
**Servo Mechanisms: 65-67
**Home Entertainment: 68-70
**Terran Liqueurs: 71-73
**Pets: 74-76
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 77-79
**Pleasure Droids: 80-82
**Sexware: 83-85
===Pirate and Paramilitary Groups===
====In-System Security====
In-System Security, also known as the ISS, is a branch of the Armed Forces of the Terran Confederation. ISS is an aerospace, military, multi-mission service unique among the Confederation military branches for having an aerospace law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. It operates under the Confederation Ministry of Transport during peacetime, and can be transferred to the Ministry of Defense by the Confederation at any time or by the Grand Assembly during times of war, as was done during both the Pilgrim War and the Terran-Kilrathi War. The main objective of the ISS is to ensure the security of the Terran colonies throughout the Confederation. In-System Security uses a system of space stations equipped with reserve starfighters in order to protect the individual colonies of each system. Most of the starfighters they fly no longer serve on the frontlines and are considered secondary craft. In-System Security is generally staffed by reservists serve when they are not required on the frontlines, and as a rule ISS forces do not fly frontline missions unless it is absolutely necessary. The ISS faithfully protected the Terran colonies throughout the entire Terran-Kilrathi War, and remains active in peacetime with an active anti-piracy mandate, working closely with military and militia groups as well as commercial shipping interests throughout the Terran spheres of influence. 
The reach of the ISS is limited in Epsilon Sector due to the limited territorial holdings of the Confederation, but the organization maintains a good rapport with the forces of the Border Worlds Militia, which was actually part of the ISS prior to the formation of the Union. The two organizations share resources closely with one another and as a rule operate the same classes of craft. Militiamen can be found in nearly every inhabited Terran system, patrolling the spacelanes for pirates, smugglers and criminal elements, transferring prisoners between facilities as necessary, and answering the call to serve where they are needed.
*Disposition of Forces - In-System Security (Paramilitary Group)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Ribera Aerospace Hermes Assault Shuttle
**Transport (Standard): SAR-13 Phoenix Shuttle
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): F-104 Bearcat Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): F-104 Bearcat Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 1
**Allies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Forces, Border Worlds Militia, Guinterin Combine
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Retros, All Pirate Factions.
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 6-13
**Soylents: 14-21
**Space Salvage: 22-29
**Tungsten: 30-37
**Plasteel: 38-45
**Armaments: 46-53
**Terran Liqueurs: 54-61
**Brilliance: 62-69
**Ultimate: 70-77
**Aphrodyte: 78-85
**Phrelox: 86-93
====Border Worlds Militia====
The Border Worlds Militia in its present form did not come into being until 2673; prior to that time, it was part of In-System Security, an aerospace, military, multi-mission service unique among the Confederation military branches for having an aerospace law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. At the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War, socio-policial events going on within the Terran spheres of influence led to a conference among several systems along the Confederation's border with the former Kilrathi Empire, resulting in a document called the Agreement of Economic Support and Mutual Defense of the United Border Worlds. One of the mandates of this document included a sharing of materials and resources among the planetary militias that signed on to the agreement, including several notable ISS chapters such as the Bradbury/Shelton and Dakota Planetary Militias. The newly formed Border Worlds Militia was in fact the only military "branch" the Union had at its disposal when the events leading up to the Black Lance Affair took place, forcing it to take on the roles of standing army, space force and navy simultaneously. While vastly inferior to the force the Confederation was able to muster against it, the Militia was led by a brilliant series of commanders during the period, and employed guerrilla tactics against the Confederation military, launching hit-and-fade attacks on vulnerable installations, warships, and convoys. The Militia conducted raids whenever possible, capturing Confederation weapons and naval vessels for their own use. These tactics kept the nascent Union together long enough for the revelation of the Black Lance conspiracy, and ensured that the new starfaring state survived through its first trial by fire. 
Since that time, the Union of Border Worlds has further developed its military, splitting off elements from the Militia to form the Outerworlds Naval Reserve and Border Worlds Marine Corps. The Border Worlds Militia still exists in its original form as a standing militia and police force for the Union, resuming its mandate in peacetime as an active anti-piracy force. It works closely with military and militia groups as well as commercial shipping interests throughout the Union's demesne, and has a special relationship with the Hurston Dynamics corporation, its primary supplier of weaponry. The Militia has a very right relationship with the ISS, sharing resources closely with one another and as a rule operating the same classes of craft.
*Disposition of Forces - Border Worlds Militia (Paramilitary Group)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Ribera Aerospace Hermes Assault Shuttle
**Transport (Standard): SAR-13 Phoenix Shuttle
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): F-104 Bearcat Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): F-104 Bearcat Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-71 Stiletto Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 3
**Allies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, In-System Security, Hurston Dynamics
**Competitors: None
**Enemies: Black Lance, Retros, All Pirate Factions.
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 6-13
**Soylents: 14-21
**Space Salvage: 22-29
**Tungsten: 30-37
**Plasteel: 38-45
**Armaments: 46-53
**Terran Liqueurs: 54-61
**Brilliance: 62-69
**Ultimate: 70-77
**Aphrodyte: 78-85
**Phrelox: 86-93
====Black Lance====
The Black Lance was a small and highly secretive group within the Terran Confederation’s Black Operations division, whose actions almost triggered a war between the Confederation and the nascent Union of Border Worlds seven years ago, in what's commonly known as the Black Lance Affair. The Black Lance was created by the Black Projects division during the Terran-Kilrathi War, which was itself created in 2653 to find “miracle weapons” that would win the war. Top secret computer simulations which analyzed thousands of possible scenarios had concluded that the Kilrathi simply could not be defeated by conventional means. One of these "weapons" was a group of genetically enhanced warriors, created through genetic manipulation and bio-convergence technology. When Confederation command learned of this effort, they ordered it to be shut down. In spite of this, the effort continued in secret, funded in part by money donated by wealthy backers such as Captain Hugh Paulsen and lead by Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn himself. During the months leading up to the Affair, Lance members often posed as ordinary members of the Confederation military and used Confederation military resources to further their aims. They generally operated outside the normal military chain of command and without the knowledge or authorization of the Confederation government.
Most of the members of the Black Lance were killed in the destruction of their main base in the Axius system on 2673.230 and the subsequent destruction of TCS Vesuvius on 2673.232. The survivors of the movement (estimated to be around 100 or so all told) were tried and convicted in absentia for crimes against Terrankind in the biological attack on the Telamon colony on 2673.229 and sentenced to death. Faced with the prospect of summary execution, the surviving members went into hiding, their nominal remaining leaders making the decision to continue the efforts of the group in secret. It is testament to the ruthless efficiency of the group that in the seven years since the Black Lance Affair, no surviving Lancer has been captured. Lancers have blended into successfully with society; there is no way to tell a Lancer from an ordinary Terran of superior skill, and no records of the group's membership have survived to the present day.
It is rumored that the Lancers had at least one capital ship at their disposal, TCS Evansville, which went missing towards the end of the Black Lance Affair and has not been definitely sighted in the years since. Evansville was rumored to be capable of carrying fighters. Only a few Lancers at best should be expected to be aboard Evansville if she's still out there; most of them who are continuing to fly can be expected to fly the same classes of craft that whatever group they've blended into do.
It should be noted that a Lancer will fire on a Kilrathi ship on sight, no questions asked; they prefer to kill Kilrathi with their bare hands when the opportunity presents itself, and that attitude extends to those among the Terran race who dare to support or better the lives of the defeated Kilrathi throughout space (or at least have that mandate). The group also has little love for the military and police forces of the Union of Border Worlds, as it was those groups that they targeted in 2673 and it was they who were responsible for putting the Lance largely out of business. They consider the DeathHeads pirate clan "competitors" only in terms of that group's ruthless efficiency towards their intended victim; there are some who suspect that the number of former Lancer among the DeathHeads is pretty high.
*Disposition of Forces - Black Lance (Paramilitary Group)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Evansville-class Advanced Troop Transport
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): None
**Strike Craft (Elite): F-107 Dragon Heavy Attack Fighter
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): HF-66 Thunderbolt-VII Heavy Fighter/Bomber
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-27/L Arrow Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 5
**Mission Score Factor: 5
**Allies: None
**Competitors: DeathHeads
**Enemies: All Kilrathi Factions, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Borderworlds Militia, Broken Claw Agency
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 12-15
**Luxury Foods: 16-19
**Soylents: 20-23
**Tanned Products: 24-27
**Space Salvage: 28-31
**Tungsten: 32-35
**Plasteel: 36-39
**Armaments: 40-43
**Pornochips: 44-47
**Pleasure Droids: 48-51
**Sexware: 52-55
**Tobacco: 56-59
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 60-63
**Biotek Weapons: 64-67
**Brilliance: 68-71
**Ultimate: 72-75
**Aphrodyte: 76-79
**Kilrathi Pelts: 80-83
**Kilrathi Artifacts: 84-87
====Retros====
The Church of Man can trace its roots to the Luddite movements of the Earth's early Industrial Revolution and the later Neo-Luddite movements of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, and bases its philosophy in particular the written works of such philosophers as Martin Heidegger, Edward Abbey, Jacques Ellul, Albert Borgmann, Don Ihde and Hubert Dreyfus. As with most Neo-Luddite movements, the church advocates the slowing or stopping the development of new technologies, prescribing instead a lifestyle that abandons specific technologies as the best prospect for the future and the development of small-scale agricultural communities as models for Terran society. They are apprehensive about the development of new technologies and the potentially dire consequences they may bring about. The Church itself began sometime around 2040, after the "Fourth Neo-Luddite Congress", putting a formalized face on a growing movement. The Church of Man has been around since that time, and it is considered a peaceful religious order that merely seeks to return to a purely agrarian existence with minimal technology. Its membership has seen significant "peaks" during its existence, notably during times where it seemed like all of Terrankind's calamities could be directly traced to technological advancements, such as the Great Pandemics of the 23rd and 24th Centuries, the outbreak of Malacreaux's Bite on Io in 2304 (released by a piece of rogue AI software), and (most recently) the outbreak of War with the Kilrathi Empire.
As with most historical religious orders, there are fundamentalist members of the Church who hold to the idea of "our way or the highway" and are willing to hurt and/or kill "infidels" to support their radical goals. For the Church of Man, their fundamentalists are known throughout space as the Retros, a sect of the church that holds that Industrial Society and Its Future, written by 20th Century neo-Luddite Theodore J. Kaczynski, is a divinely-inspired work and which they utilize as a major religious text. Retros live in a constant state of paradox; they believe that the merciless destruction of all technology is the only way to achieve their Church's goal, and in order to achieve that goal they are willing to employ the very technology they seek to destroy in order to ultimately eradicate its existence - part of a philosophy that they call "Righteous Fire". Retros first began terrorizing the spacelanes during the 25th Century, though their early sloships did little to stem the flood of Confederation expansionism and the movement was hesitant to use Akwende Drives until the mid 26th Century, when it became obvious that it would be necessary to do so in order to help them achieve their aims. The Retros gained a strong following during the early Kilrathi War years; they blamed technology for bringing Terrankind the most lethal enemy it had yet faced. In 2654, the movement picked up a big boost via the sale of an operational wing of F-38 Talon fighters and their schematics by then-Gemini Sector Governor Uwe Menesch. The information on their schematics was sent throughout the Retro movement and by 2658 nearly all Retros everywhere were flying Talons, changing the Retros from a somewhat dangerous nuisance into a genuinely deadly threat to commerce throughout the Terran spheres of influence. The Gemini Sector chapter of the movement briefly operated a wing of modified KF-227 Salthi during the final year of the Terran-Kilrathi War, but the Gemini Sector chapter lost a lot of power and influence with the death of Mordecai Jones, their nominal leader at the time. Very few Retros these days still operate Salthi, and those that do still generally limit their operations to Gemini.
Retro fighters are always hostile to everyone and everything; no amount of communication will appease them. The sole exception to this is the Scavages pirate group, who the Retros leave alone as a rule (they see the activities of the Scavages as being parallel to their own - theft and destruction of mining vessels reduces the materials necessary to create technologies, not to mention that the death of a Scavage doesn't bring nearly the same kind of attention as does a strike on even a small corporate transport). The Retros are aware of the Black Lance and the ultimate "perversion of technology" that they represent, but know well enough to leave them be (for now, anyway). The Retros usually patrol regular areas in search of "infidels" and potential "converts". For the pirate or privateer looking to score a couple of brownie points with the local militia or a ready source of slave labor, Retros are generally a go-to target...
The Church of Man in Epsilon is known to have successfully pulled off the heist of a Landreich Wake-class carrier in the last few years; the Retros, realizing the value of such a prize, have started operating it as a base of operations in Epsilon rather than dismantling it right away. The Landreich is, as might be expected, none to happy about this turn of events and would likely pay handsomely for the ship's return (or somewhat less handsomely for its destruction).
*Disposition of Forces - Retros (Paramilitary Group)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Wake-class Escort Carrier
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): None
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): None
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): F-38 Talon Light Militia Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): F-38 Talon Light Militia Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 1
**Mission Score Factor: N/A
**Allies: None
**Competitors: Scavages
**Enemies: All Factions except for Black Lance and Scavages.
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 10-14
**Soylents: 15-19
**Tanned Products: 20-24
**Space Salvage: 25-29
**Tungsten: 30-34
**Plasteel: 35-39
**Armaments: 40-44
**Terran Liqueurs: 45-49
**Pornochips: 50-54
**Pleasure Droids: 55-59
**Sexware: 60-64
**Tobacco: 65-69
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 70-74
**Brilliance: 75-79
**Ultimate: 80-84
**Aphrodyte: 85-89
====Scavages====
The Scavages are not a pirate clan per se, in that they have no semblance of anything even remotely approaching any form of organization whatsoever. The name is generally applied as a group to refer to common theives and criminals that lay in wait along the spacelanes to jump an unsuspecting target; sometimes they are referred to as "wannabes" by members of military and (particularly) police groups. Their overall lack of organization makes them the least worrisome of the pirate "clans", but at the same time their disorganized nature makes them extremely pervasive and difficult to eradicate. The most troublesome of the Scavages are those that prey on prospectors; hiding out in asteroid or debris fields, they will attack those who mine and collect scrap. When it comes to larger, better armed and defended craft, Scavages have been known to form temporary "bands" (sometimes called "packs" in the media) to take down their target. Most bands of Scavages that meet with success are often "invited" to join up with the Morgans. The vast majority of Scavages don't achieve this "distinction"; most known Scavages either ultimately find themselves locked up in a Confederation prison or a corpse before their time...
Scavages by their very nature fly many kinds of craft, but the most common ones in their employ are Demon light fighters and Martina Nostra Razors (which themselves are usually purloined in a nascent Scavage's very first felonious act). A few Scavages are known to fly stolen aftermarket Thunderbolt-VIIs, and it is known that there is at least one pirated Caernaven-class Frigate out there that doesn't fly the flag of the Morgans or Jezebels, despite reports of repeated attempts to bring these wannabe brigands into the Morgan's fold. The kinds of "soft" targets that most Scavages prey upon are favored targets of the Retros as well, and for that reason the two groups are often seen as being "in competition" with one another despite very rare open conflict between them. Most of Epsilon's pirate clans see the Scavages as being too weak to be worth the trouble of competing against; the BlackFire Flock will sometimes seek out Scavages for target practice, and the Crimson Claw will actively hunt for Scavages as a supplementary food source...
*Disposition of Forces - Scavages (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): None
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): None
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): HF-66 Thunderbolt-VII Heavy Fighter/Bomber
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): Demon Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: None
**Competitors: Retros
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Merchants Guild, Mercenaries Guild, All Corporations, BlackFire Flock, Crimson Claw
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Space Salvage: 17-22
**Tungsten: 23-28
**Plasteel: 29-34
**Armaments: 35-40
**Terran Liqueurs: 41-46
**Pornochips: 47-52
**Pleasure Droids: 53-58
**Sexware: 59-64
**Tobacco: 65-70
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 71-76
**Brilliance: 77-82
**Ultimate: 83-88
**Aphrodyte: 89-94
====Morgan's Raiders====
Second to the Scavages in terms of pervasiveness, the Morgans consist of widespread pirate groups with individual "tribes" spread from Gemini to Argent and Epsilon, and have operated for as long as Terrankind as a whole has been a starfaring species. This hearty band of space rogues are generally only a minor irritation to shipping. Because of their haphazard overall organization, they are not generally considered a major threat as a whole, though the activities of major Morgan tribes have on occasion warranted the attention of the military. Morgans tend to have less advanced craft and weaponry than other pirate groups. They have no overarching "goals", committing piracy merely as a way to earn money for fuel, repairs, parties and contraband (i.e. traditional piratical activities). Though they are considered a minor clan, they can be a major problem in large groups and more than one merchant has lost his life to a raid by Morgans.
Morgans in Epsilon operate a few captured and generally obsolete Caernaven-class frigates as capital base ships. They are known to possess one Southampton-class destroyer, which they only use for major operations. Most of their individual pilots fly Martina Nostra Razors, though they are rumored to have access to some late Kilrathi-war military craft, including Hellcat-Vs and a very small number of Thunderbolt-VIIs; these latter craft are flown only by their very best. They generally go after the same types of cargoes as the Jezebels and Despoilers and as a result they consider them competitors. They have recently developed a particular hatred for the nascent Demon's Eye Pack, as that group's main base - Demon's Eye in Vigrid - was almost literally stolen right out from under the noses of the resident Morgans.
*Disposition of Forces - Morgan's Raiders (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Southampton-class Destroyer (Post-War Variant)
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): Caernaven-class Frigate (Post-War Variant)
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate (Post-War Variant)
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): None
**Strike Craft (Elite): HF-66 Thunderbolt-VII Heavy Fighter/Bomber (Standard)
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): F-42 Hellcat-V Space Superiority Interceptor (2673 Variant)
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): None
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 2
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Thieves Guild
**Competitors: Jezebels, Despoilers
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Merchants Guild, Mercenaries Guild, All Corporations, Retros, BlackFire Flock, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Space Salvage: 17-22
**Tungsten: 23-28
**Plasteel: 29-34
**Armaments: 35-40
**Terran Liqueurs: 41-46
**Pornochips: 47-52
**Pleasure Droids: 53-58
**Sexware: 59-64
**Tobacco: 65-70
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 71-76
**Brilliance: 77-82
**Ultimate: 83-88
**Aphrodyte: 89-94
====Jezebels====
The Jezebels are unique among the Terran pirate clans in that their number is composed entirely of females, who live together in a tightly controlled and highly organized society in a manner not unlike the legendary Amazons of old. Species does not matter - while most of the clan's members are Terrans, there are also Firekkans, Varni, Jarma and even a small number of Kilrathi among their number. They have a reputation for being fierce fighters and masters of hit-and-run raids; often by the time a raid by Jezebels is reported, it's often too late for the target to expect meaningful assistance. Jezebels will tend to leave their victims to go on their way once they've cleaned out as much of their cargo hold as they can, provided they offer no resistance; some fairly gruesome scenes have been left behind when a target resisted - particularly where males were involved (rumors of such events often include tales of ritual castration, those these rumors are often denied by military and police groups investigating Jezebel attacks). The Jezebels often warrant police attention, mostly owing to the organization of the group. They are known to have a number bases located in Vega and Epsilon Sector, though the exact location of those bases remain a mystery. Rumors suggest that the group is actually a front for a corporation that is using pirating as a cheap way to gain goods and equipment. While most of those rumors suggest the backer of the Jezebels is Bronte Corporation (on account of the fact that the Jezebels routinely utilize the same classes of ships as Bronte), they are in fact receiving support from one of the founders of AMQ; the deception is an elaborate ruse that takes advantage of Bronte's bad reputation. To aid the ruse, AMQ ships are frequently raided by Jezebel squads, while Bronte is largely left alone; AMQ usually get any "stolen" goods returned to them at a later time, though occasionally these same goods are "returned" to Bronte, again in an effort to maintain the deception.
As has been mentioned, the Jezebels utilize a number of craft that are also in general use by Bronte Corporation; these include a number of Mk-II Draymen and A-15 Gladii, which are flown by the very best pilots among the Jezebel number. They are also known to utilize the full line-up of Martina Nostra craft, which they'll clamp on to the hulls of Caernaven-class Frigates while out raiding. Last year in one of their most daring raids to date the Jezebels captured BWS Boise, a Border Worlds cruiser of the Tallahassee-class. They have subsequently renamed the craft Sidon and are now using it as the group's flagship. Efforts to re-capture the vessel have been underway for some time now but have so far proven unsuccessful; it has been rumored that the Jezebels were able to refit the craft with an experimental form of cloaking device. The Jezebels usually target the same kinds of high-value targets as most other pirate clans; the group considers over half of the other pirate clans in Epsilon to be their major competitors.
*Disposition of Forces - Jezebels (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): Tallahassee-class Cruiser x1 (Sidon)
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): Caernaven-class Frigate
**Transport (Elite): None
**Transport (Standard): Drayman-class Transport, Mk-II
**Strike Craft (Elite): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Strike Craft (Standard): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): A-15/B Gladius Medium Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Light Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 4
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Thieves Guild, Bronte Corporation
**Competitors: Morgans, Despoilers, BlackFire Flock, Demon's Eye Pack
**Enemies: All Military and Police factions, Mecenaries Guild, Guinterin Combine, Hurston Dynamics, Bartok Industries, Rondell Corporation, AMQ, Paulsen Kinetics, Persotech, Retros
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Space Salvage: 17-22
**Tungsten: 23-28
**Plasteel: 29-34
**Armaments: 35-40
**Terran Liqueurs: 41-46
**Pornochips: 47-52
**Pleasure Droids: 53-58
**Sexware: 59-64
**Tobacco: 65-70
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 71-76
**Brilliance: 77-82
**Ultimate: 83-88
**Aphrodyte: 89-94
====Despoilers====
The Despoilers are a militant political extremist group, listed as a terrorist organization by the Confederation, Border Worlds, Grovsner and Landreich governments. Led by the known anarcho-communist Stephen Hume, the main goal of the Despoilers is the overthrow of several governments in the Terran spheres of influence. While the group as a whole would like to see the major governments fall, they are professional enough and realistic enough to limit their activities to the overthrow of mainly civil and planetary governments, and they are known to support and train any extremist group whose goals coincide with theirs. Despoiler piracy is always in support of their goals - after covering their own needs, any remaining proceeds are sent to other extremist groups in order to fund their activities. The Despoilers could be described as altruistic in this regard, were in not for the inherent level of extreme violence often associated with their activities. Despoiler craft are generally stolen, refurbished and then painted over in graffiti by whoever wants to do the job; each craft's paint job is therefore unique in all regards except for one - all Despoiler craft sport a large red letter "A" encased in a circle, the symbol for anarchy, painted on either side of the cockpit. 
The Despoilers have acquired most of their heavier craft through outright theft. Since most Terran surplus depots are heavily guarded, the Despoilers have made a point to hit Kilrathi shipbreakers such as the facility at T'Kon H'hra, where a missing ship or two won't be missed right away. Their targets tend to be Dubav-class Escort Carriers, Kamrani-class Corvettes and Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttles, the same classes of craft generally operated by the KAC Police. This is done on purpose - the sighting of a Kilrathi craft of these classes in and along the Kilrathi border is not a dead give away to their presence, and there have been several occasions where the victim of a Despoiler raid fell prey to them because they thought they were KAC. Further into the Terran spheres of influence, the Despoilers operate stolen Terran-manufactured capital ships for the same reasons; these craft are generally never sighted in Epsilon. The Despoilers prefer to fly Martina Nostra fighter craft, purloining them from other pirate clans and corporations when possible but also purchasing new craft when dire need arises. They tend to go after the same high profile, high value targets as the Morgans and Jezebels and consider those two groups competitors, though it generally happens that when a Despoiler group shows up the other two clans will back down. BlackFire is the only other pirate clan in Epsilon that is actively hostile towards the Despoilers, and it is largely due to BlackFire's activities that the Despoilers have yet to acquire any Firekkan craft for their own use.
*Disposition of Forces - Despoilers (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Dubav-class Escort Carrier
**Capital Ship (Standard): Dubav-class Escort Carrier
**Escort Ship (Elite): Kamrani-class Corvette
**Escort Ship (Standard): Kamrani-class Corvette
**Transport (Elite): Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttle
**Transport (Standard): Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttle
**Strike Craft (Elite): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Strike Craft (Standard): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Light Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: None
**Competitors: Morgans, Jezebels
**Enemies: All Military and Police Factions, Merchants Guild, Mercenaries Guild, All Corporations, Retros, BlackFire Flock
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Space Salvage: 17-22
**Tungsten: 23-28
**Plasteel: 29-34
**Armaments: 35-40
**Terran Liqueurs: 41-46
**Pornochips: 47-52
**Pleasure Droids: 53-58
**Sexware: 59-64
**Tobacco: 65-70
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 71-76
**Brilliance: 77-82
**Ultimate: 83-88
**Aphrodyte: 89-94
====DeathHeads====
There isn't much that can be said about the pirate clan known as the DeathHeads, other than that they are very secretive, extremely professional and quite lethal group. DeathHeads refuse to communicate with their targets; they do not respond to taunts and they give no warning to their intended victims. They give no quarter to their victims, either; no one who has actually had a face-to-face meeting with a DeathHead has ever been seen again afterwards. They have been known to commit kidnappings; they have kidnapped several students and faculty from Deneb University in the last few years. As with the targets of their piracy, these victims haven't been seen or heard from since then, and no ransom demands were ever made - the only motive offered up for these acts has been sheerly to terrorize the campus, for reasons unknown. The only clue that DeathHeads leave behind of their activities, whether it's after they've savaged a target in space or kidnapped somebody, is the sign of the skull and crossbones cleanly etched into a metallic surface. The activities of the DeathHeads are being closely investigated by police, military and special intelligence forces throughout the Terran spheres of influence.
Rumors persist of the DeathHeads being funded by Hurston Dynamics, largely due to the fact that the DeathHeads are known to operate at least one Savannah-class Light Cruiser (which they use as an anti-fighter and command platform in raids), several Mk-III Draymen and Anvil F7C-M Super Hornets, which are all in service with Hurston. Despite repeated denials of these protests, the fact remains that there are no indications of stolen craft of these classes on the company's books, which lends credence to the rumors as does the lack of any noteworthy interaction between the DeathHeads and Hurston. If the DeathHeads are indeed a branch of Hurston, it may be that their activities are solely designed to keep profitable cargo routes under exclusive Hurston control; their motivations for terrorizing Deneb University, on the other hand, remain unclear. DeathHeads are also known to operate all craft in the Martina Nostra line-up, and again these craft appear to be legitimately purchased before entering service with the pirate group. They are also known to operate Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttles, though the choice to utilize a Kilrathi design may be more out of practicality than an indication of any ties to the KAC - Naktargs are noted for their versatility of design and general ease of use. The DeathHeads are "competitors" with the Black Lance and Crimson Claw, but only in the sense of their brutality; in truth it isn't know how much interaction they have with either group. Though they are commonly offered bounties for the capture of DeathHeads, most members of the Mercenaries Guild leave the DeathHeads be - none of their fellows that have gone up against the pirate clan have lived to tell the tale...
*Disposition of Forces - DeathHeads (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Savannah-class Light Cruiser
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Drayman-class Heavy Transport, Mk.-III
**Transport (Standard): Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttle
**Strike Craft (Elite): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Strike Craft (Standard): Martina Nostra Claymore Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Anvil Aerospace F7C-M Super Hornet Space Superiority Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Falchion Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Dirk Interdictor
**Light Fighter (Elite): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Martina Nostra Razor Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 3
**Mission Score Factor: 2
**Allies: Hurston Dynamics
**Competitors: Black Lance, Crimson Claw
**Enemies: All Military and Police Factions, Merchants Guild, Guinterin Combine, Bartok Industries, Bronte Corporation, Rondell Corporation, AMQ, Paulsen Kinetics, Persotech, Retros
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-10
**Soylents: 11-16
**Space Salvage: 17-22
**Tungsten: 23-28
**Plasteel: 29-34
**Armaments: 35-40
**Terran Liqueurs: 41-46
**Pornochips: 47-52
**Pleasure Droids: 53-58
**Sexware: 59-64
**Tobacco: 65-70
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 71-76
**Brilliance: 77-82
**Ultimate: 83-88
**Aphrodyte: 89-94
====BlackFire Flock====
While in general contact with the Firekkan people has been peaceful and mutually beneficial to members of the interstellar community, not every Firekkan was thrilled with the notion. In fact, several of the flocks openly expressed their dissatisfaction to the the will of the Teehyn Ree, and in one case was openly defiant. The case in question was that of the Shenree of the communty of Crehi, Leekrrai of the BlackFire Flock, who openly stated that Firekka should be for Firekkans only and would not recognize any treaty or agreement made that would potentially change that (such as Firekka's entry into the Confederation). The Kilrathi invasion prevented Kree'kai, then Teehyn Ree of Firekkan, from pursuing disciplinary action against BlackFire; Kree'kai's heir Rikik dropped the matter entirely afterwards, as BlackFire played a huge role in the planetary resistance. BlackFire has essentially had free license to do as it chooses since that time. In keeping with the wish of their flock leader, BlackFire has pursued a policy of confrontation with not just Kilrathi groups, but Terran military, police and commercial interests as well. They are considered a pirate clan due to their preying on commercial traffic, which is de facto tolerated by the Firekkan Defense Force due to that group's hesistance to fire on members of their own species.
As one of the larger and more influential flocks, BlackFire has been given ready access to the same craft being utilized by the FDF, home grown designs that are the match of any other craft in space. Combined with the natural flying capabilities of Firekkans in general, their craft are some of the most lethal in space. Corporate ship's masters that frequent Firekka and the surrounding systems have long since learned not to trust that a Firekkan craft is friendly on sight. They have also developed an elaborate sign-and-countersign procedure with members of the FDF, with codewords changing on a daily basis; any Firekkan craft that does not give the right countersign is considered to BlackFire. BlackFire occasionally does break this coding system and new codewords are generally established in rapid order, but in general several ships will fall prey to BlackFire when this happens. BlackFire is generally amicable towards their victims as long as they don't resist while their holds are being emptied out; when they encounter resistance, they simply blow the opposing craft out of the sky afterwards. BlackFire considers the Jezebel pirate clan proper competitors, mainly due to their mutual attitudes towards their victims and due to the fact that they generally both pursue the same kinds of targets. They are hostile towards all of the other Terran pirate clans due to their views, though they won't knowingly engage a member of the DeathHeads clan. As with all Firekkans in general, BlackFire units will tolerate no Kilrathi presence whatsoever, and will offer any Kilrathi encountered no quarter.
*Disposition of Forces - BlackFire Flock (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): None
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): Vrystall-class Corvette
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Dramik-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): None
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Yoshira Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): None
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Helbraus Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): None
**Light Fighter (Elite): Valtar Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 1
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: None
**Competitors: Jezebels
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Landreich Navy, KAC Police, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Merchants Guild, All Corporations, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, Despoilers, Crimson Claw, Demon's Eye Pack.
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 8-14
**Kika: 15-21
**Millet Product: 22-28
**Space Salvage: 29-35
**Tungsten: 36-42
**Plasteel: 43-49
**Armaments: 50-56
**Firekkan Artwork: 57-63
**Kika'li: 64-70
**Amusements: 71-77
**Phrelox: 78-84
**Kilrathi Pelts: 85-91
====Crimson Claw (Kh'naj)====
The Kh'naj pirate clan, whose name literally translates to their more commonly known name - The Crimson Claw, is a relatively new Kilrathi pirate group that began operating in Epsilon Sector towards the end of 2670, roughly a year after the destruction of Kilrah. They are led by the notorious Naragh ko Thrakhaxal" N'Caxki, a Kilrathi known for eating those who cross him (including other Kilrathi on occasion; his epithet can best be translated as "my job: ultimate cannibal thing"). A practitioner of the religious philosophy of sha'huk, N'Caxki was banished from Kilrah shortly before the war's end for his activities, taking a modest group of followers along with him. This group settled the abandoned J'qithchak mining base in the Jakal system, and were shortly thereafter joined by a group of convicts that had escaped during a riot at the T'rel H'hra prison facility. The group's actions shortly thereafter chocked off commerce to three systems in Tr'L Rass Quadrant, and the tribute received from the inhabited worlds of those systems have kept the Crimson Claw well supplied and equipped to this day. A conversion to sha'huk is required by members of the group when they first join up; this fact makes them particularly ruthless. They will prey on any race, though they are more inclined to attack Terrans. Known for being true to their word, merchants that resist the call of Ri'gathvihu qu ri'vu!! ("Your cargo or your life!!") oftentimes become some Kh'naj's lunch. As time has progressed, ko Thrakhaxal has taken on more and more of the characteristics of a bonafide Kilrathi warlord, and he is considered as such by the Confederation, Border Worlds and KAC governments. Along the same lines, while the main goal of the group was originally just to support themselves, the piratical activities of the Crimson Claw appear of late to be geared towards the goal of setting up N'Caxki as the next Kilrathi emperor. 
The Crimson Claw started out with a couple of Naktarg-class Shuttles, which they used in their initial raids against the Anchorage and Jakarta systems to capture other vessels; they picked up a small fleet of Jakhari-class Fast Transport Drones in this manner, converting them into crewed heavy raiding ships. They've also managed to steal a number of Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttles from the KAC Police unit at Bifrost Station, much to that group's anger and embarassment. Their biggest coup was the capture in 2672 of a Bhantkara-class carrier from the shipbreaker at T'Kon H'hra that was still fully loaded with some unique fighters - specifically K'ha'hafs and Strakhas, which the group has since put into general use for themselves. They lost the carrier itself in 2676 when the KAC Police attempted to put the group out of action, though in exchange they captured a KAC Dubav-class Escort Carrier, re-christened Ja'l Ahkis Ek'shai'ha (How Tasty Our Foes Are) and referred to in shorthand as Akhis, which the group now operates as its nominal flagship.
*Disposition of Forces - Crimson Claw (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Dubav-class Escort Carrier x1 (Flight Compliment: 16 Strakhas, 16 K'Ha'hafs)
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Jakhari-class Fast Transport Drone x6 (Cargo Compliment: 533.3 m^3, Crew Compliment: 32/0 (8 12.5 m3 Steerage Cabins, 16 6.25 m3 Large Berths (Hot Racked))
**Transport (Standard): Naktarg Multi-Purpose Shuttle
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): K'ha'haf Very Heavy Ambush Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): K'ha'haf Very Heavy Ambush Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Strakha Medium Stealth Fighter, Uprated
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Strakha Medium Stealth Fighter, Uprated
**Light Fighter (Elite): None
**Light Fighter (Standard): None
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 2
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: None
**Competitors: DeathHeads, Demon's Eye Pack
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Mercenaries Guild, Merchants Guild, Broken Claw Agency, Guinterin Combine, Hurston Dynamics, Bartok Industries, Bronte Corporation, AMQ, Persotech, Black Lance, Retros, Scavages, Morgans, BlackFire Flock
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 5-9
**Universal Meat Product: 10-14
**Ruxfra: 15-19
**Arakh: 20-24
**Fresh Meat: 25-29
**Kilnip: 30-34
**Space Salvage: 35-39
**Tungsten: 40-44
**Plasteel: 45-49
**Armaments: 50-54
**Ikbhakil: 55-59
**Arakh Tea: 60-64
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 65-69
**Amusements: 70-74
**Slaves: 75-79
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 80-84
**Aphrodyte: 85-89
**Vak'qu: 90-94
====Demon's Eye Pack (Ahn Yi'nargrast'hra)====
The Ahn Yi'nargrast'hra, known in English as the Demon's Eye Pack, is the newest and smallest of the pirate clans in Epsilon, having come into existence just this past year. They are lead by the noted Kilrathi pirate and wanted fugitive Krahtagh "Bloodeye" N'Ryllis, who reportedly was either a "master of blades" within the old Empire or was skilled enough to be considered as one; reports on this aspect of the Pack leader are fuzzy in Terran circles. Bloodeye is wanted for murder; on 2679.249, he killed BCA Agent Richard K. Lee in cold blood during an altercation on the B'Shriss reservation and subsequently fled. Though there is some evidence to suggest that Lee was abusing a Kilrathi youth at the time and that Bloodeye was acting in their defense (along with an ample number of Kilrathi witnesses who attest that Lee's death was unintentional), the charge of murder was still filed against him. After disappearing for a time, Bloodeye reappeared with a small group of followers, who managed to take over the Demon's Eye pirate base in Vigrid from a local group of Morgans. Since that time, the Demon's Eye Pack has been growing in both size and strength, having added piracy, extortion and malicious disorder to the list of charges levied against them. Best estimates place their current membership at perhaps two to three hundred individuals, though some reports would suggest their number is already in the thousands. Intelligence reports suggest that the chief goal of the Pack is to try to give the Kilrathi people a fresh start well away from Confederation influence, and that they plan to remain where they are until such time as they've grown sufficiently in number in order to make an attempt at turing that delusion into a bonafide reality. Demon's Eye Pack members make it a point to target Terrans as often as possible; they will proselytize to their fellow Kilrathi when encountered, will let them go without stealing their cargoes if they choose not to join up, and will only kill a fellow Kilrathi when forced to (and then reluctantly).
In their very first act, the Ahn Yi'nargrast'hra stole a Fralthi-II-class cruiser, the decommissioned KIS Shal'Kuz Mang, from the shipbreaker's yard at T'Kon H'hra; they subsequently renamed it H'asgathni'rakh Dunai Du ((You) Will Give My Honor To Me Again), or Ni'rakh for short. It's widely suspected that Bloodeye and his group had inside knowledge as to this particular theft, as the cruiser was still largely intact with its inventory of fighters still aboard. In fact, Paulsen Kinetics had selected it as a target vessel for their new MK-VI "Firestorm" torpedo, with the test scheduled to take place only a few days after the theft. In the process, the nascent pirate clan acquired a powerful warship and a potent fighter inventory in one fell swoop. They have since acquired additional fighter craft through their contacts with the Thieves Guild, with whom the group was able to align themselves in record time. They've also acquired a few Sha'kar and Jakhari-class transports both through additional treks to T'kon H'hra but also through new recruits hearing Bloodeye's siren song, bringing their ships along with them so that when the time comes to leave Demon's Eye, all of the group's members will be able to leave. In the meantime the group is continuing its piratical activities in order to sustain itself and gather materials for their eventual exodus, hitting the same high value targets as the Jezebel and Crimson Claw pirate clans. Most of the Terran pirate clans leave them be, except for the Morgans, who are still sore about the manner in which the Demon's Eye Pack acquired the Demon's Eye base.
*Disposition of Forces - Demon's Eye Pack (Pirate Clan)
**Capital Ship (Elite): Fralthi-II-class Cruiser x1 (SS Ni'rakh)
**Capital Ship (Standard): None
**Escort Ship (Elite): None
**Escort Ship (Standard): None
**Transport (Elite): Sha'kar-class Transport
**Transport (Standard): Jakhari-class Fast Transport Drone
**Strike Craft (Elite): None
**Strike Craft (Standard): None
**Heavy Fighter (Elite): Vaktoth Heavy Fighter
**Heavy Fighter (Standard): Vaktoth Heavy Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Elite): Dralthi-IV Medium Fighter
**Medium Fighter (Standard): Dralthi-IV Medium Fighter
**Light Fighter (Elite): Darket Light Fighter
**Light Fighter (Standard): Darket Light Fighter
*Reputation Factors:
**Faction Object Factor: 2
**Mission Score Factor: 4
**Allies: Thieves Guild
**Competitors: Jezebels, Crimson Claw
**Enemies: Confederation Navy, Outerworlds Naval Reserve, Firekkan Defense Force, Landreich Navy, In-System Security, Borderworlds Militia, Mercenaries Guild, Merchants Guild, Broken Claw Agency, All Corporations, Black Lance, Retros, Morgans, BlackFire Flock
*Dropped Commodities:
**Generic Foods: 8-12
**Universal Meat Product: 13-17
**Ruxfra: 18-22
**Arakh: 23-27
**Fresh Meat: 28-32
**Kilnip: 33-37
**Space Salvage: 38-42
**Tungsten: 43-47
**Plasteel: 48-52
**Armaments: 53-57
**Arakh Tea: 58-62
**Aiydi'kilavrax: 63-67
**Amusements: 68-72
**Slaves: 73-77
**Non-Synthetic Organs: 78-82
**Ultimate: 83-87
**Vak'qu: 88-92
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Category:Elegy
Category:Part 2: Elegy Campaign Setting
Category:WCRPG Missions and Campaigns