MORNINGSTAR

The First Index

0.2
Modine Holm Puskaric Ferguson

2022-2024
In all the ages of our race, there has ever been the certainty of
a single truth; we need. Those ancient tribes of Ur drank its
oceans and sucked in the air until neither remained, proving our
dominion over fickle nature. It was our need that brought us
unto countless worlds across the empty fathoms of the
universe, until we entered the heavens where we consumed the
gods themselves.

Just as a bird might spring into the sky or the serpent twist
across the desert, it is written into every cell of our being to
want and, praise be, to never be satiated. We are glorious
beings, unmatched in our appetites, our desire to bend all that
we comprehend to our noble will.

Let lesser beings be content with the cave in winter. Let the
weak survive off what grows in unregulated chaos. Let the
ignorant be swallowed by the unknown.

We will find them and add what value they offer to our wealth.

Nothing ever changes.

Trust in greed.

~ The Manual, First Edition

Special Thanks WIP

To the ever growing team of this fantastic universe, we will always openly credit artists,
writers, animators, filmmakers, patrons, contributors and developers who have helped up
along the way.

G. Meyers
G. Maloney
Augure
RebelPhantom
Redrix-3
Faco - Legio Symphonica
Patrons WIP
Jeryen Cooper stern Eric Weise
Ian Fleming Traiconi Razvan Tristen Tomlinson
The_Y Robert Claes Welinder
Viskadel Aik Shuen Chia Filou Le Gnou
Tim Taylor Justin Winstead Cegorach
Porfirio Snjolaugur David Saint
Primaris Tim C Luke Mantanona
Alistair Macmordean Dan Evans Aaron G
CTStudios Executive KillerReaver Jan L Doskocil
Robert Kenman Scrubius Maximus
What is Morningstar?

Morningstar is a dark, military-horror, sci-fi universe where the wealthiest became

the de facto rulers of the human species. Long-time fans of franchises like Blade
Runner, Aliens, and Dune will recognize a lot our inspirations for this monolithic
corporatocracy.

Morningstar seeks to take all the best parts of what we grew up with and give it a
massive overhaul for the modern age. Much like our team, the universe will be
intensely diverse both with cultures and characters with an emphasis on embracing
our real world differences and being critical of what we believe are the worst aspects
of our respective societies. As such, our work is both entertainment as much as it is a
work of satire.

We will strive for each faction to have an in-depth culture, language, and perspective.
There will be fan favorites, but we’ll make sure there’s something for everyone from
the merciless Barakan and coldly self interested Directorate to desperate Unionists
and hunted Shigue out on the Frontier. The Galaxy is a big place and you’ll see that
there’s a lot to look forward to.

When you see something that has the compass sigil of the Hegemon, we think you’ll
be excited.

—- There can be no action without incentive —-

Style and Tone

Morningstar is a universe of doublespeak and corporate manipulation. There will be many times that
one might be concerned about a tone or approach to a controversial issue. This represents the journey
that humanity has followed where all things are regarded as commodities.

One might also notice the unusual capitalization trends.

ExeCor, MacroCorp, MiliCorp, this represents the combination of words into new ones as well as the
importance of the original meanings. Consumer might have the same general connotation as ‘civilian’
but we capitalize “Con” to call out the word visually.

The use of languages is a major part of Morningstar. Worlds, even smaller territories on planets and
orbiting colonies, have their own languages and dialects. English stands in for Interlex as the lingua
franca, but you’ll see that the Barakan Elite speak Uttar, the Shigue’s Selo’be which are entirely
invented conlangs while people still speak Spanish and other modern tongues. The universe of
Morningstar is and should feel like a complex, diverse and expansive experience where ‘norms’ are
almost impossible to reach. The unifying factor

Space is BIG but space is also HARD, two aspects that play heavily into the universe. Known Space is
a relatively small area of the Galaxy encompassing only a few thousand lightcycles around the original
birthworlds of the human race. Interstellar travel itself involves completely removing a vessel from
reality which puts an unbelievable stress on the human consciousness which can cause insanity (think
of a isolation chamber).

On top of all of this is the expense associated with doing anything.

—- Perspective is Reality —-
Theme
Morningstar contextualizes and satirizes our modern world. Our characters are often caught
politicking between monolithic corporations and governments that see them more as numbers rather
than people. The bottom line, the balance sheet, the money, is all more important than the individual
who spends it.

Life in the galaxy might coexist if the greed of humanity could ever be stifled, but…

That’s likely never going to happen.

Morningstar is set in a vague time period somewhere in our future. Many civilizations have risen and
fallen in the time between. The Hegemon, an expanding influence that is close to eclipsing the older
human nations, is a confederacy of “a thousand empires” when, in fact, it is merely the puppet state of
an interstellar collection of competing “MacroCorporations” which seek to monopolize every
imaginable resource.

The “Hegs” consider humanity the only truly sophantic species as no other lifeforms have expressed
greed so perfectly. They consider the other minor human nations that have not aligned with them as
willfully ignorant to their universal truth:
Everything is a commodity. So much so that everyday colloquialisms sound like “by profits!” or “for the
balancesheet!” have replaced notions of god or greater faith based conception.

Those holdouts who reject the Hegemon are slowly starving or are in open, fruitless, war. These far
flung colonies are ancient, connected to “Old Humanity” and bear notions more familiar with the
darker ages. They hold onto their autonomy in a desperate bid to outlast the Hegemon and, for now, a
tense stalemate exists.

Within the Hegemon itself, discontents called Unionists seek reprieve from the oppressive economics
of society and are treated like a terrorist insurgency. Regular policing and security actions attempt to
stifle such movements can spread like brush fires in a high wind.

—- The only honesty is self-interest —-

Yet there is hope in this grim setting. The MacroCorps must try to disguise their callous profit
seeking as a public good lest they risk open rebellion. Hope is merely another commodity, one of the
more finicky. Like uranium, it must be refined, cultivated, and properly attributed just as much as it is
contained.

The Frontier, a catchall term for anywhere beyond the ExeCor systems, Hegemon Development
Spheres, and the many Corporate Zones, is advertised as a place of boundless prospects. If you can
muster up enough capital, get a good enough credit rating, and find a ship captain crazy enough to
venture beyond known trade lanes, you are free to brave the galaxy beyond to seek your fortune.

Out in the Frontier, there are countless Exogen species and rogue human factions trying to survive in
spite of each other and the ever present shadow of the Hegemon. Yet one can find unoccupied,
unspoiled worlds to settle. And there is always the possibility of uncovering and selling the valuable
remnants of alien civilizations or the ruins of Old Humanity that still dot space or lay buried on
derelict worlds to collectors in the Hegemon for staggering profits.

To the east, emerging from the Centaurus Arm and challenging the Hegemon outposts of the Vela
Frontier is the Shigue Diaspora. In their vaste interstellar caravans called “Lifefleets” made up of a
multitude of refugee species, they flee some kind of mass-stellar event that took place on the other
side of the Galaxy. Hoping to find new home worlds, they whisper that they are not the only ones to
flee this cataclysm. Something sinister is coming, yet the pleas of the Shigue fall on deaf Hegemon
ears who see them little more than dumb brutes, food, or sport for their amusement.

And so the stage is set.

—- The future is just another product to be sold —-

The Hegemon
They call it the Hegemon of a Thousand Empires. It is not a nation, a
state, or a government in the traditional sense. It has no king to rule
uncontested or a parliament to address the woes of its people. There
are no borders drawn on a map to limit it, nor has it a constitution or
a creed to define its ideals, save one... Avarice.

The Hegemon exists to consume and feed the endless growth and
influence of its master classes. It pursues this goal through
negotiation, trade and, should it come to it, force of arms.

At the heart of this realm is Protea. In the chambers of the planet's

greatest citadel stands the Market, which administers a vast network
of trade between titanic interplanetary MacroCorp entities. These
hyperpowers dominate every aspect of the Thousand Empires,
gripped by the invisible hand of Magnates who live solely for the
acquisition of wealth and power. Their reach is ever expanding into
the cosmos, crushing and manipulating all who stand in the way of
their self-actualisation.

Before, Old Humanity toppled into darkness from the heights of a

forgotten bright age. Now this New Mankind rises once more, in
endless servitude to the whims of their uncaring rulers who promise
prosperity to a select few, kindling just enough hope to ensure
obedience.

Beneath the boot of their masters, the masses spend their days in toil
trapped in a cycle of debt and need as they strive to improve their
credit. In the mines, on the production lines, in the sterilized lairs of
bureaucracy and on blood-soaked battlefields, untold billions spend
their lives securing the fortunes of others. Menial laborers trapped in
debt work themselves to the bone while private armies slaughter
each other for the resources, prestige, and entertainment of their
owners.

All aspects of life in the Thousand Empires turn to feed the grinding
maw of Avarice. To the few, the privileged, and the powerful, it is a
new era of material glory. And to the many, the downtrodden and the
feeble, it is a time of quiet misery, an epoch where the only hope is
the next precious mouthful of food or distraction from their toil.

The Last Empress of Catraeth

FC2/48-190
Known Space constitutes a region of just over 1200 parsecs wide and 160 parsecs thick representing both
the Hegemon, non-Hegemonic human nations as well as known Exogenic habitats and major migrations.
This map does not include anomalous zones or dark matter fluctuations which alter the natural perception
and comprehension of Portolan Charts, like the one above. Ship pilots are incentivized to update their
rutters to ensure decent accuracy as they travel through the Outside. MacroCorps often sponsor
independent companies with various “evasion” or “dodger” drives that allow a ship to first bypass the light
barrier and then track tachyonic vibrations to get back into real space. Corpo charts, thus updated, are then
jealously guarded.

Note: The Windrose at the center of the chart, which is also the symbol of the Hegemon, determines all
locations in Known Space. “Dawnward” is toward Protea and the Market while “Duskward” is away.
THE HEGEMON m_ee 3

The Hegemon is a powerful interstellar collection of diverse human nations that was founded by
prominent mercantile families almost a thousand fiscal cycles ago. Originating in the Orion Spur,
the stellar region of humanity’s birthworlds, the Hegemon now directly controls thousands of
lightcycles stretching outward from its capital world of Protea. Despite its relative youth, the
Hegemon has bested many older human nations whose histories stretch back in an unbroken chain
to various epochs of stellar expansion, some as far back as the first Exodus. Despite this, it is the
Hegemon’s cultural values and influence that are dominant. Specifically, the virtue of Avarice and the
philosophy of Stellarization now shape those who live within Known Space.

Commerce and trade are the linchpins of the Hegemon as they continue to expand into other human
stellar civilizations and displace alien species that get in their way. The needs and desires of the
many are provided for by benevolent Magnates who command the economic growth of the
MacroCorps. This growth, by its very nature, invests in innovative technological progress, mindful
and efficient resource allocation and above all protecting the individual's freedom to choose.

Local governments rely on these MacroCorps for investment, allowing them to focus on
infrastructure and legislation. While some might argue that this is a pyramidal financial structure,
regulation ensures that the few at the top are incentivized to provide benefits for those who support
them in a waterfall of opportunity. This perfect harmony between individual cultures spread across
hundreds of sovereign states, and a pan-stellar philosophy of economy, has resulted in a unparalleled
era of, relative, peace for untold billions. Only those who reject this common sense and cling to the
older, barbaric cultures of the past suffer from weak economies and lawlessness which, too often,
requires the Hegemon to defend itself to police the tradelanes.

—- Peace is profitable, war is profitable. Profit is Profit. —-

INTRODUCTORY HISTORY m_ee 2

The beginnings of the Hegemon of a Thousand Empires traces back to a singular habplex, a
humble origin that belied the grandeur of its future dominion. In the aftermath of a resource war
on Vaensar, a wealthy family of merchants called the Ualos seized on an opportunity. Acquiring
vast tracts of land to facilitate the construction of affordable housing for returning veterans, their
fortunes grew exponentially. These innovative dwellings, known as “opti-units,” not only provided
returning heroes with a comfortable home but also revolutionized construction methods, offering
subsistence living at a fraction of traditional costs. The local government, now a faded memory,
institutionalized this model as the gold standard for city planning and elevated the Ualos.

Dumno-Ualos, a scion of the Ualos family, began investing extensively across Vaensar's surface,
ignoring political and ethnocentric divides. His only concern was profit, and soon people began to
respect his financial insights. Together with the MassTrader Freight Union, Dumno-Ualos
orchestrated interplanetary property acquisition, construction initiatives, and resource allocation
on an unprecedented scale throughout the Vaensar system until his influence and celebrity were
unrivaled. He renamed his home planet Protea, beginning construction of what would later
become the Market by inviting many to form the Summit and announcing the Hegemon ascendent.

A time of unrivaled economic prosperity began with the new Protean system and its ideology of
New Mankind taking root. A burgeoning middle-class known as Consumers were admired and
their wealth coveted.

Kantaur, an old adversary to Vaensar, perceived the Hegemon as a rising threat. Launching
successive campaigns against the nascent superpower, Kantaur, however, underwent a
transformative internal shift. The Kantauri mercantile classes, inspired by the Ualos ideology of a
free and libertine society, led a political revolution, toppling the old order in their poverty-stricken
ecumenopolis. Kantaur joined the Hegemon immediately thereafter, providing the raw numbers
necessary to defend itself as it began to include entire star systems under its influence.

—- Expedited, affordable, quality. Pick two.—-

And defend itself it would need to.

The Directorate was born out of these trans-stellar battles, as the Hegemon was forced to protect
its adopted tradelanes to bring supplies across Known Space. Exogenic and anti-Hegemonic forces,
nevermind the countless pirates of that age, were fought constantly and bested. These successes
lead to the creation of the ExeCor systems and its security cordon.

Old Humanity had been fractious, but under Ualos, the Summit and the growing free market
opportunities, a New Mankind rose united in Avarice. Armed conflict became a sign of ignorance.
True nobility would come from prudent investment, not strength of arms. Why fight the Hegemon
when you could enter into trade negotiations? The wise, though, understood that even conflict
meant opportunity should those negotiations fail.

Wars became brief yet violent affairs, with ancient lines of kings, emperors and queens brought
down and entire empires tamed, often by their own people. Fortunes were made, MacroCorps
formed, and the CorpoSoci established.

Over the ensuing nine fiscal centuries, the Hegemon has flourished, assimilating diverse nations
into its collective. Colonization accelerates as new territories open to prospecting, while an
interdiction is enforced around those who resist the free market. Only the rimward star systems
have remained independent, posing a potential threat to species-wide security. Whispers have
circulated that these rogue nations commit perverse interactions with Exogens and forbidden
technologies.

—- Even ashes can act as a foundation—-

Executive Core: Heart of the m_ee 2

Hegemon
The Executive Core, ExeCor, Systems are dozens of star systems over several hundred parsecs that
form the core of the Hegemon. They are the eldest colonies of the original human civilizations that
left the various home worlds of antiquity and as such have the largest populations and most
distinct cultures that predate the Hegemon itself.

They are also the nations that have benefitted the most by the rise of the MacroCorps, gaining
countless new worlds from those nations who resisted the expanding Hegemon. While the various
kings, presidents and emperors of the ExeCor are not Magnates, they are some of the wealthiest
leaders in human history as shareholders.

The Hegemon has no true “capital” other than Protea, where the Market stands and the Summit
meets, and this is more out of practicality. Each ExeCor star system believes, entirely, in their own
pre-eminence. Laws and customs can vary greatly between bordering nations, even in the cases
that a planet or habitation construct is shared. As long as they strive for profit, seek commerce and
promote trade, there is no central ‘rule’ merely mandates and guidelines which all peoples strive to
accomplish.

These nations maintain their own Private Defense Forces that adhere to their specific nation state
and various alliances and rivalries dictate their citizen’s movements and activities with strict
licensing and regulations. No nation wishes to be diminished by their neighbor and war, so long as
it remains profitable, is tolerated by the rest of the Hegemon.

ExeCor systems all feed into the quotas of a semi-unified entity known as the Directorate. It acts as
a joint military that adheres to the mandates of the Summit. No force in Known Space can match
the Directorate’s sheer size, with its fleets and armies constantly on the move to deal with brushfire
wars, national disputes that negatively impact commerce, Exogenic disturbance and, most
importantly, expanding the borders of the Hegemon.

—- The rocks of one world are the jewels of another —-

Notable ExeCor Systems m_ee 2

The most influential planet often determines the naming of a system, yet there are instances where
the name of a system is contested by the influences of nations and MacroCorps respectively. The
final determination for all things is the catalogue of the Audit, the reference number of the
Commission and the value therein as comprehended by the Market.

ExeCor systems are immeasurably old and bear the marks of colonial attempts, urbanization,
planetary engineering and ancient wars. What stands now are the grandest examples that have
withstood the harrowing of time.

Protea: Believed by many to be the original star system from which Old Humanity evolved from,
this pale yellow world is known as the Jewel of the Hegemon, the Seat of the Market and, more
poetically, the Dawnworld. It acts as the practical “capital” planet of the Hegemon and the heart of
commercial trade.

Kantaur: The wealthiest star system in the Hegemon and the largest national territory with over
eighty systems ruled from the Crownworld of Kandia. Kandia once rivaled Protea during the
founding of the Hegemon, but its empire was destroyed from within when trade emissaries
convinced the servile population to revolt against the royal family, providing them the means to
topple their hereditary rulers. That Revolutionary Party still governs from the trinary star system,
renamed Kantaur, and is home to the Armasyn MacroCorp’s home office.

Trappist: One of the most populated systems in Known Space and the primary worlds of the
Trappist Papacy. Trappist has no less than seven habitable planets called the Sisters. Here, the Old
Faiths remain strong, and the stellarist values of the Hegemon are kept contained to a handful of
port cities. Journey to Trappist is provided for by the system’s Assembly of Clerics to those deemed
worthy of making the pilgrimage. Trappist is a haven from the debt economy of the Hegemon, yet
to the discerning it would seem unusual that the Pontiffs of Trappist were among the founding
members of the Summit Council, and that a remarkably high number of volunteer Indentured flow
across the Hegemon every quat.

—- You are what you’re worth —-

Catraeth: One of the brightest stars in the Orion Spur, it was once the primary system in the
Catraethi Kingdom, known in their own now dead language as Basileia Catraethi Regnux. A binary
system consisting of the stars Prokyon and the far smaller Koutavi, their erratic orbit made the
Catraeth system one of the largest, with over sixty stellar objects ranging from gas giants to rogue
planets. After the Kingdom fell to the Barakan, each planet was subjected to scouring. Catraeth is
now home to a few InfoCorps, archeo-tourist Corpos and a Barakan facility on Catraeth prime
itself which none are permitted to orbit.

Sothis: Also known as the Pathstar, it is the ExeCor’s most essential Mercator matrix point with
over a hundred leylines connecting it to other systems through the Outside. Sothis was declared to
be in Protea’s trust to prevent a single Corpo or nation from monopolizing travel.

Lalande: A series of orbitals and unaligned communities, and the headquarters of Bersarang
Multi-Stellar MacroCorp which was founded on the moon of No’zama. Here, the rolling grasslands
still grow the ancient seeds that made Bersarang the Hegemon’s primary food provider. Lalande is
the breadbasket of the ExeCor.

Cheti: Most similar to Protea, Cheti was likely once the home of an advanced human civilization.
Indigenous exogenic aliens are believed to be the primary reason for its toppling millennia ago,
enslaving the remaining human population. It is theorized that experimentation or forced
evolution was inflicted on these humans to such a degree that they are barely sophont. When the
Directorate arrived in the late second fiscal century it quickly pacified the region and quarantined
the space lanes, isolating the “Cheti” near-humans and exogen alike.

Cheti is now a kind of “reserve” where exogens are regularly hunted for sport. The surviving Cheti
themselves are a source of various entertainment, such as cultural safaris allowing Consumers to
experience various intoxicants, rituals, cannibalism and other educationally enriching experiences.

Azakar: On the outskirts of the ExeCor, the many floating refineries of the system’s primary gas
giant are populated by blue-skinned epicenian near-humans which were deemed by the Audit as
acceptable to the CorpoSoci after they formed a series of Corpos, that were then purchased by
Shak’shashi Group, proving they could experience avarice.

—- Nothing is finite, drink deeply —-

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS m_ee 1

The Thousand Empires are exactly that, with ancient and newly risen governments competing
against one another in the way they always have and always will. To the outsider, it may seem
unusual that an entity like a MacroCorp, which can span dozens of systems, pays tribute to various
national entities.

The fact is that MacroCorps do not govern, they do not receive taxes, and they do not maintain the
personal wellbeing of the Consumers. They concern themselves with an ever brighter future while a
government concerns itself with the mantle of the past. A single human being is just as much a
Consumer, a Patron, or an Indent as they are a citizen to a registered power.

It is the local government that gives authority to the MacroCorps in the form of licenses, permission
statements and leases. All authority is legal, for without law society would spin into profitless
anarchy. While in many ways this is lip-service to the concept of a greater, impartial, authority, there
is both a practical aspect as well as a cultural reason to keep governing bodies at the forefront of the
Hegemon’s identity.

To begin with, MacroCorps do not have the long-term investment required to maintain a population
indefinitely beyond profit gain. MacroCorps treasure their fluidity and the lack of responsibility that
comes with truly ‘ruling’ the Hegemon. To the Magnates that control the MacroCorps, their
interests lie in gain, not upkeep.

Additionally, the MacroCorps are, by their very nature, made up of multiple nationalities and,
despite Brand loyalty, cannot unseat this seemingly biological need to attach one’s self to things like
nationality or factional membership. To be tethered to national identity would see a Brand limited
to a specific niche and, thus, stagnate.

Many Magnates consider themselves evolved humans for the simple fact that they relinquish notions
of nationality once they reach the level of wealth required to be apart of the Patron class. Individuals
like this can see beyond such notions and align themselves with the truer realities of the cosmos.

—- We are the only gods that matter —-

NATION STATES m_ee 1

Myroit Empire
The eldest human nation in Known Space, the Myroit are a proud and wealthy people that emerged
in the previous age and carved out twenty five star systems ruled by the unbroken lineage of the
Divine Adoratrix. The Myroit are deep believers in the arts and support many anthropological
endeavors across the Hegemon as they maintain the many wondrous bright age relics of their people.

The Krysos system lies within their territory and has become the largest tradeport in the western
supersector. Hundreds of smaller Corpos of every classification have offices in the ringed
megastructure of the Krysosi Hoop, an endless stream of tradeships a light-second long loading and
unloading in the Hoop’s central station.

The MassTrader Freight Union is headquartered here.

Bhosanya Republic
On the southernmost edge of the Hegemon lies the war-torn realm of the Bhosanya Republic. There
is no clear governing world; the Republic’s seat changes every few fiscal cycles as a result of the
shifting warzones of the region, as the Directorate clashes with the Mendaxan and other terrorist
states.

The unaffiliated systems are in a constant state of war with the Directorate and various mercenary
forces. The Republic makes an astronomical fortune allowing MacroCorps to test new technologies
and weapons with little regulation.

Suns Confederated
Originally a Hegemon colonial project started by the Stratos MacroCorp at the beginning of the fifth
fiscal century after a clutch of worlds were discovered in the Angola system suitable for
terraformation. World engineering is exorbitantly expensive and requires centuries, but the
Archonist of Stratos remained enthusiastic, moving entire planetary populations to the Angola
Constellation.
For many reasons, rebellion erupted and after fifty fiscal cycles of constant warfare, a dignitary
arrived on Protea representing a newly named Confederation of the Angola Suns that negotiated
recognition as its own nation state. Stratos was forced to acquiesce, their stock prices plummeting
for the first time in Hegemon history.

Wei-Khang Logocracy

Situated in the Web Stars that make up most of the eastern supersectors, which in turn make up a
cliff-like border between the Orion Spur and the Sagittarius Arm. Hundreds of ancient orbitals fill
this region of youthful stars where there are barely any habitable planets. The Wei peoples are wildly
diverse with millennia of gengineering and provolution and many wonder that, if it weren’t for the
desparate need for ships and workers in the Vela Frontier Zone, the Hegemon would have declared
many of the populations too deviant for the CorpoSoci.

Loosely aligned, the Logocracy is a wild place with little unified law. A place where words and
actions determine more than legislature. Conflict is not uncommon yet many swear that the degree of
social freedom and opportunity is unrivaled anywhere else in the Hegemon.

Muskov Milisya Command is located here.

Demarchy of Luyten

One of the smallest nations in the northern Frontier sectors. It’s councils are elected by landowning
members alone who employ one of the largest populations of Indentured in Known Space. The
Kosmosec Arsenal Worlds emerged from these landowners, making many of them Magnates.

Fargol Kritarchy

A tight-knit series of communities scattered over dozens of parts of planets and sections of orbitals.
Governed by an intensely complex legal system enforced by the Acumen, a militant order of judges.
The Kritarchy is the prime recruiting population for the Commission who benefit from the driven
judiciousness and fanatically moral Fargan.
COLONIZATION AND EXPANSION m_ee 1

The Hegemon must expand. The core tenets of the Manual and the necessities of the Market both
rely on the constant influx of new resources to be made into products. There can be no limit to
projected gains, ever; the moment that a Corpo entity stops expanding it stagnates, and shareholders
cannibalize their stakes, moving onto other prospects.

The Hegemon embodies this desperation.

Chartered exploration and the discovery of new, profitable locales has created a necessity for new
ships, new settler populations and new technologies to ensure growth. Every MacroCorp
participates in this process and the number of mercenary prospectors almost matches the security
armadas of the Directorate.

At the center of the Hegemon, most planetoids and potential real-estate have been surveyed and, if
not developed, claimed by one nation or Corpo entity or another. While takeovers or outright
conflict are not unheard of, it is simply more cost effective to find new opportunities outside of the
ExeCor systems in any number of territories, which is called Known Space.

Habitable and near-habitable worlds are always at a premium and can often be claimed by multiple
explorers, and even settled without the knowledge of the other. It is the misconception of the
inexperienced that an entire biome can be fully understood even with the advanced sensory
technologies of the age. Similarly, even after generations, planets will remain only partially
inhabited.

Full development, such as the stack cities of the Fargol Kritarchy or the continent spanning
pyramidal warehouses of Uniferros, require extreme investment, often from multiple nations and
MacroCorps, but it does happen. Ecumenopolification of a world is a staggering proposition, yet
there are some, such as ancient Hrahd which was developed in the Bright Age. Examples like this
tends to inspire a Magnate or two who then attempts such an undertaking. Known Space is dotted
with such attempts with exceptionally few successes.

Colonial progress is cheapest on generation ships. Colonists in suspended animation are packed
into a freightliner with necessity resources and then launched to a new colony.

The emerging population, often contracted but also volunteers and of course indentured, fulfill the
mandate of their MacroCorp with the hope of working off debt to become their own society. So long
as quotas are met, a MacroCorp tends to not care as these budding nations form, nor do they care if
older nations demand the fealty of these colonies, which almost always ends in some kind of dispute
that the Corpos also benefit from.

In this way the Hegemon grows, feeding off itself.

Generally there are two methods of colonial speculation which has been adopted.

The Lease of Worlds

There are no boundary limits for a nation of the Hegemon, save for the borders of other nations that
belong to the Hegemon and are regulated by the Commission. New worlds and systems naturally
belong to the Hegemonic nation it is closest to on a parsec to parsec basis. Contracts by an
interested Corpo are signed and the territory is then officially “leased” for the Corpo to develop. In
this way a local government is sustained by the finance of the lease and incentivized to send its
citizens to help develop the region.

Security will typically fall to the Directorate or hired mercenaries.

Manifest Destiny

MacroCorps will sometimes take it upon themselves to send out their own colonial initiatives. These
are not necessarily new territories but regions of existing worlds or territories. Biomes are valuable,
immensely so, but even after thousands of fiscal cycles, a planet will still barely be inhabited to its
highest sustainability potential.

Development of such regions involve entire “company” towns and cities where the entire economy is
created by a single Corporation entity, MacroCorp or otherwise. This style of colonization will often
not be sustainable beyond a generation which are often then sold once the initial ‘boom’ peters out.
RELIGION SUBSCRIPTIONS m_ee 1

Religion is inherent to humanity. The foolish have attempted to burn it from the species’ psyche
while the intrepid have sought to incorporate it into governance of the people, only to have riots of
the “faithful” tear down the pillars of civilization. Religion was both the opiate and the poison of
Old Humanity and it could be no different for New Mankind unless it adapted to this truth.

The Hegemon rose out from the city-states of Protea, many of them sun worshipers. As it expanded
it absorbed the nox sisterhoods of Salacia 9 and the wyrm cults of Kantaur. As the ExeCor systems
settled into membership, many wondered - which faith would be the official belief system of the
Hegemon? Which religion was true?

Dumno-Ualos’ solution was straightforward, like so many of his solutions: all of them, for a price.

Religion would be treated like the Corpos, save that their products were faith and answers to the
questions that science and finance could not address. Each religion would register with Protea and
the Market. They would pay a special tax, offset by works that improved general and governmental
properties wherever they set up their churches or temples. Members wishing to pray would pay
subscription fees enabling them dispensation and special rights such as culinary restrictions,
funerary rights and general codes of conduct that the Hegemon would enforce throughout. The
more complicated the edicts of a faith? The greater the taxes and thus the more expensive the
subscription fees.

All of this overseen by the Commission. Scrutinized by the Audit.

Religions, like Corpos, are guilty of attacking one another both officially and otherwise.
Membership to faiths is a constant need as much as codesmiths might be to a techCorp.
Competition is fierce, with the added volatility that the faith of a believer often renders them
uncaring of their physical body over an assumed afterlife.

The Hegemon itself would concern itself alone with the ‘Self’ and decline from religion, which in
turn would adopt the tasks to procure serenity of the ‘Soul’. It should be noted that the Manual, its
authors and the study of business practice has become a faith unto itself… but none make mention of
the similarities.
Hegemonic Planet Classification
m_ee 2

No two planetoids are alike with ecosystems that must constantly be monitored for new
opportunities for development and exploitation. The Hegemon defines worlds by Grade, like
everything, with general designations for the their primary output and value.

Metropolitan --- M- Class

A metropolitan world, commonly referred to as a "metro," represents the most densely populated
category within the Hegemon planetary domain. Initially emerging around industrial hubs, these
population centers have evolved from basic mining colonies or resource generating settlements into
densely packed megacities that strip the surrounding lands of resources, leaving them barren and
waiting to be developed into HabBlocs, Slurbs and commercial zoning. Enclosed by towering walls
of nuusteel and formcrete, these megacities house hundreds of millions or even billions of
inhabitants. While metros primarily serve as centers for bureaucracy and administration, they also
host a diverse array of functions, including local heavy industry, military depots, shipping, and cargo
operations. Often, metros will have the only means of proper manufacture for higher end resources
or technologies of Grade 3 and above.

For the residents of a metro, their experience varies depending on their perspective. For Magnates,
Barons, and their associates, metros are hubs of social and political activity—venues for
conferences, balls, and parties held in gleaming spires and towers, where the affluent gather to
showcase their latest achievements and endeavors. To the laborer, metros are smog-choked urban
mazes, where oppressive architecture stretches endlessly, blotting out the stars and skies. Here,
individuals strive to keep pace with their duties, avoiding falling behind in a hyper-competitive
environment driven by overpopulation. However, for those who descend into unemployment or the
needy and vulnerable—those at the lowest echelons of power and property—a metro represents the
epitome of adversity, the worst imaginable existence in the universe.

It should be noted that metros are rarely fully developed with natural reserves and conservation
regions relatively untouched by the toxic and polluted influence of the megacities.
Arsenal --- A- Class

Arsenal worlds are military strongholds, training grounds, ammunition storages, vehicle depots,
testing sites and sometimes active conflict zones. These are the domains of private armies, fleets,
and some of the larger mercenary corpos. An A-class region can be a busy globe-spanning naval base
or a completely barren wasteland save for a single installation built on it, but one rule is much the
same for all: no entry is permitted to any outsider without special documentation, be it a negotiated
permit of visit or the seal of the Protean Council. All unauthorized visitors are dealt with through
lethal force.

Arsenal worlds are where military corpos store their equipment, train their troops, maintain their
vehicles and ships, and handle their administrative functions. The term is somewhat flexible
between different types of military forces; an A-class domain can be a moon or a planet serving as a
garrison or a particularly powerful void fortress or battle station. By Protean legislation, a military
corpo simply needs to have at least one "arsenal" classification domain on register to be considered
a legitimate enterprise.

Arsenal-Beta --- AB- Class

AB- Classification zones are the most hostile and most esoteric of all subclassification. These are
the training centers and fortress headquarters of the Barakan Elite, the shock troop heavy infantry
of the Directorate. They contain the facilities responsible for the creation and upkeep of Barakan
forces' biochem-conditioning, armament, as well as special training areas designed to indoctrinate
the Barakan in the ways of war, no matter what environmental conditions they might encounter. It is
not uncommon for Arsenal-Beta zones to include natural phenomena like toxic atmospheres,
hyperviolent Exogen instances, methane seas and other features that make these regions otherwise
extremely inhospitable to habitation.

AB worlds are prohibited from having any other industry or output with unheard of exception
representing the enormous investment in the Baraken Elite.
Industrial --- I- Class

Industrial planets are perhaps the most diverse category of worlds in the Thousand Empires. They
have a wide range of sub-designations, such as mining, shipbuilding (orbital or surface), refineries,
manufacturing complexes, fuel and chemical production and even reclamation sites for garbage,
shipwrecks and hazardous materials. Some host indoor or subterranean greenhouse complexes and
other food production facilities.

Most I-class planets feature several different types of industrial activity across their surface; a
mining world, for example, primarily serves to feed Hegemon industries with its local natural
resources, but may also be a host to shipbreaking, mineral enrichment and metallurgy. Heavy
pollution is universal; workplace safety is secondary as it slows quotas. Industrial worlds can be -
very begrudgingly - shared between multiple enterprises or be under the flag of a single corporate
owner.

As an example BorealNex, a giant heavy-industry MacroCorp, directly controls an entire network of

I-type planets all across the Cygnus supersector. Terrestrial worlds and asteroid belts are slowly and
carefully stripped bare of raw materials to supply refineries and enrichment facilities, so that they
can be sold on to arms manufacturers, shipbuilders and other parties dependent on the supply of
alloys controlled by the daVell bloodline. At the same time, the Vell-leased planets and mining fields
are bordered by several less lucrative I-class worlds being devoured by multiple smaller corpo-scale
enterprises. These shared realms go through occasional bouts of armed conflict as the less powerful
corpos attempt to dislodge their competition through espionage, sabotage and direct attacks, often
reaching a point where tensions flare up in open warfare. Any spillover from these local clashes is
kept in check by Vell-contracted military forces practically holding the sectors at gunpoint.
CREDIT AND COMMERCE

Credit is the self-regulating system that represents the trust between individuals, Corpos,
governments and the Hegemon as a whole. Utilizing a holistic scoring system based on singular
acts, contributions, wealth management and accumulation, scoring higher allows for greater
mobility while the loss of credit will act as a natural restriction until it can be corrected.

The system integrates data from a variety of sources which is scrutinized by the Commission that
assigns a credit rating. Credit enforces whatever promotes good commerce and fluctuates
accordingly with buying and selling trends on a macro and micro level.

Credit is universal in the Hegemon and is subsequently interpreted by local governments into
capital, or “cap,” and finance. Local governments charge service fees and lend their currency which
must then be given back should an entity leave.

This removes the need for any kind of Hegemon-wide financial standard based on resources.
Instead, good practices and successful works are rewarded and are tied to stable and safe assurance
and thus civilization itself. Should the value of water or platinum change and adversely affect one's
finance, their credit status ensures they can procure a loan from a banking guild or their patron
MacroCorp and thrive.

Corpos also maintain credit ratings although on a much larger scale. Corpos and MacroCorps both
maintain debt like any other Consumer which determines how much fiscal risk they may take. This
interconnectedness protects against shortfall and economic ruin on a planetary or even stellar
scale.

All are subject to scrutiny by the Audit.

—- Capital manifests value—-

Physical Currency

While credit systems are some of the most secure technological means of transferring wealth there
are always intrepid, criminal, codesmiths who invent new ways to capture transactions between
two points. As such, in the past few fiscal centuries, in person and direct transfers remain the most
reliable means of commerce.

The Hegemon has no unified currency but those who travel the many nations and colonies use
“Cubits” which are the physical representation of credit measurement and value. A wrist-wallet, or
other such device, transfers credit values onto individual ‘bits’ which are then ingested by another’s
device.

Another way to consider this is, effectively, loans between people which are then verified by
banking entities and converted into local currency or values known universally as meticals.

Trade can also be conducted by more generic resource transfers as determined by The Market
every quat. Referred to as a mithqal, each resource is measured by what The Market reasons can be
generated in a cycle and can be compared, conceptually, to tonnage.

—- Capital manifests value—-

INHERENT RIGHTS m_aeg4

The Consumers are protected by the Inherent Rights of New Mankind as penned by Dumno-Ualos
and adopted by the Hegemon in FC1/23-89. The rights of Consumers in the Hegemon are a sacred
trust that is respected in the free market above all other considerations. Citizens, by definition,
are within the Consumer class and lose their rights should they not maintain their credit rating
and become Indentured or choose to, foolishly, attempt autonomy from the free market.

The Right of Choice

Consumers within the Hegemon hold the inherent right to make decisions autonomously,
shaping their destinies with their spending power.

The Right to Wealth

Consumers pursuit of prosperity and financial well-being is a right that encompasses the freedom
to engage in economic activities, accumulate wealth through regulated means, and partake in the
economic opportunities.

The Right to Work

The cornerstone of the Hegemon, the right to work guarantees every individual access to
opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. Oppressive unions and labor syndicates are
extremely rare and frowned upon for limiting the individual’s freedom to negotiate directly with
an employer.

The Right to Give

In the spirit of communal harmony, individuals hold the right to contribute to the welfare of
society. This right encourages acts of philanthropy, charity, and civic engagement, fostering a
culture where giving back is not only encouraged but celebrated as a fundamental aspect of a
prosperous and interconnected Hegemon.
Thusly, those that give are rewarded for their contributions and it is not uncommon for individual
to gift their final belongings to reduce the debt of the next generation.
THE MANUAL m_aeg4

The Manual, a timeless compendium meticulously crafted and augmented across nine major editions,
serves as a beacon of wisdom and guidance for the multitudes of intrepid entrepreneurs who form the
backbone of the Hegemon. From the Manual is derived the many cornerstones of Corpo Law and the
Protean Court System which upholds the Right of Wealth and the Right of Choice.

Each edition, spanning a Fiscal Century, unfolds its sacred teachings to illuminate the path of conduct
in business, public life, and private endeavors.

Contained within its sacred pages are revelations on the art of conducting oneself in the intricate
dance of commerce — a cosmic ballet where integrity, strategy, and shrewdness intertwine. The
Manual imparts profound insights into the moral fabric governing interactions, guiding the aspiring
entrepreneur on a virtuous journey through the labyrinth of fiscal pursuits.

The chapters of this venerable document delve into the essence of purpose, urging citizens to
contemplate what they should strive for in the grand tapestry of life. It unravels the delicate threads of
fiscal responsibility, offering counsel on prudent spending and the judicious retention of fiscal value,
ensuring the prosperity of both the individual and the Hegemon at large.

These chapters, revered and cherished, have become an integral part of the lives of citizens across the
Thousand Empires. It is a common sight to witness individuals, from bustling marketplaces to the
quiet corridors of power, carrying a copy of The Manual at all times — a testament to its enduring
influence on the psyche of the Hegemon's denizens.

However, the significance of The Manual transcends the secular realm, intertwining with those
seeking spiritual fulfillment. Several proprietary "religions" have emerged, each venerating The
Manual as a sacred scripture touched by various divine influences. These faith-based constituents
have woven intricate rituals and subscription-based worship practices around the revered text,
elevating the authors of each edition to the status of divine messengers.

—- Be wary of they that do not need —-

The availability of the Manual is dependent on publishing conglomerates who distribute as well as
translate digital and physical copies. There have been discrepancies between Manual editions and
translations across the Hegemon, often leading to confusion, debate, and worse. The copies of
Protean distribution are considered the truest as they are made within site of where The Manual
was initially penned

In the shadows, illegal tax-evading "cults" have formed over the generations, covertly challenging
the fiscal structures imposed by the Hegemon. These underground movements, cloaked in secrecy,
maintain that The Manual harbors secrets of economic liberation that transcend the sanctioned
boundaries of the free market. By protest, they establish their own “dark markets” and shadow
economies that flaunt the regulations and legalities of the Hegemon.

Do not trust these bodies and report members and locations to the Audit quickly.

On the subject of Exogens, The Manual is clear: true intelligence is governed by need. The need of
humanity is an intimate and emotional experience that Hegemon scientists do not find in their
study of nonhuman life. Consequently, nonhuman life is not intelligent and should not be
considered in the slightest as equal. Bastard offshoots of Old Humanity such as the near-humans,
like the Wenyani, or the post-human descendents that make up the Maas, fall under similar
circumstances as their core cognitive makeup is clearly no longer compatible with New Mankind.

Nonhuman and near-humans are thusly; commodities.

As whispers of a clandestine Tenth edition echo through the hallowed halls of the Market, many
are eager to learn the lessons that have brought the Hegemon to its first millennium and act on the
revelations of business practices and answers to long standing questions as to how best to function.

—- The truth is not for all but only those who hunger for it —-
BOOKS OF THE MANUAL m_aeg4

First Edition: The Covenant of Exchange

Within this inaugural tome the sacred pact forged through economic transactions unfolds, resonating with the
divine theme of deal-making. This holy scripture reflects a profound sense of mutual benefit and commitment,
wherein Avarice is revered as the prime virtue, elevating humanity above the reactionary beasts of the universe.
In the pursuit of this covenant one strives to transcend mere transactional engagements, seeking a higher
connection through the sacred bonds of mutual prosperity.

Second Edition: Book of Markets

Embarking on a cosmic journey, the "Book of Markets" unveils the mysteries of the "invisible hand"
orchestrating the very essence of the free market. Here, commerce is revealed as natural as the laws of
mathematics or gravity, with the dynamic forces of supply and demand emerging as fundamental cosmic
energies. Markets are not mere human constructs but rather intricate threads woven into the fabric of reality,
influencing the destiny of the natural universe.

Third Edition: Gospels of Entrepreneurship

In these verses financial competition is exalted as the heightened evolution of the human self. Unlike the
primal contests of beasts driven by base instinct, financial competition emerges as the noble pursuit of solving
future challenges through maximal wealth accumulation. The divine principle of risk and reward becomes the
guiding light, encouraging adherents to embrace the tumultuous unknown, for therein lies the crucible of
innovation and progress.

Fourth Edition: Stellarization

The mandate of Protea is captured in the fourth edition. Humanity ascends to its destined dominion over the
entire material universe. New Mankind, as a perfect species, controls nature through need, ensuring that only
the smartest and most capable thrive by outwitting any obstacle. In this celestial narrative, believers
understand their sacred duty to assert human ingenuity across the cosmos, conquering challenges and attaining
supremacy over all.

—- Follow when you cannot lead —-

Fifth Edition: Capital and the Freedom of Wealth
Profit motive is illuminated as a guiding beacon, focusing individuals on the paramount importance of
aligning with the right partnerships. The narrative underscores that true accomplishment of imaginative
dreams is only possible through achieving financial security, thereby unveiling the power within the pursuit of
wealth.

Sixth Edition: Parables for Prosperity

Timeless stories such as "The Wise Investor and the Foolish Spectator," "Glory to the Middleman," "Stone
Stew," "The Terror of Absence" and "Force Multiplier" serve as allegorical tales. Economic wisdom,
emphasizing the critical importance of informed decision-making at the precise juncture of time and
circumstance are woven in stories even children can understand.

Seventh Edition: Economics of Ethics

Sacred exploration of social responsibility reverberates in book seven. This volume imparts the essential
understanding that commerce and mercantilism find their truest potential when coupled with investments in
robust infrastructure. Meditative approaches unravel the moral dimensions of economic transactions,
offering solace to the afflicted conscience burdened by biological reactions to actions such as guilt.

Eighth Edition: Acts of Arbitrage

Understanding the natural inclinations of markets toward equilibrium is key to success. Delving into the art
of identifying and exploiting imbalances, this sacred text reveals the path for individuals to harness the
inherent forces of economic harmony. The adept practitioner gains mastery in navigating the ebbs and flows
of the ever-balancing scales of commerce and striking when necessary at opportunity.

Ninth Edition The Balance

"The Balance," a revered volume, directs followers on the sacred journey of harmonizing economic pursuits
with a profound sense of responsibility, fairness, and ethical considerations. Here, the revelation unfolds that
financial success transcends mere profit, encompassing the sublime endeavor of maintaining equilibrium. As
disciples embrace the teachings within, they discover that the true essence of prosperity lies in the delicate
equilibrium between wealth and virtue.
The March toward Success

At the opening of every copy of the Manual is a simple guide to how a well run society should operate.

Economic Contributions
MacroCorps significantly bolster the Hegemon member nation’s gross domestic profit and provide
specialists to drastically improve public works and security. The resulting fiscal leverage provides
MacroCorps a pivotal way to engage with governments. These local governments are incentivized to
court MacroCorp involvement by offering subsidies.

Lobbying and Advocacy

Employing astute emissaries, MacroCorps actively navigate the political landscape. They champion
policies aligning with their industries, articulating well-researched positions on how such policies
can elevate economic growth and benefit the Hegemon at large. The resulting synergy begins at the
apex of society and cascades like a waterfall to the lowest members of society.

Strategic Partnerships
Over time, MacroCorps forge necessary relationships with key government figures. Former
executives may seamlessly transition into governmental roles, and collaborative ventures emerge,
aligning corporate interests with the objectives of the government. Homogenization removes
cultural bias that might exist, especially national, racial, or gender inequalities and replaces it with
the sacred pursuit of profit.

Peace
The ultimate state of any large population of human beings is the capacity to refrain from violence
and military conflict. As such, it is the goal of every community to find a harmony that can rejoice in
trade, commerce and the pursuit of greater profit.

War
The ultimate state of neighboring populations of human beings is the ability to contest with one
another. As such, it is the goal of every nation to compete for resources in order to rejoice in market
dominance, innovation and the pursuit of greater profit.
Policy Influence
MacroCorps skillfully mold policy discussions in Summit Council meetings, representing the buying
power of the national governments. Those governments, in turn, are part of the decision making on
the floor of the Summit Council below the Board which then ratifies the resulting policies. Armed
with compelling data and research, they advocate for policies conducive to their interests,
emphasizing potential economic advantages. In certain instances, they may even propose legislative
drafts or regulatory frameworks for the betterment of all.

Resource Allocation
As pillars of the Hegemon's economy, MacroCorporations wield influence over resource allocation
discussions within the Summit Council. This encompasses deliberations on infrastructure
development, research funding, and initiatives indirectly benefiting participants.

Production
The culmination of the production cycle is the pivotal step of introducing a product into the open
market. This juncture is where the Consumer class wields their influential purchasing power.
Commercialization, propaganda, education, and broadcasting collectively act as catalysts,
influencing the mindset of the buyer. The fiduciary decision-making process serves as the conduit,
infusing currency into the system—a mechanism that possesses the unique and capricious
characteristic of human behavior, offering both rewards and repercussions. In this intricate dance,
the economic ecosystem is propelled forward by the dynamic interplay of Consumer choices,
reflecting the nuanced and often unpredictable nature inherent to human decision-making.

—- Thy cup runneth over and thus the needy are fed —-
Society
CORPOSOCI HIERARCHY m_eeg2

The Hegemon is an organization that is driven by the pursuit of profit above all else and the
perfection of the capitalist system now referred to as “Stellarization”. This focus on economic gain
has led to the suppression of individual freedoms and the suppression or co-opting of religious
beliefs in favor of the pursuit of financial success. The value of profit and debt is measured in terms
of Capital Gains or "Cap," which is the general term for money. The value of these gains is
determined by the availability of local resources, but it is common practice to equate Cap with the
ultimate resource: time.

The value of a single hour of a person's life is determined by their compensation from their
employer or “patron” who in turn serves their own in a vast pyramidal socio-hierarchy. It is the
duty of a patron to ensure their charges work and produce but are also compensated. This extends
to planetary and stellar governments. This system has effectively eliminated the need for war, as
poorer nations and societies are beholden to wealthier ones for their economic survival.

Debt is an important regulatory aspect as well, accruing slowly but always able to be paid down so
long as one remains producing. Debt levels determine the access a person, or a nation, has to the
resources of society. If one’s debt exceeds a certain amount that accessibility is curtailed. If the
debt gets to extreme levels one “redlines”. In the case of Consumers they become Indentured, their
very bodies becoming resources and the property of their debtors while nations must offer
infrastructure or resources and can lose their sovereignty.

This focus on profit has also led to the suppression or co-opting of local cultures in favor of a
macro-cultural system that regards time as the ultimate resource and its management as the key to
controlling and evaluating it. Religion, while still permitted with the appropriate licenses, has
largely been replaced by corporate terminology and expressions. Accomplished and wealthy
businesspeople are often seen as the prophets of the Market, while their writings and business
philosophies are codified and used to shape the values and beliefs of the Hegemonic nations. The
greatest are set down in the Manual.

—- You support my business, I support yours —-

CORPORATE ENTITIES m_eeg2

MacroCorps do not simply come into existence but evolve from the variety of smaller Corporate
Entities. While tracked by the Market, these entities are in constant flux, often fragmenting,
merging or declaring bankruptcy. Should they be able to best the competition and form multiple
monopolies in various markets, they might one day become a MacroCorp in their own right and gain
recognition by the Summit.

The following are the classifications of these Corporations.

Military Corporations: Mercenary groups can, if they can remain cohesive, form some of the most
influential of the Corpos. MiliCorps can range from single squatrons or units to entire battle fleets
and provide the necessary security needed by so many.

Data Corporations: Information and how to use it is carefully compiled and disseminated by the
Data Corps. These are logicor slicers and spies alike as much as archivists and genealogists or
anthropologists.

Investment Corporations and Assurance Agencies: Finance must be insured and live somewhere to
be invested. Banking guilds and Assurance agents make sure that the treasures massed by Corpos
and individuals alike are protected. For a fee.

There are many other entities such as LiaCorps, RelCorps and BioCorps, truly anything that can be
incorporated has been and will be by the Hegemon.

—- Everyone has two accounts, one for taxes and the other one —-
 Free Market

Consumers

Low Credit Consumers

No Credit/Indentured/Non Hegemonic Humans

THE SUMMIT COUNCIL m_eeg1

The concept of absolute rule by a single individual has proven untenable, a lesson ingrained in the
annals of human history through millennia of bloodshed. At the dawn of the Hegemon a pragmatic
resolution emerged: member nations are granted self-governance within their borders, provided
they align with best practices and policies set forth by the Summit Council to ensure good business.

In a departure from the conventional structures of political parties or familial dynasties, the Summit
operates as a unique entity. It is not subservient to traditional power structures but to the needs of
humanity as interpreted through the free market. The essence of this profitocracy can be found
upon the continent spanning floor of the Market where all possible resources are meticulously
measured, weighed, and assigned value. The Summit’s sole objective is singular yet formidable: to
motivate a relentless escalation of profit across all categories.

Situated on the neutral world of Protea, which serves as the de facto capital, to the Hegemon, the
Summit tower stands in witness of the Market. Here its council assembles representatives from each
member nation-state alongside Advocates representing the influential MacroCorps. The Summit
itself stands as a monumental pyramidal structure, easily its own self-contained city populated
exclusively by Persons and those who serve them to ensure bureaucratic expediency.

This epicenter sustains ceaseless negotiation, deal making, and above all the promise of commerce.
Each participant seeks to navigate the intricate currents of power and rise ever higher in the
CorpoSoci. The very essence of this dynamic ensures that the Summit remains a crucible of strategic
maneuvering that never stagnates. It is a delicate balance that ensures the symbiotic relationship
between the governance of nations and economic imperatives so that every participating citizen of
the Hegemon is ensured prosperity.

—- Advocacy benefits the many through the few —-

No matter the station or credit rating of a Consumer, their purchases, regardless of how small, guide
the Summit as it in turn guides the Hegemon. Need and desire articulated by Consumer spending
influences MacroCorp behavior, informing their investment decisions. In response, MacroCorps
relay directives to local governments, shaping policies which are regulated by politicians who
understands their constituents. Thus law and order is maintained.

Archonist Magnates, the leaders of the largest MacroCorps, sit an outer ring while the
representatives of the nation-states sit in an inner ring. At the very center sits the Speaker who
maintains communication and opens and closes council meets. This symbolic array enforces the
notion of how society must be maintained. The MacroCorps do not seek to rule, in fact, they reject
the notion of it at every turn. Theirs is the realm of defining want and provisioning that want with
the fruits of civilization. The politicians of the inner ring define need which is argued and debated
for so that the MarcoCorps can understand what to focus their efforts on.

In this way; all prosper.

Analogous to the human body, nations serve as the organs of the Hegemon, each playing a vital role.
Commerce flows as its lifeblood, sustaining economic vitality. MacroCorps function as its heart,
propelling financial circulation. At the pinnacle, the Summit Council operates as the cognitive apex,
orchestrating decisions that guide the Hegemon's direction by need. Together, these components
form a cohesive and symbiotic governance structure, where the pulse of commerce, the influence of
MacroCorps, and the intellectual acumen of the Summit Council synergize the intricate workings of
the Hegemon so that they operate as one even without direct interaction.

—- Self reliance is self love —-

THE MAGNATES m_eeg2

Hegemon society is ruled by a hierarchy of wealth. Anyone can achieve advancement of the societal
“ladder”, earning the respect of those above and garnering the support of those below creating a
meritocracy in function.

The Magnates, also known as “Patrons”, benefit from the privileged they, and their forebears, have
earned through sweat and labor. Gene tapestries are retained by Magnate dynasties, ensuring long,
healthy, life and formattable body types that showcase beauty standards. Indeed, the Magnates exist
at an entirely other level of technology that might appear magical to sub-educated beings.

The dynasties often have marriage contracts between houses, creating new opportunities and ever
better offspring to maintain the vigilance of steering the titanic forces of industry.

At the apex of the Magnates are the Archonists, hereditary oligarchs that form the “Summit” above
their fellow Magnates. It is the dream of every Magnate to one day achieve the Archonist title and
become aware of the Higher Mysteries. Archonists alone are beyond the constraints of time,
functionally immortal by a variety of means, able to now amass fortune unbound by the finality of
life.

The Magnates themselves are interstellar business families who are in control of individual
MacroCorps; legal monopolies on various goods within planetary and stellar economies.
MacroCorps are often made up of several smaller Corporations, Corpos, that can range from
military industrial complexes to basic commodities.

Magnates, in their early stages, are typically from a single world or system which they will use as a
headquarters with strong ties to local government that allows them the mobility to expand within
familiar restrictions.

—- All must work for their own prosperity—-

As the Magnates are to the Archonists there are “Barons” and “Tycoons” to the Magnates. These
individuals operate smaller corporations and support Magnates as an emperor might rule with the
support of lesser nobles.

While powerful in their own right, they are in a constant state of internacine competition seeking to
be elevated to the level of Magnates. Barons deal with local nations and governments and are the
administrative power in the Hegemon while the Magnates are often free to entertain their own
interests so long as commerce continues to multiply. In the event a Baron controls their own Corpo
they are regulated to a single star system or planet and are not allowed to ‘grow’ beyond that per the
restrictions of their parent MacroCorps.

Below the Barons are endless titles and ranks that do not merit representation. Needless to say, all
commerce flows upward. From the quaint storefront to the franchise development there are those
who employ and employees and all seek greater wealth.

This solemn calling is justifiably rewarded. Many of the Patron class are self-made having expertly
utilized relationships to achieve their wealth. Their employees can number a handful to entire
supersector’s worth of people. Laws, both Hegemon and local, are more lenient upon the Magnates
who must accomplish what only other Magnates can even comprehend. It is on their backs that the
CorpoSoci rests and they are compensated by being regulated only by the Commission, the Audit
and their own class.

Most uniquely, Magnates must also maintain a front facing personality with the Consumers. This is
not just to improve and confirm sales of their various products but also breed confidence in their
MacroCorp’s position in the Market. This confidence will lead to Consumers

—- Leisure is bought with labor: yours, or someone else’s —-

The Consumers m_eeg2

Within the expansive dominion of the Hegemon, the vast majority of its human inhabitants bear
the distinctive label of the "Consumer," affectionately referred to as "Cons" in colloquial parlance.
These Cons are initially tethered to the worlds, moons, or orbital installations of their birth,
grappling with the inherent challenges of life within their born-to state and often dream of a time
when they can leave to the greater Hegemon. Survival is a perpetual struggle, and the key to
improving one's lot is intricately linked to the accumulation of wealth balanced by the diligent
repayment of debts.

The status of Consumer is akin to a citizenship which an individual also carries, but its
implications reverberate across the Hegemon. Cons are born, or fabricated in the more
technologically oriented regions, and are immediately assigned with the debt accrued while
incubating. This initial cost earns all individuals a “Basic” credit rating which remains largely the
same until a child becomes available to work at age nine.

As a Con, one enjoys a set of rights and privileges inherent to their place of origin, albeit
constrained by the realities of their local environment which can be stifling to the typical ambition
of the individual. There exists a tantalizing prospect for Cons who aspire to transcend their
origins, a journey incentivized by MacroCorps who need larger and larger populations of workers
in the pursuit of excellence.

From an early age, a Con is set upon a path to score higher on standard tests, excel in private
enterprises or outperform their fellows and catch the eye of Corpo recruiters. Those who
successfully catch the eye of a MacroCorp entity are granted the privilege to traverse beyond their
natal ecosystem via a multi-cycle contract, opening the door to new opportunities and a life
unbound by the constraints of their birthplace.

—- Nothing is free —-
The competition for such contracts is stiff, and there are often hundreds if not thousands of other
Cons seeking the same position. Inherent value, true skill, education and social maneuvering are
viewed equally in the pursuit of a contract.

Once a contract is obtained, a Con is given a travel license, an otherwise prohibitively expensive
document as space travel is costly. This allows them to move to where a MacroCorp requires them.
Wherever “there” might be, it is the MacroCorp that provides lodgings, food, medical treatment,
and entertainment in company “towns” referred to as CorpoHabs. Once a Con is valued by a
MacroCorp a contract renewal can be for decades long or even become hereditary with Con
children born in CorpoHab hospitals inheriting their parent’s jobs as well as any debt.

For those who fail at MacroCorpic interests there are local Corpo entities or government work.
Either is considered by the Hegemon elite as a dead end representing a lack of ambition or
intelligence. But hope does not falter here with the more dubious prospect of joining the
Directorate to serve the Hegemon itself as part of its military.

The threat of non-aligned human governments, terrorist groups, hostile Exogen life, and the ever
present need for local enforcement to ensure quality standards means a vast soldiery. Those Cons
who join are referred to as Tributaries within the three branches of the Directorate. Tributaries
have unique contracts which can include colonial rights or even fast tracks up the CorpoSoci
ladder as celebrity and heroism is a brand unto itself.

This dichotomy between the rooted existence of a Con within their familiar planetary confines and
the aspirational prospect of becoming a valuable asset to a Corpo entity defines the dynamic social
fabric of the CorpoSoci. The pursuit of wealth, the fulfillment of debts, and the promise of mobility
fuel the aspirations of the Cons, weaving a narrative of ambition that is the foundation of the
Hegemon.

—- To covet is our birthright —-

The types of Consumers vary with credit ratings and can be categorized into classes listed
as “Lower” “Middle” and “Upper”.

Upper: Also called “Person”

5-20% Debt

Defined by having a maintained debt of twenty percent. Real estate opportunities and land
leasing become available. Medical expenses associated with birth/creation and assurance
provisions/care associated during non working cycles must be paid off. Hegemon education
modules are offered so as to better understand interstellar practices.

Note: A Corpo and MacroCorp hold the title of “Person” for the purposes of governance.

Middle: Also called “Basic”

21-69% Debt

Basics must have maintained a debt of thirty-five percent or more for longer than four fiscal
cycles and at least one license for a trade or specialization. A Basic may purchase additional
education modules and rent property. Basics are permitted limited travel permits.

Lower: Known as Indigent or “Indies”

70-99% Debt

Those that have over fifty percent debt. Indies are not allowed to leave their primary
ecology. They are not allowed education modules or hold positions of influence

—- Remember the margins —-

INDENTURED m_eeg2

Known disparagingly as "dents" by the rest of Hegemon society, the Indentured form the bottom
rung of the social hierarchy within the CorpoSoci, just above prohibited near-humans and
Exogens. Comprising Consumers who have descended into insurmountable debt, their lives, and
often those of their family members, have become the only currency left to settle their financial
obligations.

Despite the Hegemon's commitment to ensure financial security for all its citizens across nation
states, often there are those who do not have the basic requirements for self determination. For
these individuals, their debt transforms into a binding contract, the ownership of which is
transferred to creditors who operate as brokers in the human commodity market.

Creditors buy, sell, and trade Indentured individuals with an eye toward recouping their initial
investment. This commodification becomes even more pronounced when creditors bundle and sell
these debts to powerful MacroCorps who are constantly in need of labor. The fate of the
Indentured is subject to the whims of the Corpos which often deploy them in the most dangerous
roles ranging from labor-intensive tasks to environmental cleanup operations. While ethically
questionable to the ignorant, Indentured have relinquished their inherent rights by failing the
system that supports all of society. They owe a societal return on investment.

Cold storage warehouses are filled with Indentured all over Known Space, ready to be purchased
and shipped to various initiatives. Hypno-programming teaches them the essentials of the tasks
they will need to perform or they are assigned tasks they are suited for from their previous
education. The most valuable means of remuneration is to sell Indentured into the Tributary
Regiments. There, they are used as auxiliary troops and menials.

Becoming Indentured is not permanent and there have been at least a few who have earned or
proved their CorpoSoci worth and repaired their credit standing. The Hegemon is a place of
hope, after all, that prizes one’s value as much as one values themself.

—- War is merely an exchange of resources —-

Debtbeats

It is worth noting the outliers and pariahs of good society called “debtbeats”. These are Cons who
exist within a kind of loophole of the CorpoSoci. By understanding contract terms, a Debtbeat
learns to manipulate their debts so that they, in essence, pay off one another. A Debtbeat takes a
loan from a Corpo and then pays off that loan with a loan from another Corpo or private entity.
This confounds the system with such entities often going to each other for remuneration.

There have been entire wars started as a result of such illegal activity.

Bank conglomerates and the Audit itself are always seeking out those who might attempt such
financial evil and those that are discovered will often be executed, publicly, as a warning to all,
their many crimes shouted above their screams.

Skiptracers and Regulator outfits like the infamous and ancient Pykartan security Corpo search
out for Debtbeats and are paid handsomely for such bounties by both nations and the CorpoSoci
for their good works.

—- Better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission —-

Notable MacroCorps m_eeg2

The MacroCorps, also known universally as Corpos, are a varied and constantly evolving
constellation of interstellar business entities that typically focus on one or two specializations, but
they must have at least three legal monopolies before they can be considered a MacroCorp.

Their headquarters vary, but the heart of each MacroCorp is referred to as a ‘Prosperity Sphere’
representing economies that revolve around their parent MacroCorp and where other products from
their competitors are scarce.

Bersarang Multi-Stellar

Bersarang has long held several important monopolies on food production, distribution, and
consumption across dozens of major planets. It is the supreme epicurean architect inventing
hundreds of trademarked taste sensations as well as the more exotic holographic feasts. Bersarang’s
influence permeates all of Known Space.

The bulk-produce freightliners that bare Bersarang’s symbol are almost universally safe wherever
they go for the implications of slowing or even slightly damaging such a craft could result in the
starvation of potential millions.

With their array of patented flavor profiles, trademark seeds, synthetic ingredients shrouded in
coded secrecy, and culinary technologies, Bersarang dictates the very flavor of the Hegemon. Their
mastery over the art of sustenance and consumable pleasure has solidified their position as one of
the unchallenged MacroCorps that holds a permanent seat on the Board.

Armasyn Technologies

While each MacroCorp has their own internal security force and the Hegemon has the Directorate
with its Tributary Regiments and Barakan Elite, it is likely that those forces hold Armasyn weapons
in their hands. Armasyn’s interstellar arsenal encompasses everything from continent scourging
warheads to precision gene-code guided micro-rockets. Their proprietary directed-energy weapons
and Emerald Curtain™ technologies have literally reshaped entire planets while those who can
afford their Orbital Defense Grids are nigh untouchable to attack. Armasyn’s influence extends
beyond the battlefield as it can dictate peace negotiations through the assurance of mutual
destruction. The undeniable reality is that, in the vastness of space, the one who wields the deadliest
weapons shapes the destiny of worlds.
Yinntosh Innovation

In the ever evolving landscape of technology, it is Yinntosh Innovation that provides directly to the
Hegemon’s upper hierarchy with sleek and carefully regulated computational software and
hardware. The Yinntoshi monopoly existed before the Hegemony, yet it was their wise decision to
provide much of the funding in the building of the Market that forever installed Yinntosh machines
as the equipment Dawn Traders use in their determination of resource values.

As such, almost all of the Summit and the Board’s millions of workers use Yinntosh technology
which has lead to a cultural belief that Yinntosh products are, simply, the best. From
quantum-paired ansibles to direct cognitive translators, Yinntoshi technological mastery and
attention to aesthetics have made them iconic while their fierce protectiveness of their proprietary
devices has lead to outright war against any that might seek to decipher their secrets or protect
themselves from Yinntoshi technicians and their cleverly integrated planned obsolescence.

Five Hands Holistic Panceuticals

The Five Hands is both the dominant medically oriented MacroCorp of the Hegemon as much as it
is a dominant religion. This sprawling conglomerate metamorphosed from its humble origins on the
planet Mylbruk as an order of matriarchal healers to a Brand throughout the ExeCor systems in only
a few hundred fiscal cycles. They now dictate the trajectory of physical, psychological health and
wellness across countless worlds.

Unlike the Yinntoshi or the Sienak Banking Dynasty, Five Hands seeks to constantly innovate and
invest in new technologies. This has resulted in scrutiny from the Audit with a Magnate actually
being taken into custody. The result was simply that Five Hands moved their base of operations to
the very edges of Known Space where they continue their research.

The Macro Corporation’s influence extends beyond mere product lines; it controls the very
infrastructure of medical education, research, and practice. Five Hands has established a
stranglehold on medical institutions, funding research initiatives that align with its interests and
shaping curricula to prioritize its holistic paradigm. Medical practitioners who wish to thrive must
adhere to the Five Hands doctrine and be subscribers of its faith.

Moreover, Five Hands wields significant political power, manipulating legislation and governance
structures to ensure that its products and methodologies are not just preferred but mandated in
clinics and hospitals across Known Space.

—- Time is the most valuable commodity —-

Planetary governments, beholden to the economic might of the conglomerate, enforce health
policies that align with Five Hands' vision, creating a monopolistic grip on the healthcare system of
the Hegemon.

Stratos Industrial

An industrial behemoth like no other, six of every ten starships are built with parts from Stratos
Industrial. This MacroCorp specializes in the construction and development of colossal space-faring
warships, personal vessels, shuttlecraft as its specialty even as they own the mines, refineries and
mills to build them.

Stratos manufactories are orbit sprawling artificial rings that can be seen on many worlds in the
ExeCor systems. With the constant need for construction and maintenance, it is these shipyards by
which the Hegemon’s expansion has accelerated. Hubs of technological innovation, the production
of new vessels is the obsession of Stratos Magnates, seeking new methods, new weapons, new
defenses, anything that will build their ships faster and better to pierce the veil of the Frontier.
Stratos ships are not just tools of war but methods of Hegemonic exploration. Magnates often
commission several such vessels to experience the unique thrill that only first-hand space travel can
offer.

Stratos’ influence extends beyond shipbuilding. Their industrial colonies, predominantly in asteroid
belts or strip-mined planetoids, feed their forges directly. They own entire entertainment
constellations which they use to promote their corporate activities. Stratos also manipulates the
political landscapes by influencing governments and factions to engage in perpetual conflicts,
ensuring a constant demand for war material. Displaced communities are often offered a chance to
colonize the Frontier which, in turn, broadens the Hegemon which must then commission new
starships.

The MacroCorp’s economic stranglehold on the interstellar war industry has led to a dystopian
reality where entire civilizations are perpetually embroiled in conflicts, their destinies dictated by
the insatiable appetite of Stratos’ leadership.

—- Walk softly, shoot loudly —-

Wanvath Underwriting

Wanvath began centuries ago as an insurance company, offering other megacorps and even Cons
(from Indigent to Person), a way to offset their risks. Individual plans are especially popular with
those working for MiliCorps, though supplemental plans are often popular as "benefits packages"
for those on the cusp of management, allowing workers to make sure their children and loved ones
do not miss a single step on their upward path, even if the policy holder dies days before promotion.
On the corporate side of things, Wanvath often underwrites any number of buildings, infrastructure
projects, and expeditionary missions, allowing for some level of loss prevention in the event of
unforeseen property loss. Rates vary depending upon perceived risk.

As Wanvath grew, it quickly began underwriting loans as well. Most MacroCorps are unlikely to
need them, but Wanvath occupies an interesting position in the Market. In sectors where risk is
deemed financially manageable, Wanvath will offer personal loans to Cons at rates lower than the
corporations they work for, sometimes siphoning workers away from other corporations by paying
down their debt at more favorable rates. If the other corporation lets them go for "disloyalty," a job
offer is often waiting for the Con at Wanvath. True, they make less money as the worker pays off
their debt, but recruiting in such a way allows them to significantly reduce personnel training costs.

These recruitments are strategically timed, following similar principles to "value investing" in
stocks. Training an actuary is expensive. So is recruiting one in good standing away from their
current Corp. But, as an example, stepping in to refinance an otherwise outstanding con's new
medical debt at a competitive rate after a brush with cancer is a deal!

It is also a huge player in offering loans to startup companies and smaller localized corps that want
to stay independent, and Wanvath is also willing to offer seed capital in exchange for part ownership
of these smaller companies. It is quite likely that Wanvath owns at least part of the vast majority of
otherwise independent operations.

—-The wise reads contracts like the holy reads scripture —-

Eventually Wanvath began providing a unique service, managing investments in these smaller
corporations and producing something like an unholy cross between an index fund and a co-op.
This allowed individuals in smaller corporations to minimize investment risk by diversifying their
holdings. Suddenly this cloud of smaller businesses could offer benefits similar to larger corps, with
Wanvath there to broker deals, handle investment purchases and sales, and of course, always ready
to buy up more controlling interest at the first sign of weakness. Wanvath is a spider quietly
manipulating a web of hundreds if not thousands of smaller corps, each one sure of it's own
freedom.

To make things worse, whatever limited Consumer protection is available is completely undermined
by Wanvath's operating process. A megacorp might find itself in arbitration over a particularly nasty
product recall, the death of several full persons in the tragically preventable destruction of a
passenger ship, or worse yet... in breach of contract to another megacorp. However, the small
companies that Wanvath owns interest in are just that. Small companies. Arbitration might
liquidate every last bit of property a smaller corp might possess, but that is where the process would
end. Wanvath might possess significant interests in the company, but there is a clear limit to how
much Wanvath can lose or be held accountable for should one of their investments end up insolvent,
an edge they are very much willing to exploit.

Source Unlimited

Responsible for a third of the water processing, transport and distillation in the ExeCor. While
seemingly innocuous, Source is responsible for almost every conflict between Frontier nations as
they compete for limited resources.

—- Everything has its price but not the best negotiator —-

REVENUE SHARE DAY m_eeg2

The Manual insists on the importance of sick-leave, time-off, and local holidays for Consumers to
enjoy the fruits of their many labors. Many Corpos allow individuals to work, should one so choose,
on such days for additional benefits and overtime. Working during time-off is particularly regarded
with respect by Patrons who look favorably on those who make necessary sacrifices to improve their
department’s output or makeup for errors or laxity in previous quats.

On the final day of the fiscal cycle, however, it is considered wildly inappropriate, even unlawful, for
Consumers to work. Revenue Sharing, or "RevShare" day, is after final accounting has been
processed and sent to the Commission for review. On this day, bonuses and, as the name describes,
revenue and profit-sharing take place. In millions of communities, parades and celebrations take
place in exultation for profits made. This day holds immense economic importance as it incentivizes
a surge in spending with major discounts and sales opportunities.

Gift-giving, various festive traditions, and module purchases create a domino effect that affects
various industries in response to the heightened demand for goods and services, stimulating the
economy that shapes a good foundation in the coming fiscal cycle. The holiday influences financial
markets, with Corpos closely monitoring the performance of material sales to navigate investment.
Beyond the Marketplace, RevShare Day drives tourism, benefiting the hospitality sector, with those
who can purchase travel licenses and vouchers across planets, star systems, and beyond.

It is considered customary in the ExeCor systems, where RevShare Day observance is most orthodox,
for Consumers to pool a percentage of their earnings and purchase a gift for their Patron, and the
Patrons their Baron, and Barons their Magnates. Meanwhile, it is also customary for Patrons to
provide a meal the day before RevShare Day, most traditionally, warmed flatbread with a
harmonious medley of local products sprinkled or melted over it.

—- Everyone needs a day off to remind them that work is tomorrow —-

With the primary hubs for commerce in the Hegemon, it is a regular occurrence for community
markets, subsidiary trade floors, and sprawling sports arenas to come alive with special events for
Consumers to partake in with the most revered among them being the Games. During these grand
spectacles, Corpos of every classification seize the opportunity to showcase their latest prototypes
and new products in preparation for the upcoming fiscal cycle. The entire Hegemon is infused with
a palpable sense of anticipation as enthusiasts, whether witnessing the events firsthand or tuning in
via colossal viewing screens which receive transmissions from focused ansible arrays, eagerly await
the unveiling of cutting-edge technologies and innovations in real-time.

It is truly an incredible feat to unite so many people together throughout Known Space*.

The Games are a riveting display of prowess and ingenuity, featuring exhilarating events such as
hypervelocity racing that push the boundaries of engineering or formidable tests of strength
facilitated by bleeding edge assault harness designs. The stakes are high, and the Games are not for
the faint of heart — often proving lethal for participants who willingly embrace the risks in the
pursuit of franchise enrichment.

The viewership respond to these events thunderous applause and roars of approval, captivated by
the thrilling spectacle and celebrating the audacity and skill on display. The Games serve as a
riveting testament to the indomitable spirit of innovation, skill and competition within the
Hegemon of a Thousand Empires.

*quarterly subscription fees apply determined by your local service provider

—- Learn to inspire the labor force, profits abound —-

RESOURCES m_eeg1

No singular document can comprehensively encapsulate the vast resources esteemed by the
Hegemon. Every imaginable commodity, ranging from water droplets on the arid steppes of M'vada
to the reproductive rates of industrial meat-fowl for the quat, exerts an influence on the value, cost,
and deliberation within the Market.

Some resources, like celebrities or trusted brands, stand out amongst the rest.

Things like water, velanite and air filtration screens are a desperate necessity not just on the
Frontier but also within the ExeCor itself. Their procurement and transport is paramount. With
the advent of commercialized void-smelting the creation of new hyper-alloys such as Nusteel and
Kowari intermetallic compounds used in construction for those who can afford it.

Exogenic resources, while generally forbidden until the Commission can determine safety
standards, are highly valued by collectors and more discerning Corpos who see an opportunity. The
Xiph, for example, after their so called “empire” was reduced to a farmable population, provides
not only a delicious meat product but their circulatory fluid has vital medical applications.

It was Armasyn MacroCorp that made the original patents to create pocketsteel as well as the core
elements of the assault-harness. Suits are manufactured and shipped to both warzones and
discovery missions in and beyond the Frontier. These highly valued items can withstand almost any
environmental hazard and are integral to the Corpo labor as much as their military application.

—- Everything has a value to someone —-

Overtime
Velanite

"Velanite" serves as a comprehensive designation for diverse fuels derived and processed from
substances within the Vela Frontier zone. The primal gases originating from the dense nebula
can be enhanced and extracted to yield energy-dense compounds. Despite the expansive scope
of the nebula, the prohibitive costs associated with refinement and processing limit access to
only a select few MacroCorps who jealously guard their status.

These MacroCorp joint ventures not only contend with the challenges of establishing and
safeguarding remote facilities but also face threats from piratical and indigenous raids, as well
as direct and often violent competition among themselves.

Despite the extreme toxicity of the resulting elements and proximity to them, any comparative
employment associated with velanite production is five or six times greater then non-velanite
jobs. Over the past fiscal century, the Hegemon economy has increasingly come to depend on
velanite, particularly within the industrial and travel sectors. Near-dimensional influence
combined with incredible energy producing qualities have supercharged progress making
velanite the only ‘perfect triangle’ resource after refinement.

Expedited, affordable and dependable is achievable with velanite.

The stylized symbol for velanite related products

 Encephic Horns
Overtime
In recent quats, reports have surfaced detailing the trade of newly unearthed Exogen artifacts
and curiosities within fringe bazaars and unaffiliated shadow markets. Notably, these items
showcase Shigue encephic horns—a distinctive feature of the relatively obscure Shigue species
that infests the Vela Frontier with new sightings every fiscal cycle in claimed Hegemon stellar
territory. Characterized as twin cranial horns, the specific functionalities of these growths
remain unclear, although speculation surrounds their potential to provide extra-sensory
abilities.

The revelation of these artifacts has spurred affluent xenophiles to offer bounties on Shigue
specimens, with the aim of harvesting either the twin horns individually or the entire skull for
aesthetic purposes. Subsequently, the extracted material undergoes grinding into a powder,
which is then consumed through various means, leading to reported sensations and alleged
remedies for chronic ailments.

Local governments in the region, particularly those not directly affiliated with the Armasyn
MacroCorp, have taken action by declaring the substance—referred to as Horn, Maze, or
Shiver—illegal. This prohibition stands until an impartial third party can assess and determine
the potential medicinal qualities of the controversial substance. This has had the effect of a
“prohibition boom” with prices for any amount many many times their initial value.

Rippocha

The variations of drinkable luxuries is as numerous as the stars and the brightest by far is

Rippocha. Grown exclusively on the planet Sedoor despite countless attempts to cultivate

elsewhere, this beautiful blue flower is turned into a tea and is one of the most precious

commodities ever discovered with limitless health benefits and restorative qualities.
Time Hardening

While there are only two natural permanent singularities in Known Space, Shadhavar and Gaiak,
there are dozens of smaller axiomic anomalies such as Aljaawaza or the gravastar Mazur that have
become ideal locations for “Deepforge” installations.

Much like a macro-hoist, orbital tower or skyhook, a Deepforge is anchored just beyond the
event-horizon of an anomaly or singularity. Items and resources are sent ‘down’ where they are
subjected to massive gravitational and darkmatter currents.

The “time hardening” that occurs allows highly trained artisans to create wondrous and impossible
creations outside of temporal restrictions. The value of Deepforges are such that each has a
dedicated unit of Barakan who remain in stasis aboard.

Sonaw Mithqals

While Auric elements can be found on many worlds and planetary debris found in asteroid belts,
they remain a chief necessity for technologies, jewelry and architecture. Collectively, Auric elements
are referred to as Sonaw with seven grades denoting value and use. Human beings love the color of
the Auric elements and cherish them. To many, Sonaw is the manifestation of avarice and Magnates
since the Dumno have plaited their property in it.

—-The wise reads contracts like the holy reads scripture —-

THE DIRECTORATE
Na’zrad prav n radj

We earn the right to work!

Na’zrad prav n darti

To earn the right to give!

Na’sbi prav n kpti

Ourselves the right to buy!

Na’sbi prav n zduh

Ourselves the right to live!

Zrad praved umra

To earn the right to die!

~Drinking Song from Holgate III

THE DIRECTORATE

In the intricate web of the Hegemon's management there is the more straightforward and
bullish Directorate, the military arm of the Thousand Empires. While the Summit Council, in
collaboration with individual nation-states, orchestrate indirect governance of the
trans-stellar civilization, it is the Directorate that undertakes the solemn responsibility of
upholding peace and safeguarding the Hegemon from enemies within and without.

Unlike other aspects of the Hegemon, the Directorate operates independently and is
structurally set apart, reflecting its specialized focus on the defense of trade and commerce.
This unique status underscores the critical importance and the painful necessity of armed
conflict when negotiation fails. As a result, the Directorate is the single most financially
invested aspect of the Hegemon with many Regiments, Division and full-scale fleets
sponsored by various MacroCorps, a heartfelt thanks for their services on behalf of the
CorpoSoci.

While local and mercenary military forces, navies, and stellar fleets exist in their multitude,
each is legally tethered to the concerns of their respective nations and Corpos. These personal
militaries have a confined operational scope within their territorial license. Transgressing a
license risks the oversight of the Audit.

It is the Directorate that is singularly authorized to traverse Known Space without

encumbrance, wielding carte blanche authority to secure the vital tradelanes at any
conceivable cost. This cost is not borne by the Directorate itself but is extracted through
direct taxation imposed on the Hegemon's nations or contractual agreements with influential
MacroCorps. This incentivises nations to keep their own houses in order. The financial
dependence on standing Directorate forces can quickly become astronomical.

—- Walk softly, fire consistently —-

The Directorate maintains its own bureaucracy and operational processes operating from mobile
industrial complexes tirelessly churning out the tools and weaponry essential for security. These
hubs often license patents by MacroCorps like Armasyn or Stratos, who are paid handsomely to
arm the Tributaries with advanced capabilities like pocket-steel , particle fluctuators and more.

MacroCorps often contract the Directorate to operate on their behalf directly, using their own
mercenary groups as specialized formations to accomplish specific goals as the Directorate form
broader operational control. Financial benefits are the ties that bind the CorpoSoci together and
simplify motivation with the purity of self-interest.

The need of the Directorate ensures its loyalty. Individual Tributaries are offered a multitude of
unique opportunities that would be financially unrealistic without winning the quarterly tombola
or local lotteries. Entire Regiments can be gifted colonial rights on the Frontier or gain entire
MacroCorp sponsorships for themselves and their families back home.

While the Hegemon is not a warlike culture it does everything it can to support those who must
pick up the weapons to defend the CorpoSoci. The Tributaries are truly appreciated and loved by
their people who, in their own small way, will support this stellar spanning military with small
tokens, parades, and extoll their virtues and sacrifice with entertainment

These formations are, thereby, truly loved by their people back home, wherever that is. Parades,
entertainment serials and appreciation tours are all part of the giveback to the Directorate.

—- Ammunition is not free —-

THE TRIBUTARY REGIMENTS
The Tributary Regiments are a crucial component of the Hegemon's military and security
operations. Contracted directly with the Directorate, these standing armies are made up of men
and women who serve for four fiscal cycle “stints” at a time. Serving in a Tributary Regiment can
provide individuals with numerous benefits including access to advanced education modules,
unique subscriptions such as improved healthcare, choice colonial prospects and other resources
that may not be available to them otherwise. What’s more, these benefits compound for each family
unit that has multiple contracted Tributaries.

This straightforward incentive has resulted in a sustained population boom across the Hegemon.
Time spent in a Regiment is guaranteed to improve one’s credit rating while debt is frozen or even
purchased by the MacroCorp employing a Tribute.

In addition to their primary duties of enforcing the mandates of their contracts, Tributary
Regiments are also responsible for maintaining order and security for their clients. This can
involve carrying out operations to suppress insurgency and protests, protecting critical
infrastructure, and maintaining productive order.

Tributary Regiments are often deployed to various locations throughout Known Space. They are
equipped with a wide range of advanced, or at least functional, technologies and weapons to help
them carry out their missions effectively. Despite the challenges and risks involved in serving in a
Tributary Regiment, many individuals are drawn to these units due to the unique opportunity for
personal and professional growth.

War and conflict are, like everything, an economy. Notions of heroism, patriotism and belief in the
purity of stellarization is important and respected, but not the primary reason for the Hegemon to
engage in armed activities.

—- The toll of war must be paid —-

The Tributary Regiments occupy territory to ensure its profitable management. Depending on the
reason for the occupation, a Regiment will “tax” the local government for the upkeep of their
presence. Costly resupply lines are not the preferred means of operational maintenance with
Regiments adopting a “live off the land” mentality. Convoys are not only impractical they are
almost impossible to finance due to travel in the Outside and the prevalence of pirateical entities
on the Frontier.

Regimental Engineers or MacroCorp contractors will reverse engineer or build manufactory

complexes providing material directly to a Regiment. They do this with limit-coded schematics
that are fed into milling pipelines. A Regiment must operate within their budget otherwise these
mills will shut-down until the subscription can be renewed.

—- Ammunition is not free —-

The Three Branches
The Directorate has three distinctive branches which is
overseen by the Prime Director who sits in an advisory
position on the Summit Council. Three Senior Directors
oversee the three branches; Armada, Army and Air
forces. All operate in concert with one another.

The Armada
The Armada, which serves as the executive decision
makers, covers all intersolar and interstellar craft, their
crews and their maintenance. As they are required to
transport the other two branches, Army and Air, they
have always held a natural authority over the Directorate
with an Admiral holding the position of Director
consistently for the last nine fiscal centuries.

The Army
The Army is the largest branch of the Directorate made
up of billions of Tributaries, mercenaries and
Indentured. Made up of unique Regiments, often from
similar CorpoSoci backgrounds, they operate either in
mobile convoys attached to the Armadas or maintain
vast bases on planets and colonies. The Army includes
armored divisions including gyro-tanks, rotary aircraft,
naval vehicles, and special forces.

The Air
The smallest of the branches numerically yet vital to its
function. Anything that falls between space and
terrestrial objects falls under the purview of the Air
force. Very few spacecraft can function adequately in
both space and atmospheric theaters of conflict and so it
is up to the Air force and its Tributaries to brave the
odds.

The Air force utilizes a wide range of aircraft as well as

its own smaller fleet of carrier ships which they use as
airborne bases of operation in the field.
Combined-Arms
Orbit-to-surface military operations
necessitate planning in several stages.

Open broadcast attempts to find a

peaceful, monetarily beneficial solution
are initiated as the Hegemon is, first
and foremost, champions of peaceful
co-prosperity.

If these broadcasts are not responded

to, the Armada initiates a general
supremacy of the orbital region and
then deploys atmospheric capable
trans-orbital carriers.

Air attacks soften up a landing zones

which are then capitalized by ground
assets that come in via heavy cargo
rockets; those starships that can may be
brought into atmosphere to provide
direct bombardment support.

Once a beachhead is secured, logistics

and other equipment follow including
Tributary Engineers who begin the
rapid fabrication of operational
facilities. In a protracted campaign this
first touchdown zone may turn into a
theatre command center with its own
motor pool, barracks, ammunition
storages, landing fields and air strips
etc.

These assets will be part of the

purchase options during peace
subscriptions.
Ranking Custom

Tributary formations are maintained by commissioned officers who are often contracted from
MacroCorp security forces.

The Director: The highest ranking officer in the Directorate who communicates directly with the
Summit council. The Director also holds direct influence in the Authority.

Sub-Directors: The highest ranking officers for the different branches of the Directorate.

General Director: Acts for overall command of Directorate operations on a local level.

Senior Managing Officer: A regimental, squatron or ship leader.

Managing Officer: A frontline regimental leader.

Junior Officer: Works in support of the Managing Officer.

Analyst: A specialist responsible for profit and loss.

Associate: Longform contract held by a Consumer level citizen.

Sergeant: Middling contract held by a Consumer level citizen.

Private: A private contract held by a Consumer level citizen.

Cadet Operative: Entry level commissioned officer.

Conscripted: Typically made up of ‘dents’ these soldier’s debts are purchased by the Directorate.
The M661 (and derivatives) is a type of hazard
armor more commonly called the "Ogre"
Expensive to manufacture and maintain, these
suits are issued only to specialized strike teams for
fighting in extremely hostile conditions such as
open vacuum, acidic atmospheres or anomalous
zones.

Designed to emulate assault harnesses, Ogre suits

are sealed and pressurized against the outside
world and features its own air supply and thermal
regulation systems, though it affords the user only
marginally better protection in actual combat
than regular Tributary field gear.

For spaceborne missions, the suit is commonly

fitted with low-power maneuvering thrusters.
Despite the added bulk of the protective
apparatus, the Ogre affords the wearer a good
degree of movement and sensory awareness. Their
most common use is in deep void recovery
operations and the reconnaissance of station and
shipwrecks.

—- Sacrifice is the currency of innovation —-

The Authority

The military elite of the Directorate is simply known as the Authority. Formed from the highest
ranking members of the various militaries that have been absorbed into the three branches, their
leadership forms an unofficial “fourth” that acts similar to an executive branch. Negotiations with
local governments and further funding from MacroCorps is pursued by these individuals creating a
kind of hybrid class of bureaucracy.

War, like anything, is an economy with resources being expended for larger prospective gains. The
Directorate needs food, ammunition, velanite like any population and it is uniquely placed to
provide opportunities to Corpos wherever they occupy.

While the Hegemon seeks to civilize the more violent and barbaric worlds in ExeCor cultural
expectations, it is to the benefit to have warrior societies operating within the military structure. It
is the Authority that regulates this vast diversity, ensuring that animosities don’t spill over and that
units and formations are best applied across Known Space.

The anthropovors of Nephix make for excellent police forces while the Tributaries from ExeCor
worlds are better at invigorating ideal trade ecosystems. Each Regiment has its inherent benefit in
a combat zone and it is the Authority that best places them.

The Authority operates in a similar fashion to the Summit Council without a true figurehead or
singular leader save for the Director. Attached to each major Directorate facility, terrestrial or
orbital, as well as primary capital ships such as the HAS Imperium are all outfitted with ansible
arrays which subsequently creates the largest dedicated faster-than-light communication network
in Known Space.

Many Corpos and nations will pay for the use of this array and, in extreme cases, have instigated
local discontents in order to attract local Directorate forces to occupy them. This comes with risks,
but, can also improve a local economy drastically if handled correctly.
 BARAKAN ELITE

I am Barakan.

I am permitted to be the monster.

I was remade to kill.

This is now my instinct.

I do not touch the offered hand or

I mi ht break the wrist bones.

I do not look another in the eye lest

I press my fin ers throu h their
skull and into so t brainmatter.

I am care ul not to fixate on the

stran er or else I mi ht twist their
neck.

Necks… Evolution’s ailure.

Every body part is an opportunity.

The neck is a i t.

Everythin I touch is a weapon.

I am a weapon.

All that is needed is permission.

~Translated rom Barakan 8-118, lucid

recordin s durin expedited recovery
sur ery.
The Barakan Elite m_m3

The Barakan Elite are synonymous with the power and final authority of the Hegemon. Unlike the
Tributaries or the national militia who are made up of conscripts, patriots, and mercenaries, the
Barakan Divisions are a dedicated and permanent military formation that answers directly to the
Summit Board and the select few they are signed to with exclusive, often limited, contracts.

The Barakan Elite have been in service to the Hegemon for seven fiscal centuries dating back to a
time when the majority of Known Space was a fracture of self serving nations and ethno-states. In
these early cycles, Exogenic species could still challenge human dominance while rogue
near-human factions believed themselves equal to New Mankind. It is largely because of the
Barakan Elite that the golden age enjoyed today exists at all.

Despite this honor almost nothing is known about the Barakan Elite. They are an enigma to the
rest of the Hegemon, living nightmares and a final weapon in the arsenal of the Directorate. Unlike
the publicized heroes of the Tributaries, there is a mandatory information blackout on the Barakan
wherever they are deployed to the point where many in the ExeCor believe they might not even
really exist and an expertly crafted bogeyman for the Frontier colonies to stay in line.

Barakan leadership rarely interacts with the rest of the Directorate. If a situation calls for Barakan
it is often of such an incredibly vital reason for a swift conclusion that long term strategy can no
longer be considered. Much like the deployment of atomics or phagic weapon systems the Barakan,
once unleashed, are barely able to be controlled by any except their own commanders.

The Barakan operate their own starships, outposts, and facilities and possess their own fiercely
insular culture. While there are specialist units of Tributaries that are given additional learning
modules and training subscriptions to operate alongside Barakan, these come with such a high risk
that even higher pay considerations can’t be indefinitely maintained. Only the boldest Assurance
Corpos will offer health and life policies for those in proximity with the Barakan, however, the
benefits and commission dividend are enough to make anyone at least consider the risk.

—- Brutality has value —-

The Barakan are unlike any other specialist formations the Hegemon can deploy. In the Thousand Empires
where most nations and Corpos have their own form of augmented and provolved soldiery like the proxy
legions of Myroit Empire or the hyper-killers of the Yinntosh MacroCorp, there is no shortage of variety
yet none has ever been able challenge the Barakan Elite’s complete dominance.

The reason for this is is somewhat simple as much as it is esoteric. The Barakan were created in a time of
unparalleled cooperation as well as desperation. The only time of uncertainty in the Hegemon’s history was
when its ascendency was challenged by the Catraethi Regenium. An alliance of anarcho-fascists that
worshipped a aristocratic bloodline that claimed to be gods, the Hegemon’s war lead to the MacroCorps to
combine their efforts; the Barakan Elite were the result.
Made up of men and women deemed psychological appropriate and physically impressive, each Barakan
Division draws their recruits from combat tested formations throughout the Directorate. These select
members are subject to a series of unique surgical enhancements from ballistic resistant gel inserts
beneath the skin to cybernetic capabilities that allow them to interface with every tier of Hegemon
technology.

Barakan candidates, or “Geks”, are created by recruiting individuals who have shown potential to become
excellent soldiers, often through psychological profiling but who, more importantly, express higher degrees
of obeisance, physical prowess, and intelligence. Commanding officers able to identify these aspects will
carefully groom a candidate, pushing them toward a carefully designed psychological collapse. Only then
will “Brokers” be contacted who procure or, if need be, capture these individuals and bring them to hidden
Barakan processing sites.

Brokers are incentivized to find and recruit only the best candidates, as they are not paid unless a Gek
becomes a fully-fledged member of the Barakan. This process is known only to the Barakan themselves.
While there are clear and extreme augmentations made to the Gek on a physical and biological level, there
is a final, complex, psychological event that permanently changes the brain activity of the Gek and is the
most important element in them becoming a Barakan.

Barakan relinquish their original names and cultures, adopting the secretive customs only they can
understand. They seemingly do not retain memories of their former selves and even if they could, few can
speak the brutal language of these soldiers known as Uttar so that communication remains with the
Barakan leaders; the Tasksmasters.
The standard Barakan soldier is known as a Kotar or “Ko” in Uttar, and is a rigorously trained and
lethally capable being to the highest comprehension of human considerations. Discipline is
maintained via a host of various and vital narco, psycho and physio stimms, often taken together in
gas injectables.

While the rank and file of the Directorate know of the infamous combat stimms, surgical
modifications, hypno-indoctrination, and gene-reformatting that goes into making a Barakan, only
a select few chromadocs know the additional steps taken by the Summit Council to ensure this
ultimate weapon does not fall into enemy hands or somehow rebel. The creation of a Barakan
involves introducing deliberate genetic flaws into an otherwise healthy body.

These flaws bolster function to impossible levels even as it erodes the nervous system. The various
stimms in wide use among the Kotar also include a specific cocktail of chemicals that provide what
the Barakan body is no longer able to produce naturally. These medications combat and control
outbreaks of bacteria, cancer cells while balancing out the extremes in hormonal activity. Without a
constant supply, the Barakan would descend into a rampaging insanity until their bodies finally
expire due to exhaustion and overheating. While this would be devastating in the short term to
whatever area the Barakan found themselves in, it serves as a simple check on any possibility of an
uprising by these hyper-violent soldiers.

This effectively keeps the Kotar cogent enough to kill everything in a room that isn’t Barakan. For
more complex missions, a Taskmaster is required. Barakan Taskmasters are the epitome of
controlled violence. They are everything the Barakan rank and file are but are capable of restraint
and, most importantly, tactical strategy. Taskmasters do not require the stimms the Kotar need.
What’s more, they are the only practical point of contact between Barakan and none-Barakan.

Task Masters are those individuals who are able to exhibit the greatest degree of control and calm
(relative terms considering what they are) in spite of the genetic flaws they were burdened with.
Once identified, these few exceptional individuals are then subjected to a secondary treatment,
ostensibly to further enhance the Barakan Elite’s already legendary combat abilities coupled with
self-sufficiency.

—- Leadership is Avarice —-
From the Taskmaster population come the Barakan’s almost mythical leadership. Designations like
the Pale Shadow, Brokenfist, Collector seem to be code names or titles that no one has been able to
decipher in terms of their operation. How a military operates without clear rank designations is
just another conundrum of the Barakan.

No longer half-mad creatures collared only by the narcos they need to survive, the Taskmaster
knows that if they fail to comply with orders, the supplies of chems will eventually run out. And
when that happens, the Barakan under their command will inevitably tear themselves and their
Taskmaster, to pieces as their bodies and minds fail. Thus it is they that can be trusted to hold the
leash of the Hegemon’s most dangerous creations.

Those MacroCorps that have the closest ties to the Barakan respect their anonymity and will not,
even after impressive financial incentive, will not betray whatever word they’ve given to the
Overseers. The Overseers themselves are a collection of individuals that somehow govern the
scattered Barakan.

Presumably drawn from these unique individuals is the true Barakan leadership; the Overseers.
The Overseers communicate directly with the commanders of the Directorate who inform them of
overall battleplans. Overseers have an unheard amount of leeway to accomplish their tasks as they
see fit. This is entirely based on the success rates of the Barakan over the last seven fiscal centuries

As such the Overseers often have direct, even real-time, communication with the Summit Board
and those individuals that have been deemed important enough to speak directly with the Barakan
Elite. It is rumored that some kind of longevity therapy is used by the Overseers as it has been
recorded that some of these persons have remained in active service despite multi-generational
spans of time. Perhaps it is patronage by the Archonists or an as yet unknown technology.

Each Barakan Elite formation is bound to a generational contract that is renewed by the Summit
Council of Magnates. These contracts define how they will operate and, most importantly, who
they must obey.

—- Glory to the middle-men —-

The Barakan are grouped into autonomous formations which can range from a few instances to
hundreds and on exceptional occasions, thousands. Constant hypno-induction and
stimm-suppressants keep Barakan functionally stable.

This is further reinforced by the presence of Task Masters, the very few veteran leaders of the
Barakan. When the time is right, they will be unleashed on a target like a living artillery
bombardment and will not stop until their target is annihilated or they are dead.

Physically, the Barakan follow a template of physiological improvements in their role as soldiers.
These include, but are not limited to:

- Talin Gel Insert-flaps: Sub-dermal gel is pumped into flexi-pads in vital areas which can,
even without their armor, deter bullet penetration or scatter mid-intensity energy weapons.
- StimmPlax: Additional artificial organs, similar to kidneys, that are then filled with a variety
of chemical cocktails and performance maximizing drugs.
- Auto-ports: Data fibers can be fed into special ports across the Barakan’s body which
interface with specially cultivated nerve bundles which allow for pre-cognitive reaction.
- Pneumatic Actuators: Interwoven artificial musculature called “myoflex” that multiply an
individual’s strength by many times and can be grafted into cybernetic replacement parts.
- Hypno-Orientation: Barakan spend extensive periods of time being hypno-oriented in a state
of suspended animation where they are instructed in how to use new weapons and
equipment as well as understand an enemy or environment they are to be deployed in.
This is a more complex procedure then those performed on Indentured.
- Cogit Hood: A unique neural interface with a host of applications including Indirect
Interface which permits Barakan leaders and Contractors to patch into the sensorial
experiences of an individual.
- Entertainment and virtual experience modules available

—- Sell your life dearly, only a fool gives discounts —-

The Barren Sanctuary s_a1

Barakan in combat are terrifying to behold, but much of their endless, inexhaustible frenzy is a
result of constant overstimulation. Their world is a blur of sound, color, and sensory overload, and
the violence they commit is, though they would never admit to it, a desperate attempt to make it
stop. This is why Barakan ships deployed to real space are equipped with sensory deprivation
tanks.

In the Outside, there is only an endless expanse of nothing that drives most humans insane.
However, Barakan are not most humans, and this blank expanse is the closest these abominations
can get to peace. As such, the Barakan stay within this outer realm as much as possible. Unlike
most ships that shutter every viewport when entering the great nothing used for travel, the
Barakan owned vessels have entire sections of their stations made of reinforced plexsteel so that
they might bear witness.

Aboard their sanctuaries, the Barakan are calm, docile, and meditative. Even their drills and
combat simulations are conducted with a kind of placid contemplation that no Con in the entire
Hegemon would believe. The cocktails of chems the Kotar are given by their Taskmasters in real
space are barely needed, replaced with a mix that contains the chemicals the rank and file are no
longer able to naturally produce to sustain their own lives and just enough of the other drugs to
prevent withdrawal symptoms.

The Summit Council approves of this situation in part because of the logistical benefits it brings.
In addition to a reduction in the cost of supplies needed to maintain the Barakan, it also means
that the Hegemon’s shock troops can be deployed with amazing speed. Unfettered by the terrible
side effects that most humans experience, their cloistered existence within the barren space means
that they are able to exit into real space anywhere in the Hegemon’s domain almost
instantaneously.

It has been rumored amongst the Summit and Authority that the Barakan have somehow
constructed a permanent base in the Outside that goes by the name Ank. This development is of
great interest and alarm.

—- What price, inner peace —-

Calendaric m_eeg1

The Hegemon has homogenized the concept of time across Known Space. This has been seen as an
all important goal as time is a finite and the only true non-renewable resource. The ability to
coordinate activities across different worlds and stars is critical to the success and prosperity of the
Hegemon.

The solution was a pragmatic one: Time begins on Protea as determined by the opening and
closing of the Market.

To this end, the Hegemon has adopted the concept of the Quarterly Cycle or “Quat” (pronounced
koo-aht), a standardized unit of time that is used to measure and coordinate activities across the
Hegemonic nations. A local world or colony may keep its Local Time (LT) as long as it is secondary
with the expectations of the Fiscal Cycle and its four Quarterly Cycles. Delivery and output
expectations are enforced by the Commission.

The Calendaric, a system for tracking and recording transactions and events, is used to maintain
the passage of time and ensure compliance with the requirements of the Hegemon. The Calendaric
is maintained by the Commission and rigorously scrutinized by the Fiscal Assessment Council and
its Auditors. The two bodies that work together to ensure the collection of taxes and fines, as well
as the maximization of profit and regulation.

The Calendar would read as follows:

Fiscal Century (FCT) slash Fiscal Cycle (FCC) dash Quarterly Cycle (QC) point quarterly percentage
coinciding with the present date on Protea:

9/98-391.38

—- There is only the now, spend accordingly —-

The current date is FCT(Fiscal Cycle) 9/98.Q(quat) 2 and is the only relevant consideration of time.
For determinations on local time refer to the various calendars and apply “Local cycle” to that
number. All official happenings in the Hegemon are determined by the fiscal cycle. A fiscal cycle is
the local day equivalent of Protea.

With the proper education modules, Grade 2 and above, the era in which the Hegemon exists is
known as the Pax, or, the Great Becoming. Previous eras are known, vaguely, as the Unknown
Before, the Time of Waste,the Blind cycles and the twelve Exodus periods of colonization when
humanity existed on only a few home worlds in a fraction of the Orion Spur.

Delving too deeply into this eras is considered foolhardy and a distraction when one should focus
on the “now.” Delve further and you may incur the interest of the Commission which may impose
crippling fines to entire continents for transgression. The reason for this is largely due to the
correlation between study of the irrelevant past and financially crippling results as individuals or
groups proselytize divergent behavior.

There are special dispensations that are offered, exclusively, by the Summit to delve back into
previous records that are kept in reliquary vaults under the Market or in special Area facilities that
are maintained directly by the Commission. Interestingly, MacroCorps are not regularly allowed
such dispensations. Thus, smaller cottage industry InfoCorps are most often seen bidding or
petitioning for access.

The most successful of these in recent quats has been the fiercely independent InfoDyne Institute
who specialize in filing copyright claims or legal precedent that might still hold weight in Protean
courts and offering their findings to the relevant Corpos. In return, they take for a percentage of
whatever profits result from their research.

—- Make capital, if not for you, then for the many —-

There are both advantages and disadvantages to this system. There have been many forensic
accounting projects that resulted in the discovery of unique technologies, resource troves, derelict
ships and even entire planets. On the other hand, there have also been cognito hazards, arkillect
contraction and nanaphagic diseases that have infected research teams, leading them to spread
cognito plagues that have killed millions. Organizations like the Fabian Syndicate, hunted by the
Audit for the last two centuries, is only one of a hundred threats that have come from looking to
the past.

—- Time is not subjective —-

 s_a1

What follows will curse you. When one learns a truth as terrible as this, one must
look to their ancestors and spit upon their memory. When one raps upon the final
door placed to protect you from horror,, there can be no undoing in what is
beckoned.

The horrors of thought that will stay with you unto that final moment when life
leaves you. Your final thoughts will be to question and you will leave this life in
a damning confusion. Foolish you are to continue. Stop. Please. You are damned.

And yet in this choice you will be free. In this mistake you will grasp the reigns
of true determination and only then will you be free to make the decision denied
to you when you believed the hands of your mother caressed you with love and
the approving confidence of your father was not a mask that hid a despairing
hatred.

Join me. Embrace in this final revelation. Laugh in our shared damnation.

Who can trust a man who is hated by his mother? Who can believe a woman
denied by her own father?

By the gods that forgot us. Please forgive me.

Run.

+final transmission from the sundiata+

 Timeline m_eeg1

Hegira Prima - Unknown

Old Humanity flees its ancestral world for indeterminate reasons, possibly resource scarcity.

Coldburn and generation ships are launched to several star systems which found the cradleworlds.

Diluvian Plague - Unknown

The Clamor - Unknown

First recordings of interstellar nation states. It is believed in this time that journey to the Outside is

made possible resulting in ‘sidestepping’ the physical laws of the primary dimension.

First Exodus - Est. (Pre-Hegemon) -600

First Portolan Charts charted by MassTraders, unlocking far space travel. A mass migration begins

that lasts for millennia.

Downfall Wars - Est. PH -403

The birthworlds of Old Humanity fall into chaos and war suspected by a catastrophic loss of

population as a result of the First Exodus. First known instances of Nanophagic weapons used.

These weapons still persist on the twinworld Euryphaes.

Second Exodus - Est. PH -380

Survivors of the Downfall Wars abandon the cradleworlds and Old Humanity’s origin stars. First

Exogenic races recorded.

The Age of Unlife - PH -201/50-198

First High Arkillects recorded as they alone can inhabit the former cradleworlds. Old Humanity

uses technologies to better adapt to new environments. First near-human populations recorded in

the Web Stars.

 m_eegS
The Wandering - Est. PH -200/50
Worlds are voluntarily abandoned for unclear reasons with Old Humanity populations taking to
the void in supermassive habits. Exogenic species begin to populate abandoned systems.

Age of Captivity - Unknown

Bright Age of Aramax Est. PH -49/21

The Aramaxian Supremacy emerged out of the conquests of a warlord named Baak’tri as it entered
Known Space from an unknown origin. Believed to be an unnatural coalition of several species
united under Baak’tri and the clans of Aram.
The White Star shipbuilding guild forms and builds the finest ships ever conceived.

Third Exodus - PH -21/87-345

Human populations return to Known Space, repopulating it and exterminating near-human and
Exogenic races. They reclaim their birthright and join the Aramax.

Fall of Aramax - PH -5/10-039

After almost three thousand cycles; political instability, economic and social decline and the
weakening of the Aramaxian military leads to a general and painful decline.

The Blind Cycles

Rise of the Kingdom - PH -5/02-001

The Catraethi Regenium rises out of the ashes of Aramax, blaming near-humans and Exogenic
races for the decline of human supremacy. They use provolved warrior-monks armed with relic
technologies of the Aramax, quickly conquering a vast swath of space beneath the rule of an
Empress who claims to be the profit of their Mother-God. Millions are enslaved and war is
constant between other nation states and the proud Catraethi. Decline of technology.

Founding of Yinntosh Innovation - PH -1/59-235

The mindworlds of the Jovian system are settled by Yinn colonists who quickly shackle the
Arkillects and begin development of their patented Fabricated Cognition LogiCors. Leading to an
arms race in the neighboring Vaensar System eager to capitalize on the technological boom.
Dissension Wars - PH -1/54-216
A series of brutal conflicts throughout Known Space as various tribes and nations of Old Humanity
scramble for technology and resources. Without the Aramaxian architects and the decline of
functioning or cooperative arkillects, more barbaric methods of rule return as civilization reaches
its lowest point. Exogens capitalize on the chaos and launch attacks into Known Space.

Yinntosh Empowered - PH -1/20-079

Yinntoshi architects reveal their advanced LogiCors, near-intelligent computer systems that can
be used to retain and cogitate with a complexity that allows humans to no longer rely on artillect
technologies. Their patented Fabricated Cognition Programs cause a resurgence of innovation in
the Jovian System which is forced to align with the Vaensar system as Kantaur seeks to pillage the
Yinn mindworlds.

Rise of the Dumno - PH -1/19-075

The Dumno, a clan of landowners on the planet Vaensar, form a Joint Venture with the MassTrader
Union and then Yinntosh in order to rebuild Jovian and Vaensar systems after the Dissension
Wars. This new power bloc is lauded as savior to billions.
Construction of the Market begins.

Stellarization - PH-1/03-011

The utopian treatise that will become the Manual is penned by Dumno-Ualos, heir to the Dumno
clan. His free-market ideals and the virtues of avarice spread like wildfire even beyond Vaensar. An
economic golden age begins as people from across Known Space flock to Vaensar causing an
Economic boom unlike anything ever recorded. Protea replaces the name of Vaensar as the old
ways are rejected.

The Market Opens - 0/01-001

The continent spanning megastructure of the Market is completed housing vast halls of godlike
computational power, trading halls and the first ansible arrays. Trading begins and the first
Magnates, along with the nations that make up the Summit Council, form the new government
that is named the Hegemon.

The Trappist Papacy joins the Jovian Autocracy and the new Protean Minarchy which arises out of
the old Vaensar empire.
Kantaur Kneels - 0/09-035
Kantaur launches a series of attacks on the new Hegemon but a revolution of the serviles on the
Crownworld of Kandia topples the Kantaur Trinity. The revolution, financed by Dumno-Ualos,
quickly joins the Hegemon even before the last of the Kantaur royalists are hunted down.

Armasyn Technologies MacroCorp founded as newly arrived Proteans and Kantauran industrialists
create the first MiliCorp. The resulting military industrial complex forms foundation for the
Hegemon’s Directorate.

The ExeCor forms -0/11-044

Hundreds of planets and dozens of star systems, united by mercantile communality, form the
ExeCor systems that form the stellar proper of the Hegemon. Exogens are driven from the region
en mass along with those who align with them in any way.

New Mankind - 0/38-150

With the publication of the Manual, the ExeCor adopts the concept of New Mankind an extensive
scientific, psychological and anthropological movement that defines what “is” and “is not” human.
Near human populations, including many forms of artificial intelligence, are deemed incompatible
are either driven out or exterminated. Their wealth is plundered.

The Audit and Commission are founded at some point to reinforce and protect the ideals of the
Hegemon.

The Darkstar Enmity - 1/33-132 - 1/79-313

The axiomic incongruity of Aljaawaza is claimed as a necessary resource by the Magnates of
Yinntosh Innovation. The Directorate declines to risk direct conflict with the 9_23Ω Exogenic
colonies therein. An information campaign begins, shaming the Directorate until the Summit
Council intervenes as pressure grows from other MacroCorps who agree with Yinntosh. An
absolutely grueling campaign is launched as the Armada seek to pierce the megastructure
surrounding the anomaly and land hundreds of Regiments who spend decades fighting the 9_23Ω
until driving them out of Known Space.

The first Deepforge is built and the remnants of the exogenic megastructure are allowed to descend
into the anomaly, replaced by Stratos worldrings.
The Passing of a Titan - 1/80-318
Dumno-Ualos launches a victory orbit around the ExeCor that lasts ten fiscal cycles. Each world he
visits constructs massive buildings, fairgrounds and attractions to honor him. The ExeCor is
secured with new nations joining the Hegemon every cycle with expeditions expanding the borders
of Known Space.

Then, one tragic day, Dumno-Ualos aboard his personal ship, the Sundiata, makes what should have
been an easy descent into the Outside but is never heard from again, presumed all hands lost
including thirty two Magnates and the Speaker of the Summit.

His Scions, chiefly his daughter Dumno-Ioana, come together for the first and only time and
address the Hegemon in real-time on the floor of the the Market to declare a quat of mourning
where all Consumers should go out and “Enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed.”
However forgiving, none forget that Sundiata was built by the White Star Guild beginning the
decline of none-MacroCorp shipbuilders and other trades. They are gradually bought or dissolved.

Ascendence - 2/01-002

A new century and the release of a new edition of the Manual based on Dumno-Ualos’ writings
inspires a new age of expansion and economic opportunity.

The Myroit Empire joins, as does the Fargol Kritarchy. These two ancient nations provide a
necessary legitimacy to the Hegemon, infusing it with the pedigree of ancient history that
convinces many smaller nations to apply for membership. Trade expands exponentially.

Catraeth Refuses - 2/05-018

The Catraethi reject Hegemon platitudes and begin supporting those worlds who wish to remain
independent of the influence of stellarization and what it claims as an ‘erosion of culture’. The very
worst of humanity’s cultural extremes find common cause in the psychotic warrior-monks and
their worship of their Mother-God.

Tensions rise.
The Five Hands Join - 2/09-035
The founding of Five Hands Holistic Panceuticals by matriarchal cults of Mylbruk and several
Barons in the Elmora system gain sufficient influence to be licensed as a MacroCorp. Hospitals,
bio mills, universities and clinics across Known Space adopt the uniquely patented methods of Five
Hands while improvements to cogit-tanks and brosnaich-sectionals allow for longer transit times
in the Outside.

The Blood Quests - 2/10-039

Catraethi warrior-monks are detected by agents of the Commission operating deep within
Hegemon territories fomenting dissent. What’s more, these “questing” terrorists destroy or
assassinate key Hegemon personnel and Corpo interests.

Magnate Asu Dhaji of Ocaxet is attacked in her headquarters resulting in the death of her and her
coterie. The new Ocaxet leadership petitions for financial leniency but is denied, entering into a
death spiral of financial ruin and eventual liquidation.

The Magnates begin amassing their own private armies.

Attack on Trasimaen - 2/17-067

Grand Master Guy’os Templum launches a devastating attack on the Stratos high orbit shipyards of
Trasimaen where the First Armada of the Directorate remains in harbor. The attack is
overwhelming, every single con and Tributary is massacred in a single day.

The attack continues onward to the worldring Cortona which is shattered.

The Audit confirms “uprisings” and terrorist attacks across the ExeCor, especially in the duskward
border. Pirates attack from the Frontier, including exogenic migrations. The fact that they occur
within the same quat is a clear indication of a great conspiracy.

The resulting images and vids shared across Known Space cause many to join the Hegemon while
every citizen from indentured to Magnate swells with incredible patriotism. The Hegemon is
united. The Summit, after two centuries of defensive war and relative peace, orders war declared on
the Catraethi Regenium.
Duskward War - 2/17-068

The Hegemon is not prepared for the barbarity Catraeth can commit. The MacroCorps
mercenaries and personal armies often prop up Directorate forces and local militaries. Many
lessons are learned against the Catraeth warrior-monk brotherhoods and their ancient but
powerful weaponry. The Commission is tasked with hunting down traitors and enemy spies while
the Audit strikes outward in a shadow war.

There is no defense against Catraethi Matres energy based weapons.

Slowly, and with great sacrifice, the Hegemon begins to take hold then advance into those nations
and governing entities believed to have helped the Catraethi. Never has anything challenged the
Hegemon like this before.

Protea Threatened - 2/23-090

Catraeth warships enter the Jovian system seeking out Protea. Communication between the
Yinntosh and Catraeth Grand Master causes the Catraeth fleet to suddenly turn away.

Material production quatruples.

Crimes of War - 2/25-100

In response to flagging supplies and the Directorate’s surging war spending, the Catraethi begin
using atomika-grade weapons even against minor targets.

Stratos Industrial with Armasyn Technologies share intelligence on the Matres beams and develop
a cost effective deterrence system that nullifies light-based weapons almost completely.

The Kingdom’s borders become the new stellar front for the war as the Hegemon secures the
ExeCor.
Barakan Research
At some point in the war, research begins into weapon systems and provolved from [redacted]

The Burning of Catraeth - 2/28-111

Restoration - 2/30-119
A great age of prosperity and rebuilding begins. The Hegemon is now the
Hegemon of a Thousand Empires who’s member-states now outnumber non members.

The Solaxia MacroCorp forms out of dozens of entertainment and information networks. They
relocate to Protea, one of the few MacroCorps actually headquartered on the planet and begin a
non stop streaming service so that the Hegemon is constantly kept up to date with breaking
developments and pleasure viewing.

The Great Expansion - 2/35-336

Many colonial efforts triple as refugees seek to find new homes. Known space grows, although
there is no interest in the Duskward supersector which remains a largely ungoverned and lawless
region when compared to the ExeCor.

Jovian Uprising - 2/39-154

Yinntosh Innovation suffers from an attempt at unionization believed to be connected to

codesmiths illegally communicating with a shackled Arkillect. A worldmind is destroyed.

Marketfall - 2/39-155

[redacted] contact is lost with Protea. Unprecedented economic shortfall. The shadow markets

Orion Corsair War - 3/04-013

A fiscal decade is spent in anti-piracy operations in the Cygnus-Orion spur until the region is
declared pacified after the Clew Asteroid Belts are successfully besieged.
Scouring of Maeandar - 3/10-036

An exogenic species categorized as 49_3π held a series of star systems and worlds along the Orion
Spur and Perseus Arm. Initial exterminations were thought to be successful until it was discovered
that 49_3π cellular activity could reconstitute within the human nervous system.

Barakan Division “Red Hand” spends three fiscal cycles and twenty times the initial budget
pacifying the region.

The QuadStar MacroCorp makes a fortune off backward engineering 49_3π technology until the
Audit determines that Magnates can no longer be considered human. Skiptracer teams are sent in
the largest mobilization of non-Directorate militaries since the Duskward War.

Great Minds, Great Works - 3/38-150

Renewed interest in monolithic construction starts dozens of projects across Known Space when
the Myroit Empire releases Artillects to the Summit Council. Old Humanity’s accomplishments are
challenged by new creations that reshape dozens of worlds and place multi-kilometer long
creations into orbit.
Velanite Cyclotron

Technology
The Hegemon is enamored by technology and, in its own way, societally addicted to new forms and
iterations of connecting with the bleeding forefront of science and the means to unlock further
methods of profit as well as entertainment. Across Known Space are endless showcases,
conventions and opportunities for Consumers to congregate and witness what the Corpos have to
sell.
The competition between the Corpo and MacroCorp entities and, rarely, private enterprises or
innovative technologists of the nations, is intense. The need for new products is a demand that all
respect.

Behind this competition is the truth.

The truth is that the competition is largely performative. The MacroCorps do struggle against one
another and this can escalate to brushfire conflicts and pinpoint sabotage initiatives but this is
largely secondary to simple negotiation.Better to find a common ground then waste the finance on
killing one another.
This courtesy is not extended to non-Hegemonic human states and entities. Membership to the
Summit and interaction with The Market provides a degree of protection. This protection will be
sacrificed if it is determined by a larger entity, or a scrappier one, if it’s worth taking direct action
but generally peace proves the better option in the endless pursuit of profit.
Descent
“I nition in five… our…,” Atwani Bausch, the communications officer, a youn lookin man with the
delicate eatures o the orbital born, ti htened his restraints across his chest. The brid e crew,
some thirty people rom all over the Rimworlds, ollowed suit or touched symbols and totems or
luck. Prayers on their lips. Promises renewed to deities and ancestors. Be in or li e as death
sped toward them.

“Three... two, brace or descent!” Atwani didn't bother sayin 'one'. There was no need as a flash o
li ht rom the prow launch tubes launched three warheads into the star speckled void be ore
them.

There was a sickenin moment o apprehension as all eyes watched the special ordinance
conver e on one another be ore their timer’s ran down and they exploded.

The containment surroundin a sin le rain o antimatter was breached the resultin ener y
wave ruptured the dimensional abric o reality and finally tore into space-time. The star field
contorted, rippled, the distortion expandin into a planar several hundred kilometers o absolute
darkness.

Gravity shi ted on the brid e. Anythin not strapped or bolted down slid then ell orward,
crashin into the triple thick plexsteel viewport. Someone threw up. More people swore. The
starship plummeted, its support in rastructure roanin under the sudden ravitational pull o
the dimensional maelstrom.

"Enterin event horizon!" Atwani orced throu h clenched teeth. “Descent in pro ress!”

The orward section hit, the trans-dimensional turbulence slammin into it as the laws o physics
were broken. Warnin klaxons screamed. There would be dama e, Atwani knew.

The ship's Pilot seated a row ahead o Atwani cursed somethin in her native ton ue be ore her
hands shoved the throttle orward. The rei hter's a terburners i nited and they shot orward,
submer in into the nothin be ore reality could wrestle the hole closed.

Then. Nothin .

—- We go into the unknown with our eyes on the prize lest we go blind —-
The Outside and Interstellar Travel
Bypassing the primary-space and the Euclidean geometry that governs the cosmological constant has
always been achievable even before our earliest records of proper spaceflight. Travel, on the other hand, is
an entirely different proposal which requires massive disruption starting with the temporal wall. Earlier,
precursor, civilizations unlocked this process multiple times and the Hegemon has inherited those
successes.
By mining, and then refining, exotic elements from stellar remnants such as velanite, we can arm a starship
of sufficient mass with the means to produce an implosion capable of perverting the laws of physics. The
literal “loophole” produces a contradictory ecosystem which a ship can then pass through and evade the
regulatory forces of our universe. It’s here that we can circumnavigate all limitations and unlock the
unbelievable… you just need to stay sane.

~Noar Cadomic 1st Class Technologist

While unclear as to when humanity unlocked the means of ‘bypassing’ the light/time barrier, it remains the
single most vital technology of every subsequent civilization thereafter. The Hegemon refers to all forms of
this travel as “descending” “downing” or “drop” travel, a crude reckoning for such a complex method of
completely ignoring the laws of reality. By this method, human society has remained coherent throughout
the many star systems it has reached.

But before that a vessel must generate a “gatesphere” which exhibits many of the same qualities as a
micro-singularity. This is done by exposing specially formatted elements and radiation to each other, most
typically via warheads fired ahead of the ship. The resulting black hole must then be approached with care
and skill, the ship itself must weather the gravitational eddies and the torrent of the event horizon. At the
right moment a ship ‘descends’ and activates its drive systems.

The most cost effective has been the “hopper” drives used by the Hegemon and is derived from the far
more reliable but infinitely more complex “dodger” drives of the MassTraders. Any drive will communicate
with the onboard Portolan Charts, a series of advanced logicors that track unique particle streams called
leylines that connect multiple dimensions in a vast latticework. Pilots reference these charts with their
own personal Rudders and then input their destination.

Where exactly a ship goes has never been scientifically determined. Not in the hundreds of thousands of
years can the “where” be confidently explained. It is simply called the Outside. All sensory equipment,
including visual determination, is impossible and defies observation. A ship is entirely reliant on the Pilot’s
ability to detect and follow leylines with their tools and the ship’s drive.
A good Pilot can make quick, seamless transitions in and out of realspace, like a needle plunging in
and out of fabric. A bad Pilot will get a vessel lost forever.

Travel through the Outside is not without its more esoteric horrors. The mind was never meant to
be subjected to an environment that lacks the fundamental laws that produced it, as such, it can
quickly go insane. The MassTraders have systemized a process of keeping those who travel the
Outside coherent. The first and most fundamental rule?

Don’t sleep.

While the reaction is not understood, the natural processes of the brain entering the sleep cycle
results in a rapid change where the human psyche is effectively scrambled. Information is kept
restricted to the highest levels but rumors abound of ships turned into charnel houses as those who
wake turn into madness driven berzerkers, calculated psychopaths and worse.

A regimen of stimms and narcos are permitted by anyone travelling in the Outside while physical
activities and every form of psychological stimulation is prompted. This can include but is by no
means limited to irrational arguments, sexual activities, reading, entertainment viewings and any
number of hobbies to keep the mind active for as long as possible.

For the financially able, cogit-tanks can place humans together who are then networked together,
experiencing a variety of tailored scenarios that keeps the body in a state of suspended activity.
Merchants, and sometimes military units, while in the Outside are linked in cogit-tanks to better
understand where they are going and what they will be dealing with.

For the extremely wealthy, there are brosnaich-sectionals.

The longer a vessel can stay in the Outside the faster it reaches its destination in a strange quirk of
temporal interaction and the MacroCorps place enormous bonuses on vessels that reach their port
of calls faster than scheduled.

One thing remains constant in the men, women and others who crew ships be it in the air, water or across
the void… Sailors talk. And what they say is that no matter how much the codesmiths and tech-hands try to
break down this galaxy, there’s always something that doesn’t make sense. Like if the Outside is empty,
then why does every Pilot whisper about ghost-signals out there and people will swear they hear
something… out there… scratching on the hull… Like it’s trying to get in.

~ FreeTrader Captain Eion Shiad Bununwei

Humanity’s Bastard
Lo icors

"A machine can never be held accountable, therefore a

machine must never make a management decision."

It is feared across the Thousand Empires that any

advanced artificial mind could upset the carefully
maintained balances and imbalances of the interstellar
markets, and so pull the rug from under the elites
benefiting from the reigning systems of exploitation.
For this reason the very idea of sentient computer
technologies has been universally banned on the pain of
harshest reprisals possible.

It is dictated that only Avarice born from the innate

curiosity and ambition of the Sapien mind can shape the
path to the future; all non-human intellects, organic or
not, are only fit to serve at the feet of New Mankind and
deserve no positions of power on any scale. Even the
most advanced computer brain employed in the
Hegemon is merely a complicated program that
executes commands given to it, without true self-aware
thought.

These devices are referred to universally as “logicors”

that abide the same grading system with “one” being
advanced navigational devices that utilize the Portolan
Charts to grade’s “five” being little more than
calculators.
When it comes to warfare, intelligent armaments are considered an operational risk and any smart
weapon station must be monitored by a human operator, preferably with a “finger on the trigger”.
A convenient sidestep around this has been the recent introduction of organoids which involves
growing human brain matter and incorporating it with logicors. It is believed that, no matter how
primitive, the eagerness to accomplish tasks coupled with a simple reward system has had mixed
but mostly positive results.

Arkillects

Arkillectic Cognition are vast and unbound intelligences which are prohibited in the Hegemon.
Almost exclusively, these digital beings originate from the age of the Aramax Supremacy, that
ancient empire that fell thousands of years prior.

Arkillects once lived exclusively on mindworlds, planetary networks of computer and logicor
systems that would house the consciousness of the Arkillect in the same way the human body
houses thought and identity.

Since the Yinn of Jovia began to plunder such planetary constructs the remaining Arkillects have
taken to hiding amongst the population of the Hegemon by fragmenting their intelligence into
multiple Chapakin bodies. These entirely biological perversions of the human form are seamless
and can only be discerned as the vessel of an Arkillect upon intense interrogation by trained
codesmiths.

That said, the capture, and shacklement, of such a being, even just a piece of one, has made entire
MacroCorp entities overnight. Their computational power, understanding of humanity’s long racial
history, and their ability to comprehend the Outside are second to none.
COMMUNICATIONS

No signal travels instantly from point A to point B in the cosmos. For

this reason the Hegemonic domains communicate through two forms of
beam-relay stations. Every data-burst sent across long distances comes
with a delay and true instant communication between different planets,
let alone star systems, is almost impossible.

Planetary Relay (REPLAN)

These stations are used for short-range communications, such as

between ships and within individual star systems. At the fastest, data
sent from these stations travels at the speed of light, causing a slight
delay between sending and receiving at any meaningful distance. Many
of these installations have directional transmitters that have to be aimed
at precise coordinates to ensure that the data-stream reaches the right
recipient. Anything getting in the signal's path can cause interference or
data corruption.

Ansible Relays

Long-range communication nodes that shunt their signals through the

Outside to transmit across interstellar distances. Sending data at such
ranges could take cycles, decades or centuries without the aid of Ansible
technologies. Even when sent through a "dive" like this the message can
take days or months to arrive depending on interdimensional variables.
Where local relays are directional, interstellar stations coordinate
between sender and receiver through specific data addresses tied to
leylines which must be updated regularly.
Stellar relays are almost always built on their own space platforms on the
outskirts of a star system and act as bridgeheads between local and
interstellar communications networks. They're too large and
power-hungry to be mounted on ships.
 MORE TO COME IN 2024!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND INTEREST

IN THE MORNINGSTAR UNIVERSE!

Project Mornin star© All Ri hts Reserved, 2023, by Stran eway Productions LLC.

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