Ancients: Race of intelligent non-humans
who excercised control (approximately 300,000 years ago) over the territory
now ruled by the Imperium. The Ancients remain a puzzle with little actually
known about their culture. Their technology has been proven to be
far superior to current Imperial technology.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the Ancients destroyed
themselves in a 2,000-year-long war which effectively destroyed their cities
and some planets with surprising efficiency.
The Ancients are considered responsible for the dissemination
of humans from Terra to their various worlds. At the same time, evidence
suggests that they manipulated the genes of Terran dogs to create the Vargr.
Collace: (District 268 0407 B628943-D): Highest population world in District 268, and major industrial center. Collace was one of the first worlds settled in the District and is the primary candidate for its capital when or if it is integrated into the Imperium.
Directions, Galactic: Conventions which express galactic direction are based on the core of the galaxy and the direction of its rotation. Toward galactic core is coreward; away from it is rimward. The direction of galactic rotation is spinward; the opposite direction is trailing.
Frontier Wars: A
series of interstellar wars fought between the Imperium and the Zhodani
Consulate for the control of the Spinward marches.
The First Frontier war (589-604) was the
initial clash between the Imperials and the Zhodani and expelled the Imperial
settlers from regions spinward of the Marches. The armistice in 604
gave the Imperium much of Villis and Querion subsectors while the Zhodani
recieved Chronor subsector, formerly Imperial territory.
The Second Frontier war (615-620) resulted
when the Zhodani saw the Imperium paralyzed by its Civil War; and seized
the opportunity to profit by its diversion. The Imperium fought holding
actions until local shipyards could complete a battle fleet, which then
forced an armistice, but only by ceding more Imperial territory to the
Zhodani.
The Third Frontier war (979-986) saw surprise
Zhodani attacks followed by years of deep penetration attacks against high
population worlds, and commerce raiding by both sides. It resulted
in the creation of a demilitarized zone between the two sides, and the
loss of several more Imperial worlds to the Zhodani.
The Fourth Frontier war (1082-1084) has
been called the false war because of its brevity and lack of conclusion.
Apparently started by accident (in a meeting between Imperial and Zhodani
fleet elements) its conclusion saw the exchange of a few worlds and little
else.
The Fifth Frontier war (1107-1110) began
with widespread Zhodani attacks along the Imperial border and a siege of
Efate in the Regina subsector. Deep raids along the border struck
as far into the interior as Rhylanor subsector. The war ended in
an armistice although the Imperium came out on top in the exchanges.
Megacorporation:
An extremely large interstellar corporation. When a corporation's scope
of operations are such that it provides services to an area similar to
that controlled by Imperial government, it earns the name megacorporation.
Only thirteen such companies exist within the Imperium, along with another
thirteen based in other interstellar states.
Because of their size, megacorporations
have truly astronomical numbers of employees, shareholders, and profits.
Their upper level executives labor at broad policy questions, and are largely
out of contact with the day-to-day (and even year-to-year) activities of
the corporation. The real power in the company lies in the hands of the
regional managers (under whatever title they have) Who control the actual
operations of the business. While they may control only a small fraction
of the megacorporation's assets, they wield more power in some areas than
do the representatives of the Imperial government.
A small number of Imperial regulatory
agencies have power over the megacorporations, and the companies are subject
to any applicable local taxes as well. Nevertheless, if Imperial sovereignty
is not blatantly violated, regional managers can usually conduct their
company' s business as they see fit.
Solomani: Strictly,
a member of that human race which developed on Terra from the original
human stock (Homo Sapiens). The term Solomani is often used to refer to
members of the Solomani race (or, more palatably to some, to members of
the human race of Solomani descent) or to members of the Solomani political
movement. Its original meaning is obscure, but the word seems to have derived
from either "men of Sol" or "sole men".
After the Solomani developed jump drives
in -2431, Solomani humans scattered to the stars in several waves. Early
colonisation efforts first settled the worlds closest to Terra; the later
conquest of the First Imperium and the establishment of the Rule of Man
sent more Solomani humans out primarily to occupy former Vilani controlled
regions.
Spinward Main: A grouping of systems in the Spinward Marches sector, each within jump-1 of another. This grouping forms a corridor that allows jump-1 capable ships to travel to fifteen of the sixteen Spinward Marches subsectors and to 223 of the sector's 437 worlds.
SuSAG: (Schunamann
und Sohn AG, LIC)
SuSAG is involved in a wide range of chemical,
pharmaceutical, and genetic engineering activities. SuSAG is the primary
manufacturer of anagathics for the Imperium, and maintains psi drug manufacturing
plants in client states outside Imperial borders. Because of the bad reputation
for safety of its chemical/biological warfare division, the firm is not
well liked in many regions, even though all of SuSAG's dangerous manufacturing
plants and experimental stations are located on remote, uninhabited planetoids.
Since sabotage of its plants is wide spread, and its products extremely
valuable, the firm maintains a large paramilitary security force equipped
at tech level 12-14 standards.
SuSAG was founded in 252 by Gustav Schunamann,
financed from royalties received for his purification process for various
psionic drugs, and using the shell of a bankrupt Sylean firm (hence the
archaic AG in its name). In 800, psi drugs were declared illegal, all plants
engaged in their manufacture within the Imperium closed, and all stocks
confiscated and destroyed. Fortunately for SuSAG, the firm had by then
expanded into other operations, and although badly damaged, managed to
survive and prosper.
In the Spinward Marches, SuSAG has facilities
on many industrial worlds. The company supplies a large proportion of the
sectors chemical and biological weapons, and owns several isolated laboratories
in the Glisten (Spinward Marches/Glisten 2036) belt.
Stock Ownership: Schunamann family- 52%,
Imperial family- 2%, Hortalez et Cie- 9%, Other corporations- 24%, Private
ownership- 7%, Other- 6%.
Third Imperium: (0 to present) Founded in the year 0 by Cleon,first Emperor, as the successor to the Sylean Federation, a growing, expanding government centered in territory formerly part of the First and Second Imperiums. The rise of the Third Imperium marked the end of the Long Night and the beginning of the present day interstellar goverment. The Third Imperium contains more than 11,000 worlds in an area more than 700 parsecs across.
Tukera Lines: Tukera
Lines operates a vast fleet of passenger and freight vessels throughout
the Imperium, following the Xboat lines. In some subsectors (particularly
the older, more established regions of the Imperium) Tukera Lines has a
virtual monopoly on long distance shipping and travel.
The oldest record of the firm is a charter
from the government of the Sylean Federation, but family tradition holds
the company to be several centuries older.
In the Spinward Marches Tukera runs passenger
and freight services between all the worlds on the xpress boat routes.
In support of these operations, the company also owns marketing facilities,
shipyards, ports and even staff training colleges. Their most extensive
holdings are the transport company based in Aramis subsector, which is
wholly owned by Tukera. The corporation uses its Imperium wide connections
to provide highly profitable markets for the unusual products of the subsectors.
Stock Ownership: Tukera family- 29%, Imperial
family- 3% Other corporations- 9%, Private ownership- 31%, Investment trusts-
28%.
Vargr: Intelligent major race derived from Ancient genetic manipulations of Terran carnivore/chaser stock, which apparently dates from approximately the same time that humaniti was scattered to the stars.
Vilani: Human major race (Homo sapiens) that developed on Vland from human stock placed there by the Ancients.
Zhodani: Human
major race (Homo sapiens) inhabiting the Zhodani Consulate, a region far
spinward of the Imperium.
The Zhodani are a branch of Humaniti similar in most respects to other
human races. In general, they tend to be taller than Solomani or Vilani,
and lithe of build. Their most important difference is the acceptance and
use of psionics.