ERCA Agricultural Corporation
"Empires fall, but corporations adapt. And ERCA? ERCA endures."
— Decklan, ERCA Ranger Chief 2699.
Overview
Born from the necessity of survival, the ERCA Intergalactic Corporation rose from the humble Tribes of ERCA Prime to become the largest agricultural conglomerate in the Estra galaxy. Unlike traditional empires built on conquest and political power, ERCA wielded a more subtle dominion—the control of food supplies. Many civilizations, from fledgling colonies to vast stellar nations, depended on ERCA’s agricultural output to sustain their populations.
Yet, for all its wealth and influence, ERCA did not seek war. It maintained a small but well-trained defensive military, focusing on protecting its assets and ensuring the stability of its supply chains. For more delicate matters—covert intelligence, sabotage, and espionage—ERCA relied on the ERCA Rangers, an elite intelligence force that shaped events from the shadows.
Despite its widespread influence, ERCA was not immune to the grand forces of history. The Colosus Invasion of the 35th century shattered the corporation’s primary holdings, scattering its people across the galaxy. But ERCA did not vanish. Refugee enclaves endured in hidden corners of space, and whispers of Ranger-led resistance movements persisted in the dark.
They were no longer an empire of worlds, but an idea. And ideas are harder to kill than nations.
Fall & Legacy
The 35th century marked the end of ERCA as a unified entity. The Colosus forces overran its agricultural centers, cutting off its supply lines, and dismantling the corporate leadership. But ERCA was not so easily erased. Many of its people scattered to hidden colonies, continuing to cultivate food and trade in secret.
At least one ERCA refugee colony was confirmed to have existed deep within the Great Desert Rift, an inhospitable wasteland where few dared to venture. The exact fate of the colony remains unknown—some say it was destroyed, others whisper that it evolved into something new, a hidden civilization still shaping galactic events from the shadows.
As for Decklan and the Rangers, history records that they fought to the last. Some claim he perished in a final stand against Stelltron’s forces; others believe he vanished, waiting for the right moment to strike from the darkness once more.
ERCA’s legacy lives on in the worlds it fed, in the covert struggles of its surviving Rangers, and in the quiet whispers of its descendants, who, even now, carry the knowledge of their ancestors.
"ERCA is gone," they said. And yet, even now, the fields grow, the harvest is gathered, and the old symbols endure. Perhaps the corporation fell. But ERCA, in spirit, will never die."
Civil Structure
ERCA’s leadership was rooted in corporate governance rather than hereditary rule. A Corporate Director, elected from among ERCA’s senior executives, presided over the company’s operations. Unlike the dynastic emperors of old, the director’s power was kept in check by the Board of Governors, composed of representatives from ERCA’s most influential agricultural worlds.
While ERCA maintained direct governance over its holdings, it outsourced many of its enforcement duties. Private contractors handled policing and security, and ERCA’s approach to criminal justice was unorthodox—favoring rehabilitation programs over large-scale imprisonment. The few prisons ERCA did maintain were administered by third-party security firms, with the majority of offenders sent to reformation colonies, where they worked toward reintegration into society.
In times of crisis, the ERCA Rangers operated beyond corporate bureaucracy, executing secret missions, gathering intelligence, and, when necessary, eliminating threats before they could grow.
One such threat, Stelltron, would bring the galaxy to the brink.
Military
While ERCA’s standing military was limited—tasked primarily with defending supply lines and corporate holdings—the corporation’s true strength lay in strategic adaptation.
Mercenaries & Contractors – When conflicts escalated beyond their own capabilities, ERCA hired mercenary forces to supplement their defenses. This allowed them to operate flexibly, without maintaining a costly permanent army.
The ERCA Rangers – This elite intelligence division was ERCA’s secret weapon. Specialists in espionage, sabotage, and asymmetric warfare, they were responsible for disrupting threats before they could fully manifest.
Decklan & the Truppen – The most legendary of the Rangers was Decklan, a spymaster whose exploits became the stuff of legend. He personally recruited a band of Truppen, a feared and highly effective warrior species, integrating them into the Rangers’ covert operations. Together, they became a major force resisting Stelltron’s cybernetic plans.
When the Colosus offensive came in the 35th century, the Rangers and their allies fought to preserve what they could of ERCA’s holdings. Though the corporation’s main worlds fell, its scattered survivors did not surrender.
Special Technologies
ERCA’s power did not come from starships or armies, but from its mastery of agriculture and bioengineering. It transformed barren wastelands into lush farms, provided high-yield, disease-resistant crops to civilizations on the edge of collapse, and controlled the means of sustaining entire planetary economies.
But ERCA’s expertise was not limited to farming. Its genetic research extended to its own people, leading to extended lifespans and enhanced biological resilience. Ercans often lived 200-300 years, with rare individuals surpassing four centuries. Unlike many other advanced civilizations, they resisted cybernetic augmentation, preferring to refine the organic form rather than replace it with metal.
This ideological stance would later place them in direct opposition to Stelltron, the corporate behemoth responsible for developing the sentient machines that sparked the Cybernetic Rebellion.
ERCA Forestry Station
Roundel
Capital systemWassh Starsystem
Largest system
Nivel Starsystem
Official
languages
Dresch
Audric
Common Tradespeak
Ethnic groups
Human
Religion
Deism
Government
Corporation
Legislature
Corporate Council
Number of
Starsystems 25,984
Currency
