Shareholder Agreement

Purpose

The Del Paraiso Shareholder Agreement (or simply, Shareholder Agreement) is a foundational document of the settlers aboard the Del Paraiso. All settlers have agreed to some portion of the Shareholder Agreement, though different factors apply to different groups aboard the Del Paraiso. In short, the Shareholder Agreement establishes that individuals and legally bound family units (at time of departure or affirmed with corporate oversight during settlement) are responsible for repaying their portion of the interstellar flight, equipment, and related staff-time investment within 50 years of arriving planetside or within 20 years of half of the settlers having been awoken, whichever happens first. Only after the Shareholder Agreement is paid do individual property ownership rights set in for individuals and Company-recognized family units.
For settlers, this is understood to be similar to a mortgage. Company representatives (including paramilitary staff) sign an addendized Shareholder Agreement that establishes their share (or that of their family) will be paid over the course of their contract, ranging from three- to ten-years, depending on qualifications. Devout representatives of the The Temple have a similar addendum describing that the share has been paid in full by the Temple; however, Temple associates likely share other obligations in return for this investment. Such agreements are established between Devout Settlers and The Temple and are not available in public records.
The Shareholder Agreement establishes other terms such as preferential purchasing agreement with the established colony, early buyout conditions, and foreclosure details. The Company maintains its right to purchase raw, refined, and manufactured materials; reward enterprising research; and patent relevant pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or genetic innovations generated by the colony at a competitive (if discounted) rate. Such purchases will be in exchange for any additional materials with further credit paying toward shareholder principal. Early buyout conditions are to be arranged between a Company Representative and those individuals or recognized family units and colony-wide buyouts can be arranged in cases of sudden windfall. Early share buyout can carry a penalty of up to 10% to be negotiated at that time. If one or more shareholders fail to fund their share before the conclusion of the contract (within 50 years of arriving planetside or within 20 years of half of the settlers having been awoken), the Company maintains the right to arrange foreclosure on one or more shares. For settlers who have fulfilled their Shareholder Agreement, ongoing settlement, share reimbursement, or contractual employment may be arranged.
In the case of death of one or more settlers, any relevant share-burden is passed to Company-recognized family members; if no family members are available, this share becomes eligible for repayment to other settlers to be arbitrated by Company representative(s). Legal council may be requested. Last will and testaments, as well as similar documents, if verified, can be used to override this. Such is also the case for family unit-shares as needed.

Game Mechanics

In terms of play, the Shareholder Agreement establishes a 10-point debt for all player characters. This debt can be worked down through capital generation (such as with resource extraction, technical innovation, and/or valuable discoveries) and passing that along to the Company. Due to the discounted terms of the preferential purchasing agreement, alternative capital generation may be employed at risk of penalty by local authorities. (That is, other traders may offer more competitive rates, but must be done without corporate oversight or with local representative negotiation.)
However, all resources aboard the USCSS Del Paraiso, Colony Ship are considered fair game for the endeavor of settlement. This eschews the handling of local currency, instead reflecting "big wins" for the players reducing their Shareholder Agreement debt. Penalties for violating Shareholder Agreement may include additional shareholder fees or the negation of previously paid debt-points.
In addition, the Devout of The Temple and Company representatives have a different financial standing within the social hierarchy. They are understood to be a de facto upper class. Devout player characters have an additional burden related to The Temple while corporate representative player characters' capital generation increases rank and power within the company.