During war, trading becomes a dangerous game. Battle areas, blockades, fortified borders, and political conflicts make interstellar trading nearly impossible. Few organizations will even attempt trading in these conditions. Even fewer would attempt this by legal means. But one does. They call themselves…
[size=150]The Traders[/size]
The Traders transport everything everywhere. They don’t care who, what, where or why, as long as they get paid.
[size=25]And if you’re wondering, I haven’t abandoned The Foundation; it just slid on to the back burner a bit.
Hulls in this mod are named after Canadian cities and towns, with functions and size of the real city and its matching hull often being related. Organization of the naval division may be based upon the Royal Canadian Navy. Similarities between the content of this mod and any real persons are purely coincidental. I’m not a military buff, so I apologize for any errors I happen to make.[/size]
[size=150]History[/size]
Originally a division of Starlines Inc., they separated prior to the Gratuitous War. Once the war broke out, the company expanded through lucrative trading deals with galactic powers, running cargo and passengers across known space, often through active military zones. They have made deals with nearly every faction in known space, and even between some of them. The nature of some of their trade operations could depose the government of a Great Power if exposed. Their trade fleets operate from their large trading stations scattered throughout the galaxy. Until recently economic prosperity through their existence and economic sanctions through their destruction has left them relatively untouched by military action.
While always politically independent and neutral, in response to recent company growth and increasing military raids the company voted in favour of sovereignty, including exerting control over several semi-isolated systems.
[size=150]The Trader Fleet[/size]
Their fleets consist of two major divisions, which almost always operate together. The Trade division does the economic work while the Naval division provides support. Fleets of the Traders operate out of the Ottawa-class Trade Stations, large stations serving as economic, political and military bases.
The Trader fleets consist primarily of transport vessels, with armed escort Destroyers (frigates).
The Traders uses a variety of transports to get the job done, all of many sizes and roles, ranging from the mighty Vancouver Superfreighter to the Edmonton Fuel Tanker to shuttles. The transports are larger in size with lots of cargo space, but have a lower weapon density than most hulls.
The Destroyer units are the main military power of the Traders. Not really a navy, its ships serve as escorts, defenses and occassionally contract enforcement (but, unlike the Federation, it’s always meant literally). To compensate for smaller size and increased costs due to low availability, their destroyers have high and weapon density capabilities, even being able to use many cruiser module.
[size=150]Hulls of the Traders:[/size]
Vancouver-class Superfreighter
Winnipeg-class Communications Station
Edmonton-class Fuel Tanker
Saskatoon-class Micro Transport
Trenton-class Interceptor
Asteroid Defense Network
WIP Hulls:
Ottawa-class Command Station
Starport
Destroyer
[size=150]Hunt for the Confederation[/size]
At over 1000m in length, the Confederation serves as a command ship from the Traders. The ship is one of the largest mobile vessels ever constructed, with a cubic capacity large enough to transport a fleet. The ship has an unusual hyperdrive to match, rumoured to run safely at over 100 megalight, among other powerful systems. The ship did not always have its current capabilities, however. The previously militaristically-inferior Traders’ sudden burst of curiously alien technology, combined with a rapid fortification of an unknown region in the Stygian Abyss, has raised suspicions among the Great Powers.
Hunt for the Confederation is the Trader Campaign. Many galactic powers desire to acquire these technologies by any means, but lack the leads to track down the vessel. A seemingly normal convoy raid may someday give you the opportunity to strike.
