1.) The Guild of Free and Fair Trade - Merchant-Adventurers who eschew Corporatism and the Corporate Structure, the Guild of Free and Fair Trade is an association of mostly honest men who seek to make an honest profit and improve lives with the power of trade. Wherever they go, the Guild builds schools, factories, roads, and spaceports, believing that helping the people of various worlds would end up profiting them in the long term. Of course, this activity would not go unopposed, so every Guild ship is heavily armed, and their transports are capable of bearing armies as much as cargo. Powerful, but not interested in conquering the whole of the Sector; they're not a Government.

2.) The Sphinx Domination - People who believe that Humanity's reliance on technology should be kept to a minimum, even if it means that there is no alternative to ancient practices like slavery. Whenever they need the services that sophisticated computers bring, they use human brains removed from their bodies instead, when they need industrial produce or mining materials, they use human labor, no matter how inefficient. Despite this, their military, staffed by fanatical troops, is one of the strongest in the Sector...

3.) The Society of Steel - An army of cyborgs who believe that humanity should merge with machines to be more than themselves, the Society of Steel are the most advanced force in the sector, but also the smallest. Holding a relatively small section of space, the SoS can punch above their weight in offensive action, but are not good at defense. The Sphinx Domination hates them, but the two factions, in the absence of Advanced AI, both use human brains detached from their bodies in order to navigate their ships, although the Society of Steel sees this as a reward, while the Sphinx sees it as a punishment.

4.) The Gardeners of Gimloe - Expert terraformers, the Gardeners of Gimloe are a group of Techno-Hippies who use advanced 'green' technology in order to terraform worlds and fill them with life, which they guard jealously. Also a small force, the Gardners have less to worry about defense than the Society of Steel, as they can bolster their ranks with biological creations, which, though non-sapient, are still cunning and ferocious enough to be deadly. Ironically, the Society of Steel doesn't oppose this, as they regard biological improvement as the other side of the coin from their technological improvement. The Sphinx, however, opposes them, while the Gardeners themselves oppose the Guild as 'defiling' their worlds...

Custom factions are permitted, as long as they're only half as strong as the above four factions and below!

Tech Level is Mass Effect except that 1.) FTL depends on Wormholes, meaning that it's faster than in ME; you can easily colonize a hundred planets with enough people and ships, and 2.) True AI are impossible. Virtual Intelligences (VIs), yes. Androids, no. If you really need an Advanced AI, join the Sphinx or Society of Steel and have a Brain in a Jar.

Edit: No Psychics/Telepaths/Biotics/Jedi Either!

New Amsterdam - The Capital Planet of the Guild of Free and Fair Trade, it is the most urbanized world in the sector, where almost everyone has work provided by the Guild, and is paid fairly. Of course, 'urbanized' is a relative term; there is still plenty of unused land.

Sphinx Prime - A tropical world brimming with factories, mines, and logging camps, Sphinx Prime is a deadly planet deliberately kept that way in order to train the ferocious warriors of the Sphinx Domination, with large portions of the jungles being designated as 'off-limits' to industrial development or settlement.

Terra Nova - A world with a wide variety of biomes, it is the crowning achievement of the Gardeners, containing lifeforms from Earth and many other worlds living together in a functional ecosystem. This is their most populous world, and their capital, and acts as a source for most of the life used in their terraforming actions.

Core World 00 - The first, and most important world in the Society, it has the largest, most advanced planet-wide neural network and can direct their fleets from here if need be, though the conciderable lag that would be inherent in such a case would prevent direct control.

Vegas Station - A gigantic space station where members of all four main factions and countless minor factions can meet together in a neutral manner in order to gamble, lay around with courtesans, and do drugs. Basically, a den of sin, scum, and villainy. Ran by one 'Mr. Hut', which, yes, is based on both Mr. House and Jabba the Hutt.

1.) No godmodding, powerplaying, metagaming, etc. etc.
2.) Note, there will be sexual themes in this RP, but anything above nudity is forbidden, because I don't want us to get banned.
3.) No OOC feuding! If you must argue, be respectful. IC, meanwhile, you can hate each other as much as you like as long as it doesn't seep over to OOC.
4.) You can control NPCs when I explicitly say that you can control them.
5.) Please notify me if you will be gone longer than a few days, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone.

Name:
Age:
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Starting Faction:(If you're creating your own faction, please describe it here or in a separate post)
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Bio: