Caedyn Arenais
"A pity," Mya mused to herself at his description of the mission. She gave a shrug and then added. "We were hoping you might have insight into the inner workings of the FOSB. They are..." She paused again to consider. "What we consider a grave risk to the freedom and security of the Outer Rim. Our agents who with both ORION and the Rebellion have been in touch with a burgeoning independence movement on Terminus, and we've managed to keep them from doing anything drastic yet, we would have liked to have more intelligence on how they operate. We must choose our wars very carefully."
She leaned back and sipped on the tea, assessing his words as he spoke before letting out a long breath and visibly relaxing. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Caedyn. That is a relief hearing how you describe yourself. There was concern about Svivren becoming another hotbed of religious extremism, but I judge your words to be truthful and honest. And there's no need to be coy here. Cedric and his followers are theocratic fascists every bit as vile and horrific as the Sith they claim to oppose."
Mya took the datapad and ran an eye down it before nodding and handing it back. "We're always glad to have investors and businesses come to the Outer Rim, for whatever reason, as long as they're not exploitative or underhanded. Perhaps I should explain how the League functions first- before I address the idea of continual neglect from the rest of the galaxy."
She took a sip of water and cleared her throat:
"The League is a union of autonomous worlds who have agreed to create and abide by the League charter and to collectively pursue the agendas and goals set within. Primarily, these are mutual defense, economic cooperation, protection of individual rights and the rights of workers, the development reliable and safe commerce between star systems, and the practical development of the Outer Rim, under the assumption that we are as much as equal in the galaxy as anyone else, and more importantly, that we are the ones responsible for our own community and well-being. Not foreign governments, not distant corporations looking for cheap labor, and-" She paused to give a wry smile. "Not rich people from the Core who feel bad about the destitute and uncivilized in the Outer Rim." Mya gave half a wink to let him know she was exaggerating somewhat and didn't take it personally, but that the point still existed.
"Benevolent paternalism is still a form of colonialism and while megacorporations and other companies have often done charity auctions for the benefit of those in need, it often takes a patronizing attitude that uses doing good as an excuse to show off wealth and power. The League exists to counter this tendency through a variety of ways.
Policies and regulations are the primary way we do this, by creating social structures and institutions that respect the dignity and independence of the local people and their own right to self-governance by acting only on the invitation and direction of the local governing authorities. If no government exists, we work directly under local community leaders and organizers. This mainly applies to the Outer Rim Development Corps, which is a non-profit and privately operated government institution Susefvi helped form under the Outer Rim Coalition. They do all planetary and industrial infrastructure work, based on what the local government says they need. As for the League itself, we operate only the Rimward Rescue Service, the Rimward Merchant-Marine, and the Rimward Ranger Corps.
The Merchant-Marine is a network of academies for those wanting to work aboard a starship to ensure all of our spacers are well-trained, competent, and ultimately, more desirable for employment than spacers from elsewhere. The Rescue Service is a humanitarian and law-enforcement body that also sets safety standards for regulations, as well as operating a network of hyperspace and emergency beacons. They are our only standing armed force, with the bulk of military needs being mustered from the local defense forces when needed. Those two agencies are the ones who do the bulk of the space-based infrastructure development and help establish safe commerce.
The Ranger Corps is our cadre of law enforcement agents and the closest we have to a standing army. They operate in companies based out of different systems and operate essentially autonomously to investigate and prosecute organized crime, war criminals, and act as the first line of defense while the defense forces are mustered and a Captain-General appointed. Our main source of income is a flat tax on all business transactions and through government investments in publically traded companies, whose proceeds and dividends are divided amongst each system's League commitments like maintaining their academy, their Rescue Service postings, and so on, with the rest distributed equally among the population as a form of universal income."
As for Jedi-" Mya shrugged. "They operate primarily through the Church of the Force, directly through local communities, and they have a voting seat on the League Council to help keep us accountable. Otherwise, we don't interfere with Jedi business or local governments. The Council sets an agenda and then the council members persuade their system governments to adopt it." An ironic expression crossed her face.
"Not always the easiest system, especially when we legalized and regulated spice and disruptors, but it tends to work after some persuasion and explanations. That covers the bulk of our operations and procedures. And I hope it also justifies my initial wariness at your offer, of which I hoped did not offer offense. Any questions so far?"
Mya Jesel
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