Life as a citizen of the USFP

All individuals who are part of the USFP are citizens. The citizens of the USFP are a diverse mix of alien species. Not all species can mix physically due to their own environmental needs, however communication links between species allows meaningful communication between any and all citizens.

Specific information about species in the USFP, check the Universe: Member Races of the USFP pages.


Planets and Environments

There are a whole variety of different planets where different species live. Different species are able to live and survive in different areas. Where a planet is uninhabitable, but establishing a presence there is beneficial, specific stations and habitats will be created for the races that intend to live there. Current technology levels allow specific environments to be set up, including increasing (but not decreasing) gravitational forces to create more comfortable working and living conditions.

Types of Habitation

There are three broad types of habitats for colonies, located within star sysyems of interest. These make up the main population centres for citizens of the USFP. In many star system, there are multiple different types facilities to cater for the variety of species that may live there. 

When establishing any new colony, or creating new habitable facilities, the impact upon the planet’s environment and any native creatures or intelligent species is considered carefully, and must adhere to strict USFP guidelines.

Open environment – Where a planet’s environmental conditions are a close match to a species’ homeworld conditions, the species is able to set up colonies without impediment. 

Planetary biosphere – If a planet is suitable, yet has either a hostile atmosphere (toxic, extremes of temperature or without the required gases to support the species) or no atmosphere at all, then USFP engineers build and maintain biospheres in which species can live. Biospheres can be built upon the surface of the planet, or can be subterrainean if required. They are less common due to the level of effort required to create them, with preference being given to the orbital biospheres (detailed below). Where required, gravity plating can be added to the main habitation areas to increase the gravity levels. This provides a more comfortable living environment for the species that inhabit the biosphere.

Orbital Biosphere – Similar in concept to planetary biospheres, orbital biospheres are facilities built in the high atmosphere, or in a low orbit, above a planet. Gravity plating is used to create an artificial gravity field inside the biosphere. Depending on the size and complexity of the Biosphere, this gravity plating can be adjusted to accomodate the requirements of different alien species that might reside on the biosphere.

One of the largest and most well know orbital biospheres is the facility that is positioned above the G’zann homeworld. It consists of multiple facilities that are built to allow species from across the USFP to visit and live there.

Star Systems

The USFP encompasses a number of star systems with a variety of planetary bodies inhabited by its citizens. Star systems are organised into to two main parts, the inner system and the transition zone. The inner system encompasses all objects and space within the heliosphere of the star. Beyond the heliosphere is the transition zone. This is where the jump points to and from the system are located and operational platforms such as deep space bases and civilian bases are located.

Transit from the transition zone to main centres of population in the inner system can take between 24 and 72 hours, depending on the distance to the planetary bodies and their position in the star system. Merchant, industrial and civilian traffic regularly move back and forth between the inner and transition zones in a star system.

The Inner System

Within a star system, there are numerous areas where USFP activity would be located. Habitable planets would be major centres of population. Some of the less hospitable planets would have biospheres, either on the planet surface or in orbit, depending on whether the planet offered valuable resources. Asteroid belts usually prove to be rich in ores and minerals and are usually mined extensively by USFP industries. There are strict laws on mining however, as preservation of the star system is of great importance. All mining operations adhere to these strict laws, ensuring they do not endanger any of the population inhabiting the star system.

The Transition Zone

The transition zone is officially defined as the point where the star system ends; the area known as the heliopause. Within this area, the jump point phenomena occurs, and therefore the USFP established installations and bases to support incoming and outgoing traffic to the star system.

Deep space bases are military bases which provide a static defense, as well as support platforms for TSN vessels. They often provide support to various passing ships too. There are numerous other military assets located in the transition zone of a star system, including huge military bases, testing zones, defensive weapons platforms and constructions facilities. These bases are supplied with resources from other bases within the transition zone, and are also a place of work for many civilians who support the TSN and the USFPs military assets.

Civilian stations are often found in the transition zone too, and provide accommodation for citizens. There are various reasons why citizens may live on a civilian stations. Sometimes they work in industries, such as the leisure and entertainment or mining and manufacturing. Some may work as merchants who travel to and from the system transporting goods and resources. Others may be there for research purposes, or as engineers and crews who support the operation and maintenance of the bases themselves.

Research bases are established in areas of interest in order to provide a platform for scientists to study local phenomena, or provide a base for experiments. Research bases are usually small bases, with room for a team of scientists and researches numbering up to 100 personnel. Many of the bases do not provide accommodation for researchers or scientists. Instead, there will be regular transits to and from nearby Civilian bases via small transport ships and shuttles.

Industrial bases include mining bases, which gather resources from scattered asteroids or gaseous clouds, as well as manufacturing facilities which create components or refine ores that are brought to and from the main star system. Often, incoming transports will take resources direct to an industrial base, which will them process the resources and transport them to the inner system for use by the inhabitants, or to other bases around the transition zone.


Citizens & Races of the USFP

Citizenship extends to all intelligent species who wish to follow the laws of the USFP and be productive and supportive members of a common ethos and aim. Although the opportunity is extended to all species encountered by the USFP, some have opted not to become a member and therefore the members of the race are not citizens, rather they are neutral factions outside of the USFP. Sometimes, a group may seek to become citizens, despite their own race being outside of the USFP. This is often granted, and the group forms a small community within the USFP.

The races who make up the USFP are hugely varied. there are a number of humanoid races, which share a similar biological make up. Some species are far different however, for example the G’Zann, who live within the upper atmosphere of a gas giant which is their homeworld. The Loroan species is another vastly different race which resides within the great oceans of their homeworld and are able to form together into a singular collective consciousness, or separate into separate entities and become individual beings in their own right.

There are a number of humanoid races in the USFP, who can live in similar conditions. Some require additional support, such a specialist breathing apparatus employed when out of their own habitation areas. This allows interaction between the different humanoid species more easily. There have also been instances of inter-breeding between similar species. The ability to do so is rare due to biological differences, but between some select species it is possible. More often than not, artificial means are utilised to successfully breed. There are only a few species which can successfully inter-breed through natural means. Those species  that can have always originated from the same home star system and therefore have a common biological ancestry (humans are not one).

Employment and Work

There is an expectation that citizens within the USFP contribute productively to support or further the progress of the aims of the USFP. Citizens can take up positions in industries, and are employed by companies to complete certain tasks. Many menial jobs are completed by autonomous robots (cleaning, waste management etc), though these are still overseen and are often maintained by citizens. As an incentive to work, some of the companies offer work based benefits.