PEOPLE GALACTIC POWERS ‘The galaxy is unimaginably vast, and few states (or ‘similar organizations) have any impact on the inexorable tides of history, events, and possible futures in which humanity is caught. Of the countless entities in the galaxy, those listed here have the most dramatic impacts on the affairs of humanity at large: their command over sectors of the Diasporan market, influ- ence over galactic standards of quality, and politcal might are unparalleled ~ though not unchallenged. GENERAL MASSIVE SYSTEMS “Only the company persists: all other thrones fal fo dust.” Houston, et al, “Foreword”, King of Kings: An Oral History of General Massive Systems. ‘The oldest and most ubiquitous of the galactic manufac- turers, General Massive Systems (GMS) is an all-purpose supplier to all persons in Union teritory. From mech chassis to casual clothing, from prefab station bulkheads to coffee beans, GMS's catalog contains a universe of goods, materials, and services. GMS products are widely Considered the reliable baseline throughout the galaxy: anything worse than GMS is junk; anything better tends ‘tobe unique or luxury. GMS came to prominence as an independent outfitter during the First Expansion Period and quickly grew to ubiquity as the development of neartight drives pushed colonial efforts further and further. Seeing value in Controlling an influential supplier, Union quickly nation- alized GMS. The corporate entity became another arm of Union's ever-expanding bureaucracy: a tool for standardizing the equipment and consumables used by the rapidly growing class of explorers, colonists, and scientists venturing out into the stars. ‘The importance of maintaining a galactic standard continued to grow as colonial expansion persisted and corporate competitors emerged. A basic line of tested equipment was needed to assess the improve- ments required for Cradle-designed gear; similarly, the consequences of time dilation were far more dramatic at the time, and standard, legacy-compat- ible equipment was needed to assure compliance across disparate eras. With the incredible wealth of Union behind it, GMS became that standard. Over the millennia, it has grown ‘to become a massive department within Union and the standard against which all other manufacturers. are measured. Today, GMS is an economic engine, one tool ‘among many, that Union uses to promote its “brand” SECTION 6 // Setting Guide ‘across the galaxy. Distinct from Union's political and military organs, GMS provides an eternal reminder of ‘soft power: GMS is everywhere — it is normal. Unlike the other manufacturers listed in this section, GMS doesn't engage in world-building, colonial ventures, or expecitions ~ instead, it sets the standard upon which all others build, then supplies them with the gear they need. It creates the world of goods, services, equipment, and habitations most humans think of as “normal”. GMS's power comes from its ability to unilaterally define what is acceptable every- where in Union space: by nudging the bar ever upwards, it forces other manufacturers. to develop alternatives that benefit humanity as a whole, even if they are developed for selfish, profit-driven reasons, GMS rarely employs external contractors. Its headquarters is on Cradle, like the rest of Union's central apparatus, and it has offices throughout the inhabited galaxy, KARRAKIN TRADE BARONIES “And Throne Karrakis, from which all power flows." ~ Umara il, Record-Keeper of the House of Water. A federation of the largest and most powerful monarchies in known space, the Karrakin barons claim to represent the oldest unbroken civilization in human history. Seeded prior to the Fall and isolated after, the rulers of Karrakis were lost and forgotten to Earth for thousands of years, free to expand and develop a spacefaring civilization even while the rest of humanity struggled to survive the Fall, the dark ages, and the Little Wars. By the time Union reached back out into space, the barons had spread to worlds throughout their system, designed a functioning - if cuibersome ~ system of interplanetary administration without the benefit of the omninet or the blink, and developed their ‘own enormous network of machine minds to assist in the functioning of their dynastic monarchy. Karrakis has the distinction of being one of the only pre-Fall colonies to survive the withering effects of the dark ages - any others, to the best of Union’s know- ledge, were spawned from generation ships that were launched from a dying Cradle in the midst of the Fall ‘The Baronies, despite its status now as a member state of Union, carries a fierce cultural independence that often causes friction between Union and Baronic state counterparts. Now split into many houses by the effects of relativistic travel and multi-system distribution, the Baronies is, ‘comprised of a massive, byzantine system of titles, hereditary claims, and territories. There are thousands ofminor houses, each swearing fealty to their world's Major House, which in turn guarantees and is guaran- teed by the monarchal power of the Prime Baron. ‘The Baronies controls some of the largest single-party mining, harvesting, and natural resource endeavors in the galaxy - operations that certainly enable the pros- perity of the Galactic Core. The operations overseen by the Baronies are enormous in scale and ambition, eclipsed only by Union and rivaled only by the Aun. The major houses ~ the largest among them - have the capacity to undertake utterly massive mega-en- gineering projects, from tearing apart whole stars for their energy to cracking newly formed worlds for their minerals, transforming entire colonial ventures into planet-sized agrifactories, and sucking the atmo- spheres from gas giants. ‘The barons are canny profiteers by Union's standards, doing business out among the Diaspora often in opposition to the interests of the various corpro- states on the rise since the Second Expansion Period; most notably against the imperial aims of Harrison Armory. Internal conflict among minor houses is common enough, but guided by strict cultural codes. Internal conflicts tend to be limited, ceremonial or small-scale engagements. Baronic culture places great import on the fighting ability of nobles; territorial disputes are often settied after brief engagements in agreed-upon locations, or by single combat between nominated champions. These duels are, in the moder era, usually fought to first biood, rather than death, though to-the-death challenges remain legal, if rare, Since the beginning of the Federal Karrakin Monarchy = the current system by which the Baronies is governed - the minor houses of the Baronies have been further organized into global federations subor- dinate to the Prime Baron, Each world of the Baronies was assigned to a major house, the name of which was chosen independent of any family history. These major houses function as political parties, rather than hereditary organizations. Each minor house is ruled by a baron, and there is a de facto dynastic inheritance among the top tier of these houses. Barons and other nobles bear titles based on their position within a major house in addition to their personal and family names. Noble Baronic names are structured as follows: (Noble title] [personal name]-[family house] of the [major house of which this person’s family house is a member]. Examples: + Baron Yond-Argo of the House of Glass. + Underbaron Ondo-dikayradi of the House of Stone. + Principe Silas-Moulin of the House of Moments. ‘The use of house livery is common in the Baronies. Houses each have @ unique iconography, but often share elements with related houses. Minor houses, merchant guilds, free companies, house companies, and so on will incorporate elements from the major house to which they owe allegiance. The prime baron is understood to have dominion over all houses, and thus has no need to make a particular mark on the livery of any, except in the case of the prime baron’s honor guards. All units, retainers, officers, ships, and 0 on within the honor guard wear the Royal Prime, a ‘deep, earthy red elsewhere called Karrakin Maroon. Bearing the Royal Prime is considered a singular honor. ‘The introduction of another political battlefield - influ- ence in the Central Committee - has proven interesting, but most of the houses stil view the prime barony as the most prestigious throne on which to sit, and their own ancestral home, Karrakis, as the galaxy's prize ‘All Baronic nobles, gendered or not, are trained rigor- ‘ously in martial, religious, and cultural rituals from a young age. By custom, noble youth must master the pen, the sword, and proper etiquette in equal measure to be considered enlightened, strong leaders capable of bringing glory, honor, wealth, and acclaim to their houses. The social order is rigid in the Baronies, with Upward class mobility only possible through the grace of higher nobles, who all compete with each other for the prestige of having the largest and most successful house. As such, barons and their scions must be trained rigorously. Houses undertake all kinds of measures to {get ahead of their rivals. For those of noble birth, this is a fundamental aspect of life - part of the grand game, a test of one’s divine and inherent right to rule. ‘The current ruler of the Karrakin Trade Baronies is Prime Baron Karra-Bem of House Karraka. Since integration, all Prime Barons have been guaranteed a ‘seat on CentComm, and Karra-Bem is an active parti- cipant. A thorn in the side of many committee members to the left of the Fourth Column and a powerful ally to those in her favor, she has worked hard to maintain peace in Cradle-Baronic space. SECTION 6 / Setting Guide PEOPLE