The Factions

Whether back in the Known Worlds or out on the Frontier, Factions play an important role in space. Who you know can make the difference between life and death. Affiliations can open huge doors for you, but at the same time they can just as easily close them. That being said, if you choose to go the Lone Wolf route, you might find life to be difficult without friends.

Factions are generally organizations that have big power, resources, and offer something to the galaxy. Whether it is a business, an empire, or a band of pirates, factions shape the political and financial landscape. Factions generally have specific goals in mind to further their interests. The list below should not be considered all inclusive because there are too many factions out there to count. However, these are the factions that have been established thus far and will likely play a role somehow in the campaign.

A Major Faction refers to one that is relevant to a PC, to the plot, or is big enough to warrant being called such. A Minor Faction refers to one that could be relevant to the game but at a lesser capacity.

Government Factions
These are organizations that function in a primary governmental capacity or are officially sanctioned by governments.

The Clanless [MAJOR]
The Matriarch of the Khazrak people formed this organization of volunteers to act as ambassadors for their people out into the Known Worlds and the Frontier. The Clanless travel solo, in small groups, or with alien "friends" to explore and learn all that is available to the Galactic Community. They are tasked with information gathering so that the Matriarch can make an informed decision on how to approach her people's arrival into the Galactic Community.

The Rangers [MAJOR]
The Rangers are a law enforcement agency that are meant to act outside of the confines of bureaucracy in order to seek justice in the Known Worlds and the Frontier. While the United Confederacy (UC) acts as the main body of law enforcement, the Rangers are meant to go where the UC can't or won't. Rangers are not bound to one organization, world, or species. Rangers believe no one is above the law, and that the law needs to be executed or else chaos will follow.

Believed to have loose ties back to the original Texas Rangers back on Earth, the Rangers were originally founded by humans, but as the human race become a part of the intergalatic fold; they invited alien species and all others to join the organization should they meet its strict standards. Each ranger goes through a heavy screening process and training period. Rangers are meant to be incorruptible and should a recruit show the slightest hints of corruption, they will be let go. In most cases, the Rangers police their own; hunting down rogue members if it becomes necessary (a rarity though given their screening process).

Rangers are considered to be among the best of the best in law enforcement. They live by the creed of: "One Riot, One Ranger." In rare circumstances, Rangers have the ability to deputize others that they're working closely with in order to see a job done. Rangers have tracked down criminals to the far reaches of the galaxy, but have also done more in depth investigations such as revealing corruption in world governments and businesses.

Rangers shine in their freedom to act. While they can be assigned missions, the majority of them pursue their own interests, investigations, and leads so long as it aligns with the goals of the Rangers (that is, bring justice and enforce the law where there is none, or assist the law where it is unable or unwilling to act). Ideally, the Rangers are meant to circumvent where there are jurisdiction issues (though those against the Rangers label them as little more than bounty hunters.)

Most of the Known Worlds have signed treaties allowing the Rangers to act within their jurisdiction and the United Confederacy officially recognizes and sanctions the Rangers. It took awhile for the Rangers to earn their legitimacy, but once they did, their badges were something to respect and to fear. Recently (roughly two decades ago), it is believed that the Rangers began to poke their nose into something... big.

It is rumored that the Rangers came across a huge corruption scandal, while others say that the criminal underworld had finally united to take them out. Whatever the reason, the main headquarters of the Rangers was destroyed over night and most of their numbers were eliminated. The UC officially designated an act of terrorism, but the details on it were always vague and confidential. The majority of Rangers went into hiding.

Largely a secretive order now, the remaining Rangers have banded together and kept in the shadows to keep ahead of their enemies. They're likely hunting down the ones behind the attacks, but every no and again, you will see a lone ranger out on the Frontier; enforcing the law to the lawless. Most say this is a myth though, and that the Rangers are extinct. Anyone claiming to be one is just a charlatan.

Rigellian Slave Fleet [MINOR]
The insectoid Rigellians are a scourge of cold-hearted wanderers from some distant and long-lost system. They travel the galaxy preying on weak or isolated colonies, killing those who resist and capturing the rest for their massive slave ships. The unfortunate captives are sold to other unscrupulous empires for cheap, short term labor. Each ship is captained by an overseer, with the fleet's overall commander, the master overseer, stationed on the carrier.

Tazanian Empire [MAJOR]
Perhaps one of the most feared factions in the Known Worlds, the Tazanian Empire is the name given to the unified front of the Rakashan race. The Tazanian Empire has conquered thousands of worlds and don’t appear to be stopping. While it has not yet begun any open conflict with the existing races, there is always the fear that they will. The populations under the Empire are little more than slaves or serfs in some cases. Sometimes rebellions stir, but they’re always harshly put down with extreme prejudice.

The United Confederation [MAJOR]
Often referred to as the UC, the Confederation is a body composed of representatives from dozens (or hundreds) of Known Worlds. The UC is primarily made up of humans, but all races have a foot hold in the organization. The UC’s job is to regulate laws and trade, keep the peace, and maintain a galactic navy for mutual defense. Like most bureaucracies, the UC is often a slow and muddled mess. Its militaries, however, are first rate, and the fear of pirates and raiders throughout the cosmos.

There are rumors that suggest the top brass of the UC are corrupt. In the past, there have been examples of the UC taking claim of Frontier worlds that were previously inhabited by free folk or non-affiliated factions. The UC’s PR department denies these claims. Generally, the UC is more concerned with the defense of the Known Worlds than it is with the Frontier. Every so often, the borders of the Known Worlds extends a little further; allowing for more of the Frontier to be incorporated with the rest.

Guild Factions 
These are organizations of like-minded individuals who have banded together for common purpose or who share something in common.


Bounty Hunter's Guild [MAJOR]
The Bounty Hunter’s Guild attempts to provide a useful service to the Known Worlds and Frontier while protecting their own (namely the capture of fugitives). By creating a guild for these services, it was an attempt to legitimize bounty hunters rather than have them be viewed as a hive of scum and villainy. A Guild Master with his team is expected to maintain and list bounties for the betterment of the Guild before they hit the streets as common knowledge (essentially giving guild members a head start). All Guild Member pay a fraction of their bounty to the Guild in fees and services. Unwritten rules and laws exist within the Guild in attempts to keep order within the organization (though the guild is full of loose cannons).

The laws of the guild are as follows:

·         No Bounty Is Worth Dying For.

·         People Don’t Have Bounties, Only Acquisitions Have Bounties.

·         Capture By Design; Kill By Necessity.

·         No Hunter Shall Slay Another Hunter.

·         No Hunter Shall Interfere With Another’s Hunt.

·         In The Hunt One Captures Or Kills; Never Both.

·         No Hunter Shall Refuse Aid To Another Hunter.  

WRAITH: [MAJOR]
A shadowy organization of assassins, spies, and mercenaries... or not? WRAITH is one of the biggest conspiracies on the Black.Net. People view them as the "illumanti"; pulling the strings of various factions, worlds, and governments. Essentially, nut cases claim that WRAITH holds the true power in the Known Worlds and out on the Frontiers. Most people don't view them as real, let alone a true threat.
 
Corporation Factions
These are factions that are businesses or corporations.

Fenrera [MINOR FACTION]
Pronounced "fen-RARE-rah". Fenrera is the most well-known AUW-controlled aeronautics manufacturer. Fenrera is not a particularly large company compared to other aeronautics manufacturers, but is large enough that people recognize the name. Fenrera builds across the entire aeronautics spectrum from planes to starships, manned or unmanned. As is predictable with AUW-designed technologies, the aircraft and spacecraft constructed by Fenrera focuses on durability and longevity before any other design spec.

Therefore, Fenrera's machines are much larger and heavier than its competitors and are typically not as fast or fuel efficient. However, there is no doubt that if you need a workhorse machine for whatever reason, Fenrera is the company you want to go to. While Fenrera has a selection of typical models to cover nearly any task, the company is also willing to custom build a machine for its client if the normal models are not sufficient for the client's needs. Fenrera's logo is a stylized design of an upper body of a wolf in profile holding an empty circle in its claws.

Ganim [MINOR FACTION]
Pronounced "GANE-ihm". Ganim is the top robotics company founded by the AUW. It specializes in robots and drones for the personal use of the various species in the world, but does also produce ship drones or other specialized machinery if the client has those needs. Ganim's flagship product is a quadrupedal robotic pet with highly customizable programming. Ganim also sells attachments for the base model to improve its functionality or allow the robot to perform specialized tasks such as cleaning.

Also like Fenrera, Ganim hires non-discriminately and has a much more diverse employee base than its craft-building counterpart. Ganim prides itself on having an approachable face since they mostly market to residential sectors more than any other, which kind of necessitates the hiring of non-AUW employees that can better think about and empathize with the target demographic for their products. Ganim's logo is a cute wolf face looking straight on; it has a smile on its face and is winking at the viewer with its left eye.

JumpCorp [MAJOR FACTION]
The largest business or corporation in the Known Worlds and the Frontier. JumpCorp has their hands in every facet of business, and we mean every facet. The corporation has grown so large that they more or less count as their own ‘government’ at this point. They continue to seek their expansion; often the first on many new worlds (even if there is no obvious benefit to that world).  Sometimes JumpCorp works in conjunction with other factions and federations (if only to continue to justify their legitimacy as one as well). Most employees with JumpCorp work “all hours” shifts, akin to salary positions, but receive excellent compensation, free housing, and have many of their basic survival needs fulfilled for them. 

Paragon Science Equipment [MAJOR FACTION]
One of the leading manufacturers of science equipment, PSE is generally considered to be middling equipment in a field with a lot of players. Despite this, they have earned a small reputation in the field with the quality of their equipment. The company is extremely private. Some claim it is a shell company for other operations while others dismiss this. Beyond the equipment they produce, PSE is attempting to revolutionize the field by designing new techology and techniques. The company pays very well, but demands employees to live on site and to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Roufel [MAJOR FACTION]
Pronounced RUE-fell, this small medical company offers an effective, synthetic anesthetic as their flagship product. The company's headquarters is situated in a non-AUW homeworld, but there are a number of branch offices. Roufel also operates a number of free clinics with services available to those without economic access to other facilities.

While Roufel's R&D offices are staffed with employees of various races, the clinics are staffed almost exclusively by AUW, and there is a rumor that the clinics are used as a testing ground for medicines and procedures developed by Roufel, with the AUW shared knowledge collecting data. But nothing has substantiated these rumors. Its logo is a silhouette of a standing wolf facing to the right, with empty space in the center in the shape of the first-aid cross.

Striff [MINOR FACTION]
Striff is a small AUW-run software company. It has a contract with Ganim to write all of the software used for its robotics. Striff also operates a fairly successful search engine known as Sol-Circuit to generate additional revenue. Striff only has one office on an AUW colony planet and is run and operated exclusively by AUW employees. The company's logo is a wolf pulling a chariot.

MISC BUSINESSES [MINOR FACTIONS]
Rather than give each its own entry, here are some notable businesses that are mentioned in the CORE RULEBOOK for LAST PARSEC.

-Eclipse Ballistics: Eclipse specializes in hightech weapons such as lasers. Their slogan is "Lights out. It's an Eclipse."

-Frenip Foods: Few would actually say they love the flavored food pastes Frenip Foods manufactures on a variety of worlds, but they are certainly nutritional, economical, and easy to store and preserve.

-Halo Engineering: Most large orbital space stations at the Known Worlds' core are built by Halo, a very large and respected firm that employs the best and brightest.

-Malik' Ma Motors: Prefabricated factories on a thousand worlds make this land- and hovervehicle maker ubiquitous.

-QuaronCo: This company originated with kalians in the Zeta Pyxis system. They make extremely efficient (and generally very fast) spacecraft and vehicles.

-Rigel Arms: "Guaranteed to shoot straight" is the slogan that made this mid-level arms manufacturer successful on a thousand worlds.

-Saladin's Foundry: An Earth-based company, Saladin's "blademasters" create powered energy weapons and armor "for the modern warrior."

-Tykon Corp: A premium maker of androids, constructs, and synthetic beings. They are also known for their large corporate law team, which advocates on their products’ behalf throughout the various governments of the cosmos.

-ZeniMart: This massive company sells anything and everything (within local legal guidelines). It prides itself on fast, cheap delivery and discounted prices. "Backwater" worlds usually have a ZeniMart Outpost where goods can be ordered and picked up for those without a permanent address.