Vascor United Systems

The Vascor United Systems is a faction located in the Alpha Quadrant bordering the Galactic Abyssal Federation. Its governmental system is structured as a megacorporation, where all political and civic entities have essentially been replaced by a massive for-profit company known as Vascorp LLC™.

Vascorp LLC™ maintains its headquarters on Rexis, a badly polluted ocean planet that is also the homeworld of the Vascor species.

Both Vascorp LLC™ and the Vascor United Systems are staunch political adversaries of the G.A.F. and its allies, viewing the Abyssalite nation and citizenry as direct threats to their corporate interests.

Speculative History:

Only scant details can be extracted concerning the history of the Vascor people themselves due to their government's tight control over the flow of information within its territory, however, many political scientists from various corners of the galaxy theorize their civilization may have once been ruled by a representative democracy similar to many former nation-states from old Earth, such as the United States of America. It's thought that as time progressed though, internal instability, ecological collapse, and the rise of increasingly powerful inter-corporate alliances resulted in the gradual erosion of democratic norms, leading to an eventual systemic collapse and reconsolidation as an oligarchic state where the wealthiest business owners gained near total control over all aspects of daily life and official policy.

Known History:

Shockingly, the few historical records from the Vascor United Systems that are "public domain" indicate that it is not much older than humanity, at least as far as space-faring civilizations are concerned. They gained FTL capabilities roughly 1-2 centuries before Earth itself did, and afterwards, quickly became a major player within the geopolitics of the Alpha Quadrant through selling advanced weapons to regional imperialist powers. More specifically, they would heavily align their economic ventures in the direction of the Rak'tothian Khanate, relying on its military protection to avoid repercussions for their kleptocratic economic dealings with other nearby factions, such as the Fafossan United Worlds, who they conned a riduclous amount of wealth and resources out of through decades of covert exploitation disguised as genuine trade agreements.

Eventually, however, the Khanate's ultimate demise at the hands of the G.A.F. during the final hours of the Liberation Wars left them vulnerable and geopolitically weak, which became apparent when the Abyssalites handed them a decisive defeat in a short but brutal war lasting from 2683-2685 CE, with the terms of the armistice being particularly harsh afterwards. Since then, they have mostly shifted their focus away from international affairs.

29th Century Status:

Despite still being active, the United Systems has been relatively deprived of diplomatic opportunities in their home quadrant, with most of their local clientele now consisting of privateers and mercenaries. The only major faction that they still maintain regular contact with is the Holy Union of Sarnakus, as in recent decades, their military has expressed interest in purchasing Vascor weapons to replace its aging domestic equipment.

When war broke out in 2811 CE between the Holy Union and the Orion Pact - a military alliance founded by the G.A.F. and three other nations - the Vascor joined the Union's side, hoping to settle old scores. Unfortunately for them, much of the fighting took place directly in their own territory, which has since left large swaths of national infrastructure completely devastated. Relations with the Union have also soured as a result of their military ineptitude, though it's likely their shared animosity towards the G.A.F. and other powers will foster continued cooperation, especially since a stalemate peace agreement in 2816 left them both feeling dissatisfied with the outcome.

Main Story Importance:

• Eric Crossman and the S.G.A. Washington first encounter the Vascor military in the Grasping Claw Nebula, where they catch a mobile market cruiser and its escorting frigates - flying under the Rexis banner - red-handed as they supply weapons to a Rak'tothian pirate group recently responsible for raiding a nearby G.A.F. colony. Crossman and his crew then engage the enemy fleet, destroying everything except for the market cruiser in a brief but decisive battle, forcing it to surrender. The G.A.F. justifies the arrest by citing treaty-affirmed economic exclusion zones, which the Vascor had violated.

• Having fought in the Western Galactic War (2811-2816 CE), Sgt. Major Zeska Durgun - the highest-ranking NCO within the S.G.A. Washington's Marine Corps detachment - has seen direct combat in which the Vascor military was involved. She recalls them being well-trained but hopelessly outnumbered and unable to coordinate well with their T'kesh allies.