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A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND

Once the Earth was no longer habitable, folk travelled far across the black to create a new home for themselves. The first worlds humanity terraformed and colonized are located in the Core—a group of centrally located planets that united to form the Alliance. From the Core, folk spread to the frontier of nearby systems. Many of the surrounding Border Planets do a heap of lucrative business with their wealthier neighbors. Other worlds, like those on the Rim, fend for themselves.

UNIFICATION WAR

A few years ago, the Alliance threw its weight around and demanded all other planets should fall under their rule. Not everybody agreed. Some who didn’t fought against them in the Unification War. Like any war, it was a bloody conflict and a lot of folk died on both sides.

Many still remember.

STILL FIGHTING

To this day, the so-called “Browncoats” haven’t forgotten what happened. Though they lost the War, most Independents still don’t believe they picked the wrong side. Now, most ex- soldiers (like Serenity’s crew members) prefer to venture out on the Rim, far away from the Alliance-run Core Planets, taking whatever jobs they can to stay alive.

WHERE YOU’LL BE FLYIN’

The ’Verse is split up into three distinct regions spanning five planetary systems. Each system has one or more sources of light in the form of a star or protostar. The system’s planets revolve around these stars and, if ’n you remember your basic astronomy, you know that moons orbit their respective planets.

Though there are over 200 planets and moons in the known ’Verse, the vast majority of humanity can be found in the White Sun System. Billions of Alliance citizens call this region of the ’Verse their home, which is partly why the Central Planets are considered the most modern and civilized, too. The seat of the Alliance’s power lies at the very heart of the ’Verse and, as a result, this system has the most credits and is significantly more advanced in technology, medicine, the arts, and its laws than any place else in the ’Verse.

As soon as you start flyin’ out toward the Border Planets in the Red Sun and Georgia Systems, you’ll be runnin’ into all kind of unsavory folk who ain’t necessarily keen on followin’ the rules. This here is the true frontier, where anyone with enough guns and gumption can rule a little world. That don’t mean the Alliance isn’t keen on seeing these systems settled with loyalists. They’ll often provide dreamers and pioneers a chance to strike out on their own by paying for their passage and handing ’em a single crate of supplies.

Moons and planets that have been terraformed within the past two hundred years—like those in the industry- heavy Kalidasa System and the rough-and-tumble Blue Sun System—are more likely to be less settled than those in the Core and Border Planets. Basic foodstuffs, toiletries, and other goods are often in short supply. Truth be told, the further you get away from the Core, the more desperate folk’ll tend to be—no matter who they are.

Most folk are bilingual, regardless of where you travel in the ’Verse. If ’n you speak Mandarin or English, you’ll be able to get your message across. Faiths are widely varied. Christian and Buddhist faiths boast the most believers in well-populated areas. Smaller communities tend to have their own customs and beliefs, growing out of one settler’s vision or a group’s pledge to live apart.

THE CORE PLANETS

The center of the ’Verse is known by many names. When these planets first consolidated their laws, resources, and financial systems they did so under the banner of the Union of the Allied Planets. After the War, they’re commonly referred to as the Central Planets. Other names include: Bai Hu (White Tiger), Core Planets, the Core, and the White Sun System.

The system’s star is about twice the size of any other found in this part of the ’Verse. Almost 50 billion people make their home in the Central Planets. It’s the easiest place to find work and enjoy the wonders of fancy technology—provided you can stomach livin’ under the Alliance’s rule. Just outside the Central Planets is an asteroid belt called “ The Halo”— a set of C-, M-, and S-Class asteroids that encircles the whole system.

Notable locations in the Core include its two capital worlds, Londinium and Sihnon. As the heart of the ’Verse, Londinium is the oldest and one of the most populated worlds in the Union of the Allied Planets. It’s primarily covered by sprawling cities and scientific research campuses dedicated to the invention of new technology and resource management. Parliament, the Alliance’s main body of government, is also found here.

Sihnon, on the other hand, is a planet of great beauty known for its Companion training Houses. Each House teaches its students a variety of disciplines including fencing, massage, ancient tea ceremonies, acting, calligraphy, and playing the Qinqin.

Other habitable planets include Bernadette, Albion, Persephone, Ariel, Bellerophon, Osiris, and Santo.

BORDER PLANETS

Border Planets—so named on account of their proximity to the Core and the Rim—are located in two separate systems. Sandwiched in between the two regions, the Alliance has a moderate influence on folk in this region. Prices are higher, resources are scarcer, and the most common forms of transportation are either by train or by horse.

The Georgia System is also referred to as the Huang Long (Yellow Dragon). Located near the Blue Sun System, Georgia has over two dozen planets and three dozen moons, most of which have been terraformed. Many of the worlds here, like Regina, suffer from some kind of ailment on account of failed terraforming equipment and the like. Truth be told, the Alliance is havin’ a hard time getting folk to move out this way, which is why settlers are often enticed with a crate of supplies and free passage on a boat to a backwater moon. Habitable planets include Ezra, Regina, Boros, Newhope, Hera, Aphrodite, and Ithaca.

The Red Sun—or Zhu Que (Red Phoenix)—System lies on the other side of the Core. Its population of 3.5 billion folk is about half the size of Georgia’s and it too has an asteroid belt that rings around Jiangyin, New Melbourne, and its Red Sun. That belt is called the “Motherlode.” Most of the worlds here are often overlooked, for there ain’t much to this area of the ’Verse, other than a few space stations and a whole lot of tiny settlements. Planets include St. Albans, Triumph, Jiangyin, New Melbourne, Harvest, Greenleaf, and Aesir.

THE RIM

This area of space lies beyond the boundaries of the Border and Central Planets and is the newest section of the ’Verse. Many travelers believe the Alliance has no say in the Rim, but that ain’t exactly true. The government and major corporations both like to use these areas of space for “experimental” purposes such as major prison complexes, giant shipyards, or training facilities for a new type of stealth freighter.

The Kalidasa or Xuan Wu (Black Tortoise) System—lying diagonally to the Red Sun System—is sparsely populated, with barely a billion folk livin’ in those planets. Though manufacturing worlds like Beaumonde are common here, mainly ’cause the Alliance don’t care none if the environment or the resources here get used up, the atmosphere is tense. On the one side, there are a whole lot of workers and robots operatin’ all manner of machine in order to build everythin’ from digi-paper to laser cannons. On the other? Well, the corporations these days have more freedom to do as they will. That means workers ain’t exactly treated right all the time—if ever. Notable planets include Whittier, Verbena, Newhall, Beaumonde, Angel, and Djinn’s Bane.

The youngest of the five, the Blue Sun System is opposite the Kalidasa System on the other side of the Rim and is the smallest set of celestial bodies. There are only six habitable known planets in this region of space. Why this particular system is half the size of the others remains a mystery to most folk in the Core. Wild stories involving deadly curses, dragons, and terrifying boogeymen keep curious explorers and opportunistic smugglers away. Only three worlds—Deadwood, New Canaan, and Fury—are worth visiting.