The Corporate Alliance (The "Big Five"): A synergistic council of five corporate umbrellas that forms the de facto government of the Sol system.
Harmonia Corp: Energy, Logistics, Heavy Construction. The builders and movers of the system.
Equanimity Alliance: Finance, Data Security, Risk Assessment. The system's central bank and a primary architect of social control.
Ikigai Corp: Advanced Technology, NexusVR, Consumer Electronics. The innovators who craft the digital worlds a populace escapes to.
MettaCorp: Communications, Biotechnology, Narrative Control. The storytellers and "wellness" providers who shape perception and manage public sentiment.
Solidarność Union: Labor Leasing, Resource Extraction, Heavy Manufacturing. The industrial engine that provides the system's vast workforce.
The Corporate Security Directorate (CSD): The unified military and police force of the Corporate Alliance. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and operating with ruthless efficiency, their stated purpose is to maintain stability and protect corporate assets.
The Directorate/Family Alliance: The remnants of the old governmental and aristocratic order that once ruled the system. Now largely a figurehead entity, its loyalist military forces (the System Guard) and proud family traditions are seen by many as obsolete relics of a bygone era.
The Nexus Node: The universal neural interface implanted in all citizens at birth. It provides seamless augmented reality ("The Vis"), full immersion into the virtual world ("NexusVR"), and a constant, real-time stream of biometric and neurological data to corporate networks.
The Cohesion Score: A dynamic, algorithmically-generated metric that quantifies an individual's value and compliance within the corporate state. Generated by a user's own Nexus Node based on their productivity, social sentiment, and neurological stability, a high score grants access and privilege, while a low score marks one as a risk. It is considered an incorruptible measure of a citizen's worth.
Legacy Avatars ("Echos"): Sophisticated digital reconstructions of deceased individuals, created from a lifetime of their captured data. Marketed by MettaCorp as a compassionate tool for managing grief, these "Echos" allow the dead to maintain a presence on social networks and interact with loved ones in NexusVR.
Kineti-Null Sleep System ("Ki-Null Pods"): Personal G-force mitigation berths essential for long-haul space travel. Occupants are suspended in a protective bio-fluid, allowing them to endure extreme acceleration while remaining fully connected to the NexusVR.
Mid-21st Century - The Great Collapse: A period of global conflict and ecological disaster on Earth, often called the "Catalyst Wars," which led to the fall of nation-states and the rise of powerful, self-sufficient corporations.
Late 21st Century - The Directorate Era: A new Unified Directorate, an alliance of surviving governmental elites, aristocratic Families, and foundational corporations, is formed to restore order and oversee humanity's expansion into the Sol system. The System Guard is established as its military arm.
22nd Century - The Corporate Ascendancy: Through technological superiority, economic dominance, and masterful political maneuvering, the Corporate Alliance gradually supplants the Directorate's power, hollowing out its authority while maintaining it as a public-facing facade.
2243 (The Present): The narrative begins. Tensions between the weakening Directorate/Family alliance and the dominant Corporate state are at a breaking point, sparking a conflict that will irrevocably shape the future of the human race.