It is the year 5016U, and humanity numbers in the trillions across the stars
Union is the central hegemony that governs most of human space
Cradle, once called Earth, is humanity's birthplace and Union's seat of power
The Fall of Cradle was an ecological and political collapse that nearly ended humanity
The First Committee was authoritarian and expansionist, obsessed with total control
The Second Committee was fascist and anthrochauvinist, enforcing human supremacy through violence
The Third Committee, Union's present government, preaches reform, solidarity, and mutual aid
Union governs through three great levers: blink gates, the omninet, and manna
Blink gates allow safe and instantaneous travel between distant star systems
The omninet is a galaxy-spanning data network that connects every world and outpost
Manna is a universal post-scarcity currency, accepted everywhere in the diaspora
Union Navy is the largest fleet in human history, enforcing peace across the Core and beyond
For many, Union is a distant myth; for others, it is a liberator or oppressor
The Great Cause is Union's guiding ideal: humanity must unite or perish
The Diaspora scattered humanity across thousands of worlds after the Fall
Diasporan cultures developed independently, often for thousands of years before rediscovery
The Periphery is the frontier, far from Union's reach, where rebellion and piracy thrive
Fulcrum worlds are major hubs of trade, culture, and administration
Polarity worlds are contested planets of strategic or symbolic importance
Cosmopolitans are spacers who live in constant interstellar transit, out of sync with time
Lancers are elite mech pilots called in only when all else has failed
A lancer is equal parts knight, ace, and hero... or villain
Pilots come from all walks of life: colonists, workers, nobles, criminals, and soldiers alike
Training to become a lancer is grueling, with high rates of washout and death
Mechs are mechanized cavalry, towering warmachines powered by cold fusion
Most mechs stand 3 to 15 meters tall, agile and devastating in combat
The Everest frame, made by GMS, is the standard starter platform for all pilots
General Massive Systems (GMS) produces baseline mechs and universal standards
Ips-Northstar (IPS-N) is an industrial giant, building durable, practical frames and shipping fleets
Harrison Armory (HA) is a militarist corpro-state, authoritarian and expansionist
Smith-Shimano Corpro (SSC) blends biotech, style, and post-human design in its frames
HORUS is an enigmatic collective, distributing strange paracausal mechs and technology
IPS-N mechs are known for durability and multi-role adaptability
HA mechs are brutalist, mass-produced engines of conquest
SSC mechs are sleek, fast, and experimental
HORUS mechs are unpredictable, eccentric, and reality-bending in design
The Karrakin Trade Baronies are a feudal-merchant empire ruled by noble houses
The Baronies' culture prizes mech duels and knightly traditions as matters of honor
The Aunic peoples descend from ancient generation ships and remain proudly independent
Colonial militias often fight with outdated or repurposed frames
Mercenary companies still sell their services across the Periphery
Pilots often take colorful callsigns that become their legend
Pilots measure progress in License Levels, which unlock new tech and training
A pilot's GRIT reflects their resilience, instinct, and sheer force of will
Lancer missions range from sieges and rescues to espionage and desperate defenses
Between missions, downtime allows pilots to recover, pursue goals, and define their stories
Missions and downtime are divided into scenes, cinematic frames of play
Union licenses tightly regulate access to advanced mech technology
Union Navy rarely intervenes in local disputes unless stability is threatened
Despite its utopian ideals, Union is distant from most people's daily lives
For some, Union is salvation; for others, it is tyranny in all but name
Cradle remains scarred from the Fall, a living reminder of humanity's failures
The Little Wars on Cradle were global conflicts over pre-Fall technology
Union was founded in 0U after the Little Wars, to prevent humanity's extinction
The Ten were massive generation ships launched before the Fall, carrying colonists to the stars
The Baronies' noble houses trace their prestige back to the Ten
Blinkspace travel is strange and poorly understood, yet essential to galactic unity
Travel at near-light speeds makes cosmopolitans seem almost immortal to others
Religions flourish across the galaxy, blending old Terran faiths with frontier mysticism
Workers remain the backbone of civilization, mining, farming, and building everything humanity relies on
Scientists and engineers push the boundaries of post-Fall technology
Priests, healers, and mystics minister to the spiritual needs of countless worlds
Outlaws and criminals still thrive on the fringes of galactic society
Spec Ops agents fight shadow wars across contested space
Super soldiers, rare remnants of corpro-state projects, still walk the battlefield
Colonists forge new homes on harsh frontier worlds
Spaceborn humans grow up in orbitals and stations, adapted to life in the void
Pilots are living legends, their deeds immortalized in omninet dramas and folk songs
Mech combat often determines not just battles, but the fate of entire worlds
Pilots who push themselves too far risk physical and mental collapse
Combat stimulants and neural augments blur the line between human and machine
Mechs are symbols of both human brilliance and human violence
Union regulates arms production, but corpro-states continue to compete fiercely
HA asserts cultural dominance through standardized goods and militarism
SSC shapes culture through luxury, biotech, and fashion
IPS-N thrives on logistics, shipping, and industrial might
HORUS thrives in fringe spaces, feeding myths as much as it spreads machines
Piracy remains a constant threat on the Periphery's trade lanes
Civil wars and insurrections flare constantly outside the Core
Union's presence preserves humanity, but never without cost
Union administrators are rarely seen, their rule distant and abstract
Omninet dramas mythologize lancers, turning pilots into heroes or villains for mass audiences
Lancers often serve as peacekeepers, arbitrators, and last-resort soldiers
For many worlds, the arrival of lancers is both salvation and doom
The galaxy remembers Old Humanity as a cautionary tale of collapse
New Humanity seeks a better future, but carries the scars of its past
Despite centuries of peacebuilding, humanity remains fractious and divided
Mechs are everyday machines in construction and labor, but feared in war
Pilots sometimes become cultural icons, worshipped or reviled as living symbols
Local rulers often see lancers as wild cards, too dangerous to ignore, too useful to refuse
Union insists it represents all humanity, but dissent remains everywhere
Life in the Core is post-scarcity and utopian; life on the Periphery is precarious and harsh
The Cavalry ( lancers ) are called in only when everything else has failed
Lancers are more than soldiers: they are the embodiment of Union's dream, or its nightmare