OPENING STATEMENT
Trade is the lifeblood of the stellar state. The galaxy is filled with near limitless wealth, but what good are the riches of asteroid fields, or distant delicacies if they can not be carried from one port to another? What profit is there to be made if goods are forever trapped where they were made? Merchants are the first messengers of the stars, and the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor is a great step forward in linking the great bastions of civilisation on the Frontier of darkest Delta with the core worlds of Alpha and Beta. Soon, the wealth will flow in amounts unthought of, and we will all share in the spoils.
So come, my fellow traders and merchants! Join us on this grand new venture! Let the eagles of both great Empires spread their wings and soar ever onward!
Welcome, to the Twin Eagles Trading Corridor.
~The Right Honourable Governor of the Doppeladler Trading Company, His Illustrious Highness, Georg von Thaumsen, Count of Karlshaven
THE TWIN EAGLES TRADE CORRIDOR
The Twin Eagles Trade Corridor is a joint venture between the governments of the Imperial Star Republic (IStaR) and the Imperial & Federal Union (R.u.B Union), intended to provide a route from the major worlds of the Alpha Quadrant, through the Beta Quadrant, before terminating at Karlshaven Trade Port, located in neutral space between IStaR and the R.u.B Union. From Karlshaven, merchants have easy access into the core of both R.u.B and IStaR space, using pre-existing trade routes. In addition to physical infrastructure, the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor also functions as a customs union between IStaR and the R.u.B Union, and any other ports of call along the route.
The route passes through the majority of the Beta Quadrant, and will include waystations and other support facilities throughout the majority of the route, enabling aspiring merchants easy access to the recovering states of the Beta Quadrant interior and a gateway to the prosperous north. State actors will also benefit, gaining secure and guaranteed access to the developed markets and supplies of both the Twin Eagles powers, as well as the old worlds of the Alpha Quadrant.
The benefits of the Twin Eagles Trade Route will not be limited to IStaR and the R.u.B Union. With the agreement and approval by both IStaR and the R.u.B Union administrators, third parties will be welcome to establish their own waystations and ports along the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, gaining them all the benefits of participation in the Trade Corridor, including special trade status and access to the Twin Eagles marketplace. The vast network of the Twin Eagles Trade Route will ensure that any product will find a buyer, and at a competitive price for all concerned parties.
Further details on the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor may be found below, or by request at your local IStaR or R.u.B embassy or consulate.
The reputation of the modern Beta Quadrant as lawless and crippled is well known, and as such, the security of the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor will be of the highest standard, so as to promote the freedom of trade, and alleviate concern for the safety of ships, crews, and their cargo. In addition to the various way stations and ports along the route in order to provide aid and sanctuary to merchants travelling along the trade route is guaranteed by both IStaR and the R.u.B Union, with protection provided by the military and security forces of both states.
Vessels and goods travelling along the Twin Eagles Corridor do so under the protection of both IStaR and the R.u.B Union and are guaranteed due process under the laws and procedures of the Corridor. Furthermore, no military vessels except those of either IStaR or R.u.B Navy defence forces are permitted to enter the Trade Corridor, or to call at waystations, ports, or other facilities of the Corridor. Exceptions may be made for cases of emergency aid, or by request to the appropriate authority. An attack on any vessel, waystation, or other facility of the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor will be deemed an attack on both the IStaR and R.u.B Union.
For further information, contact Twin Eagles Security Command located at Saint Florian Naval Arsenal, Karlstern System.
The Twin Eagles Trade Corridor is a joint venture between the Imperial Star Republic and Imperial & Federal Union of States, and responsibility for the administration is invested into a three seat Directorship. IStaR and the R.u.B Union will each appoint one Director, who will consult together to appoint a third. The Twin Eagles Trade Directorate is an independent body, and will have full authority to establish rules and regulations to provide for the direct operation of the Twin Eagle Trade Corridor. The Directorate will have authority to approve applications for third party participation within the Trade Corridor and to develop the necessary bureaucracy and other institutional organs necessary to enforce its regulations, within the limitations imposed by the Joint Venture Agreement as signed by the R.u.B Union and IStaR. The Directorate will also have the authority to eject parties deemed to be in abuse of their rights and privileges within the Trade Corridor, and to receive petitions for the ejection of a specific third party facility.
A full copy of the Joint Venture Agreement may be found on call with your local R.u.B or IStaR consulate or other diplomatic office.
The Twin Eagles Trade Corridor is a customs union area between the R.u.B Union and the IStaR. As provided for in the Joint Venture Agreement, goods which arrive at any Twin Eagles waystation will be assessed for customs duties at that time, with revenue divided evenly between both states. Once the goods have been assessed and any required duties and tariffs have been satisfied, no further dues will be placed on these goods throughout their journey to any location within either the R.u.B Union or the IStaR. Third party participants with the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor may choose to impose additional border dues on goods entering their territory from the Corridor, but may not impose any dues at any waystation, port, or other facility under the jurisdiction of the Corridor.
Full details on the Twin Eagles Harmonised Tariff schedule are available upon request from the Twin Eagles Trade Directorate.
All activities that occur within the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor are deemed to occur within the jurisdictions of both the IStaR and R.u.B Union, and the laws of both entities are deemed to apply within the Corridor, to the extent that they do not conflict. In cases of conflict, then the relevant choice of law provisions contained within the Joint Venture Agreement will come into effect, and a special joint tribunal will be assembled by the Directorate in order to determine which law should be applied in that specific case.
This list should not be considered exhaustive, but rather an overview of major waystations, ports, and other facilities located on the Twin Eagles Trade Route.
Karlstern System
The Karlstern System is the primary homeward hub of the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, lying between the R.u.B Union and Imperial Star Republic. Although uninhabited, with no worlds suitable for colonisation, the Karlstern system is well located along pre-existing trade routes between the worlds of the R.u.B Union and IStaR, along with potential new routes into Delta and other regions of the galaxy.
The Karlstern System is the primary administrative centre of the Twin Eagles Trade Directorate, and is home to many key facilities and organisations for the management of the Corridor.
Other Locations within the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor
The Twin Eagles Trade Corridor is intended to provide an area of common ground for all nations of the Beta Quadrant, as well as provide opportunities for extra-quadrantal actors. To that end, the Directorate has authorised third party participation with the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, provided that the interested party submits a petition for involvement within the Trade Corridor.
In order to be recognised as a third party participant in the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, please complete Form DAT-100A and submit it to the Twin Eagles Trade Directorate via the most convenient means of communication. A copy of the necessary form may be found below.
To facilitate greater participation in the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, and promote economic development within the Beta Quadrant, states located within, or with significant holdings and interest in the Beta Quadrant will be able to petition for the right to establish their own waystation within the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor. For security purposes a third party waystation may not be armed, and must be fully open to inspection by duly appointed agents of the Trade Directorate, as well as accepting the presence of Twin Eagles Security flotilla vessels and personnel. All proposed designs must be approved by the Directorate prior to the beginning of construction.
Non-Betan states are free to request the use of a private docking area on existing waystations, but may not establish their own.
Furthermore, all third party participants are reminded thatx all security functions within the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor fall under the purview of the Trade Directorate and associated security forces. To that end, no military vessels are permitted to utilise the trade corridor, with exceptions for provision of emergency assistance or prior approval of the directorate. Any and all vessels operating in the Corridor are to be limited in armament to self-defence weaponry, and all such weaponry must be disabled for the duration of the vessel’s time within the Corridor, or at any Corridor facility.
Upon submission of the petition, the Twin Eagles Trade Directorate will review the document, and issue a decision within a reasonable time of receipt. Upon approval of the petition, the petitioning will gain the status of a Third Party Participant with the the Twin Eagles Trade Corridor, and gain all the rights and privileges thereof.