“For a unified and peaceful galaxy.”
– The motto of the GSP

From the moment the idea of the 'Seven Systems' came into being, it became clear to all involved that without some kind of unifying force, discord and mistrust would tear the systems apart. The Galactic Syndicate of Planets (GSP) was designed specifically to prevent such an occurrence, unifying each of the seven nations in a proposed neutral audience chamber.

The Galactic Syndicate of Planets, like any galactic organisation, was not founded without its fair share of controversy and debate. Initial attempts to delineate a neutral ground upon which interplanetary discussions could take place were opposed by many partisan groups, from staunch planetary isolationists to those who saw the GSP as little more than an opportunity for the ruling governments of the Seven Systems to strengthen their political positions within their respective systems.

Eventually, following a a succession of significant conflicts an uneasy agreement was formed in 1174 GC between the governments of the Seven Systems. This agreement created the GSP to act as a mediating body in in times of potential crisis, or in other affairs requiring the cooperation of multiple systems.

Prior to the War, the GSP enjoyed a degree of relative success - however, this was not in any way due to its strength as an organisation. Rather, the inherent weakness in the flimsy agreements that held the group together only went unexposed for so long because no threats existed that were significant enough to put the GSP for the test. The organisation was at its most effective when serving as a middle man for planetary trade agreements, and for organising harmless, deliberately inoffensive diplomatic meetings between delegates from the respective systems.

The Ananke Conference was very much intended to be one such event, but on a far, far bigger scale. Sadly, the records of the GSP meeting in which the Conference was proposed have since been lost in the various conflicts that disturbed the Seven Systems, so it's hard to tell which planet specifically was responsible for the idea in the first place (Selas and Eunomia both took credit prior to the event, only to point fingers at one another once it all blew up in their faces). Regardless of whose idea it was, however, the GSS (Galactic Syndicate Ship) Ananke was intended to be the GSP's greatest triumph, and the proof of its success as an organisation, as well as its chance to showcase the surprising advances in technology made by the CHRONOS project.

At the time of the Conference, the GSP was led by Nuri O'Callaghan. After a series of minor scandals forced his predecessor to resign in 1261, Nuri was regarded as a safe pair of hands for the organisation, and it was hoped that under his leadership the GSP would become a more effective force for good. Tragically, he perished in the Ananke explosion.

You could perhaps argue that the past twenty years have been more disastrous for the GSP than any of the Seven Systems. The Ananke Conference was seen as an absolute disaster and the catalyst for many of the conflicts which erupted. Furthermore, in the face of such violence, the GSP proved themselves ineffective at preventing or managing relations between planets, though some have argued that planets such as Selas were so turned against them by the Conference that the Syndicate were doomed from the start.

Regardless of cause, faith in the GSP to keep the peace disintegrated practically overnight, and any funding it received was slashed by all but a few die-hard supporters of the project. However, those die-hard supporters remained loyal despite the hardship of the next few years. The GSP morphed into a fringe group of rogue diplomats, scientists and historians who changed their own mission; to keep the peace of future generations by chronicling the conflicts, saving individual lives where possible, and working on secret scientific projects to help the cause of peace.

As with anything touched by the war, today's GSP is barely even a shadow of its former self. Some former negotiators act as diplomats for their own planets, and some scientists work to rapidly dwindling funds. However, one thing is clear: the GSP in its original state is no more. It failed in its one task, and now its remaining few members struggle to retroactively make up for the syndicate's past ineptitude.