A crime organization that controls the Highlands on the Rogue World Galma. Their leadership resides on Galma while tens of thousands of cells operate across occupied space, owning illegal and legal businesses. Many of the organized illicit activities throughout the Free Worlds have some involvement with the diamond faces of Galma. The Highlands of Galma have multiple bosses who control their own outfits to earn profit and receive royalties from cells under their control. MERC Guild agents have a unique relationship with the Rogue Syndicate, where agents might go through great lengths to eradicate cells operating on the relations station or Free Worlds’ territory but will largely ignore other operations and activities on multiple rogue worlds.

Syndicate bosses use high-quality diamonds to show their prestige by surgically embedding them throughout their faces. Castle bosses use enforcers to ensure any areas under their control follow all established rules.

All leadership positions within the Rogue Syndicate are taken by force, not earned or granted by others. Someone from within the organization with aspirations of being a boss/underboss must do so by killing the leader who holds the desired title. Blood is how all contracts with the syndicate are sealed.

The Rogue Syndicate seals these contracts in blood. Only blood can pay for their failure, whether it be yours or someone you love. We always get what’s owed to us one way or another.

Silas "The Bum Bum," Syndicate underboss on Dol'Arem

The criminal enterprise of the Rogue Syndicate is massive. Their primary incomes come from established cells across all occupied spaces that conduct illegal and legal business ventures like drug manufacturing and distributing, prostitution, extortion, gambling and money laundering. Their legitimate experiences include strip clubs, massage parlors, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants.

Certain Syndicate bosses have financed mercenaries for war efforts, which is evident from Henry McWright’s support during the Unification Civil War on Epsilon prime. There are credit flow ventures not yet fully established through Free Worlds of Humanity.

You have planet cells of the main organization on your world, not the leadership from Galma. The organization of the Syndicate on every Free, outer, and rogue world combined has a more robust economy than your entire city-state.

Henry McWright speaking to Liam Sideris

Operational structure

Rogue Syndicate cells operate independently of Rogue World Galma’s bosses. Cell underbosses take direction from the castle dwellers when given an order, but they maintain daily business leadership in their provinces at their own discretion. For this reason, MERC Guild (Monitoring Enforcement Regulations Chancellery) operations have limited effectiveness against their organization. At any given time on a Free World, MERC Guild special service intelligence estimates over ten thousand cells operating independently of one another. Each of those cells has a steady credit flow to Rogue World Galma bosses.

Cells can range in size from a dozen to over two hundred. Captains maintain order among their soldiers while following underboss directives. All underbosses report to a castle boss from Galma. Hundreds of bosses are spread out through the Highlands, and they use their castles and diamond implants to show their wealth and power. Some castles also have businesses within, like the Stumble Inn, the most well-known entertainment center throughout occupied space that receives well over one hundred million visitors per calendar year.

One prerequisite to becoming a boss of Galma is that the Syndicate member must be native to the Highlands of Galma. Foreign-born members aren’t able to advance higher than an underboss.

Mr. Jaboo. True Syndicate bred and born here on Galma. Our organization’s grown so large, most members never get a chance to visit the homeworld. That doesn’t matter. When we send out orders to cells on any planet, all obey.

Boss Jaboo at the Stumble Inn

Standard food sources

Highlands: Real foods only. Bosses of Galma spend large sums importing the finest foods from across occupied space. The Highlands of Galma are filled with sharp-peaked mountains with little room for farm vegetation. Most farming communities keep livestock that requires constant supervision from native aggressive mountain lions.

Lowlands: Real dull-tasting foods. Mushrooms, blindfish and algae are the most common food sources in the Lowlands of Galma. Some settlements have established trade agreements with bosses from the Highlands, where they trade rare poisons and healing compounds for quality meats and fresh vegetation.

Rogue Syndicate flag

None. Bosses of Galma have personal seals that they display with pride.

Language

Highlands: Primary speech is the Language of Humanity. Native Highlanders who have dwelled there since before the Great Darkness have a hard-to-learn language that Syndicate populations don’t bother to learn.

Lowlands: Native speech, but all Lowlanders learn the Language of Humanity from childhood. Most Free Worlds scholars believe that Lowlanders are primitive ritualistic people. However, their ability to learn new skills comes quicker than most of humanity. Some village elders can speak up to twelve different languages and their specific dialects with ease.

Military/Law enforcement/security

Enforcers

Highlands primary enforcement arm of the Rogue Syndicate of Galma. At first glance, their attire would seem more nefarious based on their dark clothes and long trench coats, but they’re equipped with full combat tactical gear and standard Free Worlds military-grade rifles that would compete well against any governing force. Enforcers act as both law enforcement and soldiers for their castle bosses. The only notable difference in attire would be the castle boss seal fixed to their clothing or belts.

Guardians

Lowlands settlement protectors primarily use spears, bamboo darts, and bows to protect pathway travelers from fog predators. Caravan guardian escorts typically have at least one flame thrower used as a last resort in desperate situations. Guardians are skilled warriors who know the Lowlands of Galma better than any other.

Colonies

None. Rogue Syndicate operates off-world cells which number in the hundreds of thousands across all of occupied space.

Known Syndicate members

• Boss Jaboo – Stumble Inn castle owner

• Rogue Ronin – Underboss of Stumble Inn castle

• Silas, “Bum Bum” – Underboss cell leader on Dol’Arem in the Hollow Ward ghetto

• Arkie – Syndicate member