New Player Lore Guide

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This is a new player's summary of the totality - or at least, as much as we can summarize quickly - of the Aurora server's most essential lore.

This is the first in a series of multiple guides connected to Guides/Character Creation. Once you're finished reading this, you are more than equipped with the knowledge necessary to create your character using that guide!

Below is recommended reading if you are new to the server!

Welcome to Aurora Lore!

Hello and Welcome! Aurora Lore is vast, and trying to get into it as a new player can feel overwhelming at times. Therefore to try and assist those new to the setting we've developed a series of pages that will assist with that issue, and this is one of them! This page is the shortest possible summary to the setting that still accomplishes the goal mentioned previously of helping new players get acquainted with the server's lore and help them understand the ins and outs of the Orion Spur in the 25th century and its history. After reading this page, and the page for the planet you choose for your characters background from those presented at the bottom, you'll know enough to start playing without issue.

History Overview

The purpose of this overview is to give new players a general grasp on the Aurora Setting, and the background of how it got to this point. The Early Years and Rise of NanoTrasen segments deal with deep background history, whereas the Early Scarcity, Period of Rebuilding, and Contemporary Spur sections deal with history that occurred in-game since 2019. Additionally whenever there's a bolded name followed by a parentheses, acronym, that is us denoting the common acronym used for that entity in game; I.E, Zavodskoi Interstellar (ZI). Other bolding is just us highlighting important names to help new player remember them better in game. This guide will focus on the megacorporations first and foremost, as they are the entities characters work for aboard the ship, but also go more into depth with three factions in particular; The Solarian Alliance, the Republic of Biesel, and to a lesser extent, the Coalition of Colonies. We'll discuss them as we discuss the history of the Aurora setting, and the history of the megacorporations, so let's dive in!

The Early Years

The first megacorporations arose out of the fast-paced landscape of Earth’s 22nd Century, a period defined by fierce economic competition between Earth’s nations – particularly across the East and West divide – and the start of the race to colonize the planets of the Sol System, spurred by the strife of a climate crisis that was beginning to engulf Earth. As this climate crisis got worse and worse, nationstates began to buckle - some even collapsing - under the pressure, and by the end of the 2120s and into the 2130s, the United Nations found itself the only organization left standing with the capability to rebuild in the aftermath of the crisis. It became the source of restoring order and stability across the globe, rapidly centralizing as it took many functions of governance away from the nations of Earth; causing them to fall into irrelevance. It is during this tumultuous time that the remaining corporations began to transform into megacorporations; able to dominate entire regions economically and hold a monopoly on certain markets worldwide. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals (ZH) is unofficially recognized to be the first true megacorporation by this definition; formed out of an agreement between East Asian biomedical companies in 2132, it came to dominate East Asia economically and biomedical markets worldwide. This process that on for decades (and in one case more than a century), but was sped up in 2140 the UN took the final step, reforming into the Solarian Alliance and becoming the sole centralized government of humanity. The new Alliance immediately began to colonize the stars; with many of the megacorporations born soon after the creation of the Alliance making their fortunes as the transtellar economy developed, with their founding dates in chronological order; Idris Incorporated(2152), Einstein Engines (2155) (EE), Hephaestus Industries (2164), and lastly Necropolis Industries (2259) which would rebrand to Zavodskoi Interstellar (ZI) in 2462. Contemporarily these first megacorporations have become known as the Founding Five, and from the time of their creation up until the early 2400s, at every generation-defining moment one of them has been there to witness and capitalize upon it. one generation defining event stands out above the rest as the reason for the dominance of megacorporation in the Contemporary Spur, when in 2275, fringe colonies within the Solarian Alliance broke away to form the Coalition of Colonies, kickstarting the chain of events that would lead to the Interstellar War.

The Interstellar War was a Spur spanning conflict between rebel colonies who would come to be known as the Coalition of Colonies (CoC) and the hegemonic Solarian Alliance. The devastation was on a scale that has not been seen since, and it's impacts are still felt to this day as it laid the ground work for the modern Spur to develop. However for the purposes of this summary all that needs to be said is that the consequences of the war saw the power of national governments fall dramatically, and the power of the trans-stellar corporations skyrocket, becoming the backbone of the remaining human nation's economy just in time for humanity’s first contact with aliens. The megacorporations, with their power in human space cemented, were quick to broker deals with the alien states, seeding their influence into any fresh market. They struck one-sided deals, exploiting every new planet and species where-ever they could, all the while continuing to grow in power. They became the logistical and industrial titans that drive the Spur forward, the weapons manufacturers and security solutions driving the Spur back into the dirt, and the bureaucratic and pharmaceutical giants that kept us going just a little longer. For this, their holds on the markets across space are unshakable, their sway behind closed doors decisive, and the repercussions for their mishaps fleeting. They could have collectively dominated the Spur for more than a century with cooperation, and potentially held on to that domination indefinitely, but none had the power to force even one of the others to let go of divisions. In the end, this was to their detriment, for in the 25th century a dark horse corporation that everyone had little expectation of managed to ensure that cooperation, and reap the rewards of dominating the Spur, through its immense power.

Megacorporation	Overview
Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals ‘Building a brighter future.’	The biomedical giant and the oldest megacorporation in the Spur, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals dominates the practice of medicine and the many fields of research that relate to it. Arranged in a keiretsu structure, Zeng-Hu is composed of many smaller subsidiary companies which all cross-invest to ensure each subsidiary dominates its place in the market. Zeng-Hu focuses on perfecting the human body, through both genetic and cybernetic means, a line of research that has led to embryonic cloning, limb cloning, and the most advanced synthetics yet. Zeng-Hu has strict hiring standards, as the corporation is known to only hire the best or those showing the promise to become the best. Not only paid well, prospective employees are often enticed by the promise of high-end cybernetics and genetic treatments that are often handed down as benefits by veteran staff. Aboard the Horizon, Keiretsu employees are employed in Science and Medical.
Hephaestus Industries ‘The anvil on which the world is shaped.’	The industrial titan, Hephaestus Industries was born out of West Europe and North America's military industries that snowballed in size from the 21st century onwards, to where some consider it the second most powerful megacorporation. Partially divorced from its history in military industry, Hephaestus is known best know for its bulk resource exploitation, mass-scale industrial manufacturing, large scale ship production, and logistics. With a reputation as the company for the blue collar worker, Hephaestus Industries is able to hire far and wide and attract those disenfranchised by more bureaucratic work environments. Combined with the opportunity to soar to higher positions through only merit instead of socioeconomic background, and stock options, Hephaestus seems an obvious choice. However, this all comes at the cost of brand loyalty, with Hephaestus employees potentially instantly losing these benefits or their position if appearing to dissent from the company line. Aboard the Horizon, Hephaestus employees are employed in Engineering and Operations.
Zavodskoi Interstellar ‘Even one matters on the battlefield.’	With a patchy history, the business of killing is the driving force behind Zavodskoi Interstellar's (ZI) business across the Spur. For Zavodskoi, conflict is another resource to exploit and a battleground is the perfect setting for testing experimental technology, and they have become the merchant of death for nation-states across the Spur; with ZI, almost the entire military industrial complex of the Spur is under one banner. As a result ZI has a hyper fixation on maintaining an image of professionality, and as a result ZI employees are often some of the most courteous contractors out there, for a positive image of the company always comes first. Aboard the Horizon, Zavodskoi employees are employed in Security, Science and Engineering.
Idris Incorporated ‘Astronomical Figures. Unlimited Power.’	Where credits flow, Idris Incorporated can be found; the corporation's empire of influence is fueled by the countless Idris banks across the Spur and an ornate web of lucrative loans and insurance plans. Idris also has a heavy presence in the tourism, high end fashion, and hospitality industries, using their vast fortune to create both iconic brands and to outmaneuver competitors. Idris Incorporated contractors are expensive, coming with high expectations of class from consumers. For those that can work with that level of expectation, the benefits are many, but one also needs to keep their mouth shut, as all Idris employees sign an NDA that covers everything a contractor may do while on the job for the company and breaking that NDA is grounds for immediate termination. Aboard the Horizon, Idris employees are employed in Service and Security.
Einstein Engines ‘Lead by our history, leading our future.’	Throughout the Spur's history, Einstein Engines was the indefatigable megacorporate power, triumphing in every field they broke into and reaping the benefits of their close relationship with both the Solarian Alliance and Nralakk Federation. Following the discovery of phoron however, the status quo was shattered and NanoTrasen Corporation stole the throne; now with the phoron scarcity reaching its apogee and warp travel back in fashion, Einstein Engines is eager to seize it back with the promise of reduced dependence on phoron. Due to their close relationship with the Solarian Alliance and market conflicts with NanoTrasen, Einstein Engines continues not to support or join the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Einstein employees are not employed aboard the Horizon.

The Rise of NanoTrasen

Initially founded in 2366, the yet-to-be-distinguished NanoTrasen was a small company revolving around genetic research and development on Mars. Xavier Trasen, Chief Executor of Operations for the company (as well as its founder) managed to propel the fledgling corporation through up the ladder with a combination of aggressive business tactics and effectively patenting methods to buy out or destroy local competition. By the end of the century, NanoTrasen had acquired enough capital to begin their new operations on Biesel, even managing to secure mining rights in the Tau Ceti system. However at this point, NanoTrasen barely even qualified as a Transstellar corporation, and barely even registered with the original Megacorporations; it wasn't even worth buying out or absorbing. All that would change in the early 25th century, for in 2417 NanoTrasen made the most significant discovery and technological innovation to date, when they found the priceless element Phoron within the Oort Cloud of Tau Ceti. They quickly found an application for the incredibly rare material in the revolutionizing of interstellar travel through Bluespace - a completely alternate dimension outside of our own reality - which made traversing the vast distances of space between stars a far easier and faster ordeal. NanoTrasen began rapidly expanded mining operations the Oort Cloud, now named the Romanavich Cloud, and managed to establish a monopoly in the Phoronics Industry, all the while the demand for phoron continued to grow across the Spur, leading NanoTrasen to eventually become the wealthiest corporation in the history of the Spur, and arguably its most powerful entity. It strong-armed the Solarian Alliance to allow the independence of Tau Ceti, creating the Republic of Biesel, in which it held almost complete political influence, and quickly soared above the older megacorporations. By 2455 NanoTrasen was at the height of its power, wielding massive amounts of influence across the Spur and having what amounted to a monopoly of influence over the government of the state it helped create; which happened to preside over only one of three places phoron can be found in the entire Spur. Yet only two years later, it would see its position shaken.

Megacorporation

Overview

NanoTrasen Corporation ‘The leader in all things phoron.’

The largest megacorporation and arguably the most influential entity within the Spur, NanoTrasen's position can be wholly attributed to two factors: its iron grip over the Republic of Biesel and the discovery of phoron it was quick to form a monopoly over. Due to NanoTrasen's influence across the Spur, employees from all walks of life can find employment with the megacorporation. For many wishing to start a new life, NanoTrasen is an easy ticket to getting a full-length work visa to the Republic of Biesel. Further enticing for employees, NanoTrasen Corporation is known to offer the most generous contract terms out of the Chainlink's megacorporations, be it: wide insurance coverage; excellent legal protection for those practicing in a medical field; scientists having full credit for any published research (excluding ground-breaking!), contrary to other megacorporations. Aboard the Horizon, NanoTrasen employees are employed in Science, Medical and Service.

The Early Scarcity

The Scarcity began with short news articles by the Mendell City Bugle in May of 2642, the first to show a steady decline in the deposits of phoron located throughout the Romanavich Cloud, and that shipments, while still coming, started taking significantly longer to fill quotas. This is the article that would set off a chain of events that saw the status-quo of the Spur that had held since the end of the Interstellar War completely upended. For this summary, all that needs to be said is that as 2462 continued, pressure slowly built up throughout the Spur as it became clearer this issue would not go away anytime soon, until finally, there was a violent, explosive release that shattered the post-IW status quo in a single week, the spark being the catastrophe known as Violet Dawn.

Violet Dawn was the name of the operation run by the Solarian Government which would cause a cataclysmic disaster on Mars in the later months of 2462. The operation's goal was to create a self-replicating, synthetic phoron gas as the scarcity was beginning to cause the Alliance's economy to falter. They were indeed able to accomplish this goal, however immediately discovered that there was no way to 'stop the self-replication, and the compound quickly breached containment, growing exponentially to become a raging atmospheric firestorm centered on Mar's South Pole, which the other residents of humanities most populous system watched turn the Red Planet Violet in horror. When the official news finally broke on November 10th containing specifics of the catastrophe on Mars, and that the Solarian Government's response to the crisis was to ignore or try to suppress calls for aid from the planet and order its vessels not to assist in evacuation efforts (though it must be said many brave captains and officers disobeyed these orders) the last nail in the coffin of the Solarian Alliance as it had been since the end of the Interstellar War was hammered home; the Alliance erupted with massive civil unrest and began to collapse. Then Prime Minister Frost was assassinated within a day, supposedly by a Zavodskoi Interstellar Kill Team - though the corporation never faced any punishment for it - and in desperation what remained of the Alliance's civilian government ordered the abandonment of all space outside of the Core Worlds, a region of space centered on Sol itself. However, many fleets disobeyed this order, setting up statelets as Warlords within former Solarian Territory which would come to be labeled the Human Wildlands, a home to anarchy and limited governance.

However, one fleet that disobeyed the order to retreat did not set up a warlord state immediately, and instead burned hard towards Tau Ceti with it's phoron deposits; intending to invade with the goal of securing the phoron the Alliance needed. This was the 35th Fleet, under the command of Admiral Ozdemir, and in response the formation of the SCC, or Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, was announced by Miranda Trasen, CEO of NanoTrasen, to much fanfare; comprising all the megacorporations of the Orion Spur except Einstein Engines, the SCC is perhaps the single most powerful entity in the Spur with Miranda Trasen at it's head. Behind that fanfare and celebration though, the concerning reality is that Miranda Trasen used her power and influence to force, bribe, sway, and bully all the other megacorporations, except one Einstein Engines, to cooperate under a single banner with NanoTrasen on top for years before the 35th's invasion, secretly forming the SCC in 2458. Nothing is known about the decision to go public. While it certainly helped by providing weaponry, and ships, to put the final nail in the 35th's coffin with a phoron WMD, the 35th was only beaten with help from the rest of the Spur, primarily Elyra and the Coalition of Colonies, who sent large expeditionary forces to the Republic as allies. After their defeat, the 35th set up a statelet like so many other Warlords within the Human Wildlands, a fascistic and genocidal one known as the Solarian Restoration Front. The Republic, Coalition, and Elyra meanwhile expanded their borders in the power vacuum left by the Alliance's retreat, taking in planets that had been abandoned by the Alliance. As for what remained of the Alliance proper, the civilian government who ordered the retreat would go on to cede power to a temporary Military Junta, established to restore stability and control both in the core worlds and the Human Wildlands, with the promise that once this had been achieved new elections would be held, transferring power back into the hands of a democratically elected civilian government - which they would eventually fulfil their promise on, in 2467.

It is in this way that the status quo of almost a century was shattered, and the pieces are still being picked up.

Megacorporation

Overview

Stellar Corporate Conglomerate ‘The unbreakable chainlink, holding the Spur together.’

A tenuous alliance between eight megacorporations, the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate is a giant on the Spur's stage, with access to the immense resources and influence of each of the members beneath its shell. Originally firmly under the control of NanoTrasen Corporation, currently the megacorporations under the Chainlink now grapple for control behind closed doors, each with their own interests to push for the Conglomerate to coordinate efforts and resources towards. Aboard the Horizon, the SCC fills the majority of its positions with staff loaned from member megacorporations of the Chainlink, who hold dual contracts with their original company and the SCC. These contracted employees are employed in Command and Command Support.

Period of Rebuilding

Since the cataclysmic events of 2462, the Spur had undergone tremendous changes, the most notable of which occurred within the once small Republic of Biesel. Following the collapse of the alliance which left many planets close to Tau Ceti unsupported, the small republic offered its assistance in exchange for these planets joining it. In this way the nation which used to be a single system came to take control over vast swathes of what was previously the Soalarian Outer Ring, including planets such as Mictlan and Port Antillia. However many of the people on these planets, Mictlan especially, felt betrayed by their planetary government, as they believed the possibility of independence a larger boon than whatever assistance the Republic could offer. When the Corporate Reconstruction Zone (CRZ) was announced, comprising all territory outside of Tau Ceti's gravity well, this discontent turned to violence as terrorists and revolutionaries began to fight back against the Republic. The planet that would see the worst of this violence would be Mictlan, where continuing incidents would force the republic to declare the planet under martial law and deploy the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion (TCFL). Their main opposition was two groups, the Founding Movement was a former political organization that turned to terrorism to try and throw off the Republic formerly led by Isabel Alvarez before her death at the hands of a lynch mob in 2466. They are mostly known for their bombing campaigns across Mictlan, the most notable of which is the bombing of Valtas Square, located directly in front of the Mictlan Defense Forces Headquarters, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds. The Samaritans, on the other hand, were a paramilitary organization originally formed by deserters from the Mictlani Defense Force, led by Xiomara Salvo, who waged a guerilla war against the forces of the Republic directly.

However, the deployment of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion did little to stop the violence gripping the planet, resulting in the formation of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces (TCAF), a fully professional military force compared to the part-time volunteer force that was the Foreign Legion. Many bills were passed in an attempt to give the new armed forces the tools they needed to defeat the insurrectionists, however, nothing worked. Violence continued to grip Mictlan until the failed gamble known as Operation Jakali in 2466 and facing mounting civil unrest in Tau Ceti itself over the continued military occupation of Mictlan that the violence finally ended with a peace deal signed between the Samaritans (as at this point the founding movement had collapsed) and the Republic of Biesel/Mictlani government. All members of the Samaritans were pardoned on parole, and now the planet of Mictlan is finally at peace for the first time in many years.

Yet Mictlan was not the only place to experience violence within the CRZ. In the South within the region known as Valley Hale, the SCC discovered something that would help to stave off the scarcity for a time; the asteroid that would come to be known as Orchard Moon. A large deposit of Phoron, it was located right on the border between the Serene Republic of Elyra, which resulted in a border dispute between the two nations, which the Horizon played a pivotal role in. The result of that dispute was Orchard Moon remaining within Biesel territory, only to then for the newly built mining installations to be attacked by remanents from the Southern Fleet Administration (SFA), pirates out of the southern wildlands.

Over in the Alliance, the state turned inwards and began to focus on consolidating its new, nationalized industry, with Einstein Engines padding out more specialist industries, and began the slow effort to return the Alliance's government to the hands of the people. The embers of populism were now beginning to be stoked with the promise of a civilian government. The Alliance's inward eye, however, left certain Warlord states bold, and their supporters within the Alliance's military structure even bolder. After their defeat at Tau Ceti, the 35th Fleet fled to the human wildlands, establishing a warlord state known as the Solarian Restoration Front (SRF); a fascistic, genocidal, and ultranationalist group who had the aim of purging the Alliance, and then the Spur, of alien taint. IMPORTANT NOTE: PLAYING A CURRENT OR FORMER MEMBER, AFFILIATE, SYMPATHIZER, OR SUPPORTER OF THE SOLARIAN RESTORATION FRONT (SRF) IS ENTIRELY BANNED. THIS IS ENFORCEABLE BY MODERATION STAFF. That said - due to the reign of Prime Minister Frost, a fascistic strongman himself, the Alliance's remaining fleets in the core worlds were still infested with SRF supporters alongside more mundane corruption, all of which saw supplies be consistently funneled to the warlord state. After decades of dealing with caeserism and corruption within the navy, the alliance's junta began to take drastic steps, and alongside planned naval reforms, initiated a full scale purge; relieving, arresting, and in a very small amount of cases, even executing, anyone in the Navy involved with the SRF - though some supporters caught wind of the incoming purges, and fled with their fleets to join the SRF. With its link of support cut off, the SRF began to move quickly, and, at the start of 2465, would attack the Middle Ring Shield Pact, which if they could conquer, would give them a significantly better chance against the Alliance Proper. The SRF launched a full-scale invasion on San Colette, the capital of the shield pact, with fighting so brutal many have since dubbed it the Second Solarian Civil War. After weeks of hard fighting, with an act that sent a message across the Spur, the Alliance Navy itself intervened, launching an invasion of the Restoration Front, and reinforcing the exhausted defenders of San Collette. This would be the beginning of the process that would see the reintegration of the Warlord states into the fold of the Alliance-proper, as the SRF - the warlord with the most power militarily - was smashed as their fools gambit fell apart around them. The Southern and Northern Reconstruction Mandates were established in what was once the Human Wildlands by the Alliance, and they've begun to rebuild the damage caused over the past five years.

Two new megacorporations also sore their rise in this period: the Private Military Contracting Group (PMCG), which created a shortlist of vetted private military companies that were approved to work with the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate (later, a trusted source for other bidders in need of guns) and Orion Express (OE), the solution to the Chainlink's growing logistical woes amid the phoron scarcity and their steady expansion.

Megacorporation	Overview
Private Military Contracting Group ‘Always on guard, always on watch.’	An amalgamation of private military companies of variable backgrounds, styles, and characters that have been permitted to work with the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. The Private Military Contracting Group was established to provide a point of contact for the Chainlink and its subsidiary corporations to be able to browse more trusted PMCs, a service that has since been rolled out to the public. No military contractor from the PMCG is the same due to the varied groups that have been permitted to work with the SCC. Aboard the Horizon, PMCG employees are employed in Medical and Security.
Orion Express ‘Faster than light.’	Blink and you'll miss them, Orion Express is a fledgling megacorporation whose freighters and mobile stations zip around to ensure corporate supply needs are met around the Spur. Having secured a stable footing, Orion Express now lends its various services to the rest of the Spur, with speed and convenience owing a premium - fast deliveries, fast mail, fast food, and fast mining. New on the scene, Orion Express has very low hiring standards to keep its workforce bolstered, making for a great foot in the door to a megacorporate job for those young or with gritty pasts. Aboard the Horizon, Orion employees are employed in Operations and Service.

The Contemporary Spur

Now we're in the current setting. The year is 2467 CE (Common Era), and the Orion Spur stands on the edge of a new age. The worst of the phoron scarcity seems to be receding for now, though instability and uncertainty persist. Through the cooperation of its constituent corporations, the SCC controls all but a sliver of economic productivity, and so long as they continue to cooperate little can be done to change this. However cracks are already starting to show, and the SCC's members are at best, semi-unified and continue to quarrel amongst themselves, looking out for their interests first. Hephaestus Industries – after years of careful planning – have acquired what even NanoTrasen struggled to seize after forcing the Alliance to allow Biesel’s secession: the monopoly over an entire nation in the Izweski Hegemony, to the alarm of all the other SCC members, who revised their approach to Hephaestus to ensure they do not gain too much power, with rumors of megacorporate backing for the Trinary Perfectionist attack on Burszia; but there is no rumor more likely then the ones circulating Zavodskoi Interstellar, already bitter rivals with the Industrial Titan, who have recently been accused of hiring pirates to attack Hephaestus assets, alongside supplying anti-Hephaestus terrorist groups within the Izweski Hegemony. The relationships on which the SCC depends are tenuous ones, only held together by Miranda Trasen using every tactic she can think of; assurance of mutual profit, NanoTrasen's power, a healthy amount of fear, political corruption, bullying, threats, bribery, blackmail, corporate espionage, the occasional convenient death, and masterfully playing the constituent corporations against each other. Through all these tactics she manages to just hold it together, and the power it gives her makes her one of, if not the most, powerful individual in the entire Spur; though only time will tell how long she can continue to hold the conglomerate together, maintaining her position.

Our medium into this world is the SCCV Horizon, and due to it being a mobile ship, the setting to which players have access stretches across the entirety of the Orion Spur. The Horizon is under the joint control of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate; with you, among others, having been assigned to work aboard the Horizon. Its a state-of-the-art general-purpose vessel that travels across the Orion Spur with the primary objective of uncovering Phoron, however, secondary objectives exist at the whim of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, and it's constituent corporations. Due to the SCC operating the Horizon, they have the final say on Occupation Qualifications - many jobs will have specific qualifications that can be found on their job pages, however in addition the baseline qualifications to work aboard the Horizon can be found here: Stellar Corporate Conglomerate Occupation Qualifications. More can be read about your place in the workplace below!

Your Place in the Workplace

All players including staff are subject to the believable character rule. More details on that rule can be found in the server rules, found here.

With this said, your place in the workplace is extremely flexible. It would not be a stretch to say you can be whatever you want on the Aurora server, within reason. Get creative! The possibilities are endless, and storied lore backgrounds are always here to help guide character creation.

Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, your binding rules are generally things such as being related to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and being aboard the SCCV Horizon legally. Opportunities to subvert even these rules are available but are not the same as player characters made from character setup unless exclusively permitted by staff. More details on these exceptions can be found on the Guide to Ghost Roles page! Not recommended to go there immediately if this is your first read through.

The vast majority of characters on the server are employees of the corporations beneath the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. These individuals come in all shapes and sizes, with all of them sharing similar and quite low ranks in the megacorporate hierarchy. Certain ranks are afforded different privileges, such as medical practitioners and corporate security. Playing an official of higher rank is barred behind a whitelist to ensure quality control. Independent individuals or unaffiliated individuals are accessible as well through character setup. These roles include megacorporate-unaffiliated journalists, passengers, and third-party vessel teams who have found their way to the setting somehow. Not recommended to go there immediately if this is your first read through.

As for our factions - after the disaster that was the Peacekeeper Mandate, President Dorn was voted out of office and replaced with the Independent Ake Torvald - a former intelligence agent who beat the odds, and proved that though it may be a façade democracy, the Republic is still a democracy. While Miranda Trasen and NanoTrasen still hold enormous influence over him, and the government of Biesel as a whole, Torvald has more freedom than Dorn ever had; though the man is an enigma, so what he plans to do with that freedom is something that can only be guessed at.

After the establishment of the Reconstruction Mandates, the military junta which had ruled Sol since the collapse made good on their word, hosting free and fair elections for a new Prime Minister, and relinquishing power. The winner of the election would be one Hendrik Strom, a man known for supporting the infamous Tajara bans, but who now has a monumental the task ahead of him; to not only put his fractured nation back together, but to rebuild it's reputation in the eyes of the wider galactic community.

The Coalition though, continues to lumber on, with it's members still bickering amongst themselves; a multiheaded hydra that can never agree on anything. Time will tell if the coalition will become something more than the loose defensive alliance it currently is, or if it will continue as it has been since the end of the Interstellar War.

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And that's everything! Kinda. Bear in mind this is a summary - a good one - but still a summary that is condensing seven plus years of active IC development into something that is hopefully readable in 30 minutes. There may have been points where things were seemingly randomly brought up, but the goal here again is to summarize while still keeping it coherent - we don't need to go in-depth with who Frost was, or any specifics - it takes up more words than it's worth. Information like that isn't necessary for a summary like this, we want something people can quickly read then be able to immediately hop in game. Speaking of hopping in game - up next is character creation! Below are the three recommended starter planets for newer players - with a comment on how much additional reading beyond this summary is likely to happen. If you wish to read more about the setting, below the bolded line are short descriptions of all the species in the Spur, then all the factions in the Spur; and then below that the "Lore Navbox" if you want to check out anything specific. It is highly advised to join the lore discord that can be found here, as it's where we announce ongoing developments, and where writers are most active incase you have any questions or need help with something. If you don't wish to do that, lore writers are the ones with purple names on the main discord, so ping anyone of us and we'll help you out if we can, or point you in the right direction if we can't. We look forward to seeing you on the server!

Recommended Starter Planets

Callisto - Callisto is a settled moon in orbit of Jupiter, and the most populated of the Jovian moons. It is the Alliance's single largest port, a feat accomplished by the massive Warp Gate Network it has in orbit, which was originally designed back in the late 2300s. Since then Callisto has been a hub of commerce, and is the de-facto port for the entire Sol system, one of the richest and most populated systems in the entire spur. As a result, Callisto is dominated by sprawling urban topography, and is one of the most developed planets in the alliance. The culture of both the planet as a whole and the individual districts is very easy to pick up, and the page as a whole is fairly short. If you want to read the least amount, this is the planet for you.

Biesel - Biesel is a temperate, oxygen-rich planet colonised in the mid-2100s, therefore making it one of the first. It is the capital of the Republic of Biesel and of the Tau Ceti system in general. One of the most populated planets in the Orion Spur, Biesel is one of the economic hearts of the known galaxy and boasts a large amount of urban development and resource richness - primarily in Phoron. It is also where the influence of NanoTrasen and the SCC is at it's strongest. The issue is, as it was also our setting for five-ish years, so alot of development occurred with it. If you're interested in reading a fair amount of lore, love façade democracy, and also spreading the light of liberty, then this is the planet for you.

Xanu Prime - The shimmering and vibrant planet of Xanu Prime (pronounced Ksa-noo), is the beating heart of the Coalition of Colonies. In nearly all ways, economic, political, and cultural, Xanu Prime holds almost unmatched influence over the rest of the Coalition. It is a cosmopolitan and multicultural hub where nearly anyone from across the Orion Spur can be found, a cornerstone not just in the Coalition but in the galactic community as a whole, and home to a thriving culture and democratic tradition which, along with the dedication and hard work of its citizens, has cemented its position of leadership and wealth which it currently enjoys. The primary page also tops out as the second longest page on the wiki, and it's one of three. If you're interested in super indepth lore, reading a ton, the frontier spirit, and multiculturalism, pick Xanu Prime.

From this point, you are again encouraged to move onto Guides/Character Creation provided you're at a loss for what to do.

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Alien Species of Aurora

These are the non-human species of our setting, and all require a specific species whitelist to play. Species whitelists can be applied for here(hyperlink). Given that these species are behind a whitelist, for the purposes of this summary we will not be going into depth with them, something something something. To do; Edit all the entries to be of equal length and add a "if you wish to read more, about this species click here(hyperlink to species page)" to all entries. Do in template.

Skrell

An amphibian race hailing from Nralakk IV, Qerrbalak.

An amphibious species whose passion mostly lays in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the second oldest and first most advanced known species present on the galactic stage. The Skrell evolved on a planet covered in vast swamps and freshwater seas, also being one of the only species in the Orion Spur to naturally develop psionics. Their history is defined by Glorsh-Omega, a singularity level intelligence that enslaved the Skrell, before eventually being destroyed. As a result, almost all skrell deeply distrust synthetic lifeforms, for unlike humans, skrell live incredibly longer; you may encounter a skrell aboard the Horizon who was born before the terror of Glorsh-Omega, over five centuries ago. Their primary faction is the Nrallak Federation.

Unathi

A reptilian race hailing from Moghes.

The cold-blooded Unathi are a race of tall humanoid reptiles from their war-torn homeworld of Moghes. The planet’s history can be summarized as being dominated by various Clans of Unathi, with the strongest being the Hegemon of Moghes. Following first contact with Skrell and Humanity, there was a violent outbreak of nuclear war that formed a vast, almost world-dominating desert called the Wasteland. Currently the dominate clan is the Izweski Clan, under Hegemon Not'zar. Grandiose and Space-Operatic, the themes behind Unathi follow the struggle of religion, spirituality, honor, and rigid gender roles. Their primary faction is the Izweski Hegemony.

Tajara

A feline-like race hailing from Adhomai.

The Tajaran race is a species of feline-like bipeds hailing from the planet of Adhomai in the S'rand'marr system. They have been brought up into the space age by the Humans and Skrell, who alledgedly influenced their eventual revolution that overthrew their ancient monarchies to become a totalitarian - and NanoTrasen friendly - republic. Adhomai is currently under a cold war between three factions in the aftermath of a global conflict, and many Tajara are fleeing their homeworld to seek safety and employment in human space. Their three primary factions are the People's Republic of Adhomai, the Democractic People's Republic of Adhomai, and the New Kingdom of Adhomai.

Vaurca (Vaurcae)

An insectoid race hailing from Sedantis I.

The mostly bipedal, insectoid creatures hailing from the moon known as Sedantis I, Vaurca (Vaurca singular and Vaurcae multiple), were discovered after the first Hiveship contact in human space, 2456. They once had access to great technology, however they had to flee their doomed homeworld. They have a complex caste system based on three types, and use something known as the Hivenet to communicate in thoughts and feelings near instantly between themselves, and enter a paradisiacal virtual reality. They require phoron to respirate, as well as requiring a unique and dangerous fungus, the k’ois spore, to sustain them. Although barely tolerated in the known galaxy, many have found homes in the more unkempt areas of their host’s society. There are four known Hives, which also act as the races primary factions - Zo’ra, K’lax, C’thur, and Lii’dra. The largest, and most common hive in Tau Ceti is the Zo'ra hive. The Lii’dra, unique in that they are a true hivemind, are known as a powerful and secretive force and are hostile to most other entities known - including the other Hives.

Dionae

A mysterious fungus-like race hailing from the depths of space.

Dionae (D. Primis) are a rather strange, cryptic species in comparison to the rest found in the Orion Spur. They have various forms comprised of cat-sized caterpillar-like creatures with a curious, childlike disposition - called Dionae Nymphs. Enigmatic witnesses to various events through the centuries, the Dionae are an inquisitive species with a pacifistic disposition after gaining sentience. Their origins, behaviour and functions are never alike - with each being as unique as the next. The Dionae are capable of great intellectual, biological and physical feats going above and beyond what was considered possible for millennia. Dionae are a type of fungus, however, they primarily survive off of the electromagnetic spectrum coinciding with a diet of biological matter to supplement their growth. Their inability to adapt to survive without lack of radiation can lead to death, if not exposed to at least efficient lighting. Dionae have been seen across the Orion Spur, each with a unique history and personality. Their primary faction is The Commonwealth of Hieroaetheria.

IPC|Integrated Positronic Chassis (IPC)

Robotic entities making use of Positronic brains to match sentience, to a degree.

An Integrated Positronic Chassis, or IPC, is an artificial intelligence inside of a bipedal, humanoid frame. IPCs are primarily characterized by their autonomy, not being bound to a master AI or set of laws. Often built to carry out a single, career-related purpose, they come in many different chassis, with varying degrees of intelligence. Within known space, their existence is a contentious topic with IPCs being seen as property or second-class citizens, undeserving of the rights other species possess. Due to the nature of how they came into existence, IPCs don't really have a primary faction(s); however in recent times, the closest is the nation of Pactolus,

Synthetics, more generally

Robots in the galaxy, endlessly diverse.

The term “synthetic” refers to a broad range of autonomous machinery. Dabbled with, first by the ancient skrell, and now humanity, synthetics can be classified primarily by the method of their intelligence. Onboard the Horizon, most synthetics that are not IPCs - with the exception of the AI - are run off of an MMI. MMI's were created in the late twenty-second century, a way to accomplish full body prosthesis and originally used as a method of punishment for hard criminals. Labelled “Cyborgification” in a corporate environment, the act of full body prosthesis is generally avoided by NT with exceptions of the previously mentioned hard criminals. It is not in good practice to borgify someone simply because they lack a Do Not Borgify in their records, and such could be considered neglect of duty and malpractice. Cyborgification is by no means revival - the majority of cultures see it as destroying what little identity an individual may have had in death, turning their brain merely into processing power. As such, the act is heavily frowned upon outside of dire circumstances - such as those in the crew found guilty of extreme crimes such as terrorism, murder, and mutiny.

Major Factions

These are the dominant political players in the Orion Spur that are relevant to you, the player. Any of these factions can be utilized in backstories or as origins for characters - go crazy!

Important note : These factions are only the key players in the setting. Nothing stops you from making up your own origin wherever you'd like, so long as it does not contest standing lore's canon. When in doubt, ask a lore writer!

Republic of Biesel

The core location of the setting itself. A bastion of prosperity amidst chaos.

The Republic of Biesel is an independent system within the core of Human space. It is heavily tied to the NanoTrasen corporation at every level of government, and may as well be considered as governed by it to begin with. The Republic of Biesel is the government of the Tau Ceti System, exercising authority over Biesel, New Gibson and all other settlements and installations within Tau Ceti's gravity well. It is one of the most populated systems in human space, a financial center, industrial powerhouse and one of the most prestigious systems in the galaxy. However, unrest and gridlock undermine the government, and the aggressive attitude of the Sol Alliance against its former system has made many worried of the future of the Republic. Tau Ceti is far from the limit of the Republic's boundaries, as the recent addition (post-2462) of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone have led to its size growing immensely. The CRZ, or the Zone, consists of hundreds of once-Solarian worlds which had no choice but to fall under the Republic's banner - or face the horrors of the galaxy alone - after their supply lines and defenses were cut off by the collapsing or defecting military.

Sol Alliance

A crumbling giant whose golden age has long passed.

Formerly the most populated singular government entity in known space, the Solarian Alliance was the first trans-stellar Human factions, though in recent years it has fallen on hard times. While its reign formerly consisted of nearly a quarter of charted space in a growing sphere around Earth, it has now diminished significantly in size. Those forces still loyal to the Alliance recently retreated to the "Jewel Worlds," a region of space where its most strategically vital assets lay, not to mention it's capital in orbit above Earth. As the Alliance has already been discussed in depth in the above summary, we will not be going into it here again. Suffice to say, the government and Einstein Engines now stand as fierce opposition to the growing Stellar Corporate Conglomerate whose power contests them.

Coalition of Colonies

Freedom and independence embodied on an interstellar scale.

The loosely confederated Coalition of Colonies is the largest power in the frontier, and possibly the most populous entity in the Orion Spur. Splitting off from the Solarian Alliance after the Interstellar War, and covers several regions with its utterly tremendous borders. The systems of the Coalition, as a collective, greatly value their independence and freedom; however sometimes that freedom means, in the case of a planet like Gadpathur, being a fully militarized state. A few powerful systems dominate the politics of the Frontier, primarily Xanu Prime - the official capital of it all. Many of those in the Coalition of Colonies harbor distrust of the Sol Alliance even after the end of the Interstellar War. In recent times, the Coalition has conquered a huge amount of territories, the tremendous Alliance Neutral Zone - a DMZ established after the Interstellar War - no longer exists, and has since been deemed Coalition territory.

Republic of Elyra

Glistening utopian city-scapes and technological might.

The Republic of Elyra, or its more official name, The Serene Republic of Elyra, is a bustling, somewhat isolationist independent power in the Badlands. It is made up of multiple star systems, with its capital in the highly developed technological planet of Perispolis. It is known for its blending of traditional culture with contemporary technologies, creating a unique society where one can witness the use of cutting edge technology, while the expectation of conforming to societal expectations ever present. For those who go against the grain, social ostracization the result. Given that Elyra is one of the only three factions in the Orion Spur which innately possess phoron deposits of any sort, in the midsts of the scarcity they have become even further isolationist.

Empire of Dominia

Religious pride in the Emperor and country.

A heavily religious absolute monarchy, the Empire of Dominia hails from the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta system, where the capital of the empire, Nova Luxemburg can be found. It is an autocratic state is ruled by His Imperial Majesty Boleslaw Keeser. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by then-Emperor Godwin Keeser, unifying a colony which had been isolated for hundreds of years. Now almost a century later, Imperial society is dominated by the Imperial Nobility under the Emperor and is very socio-economically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al.

Eridani Federation

Corporation-dominated hell, personified through a terrible societal split.

Eridani, or the Eridani Corporate Federation, is an oligarchic republic in the Epsilon Eridani system dominated entirely by a council of mega-corporations that seek profit and expansion at any cost. The Corporate Federation is known as one of the core economic powers of Solarian space, and is technically under Solarian supervision - though the true extent of this is up for debate. Corporations, in reality, rule the gloomy landscapes of the Corporate Federation’s worlds. Its citizens are called Eridanians. Eridanians are famed for their vicious treatment of one another, distinguishing between two primary classes ; Dregs, and Suits - who in effect represent a fine line between poverty and wealth.

The Free Frontier

Whatever you want. Really.

The frontier consists of all space unclaimed by one of the major interstellar powers. The population of the frontier is difficult to estimate, but conservative guesses place it between 25 and 50 billion. The government, technological development, economy, and social systems of these independent systems vary wildly. Piracy, corporate exploitation, and smuggling are commonplace throughout the frontier. People hailing from these areas, known as frontiersmen, are known for their rugged independence and distrust of megacorporations and government alike.

Nralakk Federation

An higher-up galactic player, authoritarian in its nature.

The Nralakk Federation is a centralized union of systems, ran by councilors representing Skrell interests in a clear hierarchy. Although humans have fractured heavily in their expansion, Skrell have remained in largely a singular government through strict reinforcement of education and laws, working as a democratic meritocracy. Social media is maintained by the Federation government, who gag unacceptable discussions or thoughts and instead encourage people to be like the Idols that they reward with credits, high quality housing, and fine living.

Izweski Hegemon

The proud Unathi Hegemony in all its glory.

The Izweski Hegemony, is the primary Unathi nation of the Orion Spur - a feudal empire in the Badlands ruled by a monarch known as the Hegemon, currently Hegemon Not'zar, of the Izweski Clan. The nation is made up of hundreds of land-owning noble clans and their vassals, of which a few dozen are major influencers in the Hegemon's politics; moreover, any could take the Hegemon's seat at any time, for the Hegemony is founded on the principal that might makes right. The Hegemony is new to the interstellar stage, and has suffered from various growing pains as it attempts to expand into a Spur dominated by humans and Skrell while attempting to resolve the ongoing ecological collapse of their homeworld caused by the devastation of the contact war.

People's Republic of Adhomai

The most powerful and first space-faring state in Adhomai.

Led by President Njadrasanukii Hadii, the People’s Republic of Adhomai are considered the 'loyalist' faction on Adhomai and once enjoyed galactic recognition as the government of Adhomai. It claims to be the true keeper of Al’mari’s legacy. However, the PRA can be described as a Hadiist branch of Al’marii’s revolutionary ideology - that means putting the State at the top of a hierarchy of power. The PRA is a very centralized state, but in recent years has slowly been able to start making true its promises to bring revolution to the masses. With land reform, enfranchisement of women and peasantry, literacy initiatives, and the collectivization of farms and the means of production, the PRA is struggling to hold true to its radical ideals while an entrenched upper party stubbornly tries to hold onto power.