Union Territory

Union classifies territory according to a system of concentric rings radiating out from Sol. The rings are concentric: the farther they lie from Cradle, the larger they are. Each ring is named after one of Cradle’s mountain ranges. Blink Gates are named after peaks found in these mountain ranges.
This is a shorthand system of names, designed for simple civilian and governmental maps. Think about how neighborhoods are named – there are generally accurate markers and signs, but people refer to exact addresses when looking for specific locations.
The convention of naming blink stations after peaks is less formal. There have not yet been enough stations built to account for every peak in any given range. If there are ever more stations than there are peaks, Union’s cartographers will simply make up new names.
• SOL//ANDES LINE – Aconcagua Station, Cerro Bonete Station, Galán Station, etc.
• RING 1//ROCKY MOUNTAIN LINE – Elbert Station, Lincoln Station, Castle Station, etc.
• RING 2//KUNLUN LINE – Kongur Tagh Station, Kunlun Goddess Station, Arka Tagh Station, etc.
• RING 3//URAL LINE – Manaraga Station, Elbrus Station, Iremel Station, etc.
• RING 4//ATLAS LINE – Toubkal Station, Ouanoukrim Station, M’Goun Station, etc.
• RING 5//HIMALAYA LINE – Everest Station, Kangchenjunga Station, Annapurna Station, etc.
• RING 6//ALTAI LINE – Belukha Station, Nairamdal Station, Kharkhiraa Station, etc.
• RING 7//CARPATHIAN LINE – Gerlachovský štít Station, Ľadový štít Station, Moldoveanu Station, etc.
• RING 8//SIERRA MADRE LINE – Cerro Mohinora Station, Cerro Gordo Station, Cerro Barajas Station, etc.
• RING 9//KARAKORAM LINE – Chhogori Station, Gasherbrum Station, Broad Peak Station, etc.
• RING 10//CASCADE LINE – Rainier Station, Adams Station, Hood Station, etc.
• RING 11//ANNAMITE LINE – Phou Bia Station, Phu Xai Lai Leng Station, Ngọc Linh Station, etc.
The Annamite Line is the current “edge” of Union space. Beyond it lies uncharted territory – unexplored stars and systems toward the deep core of the Milky Way, and stars and systems toward the cold edge of intergalactic space.

The Milky Way is estimated to contain 200–400 billion stars, and at least that number of planets. Cradle is located at a radius of about 27,000 light-years (8.3 kpc) from the Galactic Center, on the inner edge of the Orion Arm, one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas and dust. The stars in the innermost 10,000 light-years form a bulge and one or more bars that radiate from the bulge.

Type

Galaxy