ORION TRADE UNION
GOVERNMENT: Mercantile Feudal Matriarchy
FOUNDED: 1838 AD
CAPITOL PLANET: Orionis (Orion)
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE: Orion Clan Council
STAR SYSTEM: Pi³ Orionis
HOMEWORLD
Orionis
COLONIES
Ursae Majoris
MEMBER SPECIES
The Orion Trade Union is an interstellar mercantile association comprised of several feudal noble houses from the planet Orionis. These houses are essentially independent nation states, each headed by a matriarch (nominally referred to as "Mistress") which are responsible for their own local government, military forces, and space vessels. There are approximately ten major houses of Orionis (although this number fluctuates) as well as dozens of smaller fiefdoms and independent city-state houses.
The planet Orion's flora is mostly algae based, leading to Orion possessing an overall green coloring in both its vegetation and sky.
The planet Orion possesses a handful of large cities, normally controlled by one of the more powerful clans. The capitol city of Emaradils, located on the southern continent, is more of a neutral location for the various Orion clans to meet and settle differences, since the planet lacks a unified government.
A feudal Orion estate
Most of the population of Orion inhabits large tracts of feudal lands centered around large estates ruled by a clan matriarch. The planet possesses an abundance of animal life, the most famous being the Orion rhinoceros.
Orion has a violent history, with various wars and wide scale conflicts over several centuries, generally centered on several clan nation states fighting each other for territory and resources. In the mid-19th century, traders from Rigel visited the planet Orion, and shortly afterwards the Orions obtained warp drive, allowing them to leave their home star system.
Major clan territories of the planet Orion during the mid-22nd century
Turning their aggression outwards, the planet Orion generally stabilized, with the occasional clan war still present, while Orion traders established the Orion colonies and the Orion Trade Union.
PLANETARY GOVERNMENT
The formal government of the Orion Trade Union is a "Clan Council" of the major Orion feudal houses, but this executive body rarely meets and then only in response to wide scale emergencies impacting the entire Orion state. In addition to formal government, a shadow criminal organization, the Orion Syndicate, controls an equal amount of power through corruption and illegal organized criminal enterprises and also maintains its own space fleet.
The majority of the territory comprising the Orion Trade Union occupies a region of space known as the "Triangula Sector" on a southern galactic vector from Vulcan space. The region is generally considered to be dangerous, with active space piracy, yet possess one of the most important galactic trade routes between Vulcan, Orion, and Beta Rigel.
The Triangula Sector, comprising Vulcan, Orion, and Rigellian space
SPACE FORCES
The Orion Trade Union does not possess a centralized space force but instead relies on privately owned starships of the various Orion clans to provide security and enforce Orion interstellar interests. In cases where large space fleets are needed, one of the more wealthy clams will typically hire lesser clan houses to provide additional ship under a central Orion commander
ORION STARSHIPS (2140s)
Interceptor
Battle Barge