The homeworld of the Voinians is a desolate planet, whose climate has not been improved by the centuries of heavy industry and careless disposal of pollutants which have characterized the rise of the great Voinian Empire. The planet's atmosphere is a slow poision for Humans and many other races, and is not that much better for the Voinians themselves.

The Voinians, xenophobic by nature, have only one goal: to conquer all that surrounds them, and to destroy anything or anyone that stands in their way. The Voinians have discovered several technologically inferior races, and have enslaved them, forcing them to build weapons and starships to help defend the Voinian Empire -- and to help demolish the empires set up by other races. When the Voinians first discovered the Humans -- who were only just beginning their expansion into the greater galaxy -- they had similar plans for them.

After the climactic Battle of Sol, however, the Voinians themselves were facing extinction at the hands of these Humans, and the younger races enslaved by the once-powerful Voinian Empire, are now beginning to think of overthrowing their oppressors in this weakened state.

The Miranu inhabit a substantial area of space in the Galactic North. They are not a warlike people, instead doing their utmost to trade with as many races as possible. To date, they have almost universally succeeded in this, with the exception of the Voinians, who remain rigidly xenophobic in this respect. Mrianu ships trade back and forth between their worlds and the most remote parts of this sector of the galaxy.

Miranu space is split, more or less, into two sections; the core worlds and the north-tip worlds. The core worlds are situated a little north of the center of this sector of the galaxy, and are probably the safest places to be in the entire galaxy. The north-tip worlds are a number of Miranu colonies to the Galactic North of the core worlds, which are under threat from the renegades in that area. These colonies are protected by a Miranu-funded mercenary force called the Zachit.

The Crescent is a term that can only be fully understood with a complete map of the galaxy. If you have one, zoom out and cover the Human, Voinian, and Miranu core worlds with your fist, and the remaining stars will form a rough crescent shape around it. This area of space is inhabited by an alien race whose name has been lost with time, if it ever even had one. It is split into several factions: the three Strands (Azdgari, Zidagar, and Igadzra), and the Strandless.

The Strands control the center of the Crescent, split roughly even between them. They have been fighting a three-way war for centuries, one that shows little sign of ending. The Strands share similar technologies, but each has its own particular secrets and specialties, either causing or resulting from their differing tactics and strategies.

The Azdgari are famed for the maneuverability of their vessels, especially the unique Azdara fighter -- which is also remarkable for its shield regeneration speed. The Azdgari are less attached than the other Strands -- on occasion, the entire race has migrated to another part of the Crescent for decades at a time. Hand in hand with this goes the Azdgari tendency for raiding. As the Azdgari have few heavy industrial or other constant processes going on on their worlds, they take a lot of what they need through raids on the other Strands.

In terms of character, the Azdgari are known for their eccentricities and wild exuberance, especially when piloting the dangerously fast Azdaras.

Zidagar vessels are feared for the heavy short-range armament of their ships, particularly the deadly Phased Disruption Beam. The Zidara pocket warship is a particularly vicious example of their methods. The Zidagar and Igadzra are currently involved in an attritional border war, while each also fends off Azdgari raiders, with no sign of any great offensives to come any time soon.

The Zidagar seem culturally to be the most similar to Humans, except that they are subject to serious and dramatic mood swings, often influenced by their environment.

The Igadzra are the least open and most remote of the Strands. Many of their worlds are off-limits to most aliens and they seem generally untrusting and suspicious of other peoples in general. They tend to operate through seemingly conventional military campaigns, while in the background their special forces work through subtle plots which may not come to fruition for centuries -- and, even then, only in the most subtle of ways. In contrast with this subtlety is the Igadzra's main warship -- the Igazra, the largest and most powerful warship in the known galaxy. The Igadzra eschew fighters for the most part -- their warships have a few weapons systems designed for dealing with them.

The Strandless, as their name suggests, are exiles from the three Strands. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Many minor crimes and all major ones carry a penalty of exile, which may be one reason why so many Strandless become renegades. Also some seemingly very minor misdemeanors, or small faults which do not fit in with the character of that Strand can lead to exile. Furthermore, all children of Strandless are considered Strandless themselves, and there is no return once exiled. Thanks to all this, numbers of Strandless are vast, but they still lack the kind of power base and organization which makes the Strands such forces to be reckoned with. Most Strandless flee to the tips of the Crescent and attempt to begin their lives again. Many become renegades, such as those in Human space, and these pirates are the bane of these parts of the galaxy, with no properly organized force to contain them.

A few other minor races are scattered around the Crescent, but most have been absorbed, in one way or another, into the ways of the Strands, and none are truly worth naming.

The star systems beyond the Crescent are for the most part inaccessible, due to the interference of the Azdgari the hazardous nebulae and asteroid belts that must be traversed. Occasionally travellers arrive from or go to these places, but mostly they remain remote and unknown.

Coming soon...