A shared passage
The colonies of the Aurelian Reach agreed to share the Span gates. Their compact is the Charter: a common arrangement around routes none of them built.
Ships carry ore, supplies and people between stations. A gate is a way through, and a place where the interests of strangers meet.
Core, Frontier and Void
The Wardens patrol Core space. Beyond it, Frontier routes carry smugglers and raiders as well as traders. In the Void, the Choir treats the gates as holy.
Aurelis, Veyra, Kestrel, Morrow and Nyx are places a pilot can learn by flying through them. A familiar route can become the beginning of a much longer voyage.