Lore Primer
You’re on a ship in the Frontier. These stars and worlds lie in the spaces between relevancy, far from the law and those with power. Large population centers and major governments are far away, both in distance and influence. How long you’ll be here is up to you — were you born in the edge of space, or are you stuck here until you find yourself someplace closer to home? The Frontier is a place where many unlikely souls cross paths, either fleeing from their pasts, or in the hopes of quick, risky fortunes.
The year is 505 in the Federal Standard Calendar (FSC) – years since the formation of the Solar Confederation. Two-hundred-and-fifty-one years have passed since humanity joined the ranks of a galactic community of cultures, and no new species have been discovered since then.
Twenty-six years ago, in FSC 479, the Inter-Corporate Wars broke out. The monolithic megacorporation Nanotrasen fought against the Syndicate coalition for a total eighteen years. The first fifteen years were mostly a "cold war", both sides engaging primarily in sabotage and indirect methods of attack, slowly escalating over time. For the last three years, the conflict exploded into a violent, brutal clashing of navies and paramilitaries. As the dust settled, it was clear that both sides had fought to a bruised and bloodied stalemate.
Eight years ago, in FSC 497, the two sides brokered a ceasefire, which which has stood ever since. The war left behind shattered worlds, orbital debris, and broken wrecks floating through the vast expanse of Nanotrasen’s holdings.
Where Am I?
You are in the remains of Nanotrasen’s territory, an infamously politically-unstable reach of space known as the Frontier. Far from prying eyes and regulation, it was once the foundation of Nanotrasen's monopolies, wealth, and resources. Now, their worlds and space stations lie abandoned, ruined, or in the hands of others.
Some groups, such as the Colonial League, call the Frontier their homes - having banded together for mutual survival and declared their worlds independent. Others, such as the governments in the galaxy, are trying to extend their reach to Frontier citizens; to render aid to struggling post-war survivors in the interest of common good... and to expand their influence. Most denizens of the Frontier, however, are simply here to eke out a living, or to try and take what they can for their own enrichment.
What’s Happening in the World Right Now?
Nanotrasen’s sudden rise to power was crippled by the Inter-Corporate War, and now other players - governments, rival corporations, scavengers and more - have come for a slice of the pie. Nanotrasen still stakes a claim over the Frontier, but it has lost the strength it needs to enforce it.
With Nanotrasen’s power diminished, it no longer serves as a common enemy, and the members of the Syndicate have slowly drifted apart. Most of them now act only in self-interest, rather than for their once-unifying cause of destroying Nanotrasen.
The wider galaxy is quite relieved that the Inter-Corporate Wars have come to an end. The world is slowly rebuilding, and life for everyone is returning to something calmer and more stable. Things are okay, for now, but they could easily lapse into an even more brutal conflict if the world was to be nudged in the wrong direction.
How will you shape the days ahead?
What's the Galaxy like?
Shiptest's core themes are rebirth and recovery after disaster and trauma. The Inter-Corporate Wars are fresh on people's minds. Disasters have happened in most of the homeworld histories that have left them a little wiser with the memory. The galaxy is - at least generally, trying to be a decent place.
Allegiances and character history are drawn along cultural and factional lines in Shiptest, and there are no monolithic, single-species organisations. (e.g. SolGov is not a human-only faction).
Racism and other forms of discrimination (barring classism) are a thing of the past in the Shiptest setting.
Shiptest is set many hundreds of years in the future, amidst a tapestry of highly socially-conscious and diverse societies and cultures. The language most characters speak is Galactic Common, an ever-evolving artificial language developed by a pan-species linguistic initiative to ensure a common speakable tongue as new species are discovered.
As of two-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Humans are the most recently encountered species in a long line of other cultures amongst the stars. The galactic community is a venerable institution by present day, with a history spanning many centuries.
For more detailed information about the galaxy, consult the pages below!
There is also a selection of meta-fiction and other In-Universe Documents written by characters within the setting, for the curious. Check them out if you like! You can also find the comprehensive list of lore pages here.
