The Hub is an interstellar trading station, with its initial construction beginning in the late 2200’s, but the idea of the Hub began a dozen years prior. Before the ring was created, a few select cargo ships set up a fuel depot in the Alcor system, where the majority of humankind’s trading routes intersected. The depot began to prosper as trading ships from the colonized planets began to use the depot as a place for their crews to stop, refuel and rest. As its popularity grew, demand for a larger, more permanent presence in the system began to grow over the years. With materials provided by the worlds in the Outer Reaches, a small habitat was constructed within the Alcor system, complete with its own sustainable water and power systems. The habitat could hold almost one thousand residents at a time, and became one of the most popular places to stay for both traders and travelers moving through the Outer Reaches.

While the habitat could hold several docked ships at once, public demand for more space continued to rise. The pilots of the cargo ships that helped inspire the habitat answered the need, requesting funding and materials from all colonies across human space, in the hopes of creating an even larger habitat, the size of which would be enough to rival a small planet. Every colony in the Outer Reaches supplied the campaign with the manpower and material requested, while the representatives of the Core Worlds, the United Earth Confederate, declined to send support, citing the project to be too ambitious and a waste of supplies.

Initial plans were to build a habitat the size of a moon, but the design was scrapped in favour of a ringworld design. The ring would rotate in a clockwise direction, the resulting centrifugal force providing an artificial gravity equivalent to 1 AU, the same as Earth’s. The inner, flat surface of the ring would have a breathable atmosphere, the air trapped between two towering walls spanning either side of the ring. The hull of the station would house the majority of the critical life support systems needed to support the immense population.

Completing the entire ring took a little under ninety years, but construction of the station’s livable area, such as residences and other amenities, still continues to the current day. With its critical location in human-controlled space, the ringworld became the centerpiece of all trade in the Milky Way, accumulating enough wealth and influence to be considered a nation in of itself. The leaders of the ringworld, comprised of the top investors of its construction, formed a government composed of senators voted in by the ringworld’s citizens, the first law to be passed being the stations renaming. The Outer Reaches eagerly supported the ringworld’s founding, now known as the Hub, recognizing it as the newest edition to the Reaches and sending representatives to join the senate.

The United Earth Confederate also sent a representative to the Hub, but was turned away immediately after hailing for docking clearance. Senators of the station claimed that the representative would not be safe during their stay, as ninety five percent of the citizens voted to not give the Confederates a government seat. The UEC returned years later with a small battlegroup comprised of two frigates and a cruiser, along with ten thousand troops. The senate reconsidered their prior decision, allowing the UEC to hold some sway over laws and legislation, as well as allowing them to establish a military base that comprised nearly a quarter of the rings total surface area, much to the outrage of the people.

In 2451, the Outer Reaches was in an uproar over the Sector 38 conflict, an incident in which a UEC battlegroup was sent to quell an uprising on the colony world of Songerie, where heavy civilian casualties resulted after numerous orbital bombardments. The Reaches, tired after dozens of years of bowing to the Confederacy’s rule, officially declare war against the Core Worlds and the UEC, which still continues to the current day. While the Hub remained neutral in the conflict, trade to the struggling border worlds was reinforced, while exports to Earth, Mars, and other Core Worlds were slowly reduced.

The Hub remained loyal for both sides for several years, until the newly elected Majority Leader, Ellin Astera, decided to pick a side. She was notoriously known for her anti-UEC views, and received overwhelming support when she pledged to declare the Hub’s independence from all foreign powers if she was voted into the senate. Astera immediately set to work on passing the act as soon as she was sworn into a position to do so. The Confederate holding forces on the ring were immediately ordered by their officers to apprehend all members of the senate, but were met with heavy resistance from the Hub’s militia forces. The station was temporarily turned into a warzone for the next five hours, in which defecting UEC forces joined the militia to secure the ring from Confederate control. The Hub eventually emerged victorious, with senator Astera becoming the face of the station’s revolution since that day.

The Hub, having started as a simple fuel depot, is now the seat of the newly established Alliance, a multi-species coalition formed shortly after the Battle of the Folium Nebula, in which the alien race called the Balokarids pledged support to the cause against the imperialist UEC. The Alliance is currently composed of humans, Balokarids, as well as having diplomatic ties to the Suvelians.

The Hub is ruled by a legislative body, simply known as the senate. The senate is composed of representatives of the colony worlds in the Outer Reaches, as well as the political parties local to the ring. The senate is overseen by a Majority Leader, which is currently held by Ellin Astera, who has since become the unspoken leader of the station after the Hub’s independence was declined to be recognised by the UEC.

While all voices of the senate hold sway in laws and legislation, critics have been quick to call out the senate for allowing most of Senator Astera’s policies to pass, claiming that Astera now holds uncontested power over the station. Astera has denied these allegations, claiming that she’d toss herself into the nearest airlock if the people wanted her out of the Hub.