Bey & Emerald - Setting Information

Humans: the Terran Confederation is spread across more than thirty developed worlds (although most colonies are still quite small and few have multiple starports) and an unknown number of unregistered freeholds. The Confederation economy has been on a downward slide since their loss of the Human/Dominator War of 2205.
Hybrids: artificial lifeforms constructed from a mix of human, animal and man-made DNA. The animal DNA rarely covers more than cosmetic features, but by law, creatures with at least 50% human DNA are legally human and have the full rights and privileges of such... so there are a number of financial and economic advantages to creating Hybrids instead. The most common sorts of Hybrids are Pigs, Dogs and Cats. Most Hybrids were designed to be meek and servile; Warthogs are a notable exception, having been created as combat troops. Hybrids have been banned from military service since the end of the war.
Thran: a friendly alien race on good terms with the Confederation. The fact that their breathable atmospheres and bodily secretions are each toxic to the other makes interspecies relations rather difficult, but some trading partnerships do exist.
The Cyprilites: the most advanced alien species known. Quite possibly the effective masters of the galaxy, the Cyprilites gave the SLIP drive technology to humanity as well as every other known species. Their own ships use a considerably more powerful drive that enables them to travel across the galactic disk almost instantaneously. They have a policy of not intervening in the affairs of other species except under special circumstances... but refuse to explain exactly what those circumstances are.
Ishara (Dominators): parasitic alien lifeforms known for taking over the bodies of other sentient races. They are an insular species that regard all other intelligent lifeforms as potential hosts for their young. They are organized into several broad castes, including the "Imperial" caste (which rules their society) and the Ishmateri (who research ways to overcome the biological differences which would normally prevent them from using other intelligent species as hosts). As part of the treaty which ended the Human/Dominator War, the Ishara have the right to purchase bodies from anyone willing to sell them and the right to inspect human populations for the presence of renegade Ishara. The treaty also bans any further development of Hybrids and their use in the Confederation military. It is widely believed that they did not attempt to enslave humanity outright solely from fear of Cyprilite intervention.
Amongst themselves, the Ishara communicate via organically produced radio waves, but among other species they prefer to adopt the same form of communication that the host species uses.

	Bey (Warthog, Long-lifer): "Straight out of the vats and into the front lines." Manufactured for the military by the BZ-Mitori corporation, Bey was cashiered along with all of the other surviving Warthogs at the end of the Human/Dominator War, 30 years ago. He eventually fell in with the colonists of Sanctuary, but generally spends most of his time off-colony, handling trading runs with Doc. Bey has no last name; not enough Warthogs were made to need one.
	Emma "Emerald" Brown (Human): A young girl blinded by chemical burns, she met Bey when she was begging on the streets of New Providence. She carries a doll called "Sally" and a strange secret.
	Doctor Richard "Doc" Myers (Human, Long-lifer): A medical officer assigned to the Second Warthog Battalion, he and Bey met during the war and met again nearly a decade afterwards. Now the pilot and effective owner of the tradeship Free Loader. Like most military veterans, his lifespan was been greatly extended by government scientists... a difficult blessing to acquire now that the economy has largely collapsed and the price of lifespan extensions have sky-rocketed.
	"Rocket" Ray Star (Human): A young, courageous and headstrong starship pilot driven to drink by his inability to do anything about the evils of the universe. Captain of the Striving Star.
	Pietr Metaxas (Human, Long-lifer): a dealer in black market goods and cybernetics in New Providence. A good source for things that can't be sold openly.
	Bertram "Bull" Denton (Human): De facto mayor of the Sanctuary freehold. Married with three children. Irascible but determined to enable the fledgeling colony to survive despite all of the odds against them.
	Senior Pilot Colton Saville (Human, Long-lifer): A pilot in the Human/Dominator War, Colton now commands the Blue Phoenix, the second of the two starships that keep Sanctuary supplied.
	Amanda Hypress (Human): though she has a doctorate in sociology, most of her time these days is spent taking care of the orphaned children in Sanctuary.
	Jonas Daley (Human): originally from the colony of Bytoris, Jonas is Sanctuary's resident musician. He has cybernetic implants in his ears to extend the range of sounds that he can appreciate.
	Tareel Williams (Human): a well-liked vagabond trader, Tareel has been all over the human Confederation and beyond, usually by hitching rides on trading vessels. He regularly visits Sanctuary and as a lad helped Doc and Bey escape from Chiascuro.
	Maxwell Parsons (Human, Long-lifer): a veteran Marine Corp officer who retired before the Human/Dominator War. Very bitter and acerbic. A heavy drinker. Not well liked by the other inhabitants of Sanctuary, but he was one of the original settlers.
	Tibrell "Tibble" Stormsford (Human, Long-lifer): an anti-social technical genius, he acts as the network administrator and general technical expert for Sanctuary. His attitude hasn't made him any friends in the community, but he never seems to mind.
	Oo'ool (Species Unknown): Sanctuary's most enigmatic inhabitant, an alien refugee who lives with Tibrell.
	Nysha (Ishara): A vitally important character who will never get any lines.

New Providence: an impoverished human colony world. The local economy has never recovered from the Human/Dominator war of 2205.

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