In the first few generations of space exploration, independent corporations,
driven only by their own profit and lust for power, battled for control of the
local group.

As the horrible treatment of colonists as effectively free slaves and their
callous treatment - sometimes thousands of people ejected into space to cut
profit margins - filtered back to the Federation, demands to do bring these
rouge corps under control grew louder and louder.

Eventually, the Federation drove them back through massed invasions into their
heavily protected strongholds.  In doing so, they developed new ways to travel
and to fight.

And not a moment too soon... looking back, the Corps are remembered as being
the driving force behind the tactics and equipment needed to hold back the
forces of the Others.

Just before the Federation managed to bring the local group under peaceful
reign, word of planets and ports being wiped out along the fringe began
filtering back.

Initially, it was assumed it was a small number of old corps turned completely
to revenge.  When the FSS Resolute managed to get back to core FedSpace after
surviving a running battle with the relentless drones of the Others, the
terrible truth came to light.

As the Federation turned more and more of its citizens economic might toward
the fight, it became increasingly obvious that as with all other things,
government bureaucracy was more of a hinderance than a help.  Learning lessons
from the past, the Federation turned the war into a for-profit industry for
private companies.

Those suited to fleet maneuvers were funded by heavy taxes on the merchant
trader classes, and the production of entire worlds turn once more to war.
This time though the goal wasn't profits, but the very survival of the species.

Fresh out of school, riding the wave of promise of your tactical abilities, you
have been assigned a merchant trader to help fund the war effort.  The best of
the merchent traders dream of being able to provide enough support to the war
effort to be able to take the battle to the fringe worlds.

Those who prove their mettle can become heroes and rather than working to fund
the war can, on their own terms take part directly.  For these special few,
mere trading and support of the cause is not their greatest contribution.
These people, mastering the skills in battling pirates and sharp trading, then
will become humanities ultimate hope.

The road to glory is a hard one, first trading, then fighting the pirates,
remenents of the old corps, and rebellious groups of traders who, despite the
impending doom of humanity are still working to forward their own agendas at
the expense of the future generations of humanity.

Finally, with hard won experience and well earned funding, the surviving elite
will probe into the attacks in the fringe worlds, being supported by a grateful
public.  With enough if these elite working toward this shared goal, the Others
CAN be driven out of our galaxy completely.

This is your duty... your destiny.

As you walk up the gangplank to your new command, you fix your steely gaze just
above the horizon, ignoring the breeze frolicking in your golden locks as you
determinedly stare down the future of humanty... your laser precise
concentration fixed on the barely perceptible goal that is... hope.


Organization of the local group
===============================
The local group is the set of stars to which jump points have been calculated.
The jump points are calculated by probes that are sent out through normal space
so the local group is a rough sphere centred on earth.

The oldest and therefore most heavily colonized, protected, and productive
planets tend to cluster around the Sol system becoming more sparse the further
from Sol you travel.  The Federation heavily policies its zone of control with
a rapid deployment police force.  As the distance from Sol increases, the level
of protection afforded by the Federation decreases.

From the traders point of view, this means that the greater risks involved in
delivering cargo to these destinations make them more profitable for those who
are willing to fight their way though.  From the pirates point of view, the
further from FedSpace they get, the fatter the targets will get (though the
better armed they will be as well).  Also, pirate captains and to a larger
degree their ships, will become notorious and be unable to trade in the more
protected sectors.

Modern port facilities will generally have some small stock of ship upgrades
available regardless of the class.  In the old days, a port was just a
wharehouse on the edge of the gravity well.  Over the years, more and more
functions have shifted there, so old ship equipment tends to be parked near
most ports where fighters, cargo holds, and sometimes other equipment can often
be purchased at a significant discount from new.

Regarding new ship equipment, the best can be purchased in the Sol system.
There are also a few other large equipment manufacturing sectors in protected
space.  Outside of protected space, only basic upgrades can generally be found
for purchase, and these command a heavy premium.  Some sectors act as a
clearing ground for salvaged ships, but top-notch equipment is rare.  Pirates
will generally upgrade their ships by salvaging parts from their prey then sell
the parts they don't need for their own ship to these dealers.


The Fringe
==========
The fringe is the sectors furthest from the galactic core.  Sectors and planets
are more sparse here, and the Others are enroaching more and more.  Only the
best equipped warships should venture here, and the most valuable commodity is
information on the Others.  Collecting information and surviving or - even
better - collecting samples of destroyed ships and returning them to the labs
at Sol are the most lucrative activities, but simply hunting and destroying
enemy warships and protecting the few populated sectors will provide an income
far in excess of what can be generated through trading even in outside of
FedSpace.  There are reports that previously notorious pirate captains have had
DNA makeovers, purchased "clean" ships, and turned their hand to protecting
humanity drawn by these massive profits.

Because The Fringe is where the war is being fought, the Federation will
actively police war crimes - out here you do NOT want to be attacking other
agents of the Federation.  Protecting your own assets against misuse by other
captains however is considered acceptable as is commandeering someone elses
assets.

What this basically boils down to is that - although you cannot directly attack
other players here - you CAN attack their strongholds and invade their planets
to secure needed war supplies.
