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The Basics
The same day as today, the same year, but exactly 400 years in the future. At the time of writing this: Current date/2421
The CEV(Civilian exploration vessel) Northern Light, out in uncharted space to chart it - however this is a front, it's was a common news story a ship looking uncannily like the Northern Light crashed near a space elevator colony owned by Nanotrasen, seemingly from nowhere. Given it's anomalous properties and the risk that might pose, the human united government Solgov was poised to seize it.
However Nanotrasen had already sold the ship to a board made up of other companies and independent investors before their jackpot could be taken. Now with a 'minority' investment share in the ship's R&D department, they finance this project in the hopes to uncover and replicate the vessel's anomalous properties.
One of the many contractors aboard the CEV Northern Light. There's many species in the universe and thanks to widespread cosmetic genemodding and cybernetics the lines between just who's what is blurred to what some would call an uncomfortable degree. Not everyone aboard the Northern Light however was there for it's maiden voyage, some are picked up along the way from distress signals or just being out of luck and a job at port. In the end it doesn't matter much where you came from. This ship will be your home for the next long while.
Compared to the current day? ‘Better’ is the most apt word one can think of. Every corner of the universe isn’t a utopia. Poverty still exists, as does economic and political inequality. However advances in medical, computer and life sciences have improved the average quality of life by folds. Within the past forty years Cerebral Interface Buses, commonly known as Soul Crypts have become semi-common and opened the way to functional immortality. Starvation is only a concern in the most barren colonies as advances in genetic manipulation have made growing crops to feed entire populations possible in smaller and smaller spaces. Micromanipulation has become common enough fabrication or ‘Lathes’ can literally print tools and every day devices with ease, which in turn has made recycling obscenely easy and opened the way to the start of post-scarcity.
However this has armed the more malicious side of humanity as well. Weapons have become more and more lethal with armor and protection technology struggling to keep up. Surveillance and social networking has become easier, leading to a decline of privacy. Not to mention as the universe relies more and more on advanced computer networks, it’s turned cyber security from a once-neglected asset. To the most vital concern of almost any group or body.
In short, welcome to the future, it’s bright. It’s intimidating and even in four hundred years it’s a scary place no one will know where it leads. Enjoy your stay.
Also known as 'The Board', made up of a charter composed of several independent and contractor-assigned staff that legally own the Northern Light, they are the the few aware of it's origin(or lack of) and the true goal of why it was """sold""" to them by Nanotrasen. To discover it's strange anomalous properties while out in Null Space - unexplored portions of the galaxy that are under no government's authority. While all joint owners of the vessel, each department head has the authority to severe theirs from this agreement with hopefully good reason. This does mean however they are no longer considered part of the Northern Light's crew.
It's also worth mentioning Independent Officers(I.E. Captains.) are not allowed to back out of the joint ownership unless in extreme circumstances such as widescale mutiny. After all, how do you back out of your own property?
They have their own bit apparent in The Ship and its Company
Cobalt Aegis is a roughly century or so old company that’s recently been subcontracted by The Northern Light to oversee the ship and crew's safety out in lawless space. Cobalt Aegis was founded by a small clique of comrades who made their own careers in ‘private security’. In the small time Aegis has been founded, it’s seen its share in high risk contracts such as cargo transport, hostage negotiation and recovery, hostile combat zone and environment rescue and private home security. It’s current net worth is around 40b credits while it’s stocks go for about 500c a share.
Nanotrasen is a two century old success story, what once began as a small medical research company has expanded into a medical service and technology giant with a "side gig" of phoron mining. While the company 'owns' many habitats and outposts in the galaxy, much of that space is contracted out to other services, like security contractors, maintenance companies and mining firms. While simply 'just' being the hired company to oversee the Light's medical and research department, the truth is the entire expedition is funded by the pharma tech giant, with the Council as the legal holders of the ship's deed.
If the Faith of Mekhane is a proper faith, or just an insane cult is a topic for debate, having bought enough stock shares in the Northern Light to negotiate a presence and facilities onboard, the Cult of Mekhane is a philanthropist transhumanist cult that's known for it's extremely cybernetically, or biologically modded members from all species, and it's vaguely Latin and Abrahamic theme. The cult's ideals boast about finding the ideal self through technological modification, self discovery and connection to one's fellow sapient being.
The cult seemingly sprung up overnight on many habitats and worlds offering medical care, food and financial aid to those in extreme poverty and need - all without asking for anything in return, however just where they get their 'miracle' technology, or the funding for it is something not even their own members can answer... Or refuse to.
Owner of several ship and life support component patents, EES is a ship, colony and habitat building/maintaining company that contracts all over the galaxy for several private and state clients. While not a monopoly, their patented compressed fractal matter matrix engine, or - more commonly known as Supermatter secured their contracted post aboard the Northern Light with ease.
The Free Trade union is a hyper-capitalistic mining, transport and banking union that owns, or subcontracts at least forty percent of all galactic commerce, while to some this is a sideways monopoly out of control, to rural or isolated communities and outposts they're the only lifeline to civilized space and trade. Being such a trading giant always eager to make another connection, it was natural for the FTU to seek out a contract with the Northern Light.
The Club is... Well, a club, not so much a department on it's own but more of a glorified spaceport bar. Stocked and staffed solely by the Ship's owners, the club has authority over it's own domain and who is or is not allowed in, or what can be sold or served, and such enforced by the joint ownership contract.