Interstellar Trade within Charted Space

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Commerce and trade are the lifeblood of any civilization. And interstellar trade is the lifeblood of an interstellar civilization. Charted Space is no exception. Every one of the polities, or supra-polities, of the major races prospers in part due to successful trading practices.

  • Trade, at its most basic level, is the mutually beneficial exchange of goods and services.

Please see the following AAB articles for more information:

Description (Specifications)

Charted Space is essentially a gigantic free trade zone. Non-warships may travel the lengths of Imperial Space as long as they are engaged in mercantile pursuits. They are subject to inspection and must pay taxes as well as obey local laws. In this permissive environment, corporations and megacorporations thrive.

Interstellar Currency

No interstellar currency exists throughout Charted Space. Each major race posseses its own currency associated with its major polity. As the largest and most powerful supra-polity, the currency of the Third Imperium, the Imperial Credit or Crimp, is widely accepted throughout most but not all of Charted Space.

Interstellar Banking

A number of powerful interstellar banks exist including a few outside of direct Imperial influence and control. Most of the most established interstellar banks are associated with megacorporations.

Interstellar Medium of Exchange

Even in the somewhat wild and largely unregulated environment of Charted Space, trade is important to be widely respected by every major player on the interstellar commerce market. To break the rules is to risk widespread ostracization by the rest of the market. Not even the largest players such as the Third Imperium wish to risk that.

Galactic Stock Exchange

In an era where communication is limited to the speed of travel, stock exchanges are far more influential on a planetary level than on a subsector, sector, or galactic level. Nevertheless, several important stock exchanges exist, most liked to rich, very prosperous sector-level trade regions.

History & Background (Dossier)

As technological civilizations develop so does trade. Trade aids various groups by exchanging goods and services in a mutually beneficial manner. The agency of trade is one of the primary mechanisms by which early civilizations share knowledge.

Interstellar Merchant Service

The Interstellar Merchant Service is an organization dedicated to the movement of goods and services throughout Charted Space. It is associated with the Third Imperium and a number of megacorporations as well as influenced by them, but is not controlled by them. It is governed by a multispecies board of sophonts and functions as a sort of neutral third-party interstellar organization in the same manner as the Starport Authority, which was founded by the Imperium, but in effect, acts through many associated branches for areas outside the Imperium proper.

Trade Guilds

The Trade Guilds regulate or attempt to control certain areas of commerce, usually concerning specific technologies or business segments. Sometimes the guilds function as subsidiaries of the megacorporations and at other times, they compete against them. Much like many others on the interstellar stage, just about anything goes, and local sectorwide realities may greatly vary by astrographic region.

Trade Cartels

Many of the major Trade Cartels started as guilds or corporations and later grew into megacorporations. A few, such as the Amec Trade Protectorate grew into separate polities governing vast aspects of life within their zone of control. The Third Imperium will generally look the other way as long as taxes are paid, the X-boat lines flow, and the Imperial Navy has absolute freedom of passage and port.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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