The Drift

The Drift Galaxy, catalogued as M74-Δ, is a vast spiral cluster where organized civilization meets the edge of decay. It is the seat of the Central Authority and countless species networks bound by commerce, contract, and proof. Its mapped routes, called Constellations, link worlds by trade, culture, and survival rather than distance. Core systems shine with bureaucracy and precision, while the Mid stretches through shipyards and factories into the Rim—regions ruled by syndicates, scavengers, and free crews. Between them drift stations, refineries, and derelicts where law fades but deals are made. The Drift runs on movement, paperwork, and reputation. Ships cross slow routes, signals lag behind intent, and every decision costs time. What unites the galaxy is not peace or empire, but the shared need to keep moving, keep honest records, and get paid before the next delay.

Regions and Structure

Core. The Core holds the oldest, most built-out worlds. Every major office has a branch here: Authority councils, corporate towers, embassies, banks, data guilds, and registries. Paperwork rules every step. Inspections stack. Fees stack. Appeals take weeks or months. The Core sells refined goods, medical supplies, high-spec parts, and officer training. Order exists, but bribes and slow halls shape results.

Mid. The Mid links Core and Rim. It mixes factories, farms, shipyards, schools, and show halls. Laws shift from port to port. One dock runs Core-style procedures. The next runs on local favors and syndicate tolls. It is vibrant and messy. You can move cargo and make money if you know who to pay and when to keep your head down.

Rim. The Rim is long routes, weak upkeep, and fast decisions. Syndicates often control checkpoints and storage yards. Debt courts move quick and favor local power. Mining belts, drills, and harvest seas feed ore, fuel, water, and bulk food inward. Smuggling and salvage fill gaps left by weak law and slow insurers. Most people live on short jobs and hard choices. Violence settles many disputes.

Between. Everything not on a planet’s surface sits “Between”: stations, depots, scrapyards, farms, labs, prisons, and mines. Everyone stops here for fuel, water, permits, or repairs. Law is unclear and fees are constant. Life is cramped and full of contracts you cannot easily escape. The Between keeps the galaxy alive and also eats crews that are not ready for it.

Transit Network

Jump Lanes. Faster-than-light travel uses mapped corridors called jump lanes. Keth surveyors, Data Guilds, and corporate nav teams maintain charts. Lanes are faster than raw space but still slow against demand. Routes shift. Old charts break. Rim beacons fail and create drift zones. If one power controls both ends of a lane, they set tolls and prices spike. Syndicates publish illegal shortcuts that save time and get crews killed.

Ports. Core ports run stacked inspections, bonded warehouses, and tariff courts that favor big contracts. Mid ports are crowded and uneven, with corruption common. Rim ports demand payment on arrival for fuel, water, air, and berth; courts are rare and fights are common.

Permits and Blacklists. Passage permits link to a ship’s registry and cargo class. Beacons verify seals. Miss one fee, carry bad seals, or fake a stamp and you risk fines, seizure, or escort back to port. Fail enough and your ship gets blacklisted, which locks you out of most legal docks.

Fuel and Water. Fusion cells vary by refinery; dirty stock burns reactors and cuts range. Prices rise toward the Core and swing on the Rim. Water is measured with sealed Vellari meters that prove no siphoning. Counterfeit meters are common crimes, and water theft draws fast, harsh response.

Crew Notes. Carry current charts. Plan for Core delays. Rim routes are cheaper but require bribes or firepower. Keep multiple copies of permits. Crews short on cash barter labor, parts, or long contracts to clear docks.

Communication Grid

Signals move faster than ships but are not instant. Core-to-Core messages take days. Core-to-Rim messages can take weeks or months. Crews leave with terms that expire before arrival and land to find tariffs raised, embargoes posted, or clients blacklisted. Rim relays fail often. Choices happen with partial information.

Relay stations amplify traffic but need upkeep. Keth maintain survey relays and sell the Archive of Routes. Data Guilds buy logs, clean them, and sell verified copies that list lane changes, embargoes, and blacklists. These updates cost money. Crews decide when to pay or risk old data.

Every message and shipment depends on signatures and seal codes. Ship registries, cargo seals, work cards, and escrow references prove what is legal and what is paid. When proofs are weak, disputes go to arbitration or to whoever can enforce a ruling on the spot.

Signals degrade, get delayed, or get altered. Syndicates and mega-corps can spoof or tamper with traffic. Ports post local updates, and courier ships carry sealed records when it must be certain. Trusted worlds like Slipwind and Brightline are common sync stops.

Power Map

Central Authority. A council on the Core claims to speak for all peoples. It issues IDs, registries, and tariff licenses. It has patrols but they are spread thin and protect insured cargo first. Its tools are tariffs, registries, and identity logs. Its flaw is corruption and limited reach beyond the Core. Many Rim worlds ignore it unless a fleet is in orbit.

Planetary Governments. Every world manages itself with taxes, rationing, and local security. Some are elected councils. Some are corporate charters. Some are warlords. They resent the Authority but need Core parts and markets, so they bend, break, and bargain as needed.

Mega-Corporations. The richest power. They cross borders, own depots and grids, lease mines and towers, and blacklist dissenters. They rely on the Authority for legal cover and lose ground to Syndicates on the Rim. Workers strike or defect when pushed too far.

Syndicates and Cartels. Decentralized and ruthless. Families and cartels control routes, loans, protection, and laundering fronts. Infighting is common. They dominate many Rim settlements, fight corporations in the Core, and fear strong faith networks that hold communities together.

Free Companies. Independent outfits that sell escort, recovery, and bounty work. Some are chartered; many are freelance. Their reputations are weapons and their loyalty follows pay. Many are just one ship and a crew of drifters.

Faith Networks and Mutual Aid. Temples, clinics, shelters, schools, and burial crews that work where profit fails. They move goods and information between worlds and sometimes block corporate or syndicate abuse. They pay a price for it.

Data Guilds and Archivists. Neutral power built on records. They decide what persists, sell safe-route updates, and can erase names for a fee. They are respected, feared, and always a target for bribes and pressure.

Economy, Standards, and Debt

High-value cargo drives most risk: medical kits, gene treatments, processors, tracking-locked tools, live samples, and rare art. Profit is high, and so is attention from pirates and corrupt offices. Crews need sealed manifests, layered proofs, and escrow guarantees to get paid and avoid seizure.

Trade depends on cross-species standards. Vellari water seals prove no siphoning. Keth route certifications rate lane safety. Talarq labels mark high-heat parts. Synthborn escrow and identity logs anchor payments and legal names. Missing or fake seals trigger fines, seizures, or violence.

Money flows through licensed Core banks, corporate scrip, and Rim ledgers. Exchange rates swing. Transfers are slow. Escrow is safer but ties up funds. Debts rule most lives. Workers get trapped by scrip and fees. Token wipes and credit decay can erase value overnight if you do not keep backups and syncs. Loan sharks take ships when deadlines slip.

Work is seasonal. Mines boom and bust. Crop cycles flood and dry markets. Storm seasons open and close Serean runs. Contracts end and whole crews lose pay. People survive on small savings, debt, and family crews. A stalled cargo can cost more than the cargo itself as interest piles up.

Jobs and Hazards

Common jobs include convoy escort, salvage and recovery, and water logistics. Escorts keep carriers alive and manage toll talks. Salvagers clear wrecks, restore manifests, and post claims fast. Water haulers check Vellari meters at every handoff and defend tanks from raids. Each path carries risks: hidden contraband, disputed rights, forged seals, and bribes that can void insurance.

Every crew prepares for fires, hull cracks, counterfeit seals, corrupt inspectors, and unpaid security abandoning posts. Emergency steps are simple: mask on, seal the bulkhead, isolate airflow, deploy foam, vent if needed, test water stores at docking, and keep multiple proofs for any transaction. Some species need specific care: mineral slurry for Talarq, saline baths for Vellari, charge resets for Synthborn.

The Timeline Everyone Uses

The galaxy uses the Universal Star Date (USD). Year 0.0 marks the Common Registry and the Authority’s core ID, registry, and tariff systems. The first years set today’s rules: Keth published the Archive baseline, Vellari sealed water meters, Talarq labeled reactor parts, Synthborn escrow and identity became standard, lanes were defined, illegal shortcuts flagged, and Core/Mid/Rim port procedures harmonized across tiers. Constellation routes formed as species-linked chains of trusted stops and services.