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# The Corporate Wars

"The Corporate Wars" is an informal term used to refer to a large set of conflicts spanning across most of inhabited space between the megacorporation conglomerate Nanotrasen and the Syndicate coalition. The conflict haas come to a brief standstill as Nanotrasen and the Syndicate recover from major losses incurred.

SolGov has acted as a mediator throughout the conflict, although their focus is more on steering action away from population centers. They have seen moderate success in this regard, with the bulk of the fighting happening on the peripheries of civilized space.

## The Beginning, The Catalyst, The Etc.

While the Syndicate and Nanotrasen were on no friendly terms prior to the Corporate Wars, conflict was restricted to courtrooms and lobbying. As massive conflict would be undesirable for both sides, they avoided conflict as best as they could and attempted to settle disagreements more peacefully.

This would not last.

The one to blame for the start of the Corporate Wars depends on who you ask. NewComm PR teams will be quick to point to the infamous terror attack on Lacerta Station, blaming ACLF radicals and GEC eccentrics for the conflict as a whole. Representatives from Cybersun Solutions will counter with leaked documents of intentional sabotage of their Memo 07 line of data assistant implants, and blame a history of corporate sabotage leading to the current-day situation.

However, no matter who started the fighting, the results of that fighting are indisputable; the weakening of both Nanotrasen and the Syndicate, countless deaths, and fortunes worth of damages caused.

## The Fighting

The strategies employed by both Nanotrasen and the Syndicate during the Corporate Wars make up the founding backbone for modern "operative warfare". Rather than employing large armies that were expensive to train, maintain, and move, each side utilized varied operation types relying on highly trained individuals or operative teams to infiltrate high-value targets and accomplish their goals.

The actions were small in scale at first. Operatives were deployed to steal key items as acts of corporate espionage. The objectives soon escalated from petty thefts to intentional sabotage, and then assassination. Blood was spilt, and the fighting only grew from there.

Both sides now began to employ more devastating tactics designed to cause maximum economic damage. Ranging from bombing colonies to nuking stations, the methods utilized are as diverse as the designated targets.

Ship-to-ship combat proliferated itself as interceptor tactics were key in defending against the new "operative warfare" strategy. For every station that came under fire from nuclear operatives, three teams of operatives had their shuttles shot down before it could even arrive.

Soon, even cargo transports were armed for combat and pressed into service as every vessel had to be prepared for sudden attacks.

SolGov concentrated their mediation efforts in keeping the fighting as far away from population centers as possible. Many on the frontier hold the Solar Government in contempt, as they believe they should have done more to de-escalate conflict as a whole.

## Key Conflicts -- we can probably cut this whole section ngl

One of the hardest-fought ground battles of the War was focused around an executive Syndicate resort that was the subject of direct invasion by Deathsquad officers seeking to throw the Syndicate chain of command into disarray.

Not every station front was made equal: The truth of the events on Station ██ is even now impossible to discern due to the cloud of rumors, "firsthand accounts", and sheer mountain of lies and coverups on both sides.

## Key Events

There is little that wasn't changed by the Corporate War, but by far one of the most influential events was the Syndicate offensive on Nanotrasen colonies. While Syndicate forces focused on making ground as quickly as possible, Nanotrasen utilized scorched-earth tactics to render their own facilities inoperable. The effects of this strategy can still be seen today on many planets in the ruins of former Nanotransen installations.

Planets aren't the only places that the ruins of the conflict show up. Everything from independent research outposts to long-haul fast food outlets was abandoned as a result of the fighting. Though the wear and tear of time is evident in these places, most are still partially intact and valuable to scavengers that happen upon them. As of yet, no real efforts have been made to restore these abandoned structures to their rightful owners in the wake of the fighting, much to the chagrin of SolGov intermediaries.

###### tags: `Lore`