Beginning their journey as a prison, the BDA initially expanded operations by selling prison space to other factions, offering to hold their captives for a nominal fee. Unlike Oneye, the BDA's growth is simple and straight to the point. They bought more land, they constructed more prisons and took on more criminals. This process has continued to this day and the BDA still take many billions of prisoners from all across the universe into their ranks. When taken into BDA prisons, you are offered two choices – wait your time or join the BDA. No pressure, no expectations, just a simple choice.

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Depending on the level of crimes committed, joining the BDA gives many more options and freedom compared to doing the time, and it's no surprise that many choose to join. Unlike other Terra-corps, the BDA don't have products or services that outclass their competitors, but what they do have is reams upon reams of disposable manpower, leading to extremely cheap and still somewhat effective products. If you need something cheap and quick, BDA prison labour has got you covered.

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Whilst the joining process it often rough or difficult, with there being a lot of friction amongst the new recruits trying to establish their strength, this friction often tapers off rapidly as the recruits are inducted, as there is a tremendous overpowering connection of brotherhood between BDA members, resulting in a very low rate of serious crimes between their population. Bar fights and brawls certainly can be commonplace, but there is an understanding between each individual, and it's extremely rare for these fights to be lethal.

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Whilst those from other factions see a massive network of outcasts, criminals and rejects, the BDA offers a second chance to those who've done wrong in a way that few others do. Life certainly is rougher around the edges compared to the other Terra-corps, but there is food, a bed and work to be done to earn a wage, no matter your history. BDA veterans are some of the most understanding, competent and effective squad leaders across all factions, having extensive experience in training difficult or troubled individuals, and so, the BDA leans into this strength further, by offering mercenary work in a variety of sectors. In an unexpected turn, the BDA has a very strong connection with the Nomads, assisting them and doing work for a good price, building loyalty between them in spite of the other factions often offering better deals.

Loyalty is everything to the BDA; beyond work, reputation and intellect, the truth and loyalty are rewarded above all, meaning anyone of any skill level and background can join, providing they fall in line and accept what's given.

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As expected though, the BDA are a brutal faction in terms of their work processes, often strip mining planets down to the very core, irrespective of wildlife or sparse population. Providing its not one of their friends planets, it's filthy work that extracts maximum possible value from the location in question. Not a scrap goes to waste as they strip mine country sized land areas at a time, and feed the extracts into the floating refineries that often dwarf battleships in size.

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In combat, the BDA are split into two very different cores; the Hammer and the Anvil. The “Hammer” is the trained and trusted section of the BDA military, for people who've shown their loyalty and can be trusted with heavy weapons. The “Anvil” are the newbies who've yet to prove they can be trusted and are instead equipped with poor quality, low yield weapons but effective body armour in most instances. The Anvil's job is to hold the line and tie down enemy forces for as long as possible, and considering that their pool of recruits is always overflowing, there are a lot of them.

 

Truth be told, the Anvil is the least effective combat unit of all the Terra-corps by a long way; they'll be lucky to get a kill by the end of combat, if they survive that long, but they can hold ground for a considerable time by sheer numbers and stubbornness. The Anvil equips its infantry depending on the level of trust and attitude of the person in question, with more stable and trustworthy individuals being equipped with better weapons and lighter armour, and more dangerous or “loose cannon” types being dressed in substantially thick and bulky armour, and usually given no more than a pistol.

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The “Hammer” however is a totally different story. These are long time combat veterans, equipped with a vast array of different armaments who excel at crushing distracted enemies, they swoop in and decimate forces locked into combat with the Anvil in brutal fashion, equipped with the looted remains of powerful enemies they've destroyed. Hammer veterans are authorized to keep anything they find and as a result of this can come equipped with practically anything, making them difficult to prepare for. Their combat experience, trust for their squad and a varied armament make the Hammer a very dangerous force to tangle with.

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Whilst the Anvil's recruits are easy pickings, the Hammer's veterans are not. The process of “saving” the Anvil's recruits from combat helps build trust with the intention of “promoting” them eventually into the Hammer core.

Between the cheap mercenary contracts, manpower and materials, the BDA make a tremendous amount of money but a significant portion of it – uniquely – comes from the other Terra-corps who are always keen to keep their prison populations low - a win-win as far as both parties are concerned.