Acala System

Acala is a system within reach of a large Space Gate which lends its name to the territory. Its planets and colonies have commercially viable amounts of natural and renewable resources for export. Their most immediate neighbour and on/off trading partner is the Aleph Null System.

Acala has documented cycles of boom and bust, owing to its commercial slant and pursuit of profit over individual liberties. Individual interpretations of the economics data from different outlets across the system will vary, but many consider them gospel and factor the information into their long term plans. Above all else, it isn't difficult to buy someone's loyalty in Acala, as everyone has a price…

Relatively accessible due to a minimal presence of hostile space phenomena in the area, Acala can be accessed by conventional and direct FTL navigation and propulsion in addition to using the local Space Gate.

As a result however, this means the immediate area around the gate can be quite cluttered by both travellers, private stations, and miniature space gates. The ease of access has lead to an ongoing piracy issue thanks to the many corporate proxy wars during bust times, unscrupulous privateers, and hostile alien invasion. If nothing else, travellers are urged to be armed if police presences aren't nearby.

It is the most reliable way of travelling to the Aleph Null System, as Acala isn't far from the border of the Red Space phenomena local to Aleph Null. However, some places within Acala are hostile towards Aleph for some reason or another, and both of the systems share information regarding notorious criminals and pirates.

• To Aleph Null System - 11.8 LY

The following planets, satellites, and other notable sectors of local space are present:

Closest to the Acala Space Gate and responsible for its upkeep, New Kashmir acts as the first port of call when entering the Acala, and its de-facto capital as a result. It is a representative democracy with elections for a new party and leader every five years. There is some coincidence with the elected party and the state of the system's boom/bust cycle, with some exceptions due to extreme circumstances or events threatening Acala.

During boom times, New Kashmir finds most of its goods and services exported throughout the galaxy, embracing the benefits of lightly regulated markets to let competition do its thing. In this regard, New Kashmir during boom times brings tens of thousands of travellers and traders through.

In bust times or the event of an invasion, the government generally takes a protectionist stance to prevent New Kashmir's locals from losing out to external competition. Even so, bust times drive many small-time traders over the edge and into poverty while cementing the position of large companies 'too big to fail'.

New Kashmir has cold relations with Fudou, due to the corporate nation's contributions to the ongoing pirate epidemic, their interests butting heads with Kashmir's, what New Kashmir perceives as the company's ongoing erosion of liberties and intrusion into private lives, and its preferential treatment of merchants over other individuals.

In addition, Kashmir has observed Fudou acting as an agitator towards Aleph Null - potentially jeopardising billions of credits worth of trade and deals and undoing decades of diplomacy if they get their way.

A space fortress which orbits the Acala Space Gate, built on Albion, transported, and assembled locally in PA 44. Manned by members of the Royal Aerospace Flotilla, they protect the Acala Space Gate against threats towards Albion, and come to the mutual aid of New Kashmir in the event of a threat - as their Space Gate serves as one of the few reliable ways in and out of Aleph Null.

Read more on the Acala Space Gate here.

A primarily ocean planet inhabited by Sourcians. Generally, these Sourcians prefer to stay to themselves under the ocean. When necessary, Celai hosts a contingent of Adagio-types living in surface-level Kolossalium stacks, and upon an orbiting space station to interact with with foreigners.

Their primary means of remaining relevant and useful within Acala is trading in biodiesels and algaes for convential fuels and sheoul, in addition to being an ideal environment for visiting Sourcians and facilitating positive sourcian relations.

A ringed gas giant planet exploited by Fudou, mining helium 3 for fusion reactors and other gasses. A smattering of small, rocky moons and satellites dot the planet, in addition to a Fudou-owned processing and containment facility for transportation of goods.

Named for the megacompany which owns a majority of the planet's day-to-day operations, Fudou Holdings Incorporated, Fudou is a corporate state which encompasses most of the planet. Its board of directors and CEO hold the political power. Originally a mining and resources company specialising in Red Sheoul, Fudou ended up financing, exporting, maintaining a majority of the planet's resources in BPA 89, then steadily influencing the political sphere until taking control of it entirely.

The board understands the society they watch and exert themselves upon must run smoothly and its citizens, employees, competitors, and visitors treated well, otherwise it will not be a profitable venture for anyone involved. Native citizens of the system are automatic employees of Fudou Incorporated, gaining shares on top of a wage and other benefits as they work within the society. Competition is regulated by the board of directors, even though all companies within Fudou can eventually be traced back to the company as a parent.

Citizens may cash their shares in at any time and leave the 'company' to become a private citizen. Doing so means losing many of the benefits of living in Fudou¹⁾, driving many of the expatriates to become privateers or mercenaries. The official position on this boils down to 'since they are no longer Fudou employees, they aren't the company's problem - and you may shoot them if they misbehave.'

Conversely, it is also possible to cash shares at retirement age in exchange for being looked after by the company for the rest of their lives.

• Anxiety By Design - Contains more details on the historical context and grudges of Fudou Holdings Incorporated, and peels the veneer of perfection away.