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The Resources Development Administration, or RDA is the largest single non-governmental organization in human space. Its power is such that it outmatches most Earth governments in wealth, political influence, and military capability. The RDA has monopoly rights to all products shipped, derived, or developed from Pandora and any other off-Earth location. These rights were granted to the RDA in perpetuity by the Interplanetary Commerce Administration (ICA), with the stipulation that they abide by a treaty that prohibits weapons of mass destruction and limits military power in space.

With millions of shareholders, the RDA is the oldest and largest of the quasi-governmental administrative entities (QGAEs), but its origins are far more modest. The entity that would become the RDA was little more than a Silicon Valley startup in the early 21st century, when its founders borrowed money from friends and family to begin the company.[citation needed]

After only a few decades, the company had the capital and stature to propose the construction of a world-spanning rapid transit system that would allow entire population groups to conveniently commute hundreds or even thousands of miles to perform work where it was needed, without impinging on the cultural values of host populations. This led to the current global network of maglev trains that require the superconductor unobtanium for their continued operation.

The company's early expeditions to Pandora were seen as a colossal risk; the construction of the ISV Venture Star alone put an enormous strain on capital resources. But with exclusive mining rights to Unobtanium (which is valued at $20 million per kilo), and potential profits from countervirals, biofuels, and cosmetics, the enormous capital investment has paid off.

Unfortunately, the RDA's environmentally harmful mining operations and the RDA SecOps' genocidal campaign against the Na'vi led to a war between the RDA and the Na'vi that ended with the RDA being driven off Pandora; whether they will return or not is still to be seen.

The RDA has its own military force, called SecOps, or Security Operations. They comprise of soldiers recruited from various Earth militaries. The RDA's SecOps strength is significantly larger than most other military forces on Earth, and includes large interstellar ships, walkers, and heavily armed infantry. Some of its ships include the Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson, Scorpion Gunship, Dragon Assault Ship, and Valkyrie shuttlecraft. Its ground forces include Amplified Mobility Platforms.

 

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