Children of Córdoba

The Children of Córdoba (or Hijos de Córdoba in their native spanish), are the descendants of the Borobia y Jurado colonial expedidtion who left the Sol system on the Generation Ship Córdoba. Over the course of generations their society has adapted to meet the demands of life perpetually on board a starship.

Colonial Charter

The Borobia y Jurado colonial expedition was established in XXXX AD, accepting applicants from the Iberian countries of Catalonia, Navarre, Portugal, and Spain. It recieved its funding from a combination of acceptance fees, settler asset auctions, and subsidies from the Iberian Cooperation Zone, the European Union, and the Roman Catholic Church. The expedition commissioned the constuction of their own generation ship, named the Córdoba after settler polling. Once full with passengers, the Córdoba spent three years recieving extended training from the Martian Free Cities and the Confederated Belt Colonies. It finally departed the Sol system on XXXX AD.

Rise of the Guilds

The original plans for life aboard the Córdoba followed an apprenticeship model for general labor with leadership being provided by descendants of the original management cadre. This worked for a time, but after only a few generations mismanagement left the ship's life support systems dangerously close to collapse. Attempts by the leadership class to create a security force in response to worker strikes resulted in a coup. Thereafter, major decisions were made through a ship parliament. Representatives would be chosen from each of the major proffessions, who organized themselves into guilds.
The guilds were a combination of labor organization and sub-ethnicity, bound together by marriage and apprenticeships. Every form of labor on the ship was organized into one of the guilds, the largest being the Mechanics, the Medics, the Gardeners, the Cooks, and the Navigators. Each controlled several residential areas on the ship (called a Taller or Talleres, TAH-YER), little pockets of authority where the guild elders maintained law and order. Each Taller is responsible for providing laborerers to nearby work areas, such as Growers to hydroponics and air filtration systems, or Mechanics working on wiring and software. Each Taller selects a representative to the guild council, which then selects a representative to the ship parliament. In this way most issues are handled at the local level by experts, with important problems being reported up the chain.
As time passed the guilds began to drift apart, adopting their own cultural practices and dialects. Mechanics pray to spirits they believe inhabit the machinery and computers they work with, Gardeners believe that using the composted of the dead strengthens the produce, and Cooks believe that the sinful create unhealthy food. The Navigators, the descendants of the original elites overthrown by the guilds, believed in a glorious future awaiting them in their future home. Many believed secretly that upon arrival the parliament system would be abolished, and that they would be restored as the rightful rulers of all the Children of Córdoba.

End of the Road

To their horror, upon arrival at their destination the Children of Córdoba found that the lush biomes that had been detected on Earth centuries ago had collapsed, leaving behind worlds as cold and barren as Mars pre-settlement. Riots and mass suicides driven by despair and rage wracked the ship population before the Guild Parliament managed to restore order.
Numerous recomendations were made, from returning to Earth to accepting living permanently onboard the Córdoba. Eventually however the decision was made to locate the most suitable nearby star and hope for the best. Ancient telescopes were activated to begin the search, but all knew it would be several years until a match was found, if at all.

Integration

After two years of searching for a new planet the children of Córdoba were beginning to fall into despair. Perhaps no habitable planets existed within range. Conserving the last of their fuel, the children debated what to do. Luckily for them they were discovered by scouts from nearby star systems. Over the course of the year, the 30,000 remaining Children were transported to nearby systems. Some have chosen to move to Nouveau Dakar, others to Albion, while others have chosen Deseret. Most have not formally immigrated, instead working towards ssaving up enough money to collectively to fund the construction of a new ship to take them to a home of their own. Others desire to permanently become spaceborne nomads, handling cargo shipments between worlds.
The Children of Córdoba are highly valued within the whole sector as mechanics, capable of performing miracles with limited resources, regardless of guild. On Albion it has become a source of prestige to have Children mechanics working on the yachts and racing vehicles that their nobles prize so much. In Deseret they have proven helpful developing the space mining industry, running supply lines between the outer belts. In Nouveau Dakar they are a valuable addition to the new spaceship manufacturing companies that are starting to establish themselves. Although they are all proud of their status and origins as the Children of Córdoba, the term is reserved for members of their community, as some outsiders treat the term "Children" as a demeaning phrase. Instead, they usually refer to themselves as Córdobans when dealing with others.