The Acquisition Wars

The Acquisition Wars were a series of battles initiated by the United Association of Guilds (UAG) from Taanruk in an attempt to secure control over the interstellar trade routes of Kantostara as well as any other territories they deemed valuable for their growing economic empire.  

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Prelude

  What later became known as the Age of Acquisition, was a period of great unrest for the galaxy of Kantostara. The Singers of Songs had withdrawn to their Astrocyan Realms and the Bane'ile home world had recently been destroyed by a collision of their two suns sending the remnants of that civilization wandering throughout the galaxy. This created a vacuum in the balance of power in Kantostara that the UAG was eager to exploit.  

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Outcome

  Through an aggressive campaign of colonization, economic pressure, and military might, the UAG eventually gained control of all of Kantostara's main interstellar trade routes. The majority of goods and passengers in the galaxy are now transported by the UAG's heavy freighters. UAG regulators maintain strict control of manufacturing and distribution throughout much of the galaxy and they do not tolerate competition. There are many light freighter pilots who take care of transport for all the jobs considered too small to be profitable for the UAG freighters, but their activities are strictly controlled. Any pilot caught engaging in any kind of illicit activity is heavily fined and quickly banned from all the interstellar trade routes.  

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Repercussions

  Backlash against UAG aggression and regulations has given rise to an underground economy fueled by a network of smugglers and rebels who operate in the shadows finding safe haven in places on the fringes of UAG controlled space like the Crossroads whose owners, the Arcgelen brothers, fought against the UAG during the wars and even went so far as to declare their starbase a sovereign territory.