.plot.

It is the year 2330. Humanity has left Earth behind and spread among the stars, colonizing a small pocket of the galaxy known as the Settled Systems. However, the pioneering spirit that drove the initial diaspora has long since faded and exploration efforts beyond known space have dimished. Instead, the embers of old animosities by political and private factions have been fanned into flame by the winds of greed. Adding to rising tensions are rampart and usually unchecked piracy across the Settled Systems, with the rise of paramilitary and mercenary organizations continuing to threaten an already fragile balance of power.

.factions.

United Colonies - The United Colonies (abbreviated as UC) is the first interstellar government to have formed in the Settled Systems. It is a centralized republic, and controls the star systems Alpha Centauri, Sol, Toliman, and Wolf. The UC's capital is the city of New Atlantis on the planet Jemison in the Alpha Centauri system which was founded in 2160 ecoming the official capital a year later.

• Constellation is a legendary space exploration organization based in The Lodge in New Atlantis. By 2330, as the drive to explore the galaxy had waned, the Constellation had become a shadow of its former glory and few among the public were aware that it was still active. It was known as “the last group of space explorers”. Constellation is dedicated to answering the question of “What's out there?” It has recently embarked on a quest to find more Artifacts and investigate their origins.
• The UC Vanguard is the civilian fleet of the United Colonies and a branch of the UC Navy. Members of the Vanguard are civilians who use their personal ships to protect the United Colonies and its interests, initially serving in security, logistical, and reconnaissance roles.
• UC System Defense (UC SysDef) is a special division of the UC Navy tasked with eradicating the Crimson Fleet.
• Deimos Staryards Inc is a corporation that manufactures ships and ship modules. Its headquarters is Deimos Staryard, a starstation orbiting the moon Deimos, and it also runs the mining operation within the UC colony of Cydonia on Mars.

Freestar Collective - The Freestar Collective (abbreviated as FC) is the second interstellar government to have formed in the Settled Systems. It is a libertarian confederation, and controls the star systems Cheyenne, Narion, Valo and Volii. The capital of the Freestar Collective is Akila City on planet Akila in the Cheyenne system.

• The Freestar Rangers were formed as an elite protective and investigative force for the citizens of the Collective. The Freestar Rangers operate under the Council's direct authority, and outside of cases assigned to them by Council members, they have wide latitude in deciding what matters to investigate and how they conduct patrols. The head of the Freestar Rangers holds the title of Marshal, while all other members are simply called Rangers. Prospective members are Ranger Deputies until they complete their on-the-job training.
• Ryujin Industries is a megacorporation that offers its products throughout the Settled Systems. Its headquarters is Ryujin Tower, located in the pleasure city of Neon in the Volii system. Ryujin is unknown to involve itself in corporate espionage and focus on undermining Ryujin's competitors and giving the company an edge in the industries it is involved with. Ryujin Industries has a number of subsidiaries across multiple economic sectors such as weapons and ship manufacturing. The company is demonstrated to have an immense amount of influence over the local authorities and the Freestar Collective, allowing them to skirt certain regulations and avoid responsibility for their actions.
• Stroud-Eklund is a major ship manufacturing corporation in the Settled Systems. It is co-owned by Walter Stroud and his wife, Issa Eklund, who both serve as co-CEOs. The company's headquarters is Stroud-Eklund Corporate HQ, which occupies a floor of the Trade Tower in Neon. It also operates the Stroud-Eklund Staryard orbiting Dalvik, the moon of Deepala in the Narion system.

House Va'ruun - House Va'ruun is the third interstellar government to have formed in the Settled Systems. It is a theocracy centered on the worship of a deity called the Great Serpent, and the extent of its territory is unknown. The capital of House Va'ruun is Dazra on planet Va'ruun'kai in Kavnyk system (This location is unknown to the Settled Systems). In 2240, wanting to spread the word of their god, the Great Serpent, House Va'ruun attempted to convert people to their beliefs. A short time after, they ceased their peaceful approach and turned to war called the Serpent's Crusade. After a sucessful UC campaign against it, as well as the death of its leader, House Va'ruun made peace with the Settled Systems. However, almost the entirety of House Va'ruun and its people have withdrew into isolation in deep, uncharted space. Not all in House Va'ruun would accept the peace, however, and desired to finish the Crusade. These individuals would become known as Va'ruun Zealots.

Crimson Fleet - The Crimson Fleet is not a single organized entity, but a loose confederation of individual pirate captains, all organized under the same banner, and under one leader. Its headquarters is The Key, a former United Colonies star station located in the Kryx system. They formed from the Crimson Scar around 2225.

Ecliptic Mercenaries - Ecliptic is a professional mercenary organization that operates throughout the Settled Systems. Ecliptic was once a highly-regarded military contractor that accepted contracts from both the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective. These contracts were usually to provide peacekeeping services in far-flung corners of the Settled Systems where the two great factions could not easily deploy their own military forces. Recently, Ecliptic began abusing their nominal authority to extort money under the pretense of enforcing laws, and this has turned the entire Settled Systems against them, even the Crimson Fleet. The UC and Freestar are both aware that Ecliptic has been overstepping its bounds, but they are reluctant to take any action against the organization because they still have need of their services from time to time.

Watchtower - An organization as clandestine as they come. The word around the settled systems is that they are a hyper-focused on the protection of humanity and will do everything it can to eliminate individuals and factions they deem a threat.

Star-Touched & Starborn - The Star-Touched are individuals who have come in contact with the Artifacts and instead of outwardly dying on contact or having nothing happen at all, a very select few have visions of other galaxies and universes not their own. In the rarest of cases, those that are Star-Touched might manifest some kind of random power or ability. The Starborn are a group of enigmatic beings initially speculated to be extraterrestrial or even supernatural, they are in fact Star-Touched humans (those from other universes as well) who have passed through the Unity, a portal which allows travel between universes that can only be reached when all the pieces of the Artifacts are assembled to create an Armillary. The Starborn do not have any central authority or organization, and they hold differing views of how one can and should access the Artifacts. Starborn are few and far between, and for a long time, the primary target of Watchtower.

Trade Authority - The Trade Authority is the largest and most successful interstellar mercantile organization in the Settled Systems. While the Trade Authority claims to be entirely apolitical and involved only in legal trade and shipping, they have a checkered reputation and are openly suspected of profiteering, theft, and smuggling. However, while the group has been investigated and even brought to trial on occasion, any witnesses to their wrongdoing always end up recanting their testimony.

.locations.

Sol - United Colonies

• Earth (Earth)- Earth has been uninhabitable since 2203, when the planet's magnetosphere collapsed and the atmosphere dissipated into space.‍
• Cydonia (Mars) - Cydonia is a colony on Mars in the Sol system. It is the most important mining settlement in United Colonies territory. The ore that Cydonia produces is heavily used in construction projects across the Settled Systems.
• New Homestead (Titan) - New Homestead is a settlement on Titan, a moon of Saturn in Sol.

Alpha Centauri - United Colonies

• New Atlantis (Jemison) - New Atlantis is the capital city of the United Colonies, located on the planet Jemison in the Alpha Centauri system. New Atlantis was founded on the planet Jemison in 2156, the same year that humans first arrived in the Alpha Centauri system and confirmed that Jemison was a habitable world and suitable for colonization. The original colony was constructed underground on the edge of a plateau, beneath where the first colony ship, the Galileo, made landfall. The site was chosen to take advantage of a natural waterfall to generate hydroelectric power, and in later years, this district would become known as The Well. In 2160, Jemison was determined to be safe enough, and the colony's need for expansion to house evacuees from Earth pressing enough, that construction of residential and commercial structures on the planet's surface was approved and got underway. The United Colonies designated New Atlantis as its capital in 2161. In 2330, New Atlantis is the largest and most populous colony in the Settled Systems. Headquarters of the UC government dominates the skyline, and is flanked by the skyscrapers of the Residential and Commercial districts. The central District includes embassies of the Freestar Collective and House Va'ruun, a sprawling park, and The Lodge, which is the headquarters of the private exploration group Constellation. The Spaceport sits below the city proper at the foot of the cliffs, and is connected to it by the New Atlantis Transit network.‍
• Starstation RE-939 (Voss) - Starstation RE-939 is a United Colonies civilian research star station orbiting Voss in the Alpha Centauri system. It was built by the Military, Administrative and Scientific Triumvirate to conduct research on alien flora and fauna.
• The eye (Jemison) - The Eye is a star station owned and operated by Constellation. It is located in the orbit of Jemison in the Alpha Centauri system and modified to a deep space scanner. Constellation spends a lot of the time maintaining The Eye and scanning the Settled Systems for anomalous signals that signify the presence of Artifacts.

Toliman - United Colonies

• Londinion (Toliman II) - Londinion is an abandoned United Colonies settlement on Toliman II. It was built by the United Colonies around the time of the Colony War and served as a supply hub for the UC's war effort. Tragedy struck when the largest Terrormorph outbreak on record occurred and overwhelmed the city in a matter of hours. To prevent the Terrormorphs from stowing away on evacuating ships and infesting other worlds, UC Fleet Admiral François Sanon ordered the bombing of Londinion's spaceport, which sealed the city off and condemned countless residents to death. In the Colony War's aftermath, Sanon was tried and executed by the UC for this and other actions. Years afterward, the “Terror of Londinion” event continues to be mourned by UC citizens.

Wolf - United Colonies

• The Den - The Den is a United Colonies star station that was built by the UC Navy during the Serpent's Crusade to replace The Old Den after it was destroyed by House Va'ruun. Following the Colony War, the UC Navy turned the station over to the UC Vanguard to be used as an outpost. Vanguards prefer to avoid being assigned to The Den, because the Wolf system sees almost no criminal activity in 2330.

Cheyenne - Freestar Collective

• Akila City (Akila) - Akila City is the capital of the Freestar Collective, located on the planet Akila in the Cheyenne system. It was founded in 2167 and grew into a bustling regional hub, and when its founders engineered an alliance between the Cheyenne and Volii systems, the city was made the capital of Freestar Collective.‍

Valo - Freestar Collective

• HopeTown (Polvo) - HopeTown is an industrial settlement located on the planet Polvo in the Valo system. It is the headquarters of HopeTech. HopeTown was the first permanent colony to be built on Polvo, which up to that point had been left almost completely undeveloped aside from a handful of hard-scrabble farms. The settlement is the headquarters of starship manufacturer HopeTech, as well as the corporation's main production facility and housing for its employees. HopeTech's founder and president manages both the company and the settlement, and holds a seat on the Freestar Collective's Council of Governors.‍

Narion - Freestar Collective

• Niira (Niira) - During the course of the Colony War, the planet Niira, Narion's primary habitable world, suffered extensive environmental damage. The Battle of Niira began with the UC Navy landing an occupation force on the world to use it as a forward operating base. The Freestar Militia responded by launching a series of counterattacks to push the UC troops off Niira. Each of these attacks was rebuffed, but in the process more and more of Niira's surface was reduced to cinders. By the time the war ended, little of Niira remained pristine and it was mostly abandoned. Freestar citizens regard the Battle of Niira as a tragic loss and resent the UC for turning it into a barren wasteland.
• The Clinic (Deepala) - As of 2330, the main attraction in Narion is The Clinic, which still orbits Deepala and has forged a reputation for medical excellence. The Clinic is important enough that its administrator holds a seat on the Freestar Collective's Council of Governors. Ship manufacturer Stroud-Eklund also operates the Stroud-Eklund Staryard in the system.

Volii  - Freestar Collective

• Neon (Volii Alpha) - Neon is a major city located on the aquatic planet Volii Alpha in the Volii system. The pleasure city of Neon was originally a fishing platform constructed on Volii Alpha by Xenofresh Fisheries. The corporation discovered that the planet's native Chasmbass produced a substance with psychotropic effects, and decided to switch the entire operation to creating the drug Aurora and selling it on the platform. This put Neon on the map, and in 2187 the fishing platform revamped itself into a full-fledged colony dedicated to tourism and commerce. When the Volii system joined the Freestar Collective in 2189, Neon alone retained the rights to produce and sell Aurora, while the drug was criminalized everywhere else in the Settled Systems. Ryujin Industries, which grew into the Settled Systems' most powerful megacorporation, finished construction of its Ryujin Tower headquarters in Neon in 2311. In 2330, Neon is the largest commercial hub in the Settled Systems, as well as a popular tourist destination due to the legal Aurora trade. Neon's security service ruthlessly guards the city's status as the sole legitimate purveyor of Aurora, and anyone caught attempting to smuggle any amount of Aurora outside the city will receive harsh punishment. While the corporations take advantage of Neon's lax regulations to endlessly vie for market dominance through espionage and other cutthroat tactics, a number of rival gangs have also flourished in Neon as the city is rife with criminal activity.

Kryx - Crimson Fleet

• The Key - The Key is the headquarters of the Crimson Fleet. It is a former United Colonies star station located in the orbit of the planet Suvorov in the Kryx system. Although the station is over a hundred years old, thanks to the efforts of engineers, The Key is still a formidable force. The station's defense systems include three separate batteries of highly formidable emitter turrets in orbit that can obliterate any attacking force.

Jaffa - Ecliptic

• Vulture's Roost (Jaffa IV) - Vulture's Roost is an Ecliptic base on Jaffa IV in the Jaffa system. It is is a sprawling facility with a major Ecliptic presence.

Lunara - Watchtower

• Pentagon (Lunara I) - Pentagon is a highly secretive Watchtower base on Lunara I in the Lunara system.

Porrima - Independent

• Paradiso (Porrima II) - Paradiso is a luxury beach resort located on the planet Porrima II in the Porrima system. It is run by the Paradiso Group, a cutthroat corporate board that operates outside the jurisdiction of the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective.

Ixyll - Independent

• Leavenworth (Porrima II) - Leavenworth is a super-maximum security prison on Porrima II that is owned and operated independently.

.timeline.

2050: Humans first arrive on Mars. By 2100, humans are living in space.

2156: Humans arrive in Alpha Centauri.

2159: The United Colonies are established.

2160: New Atlantis is founded and becomes the official capital city of the United Colonies.

2167: Cheyenne is settled with its first settlement, Akila City.

2188: The Freestar Collective is officially formed in 2189.

2194: The United Colonies positions the star station called The Clinic in orbit around Deepala in the Narion system. The unaffiliated peoples of the Narion system see this as a UC attempt to expand their borders and demand the UC remove the Clinic. When the UC refuses, the people of Narion vote to join the Freestar Collective, who mobilize to protect the system in 2195.

2196: In response to Freestar mobilization, the UC moves a fleet into the Narion system and Freestar responds in kind. The Narion War beings.

2216: The Narion War drags on as public sentiment sours. Finally, the Treaty of Narion is signed by the UC and Freestar Collective in 2216, ending the conflict. The term "Settled Systems" is formalized in the treaty.

2221: The Freestar Rangers are founded as an elite protective and investigative force dedicated to serving all citizens of the Freestar Collective.

2275: Constellation is formed. The Lodge is built in New Atlantis to serve the needs and people of Constellation for generations to come.

2307: The Freestar Collective begins farming on the planet of Vesta in the Lunara system. By 2308 the United Colonies claims that by establishing a colony in a fourth star system, the Freestar Collective has violated the Treaty of Narion. Diplomatic talks break down and the UC lays siege to Vesta, kill anyone who stayed behind (or was brought in) to defend it. The Colony Wars officially begins.

2310: Constellation comes into possession of their first Artifact and tucks it away in the Constellation archives.

2311: After several years of conflict, the Colony War effectively comes to an end with the Battle of Cheyenne as a flotilla of civilian and military Freestar Collective ships takes down the major ships of the UC Navy using hit-and-run tactics.

2315: The UC Vanguard is founded as part of a UC response to the Freestar Collective's use of civilian ships during the Colony War. The Vanguard is the UC's own civilian navy, relying on civilians using their own ships, who pledged to protect the United Colonies and its interests. The ultimate reward for this service: citizenship in the United Colonies.

2326: A Constellation member finds the original Artifact in the Constellation archives and knows it must be special.

2330: Present Day