Shattered Skies Even Union's vision has blind spots.

Across the Orion arm of the galaxy, Union's reach is wide. From the frontier of the Dawnline Shore, to the harrowing unknown of Boundary Garden, humanity has pushed at the edges of space. A radiance of life spews forth towards these new sectors, and with it, Union's attention. The eyes of the gray keeper of humanity are often drawn to these distant worlds to ensure their promise of prosperity, to solidify the Utopian Pillars among fresh colonies, and to safeguard against power grabs from Union's pestering member states. But Union's body comes not from new planets ripe for settlement, but from the long-established societies dashed across it. Worlds that have known the guiding touch of Union for hundreds of years, where billions reside. These systems, these places where the fuel, material, and humanity for the missions on the bleeding edge come from, are the powerhouses of Union. These worlds, both core and diasporan, are seldom the target of Union's focused gaze; often self-sufficient and managed by the back office rather than Union's more proactive powers.   Our story is here; in an oft forgotten sector of old Union: The Midland Archipelago.   Straddling the space between the Himalaya and Atlas blink gate lines, the Midland Archipelago is a string of worlds anchored by two blink gates: Yangra Station and Kanchenjunga Station. Through Union's swells and retractions, Midland has persisted, though always changing and adapting in kind. The blink-adjacent edges of Midland remain flush with the material and cultural riches of Union corespace, while some systems that bridge the gap have only passingly felt Union's presence.   A breadth of humanity is present in Midland: Utopian core worlds, planets in development, societies in infancy growing from the ashes of their predecessors. But one thing ties Midland together, distances of space be damned: Midland will persist. Through passing wars, through new Union mandates, through insane cosmic phenomena, Midland will persist. Empires and societies may rise and fall, but Midland remains as a quiet reminder of humanity's tenacity for survival.   Welcome to Midland.