New Player Lore Guide

The year is 2456 C.E. (Common Era), and since the late 21st century, Humanity has been spreading out among the stars. Leaving behind their ecologically devastated homeworld of Earth, humans proliferated throughout space, expanding thousands of light-years in all directions, united under the banner of the Sol Union. After a century, major population and trading hubs had been established in the nearby systems of Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, and in the centuries that would follow, dozens more systems would fall under the control of humanity, with Earth-analogs being colonized immediately, and planets initially hostile to life being terraformed within spans of a few years to fit the needs of human colonists.

At the end of the 24th century, the power and influence of the Sol Union was at its height, but with the advent of the 25th century, the power of humanity's central government began to wane. Rebellions began to take hold in all corners of human space, from mining colonies to terraforming facilities, to planetary colonies and to orbital installations. Scores of smaller governments, far-removed from the central Union hubs of Sol, Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani began to break away and declare sovereignty for themselves.

In the wake of these rebellions, the Union of Sol engaged in long and bloody civil wars on all fronts, seeking to subjugate the rebellious colonies once again. However, as morale, manpower and resources dwindled, the leaders of the Sol Union decided to begin granting sovereignty to various colonies and even star systems under the control of particularly powerful or united rogue governments. And so, with the decline of the Union, the scores of rogue states began their ascension to power in the galactic stage.

Humanity is not alone in this vast sea of stars. For a little over a century, humanity has been aware of the existence of alien races, and has forged alliances with several species that have lasted through the decades since. The proud Skrell, the reverent Tajara, the warlike Unathi and neutral Dionaea are but a few of the races of this extremely diverse galaxy. Many more exist, and while most are simply apathetic to this alliance, others are openly hostile.

This age is one of progress, of war, of death, and more importantly, of mankind.

The Frontier

Welcome to Tau Ceti, a star system approximately 12 light-years away from Sol, under the joint control of the Planetary Republic of Biesel and the trans-stellar corporate conglomerate Nanotrasen. You have been assigned to work aboard the NSS Aurora, a state-of-the-art research and mining facility orbiting Tau Ceti within the Romanovich Cloud at the very edge of the system.

After the discovery of a substance known as Plasma in this system enabled humanity to expand outward into the galaxy nearly three centuries ago, hundreds of small companies and mining operations popped up all over Tau Ceti. These companies would ally themselves and form conglomerates to drive the others out of business, and would sometimes hire mercenary armies and engage in open hostilities against each other. Nanotrasen, at the time a fledgeling corporation specializing in biotech research, was able to achieve a near monopoly over the rights to mine the substance in the Tau Ceti system through a combination of shrewd political and economic maneuvers, and occasionally through precision military action. Since then the company has actively sought out plasma deposits in newly colonized star systems, exchanging the rights to mine the substance for materials and resources needed by these new colonies to expand and thrive. By controlling Plasma, Nanotrasen controls the fuel source used by nearly all of humanity, allowing the company to become the most powerful to ever exist in human history.

The most common currency in Human space is the Union of Sol credit, which is created and minted by the Union of Sol and it’s constituent territories. It is represented by Cr (as in 5,000Cr). While technology is relatively advanced living standards in some areas of the frontier are deplorable, some colonies even exist in a purely agricultural state, completely incapable of reaching off-world.

Gettin' Paid

Tau Ceti, since its’ transfer to NanoTrasen control, has essentially been transformed into NanoTrasen's private playground in the safe zone. However, N.T. HQ is far in the depths of the colonies and as such, direct control of their fief is nigh impossible. Full background checks are  unlikely to turn up much, even with Union assistance as many flood into the trade zone from the barely governed frontier colonies. This byzantine situation has allowed many unsuitable individuals into high positions as loyalty in this realm is "by your word" and promotions come quick to those who prove capable.

Titans among the Stars

Humanity

• Home System: Sol
• Homeworld: Earth
• Majority Languages: Tau Ceti Basic, Sol Common
• Capital of largest Entity: New Geneva, Earth - Sol

Humanity, the children of Sol or whatever you wish to call them.  Are the most prevalent species in known space, with more territory under their control than all other known species combined.  They are the owners of most transstellar corporations and are generally noted as the most common species in explored space.  Disunited and warring, few meaningful terms can used to describe the species as a whole.

Humanity has largely gotten over its problem regarding sexism by this age, with females being seen as equals to males, though some pockets of stubbornness remain.

Skrell

• Home System: Jargon (Nralakk)
• Homeworld: Jargon IV(Qerrbalak)
• Majority Languages: Skrellian, Tau Ceti Basic
• Capital of Largest entity: Subrellek, Qerrbalak, - Nralakk

An amphibious species whose passion lies in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the oldest and most advanced species present on the N.S.S. Aurora. Their world is covered from pole to pole in massive swamps, bogs and the occasional jungle. A world where their amphibious qualities are quite well used. Gender is meaningless to the Skrell, as they don't have an attachment to sexuality as Humanity does. Simply being another task taken to ensure the production of children.

While Humanity has largely overtaken the Skrell in the realm of colonization, the Skrell maintain a strong confederation of colonies roughly 3/4th the size of the Sol safe zone, making them one of the largest entities in known space.

Unathi

• Home System: Uueoa-Esa
• Homeworld: Moghes
• Majority Languages: Sinta Unathi
• Capital of Largest Entity: Yuesea, Moghes, - Uueoa-Esa

The fierce and warlike Unathi are a reptilian race, a relative newcomer to the stars. Unlike all other known species, the Unathi are not the first species to live upon their world, before them came a more advanced race that plunged their jungle world into nuclear fire and turned it into the desert world it is today.

Unathi have strict gender lines which are well defined and breaking them is highly taboo. Leading to the most sexist society of any known species.

The Unathi are least advanced of all known species, barely capable of reaching orbit, let alone colonizing another world due to their fractured status and infighting.

Tajara

• Home system: S'randarr
• Home world: Adhomai
• Majority Languages: Siik'maas, Siik'Tajir
• Capital of largest entity: Hadii'Tamij, Adhomai - S'randarr

The newest species to the stars to be employed upon N.S.S. Aurora, the Tajara are a species fresh out of bondage. Until very recently the species was enslaved by their own leaders and only escaped with support from Human transtellars and empires. They are a felinoid species from the cold world of Adhomai in the S'randarr system.

Their world in the past was generally quite rich minerally and culturally, but decades of slavery destroyed both of those as education was eliminated and entire clans destroyed, and entire mountain ranges excavated to fuel the Overseer regime.

Both sexes fought equally in the revolt against Overseer oppression, which has earned the females who were previously somewhat oppressed to be elevated to equal in Tajaran society.

Dionaea

• Home System: Epsilon Ursae Minoris

The dionaea are a stellar oddity of sorts, each "individual" in-fact being a collective of omnivorous, extremely slow metabolism plant like creatures that in themselves are clusters of smaller organisms. This race is rather odd as they express a great degree of flexibility in their structure, capable of assuming hundreds of shapes and sizes. From an individual nymph to giant "hives" in space consisting of thousands of nymphs. They were discovered in orbit of a trinary star system by Skrell explorers in 2294, which made it nigh impossible to contact them due to this hostile environment.

Dionaea are asexual as they spread via seeds. And when in their early "nymph" state, they are known to take blood samples of nearby creatures in-order to evolve and learn quicker than they would without such samples. As they and the Skrell have the closest relationship, it is not totally unknown for Skrellian civilian explorers to travel in habitat modules encased in a dionaea gestalt. With these craft, they spread their warbly call across the cosmos.

Introduced to Humanity by the Skrell, the Dionaea enjoy warm relations with the vast majority of Human empires and governments.

IPC

Integrated Positronic Chassis, or IPCs for short, are a recently created artificial species, engineered and designed by roboticists at Nanotrasen Corporation.  They have existed for roughly the last twenty years and have only in the last five or so gained any rights or privileges. After working long and hard in corporate service, and after amassing a large stock of credits, an individual IPC is allowed to purchase itself and buy itself to freedom.

Gender is pointless to IPCs, though some can and do prefer a certain pronoun to another. Personality quirks can ensure one acts more ‘feminine’ and another more ‘masculine’. The vast majority however are gender neutral and more mechanical in their personality.

IPCs have yet to prove themselves as a "race" and as such, command positions are highly restricted to them. All but the first few models are utterly restricted from command positions, and even these are rare.

Kocasslani

• Home System: Hiisnivi
• Home World:  Sonhadra
• Major Languages: Sini
• Capital of Largest Entity: Niisivis, Sonhadra - Hiisnivi

The newest species in explored space, the Kocasslani are a hostile, zealous race with an intense racial hatred towards the Skrell due to an unfortunate expedition taken into their territory. Evolving alone in a patch of space that is known for being extremely habitable and resource rich by their standards, the Kocasslani regard their sector as literal "heaven" and see any alien presence within as damning.

Gender has a role within Kocasslani caste systems, but it isn't as intense as in Unathi culture. Males are simply seen as being more capable at feats of passion and fury, while women are seen as more fitting for administration or the priesthood. No roles are forbidden to male or female, but social taboos make integration hard.

Kocasslani are utterly hostile and antagonistic towards Humanity, the Skrell and to some extent other races. As such, the only Kocasslani on-station would be exiles, missionaries or explorers.

Important Groups

Transstellar corporations

These corporations are the main entities in the frontier colonies, and to some extent the inner colonies. They are massive corporations founded by private interests who lend out their PMCs, manufacture goods, do research and a plethora of other things. They are privately owned governments, ruling their systems like knights of old, ruling over their fief with little care for those within.

There are a number of major transstellars, all of which are owned by Humans. The eight major ones are Nanotrasen Corporation, Osiris Atmospherics, Einstein Engines, Ward-Takahashi GMB,Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, Hephaestus Industries and Gilthari Exports.

The Empires

The inner colonies are splintered roughly into three dozen empires, each controlling between 1-12 systems and anywhere from a single to dozens of garden worlds. They are fractured nations, belligerent and aggressive towards their neighbors. With living standard generally far below Union of Sol standards as wars have bled their systems dry.

There are three dozen major empires, a handful of these are as follows. The United Colonies of America, The Saris Free Trade Zone, Alliance of Halis, League of Draconis, Raksa Pact, Principality of Caladbolg, Confederation of Elyria,The New British Empire, Suzerainty of Tamil and the Royal Republic of New Oranje.

The Union of Sol

The once central government of all of Humanity, the Union of Sol is now a shadow of their former glory. Though still the most powerful state in Human space, maintaining control over the Sol system and the nearby systems and develoepd worlds within the so-called 'safe zone', until recently the Union was an isolationist state licking their wounds after a series of bitter civil wars tore her systems asunder and forced her to withdraw to her current space.

Her government has recently seen a shift, as the isolationist "Sol" party has been ousted and the new administration has opened the borders to trade, built-up the military and signed a dozen military pacts with inner colonial empires. The overall feeling in the Union is that she's heading on a war path, but with who is the question. A question few seem willing to answer.

Shadows in the Darkness

As previously mentioned, there are those who'd rather not see Nanotrasen turn a profit in the free trade zone. From the former senators of Tau Ceti angry at their removal, rival corporations envious of Nanotrasen's success, the anti-Nanotrasen syndicate and numerous other forces that wish to cripple Nanotrasen's operations.

Traitors

Tau Ceti is a private fief, one completely open to immigration, emigration and trade of any sort. This openness, allows allows individuals of less than honest means to insert themselves into the infrastructure of Nanotrasen and her administration. In the wild-west of Tau Ceti, to the wise N.T. employee, watching your back is a necessity and trust is hard to come by.

The Syndicate

A coalition of less powerful corporations, planetary governments, Private military Groups and even a handful of Sol Senators. The Syndicate is an organization dedicated to the destruction of Nanotrasen to repay the lives they've ruined in their endless hunt for profits. Well trained and equipped, the syndicates' commandos are a force to be reckoned with.

The Vox

An odd species to be sure, the Vox are barely known and even less understood. With no organized government known of, no clear political or military agenda. They're often looked upon as a force of nature, appearing randomly, raiding a colony and vanishing on their lightning fast skipjacks before a response force can arrive. Their raiders, while not the most intelligent are certainly cunning.