And another bit of background stuff from my Pandora setting ... :roll:
The Ellisbrooke Foundation, founded in 2280 AD, is a private interstellar
non-profit organization with headquarters on Terra and offices on most
of the Core Worlds. The aim of the foundation is to „build bridges between
the stars“ by sponsoring the cultural exchange between the Core Worlds
and the Free Colonies. It uses its small fleet of starships to bring cultural
informations, usually in the form of databases, and cultural events, for
example performing groups of artists and entertainers, from the Core
Worlds to the remote colonies. Since most of those colonies do not have
the means to offer their citizens a rich cultural environment, the arrival of
an Ellisbrooke Foundation starship is always a welcome reason for a cele-
bration.
When the Free Colonies signed the Commonwealth Treaty in 2279 AD and
began to cooperate in order to protect their independence from the Core
Worlds' Solar Alliance, the Intelligence Branch of the Alliance Patrol deci-
ded that it needed a new unit to observe the developments on the colo-
nies and to influence them with the means of psychological warfare. This
unit is the secret core of the Ellisbrooke Foundation, it carefully chooses –
and sometimes fabricates – the informations distributed by the founda-
tion's ships, with the aim to subtly strengthen the colonists' sympathy for
the Solar Alliance and to fuel their doubt in the idea of a stronger Solar
Commonwealth as a balance to the Alliance's political and economic po-
wer.
While the artists and entertainers performing on the colony worlds usually
are not aware that their real task is to provide a cover for the foundati-
on's true activities, the crews of the foundation's ships always include a
number of well trained and experienced intelligence agents who both dis-
tribute and collect informations on each colony world they visit. They usu-
ally do not go beyond spreading desinformation and rumours, but in rare
cases they have also acted more directly against colonies hostile to the
Solar Alliance's influence, for example through sabotage of vital infrastruc-
ture.
Moreover, the foundation's agents sometimes also work for the interests
of specific corporations from the Core Worlds in order to protect the Alli-
ance's economic domination over the colonies. One of the corporations
supported in this way is the Aldebaran Shipping Company, which controls
most of the trade in the Beteigeuze Reach, but is currently under attack
by a new competitor, the Outrim Traders, which are jointly owned by the
Free Colonies of Asiut, Eclenest and Maratha. Since a success of the Out-
rim Traders would undermine the influence of the Alliance and strengthen
the position of the Free Colonies, the foundation is actively searching for
ways to destroy this company.
The Ellisbrooke Foundation, founded in 2280 AD, is a private interstellar
non-profit organization with headquarters on Terra and offices on most
of the Core Worlds. The aim of the foundation is to „build bridges between
the stars“ by sponsoring the cultural exchange between the Core Worlds
and the Free Colonies. It uses its small fleet of starships to bring cultural
informations, usually in the form of databases, and cultural events, for
example performing groups of artists and entertainers, from the Core
Worlds to the remote colonies. Since most of those colonies do not have
the means to offer their citizens a rich cultural environment, the arrival of
an Ellisbrooke Foundation starship is always a welcome reason for a cele-
bration.
When the Free Colonies signed the Commonwealth Treaty in 2279 AD and
began to cooperate in order to protect their independence from the Core
Worlds' Solar Alliance, the Intelligence Branch of the Alliance Patrol deci-
ded that it needed a new unit to observe the developments on the colo-
nies and to influence them with the means of psychological warfare. This
unit is the secret core of the Ellisbrooke Foundation, it carefully chooses –
and sometimes fabricates – the informations distributed by the founda-
tion's ships, with the aim to subtly strengthen the colonists' sympathy for
the Solar Alliance and to fuel their doubt in the idea of a stronger Solar
Commonwealth as a balance to the Alliance's political and economic po-
wer.
While the artists and entertainers performing on the colony worlds usually
are not aware that their real task is to provide a cover for the foundati-
on's true activities, the crews of the foundation's ships always include a
number of well trained and experienced intelligence agents who both dis-
tribute and collect informations on each colony world they visit. They usu-
ally do not go beyond spreading desinformation and rumours, but in rare
cases they have also acted more directly against colonies hostile to the
Solar Alliance's influence, for example through sabotage of vital infrastruc-
ture.
Moreover, the foundation's agents sometimes also work for the interests
of specific corporations from the Core Worlds in order to protect the Alli-
ance's economic domination over the colonies. One of the corporations
supported in this way is the Aldebaran Shipping Company, which controls
most of the trade in the Beteigeuze Reach, but is currently under attack
by a new competitor, the Outrim Traders, which are jointly owned by the
Free Colonies of Asiut, Eclenest and Maratha. Since a success of the Out-
rim Traders would undermine the influence of the Alliance and strengthen
the position of the Free Colonies, the foundation is actively searching for
ways to destroy this company.
