The Trader Emergency Coalition, often abbreviated TEC, was formed from the Trade Order to combat the threat of the Vasari and, when they returned, the Advent.
History
A leader of the TEC.
The history of the TEC began more than 1,000 years ago during the foundation of the Trade Order by economically driven settlers. Established on strict principles of economics and codes of behavior, the Trader Worlds quickly began to expand – making the Trade Order an industrial and commercial juggernaut. However, outside of the Traders‘ core principles, each member world maintained its own interests, form of government, economic systems and culture.
It was during this early period of the Trade Order that something unique took place which would later reshape the galaxy. During a routine exploratory expedition to recruit new trading partners, emissaries from the Order landed on a dry, desert world orbiting a red giant. Here they discovered a colony of people practicing the most heinous forms of scientific and social deviancy, breaking the covenants of the Trade Order. When the emissaries returned, their news sent shockwaves throughout the Trader Worlds and the response was swift – exile.
For the first time in their history the Trade Order forced their will upon a sovereign world, banding together and forcibly removing their twisted cousins from Trader space forever…and forgotten.
Over the next thousand years the Trade Order went on in relative peace and prosperity – a golden age for mankind. War became a thing read about only in history books and seen in holo-vids. The occasional rare dispute was settled in Trader-sanctioned courts and merchant fleets filled the phase lanes with goods.
The Trade Order‘s golden age came to an abrupt end a decade ago with the arrival of the Vasari Empire. With no defenses, the Vasari swept the Order‘s ships aside with ease, and within only a few short months defeat seemed like a real possibility. In a last ditch effort to turn the tide, the Trade Order sanctioned the creation of the Trader Emergency Coalition to combat the alien threat. The TEC quickly learned to marshal the vast industrial resources of the Trader Worlds towards military production and used their new war engine to keep the Vasari at bay.
It wasn't until ten years after the Vasari push into Trader Space that a new enemy arrived on the Eastern Fringe. The exiles from the past one-thousand years have returned, calling themselves the Advent. They gained a hold on much of the TECs territory before they could redirect much of their fleet.
Five years later the war came to a stalemate and the Coalitions forces built Starbases to lay claim to their systems on both fronts. The other races followed suit and started to lay down fortifications. From this point the races tried to take back territory but to no avail.
This lasted ten years until the races came to a realization that war was taking its toll on lives and resources. Envoys were sent and diplomacy was given a shot. This was short lived as many within the government felt as though the peace would not last or that it was a waste. Two philosophies developed those that remained loyal to diplomacy and heeded the Vasari warning decided to build up their fortifications to ride out the coming storm. The next felt as though this was a waste and built up their army and had a more militant and slightly xenophobic view of the other races.
Technology
Compared to the other races the TEC have primitive and make shift technologies. This is made up for by their means of mass production and heavy firepower. The Coalition specializes in the use of mixed alloys and polymers to strengthen their armor, a strong economy, and mass production and efficiency.
TEC Industry
A TEC robot doing something industrious.
The TEC are masters of industry and efficiency quickly being able to star trade routes in multiple systems. As well as having very cost effective methods of building their orbital structures. They can inhabit most worlds effectively aside from volcanic worlds. They also have their hands in almost every single economic power and their suppliers regardless of race.
When it comes to mass production the TEC are unmatched. In a time of dire need they will a large portion of their factories will switch to military subcontracting. They may also build factories that can hyper-produce ships within their starbases.
Military Doctrine
Strategic
The TEC are an "awakening giant", an economic juggernaut mobilizing for war. They possess massive resource-gathering, trade and construction capabilities, and can cripple other empires with their culture, which can be upgraded to impact production; and siphon credits from other empires' economic operations. Thanks to the war being fought in former Trader space, the TEC are able to call upon local insurgents to attack their enemies' backyards via Insurgency research.
Colonization and Colonial Development
The TEC have strong preference for Terran planets thanks to their skill in urban development, with meager upgrades to construction techniques to allow larger sustainable populations on Desert and Ice planets also available.
Notably, they can upgrade the Logistics capacity of all of their worlds (Dead Asteroids included) by 1 building, allowing them to bridge these "technically habitable planets" with trade routes without resorting to starbases.
Tactical
The TEC fleet is primarily an assemblage of refitted civilian vessels, with few purpose-built military craft. However, they now are heavily armored and decently armed, with the TEC fleets often winning the battle of attrition. They have average strike craft capabilities. Their special abilities often affect single targets only.