Introduction:
The year is 2146, and the universe is at peace, united under the flag of the International Economic Union. Time and instability have turned the IEU from little more than the printer of a unified currency to the controller of the largest armed forces, the overarching decider of economic policy and the administrator of human colonization.
Thanks to the development of effective, fairly cheap interstellar travel, first contact has been made with two less-sophisticated sapient societies, the Irai and Libids. Upon first contact, these species were technologically equivalent to the bronze and hunter gatherer ages of human civilization, respectively. As of yet, no other technological civilization has been detected, much to the relief of the upper echelons of the IEU military and the disappointment of 20th century dreamers.
Alongside all these interstellar developments are developments in genetics, chemistry, physiology, neurology, prosthetics and cybernetics which allow for the change of human beings on countless levels. Ultimately, however, they are all still human, and sentient artificial intelligence has remained the constant domain of futurists for the past century.
Thanks to the development of effective, fairly cheap interstellar travel, first contact has been made with two less-sophisticated sapient societies, the Irai and Libids. Upon first contact, these species were technologically equivalent to the bronze and hunter gatherer ages of human civilization, respectively. As of yet, no other technological civilization has been detected, much to the relief of the upper echelons of the IEU military and the disappointment of 20th century dreamers.
Alongside all these interstellar developments are developments in genetics, chemistry, physiology, neurology, prosthetics and cybernetics which allow for the change of human beings on countless levels. Ultimately, however, they are all still human, and sentient artificial intelligence has remained the constant domain of futurists for the past century.
Quick Rundown (Ten Things to Know)
1. It is a space-based science fiction setting.
There are aliens, space travel, cybernetics, and cool guns. Aliens make up about 6% of the population, excluding the native populations of the various homeworlds including Earth (of the population including homeworlds, aliens make up about 8%). Space travel is affordable enough for a startup company to afford to own a ship and use it for transport. Cybernetics are both highly advanced and affordable enough to have filtered into the upper-middle class. Players are intended to play off of Earth.
2. The World is at Peace.
While there are some fringe groups, the vast majority of the populace accepts the current order and don't rise in outright rebellion. New planets supply plenty enough freedom from old world politics to let people tolerate what authority there is out there. Few entertain the idea that the present order could come apart, and even fewer entertain hopes for its catastrophic collapse. There are no enemies to subjugate, no mass uprisings, and no ongoing interstellar wars.
3. Aliens aren't advanced.
The most advanced alien species known or suspected to exist was at a stage of development equivalent to approximately classical antiquity prior to first contact. There are no ancient artifacts from old civilizations, no rival powers flying around, or anything of that kind.
4. The mind has not been duplicated.
While some significant forays into AI have been made, that is not equivalent to saying that an AI is a person in any meaningful sense. Sure, an AI can pretend to be a person (much better than a current one, anyway), but it isn't. Current AI is not even capable of independent problem solving: while it can solve problems that humans can't, it can't solve problems that it was not specifically programmed to. Even genetic engineering of biological minds (often derided as "the lazy way out") is exceedingly difficult. The human brain was built for the human skull, and it simply can't be expanded arbitrarily. The cutting edge of such "organic computers" is the Corvus-class gengineered humans, but even they have something close to a normal human intelligence.
5. Human modification is widespread.
In addition to baseline humans (those most familiar to the reader), there are gengineered humans and cyborgs. A gengineered human was genetically engineered as an embryo, born out of a tube, and raised in a highly controlled environment over the course of two years. A cyborg was born baseline, but at some point underwent cybernetic modification. Some cyborgs are military (i.e. government produced) and some are civilian.
6. Earth is (mostly) the same.
The general political makeup of Earth is largely similar to what it was at the turn of the third millenium, though with rather different views on economics. Some states suffered revolutions and counter-revolutions, but the most economically important nations (China, India, Japan, France, the UK, the US, Russia, etc) can trace their regimes back quite a while by now, and the various shifts were made with minimal bloodshed.
7. The International Economic Union (IEU) reigns supreme.
The IEU is a federal body governing economic relations between its constituent members (every single recognized state), for the joint development of industry and technology. Additionally, the IEU central government is the undeniable ruler of interstellar travel. The foremost goal of the IEU is the maintenance of economic (and thus political) stability on Earth, all other concerns coming second. It has subjugated alien species, invaded nations, and gained sweeping powers all for this purpose.
8. The Irai
The Irai are the intelligent natives of Ozto: the Etachi and the Mazkai. The Etachi and Mazkai are closely related, but due to various evolutionary pressures, the Mazkai are much more intelligent, larger, and stronger, but live in small family unit sized "packs." The Etachi are dumber, live in large tribes and have been effectively domesticated as a species. The Mazkai needed to eat an Etachi to obtain valuable proteins that couldn't be found anywhere else or they would die. Modern chemistry and pharmaceuticals has rendered this unnecessary, but it has deep religious importance in Irai society and the IEU's disapproving stance towards the ritualized sacrifices makes many Irai (Mazkai and Etachi alike) angry at them.
9. The Libids
The Libids are the intelligent natives of Armab. Biologically, they are wildly divergent from humans; they are nocturnal, use photosynthesis to assist in chemical processing, are monoceious, spend two-thirds of the day asleep, and lay eggs. One of their defining characteristics, at least in the eyes of humans, is their genetic versatility. Unlike humans, who have only a small genetic stock and thus largely similar "races," the Libids have many distinct subtypes which can be easily distinguished.
10. Transhumanism
Transhumanism is a radical left-wing political ideology that sprung up in the 2070s. It is a political reaction to the mostly amoral nature of the IEU and represents an attempt to harness the radical innovations in technology for the betterment of mankind. At their most basic, transhumanists believe in improving human society by improving people. Most civilian cyborgs are affiliated with the transhumanist movement.
There are aliens, space travel, cybernetics, and cool guns. Aliens make up about 6% of the population, excluding the native populations of the various homeworlds including Earth (of the population including homeworlds, aliens make up about 8%). Space travel is affordable enough for a startup company to afford to own a ship and use it for transport. Cybernetics are both highly advanced and affordable enough to have filtered into the upper-middle class. Players are intended to play off of Earth.
2. The World is at Peace.
While there are some fringe groups, the vast majority of the populace accepts the current order and don't rise in outright rebellion. New planets supply plenty enough freedom from old world politics to let people tolerate what authority there is out there. Few entertain the idea that the present order could come apart, and even fewer entertain hopes for its catastrophic collapse. There are no enemies to subjugate, no mass uprisings, and no ongoing interstellar wars.
3. Aliens aren't advanced.
The most advanced alien species known or suspected to exist was at a stage of development equivalent to approximately classical antiquity prior to first contact. There are no ancient artifacts from old civilizations, no rival powers flying around, or anything of that kind.
4. The mind has not been duplicated.
While some significant forays into AI have been made, that is not equivalent to saying that an AI is a person in any meaningful sense. Sure, an AI can pretend to be a person (much better than a current one, anyway), but it isn't. Current AI is not even capable of independent problem solving: while it can solve problems that humans can't, it can't solve problems that it was not specifically programmed to. Even genetic engineering of biological minds (often derided as "the lazy way out") is exceedingly difficult. The human brain was built for the human skull, and it simply can't be expanded arbitrarily. The cutting edge of such "organic computers" is the Corvus-class gengineered humans, but even they have something close to a normal human intelligence.
5. Human modification is widespread.
In addition to baseline humans (those most familiar to the reader), there are gengineered humans and cyborgs. A gengineered human was genetically engineered as an embryo, born out of a tube, and raised in a highly controlled environment over the course of two years. A cyborg was born baseline, but at some point underwent cybernetic modification. Some cyborgs are military (i.e. government produced) and some are civilian.
6. Earth is (mostly) the same.
The general political makeup of Earth is largely similar to what it was at the turn of the third millenium, though with rather different views on economics. Some states suffered revolutions and counter-revolutions, but the most economically important nations (China, India, Japan, France, the UK, the US, Russia, etc) can trace their regimes back quite a while by now, and the various shifts were made with minimal bloodshed.
7. The International Economic Union (IEU) reigns supreme.
The IEU is a federal body governing economic relations between its constituent members (every single recognized state), for the joint development of industry and technology. Additionally, the IEU central government is the undeniable ruler of interstellar travel. The foremost goal of the IEU is the maintenance of economic (and thus political) stability on Earth, all other concerns coming second. It has subjugated alien species, invaded nations, and gained sweeping powers all for this purpose.
8. The Irai
The Irai are the intelligent natives of Ozto: the Etachi and the Mazkai. The Etachi and Mazkai are closely related, but due to various evolutionary pressures, the Mazkai are much more intelligent, larger, and stronger, but live in small family unit sized "packs." The Etachi are dumber, live in large tribes and have been effectively domesticated as a species. The Mazkai needed to eat an Etachi to obtain valuable proteins that couldn't be found anywhere else or they would die. Modern chemistry and pharmaceuticals has rendered this unnecessary, but it has deep religious importance in Irai society and the IEU's disapproving stance towards the ritualized sacrifices makes many Irai (Mazkai and Etachi alike) angry at them.
9. The Libids
The Libids are the intelligent natives of Armab. Biologically, they are wildly divergent from humans; they are nocturnal, use photosynthesis to assist in chemical processing, are monoceious, spend two-thirds of the day asleep, and lay eggs. One of their defining characteristics, at least in the eyes of humans, is their genetic versatility. Unlike humans, who have only a small genetic stock and thus largely similar "races," the Libids have many distinct subtypes which can be easily distinguished.
10. Transhumanism
Transhumanism is a radical left-wing political ideology that sprung up in the 2070s. It is a political reaction to the mostly amoral nature of the IEU and represents an attempt to harness the radical innovations in technology for the betterment of mankind. At their most basic, transhumanists believe in improving human society by improving people. Most civilian cyborgs are affiliated with the transhumanist movement.