Civilized Space

Civilized Space is a major astrographic region located within relatively close proximity to the Sol System. These areas represent some of the longest human held territories within the entire galaxy, and most hold a great deal of additional wealth compared to the Near Frontier and especially the Far Frontier, as well as, generally being of a higher average technology level relative to the habitability of the various worlds that are within Civilized Space. Despite the fall of the Stellar League and the advent of the Long Night, Civilized Space is still considered the heart of human civilization. However, in the years since the closing of the Long Night, Civilized Space has seen many major shifts in its power balance that could see the space become a beacon of progress or slide further into decline.  

Astropolitics

  The astropolitical situation of Civilized Space has become highly contentious. During the Long Night, any states that formed from the shattered remnants of the Stellar League were generally locked in a struggle to simply survive as the world crumbled around them. As galactic civilization began to recover from this collapse however, the various powers of the world have begun to meddle in one another’s affairs, seeking greater power and influence over their neighbors and each other.   As in the days following the various Great Human Civil Wars that ravaged the galaxy, and Ancient Earth, these conflicts are ideological. Most of Civilized Space is caught between three ideological currents. The old guard is represented by the Solist states, notably the Union of Sol, the direct successor to the Stellar League and its own forebears, and states the claim some loyalty to it, and the Frentierists, inheritors of the political traditions of the Stellar League, though not necessarily its institutions. In the Long Night, a long suppressed underground movement for “Stellar Socialism” arose from the ashes of the old world, and is now a major force in galactic politics for the first time in history.   Aside from the interstellar states, other powers have arisen. Though the Age of Unity had greatly reduced the influence of religion on the interstellar stage, the Long Night had been a major boon. In the crisis a number of religions gained prominence. Some old faiths found new life in adaptation, the Nova Calvinists and Alhaju Aleazim becoming some of the most influential new takes on old faith in the galaxy. Technocults, though usually at their strongest in the Frontiers often have homes in what is now Civilized Space. Of most concern however, are the new doomsday cults and denialist cults that spread like wildfire among the upper classes during the Long Night, some such as Thursdayism have become quite powerful as a result of the collective trauma response of those who lost so much in the fall.   Corporations too vye for power and influence within Civilized Space. Though many do most of their direct fighting deep in the frontier, away from the watchful eye of the more organized societies of Civilized Space, they still compete for the comparatively wealthy markets of Civilized Space, and most Major Corporations and Cooperatives make their headquarters within Civilized Space regardless of where the bulk of their operations are located. Some particularly large corporations such as Scipion Studio Entertainment, Planetary Expeditions, and Myrmidon Security are nearly as powerful as states in their own right with assets worth trillions of credits, and armed security wings that rival a planetary guard by themselves. Aside from these organizations, other groups such as the Galactic Surveyor's Guild are also immensely influential operating as, essentially, galactic scale nonprofits.  

Society in Civilized Space

  Civilized Space has, arguably, recovered the most from the Great Cataclysm. Though there are a few feral or semiferal worlds, many of these are the result of deliberate actions on the part of their residents. Many of the worlds are highly prosperous, and weathered the Cataclysm comparatively well, at least on first appearance. Many of the highly privileged peoples that dominated Civilized Space lost a great deal in the fall, though still much better off than most in the frontier, a great many feel a sense of aggrieved entitlement, believing that their birthright to rule the whole of the galaxy was cut off at the knee as a result of the Cataclysm, and many have slipped into a denialism or extreme reactionary belief as a result.   Others have embraced the new world, free from the stifling constraints of the Stellar League, and freer to pursue new cultural traditions. From the opulence put on display by the Byzantines, to the free spirit of experimentation found among the Nueva Catalunian populace, new styles, new ideas, and the embracing of local languages have seen the various peoples of Civilized Space diverge significantly from one another. The collapse of the Stellar League for these people was a great opportunity. Others however, move to the Frontier, seeking the even greater degree of freedom the comparatively lawless nature of the Frontier offers, in spite of the greater danger that is also found in that region.  

Sectors of Civilized Space