One of the Permardas Gateway space stations floating lonely in black space
The Permardas Gateway is one of the most hostile and at the same time is also one of the more fruitful areas in the galaxy. It is sometimes simply called The Intersection for one important reason; it is the center of the galaxy. For a galaxy center, it is not very glamorous. There are no planets there. There are only a few very large space stations that contain the population of the Permardas Gateway. For trading reasons, it is very convienent location-wise. Trading convoys traveling to the other side of the galaxy can dock at one of the space stations, recharge their ship's power cells, and maybe grab a night to eat and maybe even stay the night before resuming their journey. But mosty traders do not dare spend the night at the Permardas Gateway unless they are either very brave or very tired. Several of the space stations are home to many different organized crime groups and a few space stations have even been taken over by gangs that want to make a few bucks in the trading buisness. Any ship that is unfortunate enough to dock at a gang-controlled station is doomed unless they pay a very large traveling fee. And after that, they are still proabably doomed anyway.
The Permardas Gateway was originally a government project in order to gave a kind of rest stop for trading ships on long journeys. However, the project lost finacial support and eventually was recalled by the government, who were too lazy or too unconcerned with the space stations they had already built there and the growing population they had just abandoned. However, the few people living on the space stations were hardy and soon modified what they had into a full-time living space. Once this was complete, the people even were able to built a few more space stations. From there, the people at the Permardas Gateway vowed to continue the project the government thought had failed and cater to all passing trade ships heading through the gateway. However, greed overcame some of the citizen's regards.
Some twenty years after the completion of the last Permardas Gateway space station, a group of citizens became unhappy with what they were recieving from the trade ships. Most of the trade ships believed that the Permardas Gateway had "inadequate service" and "mediocre food" and gave the hard-working citizens very little money. Sometimes, particulary mean drivers wouldn't give them any money at all and threatened to kill the citizens with their guns if they argued. Anyway, this group launched a surprise attack on an IWA covoy that was taking a brief respite on their way to aid a sieged planet. Taken by surprise, the drivers of the convoy were massacred in an instant and the group finally had some weapons in their hands. They went on to completely take over one of the space stations and many other space stations began to battle against organized crime.
Today, crime runs rampant throughout the space staions in the Permardas Gateway. Ships that accidently fly there are more often subject to mugging and theft rather than to eager helping hands. However, a small minority of citizens attempt to offer their service to wayward travelers or convoys but this minority is slowly dissapering. The hap-hazardly constructed government has almost completely fallen away and is giving rise to the growing gang majority. In a matter of years, all ships will work hard to steer clear of the Permardas Gateway.