Spiral Arm is my second role playing game, and I am in the process of writing a three part series about a freighter captain named Jack Peirce. I also have planned a full length novel set in this universe.

This universe is in the far future, where mankind has met several races of aliens. The year is 4736. In one hundred and forty years, a huge war will break out. One that changes this spiral arm of the galaxy forever.

The war is between four races. The humans and the reptilian Khhomrena are allies, and friends. The enemies are the feline Tesselians, and their slave race, the arachnid Jyoyahk. Before five years had gone by, the Tesselians had turned against the Jyoyahk and destroyed them, along with the Khomre homeworld.

However, in the years before the war, when the stories and the role playing game takes place, peace is for the most part in control of the galaxy. The Tesselians would not dare directly challenge the humans or the Khhomrena. There is an unsteady border, with hyperspace sensors everywhere. No ship can pass without being detected and followed.

But in Human and Khhomrena space, humans and lizards trade and keep their planets. More than half of the human colonized planets were a joint colonization with the lizards and the humans. Although the Khomre were below our technology when we first met them, they have become some of the best shipbuilders in the galaxy. Their fighters are the fastest, best shielded, and most heavily armed in this arm of the galaxy.

So far only one colony planet has been found to hold intelligent life. And this planet has three species of intelligent life. First, and most populous are the gargoyles. They are part carbon based life form, and part silicon based. Then come the dark gargoyles, completely silicon based. They are larger, and have some form of "magic" in their culture. No human has ever seen their "magic", but many have died mysteriously from it. Last are the huge, stupid trolls, slaves to the dark gargoyles. They are ordinary bipeds, with thick leathery skin and huge size, and very small brains.

The Tesselians are slim feline bipeds, very similar to humans, only evolved from cats. The Jyoyahk had evolved from scorpionlike creatures, and to this day they still have a large tail that they use in fights. The tail has a heavy ball on the end, with a thick layer of a chitin/bone like material covering it. The Tesselians have a large empire, full of mining colonies and ship building facilities. They are without a doubt a warlike species, and would have enslaved us had we been behind them in technology.

The Earth Alliance holds four star systems. It's allies, the Khhomrena Federation has three star systems. Three other systems inhabited by both humans and khomre have formed a United Federation of Planets. Beyond that, closer to the core of the galaxy, is The Sector, six star systems. Held together by a loose government, it is the only place that Tesselians and Humans can live together. It is, however, inhabited primarily by humans and khomre. Lastly are the colonies, there are four star systems under this name. Then there are a few self-sufficiant planets not belonging to any organization. They are far to either edge of the arm of the galaxy.

In the outer systems pirates are fairly common, so private shippers are known to be well armed. Most freighters are made to be upgraded, and one of the most popular lines of ships, the Salm & Bryx bulk freighter, has proven to be able to shove their cargo holds full of power and shield generators, thus making them practically invulnerable to most pirates.

Other than that, it is a fairly peaceful life for most humans. The only enemies are light-years away. Until a hundred and forty years, that is.