Smuggler’s Guild – Space Bazaar – Red Sun
Although spoken of only in whispers and innuendo, savvy travelers in the ’Verse are well aware of the underground markets in which the Smuggler’s Guild reign supreme. Notoriously ungoverned, the Smuggler’s Guild is less a formal trade or technical conglomeration, and more an unofficial brotherhood of those seeking freedom and anonymity. While many come into contact with the Smugglers, the unwary may find themselves shanghaied and bound for servitude. Some Smugglers choose to take on slightly more noble pursuits consisting only of illegal salvage or transport of goods such as foodstuffs or medical supplies for the neglected Border moons. Few of the Smuggler’s Guild cohort would admit membership, which is obtained only through invitation and extreme vetting, and the actual roster is a highly guarded secret.
Motto: Libertatum Ex Calumnia – Freedom from Oppression
Symbolism: With a clear Independent streak, the Smuggler’s Guild’s stars and bars call upon previous rebellions from “Earth-That-Was” among others.
Chinese: Zǒusī zhě gōnghuì – “Smuggler’s Guild”
Location: Li Shen’s Space Bazaar – Red Sun. Although an official outpost of the “Blue Sun Postal” system, this large space station in such a remote location is utilized by the Smugglers as an unofficial base of operations, due to the difficulty of Alliance monitoring.
Trader’s Guild – New Canaan – Blue Sun
A powerful if somewhat shadowy organization, the Trader’s Guild was formed to facilitate the trade of goods throughout the ’Verse. Controlling the shipping and much of the manufacturing in the known worlds, the Guild started small, but eventually coalesced into what is known today as the Blue Sun Corporation. While not officially associated with the Alliance, the Trader’s Guild is rumored to have many deep ties within Alliance strongholds and government.
Motto: No official motto, although in the early years, Trader’s Guild children heard their parents say “We have made ourselves Grechesk’iya (Greek) for you”.
Symbolism: The Blue Sun logo is now synonymous with trade in the ’Verse. From shipping to products, Blue Sun monopolizes many avenues of commerce, and is now considered by many to be too powerful to oppose.
Chinese: Jiāoyì shāng xiéhuì – “Trader’s Guild”
Location: New Canaan – Blue Sun. The origins of the Trader’s Guild are lost in the mists of early Arrival in the new galaxy. What is known is it all started on New Canaan, the tiny planet with Mediterranean weather, perfect for farming.
Pilot’s Guild – Beaumonde – Kalidasa
Industry requires dispersion to survive, and thus it is that the Pilots of the ’Verse are the lifeblood of the network of shipping lanes and travel routes that connect all the planets and moons together. A high ranking Guild Pilot is much sought after and fought over by a smart Captain, because their knowledge of navigation tricks and hazards often makes the difference between survival and perishing. One of the most public of Guilds, Pilots are highly trained and the ranked roster is published annually.
Motto: Per Caelum Via Nostra – Our Way is the Heavens – the motto is taken from a historical Guild back on Earth-That-Was.
Symbolism: While the outer circle evokes clouds within an atmospheric shell, the inner is split into the brightness of daylight and the inky depths of space, which contains the stars, suns and moons of the ’Verse. Another callback to sea-ship navigators on Earth-That-Was, the albatross was a sea bird that was thought to be a harbinger of good luck. The leaf she carries represents the planets upon which the pilots depend.
Chinese: Fēixíngyuán xiéhuì – “Pilot’s Guild”
Location: Beaumonde – Kalidasa. The heavily industrialized planet of Beaumonde was the manufacturing hub of the system. As such, a highly regimented structure was created to move these goods to other worlds, and a central necessity of this structure were the extensively trained Pilots.
Tech Guild – Ariel – White Sun
One of the largest and most productive of the Guilds, the Tech Guild encompasses many different professions, from mechanical and engineering to communications, medicine, and infrastructure. A high degree of intelligence characterizes the Guild membership, and some will even exhibit an intuitive understanding of technology. While the Guild’s official stance is to advance human society as a whole, there are some who whisper that technology can be twisted to control and mislead the populace.
Motto: Scientia Vincere Tenebras – Science Defeats the Darkness – invoking more than mere Science, this motto refers to the deeper sum of human knowledge deployed in the cause of defeating ignorance.
Symbolism: The hexagonal shape of the shield invokes the ancient study of geometry and mathematics, while the green center represents the very beginnings of technology on Earth-That-Was, from the prehistoric use of simple tools to the birth of computers. The five colored dots each represent one of the five systems within the ’Verse.
Chinese: Jìshù – “Technology”
Location: Ariel – White Sun. A shining example of the extremely civilized Central planets, Ariel boasts one of the highest concentrations of technological innovation and scientific knowledge in the ’Verse.
Miner’s Guild – Regina – Georgia
The bedrock of all goods in the ’Verse, the Miner’s Guild is widely known throughout the border moons as the source of metals, minerals, mud, and corruption. While there are honest and forthright Miners in the Guild, many production areas rely on indentured labor and poverty to keep costs down and landowners enriched.
Motto: Bar Down – A call back to the Welsh Miners of Earth-That-Was. The ancient miners would call out “Bar Down the Duggans” which alerted the other workers to secure the large boulders (Duggans) which were in danger of falling.
Symbolism: The outer shape of the shield invokes the blades of earth-boring tools, while the inner hexagons represent mine shafts descending into the earth. The pattern in the main hexagon calls to mind geological maps used to find mineral deposits.
Chinese: Kuànggōng gōnghuì – “Miner’s Guild”
Location: Regina – Georgia. Known as the “The Queen”, this rugged mining planet is a major source of rare minerals which are vital to the production of ships, Cortex systems, and many other items. Most of the population of Regina is subject to the degenerative disease “Bowden’s Malady”. Only the hardiest survive to populate this Guild.