Corporate Wars

The UIT is formed of a loose conglomeration of corporations, civilians and other subfactions, most of whom owe allegiance (at least in name) to the UIT Senate. In reality, the UIT is in a state of near constant power struggle between various corporations who vie for technology, resources and Serco/Itani contracts. During the early advent of the interstellar Serco/Itani conflict, most of the corporations began their own weapons and ship development programs, hoping to capitalize on the war by selling their products to the embattled major nations. However, a second purpose became apparent when a "rogue pirate clan", who may have actually been mercenaries or employees of Axia Technology Corp, assaulted a Valent Robotics station, devestating the development site for a new product that competed with a similar Axia creation. Both were competing for the same Serco contract. This was the first time competition had been raised to such levels. Valent then responded in kind, launching a full assault on Axia and sparking the first of the "corporate wars". These conflicts were finally brought to an end when TPG, the five hundred pound gorilla of UIT military research, forcibly engaged all the other corporations simultaneously with a massive armada and dictated a cease-fire. Since then there has been a wary and untrusting "peace" among the UIT corporations. They all play nicely in view of the Senate or TPG, but are known to continue their inter-corporate conflicts in the backrooms and backwater sectors, far from interference.