Simply put, the Veon Federation is the most successful nation in history. After Kvesma was unified and the race to space began, the now dominant empire threw off the trappings of singular rule and adopted Advocate Democracy as its governance of choice. Exemplary individuals, whether they be rich, influential, or famous, were granted seats at the high table of the Federation to lead the people in their own unique way. This system has not only worked well but allowed the VFed to become an economic and military juggernaut through its technological advancements, eclipsing the fledgling armies of other nations and cementing their place as the dominant force in the Yggweh system.
But no nation is perfect and there comes drawbacks to such success. Automation has absorbed much of the manual and production labor in Federation space, leaving the government to foot the bill for universal income to combat poverty and leaving those in need of work with few options that aren't military service. There is a common joke that the machine uprising already happened on Kvesma and no one noticed. The rational intelligences that once ran factories and oversaw city infrastructure now sit (metaphorically) alongside the Advocates, ruling with the knowledge that they are irreplaceable and hold more power than their organic allies. Intelligent systems are commonplace and year by year it seems their creators are left to fall to wayside as artificial life is prioritized more and more.
For over a century the Veon Federation has been in conflict with the Coalition, fighting over planets in the outer ring while the Yggweh Forum plots and schemes to pry their fingers off the worlds of inner ring. It is very much a cold war, fought through proxies and legislation. Direct conflict would spell doom for the Coalition but their perseverance and ingenuity have made them impossible for the VFed to exterminate with brute force. So the war divides the system, between the old and the new, between those who want order and those who want freedom.
The Coalition was originally a state funded terrorist cell that gained legitimacy in the eyes of the Peace Court when they perpetrated concurrent successful assassinations of the Loran-Hekmel Corporation CEO, CFO, and the majority of their board. The group then claimed and used the resources of the titanic terraforming company to grow and expand as a private military corporation. This lasted until they struck a deal with the nations of Itex Ba Rya to act as their standing army in return for bringing order to the then lawless wastes (some argue that hasn't changed).
Today, the Coalition exists as the primary foe of the Veon Federation, the pressure of their impending rule forcing together disparate groups into a chaotic melting pot. Everyone from corporate interests to criminal enterprises to independent nations bear the Coalition's flag, seeking freedom above all else. Corruption runs rampant, discord lives among the leadership, and it is only by the careful politicking of the Yggweh Forum that things remain cohesive.
The primary arm of the Coalition's influence is CIPIA, the Coalition Integrity Protection and Investigation Agency. They work as the Coalition did in the past, using guile, strategy, and underhanded tactics to remove threats and achieve their goals. They can be anyone, anywhere, at any time and citizen and foe alike live in fear of their sudden and deadly appearance. They are the primary reason the war with the VFed has not been lost and it seems the longer it drags on, the more things tip in the Coalition's favor. Patience and perseverance have seen them through and will continue to carry the Coalition to glory.
The Peace Court is a fully neutral entity that works primarily to keep law and order among the greater powers of the Yggweh System. Their claim to justice is upheld by the threat they represent: Enough nuclear ordinance to wipe out life on every planet in the system several times over. It is by this promised reckoning that even the Federation comes to heel, not willing to risk such bleak collateral damage to remove the constant thorn in their side. They instead utilize the Court's chambers to bicker with the Coalition over right and entitlement, an acceptable alternative to sending millions to their deaths in pointless wars.
The overseers of the Peace Court are the Arbiter Judges, a group of individuals who wield their power to fight tyranny and exploitation, whether that be in the courtroom or on an active battlefield. Several are famous figures but many remain unknown, seemingly holding no pasts to dig up or notable deeds to examine. There is also a high number of rational intelligences among their ranks which has led to the theory that the Peace Court was once a Federation institution that went rogue, though there is little proof to support it.
The Peace Court's achievements are storied and many, from the founding of the Archive, to the suppression and cessation of the colonial-corporate wars, to the current adjudication of the war between the Federation and the Coalition. There is no group more trusted to right the wrongs that plague the system and many people see them as saviors. Some even go so far to demand they take rule over all, ignorant to the nature of the base of their power. They are not an outreached hand, but a passive iron fist yet to descend.
Scavengers are not a singular group but the consequence of poverty and oppression. When people cannot afford to eat or pay their debts they will turn to stealing anything they can. Even in the borders of the Federation do opportunists lurk, though by far the Coalition has it worse in this regard. Any place where the quality of life is low will no doubt have scavs, but they are necessity for the criminal element, the dutiful workers who collect and distribute black market wares.
While a lot can be said about scavs, at least they generally aren't out for your life. The same cannot be said about pirates. Pirates are the next stage of evolution, scavs who have come together to directly steal from others instead of waiting for the opportunity. The Federation and Coalition work hard to keep pirates out of their borders, leaving most of them to infest free space or Yggweh's Belt. They are a primary reason the Belt is so dangerous, fighting even each other over prey that passes through.
The most successful pirates actually come around to something close to mercenaries, forced to deliver on their deals to receive payment and becoming invaluable to their clients. Criminal enterprises (and sometimes major powers) utilize pirate groups as cheap and expendable labor and combatants, able to afford their services for relatively cheap compared to a proper merc outfit. Sometimes this comes back to bite the hand that feeds but more often than not their purpose is to die in place of someone else.
Once upon a time, when Kvesma was the only inhabited planet, corporations were regulated and contained. With the advent of the colonial expansion this control was lost and companies were allowed to grow without inhibition or oversight, getting fat on the exploitation and suffering of others. While the Peace Court mostly keeps corporate interests in check, a few have grown so large and ingrained in system trade that to they are effectively untouchable.
Endcomm Communications is one of the largest, the owners of the string nodes that allow near instantaneous communication across the system thanks to their quantum communication technology. Even the Federation holds pause at crossing them as they could simply cut off network access to anyone they want at any time. They are, relatively speaking, not that terrible. They use their influence to settle disputes and regulate power among other companies but they have their black marks, too. In particular, Endcomm is infamous for “volunteering” independent colonies and nations to serve under them, investing money into making them more profitable before taking most of those profits.
But there's danger on the other end of the corporate spectrum as well. Failing companies that cannot win economically will often emulate pirates, plundering and enslaving anything and anyone they can to shore up losses and increase productivity. These “warlord” corporations are a constant threat that often go unnoticed by the Peace Court as they disappear off the map, preying on the Belt or regions of turmoil like Corsic. With no accountability and no consequences, a dangerous precedent has been established.
The main religion of the people of Yggweh is Creationism, worship of the enigmatic Creators, and the Unified Creationist Church is the central core of that faith. Like the colonists and corporations, the Church spread out from Kvesma and took root across the system, growing in power as populations exploded and the dangers of the universe brought many to the comforts of faith. This reached a critical point as religious groups began persecuting those they found heretical (and each other), leading to the crusades, a veritable slaughter across the colonies and Kvesma that only ended when the schisms got so bad the Church itself almost split and was forced to reunify to save itself.
After the crusades were stamped out by the Church Proper and corporate and national efforts, faith became stigmatized and shunned, now associated with terrible deeds and fanatical bloodlust. Over time the reputation was repaired as the Church took a position not unlike the Peace Court, a neutral party that sought to negotiate for peace and the common good. Creationism has steadily regained support, though the Church makes sure that the proper messages are the ones being preached.
The Church Proper is housed in Faro's Garden, an independent colony cluster that sits in the empty space, orbiting the sun as the planets do. It is open to all pilgrims and travelers though they are carefully watched and kept under control. The most hallowed place in Faro's Garden is the Hall of Saints, where the sainted serpents are kept and where the clergy and faithful alike can go to try to receive visions from the Creators. Those who receive a vision (or claim to) are sometimes taken away and never seen again, their fate unknown.