Trade Federation

The Republic had enjoyed centuries of growth and prosperity; it was inevitable that its wealth would foster those with greed to match. The varied instruments of trade and commerce banded together into galaxy-spanning organizations meant to aggrandize their profits. Coalitions such as the Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Techno Union, and the Intergalactic Banking Clan consolidated their i ndividual markets under governing bodies of such size that they exhibited pull on the actions of the Galactic Senate.

The Trade Federation was a consortium of merchants and transportation providers that effectively controlled shipping throughout the galaxy. Under the rule of the scheming Neimoidians, it had attained enough clout to have full representation in the Galactic Senate, as if it were a member world. In order to rein in the Trade Federation, as well as raise funds for an overburdened government, the Republic approved the taxation of outlying trade routes.

Outraged, the Trade Federation brazenly blockaded the peaceful planet of Naboo in protest. Its fleet of massive battleships surrounded the pastoral world, cutting off direly needed supplies to the planet. The bold action caused great uproar in the Senate, marking yet another scandal in the current Chancellor's checkered career. Eager to resolve the dispute, he secretly dispatched a pair of Jedi ambassadors to Naboo to parley with the Neimoidians.

What no one in the galaxy knew was that the Trade Federation was but a pawn in a much larger game. The promise of a profitable outcome lured the Trade Federation's leaders into a partnership with a mysterious Sith benefactor. This shadowy Sith carefully manipulated the Senate, bogging the institute down in procedures while the Trade Federation tried to pressure Naboo's monarch into signing a treaty to legitimize the occupation.

Naboo's ruler remained steadfast in her opposition. The normally cowardly Neimoidians then did the unexpected. Egged on by their Sith overlord, the Trade Federation began a full-scale invasion of Naboo.

While the budget-minded Trade Federation's reliance on droid labor was well known, the scope of their invasion army was shocking. Legions of automated infantry -- ,battle droids -- aboard modern war-craft charged down the vine-laced avenues of Naboo's cities. The subjugation was quick; Naboo's populace was ill prepared.

Naboo's monarch called upon the native Gungans to join with a growing resistance force. Together, the people of Naboo were able to overthrow their oppressors. The Neimoidian Viceroy was arrested. The Neimoidians, however, kept the Sith's existence a secret.

Even after the Senate's reprimands for the Naboo incident, the Trade Federation nonetheless continued to operate, becoming all the more influential in the political chaos that would follow. The Viceroy avoided hard time for his transgressions, and even after four trials in the Supreme Court, still managed to hold onto his Viceroy title.

Betrayed by his Sith benefactor, the Viceroy allied himself to the growing Separatist movement in the galaxy. The Separatist leader's promises of absolute commitment to capitalism resonated deeply among the greedy.

The Viceroy committed the Trade Federation to the Separatist cause, and in the first battle of the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation droid army fought against the clone army of the Republic.

The Trade Federation was founded more than 350 years ago by the leading transport and mercantile forces of the era. It wasn't always under the auspices of the Neimoidians, but that species' cutthroat business acumen and competitive nature earned a position of control over the Executive Board Directorate.

In the final decades of the Republic, the Trade Federation swelled to previously unimagined scope, swallowing smaller corporations as it expanded. The scale of the Trade Federation merchant fleet was enough to cause alarm in the Senate -- should such a sizable force be used against the Republic, there would be little chance of stopping it. Thus, as the Trade Federation grew larger, the Republic began legislating limitations on its operations.

The Neimoidians would point to increased piracy in the wilds of the Outer Rim as just cause for arming their vessels. With their political clout -- and unabashed bribery of key Senate officials -- they were able to legally affix laser cannons and similar weaponry on their transport vessels. The promise of a sizable "donation" caused many a weapons inspector to look the other way. The Neimoidians were able to build a fleet of battleships at a brisk pace.

The Trade Federation, concerned with minimizing operating expenses, preferred cheap and disposable droid labor whenever possible. Allied corporations such as Haor Chall Engineering, the Baktoid foundries and others provided the Neimoidians with a seemingly endless supply of automated servants. As the ever-paranoid Directorate sought to protect their wares, these droid manufacturers also delivered mechanical soldiers and guardians.

Despite the knowledge that the Trade Federation was armed, no one expected an action as inflammatory as the Naboo invasion. The Neimoidians had long been careful to skirt contention by purchasing victories in the Senate. Strong-arm tactics were alien to them. The maintenance of an invasion army and the full-scale subjugation of Naboo was an odd play for the Trade Federation.

The fall-out of the failed invasion sent many economies into a tailspin. The Trade Federation was strong enough to survive the scandal, even with its Directorate mostly intact. The Neimoidians learned little from their venture, it seemed. After the Battle of Naboo, they crafted a select assassination corps in a bid to exact vengeance against the Jedi.

Three years after the Naboo incident, the Republic started to disband the Trade Federation armed forces. Or so the Neimoidians would have the Senate believe...