This page has a general overview of the background about the universe the game is set in which any starting character would know. Some characters, because of their residence, travels, and employment, may know more. I will fill in the players of those characters individually.
The Galaxy
The game is set many hundreds (or even thousands) of years in the future, when humanity has spread far into the stars, far enough that one end of human space no longer keeps in close touch with the other end. Probably about a quarter of the galaxy has been explored by humans, and of order 100 intelligent alien species have been encountered (including most of the species listed in GURPS Aliens). As a whole, human space is an anarchy. However, this does not mean that any sector of space will be in anarchy. There are local governments spanning a few tens, or at the most hundreds, of parsecs. (Their practical size is limited by the speed of FTL communications and travel; see the relevant sections on the technology page.) Although humans maintain many customs and hardwired biological norms from their heritage on Earth, these local governments are far more important than anything that unites humanity as a whole.
The Phoenix sector is farther from the core of the galaxy than is Earth. Earth itself is primarily of historical importance. Although it is quite populated, and has a lot of influence to systems local to it, its influence is not felt in the Phoenix sector. Of course, as Earth was the birthplace of humanity, the humans of the Phoenix sector have inherited a number of things from Earth (e.g. languages, religions, the value of "g", etc.).
The Sector
The Phoenix Sector, a creation of David Pulver published in GURPS Space Atlas 4, is a collection of approximately 25 inhabited systems in a region of space approximately 15 parsecs in radius. There are two primary human governments which control most of the worlds and the destiny of the Phoenix Sector: The Federation and the Phoenix Domain. In addition to these two human governments, there are a handful of independent worlds. The Phoenix sector was colonized several centuries ago in at least two waves. The Phoenix Federation represents the growth and consolidation of many of the original colonists. It grew partially in response to the Phoenix Domain, which represents the second wave of colonists. The rulers of the Domain are the descendents of fleeing losers from a civil war in another sector. Their ancestors arrived, conquered some of the original worlds, and set up the Phoenix Domain.
Map and Overview of the Phoenix Sector
The Federation
The Federation is a representative democracy similar in form to the United States of today. Citizens of Federation member worlds are all citizens of the Federation, and have freedom to travel to other Federation worlds. All of the member worlds of the Federation themselves are required to have democratic governments, although the details of those governments run the gamut. The Charter of the Federation guarantees the individual rights of its citizens. The capital of the Federation is the moon Achamandra of the gas giant Ivanhoe which orbits the red M-dwarf star Eriel. The Federation is led by its elected President (currently Arafel Kenshiya) and the Sentae.
Law in the Federation is enforced by the Interstellar Patrol, its interstellar police force. Its military consists primarily of the Federation Navy and its collection of starships, although of course it has its Marines as well. In addition, there are the Rangers, a branch of more lightly armed soldiers used more often for espionage and special missions. Individual worlds have their own police forces, and usually have a Planetary Guard.
The Phoenix Domain
The Phoenix Domain is a feudal monarchy, with a hierarchical system of government where each planet is ruled by its own Count. Citizens of the Domain are to a greater or lesser degree oppressed in comparison to citizens of the Federation, depending on which feudal lord they live under. All of the Counts in turn are responsible to the Satrap of the domain, Duke Osric, who rules the capital of the Domain, Enlas-Dhu. There is a sharp distinction between nobility and commoners in the Domain, and people in the Domain (including commoners) believe this to be the correct and right order of things.
The military of the Phoenix Domain is both stronger and more haphazard than the military of the Federation. The elite Phoenix Guards form the professional core of the military. Beyond that, each Count is must contribute soldiers and resources to the military. The selection and training of these units varies depending on where they come from.
The Ilshani Domination
A third, alien force threatens both the Phoenix Federation and the Phoenix Domain: The Ilshani Domination. It is a nation of Malikithi, whose space is located beyond the Phoenix Nebula. The Ilshani Domination is an oppressive and xenophobic regime, with a centrally controlled hive-like society. Although it probably has higher technology than the human governments of the Phoenix Sector, some believe that its oppressive policies are leading it to stagnation. In any event, it represents a threat to the two rival human governments.
The D'ken are another nation of Malikithi. They are by and large Federation members, and arrived as refugees fleeing from the Ilshani Domination. See The Malikithi below.
Aliens
While aliens are common in some parts of human space, aliens other than the D'ken are relatively uncommon in the Phoenix sector. Other parts of the galaxy are inhabited primarily by various other alien races. As with the other human sectors, with a few exceptions these other alien domains are unimportant to the daily affairs of the Phoenix sector.
Most of the current crop of aliens that humanity has encountered have only been starfaring for at most tens of thousands of years. (Yes, this is not necessarily plausible. Remember, it's a cinematic game, not a purely hard science fiction game.) However, there is evidence that a single race, known as the Precursors, lived in the galaxy tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of years ago. They vanished, and all that remains are a few enigmatic archeological sites and a handful of mysterious and some very high tech gadgets and artifacts.
The Malikithi
The one alien race which as a group is most important in the Phoenix Sector is the Malikithi. About a hundred years ago, alien star cities came fleeing at near-light (but not FTL) speeds out of the Phoenix Nebula. These star cities were populated by the D'ken, one of two nations of the Malikithi race. They were refugees fleeing from what they described as an oppressive regime of the Ilshani, other Malikithi. The D'ken were accepted into the Federation; most settled on the desert world of Azrael, although some stayed on a star city which they put in orbit of the planet Sheol. The Ilshani have at least a base in the Phoenix Nebula, and occasionally send hostile expeditions into the human controlled Phoenix Sector.
Malikithi are nocturnal humanoids. They have deep black skin and silver hair like twisted wire. Tall and thin, they originated in a lower gravity environment than that to which humans are accustomed. Elbows and knee joints are relatively higher on their limbs as compared to humans. Pupils are slitted, teeth are pointed, and tounges are forked. They hear a greater range of pitches than do humans, and indeed as a result their speech sounds screechy and painful to humans.
Other Alien Races
Some of the other alien races you may or may not encounter in the Phoenix Sector (many of these come from GURPS Aliens):
- An Phar
An Phar look like anthropomorphic pigs, but are just as intelligent as humans. They are frequently personable, reliable, and obsessed with cleanliness (belying their appearance to humans).
- Cidi
Cidi look like small, cute, furry, bipedal rodents, usually 5 to 8 inches tall. They tend to get annoyed when humans treat them like clever and cute animals, becuase they are as intelligent and sentient as anybody else.
- Gerodians
Gerodians are tall (up to 8 feet), very thin humanoids. They have very high, bald foreheads, with sparse hair on the side of their heads. Their long fingers each have four joints. In character, they are usually peaceful, noble, and solitary. They are known for their memory. Their race is somewhat older than most of the other starfaring races, and sometimes some Gerodians will show short patience for upstart races.
- Gormelites
Space orcs or interstellar linebackers? You decide. Gormelites are tall, massive furred humanoids, with thick necks, nearly featureless faces, solid white eyes, and a tendency for unpleasant dispositions. Although they come from a world which is not at the same level of technology as much of the rest of the galaxy, they are survivors, and Goremlites may be widely found in sectors controlled by most other races.
- Irari
Irari look like bipedal featherless birds about 5.5 feet tall. In character, they are usually impulsive and extremely curious. (Their curiosity more often leads them into areas of research, as opposed to gossip and nosiness, howver.)
- Tamile
Tamile look like 2-3 foot long blobby garden slugs with four stalked eyes. Instead of arms and hands, they extrude psuedopods. They are frequently artists and/or singers. They are not as advanced or as agressive as other races, but mostly are more interested in artistic and aesthetic pursuits.
- Ulicts
Ulicts are tall (usually between 7.5 and 8 feet in height) aliens that look more like giant, four-limbed ants than anything else. They are extremely rare in the Phoenix Sector. Many will go through life without ever seeing one. They are a hive species; each individual Ulict exists only to serve his queen. There are no Ulict hives in the Phoenix sector, but in other sectors there are worlds which are entirely controlled by a single Ulict hive. Ulict hives keep their own council and are always a little bit mysterious. Other races sometimes suspect that Ulicts have access to otherwise unavailable technology.