Ruartei Space

Epicenter of Human Interstellar Civilization

Ruartei consists of thousands of worlds, interconnected via an economic system of interstellar travel, communication, trade, commerce, and various political agreements.

Located within the Milky Way Galaxy in the Endeavor dimension, Ruartei spans an area of space with a radius of approximately 145 parsecs and is roughly divided into an inner circle — the area dominated by the Grand Society — and an outer circle.

The Caelus star system acts as the political center of the Grand Society and the astronautical center of Ruartei. The radius of the inner circle is 95 parsecs, and the width of the outer circle, The Fringe, is approximately 50 parsecs. The closest edge of Ruartei is about 100 parsecs from Earth.

Of particular note, Ruartei contains a large number of dimensional access points — a density far greater than any other known area in the Endeavor dimension.

Star Systems

Ruartei star systems are grouped into two general categories: those with significant populations and those without. Of those with significant populations, 525 star systems are considered part of the Grand Society and another 3500 (estimated) are not.

Star systems within the Grand Society trade and follow established treaties with each other, leading to a (more or less) peaceful co-existence. Star systems not part of the Grand Bargain are considered outsiders. These worlds may or may not possess space travel or even know that the interstellar civilization exists.

Outsiders

Outsider worlds are not protected by the Grand Society treaties or customary rules of engagement and interaction. This means that member worlds (of the Grand Society) are under no constraints regarding outsider worlds and are free to treat them as they wish. Given the imperialistic nature of most of the central and major worlds, the outsiders are often subject to unequal trade, raids, enslavement, or colonization.

Some outsider worlds have managed to forge alliances and individual treaties with powerful star systems — which then guarantee their protection. A few notable outsider worlds, usually older ones, are powerful enough to provide their own protection — although their denizens may still be treated poorly outside their own worlds.

Of special note is when plague conditions arise on a world. Member worlds are given support and treatment, if available. And if not available, their plague-free survivors are welcome to join member worlds. Outsider worlds are generally quarantined and left to deal with the plague on their own.

Stellar Hierarchy Status

Within Ruartei, the hierarchical status of star systems and worlds is determined by factors such as their importance, technological advancement (especially in interstellar travel and communication), age, and economic or military significance, as categorized by the following classifications.

Elder — the oldest and most respected (or feared) among the worlds possessing advanced technology and interstellar travel
Central — provide fundamental interstellar infrastructure with one or more key hubs for interstellar travel, communication, commerce, trade, technology, cultural exchange, governance, or security
Major — contribute significantly to the interstellar community, usually providing one or more key functions and specific areas of expertise
Minor — characterized by their lesser-known status, lower development, limited populations, or more remote locations from central and major worlds, these still play key roles, fulfill important functions, or provide specialized expertise
Auxiliary — serve in a supplementary or supporting role, provide additional support, resources, or services to the higher status star systems and worlds
Emerging — have recently developed or obtained interstellar travel and communication capabilities, or established significant contact with or knowledge of the interstellar civilization without being fully included
Primitive — possess limited technological advancement, lack the means for interstellar travel and communication, and ignorant of the interstellar community

The hierarchy status composition of the Grand Society is as follows. (These numbers refer to star systems, not worlds. Star systems may have one or more planets as well as auxiliary outposts, stations, mining colonies, and so forth.)

Elder = 13
Central = 31
Major = 81
Minor = 400

Technology

Warp technology is used for interstellar travel and delayed interstellar communication. Portal technology is used for real-time interstellar communication.

Interstellar Travel

Interstellar travel depends on interstellar space ships (i.e., starships) equipped with warp drive and astrogation technology. Note that warp technology does not change the velocity at which something travels. Instead, it warps space and changes the distance traveled. Warp speed always refers to the travel time factor, not the velocity.

Warp Drives

Starships are installed with different classes of warp drives (determined by warp engine cost and the starship's purpose) which limit their maximum warp. Generally, warp engines are optimized for different ranges of speed: crusing, high speed, and emergency.

Warp Paths

Over time, warp paths have developed between specific star systems, allowing for faster travel between them. Where warp paths exist, each pair of star systems have a warp path factor (wpf), and this is plugged into the warp speed equation to determine the actual warp speed.

Warp factor (wf) equals warp raised to the 5th power times the speed of light. The warp path factor (wpf) is added to the 5th power. For example, a wpf of .2 would mean the effective warp factor is 5.2 (instead of 5). Warp speed equals distance divded by effective warp factor.

Interstellar Communication

Most of the star systems in Ruartei depend on courier class starships which provide delayed interstellar communication. Courier starships are typically small and possess the fastest standard warp drives.

Star systems fortunate enough to posses a data-energy wormhole (known as a portal) — and rich enough to afford the technology — participate in a real-time communication network spread throughout Ruartei space. This real-time network includes any world with a portal communication center, not just worlds in the Grand Society.

Note that most star systems have replaced the original Communication Point Express Transmitter (CPET) technology with the more efficient and less costly Advanced Portal Instant Relay (APIR) technology.

Calendars

While most worlds and cultures use their own timekeeping and calendar systems locally and colloquially, there are two major calendar systems widely used throughout Ruartei — the official calendar and the customary calendar.

The official calendar, the Juridical System (JS), is based on the cycle/season calendar system developed by the ancients before the The Great Star Storm, with that particular event designated as its epoch. (All star-faring worlds have a known reference to the Great Star Storm.) This calendar is used for legal contracts, seasons, and anytime an “official” date is required. All non-primitive worlds of Ruartei keep track of this calendar, converting to their own calendar as needed.

The customary calendar is referred to as the Ruartei Calendar and is divided into 4 different eras — the Exploration Age (EA), the Imperialist Age (IA), The Rebuilding (RB), the Grand Society (GS). This calendar is used as the standard timekeeping for interstellar communication, space stations, starships, and other auxiliary worlds.

Both calendars use a 25-hour day and a 25-day month (with the exception of the leap month in the Ruartei calendar). However, the Juridical calendar has 25 months while the Ruartei calendar has 14 (plus a leap month of 3 days every 5 years). The Juridical calendar refers to its annual period as a cycle, while the Ruartei uses the term year for its annual period. (The Ruartei year is equivalent to Earth’s year as measured in hours.)

Languages

Ruartei has thousands, possibly tens or hundreds of thousands, of languages of varying modalities (e.g., spoken, written, gesture, symbolic, mental). With the exception of dead civilizations and extinct cultures, people utilize their own languages within their own cultures and when speaking with each other.

Several languages have emerged as commonly known languages. A few of the most prominent are:

TradeSpeak — a simplified trading language
- quick and easy to learn
- has a concise and minimalistic vocabulary specifically for trade and simple commerce
- designed to prevent miscommunication between traders
- typically used by dubious traders (e.g., bootleggers, peddlars), lower social classes, and within rogue districts
Mercanto — a common commerce and trade language
- requires training to learn
- has a rich and specialized vocabulary much more comprehensive than TradeSpeak
- suitable for discussing complex financial transactions
- typically used by credible traders, merchants, negotiators, business entities, middle (and some upper) social classes, and within commercial and trading districts
Panlingua — a common shared language
- requires education to use adequately and immersion to learn fluently
- has a rich and extensive vocabulary (capable of expressing a large range of ideas, concepts, and emotions)
- suitable for both everyday interactions and more formal contexts (such as commerce, diplomacy, scientific collaboration, and creative endeavors)
- typically used by all social classes and within most cross-cultural districts
Caelorian — a cosmopolitan language
- originated in The Caelum and propagated throughout Ruartei by The Imperium
- requires education and immersion to learn adequately, resulting in a dialect referred to as Caelish
- spoken fluently only by native speakers or the highly educated
- typically used by the upper classes, aristocracy, sophisticates, and The Court
Caeli — a specialized script used for written Caelorian
- note that most Caelorian documents are written in the standard Panlingua script
- typically used by the upper classes and The Court for formal documents

TradeSpeak, Mercanto, and Panlingua support multimodal communication, encompassing verbal, written, gesture, and symbolic forms.

Translation technology is readily available for translating hundreds, sometimes thousands, of languages, but the unique qualities of human translators — cultural awareness, contextual understanding, emotional intelligence, and dynamic language adaptability — remain indispensable for certain types of critical communication, especially complex and specialized content, sensitive information, interpersonal negotiations, and cultural considerations. Humanoid language experts continue to be in high demand.

History

TBD

Key Facts

Type: Galactic Sector

Included Locations

Caelus
Callistra
Dragon's Lair
Metis
Nay'air
Nefertem
Sancus
Tellus