- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
- Messages
- 11,769
- Reaction score
- 65
The Free Trade Alliance
Summary
To the eyes of the Galaxy, the Free Trade Alliance is a loose collection of independent freighter captains, small shipping companies, and other profit-minded individuals with their fingers in the freight business who share a dislike of rigid corporate entities and trade monopolies, yet at the same time desire the buying and trading power a large-scale corporation holds.It’s rules and tenets are decided by popular vote of all members of the Alliance, and there is no true leadership structure, with only a small office building on Coruscant serving as a go-between for members of the FTA and those who would contract them. This loose organization has the benefit of allowing members to make all their own decisions, so long as they stay within the rules of the Free Trade Alliance.
The members of the Free Trade Alliance offer highly competitive shipping rates and fast delivery times, don‘t ask too many questions, and are willing to make riskier runs than the more traditional freight companies.
In reality, the FTA’s primary purpose is to serve as a legitimate front for smugglers, freelance pilots, other spaceborne rogues, and the Black Market. The Alliance’s true headquarters is the ‘Ghost Fleet’, a flotilla of six old bulk freighters, and several escort ships that follow less-traveled hyperspace beacons across the galaxy and stick to the outer fringes of star systems to avoid detection from the authorities or pirates. This ‘Ghost Fleet’ serves the Alliance as a mobile headquarters, safe haven, shipyard, and training ground, and is the home of the Alliance‘s leaders.
Purpose
The Purpose of the Ghost Fleet and the Free Trade Alliance is to provide a service to Smugglers similar to that which the Bounty Hunter’s Guild provides to Bounty Hunters; a secure, office-like environment in which Smugglers can view potential clients and contracts, and select a run best suited to their talents. Smugglers within the Alliance provide a small percentage of each successfully completed run to the Ghost Fleet, to provide for it’s upkeep and expansion. In return, they gain access to all the perks that come with being a member of the FTA, including use of Alliance shipyards and repair facilities, Alliance safe houses, free access to the Black Market, and the assistance of master technicians willing to perform highly illegal modifications to weapons, ships, and armor.
Leadership
The Alliance is ruled by a Council of three individuals, who were selected for the position by the previous Councilors. To qualify for being selected, the individual must have at least five years membership within the Alliance, and must hold the rank of Master Smuggler. [Alternatively, any smuggler can be elected to the Council by popular vote conducted amongst at least 90% of the Alliance’s members.]While the Council holds little power over individual smugglers, nor do they try to exert any degree of control over them, their authority within the Ghost Fleet is absolute and is rarely challenged.
They also hold the power to expel members of the Alliance from the fleet, punish individuals who have broken the Rules of the FTA, and task fleet resources to such projects as tracking down traitorous individuals and the like.
The only other member of the Alliance with significant authority within the Fleet is the Fleet Admiral, who is in charge of maintaining the fleet and commanding it during combat situations. He also leads the Fleet whenever events are such that the Council is unable to take command of the Fleet themselves. The Council selects the Fleet Admiral from the most experienced and loyal mercenary types within the Alliance, and unlike Council positions, a smuggler cannot be elected to the position of Fleet Admiral by popular vote.
[Note: The Councilors of the FTA are Non-Player Characters, unless otherwise noted. NPC Councilors can be played by anyone with a character of the Rank of Master Smuggler, but only if the entire faction is stuck up on one of the Councilor‘s.]
Membership
To become a member of the FTA, a Smuggler need only seek out the Ghost Fleet and sign a simple document swearing his allegiance to the Alliance. At that point, he considered a ‘Smuggler’s Apprentice’, and is given access to the shipyards and repair facilities within the Ghost Fleet, along with a safe place to stay. However, the member is barred from accepting any contracts until receiving training from a senior member of the Alliance. After being trained, the member is granted full access to all services provided by the Ghost Fleet, and is allowed to take on any contract he wishes. The only membership ’due’ required is a small percentage of the member’s profit on completed contracts. This percentage is currently a modest 5%, but it fluctuates from time to time depending on the Galactic economy and trade restrictions.
Ranks
The Ranks for the members of the Alliance are fairly straightforward, and do not denote a members authority, rather, only a member’s level of skill. However, the ranks for the Alliance Members serving in the Ghost Fleet are more military in style, and reflect a crewman’s rank and authority within the Fleet.
[Ordered from Lowest to Highest]
Smuggler’s Apprentice - Lowest rank in the Alliance.
Amateur Smuggler - Lower-level Smugglers who are relatively green.
Smuggler - Mid-level Smuggler. Not the best, not the worst. Fairly experienced.
Veteran Smuggler - Higher-level Smuggler. Not quite the best, but close.
Master Smuggler - The best of the best, with years of experience in the cockpit.
Special Ranks
[Ordered from lowest to highest.]
Marine Captain - The officer in charge of overseeing fleet defense and security, and head of the team that protects the Fleet Admiral and the Council.
Fleet Admiral - The man in charge of overseeing all Ghost Fleet operations, commanding the Fleet in combat situations, and generally providing leadership when the Council is unable to perform their duties in that regard. His authority in the Alliance is only superseded by the Council.
Council Member - A Master Smuggler who has achieved the ultimate rank within the Alliance. Their word is law among all members of the Alliance.
Rules
The rules of the Free Trade Alliance number less than ten, but are the backbone of the Alliance and reflect the beliefs of the FTA. Without these rules, the Alliance would be much harder to maintain, if not impossible. The rules are occasionally modified from time to time by the Council, to suite changing situations and laws in the Galaxy. These rules are in no particular order, though rules 1, 4, and 6 are considered the most important rules, and carry the heaviest punishments. 1: The Secrecy and Safety of the Ghost Fleet is top priority, and so no contract shall be taken that may compromise the Fleet or the Alliance. Any individual who risks the Ghost Fleet will be hunted down and either brought before the leaders of the Alliance to stand trial for his actions, or executed on the spot.
2: Life is a priority. No Smuggler is expected to complete a contract that would end in his or her death, though it is strongly suggested that a Smuggler exhaust all methods of completing a contract before abandoning it.
3: No Member of the Alliance is required to render assistance to his or her fellow smugglers unless such assistance is vital to the survival of said fellow smuggler or smugglers, or the act of providing aid is directly requested by the Alliance Council.
4: No Member of the Alliance is to engage in activities directly relating to Piracy without explicit authorization from the Council. Any member found playing pirate may be punished by a severe fee to pay reparations to whatever party was the victim of the member’s swashbuckling exploits, or by expulsion from the Alliance, and in worse-case scenarios; the member may be punished in both manners.
5: Needless violence in any form of combat is strictly prohibited. Alliance members should only strike to kill if left with no alternative. Attacking a defenseless vessel, person, or place is considered needless violence, and any lives taken in such an attack will be considered as victims of murder, and the smuggler responsible for their demise will be stripped of his vessel and weapons, and deposited upon a remote and uninhabited world to live out the rest of his days in isolation.
Current Resources
Permanent offices/hideouts:
Coruscant Office
Safehouses scattered across the Galaxy [Most of them dingy apartments]
Ghost Fleet:
6 Heavily modified Bulk Freighters
2 Escort Corvettes
5 Gunships
20 Multirole Fighters
Numerous assorted shuttlecraft and utility ships