Humanity

In the 24th century, humanity spans the Sol System from Earth to the ice mines of Saturn's moons. Three rival powers claim this scattered population. Earth's United Nations presides over thirty billion people, half of them unemployed and living on Basic Assistance. The Martian Congressional Republic, independent since 2214, builds a disciplined military state around the dream of one day breathing open air on a terraformed Mars. In the asteroid belt and beyond, the Outer Planets Alliance speaks for the millions of Belters who mine the rocks, haul the water, and keep the inner planets fed.

These factions share a common origin but little else. Earth has numbers. Mars has technology. The Belt has desperation. No unified government binds them. Trade and the threat of mutual destruction maintain an uneasy peace.