I joined the prelude to play in a casual factions with buddies in uniform.
What it turned out to be was a competition that punished PCs for not playing alot, and rewarded only the loudest members.
The two times that I tried to negotiate for a contract I instantly got swarmed by my allies. They saw what I was doing and wanted to steal my contacts by shouting over me.
In my opinion the ultra competetive nature of the faction is what made it unpopular. It's frustrating when all of your allies are also your enemy from the start.
I don't know what the faction is like now, but that was my experience with it.