ZOE-Realm of Mecha
Earth -
Earth remains the center of humanity and the seat of most of the power in the solar system, although elements further out into space are doing their level best to shift that balance. The United Nations has assumed titular control of the world, and controls the United Nations Space Force, the most significant collection of military might in space. However, individual nations still hold sway over their own territories and corresponding holdings out in space and on Mars. The planet is circled by satellites, including bases at its Lagrange points and the massive orbital elevator that is the primary jumping-off point into the rest of the solar system.
Mars -
The county system sees to it that Earth still controls the colonies established on Mars. Martian settlements are divided into counties, each overseen by an Earth nation. However, the shared difficulties and dangers of life in the colonies have created a strong bond between the settlers, and racial and national divisions from the home planet are mostly forgotten in the face of the common need to survive. As a result of this increasing shift in identity, 16 counties have organized the United Colonies of Mars, or UCM, a group that is lobbying for increased Martian independence. There's also a more violent side to the independence movement: groups like the Bahran terrorists, who are secretly researching orbital frame technology and mustering an army to take their independence by force.
Jupiter -
The edge of the world, as it were, is the orbit of Jupiter, where the L5 Antilia colony (a microwave-powered torus, in case you're interested) is the center of vital mining efforts. Helium-3 and Metatron are gathered from the Jovian satellites, processed at the colony, and transported back to Mars and Earth via massdrivers and a space-distortion catapult system. Antilia is a place of considerable tension, however. Aside from the constant dangers of life in space, the terrorist threat that arose after the Deimos Incident led to the military occupation of the colony - at the time of the game's events, it is under the control of the UNSF. They are there to maintain order, and also to keep a close watch on the NUT corporation's orbital frame research.
