The S-R Arm: Shattered Frontier
Nomenclature note:
Because of the fractured nature of the Sino-Russian arm, the existent planetary governments and alliances are composed of four broad categories: The People's Prosperity Sphere(Led by the People's Republic of China), The Commonwealth of Independent States( Led by a resurgent Russia attempting to surge past China), The "new Taiwans" that managed to retain their independence following the end of the Breakdown and the resumption of normal FTL traffic (Unofficially led by the Empire of Jianghu, which seeks to elevate itself to the position of a new Chinese dynasty), and the numerous Independent planets and habitats known colloquially as "Indies".
Overview
The Sino-Russian arm is crowded, fragmented, and much like the Balkans or Sub-Saharan Africa, liable to devolve into an interstellar war at any time.