The Interstellar Cartography Group (ICG) is a politically neutral consortium formed by representatives of many Colonial Authority corporations and major governments. Built on technology-sharing and standardization agreements, the stated goal of ICG is the acquisition and dissemination of verified stellar cartography data to ship-builders, defense contractors, and other interested parties.

ICG has been around long enough to become a political entity in its own right. To serve its interests, the company has developed the Discovery class long-range long-duration survey vessel and the Foundation class long-duration “follow-up” vessel, a heavy cruiser outfitted for detailed orbital and surface survey of planets of interest. ICG spacecraft can be purchased or leased, though all such agreements include clauses that mandate or encourage the sharing of all newly acquired cartography data with ICG.

A semi-secret society formed by an alliance of complementary initiatic traditions, the Templar are a loose-knit order of enlightened individuals dedicated to the exploration and documentation of human potential.

Since Judas Lang took control of the organization, the Templar are also a well equipped and capable paramilitary force, financed almost entirely by Expert Technologies.

Thule Garrison is a Templar lodge founded by Mike West and Ivan Kursk in 1968. The name was initially something of a joke – at the time of its foundation, Thule Garrison was quite literally off the map. While the region of space made its way onto preliminary ICG charts in the 1980s, the Garrison is located deep in an AEI sinkhole – a region of space in which an FTL transition is extremely difficult, even for talented navigators.