Free Refugium

The Free Refugium is a minor interstellar realm in the Aleph Sector. It was the first human realm to form after the fall of Earth during the Human Culling Campaign and is a minor signatory of the Grand Treaty.

Of all human realms in the Aleph Sector, the Free Refugium has the highest percentages of non-human populations. It is a federally structured democracy consisting of largely self-governing city states and extensively involved in trade between the Pax Galactica and the Stellar Republic.

History
The systems held by the Free Refugium were the farthest the Atlantic Charter Alliance had expanded and were barely settled beyond a small military presence monitoring the border regions with the neighbouring alien realms, when the Septoids uprooted humanity and drove millions to flee their homeplanets. Being so remote from the main focus of Septoid attacks and in the sphere of influence of two powerful alien realms, the border systems in the far galactic west of human expansion became the prime destination for refugees, if they could make the long trip. Of all human colonies, those later compromising the Free Refugium saw the biggest increase in population.

Supported by humanitarian missions from different alien species, refugee settlements in the region grew rapidly and along with them, need for political infrastructure. This prompted several communities to initiate a federation of citystates to coordinate trade, foreign policy and security measures: the Free Refugium was born as the first of human realms in exile.

Both the Stellar Empire of the Krark and the Pax Galactica of the Droome saw use in a secure human realm at their borders, intensifying their cooperation with the Free Refugium and recognizing its sovereignity over first Sidon and soon entire systems. When the Free Refugium proved able at stabilizing the previously lawless systems and began facillitating increased and profitable trade in its region of space, it became a model example for the developement of additional human realms in the Divide.