Korgonate Cartel - Void Dwellers / Criminal Syndicate (GIFs)

[PossessedLemon]

Korgon was long destroyed, and the Korgonians had drifted in space thereafter for millennia. The few of their species who had survived their planetary apocalypse had been scientists, entrepreneurs, and the top echelons of the global military and political classes. Aboard their great life-arks, they set up a foundation based in equality, meritocracy, and progress. Their second generation, however, was of a different type entirely. The first whole generation of Korgons to be raised without a planet, in a post-cataclysmic society. Schools were established, but the "voidlings" rejected their cultural standards. To these new Korgons, their culture was in turmoil and need of renewal. Their planet was gone, the past was gone, history was gone. A completely different ideology was born; one which centered impermanence and opportunism. (Void Dwellers)

As the conditions amid their ill-fitted and desperate interstellar arks persisted for millennia, the species devolved to its lower instincts. Within a generation, powerful trade unions emerged within the arks, and began to aggressively dictate the distribution of resources. The population expanded uncontrollably, and the trade unionists made basic commodities unreasonably expensive and molded impoverished classes out of what once was perfect equality. Livable space on the arks, as well as agricultural potential were relatively fixed, and became strained to their limits over time. Overcrowding, malnutrition, and inequality took hold. Gradually, over thousands of years, the Korgons became twisted monsters, almost unrecognizable from the people who had once created the three vast life-arks. (Criminal Heritage, Ruthless Competition, Rapid Breeders)

The Korgons today are the survivors of total planetary calamity. They are bruised, broken, and twisted out of form. Centuries aboard the ark ships has changed culture, and biology as well. The low-gravity of the arks has been fully embraced by the Korgonian body at surprising speed. They now grow much larger than they did on their doomed planet Korgon, and their gigantism became an issue which amplified the limited space and nutrition of the arks. Likewise, their adaptation to minimal gravity has resulted in other and various epi-genetic adaptations. (Adaptive, Strong)

The prevailing government is characterized by its oppression and totalitarianism, but much dissent exists. There is talk of political revolution, and most Korgons see change as inevitable. Many who have been forced into the lowest classes believe that when a new home planet is colonized, authoritarianism will undoubtedly end, for it is only in the confines of the void that such depravity endures. (Authoritarian, Fanatic Materialist, Unruly, Deviants)

Though Korgon has long been annihilated, the Korgonians today are not without hope. They have lowered themselves to barbarism, but are still intent on forging onward. Perhaps this stellar empire will find a new home planet, and end this prison-age of deprivation?

 

[PossessedLemon]

The Korgons reside in three interstellar arks, each of which has been retrofitted throughout the millennia to suit the rising demands of growth and maintenance. The primary ark is named Korgon, and hosts the Central Control apparatus. Within Central Control, heads of the trade unions seek accords and contracts to further their dominance and power. Their decisions have implications for the entire populace, concerning the supply and availability of everything from recycled circuitry to delectable aphid snacks.

Also on the Korgon ark are the remnants of the old Administrative Offices, now being repurposed as Hydroponics Farms. Where the once-hallowed courts of the noble Korgonian Foundation once stood, now hosts gargantuan racks of plant matter and industrial fertilizer designed to maximize the agricultural output on the arks.

Beneath the ark rests the remains of the original planet Korgon. There is no life left there — the planet had been split into chunks during the cataclysm. What had at first emerged as a series of seasonal gravitational anomalies became increasingly severe. The exact cause of the calamity is still unknown to the Korgons. The prevailing theory involves 'galactic gravitational lensing', wherein the chance alignment of the gravity of billions of faraway stars caused intense gravitational polarity, tearing the planet apart. However, the research ability on the arks has been limited compared to what it once was, and no consensus exists. Other theories on the death of their homeworld involve malevolent aliens.

The second ark is named Evotilis, a somewhat autonomous and independent ark. It has evolved to host a budding Reactor District where energy is made for export. It is highly autonomous, with its own Hydroponics Farms as well. The trade unions have thus far dictated that Evotilis cannot produce its own alloys, to keep it reliant on the other arks.

Compared to the ark Korgon, Evotilis is less well-off. There is some black market activity here, surrounding the avoidance of union dues and the illicit production of energy and food beyond the gaze and taxation of Central Control. Within the dense tunnels and bays of the arks, it is possible for an entire warehouse or factory to exist outside the knowledge of the authorities.

The third ark is Elox, which has evolved to take the role of industrial asteroid mining and the manufacture of metallic alloys. Though it is a densely developed ark, it suffers from the highest crime and inequality of the three. It runs a large trade deficit, importing large quantities of both energy, minerals, and food.

A common black-market practice within the Elox mining industry is to 'cut' incoming ores and mix them with substandard rock, thus reducing the proportion of valuable material while increasing the weight of the load. During quality testing, bribed surveyors ensure that only the richest parts of the tampered loads are sampled. It is only much later, after the product is mixed in with thousands of others, that the poor quality is discovered.

 

[PossessedLemon]

The leadership of Korgon begins with its Oligarch, Ribe ka Yusto. Elected recently for their exceptional charisma and warlike posture, Yusto commands exceptional power over the arks. Descending from Korgon's founding military and scientific elite, Yusto believes that the future must be seized and supplied by those with the power to command and inspire.

During their political campaign, Yusto regularly butted heads with the trade union politicians, and as result Yusto is viewed by many of the lower classes as their defender within the highest echelons of power. A "hero of the people", elevated to keep the criminal oligarchy in check.

From the previous government, Yusto inherited the trade unionist governor Noxi ka Pinnate. An advocate for deepening the inequality of Korgon further, Pinnate holds the radical opinion that the lower stratum of Korgon should be reduced to effective slavery. This is an opinion he pushes for strongly, much to Yusto's distaste.

Yusto and Pinnate were open enemies in the political courts of Korgon for the first two months of Yusto's rule, until Yusto finally fired this relic of the previous administration and replaced him with his uncle Feron ka Yusto, a high court judge.

As the new governor, Feron worked to eradicate crime throughout the arks, launching a series of infiltration missions into areas suspected of criminal operations. Within his first months, Feron's assault on crime so was severe that it essentially halted crime entirely. There were casualties, of course, as firefights throughout the most obscure and hidden networks of tunnels caused collateral damage to the impoverished residents of such places. But as far as the state was concerned, this was a profound victory against the black markets. The illicit practice of 'cutting' asteroid ores with lower qualities was ended entirely.

With the two Yustos in charge, Korgon began to shift towards a new era of transparency. In contrast to the trade unionists who had ruled for so many years before, the Yusto government aimed to halt shady practices and improve equality throughout the arks.

 

[Idhrendur]

An interesting start. I'll be reading!

 

[PossessedLemon]

The technology of the Korgons is ancient and faded. Although technicians are capable of maintaining the current technical systems, advancement beyond the known realm of scientific knowledge is quite unheard of. The scarcity of materials amid the void is a primary concern, and undersupply limits any scientific experimentation drastically.

The Korgons currently maintain only a single research station. This research station, hosted above the gas giant "Foli" has narrowly dodged budget cuts throughout the millennia. If only because of its direct applications to industrial research, the Foli station has existed for nearly as long as the arks themselves.

While the Foli station is much too small and dependent to be considered an ark of its own, it has its own history spanning back to those original Korgonian founders, the scientific classes who were chosen to escape the cataclysmic fate of their home planet. Largely ignored by the trade unionists who came to dominate Korgon society, these academics have perhaps a closer connection to those original Korgonian founders.

Development within the Korgon system has ruthlessly targeted energy production and material extraction. The local harvesting infrastructure had been near-fully saturated, with gathering stations above the planets Varum, Alivea, Elmora, and the moon Thistum. From these celestial bodies, vast quantities of energy and material are brought back to the arks.

A benefit of the Korgonian void habitations is that they make zero-gravity manufacturing a cinch. In contrast to a planetary civilization, the Korgons' void-dwelling nature meant that there was no need to fight against gravity when bringing resources home. This made resource transportation highly efficient, and expedited development projects.

 

[PossessedLemon]

Evora Naav was the name given to the first standing void-fleet of the Korgons. Based on ancient technology including deflector shields and the hyper drive, this fleet was equipped to destroy smugglers, pirates, and the occasional asteroid. The fleet was armed with mass drivers, capable of perforating enemy shields, and lasers. A thin shell of nano-composite armor reinforced each vessel's hull.

Such void-ships has been of little interest to the union barons of Korgon's past, but the new leader Ribe ka Yusto saw potential in professionalizing the fleet. They began to draft plans regarding the appointment of an Admiral to organize and command the fleet.

There were three candidates before him. Of them, Yusto chose Cytophane ka Hiel, whose hawkishness matched his own. The two were one regarding the importance of this naval fleet to ensuring the Korgon future.

 

[PossessedLemon]

Unknown to the trade unionists, the academics of Foli had over centuries amassed enough credits to equip their own scouting vessel with a warp drive capable of leaping to the nearby solar systems. For long, the academics had feared a reprisal were they to put their plans into action, but with an elected leader finally in charge with positive attachments to the scientific nobility, it was time to launch their search. It leapt first to Higashik-Ata, then to Higma, then Taggallion, collecting valuable data with the potential to shape galactic developments for all eternity.

Its primary mission was to find a new homeworld. This was a task which required utmost secrecy, for if the trade unionists were to discover that a potential homeworld existed, their grip on the populace would be put into immediate disrepute. If a possible homeworld existed, the stability of life in Korgon would be entirely up-ended. The millennia-long rule of the syndicates could soon be cast off.

With the noble Ribe ka Yusto at the head of government, the pieces were finally falling into place...

 

[PossessedLemon]

In the Nietz system, two habitable worlds were discovered. This revelation brought both intense jubilation to the academics who were privy to the expedition program, but also great terror. There were only a small number of academics who had been exposed to these powerful truths, perhaps only numbering in the hundreds, that could entirely reshape the Korgonian civilization. To them it felt as if each other mind who also knew of the project was a potential trade union informant.

The first habitable planet was an arctic world, of a fairly large size. It was the closest planet in the system to the sun, and enjoyed a warm daylight despite the snow and ice.

To make matters of more dire importance, upon closer scanning sentient life was observed. The planet was populated by a fairly advanced civilization, in many ways equivalent to the ancient Korgonians before their planet experienced cataclysm. The first Korgon scientists to observe the Sojagg regarded them as children; innocents unaware of the depths to which a civilization can plunge.

The scientists' main fear was that the dominant powers of Korgon would enslave these people, who were infinitely weaker militarily. Their existence was a secret that held billions of lives in the balance, including the destiny of the Korgons.

And inevitably, word got out in an unexpected way. While the scientists all kept their lips sealed, it was only after reporting their findings to their hero, the leader of the Korgons Ribe ka Yusto himself, that their existence was publicly announced. Yusto, of cource, decided to declare immediate war upon them, much to the horror of the scientists.

A second habitable rock existed in the same system; a moon with a tundra clime. Rich in mineral resources, the live-able moon meant to the Korgons that they would no longer be confined to the void. They could now step foot upon the grass and snow once more — they simply had to land.

 

[PossessedLemon]

Yusto selected the General "Glabu ka Belima" to lead his invasion. Pelima, known for expertise in police raids across the arks, was chosen for their ability to avoid collateral damage. It was thought that the more lives of the Sojaggs that could be spared, the better. (Restrained)

Increasingly it became evident that the Korgonians would inevitably enslave the Sojagg. Armies were amassed and trained with the intent of conquering the Sojagg capitals as quickly as possible, and putting a swift end to any dissent. Thus far, the Sojagg didn't even know that the Korgons existed.

A pale, white dot. The Sojagg civilization had emerged from their primitive days to become equally ruthless and materialist to what the Korgons had mutated into post-calamity. The scientists wondered at how a civilization could be so low despite such a bounty of land. The aliens became derided as stupid, irresponsible, and weak.

Meanwhile, the transport fleets assembled with enough troops to assault their capitals.

A starbase was constructed in the Sojagg system, projecting and connecting communications across the vast distance back to Korgon's home military installations. Now they were capable of processing the incredible quantity of data drawn from the environment.

For months, the Korgons lay in preparation. The Sojagg should have noticed them. They could have, if their technology had been more advanced. If they had been truly better than the Korgons, they would not have succumbed to the assault.

It is not known whether the Sojagg had detected the Korgons at all in the instants before their capitals were disintegrated by superorbital mass drivers and lasers. Perhaps some errant readings had shown up in some student research, or amateur aircraft footage had been reported of the ships traveling to various key arteries of the Sojagg civilization.

What is known is that the void is cruel.

Glabu ka Belima and his fellow invaders fought with a grim determination, and died by the scores. Eager to claim the first land for the Korgons in millennia — the first land of this reborn Korgonian civilization — they braved the traps and flanking attacks of the much more numerous Sojagg armies. It was a global foreign war, stretching to remote atomic outposts and deep within the planet's mantle.

Then, like a twig, the Sojagg major resistance fell.

 

[HistoryDude]

The Korgons now have a new home world....

I theorize that many will remain in the void of space...

 

[stnylan]

First step towards dominion

 

[slothinator]

Very interesting, I look forward to hearing more!
A shame about the Sojagg but that's what you get for living within striking range of the Korgonians.

 

[PossessedLemon]

In the eyes of Korgonian academics, the hopes for this new planet were forever tarnished by the brutality of its acquisition. For so long, they had seen the colonization of a new home planet as an ultimate good, and a means of redeeming the Korgonian species. But as the soldiers returned home, with Sojagg captives in tow, the cruelty of this undeniable reality began to seep in.

Academics and social revolutionaries feared for what this monumental event forebode for the Korgonian redemption. Perhaps the void had made too deep a mark on their hearts, such that even in this new land of plenty their species was still trapped in a downward slide.

In characteristically corrupt fashion, the first Korgons to live planet-side in millennia were selected from the political, economic, and military elite. A bribe could win placement and permanent residence on this new planet, including vast swathes of conquered territory.

Incensed by the ideals of colonization which had reverberated the hulls of their void arks for so many hopeless centuries, the Korgons had debased themselves to utter barbarism to achieve this end.

A home planet, but at what cost to the Korgon legacy?

As millions of Korgons used every trick available to secure placement on this new world, positions on the arks opened up for the least-wanted jobs left behind. Algae pipe scrubber, bio-reclamation agent, and the always-isolating positions in deep-space mining and transport were distributed to the incoming Sojaggs, who were given no alternative.

In exchange, Korgons began to arrive on this new planet, which they called Arrival. The very name provoked such intense feelings in the Korgons. To many, this new planet meant the end of their suffering amid the void, and the beginning of a new life.

Life on Sojagg was not easy for this first generation of Korgons. Their bodies had grown accustomed to the minimal-gravity of the void arks. Health defects abounded for those Korgons who were now permanently and proudly bound to live and die on the snowy crust of this planet called Arrival.

 

[PossessedLemon]

As the cabals of Korgon elites arrived by star-ship and made their way to the newly-assembled planetary capitol on Arrival, it was impossible for them to ignore the gigantic masses of Sojagg who had assembled. At the border walls of what was essentially a fortress on this newly-conquered world, the Sojaggs begged and pleaded for aid.

The newly-organized economy on Arrival supplemented the the Korgon economy, and as result countless Sojagg were reduced to lives of scarcity and poverty. The planet, at present, was unsustainable and a major drain on Korgon resources. In order to prevent deeper chaos, immense quantities of food and energy were being imported from the Arks' reserves. Sojagg unemployment nevertheless skyrocketed to apocalyptic levels, as their old economic order had disintegrated with nothing yet built to replace it.

Sentiments began to spread among the Korgon of simply "evicting" the Sojagg undesirables, sending them off on Arks not unlike those the Korgons had first built to escape their own planetary cataclysm.

The academics pleaded that it was evident in data and statistic that despite these barbaric outbursts, the Korgons depended on the Sojaggs for this new planet to succeed. If the Arks were emptied immediately, and all Korgons were moved to Arrival within a generation, their species would suffer a terminal health cost burden.

It was simple fact that the Sojaggs had not suffered the crippling generations of life amid the void. The Sojaggs were healthy planet-side, and while the Korgons held the power, they were debilitated and unable to immediately and fully inhabit Arrival. Knowledge of medical science was limited, and it was unknown when cures and procedures would be discovered to enable them to live healthier planet-side.

As the fervor surrounding Arrival began to quiet down, eyes were cast to the second inhabitable orb in the Sojagg system. A moon untarnished by brutality, where innocent dreams of colonization could unfold.

The leader of the Korgons, Ribe ka Yusto, began to execute a plan theorized for millennia. A true colonization program was initiated, as a Korgon seed ship began manufacture. Parts and pieces of the Arks long-intended for reuse were finally disassembled and repurposed for this momentous and long-awaited chapter of Korgon history.

Although, these plans were amended by Yusto and his academic supporters to include major alterations. While many Korgons would be able to settle on this habitable moon, they would now be accompanied by the newly-conquered Sojagg as well. This amendment provoked harsh criticism from the trade unionists, who questioned Yusto's loyalty.

In a pivotal meeting to ratify this new destiny for the Korgons, members with allegiances to the trade unions stormed out as one. Their signatures were left blank, although the plan was nevertheless confirmed by Yusto and those who remained.

 

[PossessedLemon]

After months of collaborative work with what remained of the Sojagg leadership, food autonomy was re-established on Arrival and the planet was once again self-sustaining in all but energy costs. With the insights granted by the Korgon's advanced knowledge of bio-chemistry, outputs were able to match the demand of the local population with only a fraction of the population employed in the industry.

With these new developments, unemployment numbers on Arrival began to shrink. Assuming developments would continue, unemployment on Arrival was projected to end in just a few short years.

It was as if all was well in the cosmos. Unfathomably well...

Something should be said about the positions of the Sojagg in Korgonate society. They were not subjected to inhumane treatment. They were not isolated from their conditions of their home planet — to even mix the atmosphere of the Sojagg and Korgon would mean certain death for one or the other. However, a system of controls ensured that the materials that sustained their separate society could only persist if they followed Korgon command.

But their people were arranged into corporate companies, which were subject to buy-out and quota. Speed and efficiency were key to avoiding the abject poverty that now plagued their people. The whole of the Korgonate society were managers to the Sojagg.

The colonization of Nietz had begun. A seed-ship of Korgon saplings traveled to the system it shared with Arrival. Although Nietz was a smaller moon, it had a wider habitable range and as result could possibly hold enough Korgons (and their Sojagg accompaniments) at approximately 68% of Arrival's capacity.

While Arrival would forever be stained by its brutal past, Nietz was a lush and vibrant plateau. It orbited Olander, a barren mass.

 

[PossessedLemon]

On Arrival, the Sojagg were rapidly being integrated into the Korgonate corporate hierarchy. Many had learned to speak the Korgon language, and took roles in facilities throughout both planets and Arks. As a fungal species, they were housed in a dank and humid atmosphere dense with nutritional spores. Comparatively, the Korgons lived in a very thin atmosphere sustained by millennia in the void.

On Korgon, over three billion Sojagg were employed in drudging agricultural labor in separate facilities from the Korgon chambers. In exchange, these few lived in an alien environment — the labyrinthine corridors of one of the ancient Korgon Arks. Left much to their own devices, the Sojagg began to assemble the Ark's detritus into more suitable forms, creating their own ghettos to better suit their people.

These places were of some wonder and mystery to the Sojagg, who were at first discovering many technologies that they had never expected to discover for thousands of years. Ray-guns that could pierce metal to fry the contents on the other side. Short-range transporters that could seemingly teleport through short distances. Such inventions seemed insurmountable to the Sojagg, but were mundane by Korgon standards.

And as can be expected of life amid a Criminal Syndicate, smuggling was rampant. Within the wreckage of the metropoli on Arrival, garnering Korgon weaponry became paramount to the underground militias and widespread gangs that formed.

Such tasks were easier for those who worked closest to the Korgons. In the sort of exchange that happens between a prison guard and the prisoners, caravans of arms were trafficked into the hands of the Sojagg on Arrival. To these Sojagg militia, it seemed as if the Korgons were sewing the seeds of their own destruction.

Unemployment was still high for the Sojagg.

 

[PossessedLemon]

"So it is decided. Yusto will die."

The Oligarchs, who represented the trade unions, had Oligarch Ribe ka Yusto assassinated on 2205.06.03.

An emergency election was called between three candidates.

Feron ka Yusto, the current law-and-order governor of Korgon who was appointed by Ribe before his death. He is the former Oligarch's uncle. Out for vengeance, he intends to oust the trade unionists and double-down on Sojagg diplomacy.

Ribe ka Pretek, while he shares the former Oligarch's military background, he is intent on staying the course and is a more moderate candidate. He believes the future of the Korgonate is for many to remain in the void, and advocates a separation policy to reduce Korgonian presence on Arrival.

Lastly, the trade union candidate, Cytophane ka Hiel. Openly vowing to evict as many Sojagg from Arrival as necessary to ensure as many Korgons move can there as soon as possible, he is a populist candidate.

The election system that governs the Korgonian Cartel is one that is laudably democratic. It has been deeply established in the very electronic systems that have run the Arks for so many years. It is only those whose DNA is authorized by the ancient Korgonian systems that can wield the power over those most ancient and technologically awe-inspiring components of the Arks.

 

[PossessedLemon]

To submit a vote, each Korgon provides a sample of their DNA which is cross-referenced for any other votes on the other Arks. If a conflicting vote is cast, the two are arrested.

However, the trade unionists have for centuries been refining their ability to manipulate the vote and surmount the DNA security measures. Tampering and manipulations are expected in these days of corruption and barbarism.

The political campaigning this election is intense — this moment is pivotal for the Korgons. They have just conquered a homeworld and colonized another, which they have been without for thousands of years. Throughout the trade unions, vast sums of money and influence are dedicated to the cause of electing either the populist candidate Cytophane or one of the military candidates.

The military candidates, Feron ka Yusto and Ribe ka Pretek, pledge to stand for Korgonian traditions and continuing what the former oligarch had started. For the unspoken majority of Korgons, their political beliefs reside in this court. But voting is not mandatory, and many are so content with the order of things that they do not bother to vote.

Meanwhile, the candidate Cytophane strikes a peculiar chord with the more desperate people of Korgon. With an agenda that can only be described as openly xenophobic, Cytophane commands digital broadcasts that harangue both the Sojagg and the labouring classes. They energize and sway the masses of Korgonians eager to leave behind the void, and blaze a new future.

An excessive corporatist, Cytophane also believes in greater competition between companies. While the upper managerial classes are mostly insulated from down-sizings, wage reductions, and the stress of unreachable quotas, the workers at the bottom tend to suffer because of this attitude. This is an issue where the burden will fall most heavily on the Sojagg, who are without a political vote or voice.

Evidence surrounding Korgon unemployment due to the arrival of the Sojagg was fuel for Cytophane's campaign. During the migrations of Sojagg to the arks, some Korgon experienced lack of employment, and their recovery has not been swift. These Korgons are particularly swayed by Cytophane's mission.

As the politically-inclined Korgons cast their votes from the three Arks, the conquered planet Arrival, and the colony on Nietz, their future lingered on a precipice.

The trade union's chosen candidate received the most votes and was elected to become the new Oligarch. The coup was complete, and following their assassination of the former oligarch Ribe ka Yusto, they had claimed power once again.

The brief interregnum of the militarists was over — it was time to make some dough.

 

[stnylan]

Well, one suspects there is not that much a gap between the parties - all wish to dominate, one way or another.

 

[HistoryDude]

The Korgons are settling down.

Shame about the early relations with Sojaggs, though.