[hider=The Malisse Trade Entente]
[IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/209lonq.png[/IMG]
[h1] The Malisse Trade Entente[/h1]
 [h2][i][b]"Surviving this period will be difficult, but making a profit? That'll be easy." - 'Nils' Muray[/b][/i][/h2]

[b]
Ruler/Rulers:[/b] Celeone Malisse (Figurehead), Nilsen Muray (Chief Executive Officer of the People's Shipping Company)

[b]Species:[/b] Primarily Terran but includes large migrant populations of Xenos from countless intelligent species, as well as unofficially integrated alien systems.

[b]Allegiance:[/b] Loosely Terran aligned, pays lip service to the current pro-human forces but rarely agrees in practice. However, when push comes to shove, the Entente is obligated to provide conscripts whenever the Empire (or its post-collapse equivalent) goes to war, temporarily forcing them to turn against their Alien trade partners.

[b]How The Government Is Ran:[/b] Autonomous local governments control much of the Entente; linked together by corporations, businesses and institutions that transcend individual planets and systems. These local governments are rarely given control of more than a single planet, the only exception being the aristocratic Malisse oligarchy that rules a handful of the systems in the heart of the Entente's territory. The head of the Malisse family is Celeone Malisse, Imperial Rex of the planets . She acts as the de jure ruler of all Entente territory (exluding the 'Alien' worlds that Entente businesses have absorbed, recognising her dominion of these worlds would damage her pro-Terran image) and the political figurehead of the commercial ideology that dominates the nation. The more practical leader of the Entente can be found at the head of the largest shipping monopoly in (perhaps) the known universe: Nilsen Muray, CEO of the PSC. While his business is nominally as simple as moving goods from A to B, the reality is more complex as the Company works in unison with the Malisse government to expand not just the economy but the nation itself. Nils spurns boardrooms in favour of leading merchant fleets against reluctant trade partners and pirate strongholds. 


[b]Military Strategy:[/b] When the Entente does engage in war, its fleets consist almost entirely of small merchant ships retrofitted for battle. The only large warships the Entente possesses belong to the Malisse family and the Imperial Guard, both of which only rarely deploy when core planets are threatened. 
Beyond this, companies favour mercenary armies and privateer fleets to carry out their military needs. If these needs escalate, the PSC fits its ships with torpedos and laser batteries and, with Nils or one of his junior executives in command, rushes to the aid of the Entente's peoples. While inferior to warships, merchant fleets can be colossal in size and easily replenished. After constant attacks by pirates, Nils has insisted that all PSC ships be fitted with a highly explosive self-destruct option to prevent pirates from seizing cargo and ships at all costs. Fanatically loyal executives have been known to seek out pirates for the purpose of decimating their ships with this suicidal counter-measure. Pirates of the Entente now fear to assault PSC ships, further swelling Nils' ranks with eager merchants seeking a pirate free existence.

[b]History[/b]: Centuries ago, when the Empire's collapse was merely on the far horizon, an aristocratic family of the Empire was granted a lonely planet on the fringes of Imperial space for their services to the throne, granting the family patriarch the title of Imperial Rex. What these services were is lost to history but the Malisse family accepted and quickly left the Empire's centre to live on its wild fringes. The planet they received, unceremoniously named Braz, was fertile but empty and populated by unintelligent Xenos that not even the Empire had taken the time to catalogue. Centuries passed and the Malisse family attracted settlers, tired of the oppressive and stagnant Empire worlds, in droves. Strict authoritarian control and general satisfaction with the opportunities on Braz enabled the Malisse family to pass the title down an unbroken line without major rebellion. 

Bringing us to the near present, the Malisse family were presented with a unique offer from disgruntled Empire merchants. Discreetly sanction trade with Xeno planets, defying Empire laws, and in exchange gain control and taxation of these planets. This is how the Entente was formed and how Nils, who descends from these initial sly merchants, was able to build an unrivaled commercial empire consisting of billions of Terrans and Xenos alike. A culture of tolerance through mutual exchange developed and the Empire progressively lacked the ability to track or prevent it. The Malisse see the PSC as a means to expand their domain and build their own version of the Empire while Nils and many other profit seekers see them as a stagnant bureaucracy that represents a far greater idea that they'd gladly die for.

[i]Other: Sum up: Your standard merchants republic with a sci-fi spin.
Fond of Xenos but wont fight any wars for them.
Loves any nation that it can trade with.
Dislikes nations that it cant trade with.
Keen on mercenaries and weapon technology that it can buy and sell.
Not strong militarily but difficult to invade.
Competitive and obsessed with its own interests.
Celeone is the face, Nils is the boot.[/i]
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