The Independent Trading Alliance (ITA)

First featured in the Beyond Knight's Haven episode 'Trader's Luck'

The Independent Trading Alliance, or ITA, was formed in 2209 by a collection of merchant groups from multiple galactic powers who were disgruntled with the laws and regulations set down by their respective governments.

Historical records are still unclear as to the exact number of groups involved in this quite ambitious and unusual display of co-operation. Some of the known factions were the Aa’ron Guild of Osaaria, trader Harrad-Sar of Orion, Daimon Krem of the Ferengi Alliance, Boss Mulok and his clan of the Gorkas, and one half of the Eighteenth Quadrant Trading Company lead by angered co-founder Esquire Pettinghan the Third (who became defiant towards the other co-founder after he found him siphoning profits off to fund the mobilisation of another Kzinti army against the United Federation of Planets). They established the infamous Port Nova on Vahallis-B in the Taurus Reach, which was then neutral space.

The city was a free haven for trading of all kinds, and not bound by any interstellar laws. They were not only out to make a profit, but to also encourage trade and cargo services across the quadrant. For example, initiatives were set up to help and support young merchants who were attempting to gain a foothold in the industry, and highly-trained negotiators were available (for a fee) to set up trade routes between distant or warring planets. Business was so good that the ITA could afford to be eccentric – the Palace of Trade, a stunning structure made of gold, latinum and crystal, was constructed atop a mountain watching over Port Nova. They even went as far as raising a navy of their own, which not only defended ITA interests but also gave protection to many trade routes in free space and people who needed assistance from pirates or general extra muscle on a certain mission (again, all for a fee). They existed to make money, but they did genuinely care about their clients. In many ways, the ITA could be compared to the Sisterhood of Gia on Marcus III, the Mafia of old Earth, or the Vakatur of Pre-Awakened Vulcan.

Unfortunately, that was the ITA of old. In 2321, the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi decided that he had had enough of loosing business to people working under the ITA banner. He commissioned a massive war fleet to attack Port Nova and her defence forces. The battle was short – the ITA fleet was destroyed, the city of Port Nova was left decimated and all remaining riches were claimed by the Ferengi as ‘salvage’. The ITA was gone.

However, only three years later, ITA booths began appearing in ports and trading stations all across the Alpha Quadrant. They offered a new service, similar to what they used to only on a smaller scale – people could post up employment opportunities of any kind that would be suited to cargo haulers, traders, merchants and guns-for-hire. They would be the ‘middle man’ for a small fee. People who seeked regular employment of such jobs could also register as an ITA operative or vessel, as before, gaining access to certain ‘special’ missions (some of which, it has been said, come from the ITA themselves), bonuses in certain ports (such as free supplies, equipment and repairs by other ITA-registered companies, with the ITA paying the bill) and other such boons.

What does remain a mystery, however, even to this day, is who or what runs this second-generation ITA. There is no base of operations, no formally-acknowledged leader, and no one has successfully managed to trace down the location of the main computer memory server on which the ITA systems are operated. While to some this anonymity is a sign of shady dealings and dangerous employment, to many the excellent and un-moderated services are a fantastic source of constant job opportunities. Most galactic powers allow the ITA to trade in their space, although most of their work is found out in neutral territory.