Formation and Original Purpose
The Association for Organized Galactic Economic Growth, or commonly shortened to just The Association, was a group comprised of the forefathers of interstellar businesses. These business owners were the first to ever expand their dealings across the Delta Space opening up brand new avenues for business and economics in general. The Association's original intention was to guide the rest of the known galaxy, which at the time was still being explored and mapped, towards economic prosperity. One in which they hoped would be interconnected, a system that would work together creating a healthy galaxy-wide economy.
The Association and their members who were of course called Associates, initially only had a handful of members but over time they would come to include hundreds of associates from businesses from across the galaxy. Each working to help the economy grow, build infrastructure to allow for better efficiencies and create guiding principles to help businesses flourish on a galactic level. Of course, as the membership of the group grew so did the benefits, allowing for open discussion between numerous industries and businesses.
The Association has long been credited with the creation of vast trade networks, and even facilitated the first Probability Suspension Drives, allowing for much faster interstellar travel and trade. They were also credited with forming the first-ever open council of businesses, which allowed for open discussion regarding galactic economics and free discussion of the business guidelines each company had to adhere to in order to continue being members of The Association.
However, they are also blamed for allowing the creation of the framework that would eventually lead to the founding of mega-corporations, known as Corpos today. These mega-corporations would eventually gain so much private control over the market that some would come to horde resources and monopolize entire industries. Though a large percentage of the businesses that held membership in The Association held to the guiding purpose of the group, many would deviate from this and would instead use its network to make under-the-table deals and conduct inside trading. This latter group would be the ones who secretly worked on instituting rules and governance that eased trade and manufacturing guidelines which eventually lead to the creation of the aforementioned business framework.
Official Dissolution
Eventually, The Associates grew so bloated and corrupted by greed that it fell apart under its own weight, its reputation as a force of positive change in galactic economics long having been destroyed. Soon, many businesses had created large enough networks themselves that it was much easier for them to conduct business privately without adhering to the slowly disintegrating guidelines originally laid out by the forefathers of interstellar business.
Soon enough it was brought to a vote by the remaining members of The Association to officially dissolve and disband the group. By an overwhelming vote, the group voted to disband, each going their separate ways. The space station that acted as the home of the Association was rumoured to be decommissioned alongside it and sold for scrap at a discount to its former members.
Rumours of Reformation
Ever since then there have been rumours of a shadowy resurrection of The Association, one with much more sinister gains. Allegedly comprised of the leading Corpos of galactic trade and business this group's focus is to guide the galaxy in whatever direction it feels will lead to the most profit for all of them. Some believe this shadow council of businesses has been behind some of the more egregious events in modern history. Though at this point none of the alleged businesses in this new Association have admitted to being involved, and no hard evidence has ever been found to prove the existence of the group.
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