General terms :

Astra :

A term coined by the Empire of Mara, and widely used throughout the Known Universe, an astra is an interstellar distance measurement unit precisely equaling a single old Terran light year.

The Verge :

A general term used for all territories outside of the Infinite Systems Federation.

Nations :

The Infinite Systems Federation :

An organization, partway sovereign nation and partway economic alliance that comprises the most advanced and powerful nations in the Known Universe in some capacity or another.

The Empire of Mara :

A member nation of the Infinite Systems Federation, and one of it's founding members. Considered to be the military and industrial powerhouse of the Federation.

The Hyperdimensional Republic :

A member nation of the Infinite Systems Federation, and one of it's founding members. Considered to be the scientific powerhouse of the Federation.

The United Human Sovereignties :

A vast power bloc comprising many nations within the Infinite Systems Federation, and comprises several founding members. It is the most populous power bloc in the Federation and thus has the largest voting power. Is generally considered a nation by Federation outsiders, although in reality it is far more complicated.

The Taian Republic :

A nation that was completely dismantled in the aftermath of the Infinite-Taian war a hundred millenia ago, and virtually absorbed into the Infinite Systems Federation. Considered by many to be the last true challenger to the Federation's power ever since the Arc Ascendancy collapsed and some of it's successor states joined the Federation, the war it caused shaped the modern Verge, and led to the lessening of the isolationist policies that had kept the Federation more or less separate from the Verge's affairs for countless millenia.

The Nomadic Sul :

Halfway between a people and a nation, the nomadic Sul are the part of the Sul Continuum that decided to retain their nomadic tradition, and continue to travel the stars in their worldships after the Infinite Systems Federation rescued them from certain extinction. Despite being considered a Near Verge power, they maintain a nigh Federation level of technology and are a Federation Protectorate. Every Sul convoy is accompanied by a Federation dreadnought at the very least, a ship equipped with a portal beacon that, if triggered, would enable a war portal to be opened right next to the convoy and enable an immediate Federation military response.

The Alterian Directorate :

A major player in the Near Verge, the Alterian Directorate is a deeply technocratic nation that has been locked into a cold, occasionally hot, war with the Atlantean Republic for 50 thousand years, with the border area between the two powers having been completely sterilized in a cataclysmic conflict 30 millenia ago, which only ended thanks to a direct Federation intervention. This border area has since been renamed the Ashen Stars, and is now home to a wall of Imperial Star-class battle fortresses, serving as a reminder to both powers to stay within the rules of war.

The Atlantean Republic :

Arguably one of the largest and most powerful of the nations in the Near Verge, the Atlantean Republic has actually received it's invitation to join the Infinite Systems Federation. Of course, such a process is neither quick or easy, and the Atlantean Republic's parliament is negotiating the terms of membership within the Federation...and has been for over half a millenia. The situation is often used as a joke by the Republic's opponents and rivals, to the point that it has even begun to percolate outside of the Near Verge, into lesser polities and even the Federation itself, albeit in an very limited capacity in the latter. This isn't helped by the fact that the issue between joining now or holding out for better terms is hugely divisive in the Republic itself, from lambda citizens up to the highest levels of it's government.

The Seltari Star Dominion :

A relatively young nation originating from the Elkator galaxy, the Seltari Star Dominion has existed for barely a millenia and a half, over the course of which it united the Elkator galaxy under it's banner through various means, before leading the colonization efforts in the Thaumor galaxy. The Dominion suffered a catastrophic civil war 65 years ago, that ended 50 years ago, but left the Dominion Navy badly depleted, and the Dominion as a whole highly unstable as a result. It also forced the Dominion to cede direct sovereignty over it's colonies in Thaumor, establishing a Protectorate.

The Thaumor Protectorate :

An organization that was created at the end of the Dominion's civil war, this quasi-nation technically englobes all of the Dominion's old colonies. It unifies them under a single currency, trade policies, and officially at least a single constitution and interstellar military. Interstellar security is supposed to be insured by the Dominion Navy, but it's power in Protectorate worlds has been severely limited. The Protectorate is considered by many to be doomed to fail, and highly volatile at best.

Regions :

The Protectorate Core :

The original arrival site for the Dominion's colonization expedition, and a star cluster containing one of the largest deposit of Divinium ever found. These systems have been colonized in some form or another for centuries, and are considered the most advanced and industrialized systems in Thaumor. All of these systems are firmly under the Dominion's authority and fiercely defended by the Dominion Navy.

The Protectorate Periphery :

A vast and rather vague disk surrounding the Core, approximately 6 thousand astras in radius, the Periphery contains a variety of systems that have been colonized and developing for long enough to be considered fully self sufficient and capable of volume industrial production.

The Protectorate Fringe :

A small disk englobing the Periphery, approximately 2 thousand astras in radius, the Fringe contains star systems that have been colonized relatively recently, and are still effectively dependent on supplies from the rest of the galaxy for effective development and sometimes even outright survival. Fringe systems are often lightly defended, if at all, and make prime targets for pirate and raiders.

The Protectorate Boundary :

The official line that delimits the end of the Protectorate's influence, the boundary is generally considered the be the end of inhabited space in the Thaumor galaxy. It isn't strictly true, but the frequency of inhabited star systems drops massively afterwards, and peters to nothing after a few hundred astras.

Wild Space :

Although a general term referring to uncolonized or lightly colonized areas of the universe, Wild Space is used in Thaumor to designate all of the regions outside of the Protectorate Boundary. Wild Space is generally uninhabited, and the few colonies that exist there are usually extremely backwards in technology and poorly developed.

Dead Space :

A general term referring to an area where all habitable worlds have been destroyed, usually through another nation rising then collapsing catastrophically, much like the Terran Empire. Most regions of Dead Space are interdicted by the Federation, or generally considered completely useless for anything but measly salvage.

Interdicted Space :

From primitive human systems still clawing their way towards spaceflight to the obliterated ruins of interstellar empires infested with hegemonic nanoswarms, interdicted space is an area the Federation has forbidden anyone from accessing without express Federal approval. Any ship that exits hyperspace in these regions is immediately fired upon by automated defence systems, or in some of the more severe cases, outright swatted out of hyperspace and hunted down by the naval detachment enforcing the interdiction. There are very few systems interdicted like this in Thaumor, but the handful of exceptions are famous for the Federation's ruthless enforcement of the interdiction.

Protectorate Factions :

The Thaumor Revolutionary Front :

An extremely paranoid and secretive group of galactic terrorists and revolutionaries, whose official manifesto is to free the Thaumor galaxy from Dominion occupation, through any means necessary.

The Condor Sector :

One of the 3 Protectorate sectors to have lead the fight against the Dominion during the civil war, the Condor sector is particular in that it contained a cluster of exceptionally habitable and mineral rich worlds, thought to be an old Terran nature preserve. This has made the sector exceptionally fast developing and eventually extremely rich and powerful. It has also used to house several rival colonies attempting to exploit the resources of the sector, a rivalry that exploded into outright military conflict. Oddly enough, the conflict reached a diplomatic resolution before the Dominon Navy was able to mobilize, as the colonial navies effectively annihilated each other. Nowadays the Condor sector is the most populous and industrialized sector in Thaumor, bar the Protectorate Core itself, and quite possibly possesses the largest standing navy in the galaxy outside of the Dominion Navy itself.

The Alientia Sector :

One of the 3 Protectorate sectors to have lead the fight against the Dominion during the civil war, the Alientia sector is a strange anomaly in industrial development. In theory this sector, which had a distinct lack of inhabitable worlds, should have been poorly developed and a forgotten backwater. In practice however it's inhabitants refused to back down, and constructed an impressive space based industry spanning the whole sector, producing entire fleets of homemade ships, and evolving as an almost entirely space based civilization. This wealth of ships allowed for plentiful commerce...And unquestioning shipyards made them the hub of pirate and mercenary activity in the galaxy. Not for fighting, but for selling their catches and buying new ships. The sector was eventually blockaded by the Dominion Navy, nearly driving it to starvation and complete ruin, before the fleets enforcing the blockade were recalled when the civil war began. Ever since the Alientia sector has positively hated the Dominion, and barely tolerates the Dominion Navy's massively reduced presence in it's space.

The Sortor Sector :

One of the 3 Protectorate sectors to have lead the fight against the Dominion during the civil war, the Sortor sector is an oddity in that it was not actually founded by the Dominion. Rather the sector was colonized a few decades after the Dominion began establishing itself in Thaumor by a refugee fleet from the Averan Empire, a collapsing Low Verge nation from a nearby galaxy. The colonist brought their tech base with them, unfortunately they were ill prepared for colonizing such uncharted space, and their colonies nearly collapsed into barbarity and slaughter, until the Dominion came to their rescue. This has resulted in the Dominion and Sortor having a close relationship....Right up until the civil war, where the Sortor sector was reluctantly forced to fight against the Dominion.

Technology levels :

Near Verge :

The Near Verge is simultaneously a technology level and a geographical situation. It designates the oldest, most technologically advanced nations of the Verge, which are usually very near or outright bordering the Infinite Systems Federation. The Near Verge technology level is characterized by interdimensional travel, either through jump drives and portals, as well as the ability to effectively and massively colonize shattered star systems. It is also considered to be the highest possible level of technology without being invited to join the Federation, an invitation that is rarely refused.

High Verge :

High Verge designates a technology level, which is characterized by fast intergalactic travel, dimensional interference drives for ships and the appearance of the first super-capital ships like super-dreadnoughts.

Mid Verge :

Mid Verge designates a technology level, which is characterized by the appearance of slow intergalactic travel, dimensional interference drives for missiles, and the first man portable gauss weapons.

Low Verge :

Low Verge designates a technology level, which is characterized by the essential technologies for an interstellar power : hyperdrives, grav drives, artificial gravity generators, ect. The upper end of the Low Verge also sees the appearance of capital ships like battleships, and sometimes even dreadnoughts.

Primitive :

Primitive designates a technology level which is characterized by it's inability for fast interstellar travel. Most primitive worlds are either interdicted by the Infinite Systems Federation or newly contacted worlds still implementing the Low Verge technology from the universal first contact package.

Intergalactic organizations :

The Imperial Frontier Fleet :

A vast organization built by the Empire of Mara specifically to project force and exert influence outside of it's borders. The original frontier fleet's mandate was restricted to neighboring territories, making sure to suppress piracy and generally stabilize the regions to prevent unrest and pirate fleets from spilling over into imperial space. Nowadays the frontier fleet's mandate has been vastly expanded, and they are one of the most common Infinite Systems organizations operating in the Verge. It should be noted that the frontier fleet's reputation is...mixed. In some areas they are seen as saviors, while in others they are seen as genocidal monsters. This is mainly due to the Imperial Doctrine of Eradication, applied especially harshly to slavery, where complete annihilation of the offenders is a recommended solution. Usually considered to be vastly harsher and more dangerous than other Infinite Systems military organizations, they are nonetheless extremely effective and generally well thought of in areas they set up fleet bases in, thanks to their extremely thorough and effective anti piracy campaigns as well as humanitarian assistance.

The Imperial Bureau of Commerce :

Also simply referred to as 'Commerce', this organization's history is...varied. Originally an association of Imperial free traders formed after trade with other nations was opened during the Imperial Renaissance, it evolved into a massive networks of corporations, entrepeneurs and private military companies. Eventually, this whole coalesced into a single coherent entity, the Imperial Corporation of Commerce, a megacorporation with more military power than many Near Verge power. However at the end of the Corporate War of 700 000, when most major megacorporations rose against the Federation in an attempt to take over, the Corporate Edict was put into place, and all mega corporations were shattered, even those that had sided with the Federation like Commerce. Except that the Empire recognized the bone deep loyalty of the members of Commerce, many of which were reserve or retired officers from the Imperial Army, and decided to purely and simply turn Commerce into a full government office. All of it's military assets were absorbed into the Imperial Army, and Commerce, with the full power of the Imperial government behind it, flourished once more. Nowadays Commerce regulates and run most of the Empire's international trade, and still upholds it's old traditional networks of entrepeneurs. This had led Commerce to become a quite well known name for certain circles in the Verge, as a trustworthy and reliable source of Federation technology...albeit mostly civilian in nature. Commerce is also somewhat famous for massively using the Caravel class cruisers and Galleon class battleships, designs from the Tara-Ris-Kitsune Syndicate which were rejected by the Imperial Army for it's building programs, but authorized for large scale commercialization.

The Interstellar Atrocity Tribunal :

Usually referred as the Atrocity Tribunal, this organization is an odd mix between an international court, diplomatic group and military force. The tribunal's goal is to judge and punish atrocities, usually the mass murder of sapient beings, wherever they take place (on paper at least, the tribunal tends to defer to the Federation's own courts when such events take place in the Federation's territory). Due to the sheer size of the Known Universe, and it's relatively sparse resources, the tribunal tends to only intervene in the most severe of cases. However when it does intervene it does so with overwhelming force, as the tribunal fields a naval force equivalent to entire High Verge navies in terms of sheer hulls, often with much greater technology. Most of the tribunal's personnel originates from the Infinite Systems Federation, although 30% of it comes from the Near Verge, and 5% from various less advanced polities. The tribunal's military forces are mainly there to enact the tribunal's rulings in case of an uncooperative government, and exert pressure. Since the tribunal's forces are loaned from national militaries, usually from the Near Verge or the Federation's various member states, this has enormous weight, as while the ships are formally under tribunal command, their crews are still active military personnel, and attacking tribunal ships could entail massive diplomatic consequences.

The Gold-Silver Concordat :

An organization resulting from a treaty so old it predates the Infinite Systems Federation itself, the Concordat bans the use of biological, nanotechnological and psionic weaponry, as well as severely restrict research into these fields. The Concordat is notable in that it has the overwhelming and total support of the Federation, and it's member states. Overwhelming as in the Concordat has access to the Federation's arsenal of super weapons, up to and including galaxy killers. Famous mainly for it's overwhelming response to violations, which have historically ranged from interstellar governments being dismantled, to entire galaxies being obliterated. When the Concordat intervenes, everyone moves out of the way, including the Federation itself. Fortunately however, actual Concordat interventions are rare, and most of the organization's job is keeping tabs on research laboratories and making sure their research and associated risks are within acceptable thresholds. It is worth noting that the Concordat does not care if a given infection/weapon was meant as a weapon in the first place, if it has caused damage or death it is considered one. Given the extreme danger involved in psionic technologies, this has effectively evolved into a nigh total ban on psionic research, and a drastic slow down in nanotechnological advancements. Bio-engineering research remains less affected, mainly due to the diversity of the field, although terraforming research has generally slowed down as well.

Technologies :

Grav-drive :

Also called gravitational drives, the grav-drive is one of the key technologies considered necessary for a true interstellar nation, and is usually part of the first contact package given to newly contacted primitive worlds. Grav-drives generate an artificial gravity well to accelerate an object without using reaction mass, and is thus key in moving ships through realspace without enormous expenditure of fuel. It does, however have several massive disadvantages. First, the grav drive's life expectancy diminishes exponentially the higher it's maximum acceleration, which means that low cost grav-drives tend to be extremely slow, and even military drives are heavily restricted in their maximum acceleration. Grav-drives are also nigh on impossible to hide to sensors, and extremely easy to detect at long distances. Lastly, high acceleration grav-drives are extremely vulnerable to damage, and will shut down quite easily by precision shots, although repairing it is not necessarily time consuming.

Dimensional Interference Drive :

The mainstay of high tech spaceship engines throughout the Known Universe, the dimensional interference drive is a technology developed by the Empire of Mara during the era of the Old Empire. The technology is extremely complex, and few have more than purely empirical knowledge of it, but it manages to generate extreme amounts of momentum for relatively small amounts of energy. The main catch however is that the drive has an 'exhaust', a form of drive plume, where the drive exerts immense pressure on the barrier separating realspace from other dimensions. This interference zone is extremely hazardous, as any matter caught within it can be catapulted into another dimension, which in turns further destabilizes the area, causing more matter to be transported...if enough matter is present, a chain reaction triggers, and the dimensional interference areas grows exponentially until the drive itself is destroyed. For super-capital ships, this can mean devastation on a planetary scale. While the damage is impressive, it is less effective and reliable than simply using nuclear warheads, and thus rarely weaponized. It should be noted that two interference areas overlapping from drives not specifically calibrated to do so will lead to the same phenomena. It is also possible for it to trigger purely by having a too powerful drive on it's own, which is the reason why the Infinite Systems Federation limits such drive to super-dreadnoughts at maximum, and any larger capital ships uses grav-drives.

There are several main advantages to the dimensional interference drive compared to the grav drive. First, it is vastly more energy efficient, allowing much greater accelerations for a lower energy cost. Then it is nigh impossible to detect at any range, the drive interference area being the only detectable emission, and will only show up on the inherently short range dimensional density scanners, or a long exposure light sensor, checking for anomalies in light coming in from stars (as some photons will get warped by the interference area). Lastly, the drives themselves are incredibly resilient, being able to lose a significant amount of their components before completely failing. This is partly due to their high technology requirements, enabling significant redundancy, but also because the drive relies on a multitude of identical components instead of a few key ones like a grav drive, and can thus afford to lose some, only losing in efficiency or maximum acceleration due to damage rather than failing outright like a grav drive.

Psionics :

Psionics are an...odd technological field. Discovered by accident by the Old Empire of Mara when experimenting on mind transfer technology, psionics are very different from their depiction in popular holovids. Rather than mind over matter, it is the complete opposite, matter over mind. No reports exist of 'psychics' capable of moving objects with their minds, or other magic phenomena, although a fair number of charlatans, with the aid of concealed gravity generators, have certainly tried. Rather, every sapient being, from AIs to humans to aliens, appear to possess what many refer to as a soul, a form of unique, utterly impossible to duplicate identifier. Research into this field is usually extremely limited, as attempts to delve further have nearly systematically resulted in mass casualties. This has, in fact, been theorized to be intended, and that psionics and souls are actually a weapon system meant to quickly eliminate sapients on a mass scale. Given the fact that there is no reference to them in any Terran Imperial document, and the complete slaughter resulting from Terra's fall...It is a thought that keeps many scientists up at night. Regardless, although progress in the field is slow, several technologies have been developed from it, like the full, 'true' transfer of a human mind into a digital medium, or vice versa, without the reset of their soul, as well as a whole panoply of psionic identification technology, relying on souls as an identification system, which forms the basis of the Federation's authentification system, from military officers clearance to voting systems.

Major Eras and Events :

Note : I am creating this section as a placeholder until I can write a (concise) timeline, since several eras that have not been described in the story are referred in this document.

New Imperial Era (NIE) : A calendar introduced by the Empire of Mara, which gradually seeped in to other nations' cultures, and eventually became the primary timekeeping method in the Known Universe. A year in this calendar is equivalent of a standard terran years.

984 746 NIE : Present day.

~900 000 NIE : Taian-Infinite war.

~700 000 NIE : Infinite Corporate War.

36 153 NIE : Founding of the Infinite Systems Federation.

13 000 NIE : End of the Imperial Renaissance.

12 000 NIE : End of the Imperial Civil War, beginning of the Imperial Renaissance.

0 NIE : End of the Old Imperial Era. The Imperial Civil War begins.

~ -1 600 000 NIE : The Great Collapse of the Terran Empire begins. The Empire of Mara and the Arc Ascendancy are founded. Beginning of the Old Imperial Era.