Free World Coalition (aka Anarchists)

The FWC is a small group of idealists who believe that the League, and in fact any government, will hinder the personal and spiritual growth of the population it rules over.  They see governments collecting taxes as oppressive, and even want to do away with currency and worldly possessions, stating that everything belongs to every sentient being.  They tend to see government conspiracies everywhere, and often shun the use of such things as comm systems as they feel the government is tracking their every move.  The majority of this group are human, but a healthy number of t'sa and a few seshayans also make up this group.  One or two mechalus have recently joined as well.  Most of the group is peaceful, but there are a growing number of radicals who want to violently overthrow the governments.  The majority of members of this group are either free agents or tech ops.  They prize computer hackers because of their ability to cause mischief on the Grid, and to confound the bureaucracy.  The radicals have many bases, all constantly moving from planet to planet, while the more peaceful members have set up a communal base on Isis IVa, a terran moon of a large gas giant.

Aleer for Aleerins

This radical organization calls for the separation of Aleer, and the entire mechalus people, from the League.  They don't have any hate for the League, but see it as a crutch used to support their people.  They have seen the rest of the League hand out certain technologies, in exchange for mechalus knowledge of nano-technology, and feel that instead of taking handouts, the mechalus should keep what they have and advance, technologically and territorially, on their own.  Although not a violent group (yet) they have constantly opposed their government's efforts to maintain their League membership.  Given the mechalus' (abeit repressed) violent tendencies, some xenopsychologists speculate its only a matter of time before things turn bloody.

The Puritans

The Puritans are one of the greatest disappointments in all of human history.  They are extremely xenophobic humans who have made it their goal in life to eradicate all non-human sentient life from the face of the galaxy.  Yes, unfortunately racism is still alive in the 25th century, although now it isn't human vs. human, but human vs. everything else.  They are divided into two splinter groups:  the Union of Perfection and the Cosmic Purifiers.

The Union of Perfection

The larger and the secular of the two groups, the Union of Perfection states this:  "Humans are as close to perfect as possible.  We are made for survival, and thrive in even the worst parts of the universe.  The other races are weak, and interfere with human evolution.  They must be eliminated."  The example of the fraal is often given of the damage these "lesser races" can cause.  They state that when the fraal contacted our human ancestors several millennia ago, we believed they were gods.  Instead of continuing on our natural, perfect evolution, it took us millennia to reach the stars, as wars started by those very religions inspired by the fraal kept setting man back.  Although it may seem like a contradiction in ideologies, the Union of Perfection often artificially mutates or cybernetically enhances their warriors.  They claim that any mutant human is simply a human whose evolution has been sped up, and don't have a problem with cybernetics, as it doesn't affect DNA.  Psionicists are seen as the next step in the evolution of the entire human race.

Their current main base of operations is unknown, other than it doesn't seem to be in League space.  The League has offered a reward of 10M(!) credits to anyone providing info on its whereabouts.

The Cosmic Purifiers

Much of this group's philosophy is based in a variety of old Earth religions, stating that God made man in His form.  The Cosmic Purifiers have come to the conclusion that any other form must be an abomination, made by the Great Evil.  Therefore, all deviations from His form must be removed from the universe.  Different philosophy, same results as the Union of Perfection, with the exception of changes to the human body.  Anything such as mutations or cyberware is considered to be the Great Evil infecting humans, and therefore, those humans must be destroyed before infecting others.  Psionics is still a matter of internal debate: some see it as a gift from God, while others see it as a different kind of mutation.

The League recently struck a major blow to this group, storming its main base of operations, and capturing hundreds of murderers, including the leader of the CPs.  She currently is incarcerated on the prison world of Demon.

The Knights-Of-The-Round-Table Mercenary Company

Not really "mercenaries", this group is probably one of the best fighting forces inside League space other than the League navy.  About one hundred and fifty  members in number, the company owns a dozen corvette class ships, each named after a hero from one of the League races.  The company accepts any race, but applicants must undergo a rigorous screening process.  Only the best of the best are chosen, and it is a great honor to be accepted into their fold.  The company was started shortly after the zaishan war.  The founders of the company were all veterans of the war and wanted to form a group, independent of the League, to monitor for any threats to peace, and to be able to go where law enforcement officials wouldn't be able to.  Over the years, the company has gained a reputation for selfless acts and nearly flawless work in service to the League and to private individuals.  New generations have replaced the old, but the ideals of the Knights are still the same:  protect the weak, keep the peace, help the needy, and fight to the last man standing.

The Snake Consortium

About fifty years ago, a group of gangs, crime families, and drug cartels combined their forces in the name of greater profit, and formed the snake consortium.  The SC is one of, if not the largest crime syndicate in all of known space.  Composed of mostly humans, the SC also has a great many t'sa, a few less-than-honorable weren thugs, and (suprisingly) a number of fraal.  The SC operates out of the Fenris system for the most part, although their crime web extends through about half of the League.  Drug trafficking, dealing in illegal weapons, murder, and numerous other things are what they do best.  Although they have mostly worked in the shadows in the past, recently there have been a number of disturbingly open incidents that are believed to have been organized by the SC.  The League is aware of their dealings, but the SC is very good at covering its tracks, and the League hasn't been able to prove any significant crimes against anyone important in the SC.

Their current leader is unknown.  The League will compensate anyone with information on the illegal dealings of the SC.

The Theocracy of the Word

This is one of the few remaining colonies inside League space that is independent of the League.  They occupy the planet of Telus I.  The government is based on several old Earth religions, but the main theme is peace and love between sentients.  Here, millions of believers live on a lush, verdant world.  Hints of Earth's past can be seen, as some communities of humans live as they did a thousand years ago, growing crops, and plowing fields all by hand.  This is an idealized world, one of cooperation and interdependence.  Material goods aren't as prized here as much as in most of the League.  The people here only wish to live their lives in quiet (albeit sometimes preachy) devotion.   Not many people choose to leave this world, although many do for missionary purposes.  Also, a small number of fraal have taken up residence in a village on the southern continent.  Although not religious, the fraal here enjoy the quiet of the world.  The odd weren can be found here, as can a seshayan or two.  The Theocracy trades high quality, hand-crafted goods with the League, as well as food.  In return, the League supplies them with a small defensive force to help keep away smugglers and those who would do harm to this world.

The Mind Schools

Although not a separate entity from the League, the Mind Schools seem to be more independent of the League central government than most institutions.  The Mind Schools teach the development of psionics, and are the primary sources of such knowledge.  In the early days, the Schools trained students in the general use of psionics.  It soon became apparent with the growing number of psionic crimes being committed that deeper, more intensive training would be needed.  There are three specialty branches of psionics that proficient students may enter, plus a fourth, general group, for those who don't seem to have that great a focus.  The specialty groups are described below.

The Mind Knights

The Mind Knights are psionic fighters.  They are taught the violent, "darker" side of psionics.  As much of this training involves focusing rage, anger, and other destructive emotions, these students must be on average more strong-willed than most.  Numerous tests have been devised to weed out those who would use their powers for darker purposes.  To those that do enter, many self-restraint and calmness techniques through meditation are taught.  The Mind Knights seek to aid the military in times of need with psionic backup, but for the most part, they wander, looking to stop any inhumane use of psionics they find.  Although they may appear chaotic, wandering from world to world, system to system, they keep in touch with each other, and report their movements to their superiors at all times (failure to do so without just cause incurs a severe penalty).

The Psi-Guard

The name may be misleading, as this group isn't so much a guard as a group of detective/spy-like agents.  They are employed by the League police forces to provide psionic services in crime-solving, and are also used extensively in man-hunts.  They are different from the Mind Knights in several ways.  First, their training is not nearly so intensive, and they usually have a good number of non-psionic skills (ie physical weapons and legal procedures).  Second, they do not specialize in mental combat techniques.  The odd Psi-Guard may have one or two, but usually not very developed.  Think of them as psychic cops.  Third, they are far more organized than the Mind Knights appear to be.

The Biokineticists

By far the most rare of the psionic specialists, the Biokineticists don't have a solid function in society, unlike the other two specialists.  Since most biokinetic powers focus on the user, they are not seen as a threat to society.  Most Biokineticists live normal lives, and have many skills unrelated to psionics altogether.  A good number have become doctors, or other health specialists.  This group of talents seem to be either the most rare, or simply the least glamorized, and thus, the number of graduates is very small.  Also, the fact that they do not have a guaranteed position in society upon graduating doesn't make this specialty any more appealing to most.