Story Background

The year is 2284 and humanity has spread across the galaxy with reckless abandon. Establishing colonies, bases and even vast cities on every habitable planet that was reached. Hundreds of space stations and star ports were built in systems that didn't have a planet that was habitable or could be terra-formed. Vast amounts of natural resources were consumed in the blind race to expand humanity through out the stars. Humans also encountered and befriended several alien races. But the human race must have gone one planet too far.

In 2278, the Solidarity War began with an alien race called the Bogaar, which left the galaxy in chaos. Tens of millions humans and alien allies were killed in this power lope-sided five year long confrontation. With their superior smart weapons, the Bogaar relentlessly attacked human establishments. Nearly all of a vast armada of warships were laid to waste from the onslaught. It looked as though the Bogaar would march all the way to Terra, but as suddenly as the war began, the invaders retreated back to their home-worlds sending a single, vague message that simply said not to enter their territory.

Two years later, it is still not clear where the Bogaar territory boundaries are. Ships that wander too close are quickly attacked and never heard from again. A wide DMZ has been established between the two factions. Within this de-militarized zone the fragmented human race venture lightly fearing provoking another war. This lawless area, now littered with abandoned colonies and mining facilities, has become a haven for pirates, smugglers and other low-life. A few locations provide some sanctuary and are typically seedy taverns aboard defunct space stations or delapitated barges.

Besides the resources lost during the war, human men were the largest loss and are now a rare commodity. With a gender ratio of ten to one, males of breeding age have all but become prostitutes. Pampered and protected. Even with Life Engineers franticly creating children in the laboratory, it will be years before a balance is renewed. Women are strongly encouraged to bare children either naturally or artificially. But, women are now the working class holding the society together.

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Alien Races
	Boggar The Bogaar (Bō - gâr) are a smooth-skinned reptilian race that are built for battle. Their entire culture is war-like and confrontational. They are constantly at war with each other and feudal clans battle for supremacy. In addition to being extreme warriors, they have mastered the physics of gravity. Seeing it as the greatest force in the universe, much of their studies have focused on gravity based sciences and weaponry. Bogaar are androgenic and lay four to six clutches of eggs during their life span. A typical clutch produces 30 to 50 offspring, of which only 10 or 20 survive. Boggar do not nurture their young and often left to fend on their own. Boggar seem to take great pleasure in torturing their prisoners.
	Allinav A friendly zebra-like race of humanoids called the Allinav (a name given to them by humans because they smell vaguely of vanilla). Their home worlds are Anasco and Hupa (14A3-49 and 14A4-92 respectively) and were discovered just prior to the war. The Allinav are reclusive and try to keep their contact with other races as limited as possible. Even though many Allinav harbor misgivings about the human race, they contributed greatly to the war efforts and sustained heavy losses. Allinav are naturally excellent pilots and can calculate navigation way-points without the use of a computer. Although this race is relatively calm and mild-natured, they are easily spooked and will lash out violently when frightened. They speak there own language, but have learned human languages very quickly. However, human idioms and jokes are not something an Allinav can comprehend. They also dislike being compared to horses.

Headline; Space is deadly.

Ships:

Ships do not have shields or cloaking devices in Reclamation. Structural damage and collisions are deadly. Most ships have double hulls and many have heavy, reactive armor over critical areas..

Most ships are fitted with sub-light engines and include ion, plasma and celium as fuels. Very few ships have FTL (faster than light) capability with the exception of Federal attack vessels used by the military. The fuel used for FTL engines is prohibitally expensive because of it rarity, however, new technology is in development that may present an affordable option.

Ship weapons vary widely and can include ballistic, missiles, torpedoes, lasers and plasma cannons. Although, ballistic ammunition without ranged detonation are prohibited in Federal space.

Personal Weaponry:

Although laser and plasma based weapons are readily available, most space faring crews prefer to use ballistic weapons, such as shotguns and shatter guns. Low velocity projectiles are much less likely to penetrate inner or outer ship hulls.

Gravity Weapons-
A single Boggar trans-phase gravity weapon can destroy an entire fleet. By engaging it in the middle of a group of ships, the weapon temporarily creates a massive gravity well and cause the ships in the vicinity to violently smash into each other. This weapon was also used to clear mine fields. Human tactics soon changed to single massive battle cruisers.

EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) is a fission or nuclear device that produces a wave that disrupts or destroys unshielded electronic equipment. DME (directed microwave emitters) have a similar effect, but in a narrow field and effects both electronic and biological material but are often blocked by metallic surfaces.

NAV Beacons are found in every habitable system and are used for ship navigation. These beacons are laser arrays that send a narrow beam of invisible light that ships may follow. Small amounts of data are embedded in the beam with identification, status and information about other ships in that lane.

Minor Systems are typically void of any planetary bodies but may have large asteroids, small space stations or permanently moored barges that serve as outposts and way points for travelers and mining operations. These will have limited services and supplies.

Systems with Star Ports have larger space stations with ship docking capability including repair and refueling facilities. A Star Port is a trading center and defensive point. These star ports also provide transportation to ground-based stations, bases and docking facilities for both passengers and cargo.

Major Systems contain one to fifty planets. A few of these have breathable atmospheres with stable conditions to support life. These are typically heavily populated and often have bases on the surface.