This is a new player's summary to the totality - or at least, as much as we can summarize quickly - of the Aurora server's most essential lore.
This is the first in a series of multiple guides that are connected to Guides/Character Creation. Once you're finished reading this, you are more than equipped with the knowledge necessary to create your character using that guide!
Below is absolutely recommended reading if you are new to the server!
The year is 2464 CE (Common Era). Humanity has long since began its trek into space, and explored territory reaches out dozens of lightyears in every direction. After a century beyond the 2000's, flourishing cities had been established in nearby systems such as Tau Ceti and Eridani Federation, and in the centuries that would follow, hundreds of systems would fall under the control of Humanity. Outposts on garden worlds became metropolises in the span of decades. Entire asteroids and moons were mined out, hostile worlds were terraformed and subdued by growing corporations that began to become the dominant economic powers of Human space. Some humans have decided to roam the Orion Spur for the rest of their lives, living on their vessels and developing their own culture. The endeavors into the final frontier were founded beneath the unified banner of the Sol Alliance - a fading galactic government which exercises official control over the majority of the Human population.
At the end of the 22nd century, the power and influence of the Sol Alliance was at its height, but this soon came to an end as an unexpected economic collapse found trans-stellar corporations picking away at Sol Alliance authority piece by piece. In the middle of the prosperity and strife, transtellars have for centuries embarked to make massive profits. The major corporate players had managed to establish a stable, if shaky peace between themselves, with no single corporation able to completely dominate the others.
Together, they exercised total economic control over the known galaxy.
Any semblance of equilibrium between the mega-corps was shattered with NanoTrasen's discovery of the element Phoron in 2417. Phoron is a powerful element which is highly sought after for its untold capabilities and use in the average starship drive. After discovering Phoron, NanoTrasen quickly established a monopoly on it, with themselves sitting on the largest deposits in the known galaxy. The times that followed sent NanoTrasen skyrocketing to unofficially become the foremost power over Humanity. Through determination and overwhelming wealth, it and the other megacorporations have become the dominant governing force over the expanse of the Orion Spur.
Humanity is far from alone in the Spur, with multiple other sentient species taking to interstellar travel and contesting Humanity’s claim to the stars. In 2332, the Skrell were discovered, and since, a plethora of others were encountered, including the crafty Tajara, the proud Unathi, the enigmatic Vaurcae, and the elegant Dionae. Many more exist, and while most are simply apathetic to humanity, others are openly hostile. If one thing can be said to unite the various species, it is the drive to control the powerful element Phoron.
After late 2462 and the beginning of the massive phoron scarcity, the Solarian Alliance has begun its final collapse. Thus far, its jurisdiction has retreated to the Core Worlds and the area around Earth, while other major factions rushed to fill the power vacuum. Chaos has stricken the former Alliance territories for the most part - now labelled the Human Wildlands.
Now, the corporations - outside of the Alliance at least, have banded together under the ultimate authority of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. This new force promises to safeguard the financial livelihood of every living being in the known galaxy. With the “big five” corporations taking the stage, anything could happen. Only Einstein Engines remains to contest their power financially, supporting a crippled Alliance whose forces have largely revolted amidst the Wildlands.
The setting, and your workplace
With the unveiling of the SCCV Horizon, the setting to which players have access stretches across the entirety of the Orion Spur. The SCCV Horizon is under the joint control of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, a holdings corporation that has significant influence over the direction of the setting. You, among others, have been assigned to work aboard the SCCV Horizon, a state-of-the-art general-purpose vessel that travels across the Orion Spur with the primary objective to uncover Phoron, however, secondary objectives exist at the whim of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Due to the SCC operating the Horizon, they have the final say on Occupation Qualifications. While many jobs will have specific qualifications that can be found on their job pages, the base line qualifications to work aboard the Horizon can be found here: Stellar Corporate Conglomerate Occupation Qualifications.
In recent times (2462 and beyond) the setting has taken a turn for the worst as phoron scarcity threatens to drive the galaxy into the ground. While phoron remains in steady supply, its finite sources grow thinner by the day - soon enough, civilization will suffer the consequences.
Your Place in the Workplace
All players including staff are subject to the believable character rule. More details on that rule can be found in the server rules, found here.
With this said, your place in the workplace is extremely flexible. It would not be a stretch to say you can be whatever you want on the Aurora server, within reason. Get creative! The possibilities are endless, and storied lore backgrounds are always here to help guide character creation.
Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, your binding rules are generally things such as being related to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and being aboard the SCCV Horizon legally. Opportunities to subvert even these rules are available but are not the same as player characters made from character setup unless exclusively permitted by staff. More details on these exceptions can be found on the Guide to Ghost Roles page!
The vast majority of characters on the server are employees of the corporations beneath the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. These individuals come in all shapes and sizes, with all of them sharing similar and quite low ranks in the megacorporate hierarchy. Certain ranks are afforded different privileges, such as medical practitioners and corporate security. Playing an official of higher rank is barred behind a whitelist to ensure quality control. Independent individuals or unaffiliated individuals are accessible as well through character setup. These roles include megacorporate-unaffiliated journalists, passengers, and third-party vessel teamS who have found their way to the setting somehow.
The Economy
The Biesel Standard Credit (电/CR) is one of the dominating currencies that exist within the Orion Spur and was created shortly after the Republic of Biesel’s declaration of independence in 2452. It sees usage outside of the Republic, within the Izweski Hegemony, who adopted it as their official currency following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, and some sections of the Coalition of Colonies near the shared border, as well as the People’s Republic of Adhomai. The BSC is available in electronic, bankcard and traditional notes forms that have the symbol of a lit torch on them. Responsibility for the currency falls to the Central Biesel Banking Authority, which is located in District One of Mendell City, the capital of the Republic of Biesel. It oversees monetary policy and the supply of the Biesel Standard Credit, with assistance from Idris Incorporated. Similarly to the Solarian Standard Credit, the BSC is able to function as a fiat currency.
Your Place in the Economy
The financial status of your character varies on a character-by-character and player-by-player basis. To reiterate, the believable character rule must be taken into account here - a security officer very simply has no excuse to be a billionaire, nor does a cargo technician have the ability to be an Interstellar War veteran. However, the pedantics of the extent of one’s wallet is in player control, barring mechanically of course. With this said, the cost of living is clarified or can be gleaned by context virtually anywhere set in lore - questions surrounding this can be directed to lore developers of the respective topic.
The setting is based in the majority of the Orion Spur, the part of the Milky Way in which the Sol System - and its surrounding hundred lightyears, roughly - resides. It is very open-ended and diverse in its nature, and not wholly charted yet - the deep Frontier hardly scratches the surface of the unknowable depths of the galaxy.
More details on the expanse of the mapped galaxy can be found here.
The expansion of Humanity has reached out in every direction, only stopping in the galactic west as they border the Nralakk Federation. Otherwise, their all-encompassing exploration has given them free reign to conquer the untouched - or abandoned - regions of the galaxy.
The major Human factions of the Orion Spur are numerous, but share a common theme in that they are universally affected by a catastrophe known as the Interstellar War. From this disastrous conflict, many new factions cropped up, with most opposed to the rule of the Sol Alliance.
An amphibian race hailing from Nralakk IV, Qerrbalak.
An amphibious species whose passion mostly lays in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the second oldest and first most advanced known species present on the galactic stage. The Skrell evolved on a planet covered in vast swamps and freshwater seas, also being one of the only species in the Orion Spur to naturally develop psionics.
The cold-blooded Unathi are a race of tall humanoid reptiles from their war-torn homeworld of Moghes. The planet’s history can be summarized as being dominated by various Clans of Unathi, with the strongest being the Hegemon of Moghes. Following first contact with Skrell and Humanity, there was a violent outbreak of nuclear war that formed a vast world-dominating desert called the Wasteland which has made life difficult for the Unathi. The surviving side of this war, the Izweski Hegemony, has struggled to bring a balance between expanding their empire off-world, or reconstructing their ancestral planet. Grandiose and Space-Operatic, the themes behind Unathi follow the struggle of religion, spirituality, honor, and rigid gender roles.
The Tajaran race is a species of feline-like bipeds hailing from the planet of Adhomai in the S'rand'marr system. They have been brought up into the space age by the Humans and Skrell, who alledgedly influenced their eventual revolution that overthrew their ancient monarchies to become a totalitarian - and NanoTrasen friendly - republic. Adhomai is currently under a cold war between three factions in the aftermath of a global conflict, and many Tajara are fleeing their homeworld to seek safety and employment in human space.
The mostly bipedal, insectoid creatures hailing from the moon known as Sedantis I, Vaurca (Vaurca in singular term and Vaurcae in multiple), were discovered after the first hiveship contact in human space, 2456. They once had access to great technology, however they had to flee their doomed homeworld. They have a complex caste system based on three types, and use something known as the hivenet to communicate in thoughts and feelings near instantly between themselves, and enter a paradisiacal virtual reality. They require phoron to respirate, as well as requiring a unique and dangerous fungus, the k’ois spore, to sustain them. Although barely tolerated in the known galaxy, many have found homes in the more unkempt areas of their host’s society. There are four known hives - Zo’ra, K’lax, C’thur, and Lii’dra. The largest, and most common hive in Tau Ceti is the Zo'ra hive. The Lii’dra, unique in that they are a true hivemind, are known as a powerful and secretive force and are hostile to most other entities known - including the other hives.
A mysterious plant-like race hailing from the depths of space.
Dionae (D. Primis) are a rather strange, cryptic species in comparison to the rest found in the Orion Spur. They have various forms comprised of cat-sized caterpillar-like creatures with a curious, childlike disposition - called Dionae Nymphs.
Enigmatic witnesses to various events through the centuries, the Dionae are an inquisitive species with a pacifistic disposition after gaining sentience. Their origins, behaviour and functions are never alike - with each being as unique as the next. The Dionae are capable of great intellectual, biological and physical feats going above and beyond what was considered possible for millennia. Dionae are similar to both plant and animal, however, they primarily survive off of the electromagnetic spectrum coinciding with a diet of biological matter to supplement their growth. Their inability to adapt to survive without lack of radiation can lead to death, if not exposed to at least efficient lighting. Dionae have been seen across the Orion Spur, each with a unique history and personality.
Robotic entities making use of Skrellian AI algorithms to match sentience, to a degree.
An Integrated Positronic Chassis, or IPC, is an artificial intelligence inside of a bipedal, humanoid frame. IPCs are primarily characterized by their autonomy, not being bound to a master AI or set of laws. Often built to carry out a single, career-related purpose, they come in many different chassis, with varying degrees of intelligence. Within known space, their existence is a contentious topic with IPCs being seen as property or second-class citizens, undeserving of the rights other species possess.
The term “synthetic” refers to a broad range of autonomous machinery. Dabbled with, first by the ancient skrell, and now humanity, synthetics can be classified primarily by the method of their intelligence. They include simple machinery not out of place in the 21st century, cyborgs, autonomous robots on circuitry, and now, advanced sentient artificial intelligences stored on positronic brains.
Major Factions
These are the dominant political players in the Orion Spur that are relevant to you, the player. Any of these factions can be utilized in backstories or as origins for characters - go crazy!
Important note : These factions are only the key players in the setting. Nothing stops you from making up your own origin wherever you'd like, so long as it does not contest standing lore's canon. When in doubt, ask a lore writer!
The core location of the setting itself. A bastion of prosperity amidst chaos.
The Republic of Biesel is an independent system within the core of Human space. It is heavily tied to the NanoTrasen corporation at every level of government, and may as well be considered as governed by it to begin with. The Republic of Biesel is the government of the Tau Ceti System, exercising authority over Biesel, New Gibson and all other settlements and installations within Tau Ceti's gravity well. It is one of the most populated systems in human space, a financial center, industrial powerhouse and one of the most prestigious systems in the galaxy. However, unrest and gridlock undermine the government, and the aggressive attitude of the Sol Alliance against its former system has made many worried of the future of the Republic. Tau Ceti is far from the limit of the Republic's boundaries, as the recent addition (post-2462) of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone have led to its size growing immensely. The CRZ, or the Zone, consists of hundreds of once-Solarian worlds which have had no choice but to fall under the Republic's banner, after their supply lines and defenses were cut off by the collapsing or defecting military.
A crumbling giant whose golden age has long passed.
Formerly the most populated singular government entity in known space, the Solarian Alliance is the first and one of the most politically powerful trans-stellar Human factions. While its reign formerly consisted of nearly a quarter of charted space in a growing sphere around Earth, it has now diminished significantly in size. Its loyal forces have recently retreated to the "Jewel Worlds," a region of space where its most treasured assets lay, not to mention its throne upon the home world. The Alliance is strangled by its long-standing reliance on Einstein Engines, a corporation that has survived almost total nationalization to become the foremost employer in Solarian space. The government and the corporation now stand as fierce opposition to the growing Stellar Corporate Conglomerate whose power contests them. Sol's jewel worlds and secure borders are surrounded by the Human Wildlands, dominated by warlord admirals who formerly served the Alliance' tremendously bloated military.
Freedom and independence embodied on an interstellar scale.
This loosely confederated Coalition is the largest power in the frontier, and possibly the most populous entity in the Orion Spur. It is the largest fracture from the Sol Alliance after the Interstellar War, and covers several regions with its utterly tremendous borders. The systems of the Coalition greatly value their independence and freedom. A few powerful systems dominate the politics of the Frontier, headed by the Xanu Free League - the capital of it all. Many of those in the Coalition of Colonies harbor distrust of the Sol Alliance even after the end of the Interstellar War. Humans and aliens from any and all ethnicities, as well as any combination of them, can be found in the Coalition of Colonies. In recent times, the Coalition has conquered a huge amount of territories where the Alliance formerly stood guard. For example, the tremendous Alliance Neutral Zone - a place where both sides were forbidden from entering - no longer exists, and has since been deemed Coalition territory after the Solarian withdrawal.
Glistening utopian city-scapes and technological might.
The Republic of Elyra, or its more official name, The Serene Republic of Elyra, is a bustling, benevolent independent power in the Badlands. It is made up of multiple star systems, with its capital in the highly developed technological utopia of Perispolis. Its national motto is "For Greatness We Strive". It is known for its exotic culture, highly progressive - if Pro-Human nature, and advanced industrial wonders. Elyra is one of the only three factions in the Orion Spur which innately possess phoron deposits of any sort, something they have exploited to their fullest potential in recent years.
A heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta system. This autocratic state is ruled by His Imperial Majesty Boleslaw Keeser. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by then-Emperor Godwin Keeser, unifying a colony which had been isolated for hundreds of years. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socio-economically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al.
Corporation-dominated hell, personified through a terrible societal split.
Eridani, or the Eridani Corporate Federation, is an oligarchic republic in the Epsilon Eridani system dominated entirely by a council of mega-corporations that seek profit and expansion at any cost. It has no official capital - government authority is exercised digitally. The Corporate Federation is known as one of the core economic powers of Solarian space, and is technically under Solarian supervision - though the true extent of this is up for debate. Corporations, in reality, rule the gloomy landscapes of the Corporate Federation’s worlds. Its citizens are called Eridanians. Eridanians are famed for their vicious treatment of one another, distinguishing between two primary classes ; Dregs, and Suits - who in effect represent a fine line between poverty and wealth.
The Free Frontier
Whatever you want. Really.
The frontier consists of all space unclaimed by one of the major interstellar powers. The population of the frontier is difficult to estimate, but conservative guesses place it between 25 and 50 billion. The government, technological development, economy, and social systems of these independent systems vary wildly. Piracy, corporate exploitation, and smuggling are commonplace throughout the frontier. People hailing from these areas, known as frontiersmen, are known for their rugged independence and distrust of megacorporations and government alike.
Non-Human Factions
Xeno factions independently hardly parallel the combined prevalence of Humanity. However, major factions such as the Nralakk Federation - which borders the Sol Alliance directly, and exercise total authority over their controlled space, are seen as key players in galactic politics.
An higher-up galactic player, authoritarian in its nature.
The Nralakk Federation is a centralized union of systems, ran by councillors representing Skrell interests in a clear hierarchy. Although humans have fractured heavily in their expansion, Skrell have remained in largely a singular government through strict reinforcement of education and laws, working as a democratic meritocracy. Social media is maintained by the Federation government, who gag unacceptable discussions or thoughts and instead encourage people to be like the Idols that they reward with credits, high quality housing, and fine living.
The Izweski Clan is led by Clan Leader Not'zar Izweski , a Unathi who has ruled the Hegemony since his father S'kresti Izweski, the previous Hegemon, was assassinated. Under him are the Lords who rule their own subjugated clans. They live in a feudal system, with the Lords usually being clan leaders or important clan members themselves who pledge themselves to Izweski in exchange for land and protection. After the Contact War devastated the Unathi homeworld, the Izweski Hegemony has struggled to follow traditions to keep themselves in power.
The most powerful and first space-faring state in Adhomai.
Led by President Njadrasanukii Hadii, the People’s Republic of Adhomai are considered the 'loyalist' faction on Adhomai and once enjoyed galactic recognition as the government of Adhomai. It claims to be the true keeper of Al’mari’s legacy. However, the PRA can be described as a Hadiist branch of Al’marii’s revolutionary ideology - that means putting the State at the top of a hierarchy of power. The PRA is a very centralized state, but in recent years has slowly been able to start making true its promises to bring revolution to the masses. With land reform, enfranchisement of women and peasantry, literacy initiatives, and the collectivization of farms and the means of production, the PRA is struggling to hold true to its radical ideals while an entrenched upper party stubbornly tries to hold onto power.
From this point, you are again encouraged to move onto Guides/Character Creation provided you're at a loss for what to do.
NanoTrasen Corporation, 
Einstein Engines, 
Hephaestus Industries, 
Idris Incorporated, 
Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, 
Zavodskoi Interstellar.
Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. This new force promises to safeguard the financial livelihood of every living being in the known galaxy. With the “big five” corporations taking the stage, anything could happen. Only Einstein Engines remains to contest their power financially, supporting a crippled Alliance whose forces have largely revolted amidst the Wildlands.
