UGTO

"A common defense for the interests of Humanity across the Galaxy."

-- UGTO Charter.

The United Galactic Trade Organization are the oldest human faction in darkspace. Based from the human home of Earth the UGTO was formed on April 10, 2218. It's main function was to constolodate the military resources of Lunar, Mars and the GCC (Earth) after the goverments of Lunar, Mars and the GCC could not come to an agreement on dealing with the 1st steller war.

Currently the UGTO are seen as 'Imperialists' ruling with an iron fist on there colonys cauing much sediment against them. This style of leadership and goverment lead to the formation of the Farstars, and then later, the ICC.

Formation and History

The United Galactic Trade Ordanization was form April 10th, 2218 at 13:00:00 SST (Sol Standard Time), however it can trace it's roots right back to 2062 with the formation of the Global Corporate Council. In the years leading up to 2062, a period known as the '2nd Dark Ages' was in full swing. Multiable Nuclear and Biolodgical weapons had been used in the last sixty-two years, with the resulting fallout nearly causing the collapse of Earth's Bioshpare. On February 18, 2066, the GCC was ready to take the reigns back. At 00:01:00 GMT, the GCC shut the world off. At once, every power station, every communications station, every fuel pump in every vehicle, every computer, every anything that they had been able to introduce their control circuitry into, was shut off. What little remained of the world’s economy ground to a complete halt. At the same time, certain equipment that was directly operated by the GCC was spared this blackout. Covert and elite strike teams had been moved into position. As these Para-military forces struck at the current leaders of these tyrant nations, word was spread using carefully placed operatives in communities all over the Earth. “Join us, liberty is at hand!” was the message spread throughout communities on the Earth.

Soon the world was united under the rule of the GCC. But the damage had already been done, only 1.5 billion humans now lived and with the GCC now trying to rebuild what had been lost over the last sixty-two years, a massive manpower shortage came into effect. Over the Next fifty years the GCC grew and life was finally getting to pre-darkage levels once again. However At 02:15:12 GMT on June 6, 2118, the SDO discovered a stellar object approximately eight months away from possible impact with the Earth. About 62 km in diameter, this solid chunk of rock would pass within just a couple of thousand kilometers of the Earth. Damage estimates were such that they already weakened biosphere would be rendered uninhabitable by Human life.

Construction on two ships, Hope and Genesis, was started in orbit before the new Fusion drive technology was even developed. So quickly were they built, that their construction scaffolds were actually completed two days after these vessels were ready for initial system tests. It took three months to complete and outfit both vessels, but on October 30, 2118 both the Hope and the Genesis left Earth orbit for their destinations.

Hope was set on course for Luna, where automated construction systems had been working for the last four months. After the initial population was deployed, it would return to Earth for continual ferrying of population to the new Luna base. New personnel on Luna would throw themselves into the construction process for their new home.

Genesis was a one-time use vessel. She was much larger than her sister ship, Hope. Her total passenger compliment was eight thousand; four times that of the Hope. Additionally, her hull was designed to be broken down for the initial colony base, making her journey a one-way trip.

Both ships performed remarkably well in their assigned duties. Neither had any major system failures, and completes their missions on time. All told, the Hope was able to move 12,000 people to the Luna Dome, and the Genesis was successfully disassembled into the Mars Dome 16 days after her launch.

In secret, the GCC had been playing a major gambit. In stationary orbit over the North Pole, the GCC had been working on a ship construction yard for the last year and a half. Designated Bifrost Station, it was originally designed to build long range probes and colony ships to the rest of the worlds in the Sol system for possible use in the rebuilding of Earth. Now, she had a different mission. Hoping for the best, the GCC decided to build a torpedo warship in Bifrost Station’s births. Designated the Guardian, this ship was specifically designed to get to Ragnarock and deliver as much weapons fire as possible in the hopes of diverting it’s path. Small by today’s standards, her crew of twenty-eight pledged to keep the asteroid from hitting Earth, or die trying. She was launched on November 21, 2118 at 20:04:00 GMT.

On December 7, 2118 CE: Several attempts are made to push Ragnarock using the Guardian’s engines. They prove far too weak to make any kind of appreciable change in the asteroid’s vector. At 09:54:12 they send a simple message to Earth, “We give our lives for the lives of Humanity. May you all see better days.” Shortly there after, the Guardian explodes in a massive uncontrolled fusion reaction, consuming all of her torpedo and engine fuel in one cataclysmic blast. And on Jan 4th the following year Ragnarok misses the Earth and a great sigh of relief showed on all and the people of Earth party for one month stright.

With Earth saved, Interplanetery trade and travel began. The GCC, begins to turn its eye towards Venus. Bifrost Station beings to produce merchant ships, as well as creating two more Guardian class ships, just in case. Scientific efforts remain directed at space exploration and development. And over the next few decades inderpendant mining colonys prop up in the outer solar system and priates are soon discovered. The ensuring conflict puts strain on the GCC and it soon begins it's trademark action of increasing taxs on the outer colonys to pay for the new ships to fight the priates.

By 2203, The GCC, Lunar colonial goverment and the Mars Colonial goverment cannot come to agreements on the priate issues. So Rather than spark a devastating war that would undoubtedly lead to some kind of damage to Venus, the most habitable planet in Sol, Luna and Mars are granted full independence. They are also granted one quarter of the outer system colonies each.

However, priate activty contiunes to increase and by 2218 a decsion was made by the 'Big three', the GCC Lunar and Mars. And finally on April 10th, 2218 at 13:00:00 SST (Sol Standard Time, the United Galactic Trade Organization is officially formed. Its initial charter is to provide “a common defense for the interests of Humanity across the Galaxy”. The ruling council is made up of representatives of Mars, Luna, and the GCC. Provisions are made for the inclusion of other members in the future. This council would be called the Senate. All military assets of each member are unified and put under the direct command of the UGTO. Additionally, a provision is made that “in times of war there will be voted into being an individual who would hold the title of Grand Chancellor.” This individual is to coordinate and direct all military activities from a central voice, allowing for fast and decisive decisions to be made. By April 21, 2218 CE Through shrewd manipulation and maneuvering, Westley Whitworth is elected the first Grand Chancellor, to “deal with the pirate threat”.

First Stellar War

After Several decades of vigorous interplanetary trade. Trade routes were well established, and major colonies had been constructed on most of the major worlds in the Sol system. To date, five merchant ships had now disappeared. The LaCroix, Hounds Tooth, Gabrielle, Murmensk, and Yoshiro. Amidst building pressure from the GCC, the SDO conducts a covert operation to determine what is going on. Agents are specially trained and distributed among almost all of the merchant ships of the time. They make a startling discovery when their agent on board the LaSalle reports back that his ship is being boarded and captured by unknown assailants. The homing beacon their agent smuggled on board leads the SDO to a hidden asteroid base being used as a pirate outpost. Here they find not only two of the other missing ships, but a thriving black market. Realising that there current fleet was underpowered, a massive build up of ships was ordered. And in2190 the first battle between space faring ships in Human space occurs. Leading their force of eight ships, the SDO overwhelms the pirate asteroid, but during after action clean up's more bases are discovered. And quickly a war with priates remanis of the priate wars of the 17th and 18th century quickly broke out. Firstly the GCC were puching the priates back, but soon priate ships become so bold as to attack the in solar system, and even Earth.