Political Backdrop

Governments

The principle governing bodies throughout settled space.

United Systems Federation (USF)

Also known as: The US, The Feds.

The best government that money can buy. A federal democratic republic dominated by megacorporations of Terran origin. Terra is the social and political center, at least officially. Some might describe it as America on Space Steroids. You might think that. I could not possibly comment.

Alianco de Sendependa Mondoj (ASI) / Alliance of Independent Worlds (AIW)

Also known as: the Alliance, the Mob, the Swarm.

Individual and small groups of systems that agree to a minimal standard of human rights and trading rules. Generally very poor at collective action except against clear and present threats. They often use Esperanto as a somewhat neutral language for formal matters.
Some members don't directly govern specific systems but represent groups that exist throughout several or many systems.

Some example members:

• The Forbin Network: administered by a collection of smart agents, nearly sentient AI, with human supervision.
• The Plunderbund Polity: slightly organized pirates. (May not officially be a member, but are likely a player on the edges).
• La Incognito Abonrilata / The Incognito Syndicate: places an extremely high value privacy and anonymity. Key architects of anonymous financial transactions and currency.

Межзвездный Союз Просвещенных Граждан (MCПГ) / Interstellar Union of Enlightened Citizens (IUEC)

Pronunciation help:

• Mezhzvezdnyy Soyuz Prosveshchennykh Grazhdan
• "Mezh-zivezd-knee So-use Pross-vesh-chen-neak Garage-dan"

Also known as: the Union, Unionists, the Mezh, the Mezhy, Mezh Heads.

A (probably grossly) oversimplified parallel: Russo-Franco Commie Scientologists. They value their own version of enlightenment and intellect and consider themselves an objective meritocracy. (Though it could fairly be described as a type of theocracy). As a symbol of their focus, and their achievements within their society, they often paint, wear with a circlet, or even tattoo stars of increasing size and brightness on their foreheads. Thus the disparaging term "Mezh heads".

First Citizen Cruise XXIII insists that the comparison of their Auditors and Scrutators to Inquisitors is wholly inappropriate and an insult to their ancient inspiration: El-Ron.

No one expects the Mezhzvezdnyy Scrutinization!

The Coregency of Eridani, aka, The Eridani Empire.

Also known as: the Empire, Imperials, Impies, the Geriatrics.

A federal monarchy in which the sovereign is a small council, the heads of family-owned corporations, similar to the zaibatsus of Imperial Japan. The combination creates a semi-feudal system but with less reliance on bloodlines as heirs can be 'adopted' in to a family house/corp. Broadly speaking, there are three divisions of society: members of a family, servants of a family, and independents. Within each there is a great range of power and wealth: some independents are much wealthier and more powerful then some family houses.