The Outer Ring

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On the outskirts of the star system of the aleph_cluster, skirting the borders of Red Space and far beyond any of the system's jump gates or regular traffic is the Outer Ring. This place is home to a rag tag motley of near-lawless worlds with no overarching government or oversight, and pirate warlords interested in their own lots.

For as long as the Aleph system has been a nexus for trade, commerce, ideas, and people, it too has been home to an underbelly in the farthest reaches - preying on merchant caravans and lone travellers, or getting on with minding their own business without anybody telling them what to do.

The Outer Ring's population cannot be accurately surveyed, as there's no service or government willing to head in and count everyone's heads. That said, it is possible to find humans and aliens from around the Aleph Cluster, the next system over, or somewhere else entirely. Most of the system's 'permanent' population of outcasts, drifters, miscreants, nomads, and rabble rousers live inside of the remnants of asteroid mining space stations. Others prefer to live inside their own spacecraft, hiding away from any potential trouble their neighbours could cause.

Legitimate employment opportunities within the Outer Ring are scarce. Most employment from without involves venturing into unknown parts of the Outer Ring, looking for a supposed treasure, digging up a stash, or finding ancient alien ruins. Within the system, most employment opportunities boil down to crime and punishment¹⁾. Occasionally, less than ethical corporations recruit their disposable and plausibly deniable wetworkers from these parts, with varying degrees of success.

Divided into eight major bands corresponding to cardinal directions, the Outer Ring has few permanent residences or locales, with most moving around within their bands. This general sense of movement, along with tendrils Red Space phenomena baffling sensors.

• Northern Band - Designation: Brainchild
• Northeast Band - Designation: Pirate's Cove
  • A loose coalition of pirates under a common banner of causing trouble for traders and travellers called The Mayhem Fleet make their roost here. They get their name from the disorganisation of their captains and fleets - consequently, it makes it hard to predict where they will strike next.
  • A space station floats in this band, and within it is a notorious dive named Archie's. Originally a Greaseheart-styled burger joint, the raucous nature of the most frequent patrons transformed it into a noisy bar where pirates go to recruit crews. Woe betide someone looking for a quiet time here or immediately outside; For even in the backrooms, there is no peace.
• Eastern Band - Designation: Staging Zone
• Southeast Band - Designation: Horse Winds
• Southern Band - Designation: Old Town
  • A permanent settlement borne from the remnants of a failed space colony is called Last Light 5, originally one of six colonies dispatched to the area as the others were ransacked, destroyed, or otherwise faced calamity - remnants merging with Last Light 5. Years of neglect and lack of technical expertise has rendered the air inside the station difficult to breathe for long periods.
• Southwest Band - Designation: The Rocks
  • One of the few bastions of honest employment amidst the lawlessness of the ring, there is a Mining Outpost run by a company located somewhere in the Kingdom of Albion. They are tasked with finding rare earths and other minerals for export. Consequently, this has lead to an armed private security presence patrolling the area due to the neighbours.
• Western Band - Designation: Lovelace
• Northwest Band - Designation: Here and There