Metatheran Cartel

One of the main power groups in the Cularin system in the time leading up to the creation of the Empire, the Metatheran Cartel was a trade organization similar to the Trade Federation. It was formed when two member species of the Trade Federation, the Caarites and the Filordi, split off after the blockade of Naboo. The Caarites were the instigators of this split.

The Metatheran Cartel chose the Cularin system as the starting place to build up their own power base. The Trade Federation was distracted with the Naboo blockade, but hired pirates to harass Cartel shipping. This conflict was known locally as the Trade Wars. When word spread of the Federation's loss at the Battle of Naboo, the pirates changes sides, ending the conflict.

Despite breaking off from the Trade Federation, it wasn't a philosophical split. In addition to having legitimate business concerns, the Metatheran Cartel employed many similar tactics as the Federation, in addition to sometimes hiring smugglers to engage in illicit shipping, or hiring pirates to hassal competitors.

There was no central business organization within the Cartel, so individual Cartel leaders could end up working at cross-purposes accidentally.

The initial face of the Cartel was the Metatheran envoy to the Cularin system, Velin Wir. Wir had built a base in the Cularin jungles in secret from Cularin's residents. Though the base was soon revealed, Wir engaged in illegal activities, such as hiring pirates to steal from the competition and cutting down ch'hala trees.

A resistance group came together on Cularin, fearing that the Cartel would be just like the Federation, and gathered together proof of Wir's actions. The Cartel suspected something was amiss, and had armed guards patrolling the streets of Gadrin and Hedrett. The resistance attacked the jungle base to gain two final files containing evidence, and Velin Wir was killed during the attack. Wir was declared to have been acting on his own as a rogue, and his replacement Thurm Loogg spent much of his time as envoy trying to live down that public relations debacle.

The uniform of the Cartel's security forces consisted of dark gray flight suits with a design of four silver stars placed on the left breast. Officers were distinguished by red bars on their collars.