Colony

A colony is an artificial habitation structure that was built in dozens of systems before the Collapse. Having lost the knowledge necessary to build new colonies, humans of the 26th century are forced to carefully maintain existing colonies or restore abandoned and damaged ones at tremendous expense. Each House seeks to control as many colonies at it can. It is believed there are approximately one hundred colonies in total.

Codex
"Before the Collapse, humanity was on the verge of rapid colonization of the galaxy. Mining, research, and industrial installations had been built across scores of star systems, as states and corporations raced to exploit the possibilities of this new frontier. After the Collapse, these installations have become the only remaining living spaces for humanity, as the practical knowledge and economic might needed to build more has been lost.

A colony is one or more installations in a system that are under the banner of a single ruling house. Multiple installations in a system are always dominated by one house. The practicalities of defense against outside aggressors creates pressure to unite under a single banner, and the lower travel time within a system lets the strongest house easily exert its power over the others.

When the power structure of a colony has been stable for a long time, it becomes widely accepted that its ruler's bloodline is the legitimate authority of the colony. Usurpers will be judged more harshly, and should the house fall from power it will be expected to aggressively reclaim its position.

The typical population of a colony is between 100,000 to 250,000 people."