when the game starts, all unaligned factions/planets are defines as neutrals. this means that instead of attacking, players can trade/place merchants in their towns etc.

Once half the total number of neutral worlds are captured by the main houses the remaining neutrals will become rebels. This change is a declaration of war against all the houses (and church). a sort of revolution "a la francaises.". the rebels will build armies, combine their resources/techs etc and actively attack players, and churches (judged to be corrupt). They will however be to disorganized to create new industry etc (build structures such as new factories), but will rely on what they already have (or capture). they will be none to good at raiding other worlds (expansion), but prefer helping each other (support).

now one comes to the crux of the matter, the guild. naturally the guild is behind the rebels, but will they join them and declare the republic? The guild is ambitious but not stupid. They will first calculate their chances before running headlong into open rebellion. Their support to the rebels will be quite open, but technically not illegal, they have an ancient contract with the empirium to supply ALL human planets. if they chose to trade at a suspicious loss with the rebels this is their business. One factor that is important to their declaring a republic is their trading benefits with the main houses; if the houses are sidelining the guild, taking their profits etc...the guild is likely to believe they have nothing to lose, that now is their chance, and openly declare the republic.

Once the republic is declared, all surviving rebel words and all guild worlds and all guild holdings will become one faction, The Republic. All the republic's techs and resources will be pooled. its tactic will be aggressive and expansionist, with huge military and industrial funding by the ex guild resources. Naturally the guild will have been preparing all through the beginning part of the game, building on 3 worlds - huge industrial/population complexes, a high tech army, and a powerful fleet. These worlds are close to the Capital and the guild will not hesitate to attack the Capital early, with a huge prepared force. Naturally all hell will break lose. Although the republic will destroy churches and have no sect, most of the church sects will be strangely inactive to this revolution. this is not as bizarre as all that, the situation is now civil war on a grand scale, a war that the church can not but help being a little responsible for and guilty of.