Minor Factions

There are many other factions and organizations in New Eden that don't fall neatly into either the law-abiding, forward-looking, glorious and honorary empire category or the scum-infested, unlawful, corrupt, dishonest, murderous, and quite frankly evil pirate category.

They are no less valid or important for that, however, and often form the backbone of New Eden's operations. Some of them are factions in their own right, often ones that splintered off from the major ones. Others are institutions of various sorts, sometimes with an interstellar presence, other times hidden in the shadows. Then, of course, there are the corporations, which range across all the factions and tend to compose a separate layer of power unto themselves, much to the chagrin of their supposed political rulers. Corporations exist in such great numbers that they have a special section unto themselves.

Institutions

Certain organizations were founded for an express purpose, even if that purpose may on occasion appear muddled to outsiders. Their charters include policing the cluster and educating youngsters, and their reputations, though having on occasion taken on varying shades of gray, are for the most part solid and respected.

CONCORD Assembly

CONCORD is an independent organization founded a century ago to facilitate negotiations between the races, to improve relations, and to foster inter-stellar trade through policing and regulations. Starting as a fledgling meeting ground for diplomats, in the decades since its foundation CONCORD has slowly increased its power and influence. It has become an entity independent of the empire factions, as it is able to largely fund its own operation through customs, confiscation of contraband goods, and other means.

interBus

interBus is one of the more successful joint ventures the empires have undertaken. It was formed some 30 years ago to act as a neutral passenger transportation company that would span the entire known world. Since then it has evolved a bit, especially when it started to ferry goods too. interBus is used by the SCC to ferry goods between stations, as they are reliable and operate in every station in the world. As it has to operate not only in empire stations, but also in pirate havens and other stations associated with organized crime, the company has to uphold a very strict policy regarding neutrality and secrecy. Even though the company is owned by the empires, no information regarding to shipments or station locations is ever given out. The strict adherence to these rules has allowed interBus to operate without harassment in every corner of the world of New Eden, making them one of the pillars of the interstellar community.

The Servant Sisters of EVE

The Sisters of EVE are mainly known for their humanitarian aid efforts, focused on those suffering because of war, famine or the sudden arrivals of capsuleers. The Sisters base their existence on strong religious beliefs, but have have coupled them with scientific facts. They believe that the EVE Gate is a gateway to heaven and that God resides on the other side of the gate. As well as dedicating themselves to aiding those in need, they are also busy with scientific experiments around the EVE Gate, hoping to gain a better understanding of the forces at work there. There has been some internal strife among the Sisters in recent times, and there is some evidence that some of their acolytes are at odds over their purpose in New Eden.

The Society of Conscious Thought

The Society of Conscious Thought, which is three centuries old, was founded by the Jove Ior Labron during his search of spiritual enlightenment. The Society has since then taken many guises and been anything from a religious sect full of hermits to a political institute playing the power game. Today, they are mainly known for their scholastic achievements - their schools are widely regarded as the best ones in the world of New Eden, and rich and influential parents everywhere fight to get their kids admitted. Offering large sums of money is, however, no guarantee for admittance, as the Society has its own peculiar selection process that seems to have little rhyme or reason to outsiders. The Society operates in remote areas, where they build strongholds called kitzes. Not all kitz are schools, either - some are still devoted to spiritual enlightenment or scientific pursuits.

Factions and coalitions

Some of New Eden's political groups either haven't quite reached the renowned or notorious stature of the empires and pirates, respectively. They are major players in their own right, however, and in many cases were formed from blocs that were simply too powerful to be contained within their parent factions.

The Ammatar Mandate The Ammatar are part of the Amarr Empire, but are of Minmatar origin. During the time the Amarr occupied the Minmatar home worlds, one of the Minmatar tribes, the Nefantar, collaborated heavily with the Amarr. The Nefantar ended up fleeing Minmatar space during the Minmatar Rebellion with the Amarr Emperor setting them up in Amarr controlled areas close to Minmatar space. Soon everyone had started calling them Ammatar. It eventually came to light that certain key people among the faction had been orchestrating protective measures for the Starkmanir, a seventh Minmatar tribe thought long since lost to Amarr cruelty. The Starkmanir were freed during the Minmatar Invasion of Amarr space, while the Ammatar were in large part vindicated by their old Republic and allowed to return under the banner of their old Nefantar tribe. Some did, in a great exodus, but others remained in Ammatar space, too mixed in culture and mind to think of the Republic as any kind of home any longer.
The Khanid Kingdom The Khanid Kingdom, also known as the Dark Amarr, was founded a few centuries ago, during the election of the Amarr Emperor. Khanid II was one of the royal Heirs at the time and, in accordance with tradition, should have killed himself after failing to become emperor. He refused to do and split his vast domains from the Amarr Empire. The Empire retaliated, but only managed to conquer some of the vulnerable outer regions from Khanid. The Kingdom still upholds many of the tradition of Amarr society, but has also wholeheartedly embraced the customs of others, mainly the Caldari. Many visitors to the Kingdom feel like it is a surreal mix of the Amarr and Caldari empires.
The Thukker Tribe The Thukker Tribe is one of the seven original Minmatar tribes. After the Minmatar Rebellion the Thukkers left Minmatar space and took up the nomadic lifestyles of their ancestors, only this time on an interstellar scale. The closest thing they've got to a home is the Great Wildlands region, where they are very numerous, but the Thukkers like to be on the move, constantly going from one solar system to another in their huge caravans, trading and scavenging. Respectable citizens of New Eden frown upon them, considering them to be nothing but scoundrels and thieves. Indeed, the Thukkers often operate on the shadier side of the law, but their resourcefulness and diligence count a lot more for their success than their criminal activities. They have in more recent times been invited back to the Republic, though many Thukkers find the idea of settling down on solid, immovable ground to be rather stifling and claustrophobic in nature.
The Intaki Syndicate Formed by Intaki exiles from the Gallente Federation during the Gallente-Caldari War, the Syndicate has slowly grown in stature and influence and now serves as an important link between the empires and the illegal elements in the outer regions. Syndicate space is a pirate haven, but still retains enough civility to allow pretty much anyone to travel there to do business. Syndicate markets are always chock full of contraband goods and illegal wares that are hard or impossible to come by elsewhere. Each Syndicate station is a autonomous entity, but they cooperate on security and information issues. The unofficial leader of the Syndicate is Silphy en Diabel, a former Sisters of EVE agent who returned to Syndicate space to save her family's fortune. Since then she's turned out to be just as resourceful and ruthless as her late father.
ORE Outer Ring Excavations, or ORE, is the largest independent mining corporation around. ORE was originally a fledgling Gallente company, but struck gold when they found extremely rich Nocxium asteroid belts in the Outer Ring region. When the Gallente Federation tried to force ORE to reveal the location of the asteroid fields the company left Gallente space and set up base in the Outer Ring region. They used their massive wealth to buy protection for their bases and keep their operation secret. Several pirate factions have tried to muscle in on the ORE territories, but with little success.
Mordu's Legion The origin of Mordu's Legion lies in the Gallente-Caldari War when a group of Intaki military personnel sided with the Caldari. The Intaki were put into a separate unit with a Caldari officer named Muryia Mordu. After the war the Intaki settled in Caldari space, but unwillingly became entangled with Caldari locals in the Waschi Uprising. Mordu's Legion was formed at that time as a mercenary fighting force and after the uprising it continued in existence. The Legion is loosely associated with the Caldari Navy, but are in most part totally independent. Mordu's Legion is commonly hired by companies to protect valuable assets outside empire space. For instance, Outer Ring Excavations once paid them handsomely to patrol the Outer Ring region.