The first party of the Jade Princess’ royal progress begins on Tri’Ingia, the home of the Tri’ingians, builders of luxury spacecraft to the gentry. The party is being held at by P’in Lu (Little Fawn), daughter of Tri’Ingia Shan Mao(the Lynx) the current Duchess of Tri’Ingia.
Tri'Ingia lies in sector 1441A (see star chart of this sector below).
The venue is the Hsiang Ya (Ivory), first ship of the new Ivory class of super-deluxe cruisers. About two hundred guests will join the Princess on the Hsiang Ya’s maiden voyage after she launches it with the traditional libation of rice wine. The ship will go on a four-day cruise of the nearby Jade Chorus, a set of four supernova remnants whose nebulae are famously said to resemble four mourning jade statues when viewed from the Wang Chi (Forget) space station. The nebulae are also famous as the source of Chen Chu Yen Lei, the pearl tears, which are said to be the supercompacted remains of the starships of the race that lived here before their suns went nova. It is said that the pearls sometimes have unusual properties, their ancient circuitry remaining active and needing only the heat of their wearer’s body to be activated.
The Chiao rapidly acquired Chinese culture after being contacted culture and found that their race had talent for diplomacy inside the empire. This talent brought them into the circles of the powerful in the empire. Several Chiao families acquired high status (the Pai Ling, the Shiu Lu, the Chih Hsiao and the Tsei-Hua). The current royal house, the Tsei-Hua manoeuvred themselves into a position to take the throne almost a millennium ago when the last Mu Ching emperor died with no suitable heirs. The Imperial house is called the Tien although the wider house is still called the Tsei-Hua.
Six-limbed, almost a gazelle-centaur. They have spiral horns on their heads which are often used to display jewellery. They have pawed feet and hands with three fingers and two opposing thumbs. Their bodies is covered in hair, very short and fine on the head and face.
Mysterious ethereal people with very very very fast starships.
Solitary, you generally only find one at a time.
Used as couriers for top priority government messages and by planetary governments. Do not come cheap, but are fast and secure.
The Tien Chu are like furry caterpillars, about five feet long, with two arms and a furry head with big big blue eyes and a big smile. Their fur varies in colour from pale pink through to dark purple, with most being sort-of mauve. They always smile (they can’t help it, they’re built that way). They look friendly and are very chatty.
The Tien Chu are middlemen to the galaxy. If you need it, the local Tien Chu collective can get it for you. For a price. A very big price. Maybe a very very big price. But they can get it, and if they do you’d better pay up, because if you don’t you’ll suddenly find out that all your suppliers are supplied by the Tien Chu or his suppliers are supplied by the Tien Chu and you’ll find yourself reduced to using stone axes to hunt bunny rabbits because you will suddenly find that you can’t buy anything, anywhere.
The Tien Chu are not actually all that ruthless, just efficient. On a personal level the are invariable amiable, the loveable local shopkeeper. But the larger the collective the greater the apparent ruthlessness. The Tien Chu are proud that they have NEVER failed to obtain any item for a customer, ever. The tale of Emperor Yin Chu and the conclusive proof of the existence or non-existence of God is a favourite bedtime story for Tien Chu children. Of course, Yin Chu went incurably mad the moment the proof was delivered to him, and no-one else has even stumped up the money to find out what was in the slim Imperial Post package.
Octopoid ex-barbarian hordes, now highly respectable and ever so dull accountants who hate to be reminded of their wilder heritage.
Five sexed race that conquered the Middle Kingdom a few thousand years ago. There were never many of them and in the end all of the fifth sex were wiped out in an act of religious war, leaving the race unable to produce fully functional individuals. They slowly died out.
They are malicious and vindictive pranksters who hide behind the pretence of having a more highly developed sense of humour than the rest of the universe. Ethereal, a bit like the J’Dyn. Talk by tracing their words on your flesh from the inside.
Shipbuilders and spacers, the range from the gruff and greasy spacer up to the willowy high-house maidens. A matriarchal race, humanoid in form. Although they build ships and operate a very profitable spaceline, they almost all loathe space in general and zero gravity in particular- a Tri’ingian in space is a miserable Tri’ingian.
A race of high-density methane breathers who wear pressured power armour made of glittering razor sharp diamond. They are spheroid in shape and communicate by sound, using high-powered speakers on the outside of their suits. The speakers can often cause temporary deafness in delicate listeners. The suits are cooled as well as pressurised but there is a powerful heat exhaust at the back that can cause embarrassment at parties.
Chun Huo = Munitions. Sector HQ of the Chun Jen (the Imperial Marines), Chun Huo is a military shipyard run under contract for the Imperial Navy by the Tri’ingians.
Je Hsin Che = Zealot.
The world is interdicted and contact is forbidden.
Fang Che, Chi Hao, K’ung Huang, I Tung.
The four stellar remnants of the Jade Chorus.
Ch’i Hsien Ch’in = the Lyre.
Chan Shih = Warrior.
Shin Chu = Verse.
Fa Kuang Te = luminous.
A young blue star surrounded by planets that are as yet uninhabited by higher forms of life.
Yin Chu = Vermilion
A Tien Chu stronghold trading world which also produces some of the most notable red and purple dyes anywhere in the empire.
Ti Yu Te = Infernal.
A hellish Venus-like planet with sulphuric acid rivers and molten lead lakes.
Ming Fu = Hell.
Heavily interdicted.
Ting = The Nail.
A normal star orbited by an incredible world, which is a single giant cylinder.
Sen Lin = the forest
A forest world which is inhabited mostly by Chiao and by Tien Chu.
Han Lung Yun = dragon’s jaws cloud (nebula)
Ho Ch’ang Tui Yu Yun = jade Chorus Cloud
Kuang Te = Brilliant
I Chien Nung Fu = The thousand peasants (star cluster).