Human Space
Centered around the Sol system in the Milky Way galaxy, Human Space is an agglomeration of star systems spanning two universes and at least 15 galaxies. Connected by a chain of Tein Linkages, most systems in Human Space have one or two exits into another system. Some of the systems in Human Space have an alien presence, as the alien species' own chain of Tein Gates has intersected with the human one.
Though extending into incredibly far-flung corners of space, Human Space consists of only 17 inhabited star systems. Due to the extreme difficulty of opening Tein Gates to useful locations, expansion of Human Space has been slow. Ironically, traveling across multiple galaxies is often faster than reaching the outer planets of a system, as interplanetary travel can still take days or even weeks.
The Tein Gates between the various systems are in most cases located on space stations in the orbits of useful planets or moons in the system. Due to the effects of gravity on Tein processses, putting gates down on the surface of a planet tends to be costly. Many stations have two gates, and a station in the orbit of Earth has three.
Politics and Organization
Human Space has no single government, and communication between systems is awkward due to the impossibility of passing signals of any kind through Tein Gates. At the same time, it is possible to walk from one end of Human Space to the other without entering a spaceship. The space stations and the gates built in them place tight limitations on how many people and goods can enter and exit a system at any one time. The same limitations also make it extremely complicated to project any power to another system.
Thus, new colonies in Human Space are bootstrapped to self-sufficiency as quickly as possible, and quickly become independent in practice if not in law. Most gate-stations are controlled by the Pan-Human Gatekeepers Union (PHGU), commonly referred to as the Gatekeepers. However, the Gatekeepers are not a proper government, and most systems have one or even multiple local governments that hold power down on planetside and in some cases even on far-flung asteroids. The Gatekeepers control access throughout Human Space, but are reliant on local governments for basic supplies and support, and are sworn to neutrality. Whoever gets to a gate and pays the toll may pass.
Systems
Inhabited systems in Human Space include Sol, Phenix, Caesar, Lovelace, Dragonstar, Confucius, Eureka, Tan, Valhalla, Triune, Red Brethren, Victory, Oswald, Rakhine, Einstein, Hellion, and Porus.
Uninhabited systems, defined as those lacking a self-sustaining population or inhabited planets or moons include Sagan, Grey Machine, Feld,
Comments