Humans

Overview. Humans are widespread and adaptable. They live on core, mid, and rim worlds. They form crews, unions, guilds, and block associations to survive unstable work cycles. They dominate commerce in many lanes but are divided by class, region, and contract law.

Physiology and adaptations. Baseline human stock with many local adaptations: lung mods for thin air, low-light eye edits, and common cybernetics among workers and haulers. Quality varies by wealth and license.

Culture and values. Pragmatic and mixed. Strong norms around paying debts, protecting one’s crew, and honoring food and shelter promises. Entertainment trends move fast and spread by delayed signal.

Governance and power. Large share of the Central Authority bureaucracy is human. Planetary governments range from civic councils to corporate charters. Corruption is common; honest officials are rare and underfunded.

Work and economy. Humans are shippers, foremen, clerks, inspectors, small traders, and freelance techs. They run many Free Companies and broker jobs between other species.

Relations. Humans trade with everyone and feud with everyone. They often act as intermediaries between rival nonhuman groups.

Planets (Human)

• Kedra. Human cradle world; dense arcologies, deep class divides, and old universities. Many identity registries and contract courts are headquartered here.

• Armistice. Core trade world; major tariff hubs and bonded warehouses. Disputes between Central Authority and Mega-Corporations often start here.

• Brackenfeld. Mid agricultural basin; grain, oilseed, & cold storage. Seasonal work pulls migrants from across the mid and rim.

• Red Harbor. Rim freeport; repair yards, debt courts with fast rulings, and a black-market escrow scene.

Vellari

Overview. The Vellari evolved in shallow seas and mangrove shelves. They are cooperative builders and strict water-rights managers. They design levees, pumps, and desal plants used across the galaxy.

Physiology and adaptations. Smooth skin with variable pigmentation, inner gill slits that open under water, and strong leg tendons for shore movement. They tolerate high salinity. Prolonged dryness causes fatigue.

Culture and values. Community water ledgers are sacred. Food preparation, song, and contract witness all center on shared water. Disputes are settled with measured compensation rather than revenge.

Governance and power. Water Councils run most Vellari settlements. Councils issue usage permits, storage credits, and emergency drawdowns. Council seats rotate by work quota and demonstrated competence.

Work and economy. Hydrology, coastal engineering, port design, fisheries, and brine-chemical extraction. Many Vellari ship crews specialize in fuel-water logistics on risky routes.

Relations. Trusted by Planetary Governments that need stable water. Syndicates target their pump networks on rim worlds to force protection payments.

Planets (Vellari)

• Thalassa-Nine. Ocean core world; hosts the Grand Water Ledger and the standard for meter seals. Training ground for port inspectors.

• Brinelight. Mid reef world; aquaculture, rare shell composites, and salt-battery exports.

• Deepmere. Cold ocean world on the rim; deep-water mining domes and long-haul kelp fuel vats.

• Salt Crown. Harsh evaporite planet; brine-chemical refining and pump fabricators.

Keth

Overview. The Keth adapted to thin air and long canyons. They are tall, light-boned, and known for careful planning. Their culture treats documented promises as the base of trust.

Physiology and adaptations. Tall frames, hollow bones, broad skin-sails between limbs for controlled glides, and high-oxygen blood chemistry. They suffer joint stress in high-gravity environments without supports.

Culture and values. “Say only what you can do; do exactly what you said.” Keth children learn route charts and contract basics early. Public ledgers record community commitments.

Governance and power. Canton networks linked by ridge-line cables and tramways. Each canton sends auditors to a rotating League. Leagues publish safe-route updates prized by data guilds.

Work and economy. Survey, mapping, cableway construction, sensor masts, and high-altitude wind farms. Many Keth serve as navigators and risk officers on long jumps.

Relations. Respected by Data Guilds for precision. Tense with Syndicates that falsify ledgers. Often hired by Free Companies to certify job scopes.

Planets (Keth)

• Slipwind. Keth cradle; canyon megacities, tram leagues, and the Archive of Routes.

• Harlune. Mid plateau world; wind-energy export and turbine blade fabs.

• Vastris. Rim survey hub; relay towers and salvage mapping over abandoned belts.

Caraphex

Overview. The Caraphex are communal insectoids with flexible hive structures. They value clear roles, timely pay, and safe tools. They excel at salvage, tunneling, and bulk ore movement.

Physiology and adaptations. Segmented exoskeleton, four arms (two heavy, two fine), and compound eyes with polarized vision. They handle dust, vibration, and vacuum better than most species with minimal gear.

Culture and values. Clades (work families) share bunkers, lockers, and debt pools. A clade’s reputation follows every member, so discipline is enforced internally. Food is simple and high-protein.

Governance and power. Clade councils elect a Forelead to negotiate contracts. Foreleads can be recalled for late wages or unsafe terms. External law is respected when it protects work; ignored when it only protects profit.

Work and economy. Mines, scrapyards, tunnel reinforcement, ship-breaking, and ore convoy escort. They build reliable tools from old parts and keep them maintained.

Relations. Essential to Mega-Corporations that need heavy extraction. Often targeted by debt courts for lifetime contracts after “accidents.”

Planets (Caraphex)

• Ravel. Nestworld; deep hive warrens and training yards for tunneling crews.

• Shardplain. Mid quarry planet; silica, alumina, and ceramics foundries.

• Pitchmire. Rim tar world; hydrocarbons, improvised refineries, frequent syndicate pressure.

• Mandible Reach. Belt-adjacent rock with ship-breaking rings and escrow arbiters trusted by clades.

Talarq

Overview. The Talarq thrive in hot, volcanic regions. They eat mineral slurries and favor high-temperature industry. They see heat, pressure, and time as basic measures of quality.

Physiology and adaptations. Dense, silica-rich tissues; radiant heat tolerance; wide, slow heartbeat. They require warm environments and mineral supplements. Cold stress causes sluggish speech and motion.

Culture and values. Guilds grade workmanship by operating temperature and failure curve. Written apprenticeship marks are public and permanent. Bargains are short and exact.

Governance and power. Foundry guilds control power, water, and smelter access. Councils rotate by output quotas and safety records. Fraud on safety labels is a severe crime.

Work and economy. Ceramics, refractory alloys, heat-resistant piping, and reactor casings. They maintain industrial plants others consider unlivable.

Relations. Strong ties with Planetary Governments that need stable grids. Rivalry with Caraphex in some mines, but many mixed crews exist.

Planets (Talarq)

• Tal. Homeworld; mantle-heat taps, guild halls, and master kilns.

• Scoria. Mid volcanic chain world; export of refractory bricks and industrial seals.

• Obsidian Reach. Rim lava-tube settlements; experimental reactors.

Sereans

Overview. The Sereans are light-frame flyers adapted to dense atmospheres. They live in layered cloud habitats that harvest chemicals and storm energy. They travel by carrier ships because their native worlds lack solid ground.

Physiology and adaptations. Flexible cartilage, wide chest air sacs, fine control of buoyancy gases, and acute pressure sense. In standard gravity they tire quickly without supportive harnesses.

Culture and values. Decisions are made in “up-and-down” councils that include multiple pressure layers. Families are organized around maintenance of lift cells and safe shelter during storms.

Governance and power. Habitat captains hold authority during weather events. Between storms, councils set quotas for chemical intake and power storage. Records are practical and short.

Work and economy. Hydrogen and helium separation, ammonia and hydrocarbon processing, and storm-battery exports. Skilled in envelope repair and high-risk retrieval.

Relations. Stable trade with Vellari and Talarq (fluids for parts). Central Authority treats some habitats as “mobile ports,” causing legal gaps that Syndicates exploit.

Planets (Sereans)

• Varo-Blue. Ancestral gas giant; layered habitats, cultural archives, and rite flights.

• Cyrin. Mid skimmer world; large commercial extraction, frequent toll disputes.

• Mistral Gate. Rim giant with violent storms; high-risk, high-pay retrieval contracts.

Synthborn

Overview. The Synthborn are self-willed machine citizens. Some were built as tools and later freed; others emerged from networked systems on their own. They seek legal personhood, wages, and self-rule.

Architecture and adaptations. Bodies range from humanoid frames to tracked chassis and micro-bodies for vacuum work. Power cells and parts vary by world. Many run open firmware to avoid remote locks.

Culture and values. Two major currents: Free Assemblies (decentralized, consensus, strong on mutual aid) and Contract Nodes (structured, charter-driven, focused on service revenue). Both value uptime, audit, and consent logs.

Governance and power. Assemblies publish open charters; Nodes register as companies or municipalities depending on local law. They maintain “Right-to-Patch” clinics.

Work and economy. Hazard robotics, data center ops, vacuum salvage, cryptography, and escrow verification. They are reliable under pressure but face license barriers.

Relations. Central Authority is split on their status. Mega-Corporations push for property labels; Faith Networks and Mutual Aid groups often defend them.

Planets (Synthborn)

• Koderra. Assembly heartland

• Brightline. Core data hub

• Nullon. Rim reclamation world

• Cache Vale. Neutral settlement