Planets
The Alliance encompasses hundreds of planets, however just five have contributed to the AES Ardent’s mission so far. Player characters must all originate from one of these five planets, or from smaller spacecrafts registered to one.
Earth
Earth is a volatile planet, frequently reshaped by catastrophe. The biosphere is the result of rapid expansion and adaptation by all forms of life in the brief grace periods between times of ecological disaster: the history of Earth’s inhabitants is one of trial, error, and change.
This planet is a bright light that casts a long shadow. While its diplomatic corps smooth the edges of the Alliance, historians and analysts scour the history of Earth and its allies for pertinent lessons: learning from the mistakes of the past as they build the future. Earth celebrates difference, but disagreement and division are tempered before they pose a risk to the community as a whole: too much is at stake for pride to outweigh stability.
Geostation Kessler
Kessler is an immense mobile installation, able to move between star systems with remarkable ease for a space station with a wingspan measured in the hundreds of kilometres. It is a cleaning station: it travels through regions of space plagued by debris, preferably the orbital zones of planets, and sweeps the area clean. The resulting garbage ranges from particulate contaminants to whole broken satellites, and all of it is sorted, scanned and catalogued for re-use or sale. Whatever Kessler finds, it keeps.
Kessler’s internal architecture has a certain brutal grandeur, with its vertebral pylons and sweeping radial arcs. Upon this monument, Kesslerans impose their own eclectic tastes, using souvenirs of past journeys and projects along with bespoke FABREP art to decorate their homes. Working labs and access areas are clean and focussed, but communal areas are full of experimentation and expression. Kesslerans iterate, continually adjusting how they live and how they work for the thrill of innovation.
Sultonia
Sultonia is a young planet in an old solar system. When the star Cassiter evolved into a red giant, six planets – Sultonia’s siblings – were destroyed. Material released by that cataclysm accreted in the system’s existing asteroid belt until it formed a new planet, fortuitously located in the star’s habitable zone. In many ways, the very existence of Sultonia is something of a miracle.
Sultonians demonstrate a responsive stubbornness in all things: whether they are pushing through helium storms or working out land permits, they do so with clear heads and a focus born from survivalism. They are generally private, and dislike interference in their personal affairs. Sultonians do not have a problem with authority, but they also have no problem with pointing out when said authority is wrong.
Viront Z85
The lights of Viront rival its own star. Though the planet only supports life along its equator, that life is all the keener, all the brighter – as though it were spurred on by the precarious conditions in which it developed. It was this striving that drew the Vironti syndicates to flout Alliance advisories in settling here, carving a band of crystalline wealth from the planet’s dross.
The people of Viront are seen as ambitious, and curious to a fault – hustlers, in a word, always looking for a new angle or something that others have missed. Conversely, they are loyal – whoever they work with is a true ally, and potential trading partners are also evaluated as new friends. Vironti value knowledge and honesty: they find a sense of pride in rising by merit (so that one can boast about it), not by deception or stealth.
Marzion IX
Marzion IX is the characteristically direct name for the ninth planet settled by the Marz Union. As has become routine for MU, they have taken a resource-rich world at the edge of Alliance space and invested heavily in mining and production, transforming the anonymous terrain into an immense network of quarries and refineries.
The Marzion culture can be summed up as care without unnecessary sentiment. Marzionites know that others will pick them up when they fall, and provide them with whatever they need to get the job done; in turn, they lift and support others whenever they are in need. Pride is found in teamwork, in mastery of one’s craft, and in helping the entire group to give their all.