Trade

Trade is an exchange made between parties involving goods, services, and / or currencies. This practice of exchange was everpresent in sentient species, both in modern and historic times.

Trade was often a cornerstone of a civilization, allowing for goods to reach their consumers so that living standards and productivity would rise. A notable exception of this was the Nork Collectiveness as it lacked the multiple parties to create bipartisan trade. In Nork society, trade was replaced with relocation.

In modern times, shops and retailism made trade more regulated for the overall population.

Trade is also a prominent cornerstone of politics, both national and galactic-wide. Interest rates, trade sanctions, regulations and deregulations, exchange programs, and subsidies were often-discussed topics in the politics around the Galaxy.

Trade was often conducted along trade routes. These routes were often the most efficient or safe ways to trade along great distances. Disputes in trade were often mediated by the Ursear Republic

Galactic trade policy was set by the Galactic Trade Assembly, which had a major orbital station in space of the Ursear Republic.

History of galactic trade
Galactic trade began in the Era of K'adurbian-Ursearian High. During this time, the galaxy was still empty and only these two nations knew of each others existence. Trade during this period was limited, but both civilizations gained much by learning from each other. The distances between these two civilizations was so vast that cargo vessels took months to cross the void.

Trade began to take off when the Nork and the Bor joined the galactic playground. The Nork was ancient, having slowly ascended from its home planet. The Hive was surprised to find civilizations comprised of individuals instead of other hive minds. In these early days, the Nork eagerly exchanged vast sums of material wealth for cultural information. The Bor Empire eagerly traded with the K'adurbians and the Ursear, and vice versa. Trade between the Ursear and the Bor was difficult, as the two nations were so far apart. Trade often went through the K'adurbian outer colonies so ships could refresh their supplies.

As Humanity discovered the Votos and ultimatily established the Alliance of Systems, a second major route arose in the galaxy. The Union of Sol traded vast amounts of knowledge, technology, education, and infrastructure to the Votos in return for vast amounts of material and amenitial wealth. Wether this was an equal trade or an exploitation of the Votos' homeworld was a delicate issue in times of the Alliance and subsequent Federation.

As the Ancilicae joined the galactic playground, trade in the galaxy increased dramatically. The Ancilicae had an interplanetary infrastructure that was second to none in the galaxy, far outclassing even the K'adurbians and Ursear. The Ancilicus Space Elevator allowed the Ancilicae to cheaply put vast amounts of cargo in orbit and on the ground. Combined with the massive amenities and spaceship maintenance facilities that the Elevator provided, as well as the agricultural plentitude of Ancilicus made this the perfect pit-stop for many galactic traders.

Eventually, Earth supplemented Ancilicus as the main trade port in the Allied Systems Federation.

The ASF-K'adurbian War put a damper on galactic trade, as the two superpowers put most of their economic weight into their respective militaries. As the ASF was one of the central powers of known space, trade through this space was strictly controlled and barred powers like the Bor Empire and the Ursear Republic from participating in galactic trade.

The Vrox Rampage decimated galactic infrastructure and almost completely stopped galactic trade for a few years. Even after the Vrox threath was over, many traders were still wary of the remaining invaders and stuck themselves to known and protected trade routes.

Galactic Dawn saw the re-rise of galactic trade, this time mostly done by coorperations and individuals instead of the former states.

Trade goods
Common trade often consisted of the following goods.

Minerals & Alloys
Ores were often the base for industry to refine these minerals to metals or alloys. These materials were shipped across the Galaxy. This was mostly for construction purposes.
 * Titanium. A common building material. Known for its cheapness and strenght.
 * Magnetite. A highly conductive and magnetic mineral.
 * Sodil. A very strong metal with some energy dispersal properties.
 * Gold. A popular metal for decoration or engineering applications.
 * Ceramifiber. A Sodil-Titanium alloy used as a cheaper replacement for pure Sodil
 * Qwerrium. A highly energetic mineral known for its conductivity and energy density.
 * Osmium. A metal used in construction.
 * Living Metal. A special substance claimed from Vrox ships with unmatched regenerative abilities.

Food & drinks
One of the pillars of civilization was food. While planets often took care of their own needs regarding food, some planets were simply too populated or had an environment that stood in the way of extensive food production.

Lastergavin and Ancilicus were two major exporters of renowned food. These foods were shipped across the galaxy for their great tastes and to supplement planets in need.

Spices are a popular trading item. Various spices such as baharat, mustard, stellar salt, and kuskat are loved galaxy-wide.

Water and drinks are major trade items in the galaxy, as not every space installation or emerging colony has the capabilities of generating fresh drinking water. Most shipped consumable liquids are drinks however, both alcoholic and regular beverages. Homeworlds are often the great exporters of drinks, although Bersalis is a notable exception as it exports more drinks than the Ursearian homeworld.

Amenities
Amenities were a cornerstone of galactic trade as nations exchanged their cultures with each other. Amenities include tools, living enhancements, entertainment, cultural artefacts, and other day-to-day needs of the general population. Controlling the flow of Amenities was often a topic of galactic debate as some parties found stuff offensive or repugnant, while others desired to have stuff. Amenities were often associated with price wars, regulations, and subjective value.

Trade routes
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Trade standards
A common effect of planetary ascension to the stars for various races is the standardization of their trade infrastrcture.

Union of Sol / Alliance of Systems
The Union of Sol employed 3 forms of standardised cargo shipping. These standards were forced on the Votos by their human benefactors to quicken the Votos' ascension to the stars. When both races unified in the Alliance of Systems these standards became a foundation for this factions trading activities. The 3 standards were:
 * The Updated Intermodel Standard Container (UISO), a metal shipping box that was a transport standard on Earth before humanity ascended to the stars. This box is 3 meters wide. 3 meters tall, and 6 meters long. This box was simply used to store cargo.
 * The Edgeless Multifunctional Space Container (EMSC), a cube with rounded edges prized for its versatility in the Union of Sol's early expansion. The cube is 8 meters by 8 meters by 8 meters. Each face of the cube was equipped with various docking ports, rails systems, hatches, and latches. The cube's interior space was customizable to a high degree. Furthermore, the outer layer of an EMSC was airtight and held room for additional mission modules. This made the EMSC qualified for both inorganic and organic cargo, as well as personell transport.
 * The Omnitransport carriage container (OCC), a geometric box used to transport both the UISO and the EMSC in further protection. The OCC was 12 meters wide, 12 meters tall, and 22 meters long. It could store 2 EMSC's or 27 UISO's. The OCC was used to carry these smaller cargo containers during ground-to-orbit or orbital re-entry operations, as the other container types were not strong enough to withstand the extreme environmental conditions of these scenario's.