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Until recently, Earth was dominated by a vast computer network called the "Virtuality". Hundreds of billions of people uploaded their minds into this "life after death". Eventually, living people came to be a minority who were largely excluded from decision-making. Out in the living world, nation-states still existed, cooperating through a fairly strong "Earth Union" - successor to the United Nations. However, aside from a tiny elite, most living people felt entirely disenfranchised. Many chose to go to the colonies rather than live as a second-class citizen.
In the last decade, esper radicals from the colony world of Esperanza have infiltrated, and entirely overturned this ancient, conservative society. One by one, they seized control of Earth's nation states, destroyed the Virtuality's data centres, and imposed their own brand of totalitarianism. Finally, four years ago the central Earth Union fell completely under their sway, and the remaining conservative nations were conquered in a short, bloody war. The Next Step calls this the "War against the machines", while the opposition calls it the "Coup". Today, the "Next Step" radicals are still consolidating their hold over Earth, whilst pushing aggressively on into the Outer Planets.
Before the Coup, the virtual dead absolutely dominated the Earth Union, which effectively existed to construct, maintain and power millions of data centres. Over the centuries, living society ossified into a rigid caste system.
All about Earth's caste system...
Almost a century ago, the invention of the jump-1+ drive brought the core worlds within easy reach of the Main. The Esperanzan "New Puritan" regime seized this opportunity, and began using Earth's industrial power to complement its own. A formal alliance between the Earth Union and Esperanzan Commonwealth lead to a series of wars that drove the Xa Imperium completely out of Corridor, and weakened its ability to regulate trade with the Long Republic.
15 years ago, the Esperanzan Puritan regime was overthrown by an esper-supremacist group who called themselves the "Next Step". The espers have brutally subjugated "betas" (as they call non-espers), both on Esperanza itself, and throughout the wider Esperanzan "Commonwealth".
A concerted campaign allowed the Esperanzans to undermine the member states of the Earth Union. One after another, member states fell to Esperanzan-inspired pro-esper "Next Step" parties. Ultimately the few remaining hold outs were crushed militarily, and the Virtuality was shut down - effectively killing the hundreds of billions of uploaded individuals. Uploads are immune to the espers' hex powers, and therefore Next Step ideologues deny their humanity.
The final collapse of the Earth Union came shockingly quickly. In its final days, a few hundred-thousand refugees were able to escape to Procyon, together with millions of uploads. The Outer Planets, and loyalist elements of the Earth Fleet assisted the refugees. It took months for the new regime to purge loyalist elements from the Fleet and bureaucracy. During that time, Esperanzan fleet elements opened hostilities against the Outer Planets, which were able to defend themselves surprisingly effectively. Their defences were lead by the Space Patrol, who used daring tactics to wield their relatively small, lightly armed ships with deadly effectiveness. Finally, the purged Earth Fleet joined the battle, and decisively defeated the belters' ramshackle forces.
Today, Earth is a highly regulated society, with thought police on every street corner. The Outer Planets are occupied by the military. An underground resistance continues to fight an insurgency. The military use collective punishment and concentration camps to battle them. The Belter population is too thinly spread to be controlled effectively by espers.
A key aspect of the Next Step's rise to power was the collaboration of Velocity - a peon political caucus that traditionally agitated for an end to the caste system, and a return to government by nation-states. Radical Velocity activists had long argued against the "hegemony" of the uploads. Jeremiah Caxton, the leader of Velocity, believed that Next Step's programme of opposing the status quo would result in liberation for the Peons. Caxtonites' votes (or abstentions) were often vital to Next Step's democratic takeovers.
Many exiled commoners revile Caxton. Even blaming him above Next Step leaders themselves for the success of the Coup. Some peons remain ardent Caxtonites, while others have violently turned against the "traitors".
The whereabouts of Caxton himself are unknown. He was engaged in attempts to broker a truce, during the tense final weeks of the European Federation. He has not been seen in public since. Whether he escaped Earth, died, or is in the hands of the Alpha Corps, is an open question.
Hon. Outo Bradford Michaelson Gates is the Secretary General of the Earth Union. This is a largely ceremonial position. Elected on a "for life" basis by delegates to the General Assembly. Gates is a distant descendant of Bill Gates. Previously known for womanising and snow boarding, he has retained his position and become the figurehead of Next Step's regime.
Hon. Felicity Khadija Bronson Shoda is the Chairman of the Council. This position is the executive head of the Secretariat. Once the Next Step governments controlled the Earth Union, they consolidated power into this office. Madame Shoda was appointed by them, and became - in effect - Earth's supreme leader. She lead the vicious campaign to subjugate nations that held out against the espers. Many believe that she is an esper herself, but she showed no sign of hex powers prior to the Next Step takeover.
Luis Gilroy is the highest ranking Esperanzan in the EU government. His official title is Political Adviser to the Council. In practice, he dictates most of the Secretariat's executive decisions, which are merely implemented by Shoda and the rest. Gilroy is a powerful esper.
Gentle fem Maharet Elizabeth Bagshaw Cummings is the Primus of the Alpha Corps. - the Earth branch of Next Step's feared esper organisation. She is ultimately responsible for the alpha & zero testing programmes, training of alphas, corralling of zeroes, and for the thought police programme of attitude adjustment, aimed at the general populace.
The Union Fleet is ordered along caste lines. All officers are commoners, and ratings are peons. Very occasionally a favoured will serve in an executive capacity, they will never command ships or outposts. Peons may be promoted to officers (and commoner status) if their service is especially outstanding.
Officers wear smartly-cut, tailored, black uniforms. Ratings wear colour-coded jump suits - orange for flight-deck techs, green for stewards, blue for security.
The Moon is at the centre of Earth's space industries. Its gravity is low enough for easy access to space, yet high enough to allow humans to live without suffering skeletal problems. Principal industries are shipyards, and Fleet facilities. There are some resource extraction, particularly water and He3 for local use. Most metals are imported from the asteroids.
The largest settlement is Anderson (pop=22m), on Malapert Mountain in the southern polar region. Fleet headquarters is at Armstrong Station, near Peary Crater in the northern polar region.
It was close enough to Earth for uploads to venture out here, although the 1 second lag made it a frustrating place for them. The Moon's Virtuality developed a distinctive, apparently somewhat eccentric flavour. There was some friction between uploads who preferred the Moon, and those who stayed on Earth, although the nature of the disagreement was never made clear to outsiders.
The vast majority of uploads who survived the Coup were rescued by Fleet elements on the Moon. In the final days, uplink data channels were choked with uploads trying to transfer themselves up the gravity well.
The European Federation was one of the last places to fall to the espers. Consequently, it saw some of the worst fighting. Huge pro-Next Step demonstrations were brutally suppressed by the authorities, who declared martial law. Insurgents targeted data centres, crowded with uploads who had fled from other parts of the world, where the Next Step were exterminating them. Terrified that espers had infiltrated their government and military, the leadership instigated a series of bloody purges. Several local governments attempted to sue for peace with the Earth Union, prompting a harsh crackdown by the European Federation. Finally the Russian Federation, and North American Union launched coordinated military assaults. Some elements of the Earth Union Fleet attempted to turn back the advancing armour with orbital bombardment, but only at great cost to civilian, and upload life. The mission swiftly changed to a chaotic evacuation, as it became clear that defeat was inevitable.
Old Europe was the centre of favoured and elite culture. Ancient cities such as Paris and London were enclosed within great protective domes during the 22nd Century's environmental crisis. For centuries these perfectly manicured environments have been hubs for arts, tourism, and society events. The upload rulers of Earth left these great cities as preserves for living human culture and influence. Consequently, they were free of the stultifying conservative influence of the uploads, and home to a brash, yet well-heeled counter culture. Playgrounds where the children of the ultra-rich rubbed shoulders with avant gard Geeks and scoundrels.
The rest of Earth's conservative population were faintly embarrassed by these vibrant centres. In the wake of the Coup, foreign militaries guard the great cities. They have imposed curfews, and detained prominent entertainers and thinkers. The atmosphere today is one of fear and oppression.
The inner system is dominated by Earth, and the jump points.
There is a large O'Neil colony-style space station (like Babylon 5) at the jump point to Esperanza (pop=300k). The station is a statite - suspended by a gigantic solar sail above the jump point. Named "Threshold", the station was constructed nearly a century ago to capitalise on the (then) new jump-1+ trade route to Corridor. Since then, it has grown and grown. All of the original parkland has now been given over to business districts and villas for the wealthy. The sub-surface volumes are incredibly crowded. The surrounding volume is filled with old space vessels, used as overspill. Plans for a replacement station have been on the drawing board for decades. The new Next Step Earth government has finally funded the project, and the skeleton of "Threshold 2" can be seen under construction a few tens of kilometres away.
By contrast, the similar station "Elysium" at the jump point to Wolf 359 is a ghost town. This station was constructed nearly 400 years ago. Today it is shabby and under utilised (pop=50k). Whole sections have been closed down, and are the preserve of refugees and criminals.
Inside the orbit of Mercury, there are dozens of ancient solar power satellites. Tens-of-millions of square kilometres of solar collectors are used to generate several tonnes of antihydrogen every year. Before contact with the xa, this was Earth's only source of antimatter.
Mars has been successfully terraformed, and has a population of 800m. It is governed by the Martian Terraforming Authority (MTA) - an agency of the Earth Union. Much of the population are Earth peons, or outcasts. Travel to Mars was historically much cheaper than purchasing passage on an interstellar colony slow boat, so many chose it, even though conditions on Mars were harsh.
Despite stiff resistance, the espers have pacified Mars. Today it is under martial law.
More than a billion people live in the vast space beyond the orbit of Mars. Most of them are in the belt, or in the Saturn system. It is an economic power-house, concentrating on resource extraction, high-tech manufacturing and advanced R&D.
Uploads hate "lag" (communications delays), so they never ventured far from Earth, leaving the Outer Planets to living humans. Free from the suffocating influence of their "elders", belters have developed a vibrant and diverse culture. New and weird religions and cultural fads arise, split, and fade, yielding a bewildering diversity.
Corporations are the big players out here in the cold far reaches of the solar system. Even the largest colonial governments have little power beyond their immediate volumes. Only the Space Patrol wields any unifying authority.
The espers have managed to suppress major military resistance in the Outer Planets, but they have been completely incapable of occupying more than a tiny fraction of it.