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.

Further Clarifications: As mentioned The Guild are not MegaCorps; they are an association of Mayors and Merchants who band together for mutual benefit. They follow the original tenets of Adam Smith, which abhor business domination and monopolies as being against the 'Enlightened Self-Interest' he so promotes. Not merely that, but they also provide food, education, and healthcare to their people because said people all work for them directly or indirectly. Despite this, the Guild finds being called a Government or Corporation an insult, and their leaders are not permitted any title other than 'Mayor' or 'Trader'.

2.) The Sphinx Domination - People who believe that Humanity's reliance on technology (Virtual Intelligences and the like; technology lower than that is permitted) 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...

Further Clarifications: The Sphinx Domination are not total Luddites, any more than the Imperium of Man from W40k are. They merely have no Virtual Intelligences, and only 2010s levels of automation. They also have computers equivalent to ours called Datapads (after Warhammer 40k's stuff). Not merely that, but their military technology does include Railguns with analog control, Lasers, Plasma Guns, and even Analog-controlled Power Armor.

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!

Edit 2: Clones and artificial monsters are allowed; but attempting to alter babies in the womb automatically fails; biological transhumanism is limited to gene mods for adults.

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.
6.) I reserve the right to kill off Custom Factions made by inactive Players, or fold them into a larger faction. Same for characters.

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

None yet.

Name: Charles Harris
Age: 42
Appearance:
Starting Faction: The Guild of Free and Fair Trade
Skills: Trade, command, strategy, computer engineering
Standard Equipment: Personal starship
Bio: Born on New Amsterdam he started his own business as a young man, buying junk robots and rebuilding them. He eventually sold his company and invested the money in an off-world robotics manufacturer. When it was sold to a larger company ten years later he made a fortune, which he invested in building a mining and manufacturing colony in the Tyrias System.

He runs a mining operation in the Tyrias system, a place where a rouge planetoid hit a Mars sized planet in the Goldilocks zone of the star, creating a band of mineral-rich asteroids. His base is in the largest asteroid in the belt. There are three known wormholes in the system, though it is a fairly remote system, as the aren't well traveled and therefore more difficult to navigate.

Name: Count Jack 'Jericho' Bannen

Age: 36

Appearance: Jack is an able-bodied individual with the elegant, defined features stereotypical of nobility. He is both graceful yet quick in general physical attitude, akin to a silky exterior hiding raw steel. He is universally well-groomed and often dons intimidating armor. His blonde hair and blue eyes as well make him an Aryan ideal overall, if perhaps a mocking one.

Starting Faction: If anything, Jack is aligned with the Guild of Free Trade as that way lies a good few of his old bosses, yet in all honesty he's a lone wolf. Of course, his current contractor is (Boomlover's guys, to be filled out later when he names them).

Skills: Jack is highly skilled in close combat and long-ranged shooting, quite able with his family's most treasured heirloom and high-caliber sniper weaponry. For maintenance of his own craft and equipment, he knows the basics of engineering, yet is incapable of repairing things from utter scratch. Finally, he is obviously accustomed to the realities of nobility, with the 'metagaming' and politicking implied.

Standard Equipment: Jack has access to various quality implements due to his connections and influence as both a bountyhunter and high-class gentleman. These include, but are not necessarily limited to;

'Black Knight'; a nearly unique custom spacecraft, triangular in shape and with three extra-large fusion generators. More specific information will be in a different section.

'Hunter-Tracker' Powered Armor; Jack is almost always wearing his individually-fitted light power armor. Assisting his movements with synthetic musculature, it massively enhances his endurance. While they also enhance his actual strength to a lesser extent, the motorized systems are primarily meant to capitalize on his ability to stay in the field for weeks with minimal rest. This is further enhanced by a small suite of medical injectors able to introduce pain killers, healing stimulants, and various other drugs. The suit also features mobility enhancement systems, such as zero-G capable maneuvering thrusters and an optional Heads Up Display with a simplified 3D rendition of his surroundings as seen by his suits' optics and other sensors. Finally, the suit is airtight, insulated, and is armored, if on the much lighter side.

'Judge' Submachine Gun/Machine Pistol The 'Judge' was based off of a generic, heavier pistol. While it's simply average in most respects, the asset that really sets it apart is the unique 'Block Switching' capability. Unlike most modern firearms, the 'Judge' has the capability to eject the ammunition block in the field with ease like gunpowder era "magazines". While ammunition is not a problem, the properties of each ammunition in the field is. The ability to swap the specific properties of the Judges' rounds gives Jericho an edge in nearly any gunfight, adding adaptability to his lighter weapons setup. Currently, the 'Judge' has access to standard kinetic, anti-armor, incendiary, sedative, and finally high explosive blocks.

The Bannen Blade While melee weapons are fairly unnecessary (to say the least) in today's time, they still have their uses. They can be quieter then guns in certain situations, and are simply intimidating. Not to mention, in Jack's case, it's a fairly decent weapon that few train against that requires no maintenance aside from the occasional sharpening, and simply has sentimental value to Jack. In any case, the 'Bannen Blade' as it's known for simplicity is a 'bastard sword' with a length of 130 centimeters. It has a visually interesting 'Wavey' blade that somewhat improves cutting potential, while being well balanced. Finally, it features a longer handle able to accommodate two hands at once if needed. Jack really wants to find a blacksmith with technological knowhow somewhere to give it a "modern edge" (pun intended), yet swordsmiths who know how to enhance a blade into a thermal, vibrating, or monomolecular one are obviously few and far between.

Bio: Born of noble blueblood, Jack was the middle child in a very large set of children, and in his youth was not particularly interesting in any one parameter. This cursed him to be ignored by his family members, which did not mesh well with his naturally troubled mindset. He eventually snapped when he reached of age, strangling his father and second eldest brother to unconsciousness and getting away with his few personal possessions, alongside a good fraction of the family fortune and their most prized heirloom: A venerable old sword used in some impossibly ancient war, a hand-and-a-half with a flame-like blade. On the run, he eventually found out he did have an unusual 'skill', the fact he didn't really mind his actions at all, and if anything wanted to do things like that more. Soon afterwards, he coerced 'someone who knew things' to clear his record, and used his remaining funds to acquire a bounty hunting license, equipment, and train himself.

Ahnciel stands at roughly 4'10 clad in a hooded coat which sports sections for bunny ears. The coat itself comes down to his knees. The coat is cut to the shoulder on the right arm where a porcelain-esque plasteel prosthetic works from. Questionable for its function and even moreso for its infliction on morale, Ahnciel is almost always clad in a gas mask and long black gloves that feed about up to his elbows in his sleeves. 'Standard attire' has him in tightly fitting jeans or a jumpsuit of various color, though he insists on it being hooded and accompanying his gas mask. Due to the shape of his feet, boots are either tailor made or sport unfittingly high-heeled boots which the heel is later broken off of.