The Midway Stars
Ages ago, humans circumnavigated the galaxy. They did so slowly, hopping from star to star roughly along Sol's galactic orbit, keeping a cautious distance from the galactic core. A few of them abandoned the trip to settle down along the way, in a thin string of worlds highlighting the galactic disc. Most of these worlds were later forgotten, leaving the rest isolated.
Even fewer explorers returned from the other side.
For centuries, little if any information made its way back toward the Orion Arm, and speculation abounded. Rumors of exotic technology beyond the reach of the older worlds. Rumors of star empires in the process of expanding. Rumors of opportunity and danger bigger than anything mankind had seen before. But nothing came back from there for a long time, and the very occasional new expedition either returned early or not at all.
It all changed ten years ago.
The first visitors from the far side of the galaxy were mistaken for aliens at first, strange and powerful beings who barely distinguished technology from magic anymore. They proved to be the exception rather than the rule, curious children of humanity coming to see with their own eyes, or whatever else they had, where their ancestors came from. Reactions along their path spawned the entire spectrum from panic to excitement, but little else happened for a while.
Then others followed, and all those forgotten worlds along the ancient migration path used all that time ago suddenly became important again.
To list even a few of the major players on either side of the galaxy would be a daunting task. The Orion Arm alone harbors thousands of settled worlds, with a total population in the trillions. Multiply by a hundred for the bigger galactic arms flanking it (while dividing the average population by ten), and you'll get an idea of the scales involved. As for all those colonies across the galaxy, any attempt at a survey is doomed to failure. Hence why this chapter will focus on just a few worlds that happen to be in a position of strategic importance these days.
Located halfway around the galaxy from Sol in a spinward direction, the Midway Stars are a small group of systems that have recently risen to prominence thanks to the reopening of ancient travel routes. Between three major powers lie a number of smaller polities, including former lost colonies that were recently contacted again. Distances tend to be longer than in more densely settled parts of the galaxy -- hundreds of light years, and weeks of travel -- but any settlement able to resupply passing ships has been growing fast as of late, at the risk of attracting pirates. There are never enough warships to patrol the vastness of space.
Type
Galactic Sector
Included Locations
Included Organizations
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