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New Libdis (Kimson’s Stand 0502; formerly A87A9BB-C; currently C87A871-8): once the formal Rule of Man capital of the Dark Nebula Sector, today an irradiated hell. Contact with New Libdis was sporadic at best when travel was still economically viable. The latest official data (dated 2882 CE) indicates economic collapse and widespread internecine warfare, including tactical nuclear combat. There are at least three warlords on New Libdis claiming the title of “Sector Duke”, ruling their own irradiated domains with a handful of remaining TL-B equipment. Later informal data received from independent scouts indicates a certain political stabilization, though radiation levels are still high.
Night, the: the current situation in which interstellar communications and trade routes with Terra and the rest of the Rule of Man have collapsed. Academic consensus places its beginning in the 2740’s CE, but public opinion sees the arrival of the Last Ship from Terra in 2780 as its actual beginning.
Nine Stars Incorporated: the Maadin Confederation’s largest privately-owned corporation, specialized in aerospace and shipping, as well as asteroid mining. In intense competition with the Mizahni Golden Sun megacorporation. Headquartered in the Mechane Belt.
Nugiiri: see Droyne.
Psionics: “powers of the mind” allowing telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation, among other supernatural abilities. While there is no clear evidence of their existence, rumors of them abound, especially connected to conspiracy theories surrounding the Dark Nebula itself. Ziru Sirka records noted Vilani research in this field, which results were ambiguous.
Pyramid Builders: a reportedly extinct alien species who colonized the Dark Nebula Sector around approximately 9,000 BCE. The Pyramid Builders lacked Jump Drive technology and travelled in slower-than-light sleeper and generation ships. The Pyramid Builders were adapted to live in what Humaniti considers to be insidious atmospheres, and “terraformed” several local worlds to suit their preferred environment. An example for such a world is Kamat (Maadin 0705). Their sites usually include pyramids, hence their contemporary name. To the present, no written script or other records of this species were found.
Ramshackle Empire: see Rule of Man.
R.A.T.S: Rage Against the Total State, a controversial dissident powerpunk band from Mechane (Maadin 0703). Anarchistic to the bone, R.A.T.S band members cycle in and out of Confederation jail due to “disturbing the peace”, “disorderly conduct”, and engaging in “sedition”. Their songs bluntly attack the “stuffed shirts” of the Maadin Confederation and its “Totalitarian” culture, calling for “A Storm of Fire” to bring about “Absolute Freedom”. Popular among youth, its music is often blamed for juvenile delinquency and acts of vandalism.
Rose of Agidda, the: a Type-A2 Far Trader, Imperial Registry Number 42893-7. The last ship bearing news from distant Terra to reach Maadin (Maadin 0702) in 2780. Its arrival, and the horrid tales its crew brought from the dead Rule of Man, heralded the fall of the Night. Common Maadini and Mizahni opinion sees its arrival date as the actual beginning of the Night. The ship now resides in the Grand Confederate Museum on Maadin.
Rule of Man: the imperial successor state of both the Ziru Sirka and the Terran Confederation. Saw the unraveling of the Vilani social and economic system, leading to incredible instability and to its eventual collapse within four centuries. Terran optimism about the superiority of their dynamic economy to Vilani custom turned into despair as the introduction of meritocratic elements and open economics into the Vilani system led to destruction of everything the Vilani meticulously built over millennia. Maadini public opinion and state propaganda see the Rule of Man as a betrayal of the Terran Confederation’s values and blame it for the fall of the Night.
Samueloff, Nadezhda (Force Commander; 2856 to present): the Confederate Military Presidium’s current Chairwoman and member on behalf of the Confederate Marine Corps. A decorated heroine of the Second ihatei War (2882-2885). Chairwoman Samueloff enjoys great popularity among the Confederate population, and leads an aggressive line in interstellar relations, particularly towards Mizah, but also the Aslan.
Scout: a generic term describing various explorers and couriers, whether military, corporate, or independent. In 2555, the Rule of Man rejected a proposal for unifying all official exploratory and courier activity under a single governmental service, leaving this activity distributed between various competing interests.
Scout/Courier (Type-S): a common starship classification dating back to the Ziru Sirka. A 100-ton general-purpose courier ship capable of light exploration activities.
Solomani: humans of Terran descent. “Terrans”. Many of the humans in the Dark Nebula Sector claim Solomani ancestry, which is only partially correct. While many of the colonists who reached the sector came indeed from the old Terran Confederation worlds, the Rule of Man population there was of mixed Solomani and Vilani descent, and so were the colonists reaching Maadin and subsequent colonies. Alongside the Vilani and the Aslan, Solomani consider themselves a “Major Race”.
Solomani Confederation: see Maadin Confederation.
Spinward Frontier: Mizahni sci-fi holodrama set in the far future of the 57th century CE, far to the Coreward from the Dark Nebula. It follows the adventures of Captain Miller and his free-trader crew as they engage in honest trade and less legal shenanigans at the edge of a futuristic New Imperium. Miller’s famous nemesis is the extra-dimensional alien Grandmother, though recurring threats include mind-bending human-aliens, wolfmen from the stars, and an insidiously sentient computer virus. Rebooted twice, Spinward Frontier still retains its enormous fan base. Despite being lambasted by Confederate politicians as “dripping with monarchist drivel”, it enjoys its greatest popularity on Maadin.
Stalker (slang): an opportunistic explorer or looter (depending on who you ask) searching for artifacts on N3 in the Dark Nebula or in other alien (and human!) ruins across the Dark Nebula Sector. Stalkers are reputed to be shady characters and to sometimes use violence to wrest choicy finds out of the hands of their competitors.
Three-Year War: see Mizahni War, 2nd.
Tlasayerlahel: a relatively new Aslan corporation established by the Yerlyaruiho clan in 2788 CE to provide transport services to the clan’s holding in the Aslan Tail. Today (2900 CE) it provides cargo and passenger services to both the Aslan Tail and the Kuzu Subsector, as well as less frequent lines to the Maadin Subsector. As usual with Aslan companies, the clan’s dominant males serve as Tlasayerlahel’s top executives, as well as starship pilots and gunners, while the clan’s females perform administrative and engineering work.
Terra (Terra/Sol 0207; A877A89-C [last known statistics]): also known as Earth; the Solomani homeworld. Apparently, one of the several homeworlds on which Humaniti has evolved. Terra rose to interstellar prominence in the 22nd century, with the Terran Confederation’s conquest of the vastly larger Ziru Sirka but was eventually replaced by Dingir as capital of the Rule of Man. Terra’s status as of 2900 CE is unknown. The above UWP was derived from old Rule of Man records and may vary greatly given the current situation.
Terra Ascendant: Maadinite alt-history holodrama set in a universe where the Ziru Sirka subjugated Terra in 1947 CE. Terra Ascendants takes place in 2258, after a Terran rebellion overthrew the Vilani yoke. It follows the travels of the starship Avenger and her daring captain Faith León. Currently (2900 CE) in its 10th season, this holodrama is hugely popular both within the Confederation and outside it - and even in Aslan space. Much to the dismay of Mizahni authorities, this show, with its Confederate propaganda undertones, is incredibly popular on Mizah as well.
Terran Confederation: the old Terran state founded in the early 22nd century CE out of the old United Nations in face of the Vilani threat. A republic in essence, the dynamic nature of the Confederation and its aggressive nature led to its eventual victory over the Ziru Sirka, despite the latter’s massive strength on paper. Eventually replaced by the imperial Rule of Man. Maadini public opinion, as well as propaganda, sees the Terran Confederation as the glorious “Golden Age” of interstellar humanity - and its replacement by the Rule of Man as a betrayal of all it stood for.
Tua-Tong Incorporated: a Mizahni megacorporation specializing in agritech, competing with HexaCorp in the field of biotechnology. It is Mizah’s largest food manufacturer - where it enjoys a vertical monopoly from mechanized farms to processing plants to grocery stores and restaurants.
Vilani: humans who originated from Vland. The Vilani ruled the vast Ziru Sirka for millennia, only to be conquered by the young Terran Confederation in the 24th century CE. Vilani culture emphasizes tradition and stability, often at the expense of technological progress. Viliani society is bureaucratic, stratified, and quite collectivist. Vilani technological designs are rarely innovative - indeed, most were in service for centuries - but are highly reliable. Many humans in the Dark Nebula sector are of mixed Solomani-Vilani descent. Alongside the Solomani and the Aslan, Vilani consider themselves a “Major Race”.
Visitors: an urban legend about mysterious aliens residing deep in the Dark Nebula, emerging from it abduct victims from human worlds for unknown ends. These rumors resemble the old, pre-starflight Terran legend about “Gray Aliens”. That type of legend was, of course, proven to be mostly or completely false once the Terrans encountered the Ziru Sirka and the Vegans.
Vland (Vland/Vland 0307; A967A9A-C [last known statistics]): Vilani homeworld and the old Ziru Sirka’s capital. One of the several proposed human homeworlds. Vland reached spaceflight millennia prior to Terra and built the vast Ziru Sirka around it. Eventually replaced by Terra and then Dingir as capital of the Rule of Man. Vland’s status as of 2900 CE is unknown. The above UWP was derived from old Rule of Man records and may vary greatly given the current situation.
Unit #72: a Rule of Man research unit established 2712 CE. Appropriating billions of desperately needed funds, the unit chose five stars within the previously unexplored Dark Nebula itself as their base. There, they tried to develop technologies which will - so they claimed - save the ailing Rule of Man from its inevitable collapse: artificial intelligence, cybernetics, genetic engineering, and, especially, new technologies for interstellar travel and, theoretically speaking, faster than light communication.
United Miners of Salia (UMS): illegal union of miners on Salia (Maadin, 0205), fighting for better pay and better safety measures in the dangerous mines controlled by the Mizahni HexaCorp. The latter is notorious for its strict security measures, low pay, and lax safety regulations, leading to mining accidents. Following a violent crackdown by corporate security during the failed strike of 2897, the UMS leaders fled to Maadin, where they were granted political asylum.
Ziru Sirka: “Grand Empire of the Stars”, the millennia old Vilani imperial state which once ruled known space. Founded in 500 CE following five millennia of interstellar exploration and centuries of war, it ruled with an iron fist and unimaginably complex bureaucracy. It was headed by three Bureaux and a Shadow Emperor, based on a stable semi-planned economy. However, stability brought about stagnation. Faced with the dynamic Terran Confederation in the 22nd to the 24th centuries CE, the Ziru Sirka’s stagnation and petty bureaucratic politics brought about its conquest by the much smaller Terran state. Maadini propaganda usually likens Mizah, as well as the old Maadin Imperium, to Ziru Sirka’s final years.
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