Known to most of the civilized Multiverse as The Merchants, the MSF is a private, non-affiliated fleet of ships that carries imports and exports during times of peace, but may become a spacefaring auxiliary to its chosen faction during wartime, delivering troops (including many MSF sailors), supplies and munitions between systems. The Merchants are a worker-owned operation, with management, mechanics, maintenance and crewmembers receiving shares in both the company and in individual hauls. Shares are sold back to the company upon retirement, at whatever the going rate. The MSF contract precludes members from whining about said rate, by making acceptance a condition of cashing in shares. It is thought by some, that the MSF’s entry into the Rebellion tipped the scales in favor of the rebels and led to the overthrow of the Incorporated Elysian Republic (which was neither a paradise, nor a republic). During the early cycles of AnarchEra, the martial glory of the MSF was eclipsed by the drive and ferocity of the United Federation of Female Freedom Fighters, a galaxy-wide union of ship-owning, freelance fem-fighters. As of this writing, the Merchant Spacers’ Fleet is mostly a long-haul carrier of gewgaws and bumper stickers, supplying the galaxy’s more than 483 Recreation Stations with souvenirs for the nu chums. (See: Nu Chums)