Freelancer: Terminus (Freelancer/MassEffect)

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Freelancer: Terminus
- A Freelancer/MassEffect Crossover

"Unidentified spacecraft, please be advised that you are entering Zoner territory around Freeport 9. Identify yourself and state your intentions"

The communication woke up Edison Trent from the light slumber he had been in while the autopilot had guided the ship back to the spaceport. With a groan he switched on his ID-transponder, turned off to not attract any attention in this truly lawless part of space, and answered.

"Freeport, this is Freelancer-Alpha-One-Dash-One coming back from a job in the Amarus Cloud, I am requesting docking clearance"

"Ah Trent, it is you. Nice to see you are still alive. You are cleared for port three. A warning though, I have heard some rumours that a dangerous looking guy arrived here yesterday, seemingly looking for you. Guys like that don`t always respect Zoner neutrality like you do so be prepared"

For a few moments Trent was tempted to change course and make for the Sigma-17 jumphole because in his experience situations like that rarely ended well but a short check of his fuel as well as food-stocks made it clear that he wasn`t adequately really prepared for such a long journey. He could still do it, if he accepted some serious discomfort, but he didn`t get where he was by running just because of a rumour.

"I copy, Port three and preparing for trouble."

---

The man that greeted Trent when the later left the hangar was certainly dangerous, most likely a lot more dangerous than Karl from communications suspected in his worst nightmares, but he was no threat to Trent, or so he hoped at least.

"Orillion, what brings you here into the outback? Did something happen?"

Casper Orillion, leader of the Order and most sought man in the Sirius sector, shook the offered hand and answered.

"Yes, something has happened but nothing catastrophic, Major Zuno and the rest of your friends are okay. But I need to talk with you, colonel - " Trent had to control himself to not give his surprise away, Casper hadn`t called him by that rank in years " -, in private."

---

A few minutes later they arrived in front of a non-descript office and Trent was only slightly surprised when Orillion went to the keypad and opened the door, signalling that he should enter.

The inside of the office were just as utilitarian as the outside and though Trents experienced eyes could make out several privacy enhancing applications as well as a very expensive looking comms-terminal. But before he could spend any serious thought about how he had missed an Order presence on the Freeport Casper gestured for him to sit down in one of the two chairs surrounding a small glass table.

Orillion choose the chair and placed a small holographic display on the table.

"As you are aware one of the Order`s main interests after the activation of the alien Hypergate in the Dyson Sphere has been investigating the Dom'Kavash jumpgate network. We have managed to shut down the Hypergate on our side, which should hopefully prevent the Nomads from returning that way but as you know the artifact made it clear that the aliens network is far more extensive than I ever thought. A group under the command of professor Quillian has spend the decade trying to find other gates in or near our territory. We had some success and found a handful of them, luckily most of them have been damaged beyond repair or seem no longer functional otherwise. The problem are the few that are still functioning - each of them provides a possible entry point for an alien attack that needs to be dealt with."

Trent had to agree, the Nomads had made it clear that they would be satisfied with nothing but the total destruction of humanity's presence in the Sirius sector and everything possible needed to done to prevent it. It was part of the reason he himself spent so much time on the very outskirts of human space, looking for more alien ruins and signs of nomad activity.

"So far the groups we have sent through have found no sign of Nomad or Dom'Kavash activity, or in fact anything but long dead ruins. Well at least this was the case till last month when Quillian found another jumpgate in the Omicron Kappa system. From what we could gleam from the artifact the gate was leading to the very borders of Dom'Kavash territory and the good professor suspects it was built shortly before the empire fell apart. So our scout troops didn't expect anything when we send them through."

"Considering you are here I can guess how the story ends. They found something, something that upset you enough to track me down. So what was it? Nomads, intact Dom'Kavash ruins or even a sign of the alien themselves?"

"We found something yes, but as far as we can see it is neither connected to the Nomads nor the Dom'Kavash We found signs of alien activity, an abandoned mining post is our best guess, in a neighbouring system."

"Other aliens? Well I guess it was only a matter of time, we have known we are not alone out here. How old was it? Millions of years or just thousands?"

Casper looked at Trent strangely and said a emotionless voice, "Decades Trent, decades at best, as far as we can make it out that mining outpost had been use just a few years ago."

"Fuck, I don't believe it. Wasn't one alien invasion enough for a lifetime?"

"A hero's work is never done, Trent. But you are jumping to conclusions, so far we don`t know anything at all about the aliens, if they are aliens at all. The good doctors think that the structure hints at a humanoid race, likely bipedal or quadro of a similar figure than us humans, and the manner of how its was build is eerily similar to our own. Now, much of this is more or less pure speculation, the site was pretty bare after all but to me this suggest a number of possibilities."

"Number one, somebody from Sirius managed to discover the gate before us and used it. Our scientists think it unlikely, but I am hoping for this option. My men are currently combing through the archives to see if we have anything about activity in this region but you know as well as I do how many men simply disappear out here."

Trent had to agree, the outskirts of human space where often a very dangerous place, full of hazards, and many brave explorer had disappeared into the endless black of space.

"Number two, there are aliens on other side of the gate. Aliens we know nothing about other than that they don`t appear to be Nomads. The implications of something like that are impossible to predict but we have to deal with it anyhow."

"And there is option three. It were humans but they didn't come from Sirius"

For a few seconds Trent was confused what Orillion was playing at but then it became clear.

"You think it might be the Coalition, the old enemy? Or whatever they call themselves now?"

"Well I think that the chance exists that it also might be another group of refugees, our information from Sol is after all far from complete, but yeah I think we have to consider that it might be the Coalition. Who knows what kind of technological developments they have made over the last thousand years or how far they have expanded. Quintaine is sceptical of course, citing that the location is too far away from Earth to make an expansion into that direction likely, but I think the good professor wants it to be aliens and lets that cloud its mind."

"I am not sure, Quintaine is eccentric but I have never seen anything than professional when it came to his research. But this is surely a lot to take in. What is your plan we do and why are you here. Make no mistake I am happy that you came and told me but I fail to see why could couldn`t have called me to the Osiris or send one of you men."

Casper smiled, which made Trent very nervous.

"My plan is quite simple. I want you to lead and create an organization with the goal of exploring and investigating the new territory and its inhabitants."

Now Trent was truly shocked "What…. Ludicrous. That better be a very bad jo-"

"Be silent and listen because I completely serious. The Order resources are already taxed to its limit with guarding the Dysons Sphere and hunting Nomads, who as your own reports suggest are still a serious threat here in the border regions. I don`t have the manpower or equipment for another large scale operation so far out from any base of support, especially not one which could take years to be completed. Further enlargement of the organisation to such a large degree would also hurt our efficiency to a not acceptable degree or worse, distract us from our primary objective.

I also am wary of putting all of our eggs into one basket, as people say. The infiltration by the nomads has shown the weakness of such an approach. By creating a separate group I hope to minimize the risk of something like that, while making sure that there will exist a capable replacement. I have long asked myself the question who would watch the watchers and I think that i have finally found a solution."

Trent was still in shock but he had to admit that he found some of the arguments compelling. The Orders resources were stretched and it may be a good idea to have a fail-safe in place in case the worst happened, but still,

"Why me? Why not one of you other officers or hell, the Houses themselves? I have no experience in leading such a group as you envision and no desire to do so either. I am just a simple freelancer for gods sake.

Orillion laughed, "Just a freelancer you say, you haven`t been just a freelancer since the moment Freeport 7 exploded. Now believe me you are the best man suited to this job. The great Houses greatest weaknesses has always been their division, something like this needs decisive leadership and not endless politicking. And while I have some officers I would trust with such an endeavour they are not only indispensable but they also lack one very important factor that you have. They lack your connections, your reputation."

"My connections?"

"Don`t act dumber than you are. You know what I mean, for the last ten decades you have worked as a Freelancer for many of the relevant factions, completing some of most dangerous missions in the sector. You are known as the man capable of doing the impossible and many important decision makers have you to thank for their success. The new organization will need backers, members and financiers and you my friend have the best chance of getting them."

"Orillion, you vastly overestimate my influence -"

"No, I don't. Why do you think I have been letting you in peace for so long? But we still have time, so lets see if I can't dispel your illusions...

---

In the end Trent gave in and accepted the position that Orillion offered to him, if not totally conviced of the need then at least conviced that Casper was certain this was the correct choice. Creating and leading an organization with the goal of exploring the territory beyond the Omicron Kappa jumpgate was not how he imganied to spend his next few years but he was resolbed to do as good as a job as possible. When Casper left the station, to organise things on his end, Trent went to the bar to enjoy his last day of freedom while he went over just which factions he thought would be willing and able to support him.

Your name is Edison Trent and you have played an integral part in defeating an alien infiltration ten years ago. Your old boss has now decided that it is time you get back into the thick of it and wants you to lead a paramilitary organization whose main task will be the exploration of the Terminus systems. You first take will be to decide which of the many factions in the Sirius sector will support you group at the very beginning.

As a Freelancer you have come into contact with many different factions and organizations all over the Sirius sector, but only a few are powerful enough and trust you enough to offer support for your new organization. Those that support you are (Choose 4):

I know that the following list is probably a bit overwhelming but I wanted to give some choices and assure you that there is no wrong or truly bad one. They all have strengths and weaknesses and I suggest you choose a mix find interesting. Factions that you don`t choose won't disappear into the blue and it is highly likely that you will be able to interact with most of them later on. Please vote in a [] plan format.

Governmental organizations:
The most powerful organizations in Sirius are naturally the militaries and other security organizations of the great Houses. In a world where even civilian ships are armed more often than not and crime is serious concern nearly everywhere the police often seems more a paramilitary organization than traditional law enforcement. The various navies meanwhile are in a constant arms-race with each other, eyeing each other suspiciously over the borders.

Liberty Security Forces (LSF):
The LSF is the intelligence branch of the Liberty Military and closely cooperates with the Liberty Navy and Police to combat the ever present criminal activity in Liberty space. Besides its official mission of combating crime the LSF is naturally also very active in more traditional intelligence actives like (counter-) espionage and information gathering. It operates under minimal governmental oversight and is known to stretch their remit to its legal limits (and beyond). While its direct military capabilities are relatively small, at times forcing it to even employ freelancers, it has access to the very best technology Liberty (and thus the Sirius Sector) has to offer and its cadre of officers is very well trained.

Bretonia Armed Forces (BAF):
The men and women of the Bretonian navy are a courageous lot with a long and proud history of successfully serving their country on numerous fronts. As fitting for the navy of one of the premier powers of the Sirius sector is well equipped though it tends to favour reliability and quantity over high-end arms. Its leadership is politically very active and plays an important role in Bretonian politics with a larger than average number of nobles active in its officer ranks. For much of its history the navy mostly served as a deterrence towards the other major houses but the rise of the Molly independence movement and the Gaian Front have created a previously unimagined internal threat while expansion into the Border Worlds and Omega regions have brought it into conflict with the two major criminal cartels of the Outcasts and Corsairs.

Rheinland Military (Rheinwehr):
The military of the Rheinland was once reputed to be the best in the Sirius Sector, easily able to best any of the remaining houses. The Eighty Years War against the Gas Miners Guild and its tragic involvement in the Nomad War however has severely weakened this once seemingly unbeatable juggernaut and the ever increasing criminal activity in Rheinland and its neighbouring sector present a steep, never-ending challenge. But despite those challenges the Rheinland military continues to employ some of the best pilots in Sirius, well equipped by the recovering Rheinland economy and trained by some of best tacticians in the Sector.

Kusari Naval Forces (KNF):
The Kusari Naval Forces are enerally viewed as being the best equipped compared to the other major houses, with only the Liberty Navy coming near it. Understandably they have very strong ties to the the big Kusari industry conglomerates which can cause some internal problems with different factions of the military favouring different trading partners. Its military however is on the smaller side numberwise and more focuses on small units tactics that make good use of the often chaotic environment that can be found in Kusari space than big set piece battles. Internally the navy is focused on opposing the Blood Dragon movement, mostly due the inability of the normal police forces to combat them effectively, while the expansion of Kusari has also brought them into conflict with the Outcasts and Corsairs.

State aligned companies:
While Sirius is home to countless commercial enterprises there are only a handful that deserve the title mega-company. Those massive companies are often integral parts of the economy and have huge political and economic influence.

Ageira Technologies (Liberty):
Ageira Technologies is one of the "Big Three" corporations of Liberty's business world, specialising in Faster-Than-Light transportation research and development. They are the only manufacturers of Jump Gate and Trade Lane Parts. Other key Ageira products include armaments from Detroit Munitions; and industrial products such as super alloys and superconductors though it often focuses on researching and then licensing technology. It closely cooperates with Deep Space engineering who is responsible for transporting the parts and actually building and maintaining the Jump Gates and Trade Lanes.

Cryer Pharmaceuticals (Liberty):
Cryer is a relatively young cooperation focused on medical research and the manufacturing of commercial and restricted medical drugs as well as cutting edge medical technology. Its most famous ambition is the development of an anti-aging drug whose search for a possible solution has had it finance numerous expeditions into Deep Space.

Universal Shipping (Liberty):
Universal is the premier shipping company in Liberty and focuses high-risk, high value transports all over Sirius. It maintains a serious security force and is the premiere employer of Freelancers in the Sector. Of late it has also expanded in the shipbuilding sector and is currently planning to expand its shipyard in the Minnesota system to deal with growing demand for transports as well as increased interests from private customers.

Border World Exports - Bowex (Bretonia):
Bowex is the oldest shipping and mining conglomerate in Sirius history and tightly bonded to the Bretonian government, it is in fact nationalized, and military, the later of which it is the major supplier. It boasts centuries of experience in exploiting resources in nearly every imaginable situation and its industrial output is immense.

Kruger Minerals (Rheinland):
Kruger Minerals is still family owned and the second biggest mining cooperation in Rheinland space though it has fallen on hard times lately due to its heavy investment in the Eighty Years War. However it still has remarkable influence on Rheinland politics and though weakened is still a serious economic power.

Daumann Heavy Construction (Rheinland):
For centuries Daumann had been the only competitor to Kruger but since it weathered the economic crisis following the Eighty Years War better it stands now unrivalled as the industry company in Rheinland. Daumann does everything, from mining to large scale manufacturing and is also maintains a series of massive shipyards in the Ring, the famous Rheinland orbital station.

Samura Industries (Kusari):
Samura Industries is one of the great Kusari keiretsu - sprawling, vertically integrated companies that control whole industries. Samura has its fingers in everything but its main focus is shipbuilding, both commercial and military, as well as similar large scale industry endeavours. It was one of the main sponsors of the coup that overthrew the Hideyoshi Shogunate and still maintains extremely close ties to the current Kusari government.

Kishiro Technologies (Kusari):
Kishiro is the other big keiretsu and unlike its rival more focused on high-end technology like quantum based computers or sensor technology though it is also active on other fields like gene-modding and research. It closely cooperates with the Gas Miners Guild and it is generally viewed as one of the more progressive entities in Kusari space which has at times caused conflicts with the often very traditional government (pushed by the Samura backers) who accuse it of having sympathies or even supporting rebellious movements. Nothing of that sort however has been proven and Kishiro often points to the fact that its shipping is far from ignored by the Blood Dragons or similar groups.

"Independent" Companies:
While most big companies are tightly entwined with one of the big houses there are a small number of organizations that operate truly independently from the various governments. Most of them can be found operating far beyond the borders of the Houses in the searches of riches though some still maintain some ties to their origins.

Independent Miners Guild:
The Independant Miners Guild is an fully independent and widespread organization which can be found in many of border regions of the Sirius sector. Not as profit-oriented as the larger house corporations, the IMG frequently establishes mining operations that other corporations do not deem economically viable. This ranges from small-scale mining, to establishing operations under hostile conditions. Although the IMG has it's roots in Bretonia and Rheinland, it has attracted disgruntled and abandoned workers from all four houses, and is not specifically affiliated with any single house. In the last few years it made a major push into the resource rich Tau systems, coming into serious conflict with the Outcasts who view those regions as their territory.

Gas Miners Guild:
The Gas Miners Guild originates from the Kusari planet of Honshu where, after a economic crash, many people left their planet and started mining the massive gas nebulas to make a living. While the Guild still maintains some ties to the Honshu system it has slowly transformed into its own, independent entity and many of its members spend their whole live in ships and stations without ever stepping on a planet. It is the main provider of natural H-fuel and thus wield a not insignificant economic influence. GMG security forces are noted for their unorthodox security tactics, utilizing a form of guerrilla warfare that uses the limited visibility inside the Crow Nebula to their advantage and they are famed for defeating the Rheinland military in the Eighty Years War. However the expansion ever deeper into Deep Space has brought them into conflict with both the Corsairs and especially the Outcasts who, unlike Rheinland, are just as experienced in small scale warfare.

Bounty Hunters Guild:
The Sirius Sector is home to many criminal organizations and thus it should come to no suprise that there is a high demand for protection and other mercenary work. The Bounty Hunters Guild is a mercenary organization operating in numerous systems across the Sirius Sector. They are frequently hired by house corporations, police, and militaries to aid in the protection of trade routes or to take on wanted criminals in search-and-destroy missions. Bounty Hunters are particularly reviled by criminals because many of them were once pirates themselves. As a result, many Hunters know of the various Jump Hole routes and employ that knowledge in their assignments. They are hated more than most pirates by the Outcasts, but none revile the Hunters as much as the Xenos and Red Hessians.

Zoners:
If there is one truly neutral group in the Sirius Sector it would be the Zoner movement. Made up from a diverse group of individuals who, for various reasons, have decided to live in the wild unregulated systems outside of colonial control they maintain a series of orbital station. Those station are famed for their neutrality and are open to every faction in Sirius, and thus are often viewed with suspicion by law enforcement. Many of the criminal organization on the other hand are jealous of the perceived wealth and influence the Zoners wield and only the fact that many of them depend on the Zoners for food and a place to trade their ill-gotten gains has kept them from attacking the Zoners. The zoners have spent centuries on that knife edge without ever falling down but the appearance of the Corsairs and Outcasts, seemingly far less dependent on their services, threatens the balance and quite a few freeports in the border region have stepped up their security, especially after the infamous Freeport 3 incidence.

Junkers:
The ignorant tend to describe the Junkers as the less polished version of the Zoners but reality is a bit different. The Junkers, organized in family clans and a very secretive group, can be found in most of Sirius and are at best tolerated by the state governments who view them as a necessary evil. Their activities range from small time smuggling and other lesser criminal activity to, as the name suggests, salvaging the massive junkyards caused by centuries of reckless industrial expansion by the major houses. Their bases follow a similar line of neutrality than the Zoners but are strictly limited to the criminal factions only who use them to fence the truly valuable and dangerous goods. Junkers are very active in the artifact trade which brought them to the attention of several intelligence agencies during the aftermath of the Nomad War but with the threat of the nomads seemingly banned the Junkers and their trade is slowly disappearing into the dark once again. The Junkers have very few true enemies, only the Xenos, a radical, xenophobe Liberty criminal organization and the Hogosha, which is more or less a Kusari variant of themselves, oppose them openly.

Criminal Organizations:
Space is a big place with a lot of places to hide, a fact that people have utilised since the early age of the industrial exploitation of space. Be it revolutionary groups fighting for a better future, groups ignored by the system and seeing no alternative or simply good old greed, space themes with groups on the wrong side of the law. Over time the various small criminal groups have united into large criminal syndicates who now often field military grade equipment and tactics, proving a serious challenge to law enforcement. And with the appearance of the Corsairs and Outcasts space has become more dangerous than ever.

Liberty Rogues (Liberty):
The Rogues are a product of over two centuries of systematic lower-class cleansing that occurred on the Liberty planets of Manhattan, Denver, and Los Angeles. Relocated to the Texas prison system, many of them ended up planetside on Houston upon release. Some stayed straight and joined the population scratching out a living. The rest returned to their life of crime, often ending up vaporized by a pursuing Liberty Police patrol or back in prison for longer stretches, manning the prison factories that are the economic lifeblood of the Texas system. They are notoriously bad organized and their equipment is often subpar but they outnumber nearly any other criminal organization in Sirius and a have large number of bases and outposts all over Liberty and its border regions. The Rogues are cooperating with both the Lane Hackers and Outcasts and generally avoid drawing the attention of any serious military force.

Lane Hackers (Liberty):
The Lane Hackers are made up of a mostly ex-Ageira workers and scientists that departed the company on less than ideal terms over various incidents. To the disdain of Ageira, and many honest shipping lines, they managed to take with them a number of priority technologies related to the Trade Lanes which allowed them an unparalleled access to its information network that no amount of patching has managed to fix, giving rise to the suspicion that they still have a number of informants inside the organisation. The Lane Hackers are numerically the smallest criminal organization in Liberty but they are they most successful and best equipped. In recent days the anger against Ageira has giving way to simple creed with the Lane Hackers more than happy with their prosperous highway living and ever closer cooperation with Outcasts and Rogues when it comes to the smuggling of the Outcast drug of Cadamine.

Blood Dragons (Kusari):
The Blood Dragons are a terrorist organization supposedly descended from the royal guard of Shogun Hideyoshi, deposed during a coup several centuries before, and dedicated to the overthrow of the current Kusari government.Their pilots are widely reputed to be the best in the universe, though their number is quite low, and a number of sympathisants and sleeper agents in the government ensure that they keep up with technological developments. The favour small unit tactics and surgical strikes and are allied with the Golden Chrysantheme, a female only cult and revolutionary movement, due to their shared wish the overthrow the existing Kusari government.

Bundschuh:
The Bundschuh was originally a left-wing political party that came into prominence during the struggles after Eighty Year War where its members played an integral part in overthrowing the Imperial regime. However many of its members were dissatisfied and disillusioned by the compromise heavy agreement that ended the conflict and continued to oppose the new government resulting in it getting outlawed and resuming its underground fight. It is very much an ideological group and to this day attracts many liberal minded people who are fed with unjust Rheinland regime though its glory days where it could threaten public revolt are long over. Nonetheless its members are skilled, highly motivated and due it generally focusing on military and politically targets is still supported by a significant portion of the society.

Outcasts:
The Outcasts are descendants of the sixth sleeper ship, the Hispania, which was seriously damaged in the escape from Sol, or as the Outcasts maintain sabotaged, and was forced to land in the very outskirts of the Sirius sector in Omicron Alpha, in the Galactic north, on the planet of Malta. They are the origin of the highly addictive drug Cadamine and with its helped have a established a criminal empire spanning nearly all of Sirius. This has brought them into direct conflict with all major law enforcement agencies as well as groups like the IMG and GMG whose expansion threatens their territory, their biggest conflict however is with their cousins, the Corsairs, over who will truly dominate the criminal underworld in Sirius. Unlike nearly every other criminal organization the Outcasts are in possession of their own planet and their leaders have made use of the ill-begotten gains by using them to establish their own spacebound industry and shipyards. Outcasts numbers are still relatively low, a side-effect of their drug use, but they are famous pilots and skilled engineers, used to accomplish much with very little though like all criminal organization they focus on small crafts so far..

Corsairs:
The Corsairs are the other group descending from the Hispania, though they abandoned the ship at the very first opportunity after it reached, landing on the planet of Crete in the South of the Sirius sector. Like their cousins the Corsairs are superb pilots and engineers and their inhospitable homeworld has led a very ruthless and pragmatic mentality where only the strong triumph. The Corsairs got the name to their massive and indiscriminate attacks on shipping in the Border Worlds between Rheinland and Bretonia were their skill and ruthlessness quickly made them priority number one for military and law enforcements alike. Like their cousins the Corsairs used their loot to build up their own economic base but unlike teh outcasts they are not bound to their home planet and thus dream and plan expanding beyond their meagre home. Their locations in lower Omicrons, where many alien ruins are found, make them the premiere source of such artifacts and has caused them to range deeply into Sirius in search of buyers and new markets. The biggest battles however are fought against the Outcasts over the control of the Omicron system as well as the Rheinland criminal organization, the Red Hessians, who challenge their supremacy in the Omega systems.

Welcome to my new quest. As the title says this here will be a Crossover between the Freelancer and Mass Effect, partly inspired by the fanfiction Psi Effect, where you, in the person Edison Trent, will create and lead an organization tasked with exploring the area beyond the Omicron Kappa Jump Gate - which the aliens on the other side generally call the Terminus systems...

Knowledge of Freelancer and Mass Effect shouldn`t be required to participate in this quest and I happy to answer any question you may have (and ask the other players to be accepting of new and uninformed players). This quest will not attempt to be hard sci-fi but instead follow the Space Opera theme of both game (series) so be prepared to see dogfights, boarding actions and combat happening at relatively close ranges and speeds as well as other low tech solutions and approaches.

This quests will run on pretty minimalistic mechanics and you shouldn`t expect to much in regards to stats or complicated resource management, my goal is to keep things as simple as possible while focusing on the elemental part of the quest. Research will also focus on understanding existing technology rather than developing completely new types of weapons and machines.

This elemental part will be exploration of the Terminus sector, which for the non MassEffect players under you is the name for a rather sizeable region of space home to a large number of different small factions, groups and aliens who are in nearly constant conflict with each other and whose actually make-up is left rather open in the games/their lore.

You will also be able to interact with the Sirius side of the portal, be it to secure further support for your own organization, help one of your friends or prevent an enemy from growing too powerful/messing with your projects.

In regards to the balance - I don`t want to get to deeply into it now but suffice to say that while both universes have their strengths the are more or less even - no fuck yeah, humanity here.

Updates should be roughly two times per week and have a size of 3k-5k words.

I think this all so all that is left for me is to wish a nice time with the quest, if you have any questions feel free to ask them.

For those of who read my Dragon Age quest "After the End" I have to apologise for starting a new quest while leaving it so incomplete. My inability to update it frustrates me more than you can imagine but the damn battle simply doesn`t want to appear on my screen in any acceptable way/timeframe. I hope that by getting back into writing I will overcome that hurdle and bring at least the current plotlines to a satisfying end.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Edison Trent - Biography

Edison Trent grew up on the heavily industrial planet of Leeds in Bretonia space. As a child, his parents were killed in a tragic accident, and he was taken in by a family friend, Richard Winston Tobias, the equipment dealer on Leeds. After completing his apprenticeship to Tobias as a spacecraft mechanic, Trent grew restless. Leaving his girlfriend Vanessa behind, Trent sought his fortune in the Border Worlds.

That search for fortune led him to be on Freeport 7, about to make the deal of a lifetime, when the Order blew up the station. He only narrowly escaped with his life, and with the rest of the survivors was transported to Manhattan in Liberty space. With no money, his ship destroyed and the only evidence of the deal, his business partner, unconscious in the hospital he got lucky when the LSF officer Jun'ko Zane, known as Juni, hired him to work for her, even going so far to provide him with a ship.

After several successful missions, Trent came in possession of an ancient Nomad artifact and got deeply involved in the events of the Nomad War. Declared a terrorist responsible for the freeport massacre he was chased out of the Manhattan system by the several battle groups of the Liberty Navy.

Managing to escape to Bretonnia and his old foster father, he and Juni began to investigate the artifact that had nearly cost them their life. Their search for answers lead them a to a couple of Xeno-archaeologists as well as several encounters with Rheinland military squadrons who proved just as intent of blowing them up than their Liberty colleagues.

Managing to rescue the archaeologist the group than had to flee Bretonia, prosecuted both by the police and Rheinland military forces utilizing camo-technology to avoid the Bretonia forces. They found the other professor being a guest of the Outcast group in the Tau and learned of the involvement of the Order, not as terrorist group but as an opponent of the brewing war.

Their search for another missing artifact led them to Kusari, where they cooperated with the Blood Dragons to attack a heavily fortified Kusari military outpost and the assiniation of of their leaders, Trent once again only narrowly escaping with his live but had learned of the true nature of his adversary, the alien parasite known as Nomad.

After that Orillion send Trent to Rheinland, originally simply to make contact with one of his agents there but he quickly got involved with a local resistance group, the Bundschuh their cooperation culminating in an attack on a secret Rheinland military shipyard.

After completing that mission the Order deployed him and his friends in Liberty, where they were instrumental in saving the life of the President Jacobi and killing the possessed Chancellor of Rheinland.

The situation in the houses somewhat stabilized Trent and Order then went on the offensive in Omicron system, culminating in an attack on the suspected nomad homeworld. The homeworld turned out to be a massive Dysons sphere, serving as the power generator for an empire spanning Hyperlane network created by the Daam K'Vosh of which the nomads only were the caretakers. In an insane gamble the Order managed to activate the Hyperlane gate serving as base for the Nomads, banishing them for the time being.

For his services Trent was fully pardoned and awarded the Lone Star for Bravery, the highest award in the colonies, though the reasons behind this award have been sealed from the public.

After the Nomad War Trent remained some time in the Liberty system, working with Juni, as well as helping out Orillion and the Order before becoming bored and deciding to explore the Sirius sector. Over the last ten years Trent has been pretty much everywhere in the sector, doing things ranging from prospecting, trading and smuggling to being a hired gun.While the public remains largely unaware of him he well known by those either in the know as well as the creme de la creme of space pilots where some his exploits have become legendary.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

UnitedTerminusAgency information can now be found in a googledoc for hopefully easier access and use.

"Civilian" Information

Military Information

Diplomatic Information

Faction Traits/Goals
Kusari: Isolationist, Science
Bretonia: Development
Rheinland: Development and Expansion
Liberty: Trade and International relations

Name: Deep Space Exploration (DSX)

Directorate:
CEO - Edison Trent
Directorate of Security: Henry de Bohun (previously BAF)

Vice Director: Dalton Mortimer (previously BAF Marines)

Directorate of Administration: Mark Davis (previously Zoners)
Directorate of Logistics: Gerd Müller (previously Daumann)
Directorate of Industry: Talia Drake (previously IMG)
Directorate of Intelligence: Alexandra (previously the Order)
Directorate for Xenobiology and Xenorelations: Jessica Harper (Independent/DSX)

Mission of DSX:

Explore the Terminus region

Expand into Terminus region

Establish basic infrastructure

Secure claimed territory against external and internal threats (priority)

Enforce (applicable) House laws

Assist the House delegations in their diplomatic mission (priority)

Manage the distribution and access of discovered and claimed systems

Research and duplicate Mass Effect technology (priority)

Reputation: Powerful Minor Power
People are starting to treat you like a proper, if rather small, mega-company and as always success begets envy. Competitors start to take you seriously and criminals start to take note of your ships and their contents. Your recent involvement in the Red Hessian conflict especially has brought you to the attention of several groups active in area. Rheinland companies and organizations generally view your action positive but many also start to wonder just where a company as new as yours gets all its firepower from. Oh and the Red Hessians really dislike you.

Ethos: Pragmatic Lawful
The large presence of highly trained military and industrial personnel means that your people tend to follow the rules and avoid ethically questionable actions. Your recent activities however have started to encourage a more open minded and practical position when it comes to criminals.

Supply: Extremely well supplied
Your supply network not only finally catched up to your increased demand but the recent influx of capital and resources from the artifact trade have allowed Müller and Davis to seriously "future" proof your logistics network and you now have to resources for a number of serious investments. The defeat of the Red Hessians in the Omegas has secured the majority of your souther supply lines which has made Müller and Davis very happy.

Manpower: 13.500
You are reasonably well staffed with many experienced people in non-combat roles, especially space exploration and mining. Your organisation has expanded significantly to deal with the increased need for manpower but your security has been up to the task so far. However some of fellow directors have started to complain about lacking personnel skilled enough for upper/middle management positions, especially since your recent additions to DSX have increased the need for those immensely.

Military:
Level of equipment: Standard
Your military is well equipped and can maintain several ongoing operations

Average experience:
Veteran: Nearly all your pilots and soldiers have proven their mettle on various battlefields and skirmishes.

Size (compared to other factions in Sirius): small to average
- You command a military force roughly equivalent to three aircraft Groups
- Capital ships: 1 corvette (Valiant)

Force composition:
The large majority of you military force consists of (former() BAF pilots who mostly field heavy and medium fighters. You also employ a double strength squadron of heavy fighters from the Order while the rest of your forces flies a wide spread of semi-"civilian" ships.

Readiness:
65%
Expected time till full replenishment 2 years (12/818)

Current deployments:
Short ranged patrols - minimal decrease of ready military forces
Long range escorts for artifact trade - notable decrease of ready military forces
Clean-up operations Omega 41 - notable detachment

"Ground" Forces:
A battalion of Royal Marines (BAF)

Installations:
Nirn:
Solitude/Alpha Base: The main base of DSX is located in one of the bigger asteroids, circa ten kilometers in diameter, of the outer asteroid field in the Alpha01 system. The metal heavy composition of the asteroid paired with advanced stealth systems mean that the base is hard to detect for any known sensors.

The base is still undergoing construction but can already house more than five thousand people as well as their associated ships and equipment with the current goal to create enough room to comfortably house ten thousand people. Recently a small industrial complex has been added to it, allowing it to produce a small amount of basic materials.

It is also home to a well equipped pilot training school where the next generation of DSX is getting trained as well as a officer's school/internal university capable of providing top tier education and training.

In regards for active defenses it features numerous military grade point defense turrets as well as a lesser number of anti fighter guns.

Omicron Lambda:
Cintra: Located near the Omicron Theta jumphole in Omicron Lambda this small asteroidbase primarily monitors said jumphole and to oversee the local patrols.

Voss:
VossKa: Located near the Mass Relay in the Voss system this small station is currently home to a detachment of scientist trying to research said Relay.

Vega:
Padirac Station: A small space station whose primary duty is to serve as an logistical and command hub for any DSX activities in the Vega system,

Hyrule:
Hylia Base: A well armed base located in the Hyrule system it serves the dual purpose of a military staging ground as well as a launching pad for further projects of the system.

Border post Goron: Designed to monitor to the Larissa Jumphole and any ships travelling through it it has also extensive facilities specially designed to deal with aliens.

Omicron Kappa:
Fortitude: A well armed base located in the Hyrule system it serves the dual purpose of a military staging ground as well as a launching pad for further projects of the system. It also the main logistical centre of your artifact trade and from it your ships transport the artifacts to the rest of Sirius.

Special:
Hood: The Hood is a refurbished battleship that now serves as a civilian carrier. It can carry up to four wings of fighters and operate independently from any base for long amounts of time. It may lack most of its offensive weaponry but even its current state it packs a nasty punch when going up against smaller spacecraft.

Mining operations:
Mining operation (rare metals) in Omicron Kappa
Small mining operation (diamonds) in Omicron Kappa
Mining operation (Ice) in Omicron Kappa

Small mining operation (diamonds) Nirn

Other Operations:
Artifact Trade: Active in all of Sirius

Terms:
After initially using the terms, group, squad, wing etc. intermingled I have decided to now follow the the UK naming conventions to hopefully make things a bit clearer.

Group: 3-4 Wings
Wing: 2-3 Squadrons
Squadron: 18-24 fighters

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Factions

Sirius Sector:

The Four Houses:
The Sirius Sector is dominated by the four great Houses, originating from the Sleeper ships escaping Sol, which have over time each developed their own characteristic and form the political, economic and cultural centres of humanity in the sector. Despite their common origin the Houses of today are far from united and conflicts and disputes between them are commonplace though it very rarely escalates to the level of open warfare. While the houses theoretically claim vast territories their core, where they have a serious presence, is made up of ten to fifteen planetary systems, connected by Jump Gate, and a handful of planets each.

Liberty:
Liberty was the first Sleeper ship to arrive in the Sirius sector and picked the earth-like planet now known as Manhattan, located in the middle of the sector, as their new home. Liberty boasts a highly capitalistic and democratic culture and highly values individual and economic freedom. Its scientists have been responsible for many of the technologies that now form the basics of human civilization and its local in the center of the sector has allowed it to develop into an economic powerhouse.

People from Liberty are for the most part an idealistic and optimistic lot, sure of their position as leaders of humanity and either involved in the high-tech industry, shipping or the financial sector.But not all is well in Liberty, the free market capitalism and the exhaustion of most easily reachable resources, causing a the downfall of several labor intensive industries, have created a large social class of people who have been exploited and ignored for generations, a perfect breeding ground for criminals.

Diplomatically speaking Liberty is a strong proponent of Free-Trade and peace, often playing the mediator between the other houses. It has a friendly relationship with Bretonia but sometimes clashes with the xenophobe Kusari over economic and social issues and its relationship with Rheinland can best described by the world complicated.

Kusari:
The Kusari systems were founded by the inhabitants of the Japanese sleeper ship Kusari. This house is ruled by a feudal system, in contrast to the single leaders of the other nations. The capital of Kusari space is Planet New Tokyo. Kusari is a constitutional monarchy with the Emperor being the official head of state, though in reality the Shogun, leader of the military forces, wields nearly as much (and sometimes even more) power.

Culturally speaking many people in Kusari tend to be slightly xenophobe and suspicious of outside involvement though the ever growing trade and interaction with the other houses, especially Liberty, is causing a change in that behaviour, especially in the younger more cosmopolitan population. Crime is relatively low in Kusari space, courtesy of the Hogosha who don`t take kindly to competitors, with only the revolutionary groups of the Blood Dragons and Golden Chrysantheme having any mentionable presence.

Kusari industry is dominated by the two big companies of Samura and Kishito who are in fierce competition with each other and Liberty as well as the Gas Miners Guild who is primary provider of H-fuel for the Sirius sector.

Diplomatically speaking Kusari follows an isolationist course though its recent expansion into the Tau system has brought into conflict with Bretonia while relationships with Rheinland have cold since the Eighty Years War.

Bretonia:
The Bretonia was one of the last sleeper ships to arrive in the Sirius Sector, almost twenty years after the Liberty, Kusari, and Rheinland had made planetfall on what became their respective homeworlds. In the chaos of the Exodus, the starboard engine array of the Bretonia was destroyed, requiring her to limp the rest of the way to Sirius. By the time the Bretonia arrived, most of the resource rich areas of the sector had already been claimed by the passengers of the Rheinland and the Kusari, while the Liberty had settled the lush planets at the sector core.

The passengers of the Bretonia were forced to select a less than ideal site near the Barrier, a giant belt of ice that spans the entire western half of the Sirius Sector. Here they established the colony of New London, ruled by a monarch in a constitutional monarchy with a strong nobility. Isolated by the Barrier from the other houses and years behind, Bretonia began an accelerated program of rebuilding their industrial civilization leading to massive pollution on many of its planets.

Historically quiet in terms of crime, Bretonia is the home of two narrowly focused terrorist groups, the Mollys and the Gaians. Common criminals were quite rare until the recent arrival of Corsairs and Outcasts within the colony, which has severely tested the capabilities and resources of the Police Authority and Armed Forces.

Bretonia boasts a friendly relationship with Rheinland as well as Liberty while the question of the Tau systems has brought it into conflict with Kusari.

Rheinland:
Two years before its arrival in the Sirius Sector, the captain of the German sleeper ship Rheinland was awakened from hypersleep to begin preparations for planetfall. He and his officers spent weeks studying the long-range sensor logs in an effort to determine the best location for their new home. Much to their surprise, the Rheinlander officers found that the Liberty already had arrived in the sector and had made planetfall within a clutch of worlds near the center. The officers decided to give the Liberty colonists their space, as it were, and instead concentrated on an area close to the Walker Nebula and rich in natural resources. Rheinland was once one of the most powerful major houses.

An industrial and proud people, the Germans brought their traits with them to the Rheinland and produced an economic powerhouse that has seen better days. Rheinland was blessed with food and more resources than it knew what to do with, save for H-Fuel, the critical fuel for space flight. To solve this problem Rheinland launched an all-out war against the GMG to seize the gas fields of the Sigma systems, but was pushed back in a 90 year long guerilla campaign and finally utterly crushed in a daring GMG ambush. The remnants of the Imperial Fleet still exist today, slowly being reclaimed by shamed ALG Rheinlanders and indifferent Junkers.

The debts from the Great War paralysed the economy, and the once-powerful nation slid into a tailspin. Chancellors were elected, tax reforms were launched, economic initiatives were started, but nothing save for selling off Rheinland's precious resources to Liberty's corporations could keep the nation afloat. Many left the government to form terrorist groups like the Bundschuh, Unioners, Red Hessians, and LWB, which the government struggles to keep in check with its weakened navy or simply immigrated to Liberty or Bretonia.

And just when its economy finally got back on track the Nomad War happened and destroyed much of the progress made over the last few decades. But Rheinland still controls vast amounts of resources and the purges after the Nomad infiltration have also done away with a lot of the corruption and intrigue that hampered previous governments.

Rheinland diplomatic relationships have naturally suffered due to its involvement in the Nomad War and it remains somewhat isolated on the international parquet.

Descendants of the Hispania:
The four ships that went to found the great Houses were not the only ones escaping from Sol, at least one other ship made the trip, the Hispania. But due to bad luck or maybe even sabotage the Hispania suffered a catastrophic engine failure during its trip and arrived far later than the other ships and nearly impossible to steer. The survivors of that harrowing trip went on the found the two biggest and most powerful criminal empires currently active in Sirius.

Corsairs:
The ancestors of the Corsairs that had set adrift from the crippled sleeper ship Hispania made planetfall on Crete shortly after the other Houses arrived in the Sirius Sector. Scratching out a living, the Corsairs managed a bleak existence for four centuries and over time they developed a strong self-identity, isolated from the rest of the Houses.

In 450 AS that insular world changed. An exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman -- financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government -- stumbled into the system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. The local inhabitants, sensing a historic opportunity, attacked the landing party en masse, killing all save Schulman whom they took hostage to gain control of the mother ship "Schiller" in orbit above the planet.

No one is entirely sure who first nicknamed them the "Corsairs", recalling the ancient pirate clans of the Mediterranean, but the name came into popular use among the Houses sometime around 500 AS. The Corsairs began attacking unprotected outposts and ships, plundering whatever supplies and equipment they could lay their hands on, before escaping through one of their secret Jump Holes. The systematic expansion of the Houses into the Omega Border Worlds further fueled the Corsair movement, dramatically increasing the quantity and variety of accessible goods.

The final chapter began in the sixth century AS, when an enterprising, well-armed Liberty freelancer named Jim Brown made his way to Omicron Gamma. He brought various Consumer Goods to trade, but the Corsairs could offer little but Artifacts. A year later he returned. Those trinkets were all the rage with the elite of Manhattan. He saw a great business opportunity if they could set up a viable trade route to Liberty. The Corsairs were on their way.

They grew rapidly in size and sophistication as they built up the Artifact trade. The primary smuggling route goes north to Sigma-19, where Artifacts are traded with the Hogosha onboard the Hawaii. In the west the Corsairs invaded Bretonia in order to reach the Junker Trafalgar Base in New London. They also operated routes into Rheinland via Yanagi Depot, a former Junker base in Sigma-13. Liberty is still a target of their smuggling operations, and much of this trade is handled by the Junkers and various intermediaries.

The Bounty Hunters Guild has taken advantage of several Freeports in the Edge Worlds to attack the Corsairs' home system. So far they've been more of a nuisance than a real threat, but the presence of Zoner-controlled bases so close to Omicron Gamma has provoked intense debate among the Elders of Crete regarding the future of nearby independent bases.

In the past the Corsairs were unable to grow enough food on the mountainous and arid terrain of Planet Crete, and the low native wildlife populations and sparse forests only further contributed to the lack of resources and eventual famine of the original Corsair population. According to legend, in the early days of their civilisation a select few members of the populace volunteered to be cannibalised to ensure the future of their people. Though many Corsairs believe this to be a myth, these individuals are still revered among believers and their glorious sacrifice celebrated. This story however, whether a fact or a myth, is not one that the Corsairs share with outsiders.

Today the Corsairs, while not as desperate as in previous ages, are still dangerously short of food, which necessitates regular shipments of smuggled food from the Houses to Crete. Their smuggling of Artifacts is a major source of income, a large portion of which is used to buy resources and food shipments from the Zoners and from the various Houses and factions of Sirius. Regardless of these (frequently inadequate) supplies the Corsairs are still using piracy and various shady business dealings to fulfil the majority of their demand for supplies and cash.

Despite their partial dependence on other organisations for food and resources, the Corsairs are known for their ship-building industry, and their advanced ship designs are feared across Sirius. Because of this, the Corsairs are rarely if ever seen utilizing ships or equipment developed by anyone other than their own engineers; Corsair battle technology is part of the Corsairs' national identity and most would be loathed to use anything else, viewing foreign ships and weaponry as inferior and unreliable.

Outcasts:
The crippled sleeper ship Hispania arrived in Omicron Alpha almost 800 years ago. Its passengers named the planet Malta -- a harsh place of acidic oceans, gray skies, and vast plains covered in a species of tall, thin, orange grass. They later learned that the grass could be rendered into a narcotic substance, that they called Cardamine.

Eventually the Outcasts, as they came to think of themselves, began limited exploration of their system. As pilots wandered farther and farther afield in search of resources, many became seriously ill. Upon planetfall, the crews mysteriously recovered. Doctors were baffled. By chance, they made a genetic scan of a critically ill pilot and made a startling discovery. His genetic codes had been altered. Outcast DNA contained strands identical to that of the orange grasses that covered the planet -- from which Cardamine was derived. Trace amounts were present in everything on the planet, from the air they breathed to the water they drank. Once pilots made lengthier journeys away from Malta, their bodies went into shock, followed by death. The Outcasts were now truly separated from the rest of humanity -- changed so that they could never expand beyond the planet on which they had landed. They needed the Cardamine now, like air or food or water. But with the origin of the sickness solved, they could at least compensate by carrying supplies of Cardamine with them and resume their exploration of their surrounding systems.

When they encountered the rest of the Houses in the seventh century, a new strategy emerged. The Outcasts would deliver the poison that would rot the other Houses from the inside out and grow rich from the profits of their trade.

Today the Outcasts conduct a lucrative drug-smuggling operation using the network of Jump Holes to escape detection and transport their product into the heart of the House systems. The Outcasts remain relatively few in number; a crash in the birth rate seems to have been another side effect of their genetic modification.

A new development has been Cryer's continued efforts to create a synthetic version of Cardamine that would be approved as a legal medication within Liberty. This poses a direct threat to the Outcasts' source of income. The Atka Research Station, with nearby access to Edge Nebula clouds, is the most immediate threat to the Outcasts. The location of the base within Corsair territory has brought the Outcasts into conflict with their ancient brethren.

The Order:
The Order is a clandestine faction whose primary objective is to safeguard humankind from the threat of the Nomads. The group was founded by Casper Orillion, a leading Liberty Navy officer working in the Alaska system on a new prototype battleship. When his commanding officer became possessed by the Nomads, Orillion commandeered the prototype ship, named her the Osiris, and dedicated himself to the protection of the Sirius Sector from the Nomad threat.

The Order recruits pilots from all factions of Sirius. In the eyes of the public it is a ruthless terrorist organization, mostly due the drastic actions it took during the Nomad War, and even those who know the truth view them with suspicion. It maintains a large network of informants and agents in the Sirius sector but its main theatre of operation are the border regions where it investigates and combats Nomad activity, guards known alien structures like the Dyson Sphere and also maintains a sizeable research division to develop new weapons and gain a better understanding of the alien threat.

Governmental organizations:

Liberty Security Forces (LSF):
The LSF is the intelligence branch of the Liberty Military and closely cooperates with the Liberty Navy and Police to combat the ever present criminal activity in Liberty space. Besides its official mission of combating crime the LSF is naturally also very active in more traditional intelligence actives like (counter-) espionage and information gathering. It operates under minimal governmental oversight and is known to stretch their remit to its legal limits (and beyond). While its direct military capabilities are relatively small, at times forcing it to even employ freelancers, it has access to the very best technology Liberty (and thus the Sirius Sector) has to offer and its cadre of officers is very well trained.
Allies: Liberty Security Forces
Enemies: Criminal Organizations

Liberty Police Incoperated (LPI):
Liberty Police, Inc. (LPI) is a private company that handles the policing of Liberty space to interdict the importation of contraband and to prevent attacks on civilian and commercial traffic.
Allies: Liberty Security Forces and Companies
Enemies: Criminal Organizations

Liberty Navy:
The Liberty Navy is responsible for protecting the economic well-being of Liberty through military force, both within the boundaries of the colony and in the independent systems that border its territory
Allies: Liberty Security Forces
Enemies: Criminal Organizations

Bretonia Armed Forces (BAF):
The men and women of the Bretonian navy are a courageous lot with a long and proud history of successfully serving their country on numerous fronts. As fitting for the navy of one of the premier powers of the Sirius sector is well equipped though it tends to favour reliability and quantity over high-end arms. Its leadership is politically very active and plays an important role in Bretonian politics with a larger than average number of nobles active in its officer ranks. For much of its history the navy mostly served as a deterrence towards the other major houses but the rise of the Molly independence movement and the Gaian Front have created a previously unimagined internal threat while expansion into the Border Worlds and Omega regions have brought it into conflict with the two major criminal cartels of the Outcasts and Corsairs.
Allies: Bretonia Police
Enemies: Criminal Organizations

Bretonia Police (BP):
Officers in the Bretonia Police Authority are well-trained, well-armed, and widely considered to be a bastion of incorruptibillity.
Allies: BAF and Bretonian Companies
Enemies: Criminal Organizations

Rheinland Military (Rheinwehr):
The military of the Rheinland was once reputed to be the best in the Sirius Sector, easily able to best any of the remaining houses. The Eighty Years War against the Gas Miners Guild and its tragic involvement in the Nomad War however has severely weakened this once seemingly unbeatable juggernaut and the ever increasing criminal activity in Rheinland and its neighbouring sector present a steep, never-ending challenge. But despite those challenges the Rheinland military continues to employ some of the best pilots in Sirius, well equipped by the recovering Rheinland economy and trained by some of best tacticians in the Sector.
Allies:
Enemies:

Rheinland Police:
Rheinland Federal Police is an impressively well-equiped organization acting as the primary security force in Rheinland space.
Allies:
Enemies:

Kusari Naval Forces (KNF):
The Kusari Naval Forces are equipped generally viewed as having the best equipped naval force of all the major houses with only the Liberty Navy coming near it. Understandably they have very strong ties to the the big Kusari industry conglomerates with different factions of the military favouring different partners. Its military however is on the smaller side numberwise and focuses on small units tactics that make good use of the often chaotic environment that can be found in Kusari space. Internally the navy is focused on opposing the Blood Dragon movement, mostly due the inability of the normal police forces to combat them effectively, while the expansion of Kusari has also brought them into conflict with the Outcasts and Corsairs.
Allies:
Enemies:

Kusari State Police:
The Kusari State Police is a disciplined force of career personnel assigned to guard the borders of Kusari space and protect Kusari commercial interests
Allies:
Enemies:

State aligned companies:

Ageira Technologies (Liberty):
Ageira Technologies is one of the "Big Three" corporations of Liberty's business world, specialising in Faster-Than-Light transportation research and development. They are the only manufacturers of Jump Gate and Trade Lane Parts. Other key Ageira products include armaments from Detroit Munitions; and industrial products such as super alloys and superconductors though it often focuses on researching and then licensing technology. It closely cooperates with Deep Space engineering who is responsible for transporting the parts and actually building and maintaining the Jump Gates and Trade Lanes.
Allies:
Enemies:

Synth Food (Liberty):
Synth Foods is the Liberty Corporation responsible for the revolutionary Food product Synth Paste and a highly successful line of food-producing biodomes.
Allies:
Enemies:

Deep Space Engineering (Liberty):
Deep Space Engineering (often abbreviated as DSE) is a Liberty company. DSE has an exclusive contract with fellow Liberty corporation Ageira Technologies to build the vast network of Trade Lanes and Jump Gates throughout the Sirius Sector.
DSE convoys can be found travelling through the four Houses, but are most commonly seen in Liberty space. Their Heavy Lifter ships are almost always seen around Liberty space stations.
Allies:
Enemies:

Interspace Commerce (Liberty):
Interspace Commerce (IC) is one of the "Big Three" Liberty companies and insures cargo carried within the colonies and into the Border Worlds.
Allies:
Enemies:

Cryer Pharmaceuticals (Liberty):
Cryer is a relatively young cooperation focused on medical research and the manufacturing of commercial and restricted medical drugs as well as cutting edge medical technology. Its most famous ambition is the development of an anti-aging drug whose search for a possible solution has had it finance numerous expeditions into Deep Space.
Allies:
Enemies:

Universal Shipping (Liberty):
Universal is the premier shipping company in Liberty and focuses high-risk, high value transports all over Sirius. It maintains a serious security force and is the premiere employer of Freelancers in the Sector. Of late it has also expanded in the shipbuilding sector and is currently planning to expand its shipyard in the Minnesota system to deal with growing demand for transports as well as increased interests from private customers.
Allies:
Enemies:

Orbital Spa and Cruise (Liberty):
Orbital Spa and Cruise operates an array of resorts and luxury liners throughout the Sirius Sector.
Allies:
Enemies:

Border World Exports - Bowex (Bretonia):
Bowex is the oldest shipping and mining conglomerate in Sirius history and tightly bonded to the Bretonian government, it is in fact nationalized, and military, the later of which it is the major supplier. It boasts centuries of experience in exploiting resources in nearly every imaginable situation and its industrial output is immense.

Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (Bretonia):
Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) is one of the largest commercial concerns in Bretonia, a network of semi-autonomous operations that range throughout Bretonian space.

Gateway Shipping (Bretonia):
Gateway Shipping is a Bretonian firm catering to smaller companies that hauls raw materials accross the Border and Independent Worlds.

Planetform Inc (Bretonia):
Planetform Inc. specializes in the terraforming of non-viable planets in Bretonia and elsewhere.

Kruger Minerals (Rheinland):
Kruger Minerals is still family owned and the second biggest mining cooperation in Rheinland space though it has fallen on hard times lately due to its heavy investment in the Eighty Years War. However it still has remarkable influence on Rheinland politics and though weakened is still a serious economic power.

Daumann Heavy Construction (Rheinland):
For centuries Daumann had been the only competitor to Kruger but since it weathered the economic crisis following the Eighty Years War better it stands now unrivaled as the industry company in Rheinland. Daumann does everything, from mining to large scale manufacturing and is also maintains a series of massive shipyards in the Ring, the famous Rheinland orbital station.

ALG Waste Disposal (Rheinland):
ALG Waste Disposal is based in Rheinland but operates throughout the colonies due to its outstanding reputation for industrial clean-up.

Republican Shipping (Rheinland):
Republican Shipping manages a substantial majority of all cargo transported within the borders of Rheinland.

Samura Industries (Kusari):
Samura Industries is one of the great Kusari keiretsu - sprawling, vertically integrated companies that control whole industries. Samura has its fingers in everything but its main focus is shipbuilding, both commercial and military, as well as similar large scale industry endeavours. It was one of the main sponsors of the coup that overthrew the Hideyoshi Shogunate and still maintains extremely close ties to the current Kusari government.

Kishiro Technologies (Kusari):
Kishiro is the other big keiretsu and unlike its rival more focused on high-end technology like quantum based computers or sensor technology though it is also active on other fields like gene-modding and research. It closely cooperates with the Gas Miners Guild and it is generally viewed as one of the more progressive entities in Kusari space which has at times caused conflicts with the often very traditional government (pushed by the Samura backers) who accuse it of having sympathies or even supporting rebellious movements. Nothing of that sort however has been proven and Kishiro often points to the fact that its shipping is far from ignored by the Blood Dragons or similar groups.

"Independent" Companies:

Independent Miners Guild:
The Independant Miners Guild is an fully independent and widespread organization which can be found in many of border regions of the Sirius sector. Not as profit-oriented as the larger house corporations, the IMG frequently establishes mining operations that other corporations do not deem economically viable. This ranges from small-scale mining, to establishing operations under hostile conditions. Although the IMG has it's roots in Bretonia and Rheinland, it has attracted disgruntled and abandoned workers from all four houses, and is not specifically affiliated with any single house. In the last few years it made a major push into the resource rich Tau systems, coming into serious conflict with the Outcasts who view those regions as their territory.

Gas Miners Guild:
The Gas Miners Guild originates from the Kusari planet of Honshu where, after a economic crash, many people left their planet and started mining the massive gas nebulas to make a living. While the Guild still maintains some ties to the Honshu system it has slowly transformed into its own, independent entity and many of its members spend their whole live in ships and stations without ever stepping on a planet. It is the main provider of natural H-fuel and thus wield a not insignificant economic influence. GMG security forces are noted for their unorthodox security tactics, utilizing a form of guerrilla warfare that uses the limited visibility inside the Crow Nebula to their advantage and they are famed for defeating the Rheinland military in the Eighty Years War. However the expansion ever deeper into Deep Space has brought them into conflict with both the Corsairs and especially the Outcasts who, unlike Rheinland, are just as experienced in small scale warfare.

Bounty Hunters Guild:
The Sirius Sector is home to many criminal organization and thus it should come to no suprise that there is a high demand for protection and other mercenary work. The Bounty Hunters Guild is a mercenary organization operating in numerous systems across the Sirius Sector. They are frequently hired by house corporations, police, and militaries to aid in the protection of trade routes or to take on wanted criminals in search-and-destroy missions. Bounty Hunters are particularly reviled by criminals because many of them were once pirates themselves. As a result, many Hunters know of the various Jump Hole routes and employ that knowledge in their assignments. They are hated more than most pirates by the Outcasts, but none revile the Hunters as much as the Xenos and Red Hessians.

Zoners:
If there is one truly neutral group in the Sirius Sector it would be the Zoner movement. Made up from a diverse group of individuals who, for various reasons, have decided to live in the wild unregulated systems outside of colonial control they maintain a series of orbital station. Those station are famed for their neutrality and are open to every faction in Sirius, and thus are often viewed with suspicion by law enforcement. Many of the criminal organization on the other hand are jealous of the perceived wealth and influence the Zoners wield and only the fact that many of them depend on the Zoners for food and a place to trade their ill-gotten gains has kept them from attacking the Zoners. The zoners have spent centuries on that knife edge without ever falling down but the appearance of the Corsairs and Outcasts, seemingly far less dependent on their services, threatens the balance and quite a few freeports in the border region have stepped up their security, especially after the infamous Freeport 3 incidence.

Junkers:
The ignorant tend to describe the Junkers as the less polished version of the Zoners but reality is a bit different. The Junkers, organized in family clans and a very secretive group, can be found in most of Sirius and are at best tolerated by the state governments who view them as a necessary evil. Their activities range from small time smuggling and other lesser criminal activity to, as the name suggests, salvaging the massive junkyards caused by centuries of reckless industrial expansion by the major houses. Their bases follow a similar line of neutrality than the Zoners but are strictly limited to the criminal factions only who use them to fence the truly valuable and dangerous goods. Junkers are very active in the artifact trade which brought them to the attention of several intelligence agencies during the aftermath of the Nomad War but with the threat of the nomads seemingly banned the Junkers and their trade is slowly disappearing into the dark once again. The Junkers have very few true enemies, only the Xenos, a radical, xenophobe Liberty criminal organization and the Hogosha, which is more or less a Kusari variant of themselves, oppose them openly.

Criminal Organizations:

Liberty Rogues (Liberty):
The Rogues are a product of over two centuries of systematic lower-class cleansing that occurred on the Liberty planets of Manhattan, Denver, and Los Angeles. Relocated to the Texas prison system, many of them ended up planetside on Houston upon release. Some stayed straight and joined the population scratching out a living. The rest returned to their life of crime, often ending up vaporized by a pursuing Liberty Police patrol or back in prison for longer stretches, manning the prison factories that are the economic lifeblood of the Texas system. They are notoriously bad organized and their equipment is often subpar but they outnumber nearly any other criminal organization in Sirius and a have large number of bases and outposts all over Liberty and its border regions. The Rogues are cooperating with both the Lane Hackers and Outcasts and generally avoid drawing the attention of any serious military force.

Lane Hackers (Liberty):
The Lane Hackers are made up of a mostly ex-Ageira workers and scientists that departed the company on less than ideal terms over various incidents. To the disdain of Ageira, and many honest shipping lines, they managed to take with them a number of priority technologies related to the Trade Lanes which allowed them an unparalleled access to its information network that no amount of patching has managed to fix, giving rise to the suspicion that they still have a number of sympathisants inside the organisation. The Lane Hackers are numerically the smallest criminal organization in Liberty but they are they most successful and best equipped. In recent days the anger against Ageira has giving way to simple creed with the Lane Hackers more than happy with their prosperous highway living and ever closer cooperation with Outcasts and Rogues when it comes to the smuggling of the Outcast drug of Cadamine.

Xenos (Liberty):
The Xenos are a loosely affiliated nationalist terrorist organization based in Liberty opposed to any trade or other interaction with foreign entities. They are relatively powerless but are sometimes used as catpaws by Liberty companies.

Mollys (Bretonia):
The Mollys are a separatist group committed to freeing the Dublin, which is rich in gold and other valuable metals, system from Bretonian rule through violent attacks on civilian, commercial & military targets. They are mostly made up by ex-miners and their descendants.
Destroyed in 813 AS

Gaians (Bretonia):
The Gaians are a radical eco-terrorist faction based in Bretonia opposed to any alteration to the natural environment of a planet specifically those brought about by terraforming. They enjoy the support of an influential group of researchers and scientists from the Bretonian world of Cambridge.

The Brotherhood (Bretonia)
A relatively new criminal organization operating in Bretonia. Founded by a group of disillusioned Gaians who found a life of crime more rewarding than ideologically purity the group found widespread popularity with many of the small time criminals ignored by the other big criminal organizations in Bretonia. Inspired by the example of the Liberty Rogues, who through seemingly nothing but pure gut and willpower managed to secure a premium position in Liberty underworld, the Brotherhood is currently mostly involved in theft, smuggling and maybe some opportunistic piracy. The recent addition of members of the former Mollys have brought this this group into the limelight and Bretonian Police has sworn to eradicate the threat.

Blood Dragons (Kusari):
The Blood Dragons are a terrorist organization supposedly descended from the royal guard of Shogun Hideyoshi, deposed during a coup several centuries before, and dedicated to the overthrow of the current Kusari government.Their pilots are widely reputed to be the best in the universe, though their number is quite low, and a number of sympathisants and sleeper agents in the government ensure that they keep up with technological developments. The favour small unit tactics and surgical strikes and are allied with the Golden Chrysantheme, a female only cult and revolutionary movement, due to their shared wish the overthrow the existing Kusari government

Golden Chrysanthemums (Kusari):
The Golden Chrysanthemums are a terrorist organization seeking to overthrow the current Kusari government and institute a matriarchy. Their members, often young girls dissatisfied with the current state of Kusari, are fanatics who would rather kill themselves then surrender. Of late the drug Cardamine has become an integral part of their ceremonies, leading to a close cooperation with the Outcats.

Hogosha (Kusari):
Hogosha translates literally as "guardian" or "protector," reflecting the organization's rather romantic view held not only by its own members, but by a large portion of the Kusari population, though by no means the majority. Far from protectors, the Hogosha are actually descendents of the organized crime syndicates that grow within the shadow of any sizable human society, though the Hogosha have an oddly symbiotic relationship with both the government and Samura.

Their political connections would make any serious attempt to dismantle them an embarrassment to Kusari as any number of secrets and deals that had been kept out of the public eye came to light. However, neither do the Hogosha have a free license to operate. Arrests of low-level Hogosha operators who flaunt their activities are frequent and help keep up appearances -- very important in Kusari. "Hard" crime, such as drug smuggling, is not tolerated.

Farmers Alliance (Kusari):
The Farmers Alliance is a Kusari political organisation formed to lobby for government subsidies and restrictions on the sale of foreign foods. It enjoys the, more or less, covert support of Samura and mostly targets its Liberty competitors, primarily Synth Food.

Bundschuh (Rheinland):
The Bundschuh was originally a left-wing political party that came into prominence during the struggles after Eighty Year War where its members played an integral part in overthrowing the Imperial regime. However many of its members were dissatisfied and disillusioned by the compromise heavy agreement that ended the conflict and continued to oppose the new government resulting in it getting outlawed and resuming its underground fight. It is very much an ideological group and to this day attracts many liberal minded people who are fed with unjust Rheinland regime though its glory days where it could threaten public revolt are long over. Nonetheless its members are skilled, highly motivated and due it generally focusing on military and politically targets is still supported by a significant portion of the society.

Red Hessians (Rheinland):
The Red Hessians are a criminal group composed largely of unemployed miners operating out of Rheinland space who attack civilian and commercial targets of opportunity. Originally only a small group the organization has expanded massively over the last few years and haunts most of southern Rheinland as well as the Omega systems. In fact it was not the police or military that has forced their expansion but Corsairs, which also claim the Omega system as their hunting ground, with the battle between the groups being as bitterly and ruthlessly fought as a real war, often with the casualties to match.

Unioners (Rheinland):
The Unioners are a terrorist group composed of dispossesed Rheinland shipyard workers who engage in brutal reprisals chiefly against Republican Shipping.

Landwirtrechtsbewegung (Rheinland):
The LWB, or Landwirtrechtbewegung (farmers' rights movment), is believed to be engaged in attacks on Synth Foods operations and sympathetic government officials in retaliation for Rheinland concessions to the Liberty Food conglomerate. Losing their fight against the Liberty cooperation and the Rheinland police the LWB has lately sought closer cooperation with the Red Hessians to increase their fighting power and forcing Synth Foods to step up its security operation significantly.

Outcasts:
The Outcasts are descendants of the sixth sleeper ship, the Hispania, which was seriously damaged in the escape from Sol, or as the Outcasts maintain sabotaged, and was forced to land in the very outskirts of the Sirius sector in Omicron Alpha, in the Galactic north, on the planet of Malta. They are the origin of the highly addictive drug Cadamine and with its helped have a established a criminal empire spanning nearly all of Sirius. This has brought them into direct conflict with all major law enforcement agencies as well as groups like the IMG and GMG whose expansion threatens their territory, their biggest conflict however is with their cousins, the Corsairs, over who will truly dominate the criminal underworld in Sirius. Unlike nearly every other criminal organization the Outcasts are in possession of their own planet and their leaders have made use of the ill-begotten gains by using them to establish their own spacebound industry and shipyards. Outcasts numbers are still relatively low, a side-effect of their drug use, but they are famous pilots and skilled engineers, used to accomplish much with very little though like all criminal organization they focus on small crafts so far..

Corsairs:
The Corsairs are the other group descending from the Hispania, though they abandoned the ship at the very first opportunity after it reached, landing on the planet of Crete in the South of the Sirius sector. Like their cousins the Corsairs are superb pilots and engineers and their inhospitable homeworld has led a very ruthless and pragmatic mentality where only the strong triumph. The Corsairs got the name to their massive and indiscriminate attacks on shipping in the Border Worlds between Rheinland and Bretonia were their skill and ruthlessness quickly made them priority number one for military and law enforcements alike. Like their cousins the Corsairs used their loot to build up their own economic base but unlike teh outcasts they are not bound to their home planet and thus dream and plan expanding beyond their meagre home. Their locations in lower Omicrons, where many alien ruins are found, make them the premiere source of such artifacts and has caused them to range deeply into Sirius in search of buyers and new markets. The biggest battles however are fought against the Outcasts over the control of the Omicron system as well as the Rheinland criminal organization, the Red Hessians, who challenge their supremacy in the Omega systems.

Mass Effect Universe:
Citadel Nations/States:

Citadel Council:
The Citadel Council is a multi-species coalition who have united to form the most powerful government in the known galaxy. It takes it name from the impressive Citadel station, one of the few active (suspected) Protean relics besides the Mass Relays, located in the centre of Serpent Nebula in Citadel space. Its economic, cultural and military is unmatched by any political organization in known space resulting in it having a huge influence in galactic politics. Despite being the supreme authority in Citadel space the various member states do whoever enjoy a large degree of autonomy with the core principle that anything to explicitly decided by the Council is up to the member states themselves.

The membership of the Citadel is divided into two tiers, the full members who are part of the executive council consisting of the Asari, Turian and Salarians, and the associates members who don't have a seat on the council but maintain permanent embassies on the Citadel and are granted limited participation rights like for example the right to submit opinion pieces regarding new legislation, speak during council meetings etc. There also a exists a third, less.official, group made of a selected group of influential megacompanies and non-Citadel states who have been granted observer status on the Council and also maintain a presence on the Citadel.

While the Council generally doesn't openly interfere with people outside its borders there are two major policies it tries to enforce galaxy wide. Those are the Citadel Conventions regarding the use of weapon of mass destruction against Garden worlds and the unauthorized activation of new Mass Relays.

Asari Republics:
The Asari Republics are likely the most influential nation in space. Though its military is outmatched by the Turians and its intelligence agencies are no match for the Salarians the Asari Republics are the economic and cultural centre of the Citadel and thus the galaxy.

Unlike most other races they lack an central government besides their representation on the Citadel council and are instead organized around smaller "republics" following an extreme basic/e-democratic model. Policy debates take place at all hours of the day, in official chat rooms and forums moderated by specially-programmed virtual intelligences. All aspects of policy are open to plebiscite at any time. In any given debate, the Asari tend to lend the most credence to the opinions of any Matriarchs present, nearly always deferring to the experience of these millennia-old "wise women".

Culturally speaking the Asari are a very open and communal society that puts great value into cultural endeavours. They are also highly xenophile and interested in new discoveries, especially during their Maiden years, and are of the few nations known to regularly grant citizenship to other races.

The Asari possess one of the most powerful navies in the galaxy, favouring smaller units like frigates and corvettes but also fielding a significant number of dreadnoughts. Like their government the Asari military tends to be organized decentrally and lacks a powerful permanent central authority. It land based forces meanwhile are something of a mixed bag, the longevity and biotic nature of the Asari make them some of the finest infantry soldiers in the galaxy, exemplified by their nearly unmatched commando teams, but their decentral organization and lack of a heavy armour and machines put them at a distinct disadvantage on any modern battlefield.

The Asari Republics activities in the Terminus sector are mostly limited to diplomatic missions by the Citadel council.

Status: Great Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Greek City states

Turian Hierarchy:
The Turian Hierarchy is one of the three full members of the Citadel Council and is generally viewed as its guardian. Famous for its massive military and ruthless, pragmatic nature the Turians are one of the most feared races in the galaxy and the ultimate bogeyman for many in the Terminus sector.

The Turian government, known as the Turian Hierarchy, is a hierarchical meritocracy. While it has great potential for misuse, this is tempered by the civic duty and personal responsibility turians learn during their childhood. Their society is organized into 27 citizenship tiers, ranging from lowly civilian or client races to Primarch. There is a strong focus on doing one's duty and following orders though superiors are encouraged to take note of the subordinates concerns and criticisms.

Turians enjoy broad freedoms. So long as one completes their duties, and does not prevent others from completing theirs, nothing is forbidden. For example, there are no laws against recreational drug use, but if someone is unable to complete their duties due to drug use, their superiors step in. Judicial proceedings are 'interventions.' Peers express their concern, and try to convince the offender to change. If rehabilitation fails, turians have no qualms about sentencing dangerous individuals to life at hard labor for the state.

The Turian military is not only unmatched in size but also their discipline and morale that mean that Turian units almost never break, no matter how horrendous the losses are. Lacking the biotic powers of the Asari, the technical genius of the Salarians or the sheer strength of the Krogan the Turians follow a combined arms approach that is heavily depended on heavy armour and drones. Since almost every Turian serves at least 15 years in the military, with many deciding to stay on and become "lifers", the Turian military outnumbers its enemies often by several degrees. Turian planets and colonies are also notoriously difficult to conquer with the cities often designed as fortresses and extreme resistance by the general population that often requires extreme measures to break.

The Turian Hierarchy also possess several (alien) client states, originally conquered due a perceived superiority by the Hierarchy and wish the bring order to uncivilised barbarians. Nowadays however those clients races enjoy nearly the same opportunities as the Turian and can increase their social standing through service like any other Turian, though higher ranking aliens remain a rare sight. And while the Hierarchy reserves the right for further conquests the opposition of both the Asari and Salarian (as well as the associates members of the council) make it highly unlikely that the Hierarchy will return to its imperialist past anytime soon.

Due to its role as the peacekeeper of the Citadel the Turian navy is active in the border regions of the Terminus systems where it works with the Batarian Hegemony to secure the often porous border. The various Turian colonies present in the Terminus system are however not connected to the Hierarchy and are in fact often with viewed with distrust if not hostility by its.

Status: Great Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Starship Troopers

Salarian Union:
The second species to join the Citadel, the Salarians are warm-blooded amphibians native to the planet Sur'Kesh. Salarians possess a hyperactive metabolism; they think fast, talk fast, and move fast and they are known for their observational capability and non-linear thinking. This manifests as an aptitude for research and espionage.

The salarian government is a labyrinthine web of matrilineal bloodlines, with political alliances formed through interbreeding. In many ways, the salarian political network functions like the noble families of Earth's Medieval Europe. Structurally, the government consists of fiefdoms, baronies, duchies, planets, and marches (colonization clusters). These are human nicknames, as the original salarian is unpronounceable. Each area is ruled by a single Dalatrass (matriarchal head-of-household) and represents an increasing amount of territory and prestige within the salarian political web.

The Salarian culture is perhaps described as "knowledge is power" with information gathering and even spying being viewed as natural. Normally, the rare salarian females are cloistered on their worlds out of tradition and respect from where determine the political course of their respective regions through shrewd negotiation. Though male salarians rise to positions of great authority in business, academia, or the military, they rarely have any input on politics which has led to conflicts in the past. Due to their method of reproduction, salarians have no concept of romantic love, sexual attraction, or the biological impulses and social rituals that complicate other species' lives. Male-female relationships are rare (due to the scarcity of females) and more akin to human friendship. Sexuality is strictly for the purpose of reproduction. Ancient social codes determine who gets to fertilize eggs, which produces more daughters to continue the bloodline. Fertilization generally only occurs after months of negotiation between the parents' clans, and is done for purposes of political and dynastic alliance. No salarian would imagine defying this code.

The Salarian military is relatively small and volunteer based, focusing on maneuver warfare. What makes them special is their cutting edge equipment and focus on intelligence activities. Well before fighting breaks out, they possess complete knowledge of their enemy's positions, intentions, and timetable. In war Salarians always follow a first strike policy with the goal being to defeat the enemy before he has time react and organise itself.

Officially the Salarians are not active in the Terminus systems, but rumours suggest the Special Task Group (STG ), the top salarian intelligence agency, is very active in the area.

Status: Great Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Renaissance+Spies

Batarian Hegemony:
The Batarian Hegemony is a relatively newcomer to the galactic stage and despite a being a member of the Citadel has long be viewed as something of a rogue state. Especially during the early days of its membership clashes with the Council were common and with being still being locked in a heated dispute with the Council regarding the issue of slavery.

The Batarian Hegemony is organised according to a strict caste system led by an autocratic Hegemon that is based on the wealth of an individual, with it not being unusual that a Batarian "buys" himself a better position. Nation states still play an important role in internal politics of the Batarian core systems but over the last few decades the Hegemon has strengthened his position significantly and now reigns supreme. The Batarian Hegemony maintains a massive bureaucracy and is active and present in nearly every part of society, either directly or indirectly through state owned corporations.

Compared to the rest of the Citadel the Hegemony is considerable more restrictive when it comes to its citizens rights with a censorship and state propaganda relatively common and open criticism being rare. While violent oppression has thankfully become relatively rare the lower classes, who proportionally make up a large part of society, are still often ignored and social services are extremely limited. Economically speaking the Hegemony has long suffered from the fact that its techbase is and to some degree still is rather primitive compared to the other Citadel races, a fact Batarians blame on the fact that the Prothean ruins in their system were heavily damaged. However over the last few decades the Hegemony has managed to capitalise on its relatively cheap labour cost and has become the prefered location for the production of various "low-tech" consumer goods. This and the continued pressure/influence of the Asari has led to the creation of a more liberal middle class that is slowly growing in power.

The Batarian military is the fourth largest in the Citadel and is modelled after the Turian model though it struggles to reach its level of discipline and skill. Its leadership especially suffers from the negative impact of its caste system with many officers having their position due to their social rank and not their skill while its reliance on drafted lower, less educated caste members to fill the ranks can cause issues with discipline, especially when coupled with the Hegemony's tendency to accept extreme casualties to accomplish its strategic goals. The Batarian military however also possess several elite regiments, most notable the feared SIU, that have in the past competitions beaten even famed Turian and Asari formation. In regards to its navy the Batarian is currently cooperating with the Turian to modernize their aging fleet though its fleet remain top heavy, with the Batarian leadership pressing for ever more dreadnoughts due to political reasons despite them being not that useful when it comes to operations in the border regions or Terminus systems.

The Batarians Hegemony is also the only nation within the Citadel that still practices slavery , which has led to repeated diplomatic conflicts with the other members. Slavery plays an important role in the cultural makeup of the Batarian society (indeed its economic impact in negligible) and the Hegemony reacts quite aggressive when pressed on the issue. In recent years however the Hegemon, following immense political pressure, introduced several new laws intended to prevent the targeting of other Citadel members (and nations allied to it) as well as to provide some basic rights for the slaves, making it for example impossible for a slave owner to kill a slave without proper justification. The actual implementation of said laws is however still incomplete with several leading families and especially the border regions (where slave trade is a highly profitable business) doing their best to sabotage the process. The Batarian leadership however remains dedicated to its successful implementation, viewing it is a necessary step to fulfill their long held dream of getting made into a full member of the Citadel Council (and thus assume their rightful position as a leader of the galaxy).

The Batarians have always been active in the Terminus sector but their recent activities into the border regions have increased those activities considerably. And contrary to public opinion those activities do not only consist of slave raiders and other criminal groups, many of which are in fact also raiding proper Hegemony colonies, but also of extensive business activities with Batarian being famed for their cheap and somewhat reliable guns that can be found on pretty much every battlefield in Terminus. In recent years to Hegemony has also tried to establish proper diplomatic channels with the bigger states within the expanse though so far the negative image of the Batarians has prevented those efforts from bearing fruit.

Status: Major Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Ancient Rome/Modern China

Vol(us) Protectorate:
The bankers of the Citadel and something of an odd case due to their double status as an associate member of the Council while at same time being an client state of the Turian Hierarchy (interestingly enough not due to being conquered but due to petitioning for such a status themselves after the Krogan rebellion).

Despite being a client state of the Turian the Vol-Protectorates government, based on esoteric mix of meritocratic and oligarchical principles, enjoys comparatively wide-reaching autonomy rights, especially in regards to internal matters. It is however limited in it ability to conduct external diplomacy and only maintains diplomatic ties with the Council and other member states. It is also tightly connected to the finance sector of the Citadel and several of the regulatory agencies are located on Irune.

Volus culture is dominated by trade, whether it be of land, resources, or even other tribe members and they have a reputation as traders and merchants. Due to the volus not being physically adept, they tend not to be violent, and can even seem overly-pacifistic and cowardly to other, more militant species. The volus homeworld Irune is remarkable for having done away with warfare as an institution of the state, as the volus lack the romantic view of war found in the galaxy's more aggressive species. Physical skirmishes between groups rarely last long, and are almost always ended by social castigation, bargaining agreements, or harsh economic sanctions.

As a client state of the Turian the Volus military is tightly entwined with the Turin military. Volus troops serve as auxiliaries alongside their Turian masters where they make up for their small stature with highly advanced power armour and top of the line weaponry. Where possible the Volus prefer to focus on air-combat and the Protectorate maintains several flotillas of heavy-bomber frigates capable of warfare in any atmosphere.

The Vol-Protectorate is not active in the Terminus systems though several Volus led-companies have extensive operations in the area.

Status: Medium Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Venice

Illuminated Primacy (Hanar):
The only non-humanoid as well as the only (mostly) aquatic member of the Citadel the Illuminated Primacy of the Hanar is often looked by the casual observer. Their unique anatomy as well as spiritual nature means they are rarely seen outside their own territory and even rarer outside Citadel space.

Little is commonly known of government of Illuminated Primacy other than that it also serves as its high priesthood.

The Hanar homeworld, Kahje, has 90% ocean cover and orbits an energetic white star, resulting in a permanent blanket of clouds. Due to the presence of Prothean ruins on Kahje, the hanar have developed a religion centered on the ancient species, calling them the "Enkindlers". Hanar myths often speak of them as an elder race that uplifted and civilized them by teaching them language. Hanar value politeness and precise speech to the degree that Hanar expecting to communicate with outsiders tend to undergone special training to become more accepting of perceived insults. The Hanar economy is the smallest of all Council members and trade with other races is limited.

The Hanar military is small and its ships don't tend to follow traditional design philosophies making it hard to predict their effectiveness. Its military doesn't tend to leave its borders and has yet to be tested in a true galactic conflict but the Hanar have repeatedly stated their willingness to participate in Citadel operations if so requested by the Council. It is unclear if the Hanar maintain any land based army though it is suspected that they have significant naval forces, which coupled with the aquatic nature of their cities makes any invasion a daunting task. Dreel combat specialists are also part of the Hanar military and are known to exceptionally well trained and equipped though they are only very rarely deployed outside of Drell space.

The Hanar interactions with other races tend to be limited and are often connected to their worship of the Prothean. They are however are also known for their generosity and willingness to help others, being the major contributor to a number of relief agencies in citadel space and beyond.

There is no known Hanar activity in the Terminus sector.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect

Drell:
Two centuries ago, the Hanar helped 375,000 members of the Drell race migrate to the hanar homeworld, Kahje, to escape the environmental extermination that had claimed most of the remaining 11 billion drell.

Nearly all Drell demonstrate tremendous loyalty to their famously reclusive saviors. The intimacy of their relationship, expressed in a formal sociopolitical alliance called the Compact, also results in extremely close personal relations in which some drell actually learn hanar Soul names. While most drell reside on Kahje, some assist hanar off-world as envoys, researchers, co-investors, wayfarers, assassins or otherwise, eager to help their saviors. For a century, galactic wisdom has held that behind any high-ranking hanar hides a resourceful and fanatically devoted drell.

The few Drell active in the Terminus system are thought to be originating from the ruins of the Drell home-world of Rakhana and not connected to the Hanar

Courts of Dekuuna (Elcor):
Another of the associate members of the the Citadel the Elcor where only starting to expand into the wider galaxy when the Asari discovered them but have since than become a well respected member of the galaxy.

The Elcor venerate their Elders and their government consequently consists of a council of the oldest and wisest Elders of their race, who spend years poring over ancient records of jurisprudence to determine the precedent that should be followed in any given situation. The Elders record closely argued and minutely detailed instructions on what course to follow in any theoretical crisis. These are filed away in huge libraries of data discs and are consulted when needed. This makes elcor policies very predictable, provided one has done a great deal of research. The Elcor ability for long term planning is famous and perhaps only matched by the Asari.

Elcor usually prefer to stay on their colonies rather than travel in space, which may be why few elcor are seen on the Citadel or on other worlds. Possibly because of their size or evolution in the open air, the elcor find the necessary confines of space travel uncomfortable, and many modern elcor indeed prefer the open sky to the former. Evolving in a high-gravity environment where a fall could be lethal has made elcor psychology deeply cautious and conservative. Their culture is built on small, tight-knit groups, and their conservative nature means the elcor government is extremely stable. Despite this, they are always welcoming to outsiders.

Elcor are traditionally migratory in nature. This reflects on their choice of twin capitals on their homeworld, one for the wet season and one for the dry season. Modern technology has rendered the tradition obsolete, though elcor still observe it. The Elcor economy is no match for the industrial juggernauts that are the Asari or Turians but still compares favourably to similar sized nations. It is also famous for its near total self sufficiency with imports into Elcor spaces being extremely rare.

The Elcor military suffers from the Elcor dislike of space travel and is thus on the smaller side while their thoughtful and careful nature has led to a large degree of automatization as well as widespread use of VI's. The slow speed and immense size of the elcor makes them easy targets in ground combat. Fortunately, their durable hide allows them to shrug off most incoming fire, especially once augmented by sophisticated armour and defense systems. Elcor warriors don't carry small arms; their broad shoulders serve as a stable platform for the same size of weapons typically mounted on fighting vehicles leading to Elcor soldiers being called "living tanks" by their enemies.

Status: Medium Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Lawyers

The Krogan Imperium:
Once called the saviors of the galaxy the Krogans of today are but a pale shadow of their former glory and stand as a memorial for the dangers of uplifting a species before its time. Used to rebel the Rachni the Krogan were for several decades a well respected member remember of the Council till the Krogan Rebellion and the resulting genophage which destroyed the Krogan nation and culture, leaving behind an small and embittered populace of warriors without a cause.

Nowadays the Krogans are organised in small clans numbering at best several thousand individuals and lack any form of central government or authority.

The Krogan follow a warrior culture where the only way to gain attention is though martial deeds. This make them superb warriors but has prevented nearly all social, cultural or scientific development for several decades. This is not helped by the fact that the few Krogans who are interested in those topics tend to be ostracized by their brethren and thus tend to either get killed or immigrate. Since the genophage fertile females have become the most valuable commodity for Krogans and it is not unknown for wars to be fought over the possession of a young and fertile female.

There is no official Korgan military but theoretically every Krogan is a deadly soldier though the disunity of the clans makes it highly unlikely that they will ever again become a threat to the galaxy. The Krogan government, should it somehow come into existence, is also forbidden from owning anything bigger than a frigate for at least the next three hundred years and it is well known the the STG keeps an eye out for any Krogan would be warlord trying to change that,

While Krogans are a comparatively common sight in the Terminus Sector the lack of an government means those are nearly always independent actors or mercenaries.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Knights

The Migrant Fleet (Quarians):
Once a powerful member of the Citadel numbering in the billions the Quarians of today are a sad remnant of this once proud civilization and have become a nomadic people travelling all over the galaxy looking for a new home or a way to defeat the Geth.

The leadership of the Quarian people now consists of two parts. The democratically elected Conclave which can roughly be described as the legislative body and the Admiralty Board, the executive. However the various ship captains enjoy large degrees autonomy when it comes to handling issues on their own ships and thus rules and punishment for minor action can vary from ship to ship.

The Quarian culture is dominated by the fact that they are refugees and that their civilization is constantly teetering on the brink of collapse. Families and ship crews tends to be extremely close to each other and the common good is viewed as far more important than individual freedoms/wishes. Quarians can be highly emotional and hot tempered which at times clashes with the rather limited space. Due to the limited room and resources available to the Quarian people the Migrant Fleet maintains a zero population growth policy that is strictly enforced.

Officially the Quarian military is rather small consisting only of a few thousand marines and a few, mostly outdated, dedicated combat ships. In truth however nearly every ship of the Migrant Fleet is armed meaning that is it the biggest military force in the known galaxy, maybe even a match for the Turian fleet. Its marines are well trained but suffer from the same problem that every Quarian faces which is that their weak immune system makes every little injury potentially life threatening.

Young Quarians are expected to undergo a pilgrimage to become full adults (via being accepted into a new crew) which means leaving the fleet and traveling to galaxy in search of something of value to bring back to the fleet. While it is not unknown for somebody to return with little more than a few hundred credits and some new skills the true heroes are those who bring back something truly substantial and many young Quarian dreams of bringing back new technology or, the biggest prize of all, a new ship.

The relationship of the Migrant Fleet with the rest of the galaxy is complicated which is partly due to them being blamed for unleashing an AI on the galaxy, partly because a mostly undeserved reputation as thieves and scoundrels but also due to several Migrant Fleet practices like dumping its criminals on other worlds and their strip mining of the system the fleet is passing through.

The decision to abandon the Quarian during the initial Geth rebellion remains of the most controversial to date and is still debated by philosophers and lawmakers all over Citadel space.

Status: Medium Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Sinti and Roma/Refugees

Geth:
Swarm intelligence with a tendency to utilise human-like synthetic bodies/platforms. Defeated the Quarian state in a bloody rebellion and has since then not interacted with the rest of the galaxy, seemingly content to remain within the original Quarian borders beyond the Perseus Veil. The few explorers who have tried to make contact with them have never returned and the Citadel has declared a prohibited area, closed to any form of travel.

Status: ???
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Every AI book/movie ever

Prothean:
An alien species that disappeared around fifty thousand years ago and whose ruins seem to be the basis for most of the technology used by the races of the Milky Way. While the Prothean Empire/State is said to have covered most of the galaxy its centre seems to have been in the galactic south-east with Prothean ruins relatively rare in most of the Terminus sector.

Status: Extinct
Inspiration: Mass Effect

Terminus Governments:

Lystheni Confederacy:
Lystheni is an archaic Salarian term and originally meant exiled or clanless and was used to describe those banished from their clan/family, a fate far worse than death in the eyes of the ancient Salarians. The term experienced a revival shortly after the Salarian Union met the Asari and joined the Citadel Council where it was used to describe the emerging political movement demanding a more democratic system modelled after the Asari and an end to the oppressive and outdated matriarchal dictature by the Dalatrasses.

Originally little more than a political fringe group its popularity exploded in the aftermath of the League of One scandal, viewed by many at the time as a betrayal of loyal (male) Salarians by a corrupt and power hungry elite, with several minor Dalatrasses joining the movement. Still paralysed by the assassination of the majority of its leadership the Union was unable to effectively oppress the movement and acts of civil unrest and even sabotage started to appear all over the Salarian Union. The Salarians were in the midst of mobilizing their military when the Asari intervened and mediated a compromise between the two factions which resulted in the majority of the Lystheni leaving the Union and settling in the, then barely explored, Terminus systems, far away from the Union and its meddling Dalatrasses.

Nowadays the Lystheni Confederacy is one of the major powers in the eastern Terminus sector and posses its own vibrant and distinct culture. Theoretically it is a representative democracy with two chambers, one directly elected and one made up of representatives from the major colonies, which in fact also enjoy a high degree of autonomy and often compete with each other. Every free citizen has the right to vote and elections are scheduled every two years. However its political system also includes strong meritocratic and oligarchic elements, higher positions are for example reserved for those who made significant contributions to the well being of the state and the sale and buying of votes is permitted. In reality this leads to a political system that is dominated by the corporate and intellectual elite though the population seems generally quite satisfied with the situation and wins by outsiders/populists candidates are not unknown.

Culturally the Lystheni resemble the Salarian Union, favouring the gathering of knowledge over more mundane activities, though they also put a high value on personal freedoms and political transparency, which coupled with their pragmatism often leads to political decisions that outsiders have difficulty to follow/understand. Viewing the clan based breeding policies of the Salarian Union as one of the key reasons for its, in the eyes of the Lystheni, outdated political system the Lystheni breeding is organised directly by the state which is also responsibility for the education and upbringing of the new children, though couples or interested individuals can apply for partial adoptions. Unlike the original Salarians the Lystheni have also no problem with the permanent genetic modification of their genome which over time has resulted in far higher percentage of females, who enjoy the same legal standing as males, and a slightly longer lifespan. The Confederacy also has significant alien minority populations which for the most part are totally assimilated.

While maybe not as advanced as the Citadel Council races the Confederacy is netherless famous for it's highly competitive and advanced economy which maintains extensive ties to Citadel Space. Due to its extremely relaxed laws, which in many cases are practically non-existent, it's is the favoured destination of those finding Citadel regulation to constricting but outsiders should be aware that patent law is generally viewed as a suggestion at best and that corporate espionage is nothing unusual. The same laws also make it the favorite destination for mercenaries, and other organisations operating in the legal grey zone, looking for something more advanced than what Batarian State Arms can provide. There is however also a darker side to those laws since practices like indentured labor, though outright slavery is officially forbidden, and the sale of highly addictive drugs are also permitted (and often exploited by criminal organizations)

The Lystheni military is one of the more powerful in the Terminus sector and the Lystheni shipbuilders, like their Salarian counterparts, favour a modular approach though with no powerful allies like the Turians to fall back on the Lystheni ships tend to be of a more generalist nature than the specialised tools of war the Union fields. Its land based army is fairly small, consisting mostly of non Lystheni troops, and where possible the Confederacy prefers to use mercenaries instead. In cases of emergency the Confederacy has however shown its ability and willingness to field what basically amounts to clone troops, made of specially designed Lystheni.

The Lystheni come sporadically into conflict with the Akvian Dominion regarding their shared border but otherwise maintain cordial ties to most other legitimate factions in the Terminus systems. Their wealth has however made them an repeated target for pirate attacks and it is suspected that several criminal organizations operate in their border areas.

Status: Medium Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Cyberpunk

Hogane Protectorate/Kingdoms of Bellatania:
The Hogane, a species of amphibian aliens looking a bit like upright walking alligators who are capable of breathing both in the air and water, were just entering their equivalent of the industrial era when an Lystheni explorer came across them three centuries ago and decided that they were just what he needed to get an edge over his competitors. When the trader returned to Lystheni space it was far too late to do anything and the Lystheni government saw no other choice than to support his plan to uplift the whole species.

While the Hogane society underwent massive changes in the last few years its nobility has far so managed to retain its control over the various kingdoms that make up the Hogane Protectorate. The highest authority on Bellatania is the council of kings, consisting of the nine most powerful nobles, though it tends to focus on internal matters, content to follow the Lystheni on nearly all other matters.

Public speaking plays an important role in the cultural life of the Hogane with theatric ability often just important as the actual information conveyed. Court trials are seen as prime entertainment and have in the past known to draw audiences numbering in the tens of thousands (and are now some of the most watched media) and it is not unusual for talented speakers to gain patents of nobility. The Hogane are no stranger to personal conflict and small scale, nearly ritualised warfare but have never experienced the horrors of a total war. For the Hogane there is no dishonour in surrendering to a superior enemy and captives, especially those of sufficient nobility, are often treated as honoured guests rather than prisoners.

The Hogane have no independent naval force and depend on the Lystheni for protection. However several thousand Hogane serve as shock-troopers in the Lystheni military where they are famous for their expertise in close-quarter-combat.

The relationship between Lystheni and Hogane is perhaps described as a patron-client relationship with the Hogane being extremely helpful to the Lystheni for their assistance. Lystheni technicians especially enjoy a an high social standing in the eyes of the often less comparatively poorly educated Hogane and are sometimes viewed as having near mystical powers (much to the amusement of said technicians). Hogane are often willing to work for a far lower wage than other races and are often employed for janitorial duties and the like. With a population still numbering in the single-digit-billions Hogane are only commonly seen in the Lystheni space.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect, Stellaris

Akvian Dominion:
The Akvians are an avian race originating from the low gravity world of Serenity who have managed to establish their control over nearly fifty systems, making the Dominion one of the more powerful factions in the sector. Akvians are superb pilots, making extensive use of small strike craft in their combat operations, and their origin from a low gravity homeworld means that they are quite comfortable in a zero-g environment, resulting comparatively high percentage of their society living in space stations scattered around their realm.

The highest authority of the Dominion is the (High) Senate, consisting of over one thousand elected senators, who serves as the highest tier of the legislative, executive and judicative. The position of the Speaker, nominally the leader of the Senate, is decided by lot and changes every month making it a largely ceremonial role.The true power is therefore found in the leadership of the various parties which make up the Senate, organised alongside regional divides or special interests, who often form temporary coalitions. One of the quirks of the Senate is that a simple majority is enough to implement a new policy while a two-third majority is needed to repeal or change an old one, which was originally intended to provide a certain stability to the whole system but has ended up creating something of a bureaucratic nightmare.

The Akvian's are communal creatures and tend to favour cooperative activities over direct competitions. Their theatre productions are famous for their combination of breathatking aerial maneuvers, intricate costumes and music (even if many races in fact require body modification or external translators to hear the total tonal range involved in said music). While the Akvians have left their tribal origins they still place a high value on where they come from, which can often be seen by miniature differences in their clothing or styling of their feathers (well by Akvians at least - outsiders have proven to be notoriously inept at this task).

Like many in the Terminus systems the Akvians suffer from the fact that Prothean ruins in the Terminus sector are rare and seldom as big as the ones found in Citadel space which has put them at a distinct disadvantage in the technological field. Nethertheless the central location of the Akvian Dominion means that a lot of the trade is passing through its systems and Akvian companies are slowly beginning to catch up to their Lystheni and Batarian competitors.

The Akvians maintain a sizeable military that unlike many others in Citadel Space focuses on strike craft, which has proven especially effective against the less advanced ships fielded by the various pirates and other criminals in the area. Its army however is more difficult to categorize since its focus on the low-g environment normally inhabited by the Akvians puts them at a distinct disadvantage when forced to operate in "normal" g environments.

The relative prosperity of the Akvian's makes them an attractive target to many in Terminius, especially the warlords of the Omega region or pirates operating out of Hell's Gate, with raids and counter raids being a common occurrence.

It's relationship with the Citadel is a bit more complicated. The wealth, influence and security of the Citadel races is admired and envied by the Akvians, who have expressed their desire to join several times, but the imperious way the Citadel, especially the Batarians, have treated them in the past has created a lot of anger and mistrust.

Status: Medium Power
Inspiration: Master of Orion, Original

Chad Theocracy:
The Chad Theocracy was one of the first races discovered during the initial exploration of the Terminus sector but it remains a mystery to this very day due to its isolationist policy and location inside a dense nebulae, causing problems for most scanners.

Status: ???
Inspiration: ???

Madaniak Ascendency:
The Madaniak Ascendency has only recently appeared on the galactic stage and not much is known about it. If the rumours on the Holonet are to believed the Ascendency, lacking any local Prothean ruins, was restricted to its home system for thousands of years before finally cracking the secret of the Mass Effect themselves. It seems however that during this time the Ascendency has grown quite comfortable with its situation and now sees little reason to actually leave its home system, favouring to instead enjoy vast virtual worlds and drug induced hallucinations.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Hedonism

Grimgor's Empire/Amerath :
Grimgor was born several hundred years after the Krogan Rebellion on a remote and desolate colony in the Krogan Demilitarized Zone (Krogan DMZ). He is said to have been a smart child and somehow caught the attention of a young Asari officer visiting the colony. When the Asari left the planet young Grimgor accompanied her and for over five hundred years the two travelled all over the galaxy, first in service for the Asari military and then as military contractors for the Asari PMC Elanus Risk Control Services. When the Asari reached Matriach age and announced her intention to retire to Thessia and teach at the prestigious Kal'no military academy she invited Grimgor along but he decided to instead try his luck in the Terminus systems, reportedly seeking a worthy challenge for his talents. Using his extensive military contacts he gathered a sizeable army of mercenaries and conquered the Vorcha occupied planet of Amerath, formerly part of the ill-fated corporate sector. Since then he has been busy restoring the planet's industrial facilities while fending of repeated attacks by the Horde and other Vorcha pirates.

Grimgors Empire is the picture book example of a military dictatorship with all power being held either directly by Grimgor or his lieutenants. They use their army of several thousand Krogan, Turian and Batarian mercenaries to control the several million Vorcha that survived the initial invasion and are currently in the process of training and reconditioning the most promising of those.

Unlike many other would-be warlords Grimgor is well aware that there is more to war than just winning battles and has worked tirelessly to restore some of the old industrial facilities found on the planet back to life. He success on that front has been limited so far but his low prices and -no questions asked policy have ensured a steady supply of criminals and down on their luck merchants looking to fix the rust-buckets that serve as their ships. And even importantly he recently managed to convince the two Lystheni mega companies, Tri Technical and Anyc to relocate part of their infantry weapon production to Amerath.

Grimgor's fleet is rather small, consisting of a single cruiser and a number of smaller ships of varying quality. His army is a bit more impressive consisting of several thousand hardened combat veterans, including the famed, all Krogan Black Guard, supported by large masses of Vorcha irregulars.

Most of Terminus is still unsure what to think of the Krogan warlord. While many would be happy if he dealt with the Vorcha plaque of Hell's Gate others worry if this doesn't simply replace one problem with an even an bigger one and fear that they might be next. For the moment though most are content to wait and see, after all he would not be the first would be conqueror getting eaten by Hell's Gate.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Warhammer - Black Orks, Mass Effect

Republic of Larrisa:
Founded by the Asari Matriach Voniy M'priros who, with her followers, was exiled from Thessia due to her unconventional views regarding body-modification and gene-modding shortly after the Rachni Wars. She and her followers were of the opinion that self-improvement via implants and genemodding were necessary for the continued survival and prosperity of the Asari race, a view strongly opposed by the cultural and religious authorities of the time. After her banishment Voniy severed all ties to the rest of the galaxy and travelled for over a decade through the Milky Way before deciding to settle on Larrisa, a temperate planet in the Terminus expanse.

Rediscovered by a Lystheni prospector just a few decades ago the Asari of Larrisa have developed their own society and culture and quickly made a name for themselves in the bionic and medical field while keeping their distance from the Citadel races.

Larrisa's government is one of the more strange in the galaxy. It is led by a queen, which must be of M'pririos descent, but said queen is elected during a democratic election every fifty years. There is also a royal council, consisting of the most influential matriarchs on the planet, which exists to advise the queen and practically serve as its ministers. And last but not least it has kept its basic democratic elements with its always active e-democracy that can only be vetoed by the queen directly.

Self improvement plays a very important role in Larrisan culture with genemods and extensive augmentations being common. Extreme sports like free climbing or a high intensity for of soccer are popular but it is not uncommon to see somebody trying to master a particularly difficult instrument or researching a philosophical treaty. Asari on Asari relationships are fairly common, after all there weren't that many aliens available, but seldom represent a lifelong commitment and the Larrisan have kept most of the openness and curiosity that is so typical for Council Asari.

Its military is small and exist mainly for self defense purposes. In terms of naval capacity the Larrisan's field a handful of frigates, bought from the Lystheni, and otherwise depend on a network of defense satellites. They maintain only a small professional army, though every citizen goes through basic military training and may be called upon to be part of the militia.

Larrisa is only slowly reconnecting with the rest of the galaxy with their premiere trading partner being the Lystheni Confederacy.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Deus Ex Series

Candarian Republic:
The Candarian Republic was founded three centuries ago by the mutinous crew of the Batarian cruiser "Choli's Pride" on the planet of Candara and over time developed into one of the few truly independent Batarian colonies with its own distinct culture. Disdaining the class system and its resulting inequality the Candarians set out to create a society where everybody was equal which resulted in a communist type of government where everybody may be theoretically equal but also a place where any form of deviation from the norm is viewed as highly suspect, leading as far as widespread genetic modification to ensure maximum conformity. The other defining trait of the Republic is its chronic fear of an attack from the Batarian Hegemony, resulting in the Candarian solar system being one of the best fortified systems in all of Terminus.

Status: Minor Power
Inspiration: Mass Effect

Terminus Sector Factions:

Government forces:
Forces under the direct control of a "main" faction/nation, mostly military and intelligence agencies. Nearly all of the forces here can field significant military assets and all of them are well connected to their related factions and organizations.

Citadel Fleet:
The Citadel Fleet is under the direct command of the Citadel Council and consist of ships provided to it by mainly the full members of said Council. Its duties during peacetime are limited to guarding the Citadel and to act as an emergency reaction force in case of a humanitarian crisis. In times of war it is responsible for coordinating the various member fleets. Its current flagship is the Asari super-dreadnought Destiny Ascension, widely reported to be most powerful ship in the galaxy.

The Citadel fleet almost never leaves Inner Council space and is thus only seen in the Terminus system when they provide an escort for a top-level diplomatic mission.

Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectres):
Little is known about the Spectres. Said to be the top-level agents of the Council and generally viewed as being above the law, given complete discretion by the Council as to the methods used to accomplish their mission. Normally operating on the basis of total deniability the actual identities of the agents are generally kept a secret till their death or even beyond that though exceptions exist. Having one of your "species" being chosen as a Spectre is being thought of as an huge honour, especially by the Citadel affiliates, and generally viewed as an important step to full membership.

The Terminus systems are known to be one of the main areas of operation of the Spectres though little hard evidence exists.

Thessian League:
The Asari possess one of the most powerful navies in the galaxy, favouring smaller units like frigates and corvettes but also fielding a significant number of dreadnoughts. Like their government the Asari military tends to be organized decentrally and lacks a powerful permanent central authority. Its land-forces meanwhile are something of a mixed bag, the longevity and biotic nature of the Asari make them some of the finest infantry soldiers in the galaxy, exemplified by their nearly unmatched commando teams, but their decentral organization and lack of a heavy armour and machines put them at a distinct disadvantage on any modern battlefield.

The Asari military is not active in the Terminus systems though rumours of commando operations surface from time to time.

Turian Military:
The Turian military is not only unmatched in size but also their discipline and morale, meaning that Turian units almost never break, no matter how horrendous the losses are. Lacking the biotic powers of the Asari, the technical genius of the Salarians or the sheer strength of the Krogan the Turians follow a combined arms approach that is heavily depended on heavy armour and drones. Since almost every Turian serves at least 15 years in the military, with many deciding to stay on and become "lifers", the Turian military outnumbers its enemies often by several degrees. Turian planets and colonies are also notoriously difficult to conquer with the cities often designed as fortresses and extreme resistance by the general population that often requires extreme measures to break.

The Turian military has a number of flotillas operating in the border areas of the Terminus sector, especially around Omega, whose mission is the prevention of pirate raids and other criminal activities. Those efforts are however hampered by the need to not upset the local powers too much and Turian ships are known to operate according to very strict rules of engagement. Terminus factions meanwhile do their very best to keep their distance to Turian ships, thinking it common sense to avoid poking the bear.

Blackwatch:
Blackwatch is the special operations branch of the Turian military and known to have conducted several anti-piracy operations in the Omega cluster as well its neighbouring regions.

Salarian Defense Force (SDF):
The Salarian military is relatively small and volunteer based, focusing on maneuver warfare. What makes them special is their cutting edge equipment and focus on intelligence activities. Well before fighting breaks out, they possess complete knowledge of their enemy's positions, intentions, and timetable. In war Salarians always follow a first strike policy with the goal being to defeat the enemy before he has time react and organise itself.

The Salarian Defense Force normally stays outside of the Terminus systems but is known to have a few ships seconded to the Turian fleet for intelligence gathering and weapon testing purposes.

Salarian Special Tasks Group (STG):
The Special Tasks Group (STG) is a Salarian espionage organization, usually deployed by the Citadel Council or at the order of the Salarian High Command. STG operators work in independent cells, performing dangerous missions such as counterterrorism, infiltration, reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage.

They are currently very active in the Terminus Systems and have a longstanding rivalry with Lystheni counter-intelligence.

United Batarian Navy (UBN):
The Batarian military is the fourth largest in the Citadel and is modelled after the Turian model though it struggles to reach its level of discipline and skill. Its leadership especially suffers from the negative impact of its caste system with many officers having their position due to their social rank and not their skill while its reliance on drafted lower, less educated caste members to fill the ranks can cause issues with discipline, especially when coupled with the Hegemony's tendency to accept extreme casualties to accomplish its strategic goals. The Batarian military however also possess several elite regiments, most notable the feared SIU, that have in the past competitions beaten even famed Turian and Asari formation. In regards to its navy the Batarian is currently cooperating with the Turian to modernize their aging fleet though its fleet remain top heavy, with the Batarian leadership pressing for ever more dreadnoughts, mostly due to political reasons, despite them being not that useful when it comes to operations in the border regions or Terminus systems.

In the past there was little difference between the various Batarian aligned slavers and other criminal groups active in the Terminus systems and the official Batarian military with it often organising, assisting or even participating in raids itself which has led to it being very negatively in the sector, especially in the border regions. However with the closer cooperation with the rest of the Citadel the Batarian navy has officially distanced itself from said groups and now opposes piracy and (most) slave raids. That said it is a well known fact in the Terminus sector that many Batarian captain tend to be less than zealous in their pursuit of Batarian criminals or anybody else willing to offer a large enough bribe.

Since the stop of its raiding activities the main duty of the Batarian navy in the Terminus systems is the protection of the Batarian aligned planets and colonies in the sector, mainly found in the Eastern Frontier and Omega clusters, as well as general anti-piracy patrols.

Batarian Office of External Affairs (7th Bureau):
The Batarian Office of External Affairs, also known as the 7th Bureau, is the part of the massive bureaucracy that controls the Hegemony and not only responsible for diplomatic missions in the Terminus sector but also the various Batarian planets and colonies found there, well at least those who have submitted to the control of the Hegemony.

It hasn't the best reputation, partly due to the legacy of Batarian activities in this region of space but also due the its often oppressive and confrontational approach to diplomacy, but it tends to keep its agreements (at least on the surface) which is more than many Terminus citizens had initially expected. The 7th Bureau has so far concentrated on establish control over the local Batarian colonies but its recent outreach to several of the local organization suggest that this policy might change soon.

Faithful Guardians of the Illuminated Primacy (Hanar Navy):
Very little is known of the Hanar navy since it tends to keep to its own regions and is rarely if ever seen outside Citadel space. If rumours can be trusted its ships tend to be heavily automated and operating with near zero gravity on its ships. Due to the aquatic nature of the Hanar most of their, very limited, groundside forces are either Drell auxiliaries or combat robots.

Protectors of Dekuuna (PD):
Compared to their sizeable industrial base the Elcor navy is rather small, mostly due the fact that Elcor tend to dislike spaceflight as a whole. The ships they do field are however extremely robust and highly efficient and said to be equipped with the most advanced combat VI's in Citadel space.

Quarian Migrant Fleet (Migrant Fleet):
Also known as the Flotilla, the Migrant Fleet is the massive collection of starships that became home to the Quarians after they were driven from their home world by the Geth. The Migrant Fleet consists of roughly fifty thousand ships that house seventeen million quarians in total. The Fleet is so large it can take days for all the ships to pass through a Mass Relay. Some of the vessels date from the original flight from the Geth three centuries ago.While the level of armament can vary immensely between the ships of the Flotilla it is still the biggest concentration of naval firepower in known space and even the Turian Hierarchy fleets tend to be careful around it. The Migrant Fleet fields only a minimal ground force made up of well trained marines that while not as dangerous in a firefight as most of other races are some of the best combat engineers in the galaxy.

The Migrant Fleet is active in the Terminus systems but its tendency to strip mine entire systems, often claimed by the local powers, has not made it very popular and only its massive size has prevented a military escalation so far though skirmishes between the Flotilla and other factions have occurred on several occasions.

On the other hand Quarian engineers, and their talent to maintain and repair almost anything, are highly sought after by many of the smaller colonies and space stations who thus often play host to Quarians on a pilgrimage or on detachment from the Flotilla.

Lystheni Confederal Navy (LCN):
The Lystheni military is one of the more powerful in the Terminus sector and the Lystheni shipbuilders, like their Salarian counterparts, favour a modular approach. However with no powerful allies like the Turians to fall back on the Lystheni ships tend to be of a more generalist nature than the specialised tools of war the Union fields. Its land based army is fairly small, consisting mostly of non-Lystheni troops, and where possible the Confederacy prefers to use mercenaries instead.

The LCN is one of the very few organizations outside of Citadel space with the capability to build and field dreadnought class ships though considering the massive cost involved in such a project the LCN only tends to field one or two of said class.

Lystheni Foreign Intelligence (LFI)
Like the Salarian Union the Lystheni Confederacy views information as the most important good in the universe and maintains a sizeable intelligence apparatus of which the LFI is part of. Unlike the STG the LFI however tends to focus on "HUMINT" and is said to employ agents from every known species.

Akvian Senatorial Fleet (ASF):
The Akvian Senatorial Fleet is main force of the Akvian military and is centered around their famous carrier formations whose fighters who are rumored to be some of the best in the galaxy. In battle the Akvian employ unique swarm formations that take advantage of their natural instincts as well as a highly advanced network VI that so far nobody has been able to duplicate.

The Senatorial Fleet is tightly entwined with the Akvian Senate and famous for its political infighting with membership in of the leading parties being a necessity for career advancement.

Akvian Frontier Guard:
The preference of Senatorial Fleet for big fleet formations may have its advantages in battle but has proven somewhat unsuited for the many small scale pirate attacks that are common in the border regions of the Akvian Dominion. To counter this problem the Senate created the Akvian Frontier Guard who are responsible for patrolling the frontier and maintaining garrisons. Unlike the main fleet the Frontier Guard mostly fields smaller ships like frigates and corvettes which are often modelled after the Lystheni as a mobile force while the fighters wings are stationed as a defensive force on key locations.

Grimgor's Company:
Consisting of solid core of experienced veterans, mostly Batarians, Krogans and Turians, that are augmented by an ever growing number of Vorcha auxiliaries Grimgor's Company is on the the first glance little different than other mercenary companies. But in a region where many governments employ mercenary companies as their security Grimgor's Company is one of the few companies that "employs" a government.

The biggest weakness of the Grimgor's company is its lack of naval assets with their navy consisting of little more than a cruiser and a handful of frigates.

(Mega)Companies:
While generally not as independent or powerful (at least in relation to the government) as their Sirius cousins, Citadel space and the Terminus systems is nevertheless home to several mega companies. Those are galaxy wide operating business with tens of thousands if not millions of employees and budgets rivalling those of planetary governments who are often active in nearly every part of the economy, if not directly than via subsidiaries. While in Citadel space competition between those companies rarely gets beyond industrial espionage the relative lawlessness of the Terminus systems can result in a more direct confrontation, often via mercenary proxies.

Armali Council (Asari):
The Armali Council is an affiliation of Asari manufacturing guilds recognized for maintaining consistent standards of excellence. Armali make high-grade omni-tools and their bio-amps are widely recognized as the finest money can buy, though these are only available to a select list of clients.

Armali maintains a small presence on the Lystheni capital planet but is otherwise not active in the Terminus region.

Serrice Council (Asari):
An Asari consortium, the Serrice Council is the creator of the most powerful bio-amp on the market. Not just concerned with profit, they typically make customers undergo a rigorous screening process before being approved to purchase their products. Serrice Council amps are incredibly rare—and highly prized—items on the galactic market.

T'Athos Company (Asari):
One of the oldest and most powerful companies T'Athos is famous for both its Eezo mining and processing as well as its wide range of high end consumer products.

Armax Arsenal (Turian):
The main supplier of elite Turian military units, Armax Arsenal weapons and armor are high quality, high priced and very difficult to acquire for most non-Turians. They also make a basic grade omni-tool which is available to the general public

While Armax itself is not active in the Terminus systems it maintains close ties with the Blue Sons.

Haliat Armory (Turian):
The partly state-owned Haliat Armory is the main supplier of the Turian military and produces everything from simple guns to dreadnoughts. While it customers are normally limited to the Citadel militaries Haliat is also responsible for mustering out outdated or otherwise surplus equipment, with the majority of the naval assets of many a mercenary company of PDF coming from here.

Agarp Capital:
Agarp Capital is the result of a fusion between a Salarian hedgefond and a Volus bank and has since then grown into of the major provides of financial services in Citadel space. Agarp finances everything from a simple consumer credit to entire colonies and is headquartered on the Asari border world of Ilium.

While Agarp itself maintains no presence in the Terminus systems it has financed a number of mining and colony efforts in the area and is known to have campaigned for a larger military Citadel presence in the region numerous times.

Culop R&D (Salarian):
One of the many high tech focused Salarian companies Culop is said to be the technological leader in genetic research and modification. Culop maintains extensive research facilities in Lystheni space and is known to regularly sponsor expeditions to discover new alien life forms.

Synthetic Insights:
Synthetic Insights, Ltd. is one of few corporations licensed by the Citadel Council to develop artificial intelligence though it makes most of profits by selling highly advanced, specialist VI's. The company is also rumored to maintain a close relationship with the research department of the Quarian Migrant Fleet.

Batarian State Arms (Batarian):
Batarian State Arms is a military-controlled hardware manufacturing company who supplies the majority of the goods needed by the Batarian Hegemony and which is famous for its cheap products and loose background checks. BSA is said to sell guns to everybody who has credits to spare and its guns can now be found on pretty much any battlefield in the galaxy. Citadel authorities have started numerous investigations but the protective hand of the Hegemony and the sheer scale of the economy has so far prevented any serious legal challenge.

BSA is very active in the Terminus systems with it not only supplying the defensive forces of many colonies (as well as their attackers) but also have relocated a significant part of its production to the Eastern Frontier.

Bambelor (Batarian):
Focused on labour intensive heavy industries and mining Bambelor is very much the stereotypical Batarian company. It has recently started to expand its operations into the southern Terminus regions stating that it wishes to exploit the many untapped resources found here. Critics however say that Bambelor recent expansion has a far more sinister reason in that the company wishes to escape the tightening regulation regarding slaves and other indentured servants.

Baria Frontiers :
Baria Frontiers is a corporation which specializes in selling star charts and surveying new star systems and is one of the factions pressing for an opening of the Tion and Xian cluster.

Elkoss Combine (Volus):
A Volus manufacturer based in the Terminus Systems, the Elkoss Combine produces less expensive versions of items carried by high-end manufacturers. Functional yet affordable armor, weapons and omni-tools are all available from the Elkoss Combine. It's headquarter is located on the southern border of Hell's Gate and due to the continued danger of Vorcha raids heavily fortified, with Elkoss being of the main clients of the Blood Pack.

Tri Technical (Lystheni):
Founded not even a century ago by a pair of Lystheni gunsmiths who started their business by selling mods for BSA guns over the extranet Tri Technical has become one of the major military companies in the Terminus systems with its weapons and mods being highly popular with the many mercenary companies found in the region.

Anyc Industries (Lystheni):
While Anyc also dabbles in weapons manufacturing its main focus is in providing the booming economy with the resources it needs and it maintains countless mining operations all over Lystheni space as well as the regions bordering it.

Tanith Prospecting (Lystheni):
A rival of Baria Frontiers, Tanith Prospecting makes most of its money by selling claims to the eezo deposits it finds and is heavily invested in the continued exploration of the Tion cluster.

Tai Yong Medical (Larissa)
Despite being a relative newcomer to the galactic market the Larissa based biotechnological company of Tay Yong Medical has won a considerable amount of fame for their highly advanced augmentations.

Cyniad Salvage and Rescue (Quarian):
One of the stranger companies to be found in the galaxy CSAR, whose headquarter is located on Korlus, has specialised on space based salvage and rescue operations. Be it industrial accidents on an asteroid mining base, cleaning up the orbital space of a core planet or salvaging an abandoned freighter in the far reaches of space CSAR has done everything and managed to establish itself as an household name in the industry.

Private Military Companies:
The PMC's are a special breed of megacompanies who focus on providing military services that can range from simply security services or logistical support to providing and supply entire armies, including naval forces. While they have existed for a long time they only became truly powerful in the last few centuries when the Citadel polities started to expand beyond their traditional borders into the Attican Traverse and Terminus sector. Many of these companies operate with a complicated system of subcontractors and companies which it not being unusual to see one of the big companies hiring a small, semi-independent mercenary company for a job or service.

Elanus Risk Control Services (ERCS):
Elanus Risk Control Services (ERCS) is a private security corporation that employs mostly Turians and Asari and which provides a host of services ranging from simple event security to professional mercenary companies and starships to counter piracy. It is very well regarded within Citadel space and its near spotless reputation make it a favourite of Citadel based companies with even the Citadel Council known to hire on it occasions.

Compared to many other PMC's ERCS isn't that active in the Terminus sector, preferring to focus on areas nearer to Council space, but several of the wealthier colonies in the Eastern Frontier and Omega Nebulae are known to employ as a security force.

Eclipse:
Eclipse is a relative young mercenary corporation that was founded by Asari commando Jona Sederis. The organization provides effective security and firepower for prospective employers; they have few scruples about the nature of those who hire them, so long as they can afford their services. Eclipse in general favors stealth, discrimination, and "intelligent" ways of conducting battles and is rumored to have close ties with several Lystheni companies. Hiring predominantly Asari and Salarians Eclipse is also known to often deploy combat mechs.

Eclipse is very active in the Terminus systems and its very combative pricing has resulted in being the security service of choice for many company operating the area. It also has a license to operate in Citadel space but recent rumours of it being connected to several smuggling operating have brought it to the attention of law enforcement agencies.

Blue Sons:
Consisting primarily of Batarians and Turians the Blue Sons are known to be the biggest and most powerful mercenary company currently operating in known space. While they provide normal security service, for example guarding warehouses or production facilities, their real focus lies in combat operations that can scale from small commando raids to planetary invasions with it being said that hiring the Blue Sons is the closest you can get to hire a complete army.

The Blue Sons are well connected to the military industrial complex in both Citadel and terminus space and the company maintains stakes in everything from mining companies to cinema's.

Blood Pack:
Many mercenaries companies skirt the law or even break it occasionally but the Blood Pack disregard it entirely. Infact many would indeed dispute that the Blood Pack is a mercenary company in the first place, viewing them as a little more than criminal thugs, though few would dare to voice that opinion near one of its members. Made of mostly Krogan and Vorcha the Blood is a terrifying and destructive force both on the battlefield and off it, famous for the collateral damage they cause whenever they are deployed. Indeed it is not unknown for them to deploy nuclear weapons against particular difficult targets which has resulted in them getting banned from Citadel space as well as many other planets.

Aria's Syndicate/Omega:
Built in the mined-out husk of a metallic asteroid that is located right on one of the transit points between Citadel Space and the Terminus systems, Omega has been a haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents for thousands of years. The Asari name for it translates as "the heart of evil", the Salarian name as "the place of secrets", the Turian name as "the world without law", and the Krogan name it as the "land of opportunity", clearly reflecting their cultural attitudes towards the society within Omega. The famous Elcor poet Xeltan once described it as a "dark mirror of the Citadel" and indeed nowadays Omega is one of the biggest space stations in known space, home to millions of lifeforms.

Control of the station is split between hundreds of different factions, ranging from small time criminal gangs to the respected Merchants Association, who constantly compete with each other for more territory but above them all thrones one single person, the Asari matriarch Aria T'Loak- the pirate queen of Omega. She is the leader of one of the most powerful criminals syndicates in existence though interestingly enough she is seldom directly connected to any open criminal activity, instead preferring to get her cut from the proceedings going on in "her" territory (which roughly encompasses the whole of the Omega Nebula). Instead her power is based on a massive network of informants, agents and friend carefully cultivated over the centuries that extends from the farthest reaches of the Terminus systems to the Citadel itself, perhaps only rivaled by that of the Shadow Broker or STG.

She also often serves as a middleman and mediator between the various organizations active in the Terminus systems, being viewed as close to a neutral authority as it gets in this part of space. However her control over Omga has been recently challenged by the Eclipse, Blue Sons and Blood Pack who have all started to carve out their own little empires on Omega and view themselves as being equal to Aria.

Criminal Organizations:
Groups that exist outside of the law and which make their money from preying on the weak and helpless can be found everywhere but especially on the border regions between "civilised" space.

Shadow Broker:
Half myth half reality, the Shadow Broker is an individual at the head of an expansive organization which trades in information, always selling to the highest bidder. The Shadow Broker appears to be highly competent at its trade: all secrets that are bought and sold never allow one customer of the Broker to gain a significant advantage, forcing the customers to continue trading information to avoid becoming disadvantaged, allowing the Broker to remain in business.

The Broker is active in the Terminus systems but nobody is sure to what extent.

The Consortium (Lystheni):
A Lystheni criminal organization that mostly operates in the legal greyzone and is heavily involved in the smuggling of drugs and weapons. While its main centre of operation is the Confederacy it is also known to be active in Eastern Frontier and Omega Nebulae.

Black Sun (Lystheni):
A ruthless Lystheni criminal organization that dominates the criminal underground in the Confederacy and which is known to be heavily involved in the illegal slave trade as well as piracy. It is especially active in the border regions of the Confederacy and rumored to well connected with the rest of the criminal network in the terminus systems.

Red Flight (Akvian):
A nationalistic and xenophobic paramilitary group which opposes any form of cooperation with other species. Mainly active in the Dominion though it has recently started to attack outside of it as well.

Dah'tan Cartel (Batarian):
Officially an shipping company it is an open secret that the Cartel is heavily involved in smuggling and other criminal activities in the Eastern Frontier and neighbouring regions.

The Horde (Vorcha):
One of the biggest criminal groups in the galaxy the Horde controls most of Hell's Gate and has been threatening the regions neighbouring it for centuries. Multiple attempts to stamp them out have failed since nobody in the region posses the ability or will to actually invade and pacify the planets hold by the Horde. Luckily the Vorcha from Hell's Gate are horrible shipbuilders making them incapable of truly threatening the major powers.

Batarian Privateers (Batarian)
With the Batarian Hegemony officially slowing down its aggressive slave raids it left many Batarian captains without a job. They have since then formed the Privateers and continue to plague the Terminus systems, using their contacts in the Hegemony to sell their product there. Many of them have been operating in the area for decades and they are known to have close ties with several of the Batarian colonies in the eastern frontier.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Sirius Sector

With its center approximately 1000 light years away from the Sun, the Sirius Sector is a medium-sized, but very dense star cluster located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. It is home to many nebulae and asteroid fields, both small and large.

It usually divided into the regions belonging to one of the major houses and a number of border territories who are classified as:

Independent Worlds:
These systems lie between Liberty and the other major Houses. All have trade lanes and jump gates to connect the Houses, and some have bases and way stations, but the level of development is almost universally less than in the House systems, and the level of criminal activity almost universally higher. Notably, the Cortez and Magellan systems, dividing Liberty and Bretonia space, are less difficult. The Bering and Hudson systems, separating Liberty and Rheinland, have higher-level encounters.

Border Worlds:
These worlds ring the major House territories, providing needed materials for the Houses as well as transit between the outer Houses and to the Edge Worlds. The Sigma systems connect Kusari to Rheinland, the Omega systems lie between Rheinland and Bretonia, and the Tau systems occupy the space between Bretonia and Kusari. Notably, Liberty does not have direct access to the Border Worlds, being buffered by the other major Houses and the Independent World

Edge Worlds:
The Edge Worlds lie at the very outer reaches of the Sirius Sector, and only the most well-equipped pilots should seek to enter them. The Outcasts and Corsairs homeworlds are in the Omicron Alpha and Gamma, respectively, and beyond them lie the Unknown systems, home to the Nomads.

Omicron Systems:
The Omicron systems are located in the galactic east of the Sirius sector and are part of the Walker nebula (the green thing on the map). The Omicron systems are for the most part unexplored and unclaimed though in recent times Rheinland has increased its activities in the southern parts of it, looking for new resources for its every hungry industry.

However the true rulers of the Omicron systems are the two criminal syndicates descendent from the Hispania, the Corsairs and the Outcasts who both have their homeplanets here. Crete, the homeplanet of the Corsairs is located in the south while Malta and the Outcasts call the north home. Those two groups have more or less divided that part of space between them though the Corsairs have of late expanded into the northern, nominally Outcast parts, of the Omicrons because of newly established smuggling routes with the Kusari based Hogosha syndicate (and some rumour suggest the IGM) .

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Timeline - Sirius Sector

It was the 23rd Century… Mankind's darkest hour!"

-1 AS – The forces of the Alliance, hard pressed by the Coalition, made a desperate gamble for survival, and launch five (possibly more) sleeper ships, but only four supposedly make it (actually, one is sabotaged and only makes it to the edge of Sirius, while another is crippled in the escape and arrives somewhat late). Alliance forces at the time of the Exodus included the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Spain, Italy, and France. It is likely that the Italian and French vessels were destroyed or otherwise lost during the escape, as they do not appear in Freelancer.

1 AS – The Liberty arrives in Sirius and chooses a spot in the center of the sector, claiming a planet called "Manhattan"and naming its system New York.

~2-3 AS - The Rheinland arrives. Planet New Berlin settled.

5 AS – The Kusari arrives. Planet New Tokyo settled.

10 AS - Katsuhiro Kishiro genetically modifies Earth fish species to survive in New Tokyo oceans. Kishiro begins working on genetically modifying rice genome to survive Sirius conditions.

21 AS - Sleeper Ship Bretonia arrives late due to engine damage sustained during the escape. Planet New Londonsettled.

44 AS – Valhalla Research makes unspecified breakthrough discoveries which will eventually lead to the development ofJump Gates.

50 AS – Yokohama Shipyard constructed by Samura in New Tokyo system, marking Kusari's first orbital construction facility.

60 AS – Discovery of the Sigma-13 system and its vast reserves of H-Fuel.

66 AS - Bowex founded, begins operations in Bretonia. Receives royal charter 224 years later from Prince Harry XXI in 300 AS.

91 AS – Kishiro scientists working aboard Shinagawa Station perfect the mass production of Optical Chips using a common Polymer base, revolutionizing the industry.

~105 AS – Planet Stuttgart established as breadbasket of Rheinland.

~180 AS – West Point Military Academy built in New York system.

180 AS – First successful full-scale Jump Gate test completed.

181 AS – Universal Shipping cements reputation as premiere Liberty shipper, signs contract to handle all shipping between Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering construction sites.

~200 AS - Planet Honshu fisheries collapse as the Redfin and other modified species of Earth fish are fished to extinction. Many Honshu residents (the ancestors of the GMG) leave the planet searching for other resources in theCrow Nebula; others join Kishiro Technologies.

~215 AS – Ageira Technologies mass production of Jump Gate components in full swing.

~220 AS - Displaced ex-fishermen from Planet Honshu discover vast reserves of H-Fuel in Sigma-13. Beginning of theGas Miners Guild.

230 AS – Norfolk Shipyard constructed in New York system and begins operations.

280 AS – Ageira Technologies introduces Trade Lane technology.

300 AS - Gas Miners Guild establishes Sigma-13 as primary H-Fuel production area. Early shipments back to Kusarispace take several months to complete without Jump Gates connecting to the Crow Nebula.

310 AS – Bowex receives its royal charter from Prince Harry XXI of Bretonia.

312 AS – Freiburg Station constructed as clearinghouse for produce harvested on Stuttgart.

321 AS – Sakura Festival Coup: Shogun and palace guard surrounded by Samura-backed Kusari military forces. Shogun commits suicide; palace guards, led by Kozue Okamura, fight their way out and retreat to the Chugoku system, foundingKyoto Base and the Blood Dragons.

330 AS – GMG signs exclusive agreement with Samura for distribution of H-Fuel.

350 AS – Deshima Station constructed to house itinerant foreigners attempting to enter New Tokyo space from Libertyand the Independent Worlds.

350 AS – Osaka Storage Facility constructed by Samura to hold and distribute H-Fuel shipments mined by the GMGfrom the Crow Nebula.

~400 AS – Daumann gets contract to develop Omega-11 system.

410 AS – Daumann completes construction of Solarius Station in Omega-11 at cost of 87 lives.

412 AS – Alster Shipyard opens.

450 AS – Exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman, financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government, stumbles into the Omicron Gamma system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. Upon planetfall onPlanet Crete, the entire landing party (save for Schulman) is killed; with Schulman as a hostage, the mother ship Schiller is taken over. Birth of the Corsairs.

450 AS – Planet Harris terraforming project started by Planetform. Scheduled for colonization in 820; delayed by Gaianattacks.

500 AS – Corsairs begin guerilla raids on unprotected outposts and ships, plundering supplies and equipment.

510 AS – Kishiro selects Planet Honshu to become location of its main Optronics manufacturing facility. Planetary boom begins. Planet Honshu becomes a primary source for Optronics and Engine Components in Sirius.

512 AS – A major accident at Alster Shipyard results in the deaths of several hundred workers. Workers form the Alster Union three months later; beginning of the Unioners.

521 AS – Trade Lane Dispute of 521/Rheinland-Kusari Trade Embargo. Rheinland and Kusari default on IC's trade lane financing terms. Under the resulting Sirius Commerce Pact, Rheinland and Kusari are forced to pay tolls, but these do not amount to nearly the full sum IC put up to fund their Jump Gates. Interspace Commerce is forced to divest itself of its holdings in Jump Gate and Trade Lane financing in foreign systems. IC shifts emphasis from finance to interstellar shipping insurance. This move either spurred the development of USI Technology or was guided by the previous development of such tools.

521 AS – The Dallas Incident occurs in the Texas system. A Jump Gate research project goes horribly wrong, resulting in the destruction of Dallas Research Station. The explosion resulted in vast clouds of debris, dark matter, and radiation, and is rumored to have caused the opening of new Jump Holes in the Texas system. The Liberty government withdraws funding for research projects in Texas system, resulting in 50% unemployment on Planet Houston.

531 AS – Crime in Texas system explodes, rising by 300%, leading to building of many prisons on Planet Houston. LPI Huntsville orbital prison facility begins to fill up.

543 AS – Terraforming efforts on Planet Los Angeles fail, culminating in the Great California Drought.

550 AS – Ames Research Station established in Kepler system to study movements of the strange clouds of dark matter in the system.

550 AS – GMG conducts initial surveys of the Sigma-19 system, determines system rich in resources, but far distant from GMG's usual markets. GMG explores options to finance Jump Gate into Sigma-19 with Kishiro Technologies in exchange for mining rights.

~590 AS – 80 Years War starts between Rheinland and GMG. War provoked by Kruger attempting to take over Sigma H-Fuel resources from the GMG. Daumann backed the conflict due to greed for military shipbuilding contracts. Rheinlandgovernment borrows huge sums from Liberty to finance war effort. The GMG is secretly financed by the Kusarigovernment.

~600 AS - Outcasts encounter other Houses; decide upon strategy of hooking people (especially wealthy people on major capital planets) on Cardamine and starting an illicit Cardamine trade to infiltrate and control other Houses. Cryer Pharmaceuticals eventually discovers Cardamine and begins efforts to develop a synthetic, legal version of the drug. No successful substitute has been created as of the present day. Therefore, a long-term user of Cardamine will suffer serious health effects and die within months if not able to obtain another fix.

~600 AS – Mining, smelting, shipyard industries collapse on Planet Denver. Liberty elite begin to see Denver as alternative to Los Angeles for long-term habitation (especially considering the fifty-seven year length of the Great California Drought at this time). This marks the beginning of lower-class cleansing in Liberty, resulting in the eventual formation of such groups as the Liberty Rogues and Xenos. This in turn provokes a political backlash, leading to a prison-industrial complex and the corruption of the LPI.

600 AS – LPI Sugarland built to handle overflow from LPI Huntsville.

600 AS – Fuchu Prison moved to Shikoku system to house foreign prisoners.

602 AS – Shinkaku Station built in Tau-29 to provide Samura access to the abundant ammonia, Water, and Oxygen ice fields present in the system, allowing production of Fertilizers and Terraforming Gases.

603 AS – Nago Station constructed in Tau-29 by Kishiro to harvest Hydrocarbons to make the Polymers needed to makeOptical Chips.

610 AS – Alster Union grows in strength, includes dockworkers on Altona Station above Planet Hamburg.

614 AS – Detroit Munitions founded by Ed Garner, begins producing Light Arms

620 AS – Planet Kurile discovered by the Gas Miners Guild.

630 AS – Fisheries throughout Kusari face impending collapse, prompting the initiation of rapid terraforming of oceanPlanet Junyo in the Shikoku system using Alien Organisms.

642 AS – First publication of "Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom" by Yuyu Matsuda, a young poet.

648 AS – Yuyu Matsuda implicated in botched assassination attempt against the planetary governor of Kyushu, commits seppuku. An increase in attacks on government personnel and installations follows. This marks the beginning of theGolden Chrysanthemum revolutionary feminist movement.

650 AS – Full-scale mineral survey pinpoints deposits of Boron on Planet Pittsburgh. Deep Space Engineering gets a development contract.

650 AS – Jump Gate to Sigma-19 system opened. Gas Miner Ogashawa stationed in Sigma-19 to begin full-scale H-Fuelmining operations.

650 AS – Freeport 2 founded in Bering system by displaced Texas settlers, Hamburg drifters, and other individuals looking for safe haven.

660 AS – Planet Pittsburgh Boron mining operation established by Deep Space Engineering.

668 AS - Battle of the Yanagi Nebula in Sigma-13. GMG forces ambush and crush the First Fleet of the Imperial Rheinland Navy in several hours of intense fighting. The Heavy Cruiser Kassel and its escorts attempt to flee, but are trapped and destroyed a short distance away.

679 AS – Bundschuh founded by group of New Berlin University students, gains support amongst liberal elite of New Berlin.

680 AS – Planet Junyo terraforming completed; Luxury Food (fresh fish) production begins.

680 AS – Treaty of Honshu ends the 80 Years War. Kusari ships are barred from entry into Rheinland, and must transfer their goods at Mainz Storage Facility in Frankfurt. Economic backlash from Liberty following the lost conflict ends subsidies for Stuttgart farmers union known as the WVS. Synth Foods gains complete access to Stuttgart in return for renegotiated debt terms. WVS begins long campaign of resistance to Synth Foods buyout of the impoverished planet. More radical WVS elements eventually coalesce into the LWB and begin attacks on Synth Foods ships almost a century later.

680 AS - Original predicted date of the Dark Matter Storm of 784. Ageira covers embarrassment by blaming and firing an elite programming team and several executives. This move eventually results in the formation of the core of the northernLane Hackers.

690 AS – Tourists begin arriving in Edinburgh system to visit Planet Gaia. Cambridge scientists voice concern over enormous ecological damage caused by even the most regulated visits.

700 AS – Dresden rebellion. Bundschuh ships supplies "liberated" from Frankfurt to the Kruger & Daumann rebels. Official beginning of Rheinland Popular Revolution soon afterward.

702 AS – Rheinland Popular Revolution in full swing.

~700 AS – Liberty Freelancer Jim Bown visits Omicron Gamma and trades Consumer Goods for Artifacts. This marks the beginning of modern Artifact trade and Corsair Artifact smuggling activity, and with steadily increasing funding, a strong increase in the organizational size and sophistication of the Corsairs.

705 AS – Emperor of Rheinland overthrown; new coalition government established in place of the Empire. Kruger andDaumann are forced to pay substantial reparations to the new government and comply with the newly ratified Workers' Rights Convention. Both companies are allowed to remain intact and escape full investigations, thus escaping with their proverbial hides intact. Daumann forced to transition from military contracts to commercial and civilian ship building.

710 AS - Sirius Commerce Pact amended to allow Interspace Commerce to build Roppongi Station inside Kusari space.

715 AS – "Business as usual" resumes in Dresden. Bundschuh driven underground.

715 AS – Vierlande Prison stationed in Hamburg system.

720 AS – Zoners on Freeport 2 tell Unioners to base their raids elsewhere; Unioners don't go far, found Pacifica Base inBering system.

723 AS – Battleship Nagumo constructed.

~730 AS – Freeport 1 founded in Omega-3 system.

740 AS – Cobalt is discovered on Planet Gaia. BMM suggests putting a mining base on Gaia to exploit mineral reserves.Gaians eco-terrorist movement founded.

745 AS – Battleship Mississippi constructed. Oldest ship still serving in the Liberty Navy; set to be decommissioned in 805 AS.

750 AS – Lane Hackers depart Ageira Technologies en masse, begin their wave of mischief.

752 AS – Founders Day Revolt in Bretonia. Mollys founded; first act is assassination of Sir Edmund Graves.

752 AS - Planeform begins Phase 1 terraforming operations on Planet Ayr in the Edinburgh system.

760 AS – Freeport 10 established in Tau-37 by the Zoners.

~761 AS – Falkland Base established in Tau-37 by IMG to mine rich Niobium deposits.

770 AS – Synth Foods marks control of 60% of Planet Stuttgart's agriculture (will rise to 90% by 800 AS/Present).

~775 – LWB begins "war" against Synth Foods.

777 AS – Battleship Rio Grande constructed.

784 AS - The Dark Matter Storm of 784 AS affects the Kepler system, swallowing a Trade Lane along with the Nikko Maru. This prompts construction of the alternate route through the Galileo system as an "insurance policy" to ensure the stability of trade between Liberty and Kusari.

791 AS – Luxury Liner Hawaii stationed in Sigma-19 system

792 AS – Liberty Navy undertakes campaign against the Xenos in the Hudson system; Battleship Rio Grande earns fame.

800 AS – Destruction of Freeport 7, beginning of the events of the Nomad War.

801 AS- End of the Nomad War and Manhattan Treaty, blaming rogue factions in the militaries of the various Houses for the outbreak of hostilities. Period of rebuilding and reformation begins.

810 AS - A expedition from the Order locates the Omicron Kappa alien Jumpgate, leading to a new and distant part of the galaxy. It finds traces of a probably alien culture, prompting debate within the organization about future orientation of the Order.

811 AS (Start date of the quest) - Order leadership decides to charge Edison Trent, hero of the Nomad war, with the creation of a new organization to explore the newly discovered system and guard the Jumpgate.

The Nomad War

The Nomad War is the unofficial name given to the conflict between the Houses and the alien race known as the Nomads in ~800 AS. It has its origin with Rheinland scientists discovering new alien ruins in the Edge Worlds, recovering numerous alien artefacts but also getting the attention of the Nomads, or, as some speculate, waking them up.

Shortly after the discovery the Nomads, a parasite race, started to infect numerous humans, especially in leadership positions, and tried to manipulate the Houses into open war with each other. Order analysts are still divided about whether this strategy is a sign of the Nomads believing themselves unable to beat a unified and alert Sirius or if it is a result of their alien mindset/biology causing them to prefer the indirect route over open confrontation.

Most human organizations were unprepared and unaware of this infiltration attempt, with the most notable exception being the Order who, unable to meet the threat in the open, went to extreme measures to combat the infiltration, accepting high amounts of collateral damage if deemed necessary. Despite their efforts however the Nomads infiltration and plans progressed at a quick rate, only meeting serious resistance when one of their artifacts fell into the hands of Edison Trent and Jun'ko Zane, who managed to escape despite the best efforts of their infiltrators.

The artefact allowed the Order to pinpoint the origin of the Nomad activity in the Sirius sector and the organization wasted no time in capitalising on that and attacking the unprepared Nomads. The strike was successful, banishing most of the Nomads from the Sirius sector and the disorganized rest either fled or was defeated by the human forces.

However while most of human space is free of Nomad activity and most organizations have implemented screening measures to prevent new infiltration there are still reports of Nomad activity and bases in the Edge Worlds.

The general public meanwhile remains obvious to the threat with official explanation blaming a cabal of military leaders, industrialists and political leaders for the hostilities. This was done to prevent panic and risk further destabilising the already delicate situation after the costly war and official plans are to slowly prepare the public for the information before publishing it in AS 850.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Codex.

Gameplay/Mechanics:

Sub-Sectors:

// Mechanical change//

With your responsibility being now of a more administrative nature and in preparation for your access to Mass Effect drives and thus quicker expansion/exploration we now move away from a purely system-based perspective to a sub-sector one, which consist of 3-8 "colonizable" systems.

Those subsectors will all have several stats to describe their character and development:
Exploration: How much of the sub-sector is explored
Resources: How much potentially exploitable resources are available
Special resources: Here it is noted if the sector posses any rare resources like for example Eezo or Dom-Kavash artifacts

Infrastructure: Describes status of civilian infrastructure (bases, tradelanes etc)
Economic status: Describes how wealthy/productive the ub-sector currently is

Military infrastructure: Describes how much military installations (stations, satellite networks, supply depots, etc.) are operational - high military infrastructure makes it for example easier to maintain a large naval presence
Security: Describes current security situation (mostly in regards to piracy etc.)

Organizations: A summary of what organizations are currently active in this subsector
Key Locations: Here you get a list of any noteworthy location like for example a colonized planet, military naval yard or Mass Relay

Oversight Committee;

Oversight Committee: The key new resource/mechanic in this phase of the game this is a scale from 0-100 that represents the trust and level of support you enjoy with the nations backing UTA. Many of your actions will result in you losing or gaining support and the current level of support can affect gameplay:

- You will gain an additional action point for the 1,3,5... faction(s) over 80
- You will lose an an action point per function under 25
- A faction will start to recall its troops/ships etc when it gets under 10
- You will lose if more than 50% of factions get under 5

FTL:

Faster than Light Travel in the Sirius sector has two distinct forms. The first, traditional, variant is based on the engines and technologies utilised by the Sleeper Ships and is highly energy intensive, which limits it to capital or specialist ships. It is also severely limited in speed, with most common variants never topping more than 10c, making it only suitable for exploration missions.

The second variant is based on JumpGates (and Jumpholes which utilise the same effect).

Space Travel:

Normal in-system space travel is achieved through numerous different types of conventional engines, most of them fuelled by H-Fuel, that are all limited to a few fractions of Lightspeed, making crossing a solar system a time consuming process taking days if not weeks.

Military Doctrine:

General Technology:
JumpGates:

A JumpGate allow ships equipped with a JumpDrive near instantaneous travel between two points in space (with both points being Jump Gates) and are based on gravitation and quantum physics. While generally a very efficient and economical process the energy requirements for maintaining the Gates increases with the distance they cover which effectively limits the distance a single Gate can cover. The distance is also limited by the fact that the Gates need to be built on both sides before functional, necessitating the transport of the construction materials to the building side via traditional and time consuming space travel.

JumpGate's were invented by the Liberty cooperation Ageira Technologies and are only built by it in cooperation Deep Space Engineering.

There are rumours that Ageira has based their technology on Alien technology, a claim ignored by most though the recently discovered findings of Alien JumpGates in the outskirts of the Sirius Sector has certainly shown remarkable similarities.

Jumpholes:

Jumpholes are naturally occurring phenomena with a similar effect to a JumpGate. Often found in gravitational "faultlines" of a star system they allow a ship equipped with a JumpDrive (as well as the necessary navigational software) to achieve the same instantaneous travel that JumpGates allow. However Jumpholes can be far less stable than JumpGates making their use risky and often impossible for larger ships.

TradeLanes:

Trade Lanes are a lesser version of JumpGate`s, bending space/time only slightly, and allow for faster than light travel inside a solar system. Like the with JumpGates the technology behind them is a closely guarded secret of Ageira.

Nomads:

The Nomads are a dangerous alien parasite species that have attacked the Sirius Sector colonies during the Nomad War and continue to oppose the human forces in the outer parts of the Sirius sector.

They come in varying sizes and look like a malformed stingray with all observed specimen being a of bluish colouration. Their technology is a strange mix of biology and technology and has so far proven nearly impossible for human scientists to understand and comprehend.

It is believed that the Nomad where created by the Dom'Kavash and left in the Sirius sector to function as guardians or caretakers.

Dom'Kavash:

The Dom'Kavash are a mysterious race existent around the post-Cretaceous period who were apparently responsible for the majority of the alien artifacts and for the existence of the Nomads in the Sirius sector (and, presumably in the other sections of their vast empire). Nothing is known about their physiology, and little more is known about their culture. They mysteriously disappeared millions of years before mankind evolved for unknown reasons, leaving behind only Artifacts (sometimes marked with curious xenoglyphics), some ruins, and the Nomads to mark their passing.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Terminus Regions:
(This is not the totally of the Terminus system, just the regions near you. Also you will get more info as you explore the sector)
DSX (Mundus Cluster)

Organizations present:
DSX

Description:
Located on the south-western part of the Terminus sector its lack of an active Mass Relay means it is only sparsely explored/settled with the Asari colony of Larrisa being the only significant known settlement in the area. Recently rumours of a new alien species connected to it have surfaced on the Holonet though official confirmation of that is still missing.

Republic of Larrisa
Organizations present:
Republic of Larrisa

Terminus Companies

Terminus Criminals

Description:
Part of the Mundus sector that is claimed by the rogue Asari colony of Larrisa, spanning around ten systems. Like the rest of the region it is only sparsely explored and relatively isolated though companies from the nearby Lysenthi Confederacy have put their feelers out, trying to secure a new, as of yet unexploited market.

Tion Cluster
Organizations present:
Terminus Companies

Terminus Criminals

Description:
Like the Mundus cluster, Tion is only sparsely explored and not claimed by any known entity. The few small colonies and outposts located there are mostly self-sufficient and of little interest to the rest of the galaxy, though some of the bigger criminal groups maintain a few bases near the Lystheni border.

The Tion cluster sector is also the object of a long running legal dispute between several (Terminus) companies and the Citadel regarding the activation of two Mass Effect Relays suspected to connect into it with an ruling expected in the next decade.

Lystheni Confederacy
Organizations present:
Lystheni Confederacy
Hogane Protectorate

Terminus Companies
Citadel Companies
Mercenary Groups

Terminus Criminals

Description:
This area space is claimed by the Lystheni Confederacy, one of the major powers in this region of the Terminus sector and is thus comparatively well explored, with several settled worlds being located in it. Compared to many other areas of Terminus it is relatively secure and stable, provided you can pay your "taxes", making it the destination of choice for many Citadel companies wishing to expand into Terminus.

That said piracy is still a serious problem in many border regions of the Confederacy (or if corporate competition gets out of hand), resulting in a significant demand for mercenaries and other security services.

The Lsytheni cluster is also home to the Hogane Protectorate, a race of amphibious alligator like aliens who are something of a junior partner of the Confederacy.

Hell's Gate
Organizations present:
Elkoss Combine
Blood Pack

Terminus Criminals
The Horde

Description:
Hell's Gate was formerly known as the Corporate Cluster and is the site of one of the biggest scandals in recent Citadel history. When large Eezo deposits were found in the Cluster a consortium of Citadel races gained the rights to develop the region and for a few decades enjoyed massive economic successes. However with the deposits getting smaller the companies looked for alternative ways to make money, one of which was the use of cheap Vorcha labour in their manufacturies.

The demand for such cheap labour, and the goods produced by it, was however limited and covered to a large degree by the Batarian Hegemony, which caused the companies to turn against each other in a series of over escalating violence,utilizing the Vorcha as cheap cannon fodder. This went relatively well till one day the Vorcha rebelled and the whole cluster descended into total anarchy.

Today the cluster is home to the largest known group of Vorcha in the galaxy and one of the most dangerous parts of the known galaxy, a constant source of pirates and other criminals as well as less a source of near endless manpower for less scrupulous mercenary companies like the Blood Pack.

The previous companies have all left with the only exception being the Volus company Elkoss Combine which escaped most of the trouble by the simple virtue of choosing a colony world, Coyopa, suitable for the Volus anatomy which automatically meant a world inhospitable to pretty much every other known race.

Omega Nebula
Organizations present:
Citadel Military

Citadel Companies
Terminus Companies
Aria

Citadel Criminals
Terminus Criminals

Description:
The Omega Nebula is the major gateway between Citadel space and the Terminus sector, rich in resources and claimed by many but controlled by none. While both the Turian Hierarchy as well as the Batarian Hegemony maintain naval outposts in the region and try to enforce some semblance of order most of the region follows the example of Omega and its philosophy of might makes right.

The number of groups active in the the area ranges from political splinter groups trying to their thing over companies wanting to escape stifling regulation to criminals and outcasts from all over the galaxy, sharing little but a desire for independence.

Akvian Dominion
Organizations present:
Akvian Dominion

Citadel Companies
Terminus Companies

Terminus Criminals

Description:
The Akvian Cluster is home to the Akvian Dominion, one of the major powers in the Terminus sector and spans over fifty systems. It is one of the more prosperous and safe regions of Terminus and the Dominion is quite welcoming to most outsiders though the low gravity common to the Akvians means few stay.

It's central location in south-west Terminus meanwhile is a double edged sword. One hand it means it is the centre for a lot of the trade but on the other hand it also means it is surrounded by enemies. Be it Batarian slavers from the south, Lsytheni acquisition agents from the north or the Vorcha scum of The Horde from Hell's Gate the Akvian border guard is generally stretched thin and overworked, though few if any raids make it into the Dominion proper.

Eastern Frontier
Organizations present:
Batarian Hegemony
Independent Systems

Drell Remnants

Citadel Companies
Terminus Companies

Terminus Criminals
Batarian Criminals

Description:
The Eastern Frontier is the region of Terminus that partly "borders" the Batarian Hegemony who a therefore pretty active in the area. Like the Omega nebulae it lacks a central authority and is rife with crime though it also holds a significant number of settled, civilised planets that to a large degree are inhabited by Citadel races.

Candarian Republic
Organizations present:
Candarian Republic

Description:
The Candarian solar system is the home of the Candarian Republic whose fear of a Batarian attack has led them to create extensive fortifications that are nearly unrivalled in the Terminus Sector. Due to the isolationist nature of the Republic outsiders are discouraged from visiting the system and thus little more is known about it.

Xian Cluster
Organizations present:
Madaniak Ascendency
Independent Systems

Terminus Companies

Terminus Criminals
Batarian Criminals

Description:
The Xian Cluster is a bit like the Eastern Frontier without the constant meddling of the Batarian Hegemony. Conflicts between the various groups active in it are common but generally of limited scale and intensity and unlike the Eastern Frontier non-Citadel aliens are a far bit more common here.

It is also home to the Madaniak Ascendency which has only recently made contact with the rest of the galaxy and of which not much is known.

Like with the Tion Cluster there is also an bid to convince the Citadel to allow a more liberal exploration of the Mass Effect Relays but the Akvian Consortium spearheading the effort lacks the connections of the Lystheni and it is thus highly unlikely that the Citadel will allow it any time soon.

Grimgor's Empire
Organizations present:
Grimgor's Empire

Blood Pack
Lystheni companies

Terminus Criminals
The Horde

Description:
There are many warlords in the Terminus systems but few if any have managed to reach the heights that the Krogan Warlord Grimgor has. From humble beginnings as a contractor of Elanus Risk Control Services (ERCS) Grimgor has managed to create his own little petty kingdom located on the border of Hell's Gate, centered around the planet of Amerath VI.

Consisting mainly of Krogan, Turian and Batarian mercenaries overseeing a large Vorcha slave population his kingdom is still a pretty rough place but as his recent cooperation with the Lystheni corporations Tri Technical and Anyc show Grimgor is determined to build something lasting, despite the ever present danger of Vorcha attacks and raids.

Chad Theocracy
Organizations present:
Chad Theocracy

???

Description:
The Chad Theocracy was one of the first races discovered during the initial exploration of the Terminus sector but it remains a mystery to this very day due to its isolationist policy and location inside a dense nebulae, which causes problems for most scanners. Many have tried to discover what lies behind it but few if any have lived to tell the tale.

Erandil · Jul 9, 2016

Explored systems:

Omicron Kappa system

Owned: DSX
Organisations present: DSX

Connected to:
Omircon Lamda - Jumphole
Alpha01 - Alien Jumpgate

Omicron Kappa is an isolated system deep in the Walker nebula and so far only barely explored. It only interesting feature is the presence of an alien Jump gate leading into the a currently unexplored part of the galaxy. It is only connection to civilised space is through wormholes to the Omicron Lambda system and then Omicron Theta where Freeport 9 is located. Non-jumphole travel directly from Freeport 9 would take around half a year.

Inner system:
The inner system of Omicron Kappa is an inhospitable area with very little of interest. The single planet orbiting the sun that closely is a barren planet with highly unstable tectonics.

Middle system:
The middle system is dominated by a massive asteroid field towards the inner system as well as the presence of a gas giant, orbited by seven moons of varying size and condition.

Outer system:
The outer system is home to several ice-based asteroid fields as well as three planets, all lifeless ice planets with no atmosphere. The alien Jump gate orbits places it near the middle one.

Nirn/Alpha-0-1 system

Owned: DSX
Organizations present: DSX

Connected to:
Omicron Kappa - Alien Jumpgate
Alpha02 - Jumphole

Inner system:
3 planets (resource rich, 2 with toxic atmosphere (1 of which has gases useful for terraforming), asteroid field (resource rich, radioactive materials)

Middle system:
2 planets, one a supermassive planet orbited by a single moon. (resource rich, ruins, alien microorganisms). The moon has a nearly breathable atmosphere and might be a candidate for terraforming

Outer system:
2 Gas giants (possible H-fuel production) with assorted moons and asteroids rings (resource poor), alien Jump Gate located in the orbit of of the gas giants. Also big asteroid field (resource rich, common ores) present.

Omicron Lambda:

Inner system:
1 gas planet on a decaying orbit (will become relevant in a few million years)

Middle system:
2 planets (one with 2 moons), both with useful resources if large scale industry is established

Outer system:
Massive asteroid field of varying density (ressources: common ores + alien organisms (low value))
Omicron Theta Jumphole
Omicron Kappa Jumphole

Hyrule/Alpha02:

Owned: DSX
Organizations present: DSX

Connected to:
Alpha01 -Jumphole

Inner system
2 Planet's (resources: medium)

Middle system:
Asteroid Belt (ressources: common ores, Pandora station) (Unexplored Jumphole), Gas Giant

Outer System:
Various Asteroid Clusters (ressources: Ice, common ores) (Alpha01 Jumphole, Unexplored Jumphole)

Voss/Alpha03:

Owned: DSX
Organizations present: DSX

Connected to:
Alpha01- Jumphole

Inner system:
2 planet's (resources: medium though very difficult to access)

Middle system:
1 destroyed planet/steroid field (resources: rare metals)

Outer system:
1 gas giant (possible source of H-fuel)
asteroid fields (resources: ice and common metals)
1 Mass Relay
Nirn Jumphole

Vega/Alpha04:

Owned: DSX
Organizations present: DSX

Connected to:
Alpha01- Jumphole

Inner system:
1 planet (no resources)
asteroid field (resources: ???)

Middle system:
2 planets (resources:???) one is a possible terraform candidate
1 gas giant (resources:???)
Nirn Jumphole

Outer system:
Asteroid field (resources: ice)
2 planet's (resources: ???)

System Map:

-> Jumpgate
-> Wormhole

Other relevant systems/information

Sigma 17 is a Border World system that lies outside the Sigma 19 system. The system is known for the amount of alien organisms in it which has attracted at least two corporations, Samura Heavy Industries and Cryer Pharmaceuticals, to establish bases there. The sole jump gate is located at the northeast side of the system, and connects to the Sigma 19 system.

Discovered by the GMG the system was ignored for decades before a Samura science team, at this time allied with the GMG, discovered the planet Kurile and it's highly useful micro-organisms. With the support of the GMG and generous support from the Kusari government, who saw an opportunity to strengthen its claim to the northern parts of the Omicron systems, Samura ordered the construction of a jump gate to the GMG system of Sigma 19 and established a base on Kurile. However shortly after the completion of the gate the GMG decided to ends its cooperation with Samura, preferring to work with Kishiro, which put a drastic halt to any plans Samura had regarding Sigma 17.

For decades the small base on Kurile was the only human presence in the system till the Zoner movement decided to establish Freeport 7 in a deserted Samura supply depot. They were later joined by Cryer Pharmaceuticals who build the Atka Research Station in Sigma 17 to have ready access to the alien organisms found in the Edge Worlds and, if rumours can be believed, to have a place of study beyond the grasp of noisy Liberty ethics commissions or competitors.

The wealth flowing into the system however attracted the attention of both the Corsairs and the Outcasts groups who both claimed the system themselves, creating the basis for one of the most bitter rivalries in all of Sirius.

Owned:Nobody, though Samura claims it
Organizations present: Samura, Cryer, Bounty Hunters, Outcasts, Corsairs

Connected to:
Sigma 13 - Jumphole
Sigma 19 -Jumphole and Jumpgate
Omicron Theta - Jumphole

Erandil · Jul 12, 2016

Zoners:
Considering his current local it is perhaps little surprising that the first thing Trent does is to get into contact with the Zoner leadership on Freeport 9. Trent had always had a good relationship with the Zoner movement for while he may not have shared their distrust of anything looking like an government he certainly understood their fascination and desire to explore the galaxy and to go and settle where no human had been before. In his travels he had thus often made a point of visiting the various bases the movement had in the Edge Worlds, offering his help and support where needed.

The Zoner leadership was therefore more than willing to support his new organization though the decentral structure and general philosophy of the movement meant that their contribution was a bit limited. However they promised their logistical support in building and supplying his new organization, especially in regards to foodstuffs and offered the services of the traders and transports for a very low price, a very useful thing to have in the rather lawless region of the Omicron systems. They were less forthcoming when it came to manpower and ships, unsurprising considering the nature of their organization, but Trent still managed to recruit a number of pilots experienced in exploring and mapping unexplored and potentially dangerous space. Least but no last the Zoner's also offered their services as a mediator and possible contact maker should Trent desire their help in that field.

(Summary: Logistical support, relatively safe traderoutes back into the Core Worlds, small but experienced science and exploration team, bonus to contacting independent or criminal factions as well as the ability to hire Freelancers)

Daumann Heavy Construction:
After coming to an agreement with the Zoner's Trent made his way to New Berlin and arranged a meeting with a representative of Daumann Heavy Construction. During his time as a Freelancer Trent had worked for the company in numerous cases and been responsible for the capture and or destruction of several high ranking Red Hessians, earning him the gratitude of several members of the board.

It was on this gratitude that allowed him to make his case directly to an influential member of said board. The talks were of a more mercenary nature than his talks with the Zoner's but in the end the man promised his support. In return for Trent's assistance in establishing a presence in the new sector once it was judged safe enough Daumann would support his organization with a not insignificant amount of money as well as ability to use the services of their shipyards at a at-cost level. To give this agreement some official background Trent and Daumann founded a joint-cooperation whose official goal was the exploration of the Walker Nebula (which covers most of the Omicron systems).

Besides the monetary support the company also promised to deliver construction and building materials when necessary, easily concealed by officially making those shipments getting lost to pirates.

(Summary: Significant monetary and material support, ability to relatively cheaply acquire commercial grade ships, contacts into Rheinland government)

Independent Miners Guild:
From New Berlin Trent travels to Freistadt Base in Omega 7 where he meets with the IMG. he might not be a miner himself but he assisted them in several exploration missions as well as escort and combat duty in the often highly dangerous Tau systems. Talks with IMG are a comparatively quick and easy affair, with the miners far less interested in the potential alien contacts and its repercussions and far interested about new, hopefully resource rich system being opened up. In return for a similar deal to Dauman they send Trent several of their top mining crews, with the necessary equipment, and promise to assist in establishing a more developed orbital industry later on if he desires it. They also send a squad of fighters, experienced in long range patrolling and difficult environment, to assist in security operations and would promise to send more if the conflict with the Outcasts calms down.

(Summary: Mining ships and crews as well as simple orbital industry, possible buyer for resources without getting attention of other organisations, a squad of fighters, ability to hire IMG later on)

BAF:
Trent has never viewed himself as a patriot but he has also have never been able to forget where he are came from either and had a positive opinion of the BAF ever since they helped him escape from Rheinland pursuers during the Nomad War at great sacrifice to themselves. It also helps that his foster father, Tobias, has been a member of the BAF and maintained close ties to the organisation. He was the one who later introduced Trent to George Grenville, the commander of the battleship Essex.

The Earl, like most Bretonian high officers he was a noble, was leading the military efforts against the Molly separatists in the Dublin sector at that time and needed some outside agents to help with his campaign.Together Trent and he uncovered a Molly aligned spy-ring on the battleship, prevented the terrorists from capturing the Hood, an originally abandoned battleship Hulk now in service by the IMG, and led a strike force against the Molly mainbase that nearly destroyed it. And since Trent was content to handsomely paid but otherwise stay outside of the public the good Admiral was able secure a lot positive publicity for himself and his command.

He is therefore more than happy to welcome Trent to his office and listen to his proposal when the later arrives at his offices in New London. At first he is sceptical when it comes to leaving such an important project to an independent organisation but Trent manages to convince of the advantages of operating outside normal regulations. At the end of the week, and a top secrets meeting with the Queen herself, the plan for future stands. The BAF will supply Trent with enough military hardware, ranging from small arms to heavy fighters, and pilots, many of who are veterans, to supply and maintain a medium sized taskforce as well as a Battalion of the Royal Marines.

[Summary: Military support from the BAF, connections to Bretonia government)

Organization:

Name:

Reputation: Unknown
Your organization has so far managed to stay secret

Ethos: Lawful
The large presence of highly trained military and industrial personnel means that your people tend to follow the rules and avoid ethically questionable actions.

Supply: Well supplied
The support of Daumann and Zoner's mean that your organisation is well supplied with basic resources and construction materials.

Manpower: 2.500
You are reasonably well staffed with many experienced people in non-combat roles, especially space exploration and mining

Military:
Level of equipment: Standard
Your military department is well equipped and can maintain several ongoing operations

Military forces:
Your military currently consists of a handful of BAF squads, a single squad from the IMG and two squads of Order heavy fighters.

"Ground" Forces:
A battalion of Royal Marines (BAF)

-----

After securing the necessary support Trent meets Orillion again to discuss the location for the new base. It is clear that it should be located in one of the two system connected by the alien Jumpgate but it is up to Trent to choose which of the two he wants to make his base of operation. Orillion favours Kappa, since it would be more defensible against attacks from whatever alien or human group are active on the other side but admits that focusing your efforts on the alien sector would protect you from attacks from the Sirius direction and could be diplomatically advantageous should the gate ever become public knowledge since parts the Walker nebula are claimed by various factions which could lead to complications.

Omicron Kappa system
Omicron Kappa is an isolated system deep in the Walker nebula and so far only barely explored. It only interesting feature is the presence of an alien Jump gate leading into the a currently unexplored part of the galaxy. It is only connection to civilised space is through wormholes to the Omicron Lambda system and then Omicron Theta where Freeport 9 is located. Non-jumphole travel directly from Freeport 9 would take around half a year.

Inner system:
The inner system of Omicron Kappa is an inhospitable area with very little of interest. The single planet orbiting the sun that closely is a barren planet with highly unstable tectonics.

Middle system:
The middle system is dominated by a massive asteroid field towards the inner system as well as the presence of a gas giant, orbited by seven moons of varying size and condition.

Outer system:
The outer system is home to several ice-based asteroid fields as well as three planets, all lifeless ice planets with no atmosphere. The alien Jump gate orbits is places it near the middle one.

Alpha-0-1 system
The system on the other side of the alien Jump gate, unimaginable named Alpha01, is even less explored than the Omicron Kappa system but preliminary scans suggest it's rich in minerals.

Inner system:
3 planets, 2 with toxic atmosphere, asteroid field

Middle system:
2 planets, one a supermassive earth orbited by a moon. The moon has a nearly breathable atmosphere and might be a candidate for terraforming

Outer system:
2 Gas giants with assorted moons and asteroids rings, alien Jump Gate located in the orbit of of the gas giants. Also big asteroid field present.

Asteroid Base: Using a hollowed out asteroid as a base is a cheap and quick way to get a reasonable sized base in space that has the advantage of already being hidden and masked from most cursory searches. However asteroid bases have limited room to expand which can become a problem later on and can only be created someplace where asteroids actually exist.

Starbase: A more traditional approach would be a simple starbase which can be placed anywhere in space and expanded as needed. However due to the difficulty of transporting large and heavy parts through Jumpholes going that route would likely mean that Trent would have to start with a intially smaller starbase than he would with a asteroid based one though the support from Daumann and the IMG goes a long way to negate that issue.

Planetary Base (specify which planet):
Establishing a planetary base is more difficult than staying in space and most organizations don`t think it worthwhile, especially considering the added complications it posses to landing and starting larger spacecraft. However a planetary base can be heavily fortified while still remaining relatively hidden.

Orillion also wants to know if you came up with a name for your organization.

[] Basetype + location
[] Name for organization

Freelancer: Terminus (Freelancer/MassEffect)

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