Serendip Belt: History

5327AD Serendip Belt Corporation begins to Flex its Muscles

By 5327AD the Serendip Belt Corporation was acting on behalf of so many governments that it controlled the Commerce Council, and the other interworld authorities. It passed legislation that invoked punitive measures on corporations that had dealings with proscribed habitats. This measure was specifically aimed at Lucifer, which had been ejected from the Council a decade earlier.

The other Angels, Gabriel and Michael left the Free Commerce Agreement in protest. Together the three bubbleworlds formed the Liberal Trade Alliance.

Stargate Inc. saw the Liberal Trade Alliance as its best chance of challenging SBC. It put its huge corporate muscle into ensuring the success of the Angels’ breakaway alliance. In response, the Commerce Council declared Stargate to be a rogue organisation, and moved to seize its assets.

By 5331AD Stargate had been largely dismembered, and the Serendip Belt Corporation stood alone and unchallenged for commercial domination of the Belt. The Commerce Council offered to renormalise relations with the Liberal Trade Alliance. The Angels were re-admitted to the Council. The Alliance remained in existence and its board was given a veto over Commerce Council decisions that affected the Angels. This measure satisfied the Angels that SBC wouldn’t be able to assert undue influence over their affairs. They were sadly mistaken.

Starting in 5337AD, the Serendip Belt Corporation began to reorganise itself into a federation of nominally independent companies. Then SBC applied for membership of the Alliance on behalf of Shipyard. The reorganised SBC complied with rules that the Alliance had in place to keep out large corporations, and so Shipyard was admitted. The Angels’ governments were annoyed that their rules had been bent to allow an SBC influenced miniworld to join, but there was little they could do.

Over the following few years, several more SBC influenced miniworlds joined the Alliance.

5356AD Michael sides with SBC

In 5356AD the government of Michael cancelled it’s defence contract with Stargate, and awarded it to the Serendip Belt Corp. Stargate was outraged, but in the end they were forced to admit that Serendip’s package was more competitive.

Lucifer claimed that SBC had bribed Michael’s government. But nothing was ever proved.