• * *

Human Constellation

Kedra, Armistice, Brackenfeld, Red Harbor

How it works. Kedra issues the IDs and hears the court cases that most legal cargo needs. Goods then pass through Armistice, where customs fees, warehouses and inspections push up the price. Brackenfeld grows grain, oils and packaged food for the Mid and Rim. Red Harbor is the end of the line. Cargo gets split up there, relabeled, and sold on the black market or moved down unlicensed lanes.

Notes.

• Kedra runs the biggest Authority courts. The lines are long, and bribes shorten them.

• Armistice is fast but expensive. Warehouse gangs skim off the top.

• Brackenfeld runs short of workers every harvest. Migrants pour in and fight with the locals.

• Red Harbor runs on fast debt courts and loan sharks. Money is easy to borrow and painful to owe.

Main trouble. Food moves steadily, but theft and pay disputes are common at Red Harbor. Crews get hired to guard convoys, settle money fights and chase debt skippers.

• * *

Vellari Constellation

Thalassa-Nine, Brinelight, Deepmere, Salt Crown

How it works. Thalassa-Nine is home to the Grand Council at Tidehall and to the old ice-hauling houses. The big haul fleets fit out there each season. Brinelight makes fish-farm gear, reef composites and preserved food. Deepmere mines ore and grows kelp fuel under cold-water domes, then ships it out in heavy tankers. Salt Crown refines brine chemicals for industry and for black-market fuel additives.

Notes.

• The Grand Council decides where the haul fleets go. Worlds that cross it get their ice late.

• Brinelight reef composites make the best hull patches. Shortages lead to smuggling.

• Deepmere kelp fuel needs special tanks. The tanker crews are well paid and often robbed.

• Salt Crown belongs to the syndicates. The refineries make money, and protection payments take most of it.

Main trouble. Ice jacking. Syndicates around Salt Crown hijack Vellari tugs and sell the ice. The Grand Council posts some of the biggest bounties in the Drift on the jackers.

• * *

Keth Constellation

Slipwind, Harlune, Vastris

How it works. Slipwind keeps the Archive of Routes, the lane charts most of the galaxy uses. Harlune makes turbine blades and wind-farm gear for Mid power grids. Vastris runs long-range relay towers and sells salvage maps.

Notes.

• Slipwind is strict about its charts. Selling fake charts is a serious crime.

• Harlune turbines ship in guarded convoys. One stolen shipment can black out a whole grid.

• Vastris sells salvage maps to Free Companies. Fights over who found a wreck first often turn violent.

Main trouble. The Keth worlds are stable, but everyone wants to fake their data. Crews get hired to guard Keth navigators or recover stolen and faked charts.

• * *

Caraphex Constellation

Ravel, Shardplain, Pitchmire, Mandible Reach

How it works. Ravel trains clades for tunneling, salvage and mining. Shardplain ships ceramics, alumina and tools. Pitchmire pumps oil and tar fuel for factory grids and Rim smugglers alike. Mandible Reach has the big ship-breaking yards, and Clade Council judges there settle salvage fights for Caraphex and outsiders.

Notes.

• Ravel training is hard. Graduates sign long work terms.

• Shardplain tools are tough, but they ship in bulk, and syndicates often grab the shipments.

• Several groups fight over Pitchmire. Smuggling is everywhere, and the protection money never stops.

• Rulings made at Mandible Reach are respected across the galaxy.

Main trouble. The galaxy needs Caraphex labor and cheats them for it. Clades often hire Free Companies to protect them from syndicate shakedowns and company blacklists.

• * *

Talarq Constellation

Tal, Scoria, Obsidian Reach

How it works. Tal is home to the Forge, whose master foundries make the heat-proof parts everyone trusts. Scoria ships fire bricks, gaskets and industrial pipe. Obsidian Reach tests reactors and new power systems in lava-tube towns.

Notes.

• The Forge enforces its own safety rules. Fake Forge parts kill people.

• Scoria exports are hard to fake, but eruptions delay them.

• Obsidian Reach reactors are unstable. When one fails, whole towns have to be emptied, often with outside help.

Main trouble. Reactor testing at Obsidian Reach is risky and pays well. Crews escort test cargo, respond to failures, or grab new tech before rivals do.

• * *

Serean Constellation

Varo-Blue, Cyrin, Mistral Gate

How it works. Varo-Blue has the old home cloud cities, where rite flights and storm diving are taught. The Storm Concord meets there. Cyrin runs big chemical-skimming operations for ammonia and hydrocarbons. Mistral Gate is a violent gas giant where deadly storm dives bring up rare compounds for fuel and medicine.

Notes.

• Varo-Blue cloud cities train new skimmer crews.

• Cyrin ships bulk chemicals for big companies, and labor fights are common.

• Mistral Gate runs are deadly. Many crews never come back. The ones who do get paid well.

Main trouble. Syndicates sell fake insurance for Mistral Gate runs and buy stolen storm cargo. Crews get hired to enforce deals or recover lost loads.

• * *

Synthborn Constellation

Koderra, Brightline, Nullon, Cache Vale

How it works. Koderra is home to the Free Assemblies, open foundries and Synthborn rights courts. Brightline runs computer markets and data work under company control. Nullon is a scrap world where old machine frames are stripped and reused. Cache Vale is a neutral data vault that stores records and IDs for every species.

Notes.

• The Koderra Assemblies publish Right-to-Patch rulings and fight the big companies constantly.

• Brightline computers handle payments for half the galaxy. Messing with them causes trouble everywhere.

• The Nullon scrap pits are chaos. Illegal frame harvesting is common.

• Cache Vale is neutral, and people respect that, but raiders keep hitting it to wipe debts and records.

Main trouble. Synthborn rights change at every border. Crews carrying Synthborn through hostile ports have to plan for it.

• * *

Summary

• Humans. Government, banks and syndicates. There is always a court case or a debt somewhere.

• Vellari. Ice and water. Ice jackers are the big threat.

• Keth. Lane charts and beacons. Reliable, but everyone wants to fake their data.

• Caraphex. Heavy labor and salvage. Strong output, but cheated and squeezed.

• Talarq. Reactors and heat-proof parts. Vital, and always one failure from disaster.

• Sereans. Storm dives and chemical skimming. Big pay and big risk.

• Synthborn. Records, data and machine work. Valuable, but their rights are shaky.