Heavenly Empire
Also known by its formal name, the Dihuang Imperium, by far the largest and most powerful human nation with a strong cultural, spiritual, and religious hegemony over the others. The Heavenly Emperor is regarded as divinely descended and divinely ordained, although the actual day-to-day power rests with the Imperial Chancellery and its massive bureaucracy. In practice, limited local independence is tolerated as long as Heavenly Empire taxes are paid, Heavenly Empire bureaucrats are not harassed, and major directives are obeyed without question.

Xianhue Alliance
Presenting itself as a democratic counterweight to the Heavenly Empire, the Alliance is often accused of being little more than the same ethnocentrism with an egalitarian coat of paint. Though a fully functional representative democracy, the Alliance political sphere is dominated by money from corporations, special interests, and other concerns. The Heavenly Empire, for its part, portrays the Alliance as a wayward vassal, albeit a powerful one.

Nanhai Commerce Guild
Less of a nation, state, or government than a supranational entity, the Commerce Guild regulates interstellar trade between a number of human polities, as well as non-human polities. With contracts to serve as the Heavenly Empire Postal Service and Alliance Parcel Post, its fleets rival that of other major powers with military assets to match. The Guild maintains that its navy is strictly for escort purposes, but it has been known to take off-the-books mercenary contracts as well. All power is vested in its Board of Directors, which are elected by universal suffrage on behalf of shareholders and employees; one vote per share. In practice, shareholders and stock splits have left the company almost entirely in the hands of a few unnamed shadow investors.

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