Introduction to the Universe

"Deep in the heart of all that is known, lie echoes of those that came before, from before time and beyond space, the dust of their presence covers everything. Some brave soul, some Scion of those that came before us, shall come one day to visit them."

— Rough translation of some writing found carved in a ruin on a moon near Ladi.

Everyone begins by thinking they're alone. Each race began this way. From the Amphibious shapeshifting Ahsi of Ladi, to the Canid Fenati of Xuri, the Humans of Earth, the magical Avians Kavenai of Kevanti, and beyond. Everyone began thinking they were alone.

Tens of thousands of years of history, all covered here. The rise and fall of kingdoms, the wars and lasting peace, the history and present. Each race unique, each history different. One thing in common, once they were alone now they're together.

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Theirs is not a story of strife, of pain and fighting, of violence and conquering. Theirs is a story of cooperation, though not born easily. Long before us, before Humanity, they came together. United by one lone Fenati and her Kraa girlfriend, they found a measure of peace.

It isn't always easy, but they have agreed upon the principles in which Galactic Community should be run.

By following these principles, the Galactic Community has managed to become a civilization spanning dozens of star systems, and hundreds of celestial bodies, encompassing trillions of citizens most of whom go about life never needing or wanting to bother knowing what lie on another planet if it doesn't affect them personally. Most colonies are wholly self-sufficient, and self-governing as well, though major resource issues and matters of intergalactic trade are managed by Community Embassies and the Council of Representatives or their respective home-species government.

Conflict is rare, so long as you avoid ships bearing The Raiders flag, and one couldn't hope to find a better place for seeking out the unknown. Anyone bored and looking for work shouldn't hesitate to find their way to The Fractal the central seat of the entire galactic community, or seek out Diplomats, Merchants, or the dozens of "help wanted" boards and forums on Gal-net.

Ready!

The whole galaxy is your playground, what are you waiting for?

Standard Rules of the Galactic Community

1. No colonies may be created on planets already inhabited by any life without permission from that species' government, if the species is not advanced enough to have a government yet, no colonies can be made on their lands period.
2. Contact with races that cannot leave their planet is strictly prohibited, lest they believe us to be gods and we inadvertently change the entire course of their history.
3. No technology may be gifted or sold to races that are at war with another race either within their planetary system or on their home planet. We must not pick sides in wars we have no knowledge of, lest the outcome threaten our peace and safety.
4. Weapons are strictly prohibited on The Fractal except with express permission of the Chief of the Galactic Security Force, yes that includes the GSF Officers, without permission of the Chief you still are not allowed to carry weapons on the Fractal.
5. Civil Disputes are to be settled without violence, anyone caught resorting to violence will be subject to penalties including fines, community service, or imprisonment. Anyone caught repeatedly resorting to violence to solve their disputes will be subject to mandatory anger management courses and therapy. If all else fails, in this matter, further violations will result in exile to the Raider Colony world Kaffki.

The Principles Upon Which The Community Was Founded:

When the intergalactic community was first created, there were a few basic rules set down that all the locals had agreed to. Simple things like "don't make colonies on other people's lands" and "don't shoot your neighbor". However, the purpose of the community was not unified. The Kevari were seeking worlds rife with an element they called Mana; the Fenati had been, several thousand years earlier, roughly cast off their homeworld as result of an attempted genocide and were simply seeking places to call home; and the Ahsi were studying, travelling seeking out their 'mother' the being they believed had created their race and gave them sentience. When the Council of Representatives was created by Kiiran the principles on which she stated that all citizens should strive to exemplify were simple:

Curiosity: They should show curiosity about their surroundings, their neighbors, the worlds around them and the people they lived with, curiosity and acceptance, not rejection.
Exploration: Not everyone was built for exploring the galaxy, but if the galaxy was never explored, resources would run dry eventually. Peaceful Exploration and study was to be the name of the game. Sustainability was not only expected, it was required. They would find a way, in exploring, to use only renewable resources so they would not kill the planets they were trying to live on.
Research: There's so much unknown about the galaxy and universe, that it was Kiiran's dream that more importance but placed on researching, studying, and understanding the galaxy. There's a lot of history in the Galaxy, evidence of civilizations that existed before the current ones, evidence of civilizations that rose and fell without anyone else in the Galaxy knowing. Kiiran felt that the future could be better if the past wasn't left unknown and forgotten.
Cooperation: The final main principle that Kiiran spoke of was cooperation. She felt that if the citizens of the Galaxy did not work together, conflict and inevitably wars, would result. Thus measures were taken to intergrate all three (at the time, the Vrensean, Yamti, Yecixĩu, Humans, and Quiira would not come around until much later) races into one united community, with an emphasis on cooperation and quality of life guarantees such as free housing, guaranteed employment with a universal income, and basic nutritional needs being met. Most of the actual application of these principles was set in place by the Ahsi, as they were the most experienced with making those guarantees actually work out.

— Excerpt from an Article in Researchers Monthly.