Factions

On the planet Chexina, there resides a society of highly intelligent beings living under a collectivist oligarchy. The Chexina have 3 sexes and 3 genders; their societies and mating rituals are very complex. The genders are denoted by the colour of the patterns on their heads. Chexina need to find the appropriate opposite sex to mate with, and they usually must find the opposite gender as well, which greatly reduces the number of available partners. Many Chexina are tree-dwellers, building homes in the massive Anur trees, which the lower-than-average gravity of Chexina allows to grow quite tall. The majority live in cities, residing in massive concrete structures that dwarf the Anur trees.

Chexina craftsmen and engineers are perfectionists; they spend inordinate amounts of time making things, but the end result is a superior product that lasts. Chexina ships are of the highest quality but their fleets are small.

The D'Fidians are herbivores that were hunted on their own homeworld before they developed weapons that made them universally feared by predators. The prey instinct remained with them when they ventured into space, so their ships are designed to be able to detect danger and make quick escapes. The D'Fidians are no stranger to conflict, and have many experienced generals and admirals in their ranks.

The Drozis evolved from tentacled tree-dwellers; they are quasi-invertebrates, and not particularly fast on land. Although physically weak, they are extremely intelligent.

The Ellosians were never a part of the Empire, though they were in long-distance contact with it. They were an advanced civilization, that had the warp drive (albeit a much slower version) long before any other species. The Ellosians used this drive to explore their small corner of the galaxy, and colonize a handful of worlds. During their colonial drive, they made enemies of another advanced species: The Varnir. Eventually this conflict led to the Ellosian's downfall when the Varnir launched an attack on their home planet of Khallat. The planet was bombarded by anti-matter weapons, rendering it uninhabitable. They proceeded to launch smaller scale bombardments and invasions on all Ellosian colonies as well, rendering them an endangered species.

Now, over a century later, an itinerant fleet carries millions of Ellosians, travelling in search of a new home. The largest ship in this fleet, known as the "Battle Moon", is host to over 400,000 Ellosians. It is a great spherical ship, which holds an artificial quantum singularity at its center. The singularity can be manipulated to produce warps in space-time, giving the moon thrust without engines, and allowing warp travel much like smaller vessels. It also generates a weak gravitational field. The knowledge of how to build more such devices is lost to the ages. The Ellosians have become accustomed to low gravity and have difficulty settling on high gravity planets without a regimen of physical training and growth hormones. In escaping the Varnir, they travelled towards Empire space, in the hopes of rebuilding their people.

In the orange-leaved jungles of the planet Utis IV, there lives a proud species of reptilians. They were once occupied by Empire colonists. Galrid guerilla fighters fought a 50-year long and brutal war against the colonizers, using their natural camouflage ability to blend in with the foliage. The occupation was eventually forced to retreat, leaving behind a great deal of their technology. Today, the various peoples of Galrid are united in a confederacy that runs a network of spies throughout the Empire.

A collectivist nation formed by a species of insect-like beings known as the Krynn. The Krynn possess a high level of sexual dimorphism, which makes their males and females appear – to an outside observer – as being members of two separate species. The females are larger and stockier with eyes partially separate from their heads, the males possess large powerful mandibles (among many other differences). Contrary to popular belief, the male and female are not the only forms the Krynn possess; there are varieties of hermaphrodites with different physical forms.

The Illaris Collective was founded by Krynn that sought a more democratic society, one based on solidarity and mutual aid. As a result of the very democratic and decentralized nature of their society, the Krynn are very good at teamwork, even in large, seemingly unmanageable groups. One consequence of their society is that it can take a long time to make a decision.

The Nurrtoo are a semi-aquatic air-breathing species. Their home-world of Nusadus is mostly dry land, but it is covered with many oceans, some of which are connected by rivers. These oceans are known as "Oceanic networks". There are 4 oceanic networks on Nusadus, each boasting a unique array of life, some of it very intelligent.

The Nurrtoo are known for their diplomatic abilities. It is said that a Nurrtoo's disarming appearance is capable of stopping a charging Kritek Beast in its tracks. While Nurrtoo individuals run the gamut of personalities, their envoys are the ones that give them their reputation. Many a peace treaty has been negotiated by Nurrtoo; the Nurrtoo Queendom will send diplomats to areas where peace and stability is in their interest.

The Vega Coalition is a coalition of human colonists residing in the Vega system. They are known for their transforming fighters, or "mobile suits", that can act as both infantry and fighters. They are infamous for using manned fighters, whereas most factions use unmanned fighters. This is both a strength and a weakness.

On the ocean planet of Jittania, underneath the thick orange clouds, there are thousands of islands that spend half of their time drowned by the tides. Most permanent structures are built on islands that float in the sky (actually networks of lighter-than-air fungus). Jet-zeppelins zoom through the air between islands. The drivers of these zeppelins are known as the Xalofan. They – like many species on their planet – have evolved an air pouch which – when filled with hydrogen – allows them to be lighter than air. They are capable of extracting hydrogen dissolved in the atmosphere, or use electrolysis should no hydrogen be available. They travel through the air using flatulence. Jittania was once considered an economic backwater, but the development of underwater mining resulted in the discovery of rare minerals, leading to great wealth for the planet. Xalofan are known for travelling far throughout the stars in search of new trade routes, much like their ancestors floated between islands in the past.

The Xorn are a large aquatic species with telepathic abilities. Their telepathy allows them to implant strong suggestions into the minds of intelligent species. Long ago, they enthralled a species of land-dwelling humanoids known as the Thrall, which evolved on the same planet. The Thrall produce most of the technology used by the Xorn, and all of the early technology, the Xorn lacking the dexterity to produce it. The Xorn's large size makes it so that they are rarely space travellers. It is a common misconception that the Xorn's mind control abilities are in effect on the Thrall at all times: this would be too exhausting to the Xorn. Instead, Thrall subservience to the Xorn is woven into their religion and culture.