Sol System

Terran Alliance Grid Square: 0, 0, 0

Other Names: Solar System (Humans), <thought-concept relating to the area around home> (Teuthidoids), HakO (Proximans)

Native Sentient Species: Humans (H. Sapiens sapiens, H. Sapiens magii, H. Sapiens mentis), Teuthidoids (Xenoanimalis Solis Carbonicus Teuthidus majoris)

The Sol system is the seat of the Terran Alliance and the home of both Humans and Teuthidoids (who share a common biological ancestor).  The Sol system is relatively mundane, it contains no spatial anomalies, exotic planets, binary stars, brown dwarves, and minimal exotic resources, aside from some scattered deposits of rigarium.  Consequently, this left the two native species free to develop and advance in a relative state of isolation.  No major power attempted to influence them, but there is extensive evidence for visitation by non-native species throughout the system.

ABOUT MOON DESIGNATIONS: Planetary moons described below have several designations listed.  First is the moon’s commonly-accepted name.  Second is the moon’s discovery order in relation to the planet it orbits.  Third is its system designation, which indicates where it is in relation to orbital distance around its parent body.  For example, Io (Jupiter I / Sol f V) is a moon named Io, which orbits Jupiter, was the first moon discovered around Jupiter, and is the 5th-closest moon to the planet.

Mercury (Sol b)

Power Groups

  • Solar Dynamics – Founded in the early 2000s, Solar Dynamics is a company specializing in solar power R&D, manufacturing, and deployment.  Officially headquartered on Earth, their primary venture locations are on Mercury, in underground facilities and surface testing stations.  Due to the small size of the staff at their Mercury facilities (several hundred researchers, engineers, and support staff), and the non-permanent basis of staff there (staff is rotated out on 6-month shifts), Mercury is not counted as a colony.  The Solar Dynamics facilities are not fully self-sufficient, but they do get fresh vegetables from on-site greenhouses which also serve as oxygen sources.  Solar Dynamics is an extraterritorial corporate installation, and as such does not receive representation on the People’s or States Chambers.

Major Hazards

  • Intense Solar Radiation – As the closest planet to Sol, Mercury is constantly bombarded with high amounts of solar radiation.  The planet is exposed to high amounts of varying frequencies of radiation, making it a dangerous place to be without proper shielding.
  • No Atmosphere – Mercury is a barren, airless rock of a planet.  Atmosphere suits are required for any species incapable of withstanding a vacuum.

Venus (Sol c)

Power Groups

Notable Locations

  • Venusian Experimental Atmospheric Space-capable seTtlement (V-EAST) – V-EAST is a continuing experiment in the habitation of planets traditionally regarded as uninhabitable.  Constructed in Earth orbit in 2021, V-EAST is a disk-shaped, aerodynamic structure, roughly half a mile in diameter.  An early triumph in inertial-manipulation technology, V-EAST has an extremely low inertia for it’s size, allowing it to be suspended inside the eye of Venus’s northern polar hurricane.  It’s position is maintained through the use of lighter-than-air gasses and large propellers on the underside of the structure.  After it’s construction, it was crewed by an international team of planetary scientists, mechanics, engineers, and their families, and sent in a low-energy transfer orbit to Venus, which took approximately a year of travel.  It is currently a hotbed for research in the fields of hostile environment survival and terraforming, including the planning of a future terraforming of the planet Venus.  V-EAST is not self-sufficient and relies on regular resupply runs.  As such, it is governed by a governor appointed by the Colonial Council.
  • Venusian Weather-resistant Exploratory Space-capable seTtlement (V-WEST) – V-WEST is the second atmospheric colony on Venus, usually located in the eye of the southern polar hurricane.  An adaptation of the V-EAST design, V-WEST has been further reinforced and given the ability to move outside of polar hurricanes for research on Venus’s atmosphere.  It was launched in 2025 and reached Venus in early 2026.  V-WEST is not self-sufficient and relies on regular resupply runs.  As such, it is governed by a governor appointed by the Colonial Council.

Major Hazards

  • High Atmospheric Pressure – Don’t go down into the lower layers of Venus’s atmosphere.
  • High Temperatures – Seriously, don’t.
  • Sulfuric Acid Precipitation – Just what part of “DON’T” do you fail to understand?

Earth (Sol d)

Population (Planetary): 8,000,000,000
Population (Orbital): 30,000

Although the headquarters of the Terran Alliance is technically located on Luna, Earth still remains the center of humanity as a whole, for the simple fact that the majority of the population resides there.  The planet is still recovering from the abuse that has been dealt to it over the past century and a half, and the political climate is constantly tense.  While a state of peace does exist on the planet, it is by no means a utopia, and old rivalries between nations seldom are forgotten.  In the years since the end of World War 3, most of the physical damage to infrastructure has been repaired, though some areas of the world are either still cordoned off (such as the Sydney Metroplex).   The individual nations of the world are members of the United Nations, which represents the planet’s interests in the Alliance.  There still exists a de-facto geopolitical breakdown, and in some cases old rivalries within regional power blocs’ member nations have begun to flare up again, sometimes requiring TAAF intervention to keep the peace.

Power Blocs / Geopolitical Summary

  • African Defense League (Egypt, South Africa, Saharan Republic, Republic of Congo, Central African Confederation)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Egypt vs Saharan Republic, CAC vs Sudan
    • Central African Confederation – The CAC began as a coalition between the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Uganda when they backed South Sudan’s secession from Sudan.
    • Egypt –
    • Republic of Congo –
    • Saharan Republic –
    • South Africa –
  • Asian Alliance (Turkey, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, United Arab States)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: China vs Japan, Kashmir (India vs Pakistan vs China), India vs Pakistan, Iran vs Turkmenistan [Iranian Government In Exile], Turkey vs UAS
    • Afghanistan –
    • China – If any one nation could be said to have emerged on top after World War 3, it is China.  At first glance, this seems slightly odd, considering China did not actually participate in the war and remained neutral to all parties.  However, this meant that China had no infrastructure damage, no economic loss, and no loss of ‘deniable assets’ during the Shadow Wars.  China has a hybrid of a traditional state-driven economy and a free market economy, though with the major players in the Chinese economy being represented heavily in the Chinese government, the nation might be better described as a corporate state, instead of a plutocracy.  The leverage that large corporations that have arisen inside China have over the national government should not be underestimated, as is evidenced by the blanket charter Yang Enterprises has with running the Neptune Astroconstruction Colony – which on paper belongs to China, but in practice belongs to Yang Enterprises.  China and Japan are uneasy allies inside the Eurasian Alliance, brought together more by geographic location then political like-mindedness.  The extensive history of China/Japan conflicts keeps the two nations on edge with each other, with diplomatic posturing and border-operation brinksmanship commonplace between them.  The China/Japan dynamic is one of the two main sources of internal conflict inside the Asian Alliance, the other being the India/Pakistan dynamic.
    • India –  The India/Pakistan dynamic is one of the two main sources of internal conflict inside the Asian Alliance, the other being the China/Japan dynamic.
    • Iran –
    • Japan – Japan was one of the first nations to openly embrace the now-publicized magic community, possibly due to the amount of operatives that they seemingly lost during the Shadow Wars that perpetuated behind the scenes of World War 3.  Japan is working on rebuilding its magic community, but due to the loss of talented elders during the Shadow Wars their current community is heavily populated by youths, young adults, and those who only became aware of their talent after mages stopped hiding in the shadows.  Japan has an inordinate amount of Contractors and Familiar-using Theurgists, but nobody is quite sure why.  As most of the damage that Japan suffered during the War has been rebuilt, it is hard to see the traces of the war these days, even with the amount of damage the nation suffered.  These days, Japan is a nation of polar opposites.  It’s rebuilt cities have gleaming, almost dystopian or cyberpunk towers, where high technology is researched right alongside state-run magical institutes.  But one quick maglev train out of the city seemingly takes you to a previous era, where traditional houses are still built, and business suits are hardly ever seen.  It has been surmised that Japan’s duality is an expression of a nation which is trying to find it’s new identity in the world as it grapples with internal debates over what it’s role should be in this new interstellar economy.  China and Japan are uneasy allies inside the Eurasian Alliance, brought together more by geographic location then political like-mindedness.  The extensive history of China/Japan conflicts keeps the two nations on edge with each other, with diplomatic posturing and border-operation brinksmanship commonplace between them.  The Chinese/Japanese dynamic is one of the two main sources of internal conflict inside the Asian Alliance, the other being the India/Pakistan dynamic.
    • Pakistan – The India/Pakistan dynamic is one of the two main sources of internal conflict inside the Asian Alliance, the other being the China/Japan dynamic.
    • Turkey –
    • United Arab States –
  • European Union (France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Relations inside the European Union remain relatively friendly and calm.  There is extensive back and forth bickering between its members, but there is no real possibility for a military flareup inside the Union due to the deep-seated economic interconnectivity between the member nations.  That being said, tensions remain high between France and Spain, whose relations deteriorated during World War III when France was unwilling to come to the aid of Spain during the Siege of Gibraltar.  The bigger source of possible conflict in the European Theater is the EU vs Russo-Asian Pact dynamic.
    • France –
    • Germany –
    • Italy –
      • Vatican City – 
    • Spain –
    • Poland –
  • North American Defensive Interest Coalition (NADIC) (Canada, Mexico, Central American Federal Union, Caribbean Confederation) – NADIC began as a hastily-formed defensive coalition in the early days of World War III.  It was founded by Canada and Mexico as a way to distance themselves from the posturing and offensive reach of the Abraham administration under the basis that “if Abraham attacks one of us, the other will retaliate.”  As the war dragged on, the coalition expanded to include the Caribbean Confederation and the Central American Federal Union.  While Canada and Mexico remain on good terms with each other, Mexico’s relations with the CAFU are strained these days due to border disputes in Central America, and CAFU has a near-hostile relationship with Colombia.
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: CAFU vs Mexico, CAFU vs Colombia [External].
    • Canada – While the dream of an independent Quebec still continues to this day, it has yet to reach fruition, and Canada still remains a continent-spanning nation.
    • Caribbean Confederation –
    • Central American Federal Union (CAFU) – CAFU comrpises the former nations of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and North Panama. During World War III, Colombia made an attempt to seize the Panama Canal under the claim of attempting to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from using it (Panama had a treaty with the United States which offered unfettered access). Their attempt succeeded, but the Colombian forces continued to invade further into Panama before annexing the nation. The current member nations of CAFU rallied to drive Colombia southwards, but they only succeeded in liberating the Panama to the Canal – they were unable to proceed southwards beyond the Canal due to entrenched Colombian forces. The month-long conflict ended when a treaty was brokered by Mexico, who didn’t want to have to worry about a war brewing to their South while they were planning the invasion of the United States. Following the conflict, the nations who fought off Colombia formed a defensive coalition which grew into a wider political union in the post-war era. Smuggling remains a problem for CAFU, with CAFU’s inability to police their northern border with Mexico remaining a point of contention between the two nations. Relations with Colombia remain strained, and the Panama Canal is officially designated a Demilitarized Zone, but regulation of this zone is poor.
    • Mexico –
  • Confederation of America (COA) [Map]- In the wake of World War 3 and the breakup of the old United States that took place immediately before and during the conflict, five nations now stand where there was formerly one.  The successor states to the USA organized themselves in a Confederation – not unlike the former Soviet states did following the breakup of the Soviet Union.  The Eastern States of America comprises the Northeastern states, the Southern States of America comprises the Southeast and Gulf states, the Interior States of America comprises the Midwestern and Central states, and the Western States of America comprises the Rocky Mountains and everything west of it, along with the remnants of Hawaii.  The capital of the COA is in Washington, DC, which exists as a 5th independent nation, the Washington Federal Zone (WFZ) – which comprises the former DC Metro Area, including pieces of Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland.  Individually, the ESA, SSA, ISA, and WSA no longer count as superpowers due to limited resources and manpower, even though each of them are nuclear-armed with their own constituent military forces.  Only when the four nations work together can the COA be considered a superpower anymore.
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: ESA vs SSA, ISA vs WSA, SSA Independence Movement vs Everyone, “Abraham Revivalists”
    • Eastern States of America (ESA) – Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the ESA walks a traditionally liberal line, maintaining a dim view of unchecked corporations and uncontrolled free-market capitalism – a viewpoint which was only reinforced by the Belt Rebellion.  This viewpoint almost destroyed their economy in the wake of World War III, when many of the corporations that were headquartered in New York City relocated after the end of the War rather than be forced to abide by new regulations and laws.  This caused an economic downturn which was set to ruin the ESA’s economy and send them into a deep depression, until more socially-minded corporations began to relocate to the ESA to benefit from the PR boost that would come from following these new worker-friendly and environmentally-friendly regulations.
    • Interior States of America (ISA) – Based out of its capital in Chicago, Illinois, the ISA is politically a bit of a paradox – it loves free-market capitalism but at the same time will fight to the last man to defend worker’s rights and unions. Since the end of the War, the ISA has been attempting to revive the industrial and manufacturing base that used to drive the economy of the region in the mid-20th century.  So far, they have met with mixed success – but recent advances with nanofabrication promise to help drive down manufacturing costs to allow for corporations in the ISA to have high-paying jobs and still turn a profit.  Across the COA, the “Made in the ISA” stamp is growing in frequency and popularity, with some people taking pride in the fact that they are can still ‘buy things made at home in America’ rather than purchasing cheap goods made overseas.  In 2022, the ISA almost went to war with the WSA during the Belt Rebellion when the ISA chose to back the workers seeking better conditions and pay and the WSA chose to support the corporations the workers were employed by.  Both nations reinforced their borders with each other, and there were several incidents later classified as being the result of trigger-happy commanders before the Belt Rebellion came to a close and tensions between the two nations eased.
    • Southern States of America (SSA) – Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the SSA is best defined as walking a very conservative line, one that borders on ‘libertarian theocracy’ at times.  The rest of the world usually has a very low opinion of the SSA due to the fact that the SSA supported the Abraham Administration through the entirety of World War III, until they were invaded and occupied by the Allied Forces in the closing days of the War.  The SSA is seen as the proverbial ‘black sheep’ of the COA, with the other three nations of the COA being viewed by the rest of the world as “leash-holders” on the mad, barking dog that is the SSA.  Financially, the SSA has suffered in the past decade due to unwillingness of European nations to invest in it – most likely due to their dim view of the SSA’s internal policies and remaining bitterness from Abraham’s military campaign in Europe.  It has remained financially afloat with the help of Asian investors bringing jobs and business into the nation, along with corporations who relocated to the SSA to escape regulations which prevented them from acting according to their owners religious beliefs.  Culturally, citizens of the SSA usually have a dim view of the United Nations and the Terran Alliance in general, having a general belief that the large, all-encompassing ‘government of humanity’ is merely a prelude to persecution and ‘liberal dictatorship.’
    • Washington Federal Zone (WFZ) – Not an actual nation but more of a city-state, the WFZ is neutral ground where the four member nations of the COA meet to discuss policy and trade.  The WFZ comprises the old District of Columbia, along with bits of the original states of Maryland and Virginia, and is divided into three districts: Nova, Soma, and Washington.  Nova is comprised of Arlington and Alexandria; Soma of Silver Spring Spring, Greenbelt, and Capitol Heights; and Washington is the old District of Columbia.
    • Western States of America (WSA) – From its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, the WSA espouses personal freedom in all its forms, including the freedom of a corporation to do as it chooses.  The WSA is one part liberal paradise, and at the same time a paradise for corporations.  Their economy has been booming since the end of the War, with many of the corporations formerly headquartered in New York City having relocated to various metropolitan areas in the WSA.  Corporations in the WSA pay extremely low flat-rate taxes based on their industry and international reach, and are free from many laws found in the ISA and the ESA.  For example, a corporation in the WSA is free from the regulations regarding politically influencing its employees, and are able to issue mandates essentially declaring ‘vote this way or lose your job.’  While the corporation can’t actually go and pull up voting records to see how the employee voted, if the employee is found to be talking about political views not approved by the corporation while at work they can be terminated – however, an employee’s speech when not at work cannot be taken into account to affect their employment, and WSA courts have a near-perfect record for upholding free speech laws outside of the workplace.
  • Russo-Asian Pact (Russia, CIS)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Similarly to their main competitor – the European Union – the internal political environment of the Russo-Asian pact is very calm.  Trade and cultural interconnectivity between the member nations prevent any form of real military conflict, so the conflicts that do arise are related to political gaffes and mismanagement.  The bigger source of possible conflict is the EU vs Russo-Asian Pact dynamic.
    • LARGE ACTIVE PROJECTS
      • Aral Sea Recovery Initiative – In the early 2020s, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan began the first major project that fell under the banner of “Environmental Recovery” on Earth.  In partnership with and under the watchful eye of the SDA’s 1st Directorate, the two nations have been working to restore the Aral Sea through the use of water ices which have been brought in from the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud.  Progress is steady, but slow, as the cometary bodies being harvested must be either be adequately shielded from sunlight (an expensive process) before being brought to the inner Sol system or they have to be mined and harvested while in the outer Sol system and then have the water brought in through freighters (a slow process).
    • Confederation of Independent States – The former nations of the Soviet bloc that remain allied with Russia still dance around Russia like courtiers circling an emperor.  Constantly caught in the balance of pandering to their powerful ally, and attempting to maintain control over their own populaces, these nations form a physical buffer around Russia, lending them some breathing room in return for guarantees of protection.
    • Russia – If there has been one constant from the end of the Second World War through the aftermath of the Third World War to the present day, it is most likely Russia (and the Soviet Union).  Though it stumbled briefly after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia has remained a player on a global scale, and turned the chaos resulting from its sudden departure from die-hard communism into the driving force behind the innovation that drives the nation today.  Many of the recent technological advances either came from Russia, or have been based on research by Russian scientists.  Had Russia not thrown its support behind the fledgling Terran Alliance in the time immediately after its founding, the Alliance most likely would have become defunct due to its inability to enforce any of its legislation, much like the United Nations was before it was granted control over the United Kingdom’s military forces after the Day of Fire.  While Russia does a good job at convincing the general public that it is “good” and “has everyone’s best interests in mind,” in truth Russia only supports the Terran Alliance because it is in Russia’s best interest to do so.  In reality, Russia has done many things of questionable legality and morality since the fall of the Soviet Union, and there is a fair amount of evidence that lends credence to theories that Russia was just as culpable in the outbreak of World War III as the Abraham Administration was.
  • Southeast Asia/Australia Defensive Group (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Micronesian Confederation)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Indonesia vs Malaysia (Riau Islands Dispute)
    • Australia –
    • Indonesia –
    • Malaysia –
    • Micronesian Confederation – A relative newcomer to the global political arena, the Micronesian Confederation makes up for its small population and military might by wielding considerable economic power.  What they lack in actual production capability they make up for with their bountiful mineral wealth.  Had it not been for the Nodule Rush in 2005, these scattered islands across the Pacific Ocean would never have separated themselves from their controlling nations with the support of corporations who wished to gain access to the mineral-rich nodules found on the seafloor in these island’s economic zones.  In addition to the small islands that make up the Micronesian Confederation, there are also what are known as “sovereign ships.”  These are large vessels, formerly supertankers, bulk cargo carriers, and a few cruise ships, which have all been converted into permanent housing for the inhabitants of islands which are no longer habitable due to rising sea levels.
    • New Zealand –
    • Thailand –
  • South American Defense Conference (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuala)
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Argentina vs Brazil (resource disputes)
    • Argentina –
    • Brazil –
    • Colombia [EXPELLED] – Colombia was originally a member of the Conference, but they were expelled during World War III following their aggression after seizing the Panama Canal.
    • Venezuela –
  • Independent States
    • INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Suspicions surrounding Saudi Arabia’s and OPEC’s activities regarding price fixing of crude oil
    • Colombia – Following their expulsion from the South American Defense Conference, Colombia has remained a pariah among nations.
    • Saudi Arabia –
    • Switzerland –
    • United Kingdom – While still technically a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom is usually synonymous with the United Nations these days.  This is in no small part due to the fact that the headquarters of the United Nations is in London, and the fact that the vast majority of the armed forces the UN controls are the United Kingdom’s.  Following the withdrawal of the United States from active UN participation in the opening days of World War III, the United Nations moved to the forefront of the organization.  The current head of state of the United Kingdom is King Charles III.

Non-Nation Power Groups

Notable Locations

  • TAAF Army And Logistics Corps Command – Navy Island, Ontario, Canada – The old location that had been considered as headquarters for the United Nations back in the late 1940s finally saw a use when the TAAF was looking for a place to put the headquarters of the Army.  While the HQ is on Navy Island, there are additional facilities on Grand Island, which is inside the ESA and just over the river.
  • SDA Headquarters – Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • UN Headquarters – London, England

Major Hazards

  • Anti-Psionics Bias – Psionics are still not well-received by the general populace on Earth, mainly due to concerns over privacy.  Hate crimes against those with psionic abilities were prevalent in the early 2020s.  Attitudes have softened a bit since then,  but there is still a general attitude of “don’t trust them.”  Psionic abilities must be registered with the SDA, failure to do so is a crime.
  • Geopolitical Tensions – The image that “humanity is united and peace reigns supreme” is really only that – an image, and one that the media is still hesitant to push.  While there hasn’t been an open, active large-scale military conflict inside the Alliance since the Belt Rebellion in 2022, border disputes still rage across the world.  Every now and then one flares up into a day or two of actual shooting conflict, but for the most part the conflicts remain limited to posturing both in and out of the political negotiating rooms.
  • Relics of WW3 – Even a decade removed from the end of the War, the scars of World War III are still found from time to time.  Major metropolitan areas have been repaired, but unexploded ordinance turns up in Europe and the Middle East from time to time when construction work is underway, and there are more than a few dark secrets of the war sealed up across the planet.
  • Spirit Beasts – Enraged by the misuse of the planet and environmental destruction wrought by humanity, some of the more powerful spirits on the planet have decided to ‘teach those pesky humans a lesson,’ so to speak.  After their initial attacks in the early 2020s, the SDA was tasked with overseeing defense against these powerful creatures of destruction that strike without warning and in any possible location.  It’s theorized that there may be an additional reason why these beasts began to appear, and that they may have some undetermined other goal.

Luna (Earth I / Sol d I)

Population: 5,000,000

While technically Luna began as the natural satellite of the Earth, and still is, it is best categorized as a separate entity from Earth.  After the first manned landings by the Americans and Soviets in the 1960s, Luna was seen as the logical first step to the rest of the Sol system.  Both nations established a permanent manned presence on Luna in the late 1960s, but these bases were still mostly dependent on regular supply runs from Earth to keep them operational.  It was not until the mid-1990s that the bases would become truly self-sufficient and colonies in their own right, thanks to advanced hydroponic and protein synthesis technologies developed in anticipation of a manned mission to Jupiter (the Zeus I mission).  Each of the major spacefaring powers had their colonies on Luna before the Third World War, with the United States’s colony located in the Sea of Tranquility, the Russian colony located inside Tycho Crater, and the Chinese colony at Tsiolkovskiy Crater on the far side of Luna.  Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, several other locations were settled by other nations, but the original three colonies remained the largest.  After the outbreak of World War III, the lunar colonies belonging to the United States banded together to form the Independent Lunar Colonial Organization (ILCO), and affirmed their neutral stance on the war in order to protect themselves from possible attacks by the other nations in the war (in particular, Russia, who had stationed military personnel at a facility close to the Sea of Tranquility).  During the conflict, ILCO allied itself with the United Martian Colonies and the United Nations in a mutual defense pact.  The first major act of ILCO was to write the Lunar Neutrality Treaty, which was a rehashing of the old Outer Space Treaty of the 1960s.  The new treaty, which was signed by the other powers with facilities on the moon – China and Russia, allowed for the continued presence of military force on the moon (which had been allowed since a 1988 amendment to the Outer Space Treaty), but prohibits the use of that force against another Lunar facility.  Combat on the Lunar surface was too risky for all parties involved, so it was better to not do it at all.  The Treaty also stipulated that any military force stationed on the moon must come to the aid of any settlement or vehicle in distress, regardless of that settlement’s or vehicle’s nationality.  ILCO’s secession was met with apathy by the Abraham administration – President Abraham had never liked that the United States had facilities on the moon, he felt that it was a waste of money to constantly be sending supplies up there.  After the war, the other Lunar colonies made a bid for independence from their home nations, and were able to secede without major incident and join ILCO.  These days, the colonies on Luna are linked using high-speed surface rail connections, as well as orbital transports.

Power Groups

  • Independent Lunar Colonial Organization – The official government of all of the moon except for the Alliance portions of Tycho Base, ILCO is one of the founding members of the Alliance.
  • Pizzuto Industries – Pizzuto Industries maintains several starship construction stations in orbit and on the surface of Luna.
  • Terran Alliance Leadership – Headquartered outside of the Tycho Colony, the Alliance’s headquarters are considered sovereign territory of the Alliance and not ILCO.

Notable Locations

  • Fra Muro Highlands Base – The headquarters for the Terran Marines, the functional office of the Brigadier of the Marine Corps  is located here (but the official office is located at the Terran Alliance Headquarters in Tycho).  Also located here is the headquarters of Assault Command and Marine Command, as well as some training facilities – but the vast majority of training takes place on Titan.
  • Gagarin Station – Gagarin Station is the location of Navy Fleet Operations and is controlled entirely by the Navy.  Gagarin Station was originally built as a transfer station to move supplies from Luna to Mars, and was been upgraded numerous times throughout its lifetime.
  • Taurus-Littrow Colony – The newest of the Lunar colonies, work began on Taurus-Littrow in 2025.
  • Tranquility City – An underground city, built in lava tubes and excavated tunnels throughout the Sea of Tranquility.  The Apollo 11 landing site is a park a short trip away from the city.
  • Tsiolkovskiy Colony – Located in a crater on the far side of the Moon, the Tsiolkovskiy Colony does not have the industrial development that Tranquility City and Tycho Colony have – but it does have an extensive research and development community, along with the most advanced and most sensitive radio telescopes in the Earth/Luna system.  Navy Spacewatch (SpaceCom) is headquartered here.
  • Tycho Colony – The headquarters of the Alliance leadership, Tycho Base functions as the capital for the Terran Alliance.

Major Hazards

  • No Atmosphere – For all intents and purposes, Luna has no atmosphere.  There is a tenuous atmosphere of gasses, but the density is so low that it is of no real consequence.

Mars (Sol e)

Population: 25,000,000

The colonization of Mars began in 1980 with the USSR’s founding of the Valles Marineris base (and eventual colony).  Several other bases, outposts, and colonies were founded on Mars before 2013, when the people living there sensed an opportunity to declare independence while Earth was busy dealing with the aftermath of the Day of Fire.  No protest was made, aside from a few hardliners who declared the dwellers of Mars to be traitors and called for their extermination, and the people banded together under the flag of the United Martian Colonies.  Resupply runs quickly became trade missions, with Earth sending supplies to Mars, and Mars sending back scientific data, advances in hydroponics, and other research advancements.  During WW3, Mars sided with ILCO and the UNNS as neutral parties in the war and sought a peaceful end to the conflict.  In the aftermath of the war, the population of Mars has exploded, with increased immigration and the change in child limits from 2 children to 3 children.  Consequently, colonial expansion has skyrocketed with colonies claiming more and more ground on the red planet in earnest.  The initial stages of the terraforming of Mars have begun, but it is estimated that it will be at least 2048 before any improvement to the Martian atmosphere is made.  Tackling the largest challenge, restoring the magnetic field, is still on the drawing board.  Mars is self-sufficient, and is not under Colony Board oversight.

Colonies on Mars are best compared to large metro areas on Earth.  There are extensive public transit systems inside colonies, rendering groundcar use pointless inside the colonies.  Transportation outside the colonies is done using publicly-owned groundcars, which can be rented by anyone with the proper license on their identicard.  The cars are maintained using funds drawn from residential taxes, so residents pay no fee for use of these cars, and visitors are charged a small hourly fee for using these vehicles.  Longer-distance travel is accomplished using sub-orbital transports, or in cases where there are several nearby colonies, high-speed maglev trains.

Power Groups

  • Martian Terraforming Organization (MTO) – The MTO is the arm of the UMC government responsible for planning and overseeing the terraforming of Mars.
  • United Martian Colonies (UMC) – The UMC is the oversight organization and planetary government for the colonies on Mars.  Functioning more like ILCO than the United Nations, the UMC’s main job is to ensure that all colony-related technologies used on Mars remain standardized, so that colony module used at one colony can be used at all of them.  The UMC also maintains the rail and suborbital transportation links between colonies, and oversees the terraforming of Mars. The UMC Government is led by an elected President (Head of State), Chief Executive (Head of Government), the Planetary Assembly (a single-house, 60-seat legislative branch (2 members from each Quadrangle)), and the Judiciary of Mars.
  • Local Governments – Originally, each colony on Mars was its own distinct political entity, comparable to a State of the old United States of America. However, as more people began to migrate to Mars after the end of World War III, this began to lead to a concentration of political power in the largest colonies, alienating the smaller colonies – some of which controlled important resources such as the polar ice caps. To avert a crisis and possible civil war, the UMC redistricted the governmental breakdown of Mars to be based on the pre-war cartographic quadrangles that had been used to divide Mars into 30 roughly-equally-sized regions. Each quadrangle had equal political power in the UMC, which was an unpopular decision with the larger colonies. This served to accomplish the UMC’s secondary goal – convincing people to spread out on the planet a bit more. Every quadrangle is headed up by a Governor elected by the citizens of that region, and each quadrangle is named after the largest colony within its borders.

Notable Locations

  • Cydonia – Major Colony.  Also the site of a mysterious defacement of a natural landmark to make it look like a large face.  The responsible party was never caught.
  • Deimos (Mars II / Sol e II) – Deimos is the location of a high-security prison facility run by the Terran Alliance Judicial Bureau.  It is primarily utilized for housing criminals who have committed offenses against the Alliance.
  • Elysium Mons – CLASSIFIED by order of the Joint Chiefs.
  • Eos Chaos – CLASSIFIED by order of the Joint Chiefs.
  • Grissom Station – A tethered orbital facility in aerosynchronous orbit and ground station on Mars’s equator, Grissom Station is the primary training location for Navy personnel.  Basic training for the Navy takes place here, and one of the Navy’s officer academies is located here.
  • Noctis Labyrinthus – This canyon system located at one end of the Valles Marineris canyon system is CLASSIFIED by order of the Joint Chiefs.
  • Olympus Mons – While not a notable colony site by any means, Olympus Mons is a popular tourist destination on Mars, with people taking week-long vacations to hike up and down the largest mountain in the Sol System.  There are small facilities spaced along the popular climbing routes to allow hikers to remove their pressure suits to rest for the night.
  • Phobos (Mars I / Sol e I) – CLASSIFIED by order of the Joint Chiefs.
  • Syria Planum – Major Colony
  • Utopia Planitia – Major Colony
  • Valles Marineris – Major Colony.  The original plans to build a multi-level roofed colony inside sections of the rift valley were abandoned when it was decided that Mars would be terraformed.  The colony is currently scheduled to be decommissioned as the terraforming proceeds, with the colonists relocating to settlements currently under construction on either side of the rift valley – this has been a controversial decision that was not popular with the inhabitants of the colony.  Valles Marineris is the headquarters for the Valles Marineris Shipyard, which comprises ground facilities near the colony and several orbital facilities.  The current Valles Marineris colony is located inside a narrow area of the Tithonium Chasma section of the Valles Marineris canyon system. The Valles Marineris colony is primarily inhabited by people of Russian and Chinese descent.
  • Volkov Station – A former Russian colony, Volkov Station is an underground facility located near the North Pole of Mars.  It is the primary source of all non-recycled water on Mars, and is a major hub for the terraforming project due to its proximity to the ice cap.

Major Hazards

  • Cold Weather –
  • Duststorms –
  • Non-Breathable Atmosphere (to humans) – Mars’s atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide, with a small amount of argon and nitrogen, and trace amounts of various other compounds.  Though terraforming of Mars has begin, the atmosphere will remain non-breathable by humans for a still-unknown amount of time.  In addition, the atmospheric pressure of the Martian atmosphere is low enough to be hazardous to human health, ranging between 30 and 1155 pascals, well below the Armstrong limit.  Exposure to the Martian atmosphere without a pressure suit is hazardous to health.

Quadrangles of Mars

Amundsen Quadrangle (Old Mare Australe)
Amundsen Station was the USA’s polar station for water supply purposes. These days it is one of two major water sources on the planet.

Barsoom Quadrangle (Old Aeolis, formerly Burroughs)
Originally named the Burroughs
Quadrangle, it was renamed in 2028 when Burroughs Station grew to the point where it was re-designated the Barsoom Colony.

Beer Quadrangle (Old Margaritifer Sinus)
Beer Station in Beer Crater is home to the first official brewery opened on Mars that operated with locally-sourced materials. Operating since 2003, the Beer Station Brewery is officially-incorporated oldest business on Mars.

Carter Quadrangle (Old Phaethontis)
John Carter Station in Newton Crater is the capital of the Carter Quadrangle.

Cydonia Quadrangle (Old Mare Acidalium)
The Cydonia Colony is the capital of the Cydonia Quadrangle. Near the colony is the infamous "Face on Mars," which was just a mundane hill until an unknown party altered it in the course of one night in 2024 to look like a large face. The hill is now a tourist attraction.

Clyne Quadrangle (Old Ismenius Lacus)
Clyne Station in Lyot Crater is the capital of the Clyne Quadrangle.

Hellas Shores Quadrangle (Old Hellas)
Hellas Shores is currently not populated enough to have a designated capital. A sizable portion of the area will be flooded in the process of terraforming, and as such it is a prospect for future colonial endeavours.

Herschel Quadrangle (Old Mare Tyrrhenum)
Herschel Station in Herschel Crater is the capital of the Herschel Quadrangle.

Howard Quadrangle (Old Amenthes)
The Robert E Howard Artist’s Enclave located in Terra Cimmeria is the capital of the Howard Quadrangle, and is a popular destination for writers seeking to ‘get away from things’ to encourage their creativity. The Enclave is the oldest settlement on Mars not founded by a nation, having been established in the early 1990s by a group of forward-thinking investors.

Huygens Quadrangle (Old Iapygia)
Huygens Station on the rim of Huygens Crater is the capital of the Huygens Quadrangle, and is a center of research regarding the conditions of ancient Mars.

Kaiser Quadrangle (Old Noachis)
Kaiser Station in Kaiser Crater is the capital of the Kaiser Quadrangle, and is a center of research regarding ore deposits on Mars.

Kennedy Quadrangle (Old Sinus Sabaeus)
Kennedy Station is located near Schiaparelli Crater and is the titular capital of the Kennedy Quadrangle.

Kepler Quadrangle (Old Eridania)
Kepler Qudrangle is currently not populated enough to have a designated capital.

Khrushchev Quadrangle (Old Lunae Palus)
Khrushchev Station is located near Kassei Valles and is the capital of this quadrangle.

Lowell Quadrangle (Old Casius)
Lowell Colony on the ‘shores’ of Utopia Planitia, roughly 75E, 45N. This quadrangle capital is the location of a major installation for the Martian Terraforming Organization.

Milankovic Quadrangle (Old Diacria)
Milankovic Colony in Milankovic Crater is the capital of this quadrangle.

Osterman Quadrangle (Old Argyre)
Osterman Colony located in Galle Crater is the capital of this quadrangle. In an effort to attract tourists to the area, a theme park based on the graphic novel Watchmen is under construction there.

Olympus Quadrangle (Old Tharsis)
Olympus Base is on the lower eastern slopes of Olympus Mons, and is used as the starting point for the most frequented climbing route to the summit. It is the capital of this quadrangle.

Petrov Quadrangle (Old Arcadia)
Petrov Station – named for the first cosmonaut on Mars – is located on the slopes of Alba Mons and is the capital of this quadrangle.

Jezero Quadrangle (Old Syrtis Major)
Jezero Station in Jezero Crater is the capital of this quadrangle.

Sagan Quadrangle (Old Oxia Palus)
Sagan Colony located in Sagan Crater is the home of the Sagan Astronomy College and is the capital of this quadrangle.

Senenmut Quadrangle (Old Arabia)
Senenmut Station located between Pasteur and Cassini craters is the capital of this quadrangle.

Schiparelli Quadrangle (Old Amazonis)
Schiparelli Station in Tooting Crater (Tooting Station was deemed an ‘unacceptable’ name by the UMC), and is the capital of this quadrangle.

Southern Shores Quadrangle (Old Thaumasia)
The Southern Shores Qudrangle currently has insufficient population to merit declaring a capital.

Syria Planum Quadrangle (Old Phoenicis Lacus)
Syria Planum is the home to an extensive array of settlements, most notably the eponymous Syria Planum Colony which is the capital of the quadrangle. There is a heavy TAAF presence in the area, especially in the Noctis Labyrinthus area, which is considered restricted space – unauthorized entry into the area is not permitted.

Tombaugh Quadrangle (Old Elysium)
Tombaugh Colony is the capital of this quadrangle. The volcano Elysium Mons and the area surrounding it are under the control of TAAF and are considered restricted space, unauthorized entry into the area is not permitted.

Utopia Planitia Quadrangle (Old Cebrenia)
Originally only home to the historic park marking the landing site of the USA’s first mission to mars, a colony has been growing up around this park. This colony (Utopia Planitia Colony) is the capital of this quadrangle.

Valles Marineris Quadrangle (Old Coprates)
The quadrangle capital, Valles Marineris Colony in Tithonium Chasma, is the oldest permanently-inhabited human settlement on Mars – and it shows.  In the depths of the Valles Marineris canyon system, far beneath the glittering ground offices of the Valles Marineris Orbital Shipyards you’ll find old cosmonaut housing repurposed into storage rooms and power generator enclosures, probably still with references to the old USSR.  The colony is currently in a state of transition, for the longest time they were building upwards towards the upper edge of the canyon, now they find themselves starting to move the colony itself up onto that upper edge, piece by piece.  While the inhabitants of the colony-proper have come to terms with the eventual forced relocation due to the terraforming project, those that dwell in the enclaves and retreats scattered outside the colony are decidedly against this forced relocation.
Notable among the opposition is the enclave of New Murmansk, who’s organized crime rings went far enough in their opposition to merge together to form the Red Dragons, who briefly seized control of the colony in 2030.
The Valles Marineris Colony itself is a 7 level enclosed structure built in the depths of Tithonium Chasma in a narrow part of the canyon, plus a non-pressurized spaceport (Veronika Lagunov Spaceport) built on the edge of the canyon on the surface.  The lowest level of the colony, originally the old Soviet installation, now serves as the utilities department of the colony, and requires regular maintenance to keep the cobbled-together collection of old Soviet and newer standardized UMC technology working properly.  Above that is the primary residential level, followed by a research level, then industrial installations, then the market level, then the business level (where the Shipyard is headquartered), and lastly the government level.
Outside of the colony there are several scattered enclaves, such as New Murmansk, ПНС-Mars (the headquarters for the Putin News Community’s operations on the planet), and "Little Beijing" (which has no official name).  Additionally, the Valles quadrangle has a large number of personal retreats scattered around the are as well, often in small communities of four or five retreats over an area of 20 square kilometers.
TAAF presence in the area consists of the Eos Chaos area, which is considered restricted space – unauthorized entry into the area is not permitted.

Volkov Quadrangle (Old Mare Boreum)
Volkov Station is the capital of this quadrangle. An underground facility located near the North Pole of Mars, it was the primary water source for Russian colonies on the planet. These days it is the primary source of all non-recycled water on Mars, and is a major hub for MTO operations.

Williams Quadrangle (Old Memnonia)
Williams Station is the capital of this quadrangle.

Asteroid Belt

Power Groups

  • Belter’s Coalition – The Belter’s Coalition has a rather unsavory reputation in the eyes of corporations, even almost ten years after the Belt Rebellion.  It has its origins in the labor union that was one of the two instigating groups of the Rebellion.  These days, the Belter’s Coalition is the de-facto government of the asteroid belt, and as such it receives 1 seat on both the People’s and State’s Chambers.

Notable Locations

  • Ceres – Major Mining Facility
  • Pallas – Major Mining Facility
  • Vesta – The “unofficial capital” of the Belt, Vesta was the first mining base opened, back in the 1990s, and has since been mined out, the tunnels and caverns converted to living quarters, offices, and hangars.  Vesta is unique in that it is self-sufficient and therefore has representation in the People’s and State’s chambers (separate from the Belter’s Coalition), but it also is overseen by the Colony Board.  The Colony Board, however, does not appoint a governor for Vesta, as it does with smaller colonies.

Jupiter (Sol f)

Jupiter is a special case in the Alliance.  Technically, the Jovian System does not belong to the Alliance, instead falling under Teuthidoid jurisdiction.

Power Groups

  • Teuthidoid Peoples – It is their territory, after all.

Notable Locations

  • Callisto (Jupiter IV / Sol f VIII) –
  • Europa (Jupiter II / Sol f VI) – The homeworld of the Teuthidoid Peoples, Europa has no Terran Alliance facilities except for the First Contact monument and the Alliance Embassy.
  • Ganymede (Jupiter III / Sol f VII) –
  • Io (Jupiter I / Sol f V) – Arthur C Clarke Station is currently the only base on Io.  A research station built to study Io and the Jovian System, it has a relatively small population, consisting primarily of researchers and their families.
  • Orbital Facilities – The large majority of the Jovian System’s alliance population lives and works in orbital facilities.  For the most part, the facilities are gas-collection (primarily Helium-3) and zero-g manufacturing operations.  Collectively they are referred to as the Jovian Economic Colonies.

Saturn (Sol g)

Notable Locations

  • Orbital Facilities – There are numerous gas-collection facilities orbiting Saturn (collecting Helium-3), and zero-g manufacturing is beginning to put down roots as well.
  • Titan (Saturn VI / Sol g XXII) – Titan is under the jurisdiction of the Marine Corps, and serves as the primary training location for Terran Marines.

Uranus (Sol h)

Neptune (Sol i)

Almost all the facilities at Neptune are under the control of Yang Enterprises, who has the construction contract for almost all ships in the Terran Navy larger than a frigate.  The Yang Enterprises Astroconstruction facility is an autonomous independent territory owned by China, but is effectively under the day-to-day purview of Yang Enterprises, who relocated their headquarters there in 2024.

Power Groups

  • Yang Enterprises – 

Notable Locations

  • Yang Enterprises Astroconstruction – 

Pluto (Sol j)

“…Maybe it planet, maybe not, Sasha fall asleep that day of astronomy class as boy in Moscow.  Let eggheads at Tycho debate while we do grunt work.” – Brigadier Alexander “Sasha” Markovic, Terran Alliance Marine Corps

The Pluto Outpost serves two purposes. Its original function was a high security research lab, a hub for testing new weapons technologies in the Kuiper Belt.  Its second function added in 2029 is an early warning hub, monitoring the drone monitoring stations and picket ships placed in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt for any signs of intrusion into the Sol System.

Notable Locations

  • Charon (Pluto I / Sol j I)- Charon houses an extensive array of sensor platforms, originally designed to locate, identify, and track Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud objects.  Charon also is home to sensor arrays that are dedicated to monitoring Pluto, which are used to examine weapons tests.
  • Hydra (Pluto III / Sol j V) – CLASSIFIED by order of the Joint Chiefs.
  • Kerberos (Pluto IV / Sol j IV) –
  • Nix (Pluto II / Sol j III) –
  • Styx (Pluto V / Sol j II) –

Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud

There are a few enterprising individuals and corporations making a profit by mining hydrocarbons and other volatiles in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, and some of them have already been contracted by the Martian Terraforming Organization to bring comets in to act as a water source for the terraforming operations.  Additionally comet mining is being used as a water source for environmental cleanup operations on Earth, but this is still prohibitively expensive to see widespread use.

At best speed, the Kuiper Belt takes between 30 and 50 hours to reach, not factoring in traffic and gravitational diversions, making it a much more commonly frequented location than the Oort Cloud. To reach the nearest Oort Cloud object requires 83 days of travel at maximum safe sublight speed – making Oort Cloud mining expeditions a rare and risky endeavour. The vast majority of Oort Cloud expeditions are undertaken by small private enterprises, leaving the more easily-reachable Kuiper Belt to the larger corporations. The Kuiper Belt is rich in badly-needed hydrocarbons, allowing the larger corporations to secure a hold on these volatiles which are dwindling on Earth. The Oort Cloud, however, has been found to be rich in more rare elements, including the occasional isolated deposit of rigarium. Hushed whispers in bars frequented by the comet-jockeys who plumb the depths of the Oort Cloud speak of even more lucrative finds – antimatter comets, rocks laden with mysterious artifacts, derelict spacecraft, and so on.

Epic Space Adventures Abound!