The Syndicate
The Syndicate is a powerful faction whose outstanding characters and equipment are only available from Syndicate Sponsorship contracts (and the market, of course).
There is no Syndicate Origin, but anyone can be turned into a loyal Syndicate member simply by inserting one little chip.
This inconspicuous little chip is all it takes to turn any character into a loyal member of the Syndicate. Stuck with an extremely competent administrator unfortunately still clinging to the concept of law and order? Just insert this little chip and he will be down for anything.
Also note that the Syndicate leader, The Kumicho, gives a bonus of +1 to the quality level of all Syndicate members. Therefore, as long as she is around, this chip will effectively increase the quality rating of all non-Syndicate characters you use it on.
And speaking of increased quality, Syndicate affiliates are also certainly not opposed to the idea of taking some combat drugs every now and then for personal enhancement. Swallowing N-Prime greatly increases combat proficiency at the small cost of making the user a little bit more prone to violence.
Oh, and of course it's going to cause a slight Narcophilia, but that really shouldn't be a problem as long as a steady supply of N-Prime is available. And, with the Narcotics Genefactory, you should never run out of N-Prime again. Well, at least as long as you find the right ingredients on your new home world, but how hard can that really be… ?
The syndicate also has weapons, more drugs, a ship and some truly outstanding characters – so sign your life away today! Your colony will definitely survive longer for it.