The Consortium
Soft Canon: Content Still Expanding
-
Soft Canon: Content Still Expanding -
Sitting on the photosphere of the star Host, the Bazaar is a massive solar station that is home to the largest irreal-gate known at two hundred kilometers wide.
As one of the few free-stations it is self-governed by the Consortium, an alliance of guilds and trade unions, that keep the station operational; and enjoys a neutral place in galactic politics.
The strategic value of the Bazaar didn’t go unnoticed over the millennia and there were multiple attempts to gain control of it ending with the official formation of the Consortium and the Free Market Treaty in CY628.3.
Services here are generally more expensive than other, more regulated, gates and stations, the Bazaar is well known for having whatever you are needing or looking for as there is no regulatory or legal body on the station and the Consortium is more concerned with maintaining peace and profits.
This attitude towards the law makes the Bazaar a haven for pirates and fortune seekers; however, the station itself hosts a large number of embassies as many different civilizations and nations want to keep tabs on the goings on of other groups, even though their official authority doesn’t stretch past their own bulkheads.
The individual people that live their lives on the station usually abide by the directions of the Consortium in general as the guilds and unions control most aspects of commercial life with even a specific guild that maintain the station itself.
With all of that said, the station is very old, older than even the Archivist can sort out, being built sometime during the late First Epoch and is full of archaeological finds in the Old Ward.
No Kings, No Gods
Table of Contents
From War to Peace
The Bazaar has been the focal point for millennia. The original main structure of the station was built sometime during the First Epoch by an unknown culture for an unknown purpose; however, the station didn’t enter the stellar theater of politics until the beginning of the Second Epoch.
War of Four Points
Over time, the station expanded and changed hands in repeating cycles. Eventually, the Bazaar’s irreal-gate started to connect to many different hyper-lanes making it a prime target and strategic control point.
This eventually led to the War of Four Points in CY627.2, where in rapid succession, three large nations fought over control of the station, rapidly switching hands over the next decade. During that time, an underground movement formed among the tenants. This unification among the workers and businesses formed the foundations of the modern Consortium.
Over the next few Terran years, the Consortium financed a new fight that managed to overthrow the current masters of the station and then defended it from all other intrusions.
It wasn’t until the Consortium managed to disengage all the gates and beacons, effectively severing the Bazaar from the galaxy and essentially strangling trade and commerce yield.
After a long three-Terran year negotiation, the Open Market Treaty was forged on CY628.3.
The Open Market Treaty and the Consortium
The Open Market Treaty declared that the Bazaar was now under control of the Consortium, legitimizing its own authority.
Most importantly, it means that no individual nation or civilization has absolute control over access to the gates and beacons of the Station, allowing for international trade to continue unhindered.
Groups can pay dues and sign a defense pact to gain access to the station’s facilities at extremely reduced prices, including lowered docking and essential resupply costs for its patrons.
Into the Third Epoch
Deep into the Third Epoch, the Bazaar is a massive and bustling metropolis of a station. With the massive irreal-gate allowing for easy access to irreal-space, as well as extensive infrastructure within irreal-space itself to allow for multiple traffic lanes to enter and exit through the singular gate or through any number of smaller gates that dot the station.
Station of Guilds
The Bazaar has no formal governmental structure. No one entity owns or operates the station. However, a network of Guilds has created what is known as the Consortium whose focus is the day-to-day operations of the Bazaar itself as well as maintaining general peace.
Artisan Guild
The Artisan Guild share skills and knowledge to craft one-of-a-kind items and develop new and unique technology. They are engineers and problem solvers.
Dark Hand
If a crime is needed, more than likely, the Dark Hand will be involved. A mixture of acquisition specialists and personnel eliminators, one does not contract the Dark Hand without a specific need, and it needs to go unnoticed by authorities.
Mercantile Federation
Members of the Federation try to keep the cost of goods even and uniform among all the markets. They help negotiate supply chains and bulk prices.
Mithril League
One of the most powerful and most influential guilds is the banking guild. Most banks and bank systems within the galaxy does business with the Mithril League. The League loans money and commission other guilds for projects, or to acquire owed debt. Banks who pay their dues to the League can ensure protection and insurance against dramatic loss.
Path-Keepers
The massive maintenance and administrative resources needed to keep a functional irreal-gate and hyper-beacon network operating is nearly incalculable. Beacons and buoys running on a variety of frequencies needed a standard and the Path-Keepers maintain these standards as well as specialize in the use of irreal and subreal technologies needed to maintain them.
Most tolls are paid to pay this guild for their services.
Path-Keepers
The massive maintenance and administrative resources needed to keep a functional irreal-gate and hyper-beacon network operating is nearly incalculable. Beacons and buoys running on a variety of frequencies needed a standard and the Path-Keepers maintain these standards as well as specialize in the use of irreal and subreal technologies needed to maintain them.
Most tolls are paid to pay this guild for their services.
Rangers
Rangers range from bounty and treasure hunters to explorers. Members of the Rangers will give a percentage of the work they earn as a finder’s fee to the guild for access to their resources and contacts.
The Irregulars
A unified guild of mercenaries and private security. They sell their combat expertise to anyone willing to spend the mithril.
They have also been known to donate their services in times of great need or to oppressed groups that desperately need their services or to escort non-combatants and civilians out of combat zones.
United Builders
Large repair and construction projects from space stations to starships need highly skilled engineers and mechanics. Most of these people either apprenticed and were educated with United Builders members or are full members.
The guild was established to prevent skilled labor from being exploited.
The Wards
The massive station superstructure is divided into several wards and sub-wards, many too numerous to count.
Embassy Ward
The Embassy Ward was established as part of the Open Market Treaty. Each module is connected to a central colonnade that allows for comfortable access to all of the embassies of the governments that has decided to keep a presence on the Bazaar.
Each module can be independently powered with their own secure communications networks. This ward is of the only two areas where weapons are not allowed.
The Consortium keeps their primary guild houses in the Embassy Ward for the sake of convenience.
Market Ward
The largest of all the wards, encompassing thousands of square kilometers of corridors, forums, open spaces, and levels. This ward is filled with most every vender imaginable. Even the shadow market operates openly in this space as there is no law or regulation on what can and cannot be sold. The Mercantile Federation normally regulates all the businesses in the ward and any permanent structures such as manufacturing facilities, has to be approved by the United Builders to assure it wouldn’t compromise the station, and licensed by the Mercantile Federation.
The Mercantile Federation issues licenses for official sales and sale protections on the station.
Old Ward
This is deep in the heart of the station is the original superstructure. While no longer connected to an irreal-gate nor the primary power plant of the station, the Old Ward holds many secrets and houses the station’s primary computer core. The Consortium only allows limited access to this section of the station in the interest of maintenance and research.
The Old Ward is one of the only two wards that has a strict no weapons policy. This isn’t for safety, more it’s to prevent damage to ancient technology.
The Hub
The Hub is a massive communal area where tenant housing can be found, as well as hostels and other personal and small shops can be found.
The North Docks
The North Docks has direct access to the Market Ward and is meant for massive commercial vessels. These docks are heavily defended with massive maintenance bays.
The Rigging
This ward is often neglected. Sometimes, ships are no longer flight-worthy but are still habitable. The owners would connect them via their own docking clamps and then reinforced creating a patchwork of large vessels all interconnected creating this ward. Over millennia, some of the older ships have practically fused and are nearly indistinguishable from each other creating a near homogenous feel between them; but as you enter newer sections of the Rigging, the individual ships become more discernable.
The South Docks
The South Docks are connected near the Hub and has more dry docks meant for personal craft. It isn’t uncommon for permanent residents to lease a personal docking slot.