(But It Sure Has Opinions)

The Free Trader Alliance — or FTA, if you're in a rush — is not a government. Not in the traditional, sensible, "keeps-things-working" sense. It's more like a centuries-old patchwork of laws, regulations, bylaws, fines, and contradictory precedents duct-taped together and set adrift in space.

There are no FTA elections. No anthem. No planet. Just a flag, a truly terrifying amount of red tape, and a decentralized network of stubborn, caffeine-fueled traders who’d rather die than fill out a form — yet somehow end up filling out more forms than anyone else in the galaxy.

The FTA was born out of desperation after humanity’s first (disastrous) contact with aliens. Nobody could agree on a leader, so instead, they let the market decide. The result? A barely functioning chaos of traders, smugglers, haulers, and opportunists bouncing between systems, moving goods the fast way (and the illegal way), one misjump at a time.

And yet… it works. Barely. Somehow. Sort of.

Just don’t ask who’s in charge. You’ll either start a fight or end up with a two-week fine for asking the wrong kind of question on the wrong kind of form. Oh and leave the AI by the door, they just noticed you're flying on autopilot and HuMOPs wants a word - they've drafted an idiot for you.

Welcome to the FTA. Mind the loopholes.