Dawn Star Planet made the first move, using the shifts in war zones brought about by the series of battles in the Eriadu system to place the industrial planet Celestia under the jurisdiction of its Western Reaches war zone.
Celestia had long wanted to cling to Dawn Star Planet's thick, furry thigh. Compared with the Merchant Guilds far away on Felucia, the powerful and much closer Dawn Star Planet was clearly the better choice.
More realistically, once the fighting in the Eriadu system came to an end and Dawn Star Planet emerged victorious, the reconstruction of the battered Eriadu would undoubtedly fall first and foremost to Celestia.
This was a contract to rebuild an entire planet! Celestia had been drooling over it for a long time.
Then Fourth Group took another bite, this time out of Sothropp Corporation.
The arms manufacturer Sothropp Corporation, which had started out on Celestia, was equally eager. It promptly signed strategic cooperation agreements with both Fourth Group and the Trade Federation, becoming a partner company of both and joining the Trade Federation.
It should be noted that the Trade Federation, Technological Alliance, Corporate Alliance, and Merchant Guilds were all Mega-Trusts, not single companies. Joining the Trade Federation did not mean becoming its subordinate; it meant becoming an affiliated member.
In fact, Fourth Group was beginning to take on a similar form. It consisted of major enterprises such as Tyran Heavy Industries, Hiigaran Aerospace Group, and United Mining Group joining together.
Of course, the greatest difference was that Fourth Group's largest owner was Tang Xiao himself. It was effectively a semi-state-owned enterprise within the Fourth Civilization.
Under Tang Xiao's deliberate guidance and indulgence, Fourth Group was gradually becoming a colossal Trusts conglomerate as well.
The companies under Fourth Group shared one thing in common: they had