The Clade Council

The Clade Council

Overview

The Clade Council is the ruling body of the Caraphex people. It is both a labor union and a government, spanning across many systems where Caraphex live and work. The Council protects clades—large family and work groups—by enforcing fair contracts, safe working standards, and guaranteed wages. Its rulings are respected across the galaxy, even by powerful corporations, because the Caraphex are the backbone of tunnel work, salvage, and large-scale labor. To betray the Council’s trust is to lose access to all Caraphex workers.

Headquarters

  • The Clade Council does not have a single capital world. Instead, it operates from a rotating set of strongholds located in major Caraphex hubs.

  • The most important of these is Hivecarve, a massive carved asteroid where many clade leaders meet to pass rulings.

  • Council archives are spread across multiple sites to prevent sabotage or data loss.

Structure

  • Foreleads: Leaders of individual clades who speak for their families and workers. They form the main body of the Council.

  • Council Tribunes: Representatives who oversee disputes between clades, corporations, and syndicates. They issue official rulings.

  • Inspectors: Specialists who travel to worksites to ensure contracts and safety standards are being followed.

  • Enforcers: Skilled crews that protect clades from exploitation or violence. They also punish betrayal of Council contracts.

Methods of Power

The Clade Council holds authority by controlling labor and work legitimacy.

  • Council Marks: Every legitimate contract involving Caraphex workers carries a Council mark. This mark guarantees the contract’s terms and ensures enforcement.

  • Dispute Rulings: The Council settles arguments over salvage rights, tunnel claims, and wage disputes. A ruling can end conflicts that would otherwise escalate to violence.

  • Blacklisting: Employers who break Council contracts are blacklisted. Once blacklisted, no Caraphex clade will work for them, cutting off a vital labor source.

  • Solidarity Pacts: Clades support each other, refusing to cross Council rulings. This solidarity makes the Caraphex workforce one of the most unified in the galaxy.

Reach by Region

  • Core: The Council is respected, but corporations attempt to undermine it through bribes or alternative contracts. Still, Core governments rely on Caraphex labor for construction and mining.

  • Mid: The Council is strongest here, where Caraphex clades dominate tunnel work, salvage, and heavy industry. Most Mid ports cannot function without them.

  • Rim: Presence is weaker but still felt. Syndicates often fight the Council, but clades here are fierce about protecting their rights, sometimes resorting to strikes or coordinated shutdowns.

Weaknesses

  • Dependence on Unity: The Council’s strength depends on all clades honoring rulings. If unity falters, its power weakens.

  • Corporate Resistance: Mega-corporations work hard to replace Caraphex with machines or non-union labor.

  • Violence from Syndicates: Criminal groups target Council inspectors and enforcers, trying to break their authority in the Rim.

  • Slow Process: Council rulings require agreement from many foreleads, which makes decisions slow during crises.

Everyday Impact

  • For Crews: Working with Caraphex labor requires Council-approved contracts. Crews that betray these agreements risk losing all Caraphex support.

  • For Ports: Ports that honor Council rulings attract skilled Caraphex clades and gain steady labor. Those that defy the Council suffer shortages.

  • For Citizens: On many worlds, the safety of tunnels, mines, and salvage sites depends directly on Council standards. Without them, accidents and collapses are far more common.

Reputation

The Clade Council is viewed as strict but fair. Among the Caraphex, it is seen as the protector of their way of life. Many citizens across the galaxy respect the Council for defending workers, though corporations see it as an obstacle to profit. Syndicates despise it because it blocks their control of labor markets. Despite enemies, the Council’s solidarity makes it one of the most difficult factions to break.