When the Archmage restructured the government there were certain vacancies left behind. In many ways the current government is effectively a feudal system. Every Kishic ship answers to a Lord Captain, even those that are permanently fused into the ring city. The Lord Captain may be elected or a hereditary title, each ship has their own customs. Among all these independent ships very few standards are enforced, but there are voidfarers and their Captains bend towards a utilitarian outlook that favors efficiency and at least some degree of safety.

Recently conflicting forces were acting on trade vessels traveling between Kish and Badal. Information about the Union and it's goals for united workers had filtered in from chance meetings at port, but at the same time Badalian psychocapitalism had opened some captain's eyes to new heights. Thus crew of any individual ship the Union chose to inspect might be anything from indentured servants to a worker's co-op, with safety standards just as diverse.