[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tnqqUyc.png[/img][/center] [hider=The Collective & The Conglomerate][center][b][h2][u]The Collective & The Conglomerate[/u][/h2][/b] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LSIbW6G.png[/img][/center] [Center][h3][u][b]Faction Type[/b][/u][/h3][/center] [center]Megacorp[/center] [Center][h3][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/h3][/center] [hider][img]https://i.imgur.com/wxfNJ6d.png[/img][/hider] [b][u][h3]Summary[/h3][/u][/b][/center] An amalgamation of multiple corporations and hollow puppet states, the C&C is much less a government as it is a generalized system used in this area of space to create some semblance of unity between the life forms who occupy it. The Collective is the interminably corrupt remnants of the Confederate government which serves as a mock-government for the convenience of the corporations, as they have for years. The Conglomerate was created out of the need to set very specific corporate rules to outlaw espionage and violence between the corporations. Many who have hit rock bottom with nothing to lose have ended up in this region, and there are ample high risk high reward opportunities present. When speaking of the C&C, you could refer exclusively to one and it may be inferred you’re talking about both. [center][b][u][h3]Resources[/h3][/u][/b][/center] The C&C is composed of several planets in the Hovno Diera system, as well as in a surrounding star system with extremely untenable grips of control over their planetary assets. Most are barren planets which range in atmospheric conditions that are in the process of being ‘cracked’, which have small settlements and cities based around exploitative efforts. There are however a few notable exceptions such as the out-of-control prison planet Mannahaj, the overgrown jungle planet of Sue Pha with a secret despotic principality hungry for the acquisition of slaves, and Yuz Karasi, the original planet colonized in the star system. All planetary bodies inhabitable experiences proxy wars funded by corporations, with their capital planet as an exception. [hider=Planets and Space Stations] [center][u][b]Hovno Diera System[/b][/u][/center] [center][b]Yuz Karasi[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/2oWlgHX.png[/img][/center] [i]Capital world of the C&C sector, the most relatively safe planetary body in the two solar systems. There are two continents, one of which is an arid desert, the other a lush and dangerous rainforest; both have cities, and the main city is in an underwater colony.[/i] Assets: Major Population Center, Raw Resource Extraction & Refinement, Domestic Goods Manufacturer, 'Government' Seat, Agricultural Center, Narcoagricultural Center [center][b]Cezaevi Penitentiary[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8WEWgDp.png[/img][/center] [i]A space station that serves the purpose as an industrial sweatshop, a rehabilitation center and a slave market. The government distributes prisoners as slaves and 'purchases' other 'prisoners' from interested parties. Inside the station raw materials are refined into more manageable forms (from logs to planks, from iron ore to metal bars or sheets, etc). [/i] Asset: Slave Market, Resource Refinement and Manufacturing, Rehabilitation Center [center][b]Girmek[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/HCys4AU.png[/img][/center] [i]A barren wasteland world that has a semi-tolerable atmosphere. There is a vast underground network originally made for cracking the planet, and a work camp colony built under a bio-dome called Uçurum Quarry. Through prison labor acquired from the nearby Cezaevi Penitentiary, and with the help of machines and robots, they are able to extract an enormous amount of resources which are sent to the nearby space station to get refined.[/i] Asset: Raw Resource Extraction, Unskilled Labor [center][b]Nefret Station[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mVesxqs.png[/img][/center] [i]Nefret Station is a medium-sized space hub that acts as a habitat center but has also grown to become a major locale for ship modification, education and a variety of other services. The space station itself has a kleptocratic security force with little to no rules on absentee ownership, however there are businesses that ensure safe holdings in no-questions-asked storage units and garages. [/i] Asset: Minor Population Hub, Education Center, Service Center, Ship Modification and Repair [center][u][b]Yasak System[/b][/u][/center] [center][b]Kahrestin[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pxAz0Vj.png[/img][/center] [i]An ice planet with labyrinthian mining colonies underground with a single season that is habitable on the surface. During this time a pop up black/flea market is established by various drug kingpins to help sell drugs, arms and other illegal goods collected from all parts of the known universe.[/i] Asset: Minor Population Center, Raw Resource Extraction, Hide-away, Black Market [center][b]Sue Pha[/b][/center] [center][img]http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/40k/images/d/d4/Catachan.png/revision/latest?cb=20120424232822[/img][/center] [i]A verdent jungle planet which has inhospitable and dangerous fauna/flora. Temporary establishments which either focus on acquiring lumber or studying the wild sporadically pockmark and sample various parts of the forest.[/i] Assets: Lumber Extraction, Rare Lifeforms [center][b]Mannahaj[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KzqKIPL.png[/img][/center] [i]Mannahaj is an industrial planet with huge sprawling urban environments. It houses a penitentiary system which takes up 2/3rds of the space used. The planet relies on the investments of several corporations who put together a budget for its security and act as oversight to its operations.[/i] Assets: Unskilled Labor, Research and Development [center][b]Heirophant[/b][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/yg1ZSTY.png[/img][/center] [i]A gas giant which is home to several orbiting space stations which harvest a variety of gasses, mostly hydrogen, with the use of robotic drones.[/i] Assets: Hydrogen Fuel, Other Gases [/hider] [center][b][u][h3]Administration[/h3][/u][/b][/center] The C&C’s connection to the Confederate Parliament is flimsily represented by a member of Parliament who has not been to the C&C sector in many years. They often try to keep quiet and neutral when it comes to participating on matters at hand, just barely qualifying for a seat in Parliament. Meticulous layers of lying by omission have been built up not only by the representative in Parliament, but by the very people who inform them. The representative of the assets in the region uses intelligence agents and private investigators with provisional authority in order to get a grip on the reality of the situation, and then the representative waters down the conspicuous details in order to avoid negative attention. If another state believes the C&C is attacking them, they will ask for proof and if given the evidence they would in theory dissolve the entity in question and solve things internally. They have strong provisions against unifying to fight, and would likely mass-hire from the large pools of mercenaries floating around to fight off any organized invasions. There are constant surrogate wars happening on contested planets in the main and sister star system, both of which are bereft of supervision or oversight. [center][b][u][h3]Strengths/Weaknesses[/h3][/u][/b][/center] [center][b][color=c4df9b]Perks[/color][/b][/center] [center][color=39b54a][b]Punk Magnet[/b][/color][/center] The desolate, outlawed and exiled all seem to swarm to join the open arms of the C&C, to the point where they're often overflowing with foreigners of different races, ex-nationalities and cultures. This gives them the advantage of numbers and the ability to utilize different technologies, techniques and ideas from all over the universe. They have a reputation for being a boiling melting pot, a high risk high reward atmosphere that is perfect for people with nothing to lose. [center][color=39b54a][b]My Uncle Vinny Knows A Guy[/b][/color][/center] Those in the C&C seem to always have a long lost uncle who knows a friend's brother, whose fathers ex-girlfriend knows something that may have some use in some way. They share a special connection between each other and a sort of attitude that moves faster with money, but doesn't always require it. A sort of bond formed in society allows connections to bring discounts, special favors, etc because they're doing things for people they know. This helps bring profits, get things done faster and foster a relationship between others in a healthy way. [center][color=39b54a][b]Usually Returns The Shopping Cart[/b][/color][/center] Those who live in the C&C typically have some sense of self governance and altruism inherent in their attitude which goes hand in hand with exploitation and survival of the fittest. The bare necessities must be kept from sabotage or disrepair, and while not everyone ‘returns their shopping cart’ a considerable amount of people do. When the power lines fail, or someone goes on a killing spree, or someone needs their vehicle repaired... Things that must be done, still do get done out of necessity despite the complete lack of central authority. [center][b][color=9e0b0f]Flaws[/color][/b][/center] [center][color=ed1c24][b]Absolute Zero Centralization[/b][/color][/center] It is not so much that there lacks a central focus of any governing body, but rather a complete absence of one. The people of the C&C are completely acclimated to a lack of centralized government and literally cannot unify to do anything cohesively unless it is an extraordinary circumstance; and even then it is extremely disorganized and temporary. The guiding force of the C&C is the invisible hand of capitalism, one that they do not always predictably have control over. [center][color=ed1c24][b]Rusty, Jammed, and Broken[/b][/color][/center] Most technology and architecture is comparatively primitive, spaceships being pieces of junk, cars jerry-rigged to mostly race, boats full of secret compartments. Most weapons are hand-me-downs from another era and those that were produced in modern times are not necessarily bound by any standards of quality. The likelihood of random failure for technology tends to be higher than usual, forcing those in the C&C to either attempt to repair or move to other means to achieve their goals such as melee weapons or moving by foot. [center][color=ed1c24][b]Dirty Fucking Street Rat[/b][/color][/center] Those from the C&C are well known to be socially isolated by the finer sects of society for the prime reason that they usually mean trouble. It is no surprise that drug addicted miscreants that live off of leeching off of stealing and dishonesty are not always welcome or wanted at all. Some are immediately interpreted as pirates, smugglers and cutthroats and are prejudiced by other nations as criminals (where there is no evidence). People often go to the C&C to lay low and let the heat cool down on the notoriety they’ve gained elsewhere, and there are certain mannerisms and habits which are considered normal that in other societies might be seen as suspicious. [center][b][h3][u]History[/u][/h3][/b][/center] The C&C flourished in the most despondent and underdeveloped frontier sectors of the Confederate; when the corporations first found the region it was known to harbor outcasts, pirates, junkers, and a litany of other undesirables. Under a special contract with a group of corporations, the area that the C&C has jurisdiction over is essentially a zone bereft of all but the minimum standards of supervision from their government. Pitched as an experiment to set up a resemblance of civilization for the Confederate to eventually usurp, many corporations got ahead of themselves and situations got out of hand. Several advancements and colonies have been established and even were able to send taxes to the Confederate, however the standards of living have always been far lower and there have been many corners cut since the advantage of distance was given to those in the area. As the Confederates colonies began to creep closer to the C&C territory, a degree of seclusion and illusion were given to the reality of conditions on planets; what would be described as a planet utilized primarily for lumber acquisition may have an illegal slave trading empire ran by a despotic prince, a prison planet which gives paperwork indicating all things are tame in reality has out-of-control alien and robotic experiments who freely terrorize whatever unfortunate human life remains there, and so on. As time went on things got worse and by the time the Confederate found the territory was essentially an interminably chaotic mess of fractionalized fascism whether by corporations or drug kingpins, it was too late for much to be done without significant investment. It wouldn’t matter after the Black New Year in any case.[/hider] [center]:drool[/center]