Xenocorps
The Xenocorps is an ancient exploration society founded in the early Galactic Era by the merger of the BEIC and DEIC conglomerates to promote discovery and investigation in alien spaces. The Corps has some characteristics of a fraternal society, some aspects of an exploration consortia, and other elements resembling a mammoth paramilitary or detective agency, a banking syndicate, and many other hybrid organizational types. The Xenocorps operates innumerable outposts in the ultrafrontier and ExoPeriphery to pursue their aims, and its expertise in interstellar exploration is second to none. The storied accounts of their exploratory missions and lucrative expeditions are the stuff of legend throughout human space. There is no other exploratory organization that has attracted such a controversial reputation for daring exploits in the history of human interstellar exploration.
Xenocorpsmen are well trained experts in all aspects of exploration and commercial development of space. They were the primary agency responsible for pushing back the frontier before the League Era, and often came into conflict with alien species over incursions into new territories. The Xenocorps has been dramatically reorganized many times over the centuries, but prides itself on its traditions, accomplishments, and prestige. Senior Xenocorpsmen are usually major interstellar figures holding prominent positions of power and influence in their home civilizations.
The Xenocorps is the single wealthiest organization in all Human Space, although its holdings are spread across many thousands of parsecs and differentiated ownership cells. Although individuals may be prominent local citizens, the Corps is loyal to its own and preserves its prestige at all costs.
Agents are routinely sent into harm’s way to defend the interests of the vast syndicate of interlocked investment corporations that comprise the Xenocorps. The Contract Enforcement (CONTREF) Division of the Corps is ruthlessly efficient at defending the financial assets of the organization. There are no more competent law enforcement officials than Xenocorps agents, and they are frequently the backbone of law and order in many regions of the Ultrafrontier and the ExoPeriphery.
Although the Xenocorps headquarters is located at Spica, it also has countless outposts, harvesting refineries, banks, trading posts, and other installations scattered throughout the Orion Galactic Arm. These facilities are all operated independently, but are loosely coordinated at the sector level, with ultimate authority vested in the Xenocorps Board of Directors. This board of senior vested members is more powerful than most interstellar governments, and constantly seeks new exploration and investment opportunities. The Board has varied in degree of risk taking over the centuries, as the Xenocorps itself has shifted in emphasis and tactical goals.
The only constant in the Xenocorps is its focus on systematic exploitation of explorative opportunities. Some within the Xenocorps are more focused on exploration, and some more on financial gain. The many different divisions of the Corps are sometimes at odds, and there have been notorious blunders in the centuries of its history. But the Corps remains the greatest human force of outwardly directed endeavors, and mobilizes the energies of millions of brilliant individuals to great achievements.
The wealth of the Xenocorps as an organization is also legendary, enabling the organization to undertake unprecedented projects and endeavors throughout the centuries that it has existed in various forms. The Xenocorps has mounted many expeditions into the other Arms of the Milky Way Galaxy with greater or lesser success.
Corpsmen have collaborated with Jotun and Thuban traders to send probes and a few manned expeditions to exotic extragalactic destinations such as the Magellanic Clouds and various globular star clusters.
The Xenocorps has an ambition of sending expeditions to other major galaxies such as Andromeda, but has been stymied because of the Xenopax Accords, which explicitly forbade such endeavors. There have nevertheless been many rumors that the Corps has pursued such exploration covertly, a possibility that would certainly not be uncharacteristic of the less risk averse segments of the organization.