The Syndicate
Formed by a handful of Intaki exiles in the wake of the first Gallente-Caldari war, the Syndicate today runs a thriving region of the same name on the fringes of Gallente space, providing a useful haven for less savory Federal citizens and outright outlaws. Denied the right to colonize planets in the region, the Syndicate instead operates exclusively from its network of autonomous stations, each of which is run by a station manager who is undisputed master of his own fief.
History
Five hundred years ago the Intaki people lived a simple life on their home planet. For them the sky was a mystery they were only slowly unfolding with their pre-industrial technology. Then the Gallente arrived and swept them into the modern age in one swift stroke. The Intaki, initially overwhelmed, adapted quickly and within a century they had seasoned space travelers and active members of the Gallente governing body. They soon established their reputation as fair-minded humanists that excelled as deft negotiators and clever businessmen, fitting perfectly into the Gallente way of life.
Caldari Sympathies
The social uproar following the Caldari departure from the Federation touched the Intaki deeply, many of them sympathizing with and even supporting the Caldari - the yoke of the cumbersome Federation bureaucracy lay just as heavily on the Intaki. Understandably the Gallente were forced to deal harshly with these elements to prevent a complete fragmentation of the young Federation.
Exile and Resurgence
Apart from a few minor uprisings the Federation quickly subdued the Intaki. Those deemed the biggest threat to the stability of the regime were arrested and exiled. Some of these went over to the Caldari side, but the majority of the exiles, some five thousand in total, went out into the great unknown at the outskirts of Federation space. There they built themselves new homes in the form of sprawling space stations - the Federation having barred them from colonizing any planets or moons.
In time, as the exiles became more organized and their power increased through asteroid mining and black market trading, they formed a loosely connected organization they termed the Intaki Syndicate. The syndicate is not political in any sense - each member station enjoys complete autonomy - but they share economical information and help each other in security matters.
The territories of the Intaki Syndicate are open to everyone, no matter their race, political creed or legal stature. The syndicate is not vastly wealthy or powerful, but they serve an important function on the fringe of empire space - acting as the safe havens for anyone and everyone where everything can be bought and sold, no questions asked. While the Federation was still the Promised Land, the Syndicate territories received the residual immigrants that weren’t allowed into the Federation for one reason or another, thus slowly growing in size and importance.
Each syndicate station has its own governor who has complete authority over their station and its surroundings. These governors either are the same, or descendants are those that were instrumental in constructing the station all those years ago, or their descendants.
The Intaki Syndicate runs one of the largest illegal currency exchanges of Caldari corporate scrip.
Recent Events
Having watched in horror the bloodshed of the two temporary war zones, the station administrators of the Intaki Syndicate are having to ask themselves some very difficult questions. While nominally a wholly independent and non-aligned body, the Syndicate has nevertheless always retained strong ties to the Federation. Right now their residents are feeling immensely sympathetic to the plight of their Federal brothers - particularly fellow Intaki - even to the point of suggesting a more moderate stance towards them. The more far-sighted officials, however, have a feeling that relations will get a lot worse before they get better.