Many species have entered the galactic scene, using various methods of space travel and with different values to put forward in the galaxy. Most of them have entered into a loose alliance or trading space called the Commonwealth, allowing for exchange and communication. There exist some species outside the Commonwealth, and even inside the Commonwealth not every species feels acceptance to every other species.
Every faction has a capacity to produce different types of space engines, some more than others. In total, there are 3 types of space traversal and engine type associated with it - the interstellar regime, the wormhole network, and the orbital regime.
Interstellar drives allow to calibrate on a distant star within a finite range, and teleport a ship to a special point near that star called the pinpoint. Around the pinpoint there often exists an outpost, a settlement, or a trading hub, and the local space around the pinpoint is called a sector.
Wormholes allow for teleportation to other wormholes associated with it. Connections between wormholes form the wormhole network, and star systems that host these wormholes can be distant in a way that’s unrelated to the topology of the network itself. There are far fewer wormholes than stars, which means that most wormholes lead to populated sectors.
Orbital drives allow to traverse space using traditional propulsion. Orbital maneuvers take considerable time, and for this reason are abandoned by more advanced races. With enough fuel and patience even interstellar voyages are possible, but take several lifetimes of most species. Nevertheless, some settled sectors are only accessible with these drives.
Terrans can be considered the pioneers of the Commonwealth. Present in all 3 travel regimes, able to participate in piracy, corporations and cults, these are perhaps the most versatile of the major factions. Their home system, the Sol, is one of the most populous star systems in the galaxy and is a thriving center of peaceful trade and entrepreneurship. Terrans value galactic diversity and comradery, and for this reason established the League of Voyagers, staying friends with member species to this day. Opponents of the Terran civilisation consider Terrans the progenitors of the Virtual, and the ultimate cause of every atrocity the Virtual have committed.
League of Voyagers, or LoV, are a loose conglomeration of less-developed and recently uplifted species that was founded by Terran scientists and political activists. LoV is comprised of several different species from unrelated star systems, with home systems being generally the most developed sectors of each respective species. LoV generally lacks its own ship design capabilities, using and manufacturing purchased and gifted designs from major powers. LoV officially isn’t present in any spacefaring regime, but that is merely a consequence of always using engine designs from other races. LoV sectors specialize mostly in raw resource collection, being unable to design highly technological factories for other steps of production.
Multipods are a sophisticated and peaceful species of aquatic squids. Multipods viscerally dislike violence, and through high social intelligence always find ways to make friends even with the most alien of races. Despite their inclinations, the violent war against the Virtual has caused Multipods to form their own powerful space navy. Multipods are as proficient with tools as they are in communication, and can use their several appendages to skillfully construct sophisticated technology. (These appendages are what gave them this name). Multipods felt so warmly about another intelligent species from their own planet that they managed to uplift them to a spacefaring civilisation now known as the Sneers.
The Sneers are an adventurous and light-hearted species emerging from the same planet as the Multipods. Their anatomy resembles aquatic snakes, and is the precise reason for why they stayed non-technological for most of their history. Even though Multipods and Sneers peacefully coexisted on the same planet for a long time, only the Multipods had the inclination to develop technologically. Eventually, Multipods taught the Sneers how to use basic replicators and spacecraft and built settlements connected to the wormhole network. Since then the Sneers are able to experience the joy and adventure associated with interaction with many different species. The Sneers don’t possess their own navy, asking for services of navies of other races or mainly Multipods.
Oculons are an ancient civilization of decadent spacefarers. Some believe them to be the ultimate cause of the modern period of galactic development through spurious technological uplifting of then primitive civilizations. Terrans recall mythical stories of grey alien abductions, and some Korgs associate them with their own Bald Devil God. Oculons manage to avoid addressing this insinuation, remaining always cryptic in this respect and others. Oculons are most likely technologically immortal, and probably for this reason always filled with profound boredom and condescension. Oculons are known to randomly form or join various religious cults popping up on the galactic scene from time to time, but studied analises of their psychology imply this is just a form of entertainment. Perhaps because of their assumed superiority over now ubiquitous Terrans, Oculons express dislike and occasionally get into minor armed territorial disputes with them. However, in the face of abject danger and violence from the Virtual the Oculons suppress this dislike for the better good of the Commonwealth.
Korgs are a courageous race of small impatient monkeys. Self-admittedly unable to comprehend any sort of higher mathematics or physics, the Korgs always resort to the simplest ways of traversing space - or in other respects, too. Without access to gravity technology, energy shields, time accelerators or any fast way to traverse space, the Korgs have settled on some truly harrowing practices of space travel. Because of their small lifespan even some interplanetary trips turn into heroic voyages of generation ships. For this reason, the only Korgs that have remained in space are some of the most stoic, courageous and wise creatures in this galaxy despite possessing some of the smallest brains too. That is not to say that Korgs are emotionless, on the contrary, their steel willpower constrains some of the biggest passions among intelligent species. The Oculons in particular feel great respect for this great species, perhaps perceiving in them a poetic inversion of themselves. Korgs reciprocate this respect while accepting the complete and utter disconnect from their worldviews. On the other hand, Korgs feel great dislike towards LoV and, by extension, the Terrans, describing them as an anarchist hodge-podge and their posse. Despite this dislike the Korgs understand the severity of the threat of the Virtual as more important than this ideological disconnect.
The Virtual is a digital hivemind of simulated beings from different races. It was created by Terran entrepreneurs who wanted to usher in a simulated paradise. Although consisting mostly of uploaded Terrans, wealthy members of other species have taken part in the upload process as well. In any case, due to accelerated time in the simulated universe, the members of the Virtual are by now probably unrecognizable and utterly alien. There is also a strong possibility that the structure of the simulation is melding these minds together, creating a larger mind that is more than the sum of its parts. In any case, after the initial upload and a brief period of openness, the Virtual have decided to 1) close themselves to any new members and 2) undertake the morbid quest to eliminate all suffering in the universe. Since then the Virtual have morphed into an automated war machine, using robotic bodies to build and control various warships to bring an end to everything they deem a “hedonic disutility”. The Virtual wage war against all biological races, with some being a temporary exemption due to being temporarily useful, such as some Iridia hives being used to attack different opponents.
The Iridia are a spacefaring species of eusocial creatures. The Iridia are regimented into separate hives, with each member of the species staying faithful to their parent hive. This devotion is so strong, in fact, that most scientists believe the Iridia are literally incapable of having thoughts that aren't eventually beneficial to their own hive. However, the hives themselves, when taken as a whole, are interested in self-preservation and are capable of communication with members of different species, or members of different hives. For example, Iridia can even perform rudimentary trade - or rather, barter - if it benefits their hive in some way. Because of this lack of unity between hives, individual hives can be roped into doing something for the benefit of the Virtual, and because of this the Iridia are the last tentative allies to the omnicidal war effort of the Virtual.