A list of the most important organizations in Terran space (UN and Independent):
UNISTAR: United Nations InterStellar Tariff Arbitration Regime. The organization responsible for regulating all trade with core UN colonies and alien merchants. Unistar is the "parent organization" for many other UN colonial regulatory offices, and over time has become the de facto interstellar government for all the core colonies. Since the destruction of Sol system, Unistar is the most powerful surviving human organization in Terran space.
UNISON: U.N. Interstellar Security Operations Navy. The military arm of Unistar, charged with protecting UN colonies and shipping.
COSM: Colonial Oversight Ministry. The bureaucracy responsible for direct administration of UN colonies.
UNEXO: UN Exploration and Xenology Office. The UN scout's published reports are rumored to be heavily "edited", if not outright censored.
UNICOM: UN Interstellar Communications. This is the UN's fleet of fast courier vessels which run between the core colonies on regular schedules. They also have arrangements to make regular runs to a few other ports of call. However, high priority messages use naval couriers or the Q-net, making Unicom a decidedly second tier communication system. Users frequently refer to it as the "phony express."
HEAL: Humanitarian Emergency Assistance Liaison. The UN's interstellar charity organization
UNICO: UN Interstellar Commercial Operations: UN Merchant shipping company.
OFFICE: Office of Fact Finding, Interstellar Casework Extension. Unistar's investigative branch. Rumored to perform intelligence work as well, although not officially authorized to do so. Referred to as "the Office."
T.I.O.: Terran Interstellar Operations. The nonprofit organization which broke the UN monopoly on FTL travel. No longer a nonprofit, TIO is now a large consortium of companies involved in all aspects of interstellar colonization.
FTL: Free Trade League. A large guild of independent merchant ship owner-operators.
Sons Of Terra: Fanatics devoted to one cause -- revenge for the Terracide. These men and women will stop at nothing to find those responsible for the destruction of humanity's homeworld, and exact vengeance on them. Most likely, they'll soon start a war that humanity can't afford to fight, let alone win.
The Curators: Another group of fanatics, dedicated to preserving everything that remains of old Terra, wherever they can find it. Most are experts in their chosen specialty -- objects d'art, literature, antiques, whatever. Their methods of gathering such items also vary widely, from the merely unscrupulous to the shamelessly violent.
Terran Astrographical Society: The premier organization for exploration in Terran space, and the most prestigious employer of explorers, travelers, scientists, journalists, etc.
United Terran Press: Group of interstellar media corporations
Sirius Space Studies Institute: Large astrophysics research center, and site of one of Terran space's top universities.
Living Universe Foundation: Organization which has founded numerous space habitats, and an ocean colony in the outer territories.
Doctors Without Limits: Interstellar charitable organization derived from "Doctors Without Borders" on old Terra, similar in purpose and operation.
New Terran Colonial Foundation: Organization dedicated to finding a new homeworld for humanity, even if centuries of terraforming are necessary.
Planetary Conservation Society: Organization opposed to any disturbance of alien ecosystems, and especially all forms of terraforming.
Greenspace: Advocates of radical bio-engineering for life in space, including vacuum-adapted aquilae-type humans and dyson-tree habitats.
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