A little over 306 years ago, a shipfull of refugees from an Old-Earth Colony arrived in the South of Sirius. Bedraggled and time-worn, after so many long years of travelling the void, they steered their vast generation ship, Ohio, into the treacherous rocks of Omega11 and a serious miscalculation upon entry into this turbulent system sent the Ohio catastrophically hurtling into the star's vast corona. A ship-wide evacuation was announced as the massive craft began to break apart in the searing heat and enormous gravitational forces of the swollen red giant. Escape pods launched by the hundred began to skit across the skies, finally gathering at the Planet they christened Deidus. Only 50% of available pods had been launched from the Ohio on that fateful day. Sadly, in the chaos of the evacuation, a great many good men, women and children had been stranded onboard the Ohio and had lost their flesh to Omega11. Not the grandest of welcomes you might say. However it did not take long for the Ohio survivors to get their shit together. After a count of the remaining survivors and a vote of the Ohio's Commanding Officers the remaining people decided they would first settle in one of the asteroid fields. Devastated from the loss of the Ohio and so many of their kin, the people feared confrontation with any possible inhabitants of these strange parts. So they settled in a large rock they named Freital and for many years did keep a low, low profile. During this time they had opportunity to scout and scan the universe around them and, indeed, they found that this corner of the Universe was teeming with Life. Many species, including humans, inhabited these parts (now known to be Sirius) and their level of technological finesse was literally astounding. Having had little or no major advances in technology on Ohio during the crossing, the people found that they were disadvantaged indeed and so a decree was made to attempt an introduction of themselves to their nearest neighbours, a people called the Red Hessians. The Red Hessians were surprised to find that they had had 'neighbours' lurking in their 'neighbourhood' unknown to them and they were mighty dubious of the propositions put forward by these interlopers. It transpired that the Red Hessians were a terrorist organisation, formed by hardcore nuts viciously opposed to the corrupt ruling Government of the House of Rheinland, and indeed they were vicious. In order for the refugees to gain the trust of The Hessians they proposed to send some of their people with them in their attacks of Rheinland Transports and Military Vehicles and The Hessians accepted this offer. A division of the peoples best pilots was assigned a tour of duty with The Hessians and before long had proven their worth ten-fold. The Hessians agreed to trade technology and ships in return for continued support from the people and when the people had enough new ships to call a fleet they made a new start as The Black MerX. A large part of the support they provided to The Hessians involved smuggling arms from the farther reaches of Sirius back to the Omega systems of the South, and having become proficient in the ways of the smuggler this became their main source of income. After many years of running the gauntlet The Black MerX, having lost only a handful of pilots, had acquired a significant store of wealth and began to spread their feet. After full discussions with The Hessians it was agreed to build a joint colony in the neighbouring system of Omega5 however not long after the construction of a multitude of habitats a band of brigands called the Corsairs began daily attacks on them. It transpired that the Corsairs, from neighbouring Bretonia, had also had plans for Omega5, but it was too late now for The MerX and Red Hessians to pull out. Alas, the Corsairs were just as stubborn. A mighty war ensued in the system of Omega5, decimating both sides to near extinction. Many battles were fought and many habitats and lives destroyed. In the end, when it became apparent that no one side was going to drive away the other, a ceasefire was declared and the system split in two with a vast minefield, Corsairs on the Bretonia side and Hessians/MerX on the Omegas side. The Hessians and Black MerX set up Ronnenberg base as frontline headquarters in Omega 5 and demolished all other remaining habitats. A wise choice considering that soon after the war began again, never to end. For many years now Black MerX have ferried weapons into and out of the Omega systems of Sirius on behalf of the Red Hessians. Omegas 3, 7, and 11 have been colonised and relations with peoples throughout Rheinland space has improved, albeit, NOT with the ruling Government, with whom the Clan still remains hostile. The Clan has become known for their pilots exceptional stealth ability and the ability to acquire and distribute the finest caliber weapons on the market. They hope some day to legitimise themselves and become a 'respectable' organisation but...... ......that remains to be seen.