Society

The current year is 352 FA (Foundation Age). Faster-than-light travel has been possible for 352 years via the warp drive, with pre-warp interplanetary spaceflight spanning another 154 years prior. Humanity originates from the Home system, but has since spread out and explored thousands of star systems in search of resources and knowledge alike. While simple alien life is known from many worlds, there is only one known instance of intelligent alien life, currently far beyond possible contact.

Established human civilization currently encompasses over 6000 star systems within a spherical volume approximately 160 lightyears in diameter called the Interior. Around 80% of all star systems within the volume are red dwarfs. An additional ~2500 systems remain uncolonized within this region, for a total of approximately 8700 star systems. The majority of these additional systems remain uncolonized due to being either resource-poor or unusually hostile.

The edge of the Interior is referred to as the Civil Periphery, where star systems are actively undergoing intensive infrastructure development. The Interior, with the Civil Periphery as its shell, is constantly expanding on a generational timescale as humanity pushes ever outward. Beyond it lie the Outer Volumes, where civilization has not yet had enough time to establish a significant presence and human development becomes less frequent with increasing distance. The vast majority of systems in the Outer Volumes have yet to be visited.

Humanities furthest reach is the K’vel, a starship currently stranded in the Obanozagria system 211 lightyears from Home.