Factions
Science Foundation
Independent of any local or cluster government(s), the Science Foundation is the premiere scientific professional scientific organization in the cluster, a non-profit devoted to promoting quality scientific research. It oversees a hierarchy of per-world member organizations and broader per-discipline organizations.
Because the Science Foundation is so large, and covers so many areas of study, there are definitely factions with in it, some of which are barely aware of others, even within smaller clusters like the local cluster. Some researchers rely on funding from various military organizations, and others rely on public funding.
- Dr. Crimini - the cluster's foremost Theoretical Biologist from Bane's Edge. A powerful figure in the Science Foundation.
- Like most sciences, Biology as a field has itself evolved over time (think early hyper-focus on classification and taxonomy) to the point that now, the highest (and therefore most prestigious, well-funded, etc.) branch is Theoretical Biology, relying almost exclusively on pure computation and clean mathematical models of life.
The Syndicate
The Syndicate is an organized crime organization that is spread across most of the local cluster and the connecting clusters both coreward and rimward. With good PR resources, they maintain a public face in most systems as local do-gooders, just helping the little guy.
Scouts Guild
The Scouts Guild is spread across known space, independent of any planet-bound polities. Members of the Scout's guild are Pilots who have been sponsored by an existing member, and who pay an annual membership fee. The membership fees are nominal, but spread out over known space, they add up. They also re-sell the slipstream strait parameters to non-members as well, at a hefty mark-up, so navigation information in general is spread widely. Corporations or other organizations are not allowed membership, only individual people, of any species, as long as they can pass a rigorous suite of piloting tests.
The Guild offers support for down on their luck pilots, such as hostels near space ports, retirement & pension plans, etc. They maintain offices and facilities in most systems that receive FTL traffic.
In addition to membership dues, the Guild earns income by buying up new slipstream strait parameters, and re-selling them to corporations and non-members. Members in the Guild automatically receive new slipstream strait parameters for free as part of the benefits of membership.
Vat Clones Organization
There is a shadowy organization that produces Vat Clones and hires them out as mercenaries. Most people have no idea how you would go about hiring new vat clones, but they keep showing up in the wars that spring up across known space.
Banesian Underground
There are rumours that there is a group of people, the Banesian Underground on Bane's Eye who work against the current government, that they consider to be illegitimate and fascist. These rumours are suppressed by Bane's Eye operatives whenever they crop up.
Kel-Azaan Resistance
A coalition of distant interstellar civilizations on the far side of known space who fought against the Invicta Swarm expansion in the last decade or so.
Tepchania Institute of Technology
A prestigious engineering university on Tepchania. Informally known as TIT.