[hider=Raygon]
[centre][h2][b]The Freemarket Corporate State of Raygon 8, or Raygon.[/b][/h2][/centre]
[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/eh7Ldlu.png[/img][/centre]
[hider=Theme of Raygonian Streets]
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LbLc6qXZk[/url]
[/hider]
[hider=Government Type]
Capitalist oligarchy. A small minority of extremely rich individuals with multistellar companies oversee the governance of the Raygon systems. They control the majority of the market, and are thus able to govern as much as they want, essentially, adjusting and twisting prices to suit their policies and bend the populace into following, and using market and customer surveys to pick up on democratic participation. The corporations in power shift from time to time depending on their financial situations. The current ones in power are [b]the Og’slough Bros.[/b], an asteroid mining conglomerate; [b]Adamantium Bank[/b], the sector’s central bank; [b]Cognito[/b], the tech and online services super-company behind social media such as PiKtogram and Mi-self; [b]Sustynance[/b], a colossal agri-foods provider with almost a monopoly on all trade of edible goods within the nation; and [b]Gala-Grid[/b], an absolutely massive producer of consumer electronics, home appliances, vehicle parts, you name it. Together, these five megacorporations keep the empire afloat by ensuring a loveably stable, yet profitable market for a naïvely suppressed populace.
[/hider]
[hider=Demographics]
Raygon, and the planet of Raygon 8 in particular, is an incredibly diverse sector of space, home to as many as seven different species of xenos, with humans making up an eighth. 
[list]
[*] [b]Humans:[/b] While the humans of Raygon themselves are somewhat unremarkable, if not a little stunted by the slightly stronger gravity on Raygon 8, they are undoubtedly one of the most technologically developed species in the nation, bested perhaps by the Petalosi. Typically standing around 170cm on average for males and 162cm for women, they are also among the shortest species in the nation. Their skin colours come in all shades between white and black, and their hair follows a much similar pattern with the addition of reds. Humans make up roughly 16% of the nation’s population and are concentrated on Raygon 8.
[*] [b]Petalos:[/b] Humanoid plantoids evolved from a special species of flower from the planet of Aether, located in the Sage system. The planet also goes by the name Sage 3. Petalosi are on average 2 metres tall, both for males and females, and typically come in colours from green to dark blue to purple to red. Their skin has a leaf-like coarseness to it, and while they are described as humanoid, they can grow up to two additional sets of arms and legs in addition to the pairs they are grown with. Petalosi are dependent on three sources of sustenance to survive: Sunlight, water and earth. Unfortunately, what little earth remains on Raygon 8 has long since been polluted to lethal levels, so their food is usually imported from Aether. The atmosphere on Raygon 8 is also incredibly dense at times, making it hard to get sufficient sunlight. As such, Petalos homes come equipped with solarium lamps. 

The Petalosi have a natural sense of ingenuity and innovation, fascinated with everything and anything that grows, whether that be plants, lab experiments or numbers on a financial graph. This has made them among the most demanded in the national workforce, taking jobs such as inventors, scientists, engineers, economists and stock brokers. As such, one rarely ever sees a poor Petalos. In many circles, they are the very symbol of success and wealth, and can occasionally suffer hate for it. Petalosi make up 4% of the nation’s population.
[hider=Petalos Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/007/326/267/large/sandra-duchiewicz-alien-fantasy.jpg?1505342021[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Raygonian (or Trrt-oprr in their native tongue):[/b] Raygonians are dense in most senses of the word, being stocky, powerfully built and incredibly tough, standing on average 181 centimetres tall for males and 186 for females. Their skin is leathery and at times scaley, their eyes beady, and their mugs mean. However, their minds very bright, especially when it comes to trade, geometry, industry and construction. Raygonians were already far into the space age by the time the first humans arrived, and really, it would be odd if they weren’t. Raygon used to be a resource rich beacon of life, making it perfect for natural industrialists. Raygonians have changed much in the last 700 years, having been forced to genetically alter themselves to adjust to the changing atmosphere of their planet, which by now is near toxic in areas. They are naturally communal, having lived in enormous, hive-like societies for aeons. This comes in handy on Raygon, where the population density is roughly 1 000 000 per square kilometre. Raygonians make up 27% of the nation’s population, existing almost entirely on Raygon.
[hider=Raygonian Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/020/129/714/large/alfonso-de-la-torre-alfonsodelatorre-atrox-fatyellowthug-01.jpg?1566486844[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Putt:[/b] Putts come from the fringe desert planet of Demos 4, also known as Oppo. They’re slightly shorter than human males on average, standing on average 167 centimetres for both males and females, sly and business-savvy, hailing from a tiny desert planet where competition, exploitation and opportunism means survival. They are skinny and fragile, however, and make for poor soldiers. No, their speciality comes in the business of trade, them being among the finest salespeople around. It is said that a Putt could sell human food to a petalos. Putts are surprisingly at ease with the Raygon atmosphere, and frequently move around in the streets without protection gear. The Putts make up around 11% of the population.
[hider=Putt Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/002/809/877/large/brian-matyas-fb-c-11.jpg?1465978232[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Simmie:[/b] The Simmies would be quite familiar to humans, seeing as they actually came with them. They are great apes (including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) brought along by humanity for experimentation. Eventually exposed to a brain-altering serum, the apes developed an almost human-like self-conscious and understanding. While they are only 200 years old as a new subgroup of great apes, they possess an almost eerie level of civility, having adopted a great deal of cultural norms from humanity. They still separate themselves in a number of ways, particularly by means of language, which they convey through hand signs and grunts. Simmies commonly work as mechanics, electricians, drone operators and construction workers on account of their agility and dexterity, or as translators when Mi-self Translate is down. Their numbers are few, only making up 2% of the population, and they are concentrated on Raygon.
[hider=Simmie Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/455/562/large/maarten-verhoeven-maarten-verhoeven002.jpg?1423232098[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Qurok:[/b] Quroks are enormous humanoids hailing from the outer sector, specifically from Ripp. They have thick, leathery skin in the shade of meaty pink, earlike shapes growing out of their skulls made of bone, and have keen senses of smell. They stand on average 2,3 metres tall for both males and females. Ripp is a savage system, and Ripp 3 is a gruesome place to evolve, being a hellish landscape of toxic swamps, massive predators and an acidic atmosphere. Quroks originally evolved underground, where they formed colonies that would hunt on the surface. They developed enormous lung capacity, a natural resistance to toxic gases, and the ability to seal shut every orifice in their body and protect their eyes with thick layers of biological glass - if not for the cold of space, they would be able to survive by just holding their breath. Once Raygon emissaries reached them and introduced them to technology, the Quroks have taken up work on industrial worlds and space stations, requiring very little oxygen to actually sustain themselves. Given that they only were discovered a little under a century ago, many of their tricks from hunting still remain, and many Quroks take up work as mercenaries and bounty hunters. Quroks make up roughly 9% of the population and are scattered throughout all three sectors.
[hider=Qurok Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/056/330/large/nils-meyer-nilscloseupb.jpg?1495712482[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Gubby:[/b] Gubbies are tiny cephalopods with humanoid heads, growing only to be around fifty centimetres long. They hail from the undersea cities of Tang 4 (also known as Urpie), where they’ve lived for aeons without disturbance. However, when their planet was discovered to possess insane amounts of thorium, Raygon corporations soon began to swarm around. It turned out that the Gubbies were not the peaceful squids the planetary surveys suggested, but where instead highly skilled weapons developers. While their underground production facilities were less than stellar in comparison to Raygon industry, the pulverised ships in Urpie’s orbit could not dispute their firepower. Gubbies were immediately contacted with peaceful and cooperative intent and are today the minds behind top-tier companies such as Helios Arms Inc. and CruiserCorp. Gubbies make up a total of 3% of the total population and typically move around in suits when not on their home planet, as they are extremely sensitive to other environments.
[hider=Gubby Apperance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/011/541/884/large/sandesh-chonkar-dp.jpg?1530110062[/img]
[/hider]
[hider=Gubby Suit]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/010/324/997/large/daniele-orsetti-spaceguy-highres-001.jpg?1523860471[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Cybe:[/b] ‘Cybe’ is the common nickname for any individual composed of at least fifty percent cybernetic enhancements. There come from all manner of species from all around the cluster, but share the trait that they are more machine than living. These can range from half man-half machine to full androids and drones. All are typically employed to do tasks too dangerous for the living, such as deep space maintenance, resource extraction on toxic or radioactive worlds and others. Together, they make up a total of 10% of the population.
[hider=Typical Cybe]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/009/534/407/large/vasiliy-fokin-complete.jpg?1519563276[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Other minorities too small to mention make up the remaining 18% of the population of the sectors.[/b]

[/list]
[/hider]
[hider=Systems, Sectors and Planets]
As the nation’s name implies, the entirety of the state is centred around a single system - Raygon. However, the corporation state’s sphere of influence stretches far beyond the encumenopolis’s home. The whole sphere encompasses a total of seven systems: Raygon as its core, bordered by the systems Demos, Tang and Sage in the inner sector, and Bick, Ripp and Wosmo in the outer sector. 

[hider=Sector Map]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Z2SMzoM.png[/img]
[/hider]

[hider=Core Planet: Raygon 8]
Raygon 8 is a large terrestrial planet, roughly 1,7 times the size of Earth, giving it a total area of 867 170 000 square kilometres. Once a lush and green orb full of life, the planet has become an industrialised ecumenopolis without compare. Its population is 60 trillion, with a population density of 100 000 individuals per square kilometre. Granted, one fourth of the planet is dedicated entirely to industrial areas. Due to its complete and utter lack of agricultural land beyond wildly insufficient urban farms, Raygon 8 is entirely dependent on imports to sustain itself. 

[hider=Raygon 8 behind its largest moon, Raygon 8-2]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/002/889/890/large/jakub-grygier-001-ecumenopolis-ab.jpg?1466928041[/img]
[/hider]

Raygon 8 is a commercial centre for the entire cluster, being home to a majority of transstellar corporations and a great deal of factories. High availability of low-income workers and industrial space makes Raygon a fantastic manufacturing planet, and several dirtier production processes are outsourced to it. To help with supply, the whole planet is surrounded by a massive space station called [b]the Belt[/b], which, in addition to serving as a tradeport and hangar for all in and outgoing traffic, it also serves as an extended suburb of the main city below.

[hider=The Belt]
[img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/4/4d/Eaw_Kuat.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070221015046[/img]
[/hider]

Life on Raygon 8 is cramped, stressful and rushed. Everything is about money, specifically CryptoCredits (or just credits). Credits are the key to a better house, a better ship, a better life - and even a ticket out. Advertisements boom throughout the streets at all times, and holographics can be seen wherever one looks. The planet is divided into four sectors, as well as three tiers.

Starting with the tiers, every sector, part and street of the ecumenopolis consists of three tiers: The bottom, the centre and the top.
[list]
[*] The bottom are considered the slums of Raygon 8. Here, cars are still common, housing is shabby and cheap, and crime and pollution is rampant. Anything not adjusted to life down here will die of either ‘meltylung’ (colloquial nickname for the condition where the corrosive air melts one’s lungs), the corrosive sludge they call sewage or from being murdered in the streets. This part of the city never gets sunlight, and whatever precipitation manages to drip all the way down will be lethally polluted by the time it reaches the ground. Houses are typically old sheds, repurposed storage bays and, for the ‘rich’, very poor apartments. Water, food, oxygen and clothing are provided by local stores owned by the elite, and all services such as water supply at home and electricity are paid through metres which offer a small quota in exchange for a price. Very few can afford it, so even in this day and age, a good number of citizens of Raygon 8 have neither electricity nor water at home. A fair number of the planet’s citizens live down here, though the exact number has never been ascertained. Experts estimate so many as 37% of the planet’s population lives on this level.
[hider=Bottom Tier street examples]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/020/522/983/large/daniele-trebeschi-1-0018.jpg?1568110720[/img]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/014/720/339/large/gandosh-ganbaatar-highresscreenshot00067.jpg?1545161598[/img]
[/hider]
[*] The centre is where the majority of citizens live, at least 51%. While it’s not much of an upgrade from the bottom, at least most people here have electricity and water in their homes. The water is at least 99% detoxified and each household is given a ration of 20 litres per day, as well as 30kWh of electricity per day. If any household wants to use more, they will have to fill metres similar to the bottom. However, prices here are much higher than at the bottom, seeing as they already have a free share. This especially affects those who need extra water to survive or electricity to work. Typical housing consists of standard 10 squaremetre apartments with one or more beds and toilet facilities that can be adjusted to suit one’s species. To ask for larger accommodations is quite costly, but anything can be adjusted if the customer can pay. Here, public transport is readily available in the form of flying buses, supersonic trains, metro stations and more. Some apartment buildings even have parking spots, allowing for personal ownership of vehicles, such as rocket scooters, drifters or floaters.
[hider=Typical centre tier streets and parking lot]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/008/906/777/large/uriel-leonardo-prado-soria-fantasy-future-city.jpg?1516032958[/img]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/003/385/855/large/derek-weselake-derek-weselake-jonada-has-you2016small.jpg?1473149605[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/623/452/large/maxime-delcambre-service-station-space.jpg?1428946771[/img]
[/hider]
[*] The top is reserved for the lower and middle middle class. They have considerably greater purchasing power, and are even able to afford apartments as large as fifty square metres. Owning a family or personal ship is common, and each apartment comes with a parking spot. Access to public transport is usually very good, though there are a few exceptions on the lower fringes of the tier. Water and electricity access is unlimited and paid monthly rather than by quota. Towards the upper levels, heating and air purification systems are also included in the home, and specialised providers supply the houses with food and drink directly through automatic drone delivery systems.
[hider=Typical top tier neighbourhood]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/400/684/large/maciej-drabik-man4c-crop1-d.jpg?1563315331[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/015/387/414/large/n-ix-art-production-studio-city-planet-1111.jpg?1548150618[/img]
[/hider]
[/list]
Then come the four sectors. With the exception of the industrial sector, all the other three contain a vast number of residents in addition to their specialisation. The industrial sector is the only one to not include any formal housing. Each sector takes up an exact fourth of the planet’s surface. Most residents work in the sector they live in, but intersectoral commuting is not uncommon.
[list]
[*] The Industrial Sector (nicknamed ‘the Outback’): A quarter of the planet is devoted entirely to receiving, processing, packaging, delivering and documenting all incoming resources not already processed for the planetary market. The area also processes a number of goods that are exported again - roughly half of all production done in Raygon 8’s industrial sector manufactures export wares; the other half is delivered to the commercial sector. The industrial sector is the main source of air pollution on the planet, and not uncommonly do storms rage through the area and bordering sectors.
[hider=Industrial Sector]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/014/964/547/large/ashley-pink-industrial-city.jpg?1546512259[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/088/646/large/%E5%9F%BA%E5%9C%B09%E5%8F%B7%E7%A9%BA%E4%B8%AD%E5%9F%BA%E5%9C%B0ZJ..jpg?1401595930[/img]
[/hider]
[*] The Commercial Sector (nicknamed ‘the Oasis’): The commercial sector is home to all business centres, company offices, shopping malls and stock markets. Population here is enormous, and it’s the second largest commuter destination after the industrial sector. Loud advertisements overlap in a terrible capitalistic cacophony and holograms fill every inch of one’s view. The streets light up to take you to the nearest sale, which may be over long before you get there. Many get lost in the Oasis, only to find themselves broke and with a ton of full shopping bags within but a few hours.
[hider=The Commercial sector when facing the main office of Cognito, the tech company]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/047/157/large/796_max.jpg?1398840360[/img]
[/hider]
[*] The Leisure Sector (nicknamed New Macau): New Macau is a mad house of casinos, bars, leisure parks, strip clubs, brothels and much, much more. It is a sector of great fun and great poverty, sporting the largest population of impoverished citizens on the entire planet, as well as the highest number of alcoholics, drug addicts and criminals. Every manner of sinful business line the streets - speckled in between them are chapels of every religion, old and new, ready to marry you to that lady you met fifteen minutes ago. Like with advertisements, music thunders through the streets - jazz, dubstep, house, rock, folk, whalesong - everything’s there. If you’re looking for a night out, this both is and really isn’t the place to be.
[hider=New Macau and a bar]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/235/560/large/adam-kuczek-downtown1.jpg?1412477753[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/050/288/large/Casino_Bar_01B.jpg?1398970865[/img]
[/hider]
[*] The Cultural Sector (nicknamed Artisan’s Quarter): The Cultural quarter is similar to the leisure quarter, but focuses much more on the ‘civilised’ sides of entertainment. Artisans here create luxury goods for the upper classes and artworks to be admired in the enormous museums scattered throughout the sector. Theatres playing movies of every kind and theatres dedicated entirely to the performing arts come in the sizes large enough to accommodate a million viewers, and street performers line the streets almost like walls. This part of the planet is considered a human suburb to a large degree, due to the concentration of humans.
[hider=Artisan’s Quarter theatre]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/660/200/large/pablo-palomeque-future-city-2.jpg?1430135173[/img]
[/hider]
[/list]

[/hider]

[hider=Other planets]
[list]
[*][b]Aether:[/b] Aether is the Petalos homeword, located in the Sage system. Previously considered a backwards jungle world on account of the almost 90% forest and kelp forest coverage, it has since become a centre of technological development within the fields of medicine and biology, spurred on by the locals. It’s today home to several (madly expensive) universities, built into many of the billions of trees across the surface. The planet is extremely colourful and beautiful, but also full of toxic growths and substances.
[hider=Typical forest on Aether]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/013/610/592/large/mathias-zamecki-bg-1023.jpg?1540393287[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Oppo:[/b] Also known as Demos 4, Oppo is large, rather unremarkable desert planet - or at least it used to be. While it may have started out that way, it has become an essential refueling station for Raygon cargo ships, seeing as the Putts somehow managed to trade to themselves the patent on thorium fuel cells. As such, Oppo has gone from an unremarkable rock to a prosperous tradeport, as well as a production centre for ship fuel.
[hider=Oppo Surface Spaceport (OSS) and thorium fuel cell refinement facility]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/433/785/large/paul-chadeisson-concept-010c.jpg?1490973757[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/433/762/large/paul-chadeisson-testspeed-0152c.jpg?1490973593[/img]
[/hider]
[/list]
[/hider]



[hider=Moons]
[list]
[*] [b]The Resort[/b]: A ‘paradise world’ on one of the moons of Raygon, Raygon 8-1, the Resort has been terraformed to be the perfect haven for the capitalist upper class. Hosting a multitude of fluffy, adorable animals from all around the galaxy, beautiful beaches and trees, and mansions for every resident, the Resort as a whole has a population of only a few million. Entering the atmosphere requires special access codes provided by the corporate government, and any uninvited guests are immediately vaporised in orbit by defensive orbital turrets.
[hider=Typical artificial island for residents at the Resort]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/475/685/large/leon-tukker-surfing-renderbigas.jpg?1491310239[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Lil’ Sage[/b]: Raygon 8-2, the second moon of the ecumenopolis, is home to a suburb for the upper middle class. With a population of only 11 billion, it is an enormous network of cities and towns constructed underground, safe from the thin atmosphere and meteor strikes. Purchasing a house on Lil’ Sage is extremely expensive, and some residents there have saved for multiple generations to afford it. Most residents commute down to Raygon 8 to work. 
[*] [b]Source:[/b] Technically a moon around the gas giant Raygon 4, also called Cumulus. Gala-Grid owns the Source and has turned it into a planet-sized factory. Long since devoid of resources, the planet has been hollowed out to sustain thousands of levels of automatic 3D-printer facilities, energy plants, furnaces, assembly lines, storage halls and hangar bays for transport. Imported resources are constantly fed to the hungry industries on and below the surface, and finished goods are exported by millions of tons every day. Several sectors of the planet are rented out to different corporations, but the majority is owned by Gala-Grid. The planet has long since lost the ability to sustain life, and all residents are either machines, androids or wear heavy protection when faring outside into the open. 
[hider=Source from orbit]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/008/019/852/large/arne-digernes-tech-planet-v02.jpg?1509974248[/img]
[/hider]
[hider=Source’s exhaust pipes]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/003/035/large/sergey-grechanyuk-finalisation-sm.jpg?1487790914[/img]
[/hider]
[hider=Source’s massive ship assembly facilities]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/017/345/976/large/adrian-mihai-marchidan-titan-class-shipyard4.jpg?1570114113[/img]
[/hider]
[hider=Source street view]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/088/756/large/%E8%92%B8%E6%B1%BD%E4%B9%8B%E5%9F%8ECity_of_steam.jpg?1401603870[/img]
[/hider]

[/list]
[/hider]
[/hider]
[hider=Economy]
The entirety of Raygon’s economy is founded on industrialism, mass production, mass consumerism and unending growth. As such, companies are basically free to do whatever they was as long as they don’t violate others’ patents, property rights or NAPs. If those simple requirements can be met, there are no limits on what a company can do to get filthy rich.

The most notable businesses in Raygon can be traced back to the top ten richest companies. Five of them already make up the ruling oligarchy, but there are other ways to acquire profits beyond what these do. In fact, two of the companies on the top ten list are richer than one of the companies in government, but other factors of power still keep them out of the oligarchy. The top ten companies are as follows:
[list]
[*] [b]Gala-Grid:[/b] (Value: 20 sextillion credits - roughly the estimated price of half of Raygon) Gala-Grid is, without a doubt, the single most powerful company in the nation, perhaps even in the cluster. It oversees the production of all consumer electronics, household appliances, ship parts, personal vehicles, spaceships and so, so much more. The company owns the vast majority of the factory moon Source. While it owns a few asteroid mines, as well, it is entirely dependent on other sources for its resources. Works tightly with [b]Atlas Corp[/b] to import rare minerals. Famously employs a huge number of manned and unmanned maintainance ships both on planetary atmospheres and in orbit.
[hider=Model 8 "Bubble" Maintainance Vehicle]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/293/057/large/john-wallin-liberto-carrying1finished.jpg?1482124466[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/653/292/large/john-wallin-liberto-workers97.jpg?1485300641[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Adamantium Bank:[/b]  (Value: 12 sextillion credits) The largest bank in the cluster. Adamantium Bank offers loans to everyone from the lowly individual to multistellar companies, often with exponential interests and ruthless mortgage tactics. They just as much respected as they are feared, and everyone in need of money will likely pass by one of their offices some day.
[*] [b]Og’slough Bros. Asteroid Mining:[/b] (Value: 9 sextillion credits) Owned by the family of the now passed Raygonian brothers Urpen and Gudoman Og’slough, this asteroid mining company is the largest in the nation, holding the vast majority of bills of property on asteroids passing through and around in every sector. They are adept at what they do, and are keenly aware of their status in the trade. Their services are therefore so expensive that only Gala-Grid can afford to hire them.
[*] [b]Sustynance:[/b] (Value: 990 pentillion credits) A massive foodstuffs and daily groceries provider and packager, based on a multitude of agri-worlds and agri-moons throughout the nation. Their stores are everywhere, disguised under brands like Cosmart, 24/7/365, Deli de Galaxica and many more. They also have tight relationships with companies that wish to export food to Raygon, making certain that they get a cut when the foodstuffs cross the border - most importantly [b]Arcadia Corp[/b].
[*] [b]X-Pressure Transstellar Shipping and Cargo:[/b] (Value 810 pentillion credits) The largest shipping company in Raygon, X-Pressure handles the vast majority of container transport, commodity delivery and fuel transport. Their staple transport ship is the Model 9 Mawmaw-class freighter, a massive cargo ship with the capacity to carry up to 1 000 000 full containers.
[hider=Model 9 Mawmaw-class Freighter]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/039/336/large/max-horbatiuk-shot-1-v2.jpg?1561734286[/img]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/018/806/683/large/max-horbatiuk-shot-3-v2.jpg?1560803983[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/018/805/256/large/max-horbatiuk-shot-6-2.jpg?1560804463[/img]
[/hider]
[*] [b]Ten Suns Energy:[/b] (Value 670 pentillion credits) The sectoral energy producer. Ten Suns would have been much richer, but sadly, they run a costly business with asteroid miners and foreign powers to acquire thorium and with gas giant miners for hydrogen. Still, they figuratively have a monopoly on electricity provision, at least on Raygon 8, making them incredibly powerful.
[*] [b]Cognito:[/b] (Value 200 pentillion credits) A tech and online services super-company behind social media such as PiKtogram and Mi-self, and the poorest company to serve in the oligarchy. They sit on something much more valuable than money, however - information. PiKtogram and Mi-self are cluster-wide, and bar a few exceptions, Cognito can access most users’ personal information. It’s not uncommon for them to use this, especially against competitors.
[*] [b]Cumulus Gas Giant and Asteroid Mining Inc.:[/b] (Value 10 pentilion credits) The largest competitor of the Og’slough Bros., Cumulus Inc. doesn’t have the thousands of property rights to asteroids around the sectors - but they possess one crucial bill of ownership: Raygon 4, also known as the gas giant Cumulus. Cumulus is the main source of hydrogen gas in the nation, a key component is particularly Ten Suns’ energy reactors. Some ships also use it as fuel, and it’s crucial in water production. Cumulus is also the planet which the factory moon Source orbits around, so Cumulus Inc. has a considerable edge over the Og’slough Bros. when delivering directly to Gala-Grid. 
[*] [b]Prrp & Sterlington Mechanised Arms:[/b] (Value 978 quadrillion credits) An arms company out of Urpie (also known as Tang 4), owned by a Simmie and a Gubby named Franklin Sterlington and Prrp respectively. Both are accomplished weapons developers, specialising in mechanised warfare. Their drone models and battle suits are perhaps the most standard weaponry used by the multitude of mercenaries, private armies and bounty hunters in Raygon.
[*] [b]The Astrock Mining and Extraction Company (Astrock):[/b] (Value: 969 quadrillion credits) Asteroid mining is a profitable business - incredibly much so. Astrock has managed to rise to the top using more and more sophisticated drones to extract resources, saving themselves great costs from employment. Their income is rising incredibly fast, and their competitors are doing everything they can to put them out of business.
[/list]

[/hider]
[hider=Culture and Language]
The billions of different cultures packed throughout the entirety of Raygon 8 and its belonging systems would simply be too much to even consider, so much new arrivals on the ecumenopolis make generalised assumptions based on overall traits. These are:

[list]
[*] [b]Individualistic:[/b] Raygon citizens, as a whole, have a strong belief in their individual rights and freedoms as sovereign citizens, that no state should demand anything of them, and that nothing should be determined by anything other than their own abilities.
[*] [b]Consumerist:[/b] Raygon citizens tend to subscribe to the ‘use and dump’-style of living, where they buy products, use them for a short amount of time, and then buy another. Saving is for the poor, and not to consume is almost seen as a crime against the economy.
[*] [b]Competitive:[/b] Due to their way of life, Raygon citizens are often forced to be competitive to succeed. This has created a culture where being the best means winning out in life.
[*] [b]Xenophilic (or potentially xenophobic):[/b] Most Raygon citizens are so used to seeing new people all the time that they will accept virtually anyone as one of their own, xenos, human or otherwise. However, typical exceptions can be found on the fringe worlds or deep in the bottom tiers, where unemployment and isolation creates impenetrable group communities.
[*] [b]Morally ambiguous:[/b] Few Raygon citizens are ever entirely morally just, from the traditional human perspective. They can be altruistic and kind, but will also typically have a gambling addiction, be corrupt or even have killed someone. Everyone’s in some way connected with the local gangsters, too.
[*] [b]Very open to change:[/b] Raygon citizens have seen everything, pretty much, so even large changes in society are taken with a shrug. 
[*] [b]Capitalist:[/b] Accumulation of capital is key to any Raygon citizen’s way of life, and almost everyone has faith in the market as a force that can bring them to greatness one day.
[/list]

[b]Social Networks:[/b]
Social networks are essential to surviving the ecumenopolis. Nowhere else can anyone find out how to live, where stuff happens, where to buy things, or even how to communicate with others. There are three core networks, two of them owned by Cognito, the last one owned by a smaller company called OmniWeb.

[b]Mi-self[/b]: A personalised blogging site with chat function, shopping function, streaming, entertainment overview, news articles and much, much more. Used as the primary channel of communication between the oligarchy and the people, where the companies on top will frequently post market and customer surveys to probe the general satisfaction level of the public. Mi-self also includes a translator function which automatically translates whatever is said into the user’s language, making the need for language education obsolete.

[b]Wedeo[/b]: A video-sharing site as well as Raygon’s primary source of televised news and home entertainment. 

[b]PiKtogram[/b]: An image-sharing site as well as a chat room and a dating app. Incredibly popular and the source of fame for many celebrities.

[b]Education:[/b]
Raygon citizens aren’t given much in way of formal education beyond learning to read and write. Every business has a responsibility to train their workers, and since the oligarchy are their own private businesses, they have no reason to provide free education for the citizens. Thus, all education happens through the SmartPad, mass produced screens, tablets or even brain chips chock-full of video-and-sound-recorded lessons in all manner of subjects. Applying for a job requires the applicant to purchase that company’s skill education bundle, of course. Every Raygon household owns at least one of these tablets.
[/hider]

[hider=Military]
All military is privatised in Raygon, meaning there is technically no standing army nor standing fleet. Instead, private peacekeepers in the form of hired armies, mercenaries, droids or bounty hunter gangs are used in abundance. 

[h3]Mechanised Forces:[/h3]
[b]Prrp & Sterlington Model 7B “Bobby” Peacekeeper Mech:[/b] A fully autonomous heavy-armed police droid in use across the whole of Raygon. Sporting top-tier facial recognition software, built-in tear gas spray valves, pressure-powered rocket hands and extended battery life, the ‘Bobby’ is the finest example of an officer this side of the Oasis. Also used as medium infantry in battle.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/009/132/003/large/mathew-o-2.jpg?1517314475[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Prrp & Sterlington Model 19A “Big Boy” Assault Walker Mech:[/b] Heavy walker cavalry, typically hired to quell uprisings and show intruders off upper class property. This two and a half metre tall walker is entirely autonomous, programmed to obliterate whatever it deems to be a threat to its owner through the use of bullets, flame throwers, missiles, bombs, lasers or simply its ten ton stomp.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/187/214/large/weta-workshop-design-studio-041-chapp2e-moose-milcamo-02-lg.jpg?1481153656[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Prrp & Sterlington Model 19B "Large Lad" Heavy Assault Walker Mech:[/b] Heavier walker cavalry/artillery, typically set to guard key infrastructure from anarchists and labour unions. They stand four metres tall and come armed with shrapnel missiles, miniguns and flamethrowers, as well as powerful shields to brush off counterattacks. They have anti-air capabilities and operate autonomously using the P&S standard, top-tier combat AI.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/247/158/large/andrew-luzanov-powerplant-lancelot-galahad1.jpg?1481701031[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Prrp & Sterlington Model 5B “Crawly” Light Assault Drone:[/b] Light infantry drone, roughly half the height of an average human. Mass produced by the billions and sent to drown the enemy in bullets and metal carcasses. Simple and effective design, though its cognitive capacity is very limited - it targets anything it can see and shoots it with great fury. Keep your distance.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/020/786/848/large/garreth-jackson-spidertank1factory1757.jpg?1569178276[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Prrp & Sterlington Model 6A “Bat” Flying Assault Drone:[/b] Light flyer drone armed with a machine gun. Like the Crawly, its design is simple at the cost of processing power - it is generally pointed in one direction and will annihilate everything in that direction.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/013/492/338/large/dingxiong-wang-screenshot003.jpg?1539835176[/img]
[/hider]

[h3]Mercenaries:[/h3]
[list]
[*][b]The Concubines of Death:[/b] A Petalosi band of elite railgunners, specialising in escort and defense missions. They are adept at protecting VIPs and important goods, their kit including personal and placeable force field generators. It’s said they are willing to die for double rates.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/418/312/large/jan-wessbecher-royalrailgunguard-03small.jpg?1421709922[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]SkullCorp:[/b] A human company of snipers, specialising in assassinations, sabotage and theft. They are equipped with the laser rifle SP-98, a potent weapon that instantly burns holes through their targets across long distances. 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/020/256/878/large/edward-barons-girl-4-paint-2.jpg?1567031170[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Ruiners:[/b] Hit-and-run style shock troopers who specialise in creating chaos on the battlefield. Armed with shock and napalm grenade launchers, plasma rifles, miniguns and chainblades, the Ruiners turn any skirmish into hell on Earth.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/011/694/780/large/benedykt-szneider-exo-1.jpg?1530897641[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Cobalt Cloaks:[/b] Qurok bounty hunters that double as mercenaries. They specialise in assassination, stealth and recon, using their specialised invisibility cloaks to keep themselves out of sight. They are armed with deadly kinetic sniper rifles and their bullets are filled with toxins from their home planet of Ripp 3.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/017/458/921/large/emmanuel-julian-img-3778-16-jacket-mask.jpg?1556067258[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Drilldragger Desperados:[/b] A gang of Cybes specialising in theft and light arms like pistols and laser rifles. While they aren’t exactly the least criminal gang out there, having robbed their fair share of cargo freighters, they are perfect for sabotaging competitors and the like. 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/010/826/109/large/oleg-ushenok-deadly-desperado.jpg?1526426293[/img]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/012/610/394/large/elijah-mcneal-model-sheet.jpg?1535635907[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]The Silverback Company:[/b] A Simmie warband built around the P&S M1212 plasma cannon, a weapon specifically engineered to break enemy fortifications and armoured units. They organise themselves in squads of ten, each divided into teams of five, protecting one plasma cannon each. On each team are three gorilla simmies, clad in power armour with one of them carrying the plasma cannon on its back (the other two usually carry lighter energy weapons); one chimpanzee mechanic/support unit with repair and medical kits; and one orangutan with a long range rifle to cover the team from afar. These squads work together to set up perimetres from which they can blast the enemy off the planet with barrages of plasma.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]http://img1.safereactor.cc/pics/post/full/at-43-art-Sci-Fi-karmans-4965545.jpeg[/img]
[/hider]
[/list]

[h3]Ships:[/h3]
While there are no state-owned ships, every company worth its budget will hire at least one small fleet to escort their cargo freighters or patrol the Jump Gates. These ships come in many shapes, but there are a particular few that stand out.
[list]
[*][b]Peacekeeper July-class Corvette:[/b] Standard ship model in employ for the private police forces employed by the oligarchy. Quick, hardy and able to leave a dent in most things, this ship does the best that it can with the tools that it has. It is relatively inexpensive and can be modified to fly autonomously.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/644/302/large/ansel-hsiao-light-crv21.jpg?1500164305[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Alibaba-class Escort:[/b] Heavy destroyer armed with railgun artillery, rockets and laser weaponry. Typically seen escorting Mawmaw-class freighters along the most important trade routes of Raygon.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/001/527/280/large/young-qin-201511182.jpg?1448005681[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Nostalgia-class Battleship:[/b] Rarely in employ in the inner sector, this ship model frequently serves as hubs for bounty hunters and mercenaries, doubling as taverns and transport. On account of the outdated model, there are few in the employ of the larger corporations, but the richer mercenary bands still use them as bases of operation.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/050/101/large/eddie-del-rio-0057.jpg?1479837496[/img]
[/hider]
[*][b]Ram-class Battleship:[/b] These ships can only be reasonably afforded by the richest six companies in Raygon, but only Gala-Grid employs them frequently. These juggernauts come armed with tachyon beams that dig through enemy armour and asteroid crusts alike, as well as an arsenal of other weapons and even fighter hangars. There are currently only four in use in Raygon, all of which protect Gala-Grid’s key trade points.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/003/936/381/large/sergey-chebotok-saratoga-ship.jpg?1478698238[/img]
[/hider]
[/list]
[/hider]

[hider=History]
While humanity brought Raygon to heights neveraforeseen, the planet was already an industrial powerhouse by the time they arrived. In the year 319 after the first arc, the Athens arrived in the Raygon system to find to its surprise, an industrial world with a functioning moonbase. They were simple compared to humanity, of course, without any concept of jump gates, hydrogen fusion energy or 3D-printer technology, but the local Raygonian xenos seemed oddly curious towards the humans - surprisingly open, even. In fact, once the lingual barriers were broken down thanks to fantastic advances in interpretation technology, the Raygonians were quick to haggle to themselves pieces of human technology in exchange for land that the humans could settle. Raygon was enormous - much larger than Earth - with a surprisingly acceptable atmosphere, if not a little hotter than home. Humanity quickly established their cities, walled off in the beginning. However, they found after a while that walls were moot, as Raygonians somehow managed to get in all the time and set up shop in abandoned buildings or on the streets. They never seemed angry or jealous of the humans - only interested in trading to as much technology to themselves as they could. The humans began to grow anxious at the trade after a time - some feared the Raygonians were secretly building weapons to wipe them off the planet; others suggested that they were using the technology to improve their industrialised world.

It would seem that those of the latter school were right. The walled off human community watched in awe as the Raygonians, already very skilled in construction, seemingly overnight turned the lush nature into industry and residential areas. When the humans asked what they were doing, it turned out that a great majority of Raygonians actually lived in great poverty in cities underground, and that they had seem humanity live in such tall, prestigious homes. They wanted the same for their own people, so they would build houses for them to receive for free. The humans thought them odd, but couldn’t deny the nobility in their motivation. 

When the impoverished Raygonians finally emerged from their pits, humanity saw just how outnumbered they were: The Raygonians were innumerable - they reminded the humans of Earth towards the end of humanity’s reign. They were so many, in fact, that even the great number of skyscrapers constructed over the past years couldn’t house them all. Feeling a great deal of sympathy for them, humanity decided to help them out. Human ships were repurposed to mine asteroids, and whatever technology they had was targeted towards resource extraction. The Raygonians celebrated loudly the support, but it took merely three decades before the effects on the planet and the climate began to show: Increased carbon dioxide levels brought higher temperatures; improvised and at times unregulated industries polluted the environment; overextraction of resources depleted the surrounding areas. Humanity suffered bad cases of déjà vu and attempted to halt the unsustainable expansion, but the Raygonians had gotten a taste for their new lives. They didn’t really have any particular relationship to their planet, anyway - the largest religion on the planet painted Raygon as a world to be conquered; the rest had little to say on that particular point. As such, the planet quickly became a black hole for resources at the expense of the local wildlife. The Raygonians and humans eventually began to use protection gear outside to ward off the hostile elements. Three hundred years after the humans’ arrival, the planet was no longer habitable without artificial protection. A faction of the humans known as the Purists, fed up with the consumerist ways of the Raygonians, began probing the nearby systems for new homes.

However, thought they encountered various new species and civilisations, they would never again find a haven for life like Raygon once had been. The new civilisations soon became targets for the Raygon trade fleet: The capital planet was starved for resources and had to expand fast. Local species were given technology and comfort in exchange for their worlds. Some managed to negotiate special deals, like the Petalos and the Putts, in order to keep their planets mostly safe. Others, however, were not given a choice. The Raygon consumerists swallowed whole planets in only centuries, and their home planet exploded into a multicultural, multispecial centre of commerce, culture and industry. Before long, the whole planet had become one big city - its atmosphere still hostile to most. The Raygonians underwent intense gene alteration surgery to adjust; humanity kept themselves mostly to protective gear and well-insulated housing. 

With the growth of commerce, the feeble human and Raygonian democracy quickly fell under the overwhelming might of the corporations. Before long, the corporations simply assumed official power of the whole sector, having held actual power for years already. These congregated to form the Oligarchy, and slowly, but surely, citizens’ income and brand loyalty became as important as their identities. Work became as important as breathing; status in society became a sum of how much rent one could pay; quality was sacrificed to usher in unimaginable quantity. With the whole new factory moon of Source in operation, goods flooded the markets like never before.

Nowadays, Raygon is forever hungry for more resources; disparities grow and grow, the richest not even living on the same planet as 99% of the population; jump gates have been built in multiple systems and are guarded fiercely by private armies. Whatever the Oligarchy commands immediately becomes law as they adjust market prices and stocks to lead the public along. An ever-tighter connected society is bound with no hope of escaping. Raygon now looks outwards from its sector to new customers - who will trade their goods?

[/hider]

[hider=Characters]
[b]Lobutos Zigg:[/b] A Raygonian salaryman from the Commercial Sector. A hardworking and hardworked middle-aged man who does his best to provide for his wife and kids in an increasingly tougher everyday life.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/021/187/675/large/alfonso-de-la-torre-alfonsodelatorre-atrox-greytt-6.jpg?1570715507[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Belladonna di Mare:[/b] Member of the Board of Directors of Adamantium Bank. She is a ruthlessly calculating and scheming Petalos with one goal in mind: Money. 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/002/309/906/large/andy-chin-screenshot000.jpg?1460085171[/img]
[/hider]

[b]George Christian Wellsley (G.C.):[/b] A Simmie mechanic with a particular love for the flask and gambling. His lifestyle has caused him to rack up a considerable amount of debt, forcing him into a life of crime. He has tight affiliations with the tar pit gangs out on Ripp 7. 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/008/215/566/large/caglar-ozen-munky-b-remake-015a-small.jpg?1511244288[/img]
[/hider]

[b]”Lord” Zhang Lintao:[/b] General Secretary of Gala-Grid. Comes from a long line of industrialists who adore nothing more than to see the numbers rise. Prone to a quick temper and fits of merciless outrage. Lives on the Resort with his family and the rest of the board of directors in the Gala-Grid Enclosure.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/elite-dangerous/images/f/f5/Li_Yong-Rui.png/revision/latest?cb=20170714191402[/img]
[/hider]

[b]Soga Obani:[/b] A Cybe-Qurok mercenary recently hired by a mysterious contractor to kill a previous client of his: Arrto “Rex” Og’slough, owner of Og’slough Bros. Asteroid Mining.
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/272/096/large/AssassinC.jpg?1443926916[/img]
[/hider]

[/hider]


[/hider]