Upon formation and acquiring a decent foothold in the metro, Hansa quickly developed to be the economic powerhouse of the metro, a hyper-capitalist utopia for the rich. It is one of the few places in the metro where public transportation, running water and large-scale electric lighting are widespread. They usually make "partnerships" with the stations outside of the Ring, causing them to become resource stations dependent on Hansa, like the Arbat Confederation and Belorusskaya Trade Outpost. Although not dependent on Hansa for resources, both the Reich and the Red Line maintain trade relationships. Hansa along with Polis appear to be the most democratic faction within the metro. Many citizens from the Reich and Red Line have noted as wanting to move to Hansa or Polis. However both the Red Line and Nazis have a no tolerance policy for refugees, with many refugees ending up being killed by the two groups. Those lucky enough to end up at a Hansa station are often turned away because Hansa is very wary of outsiders. Hansa is well-militarized to protect its wealth; all its stations are heavily guarded, it boasts motor transportation and flamethrowers, and its militia is outfitted with high-end military grade weapons. They are also portayed as being incredibly strict when it comes to entering and leaving stations, with non-Hansa personnel requiring passports or other forms of identification as well as having their weapons confiscated from them until they leave the station. The station has also managed to salvage an incredible amount of pre-war technology, including plastic quarantine sheeting, metal detectors, working computers, medical scanning equipment and biohazard gear.The Commonwealth of the Stations of the Ring Line emerged shortly after central control was disbanded. Crossing all other lines, these stations were vital points of trade routes. They quickly became the place for all traders, becoming incredibly rich in a short amount of time. Soon they understood that their wealth would become the envy of others, and took the only possible decision: they formed the Commonwealth. Its official name is rarely used, though, because people were quick to title them "Hansa" - after the Hanseatic League (Hansa), an alliance of trading cities in the Middle Ages. At first, Hansa included only a part of the Ring Line stations, the unification was not momental. The so-called "Northern Arc" included at first stations from Kievskaya to Prospekt Mira, the other fraction consisted of Kurskaya, Taganskaya and Oktyabrskaya. Later Paveletskaya and Dobryninskaya joined the Hansa, and the "Southern Arc" emerged. But the key obstacle to joining this ring of power was in the Sokolnicheskaya Line (renamed Red Line). This led to one of the major conflicts in the Metro, the war between Hansa and the Red Line. After this war, with a mutually-beneficial agreement signed by Red Line and Hansa, resulting in the aquisition of the Lenin Library station by the Arbat Confederation, and the aquisition of the Ploschad Revolutsii (Revolution Square) station by the Red Line. However, Hansa benefitted the most as this meant Hansa occupied every station on the Ring Line, allowing Hansa traders to quickly navigate the Metro, as well as forcing outside traders to pay for passage. Despite their unequal exchange, the Red Line was happy with their deal as it gave them easy access to Red Square and the monuments of old Russia, something the Communist Red Line revered greatly. Hansa forgot its old conflict, seeing a worthy trade partner in the Red Line.Hansa, just like the many factions of the metro, have their own Ideology. They are referenced after the United States during the 1900's- 1960's era. A Society where regulations on the Free market are little to none, and everybody has a right to make it for themselves. While this can be looked upon with pleasure, it also gives off a every man for themselves vibe, something the Red Line is fearful of.
