The Hygiean Logistocracy Overview covers the basics of the Logistocracy’s government, how people move around the Expanse, and the factions there.
Overview
The Hygiean Logistocracy is the governing body of the Hygiean Expanse, which is a group of survivors living in and around the asteroids 10 Hygiea, 333 Badenia, and 538 Friederike, also known as the Hygiea family of asteroids.
The Logistocracy strictly controls all supplies and travel in the Expanse. There are severe punishments for piracy, hoarding, and participating in the black market.
The Logistocracy’s other function is ensuring that the Hygiean Expanse remains hidden from both The Emergency and The Mistake. They do so by maintaining The Shroud, which is a technology that generates a masking cloud around the inhabited space. So far this has been successful.
Ships in the Expanse do not use traditional engines: instead, they use a series of slingshots to generate initial momentum and major course changes, and simple thrusters for fine course adjustments and maneuvering. This is, again, to hide their existence from The Emergency.
The Hygiean Logistocracy appears first in Asteroid Blues, and again in Specters of a Broken Sun.
Read about the major factions that inhabit the Hygiean Expanse below:
Factions
| The Logistarch’s Bench The Logistarch surrounds herself with the best and the brightest of the Hygiean Expanse. These are they. They rule from the asteroid city Hygiea. | The Warehouser’s Guild Perhaps the most powerful group– after the Logistarch herself– they are in charge of the storage and inventory of the Logistocracy’s tightly-rationed supplies. | The Divine Measure Just as the Warehouser’s Guild is in charge of storage and inventory, The Divine Measure is in charge of distribution. They are the ones who make sure that everyone receives exactly as much as they require– no more, and no less. |
| The Shroud This group of engineers and experts maintains the Shroud, which is a special field that hides light, power emissions, and other traces from the Emergency and the Mistake. | The Shipping Authority This influential group is in charge of making sure that ships only travel where and when they are authorized to do so. | The Badenia Family This family rules the smaller asteroid city of Badenia. They have long been vassals of the Logistarch, much as they chafe at this arrangement. |
| The Protectorate of Friederike The smallest asteroid city is in Friederike, which was once a kingdom in space. It is now another vassal state of Hygiea, though they retain their monarch and most of their traditions. | The Hygiean News Network The official mouthpiece of the Logistocracy. | The Metres Officers who visit ships and ports to ensure that everyone is staying within their rations– and to punish those who do not. |