When mankind began to colonize beyond the Charon Relay, the Exodus Cluster was its first destination. Filled with vibrant and bountiful systems, the Exodus Cluster has over three and a half million people calling it home, the largest population outside of Sol.
The Exodus Cluster was once colonized by the protheans, with countless of their ruins discovered across the Cluster, particularly in the Utopia and Destiny Systems. The ruins on Eden Prime are the most extensive with it believed that the world once hosted a population of tens or hundreds of millions of protheans, though much of the ruins are buried under the surface of the world, unseen.
The Cluster has active Primary Relay connections to the Arcturus Stream, and Seraph Nebula, with an inactive Primary Relay connection to Hades Gamma and a Secondary Relay connection to the Petra Nebula.
While the speed of colonization has slowed as more Clusters open up for colonization, the Exodus Cluster still sees high levels of growth, with many expecting it to hold the title of second most populous Cluster for a long time.
ASGARD:
Stars: 1 (G2)
Planets: 4 (3 terrestrial, 1 gaseous)
Asteroid Belts: 0
Population: 1.4 million
Description: The first system colonized by humanity beyond the Charon Relay, Asgard plays host to a large population of humans and the first world outside of Sol to reach a population beyond a million, Terra Nova. Hosting the Primary Relay to Arcturus, Asgard is the gateway into the Cluster for the majority of traffic.
Terra Nova: The first Garden World discovered beyond the Charon Relay and the first world colonized, Terra Nova holds the title of most populous world outside of Sol, with just over 1.2 million people calling it home. Two thirds the mass of Earth yet nearing its gravity, Terra Nova is considered a good place to live and the Alliance uses it as an example of successful and prosperous colonization. Development started out strong, but has been slowing down due to increased colonization of other worlds, and Terra Nova is expected to lose its title of most populous extrasolar colony before the year is out, with Babylon taking its place.
Borr: A large gas giant six times the mass of Jupiter, Borr is orbited by over 90 moons, ranging from modest asteroids to worlds larger than Mercury. Development on Borr's moons has been extensive, with several mining operations and a small number of colonies existing. The gas extraction industry of Borr is underdeveloped for its location within a heavily populated system, a symptom of its high gravity. The proximity to Terra Nova and the lack of any other gas giant in the system allows Borr to remain somewhat competitive, leading to the existence of such an industry at all.
Tyr: A world only slightly less massive than Earth, Tyr holds several similarities to mankind's homeworld, but is over four times as far away from its star and has an unbreathable atmosphere. Terraforming has been proposed for the world, both the replacement of its atmosphere and the addition of large orbital mirrors to increase heat, but no project has been approved due to the existence of Terra Nova and the already large number of habitable worlds on the Cluster. Mining on Tyr has proven lucrative, leading to a growing number of operations existing on the world alongside a small number of colonies.
Loki: A small, tidally locked, terrestrial world with little to recommend it, Loki's ice caps are criss-crossed with unusually regularly shaped tunnels, leading to expeditions attempting to find evidence of excavation. Though no proof of such a thing has been found, several private expeditions continue to search the tunnels for signs of intelligent design, being supported by a makeshift industry that has popped up and is expected to die when the expeditions end.
UTOPIA:
Stars: 1 (G4)
Planets: 5 ( 4 terrestrial, 1 gaseous)
Asteroid Belts: 0
Population: 1.2
Description: A prosperous system that serves as the gateway to much of outer Alliance space, Utopia is heavily developed, with its Garden World, Eden Prime, being the third extrasolar colony to reach a million people. Hosting the Primary Relay into the Seraph Nebula, the system serves as the gateway to the newer Clusters of Alliance space.
Arcadia: A large terrestrial world over 14 times the mass of Earth, Arcadia has a thick atmosphere and scorching surface. Arcadia is the resting place of humanity's first extrasolar pirate ship, the Skiff Farwatch. The Farwatch was hiding in the atmosphere of Arcadia a few months after its famous attack on the William Clark, when it was discovered by a prospecting ship looking for prothean ruins in Arcadia's atmosphere. The Alliance was informed and it deployed a number of its Exploration Cruisers to destroy the vessel using their Fighters. This led to the first naval action of the Alliance, leading to the destruction of the Farwatch. The planet's hostile environment has prevented any significant development. The only traffic common to the world is the pirates that hide within its atmosphere and the Alliance forces hunting them.
Eden Prime: One of the earliest extrasolar colonies and the third to reach a million people, Eden Prime was discovered and settled only a short time after Terra Nova. While Terra Nova is more of note due to its mining operations, Eden Prime is famous for its fertile land, particularly the so-called "golden belt" that wraps around most of the world north of the equator. In August 2156, Eden Prime reached a population of 1 million people, the third extrasolar world to reach that number. In the months since then, the world has reached a population of over 1.1 million.
Zion: A gas giant even larger than Jupiter, it supports a small gas extraction industry due to being the only gas giant in the system. Development on Zion's moons has been modest, with several mining operations and a small colony on Zion's largest moon Asphodel.
Nirvana: A small icy world only a twentieth the mass of Earth, Nirvana is of little interest to anyone, with no major facilities in operation on the world, though the construction of several geological research stations has been proposed.
Xanadu: A small world a tenth the mass of Earth, Xanadu is almost entirely lacking in human presence.
DESTINY:
Stars: 1 (G3)
Planets: 3 (1 terrestrial, 2 gaseous)
Asteroid Belts: 1
Population: 390,000
Description: A system near Utopia, Destiny hosts vast prothean ruins across the entire system. The reason for those vast ruins became evident when the system's wealth of resources was discovered. Development in the system has been rather rapid for a system lacking any Garden World, with mining operations popping up on many worlds, moons, and asteroids across the system. The other main industries in the system are archaeology and salvage, both going after the prothean ruins dotting the system.
Oracle: A large terrestrial world notable for its massive and oddly dense rings, Oracle appears to have been the center of the prothean presence in the system, and for good reasons. Oracle is an unusually dense world with large amounts of rare earth and heavy metals alongside a high concentration of eezo, making it a very valuable mining world. Vast ruins of prothean mining operations dot the world's surface and underground, commonly researched or salvaged, with some even brought back into operation by human corporations using human equipment. The planet has a theoretically habitable atmosphere, if a bit thick at 1.7 atm and lacking in oxygen, leading to most using masks on the world, but its high gravity, about three times that of Earth, lead to most of the population living either in gravity controlled bases on the surface or on the planet's largest moon, Delphi.
Seer: A modest gas giant about twice the mass of Neptune, Seer hosted several prothean gas extraction operations, though few survive to this day. A private survey in 2155 discovered a surviving gas extraction facility with mostly serviceable condition, with most of its technology currently being reverse engineered. The world now hosts a modest number of extraction operations, providing for the needs of the system and exporting a decent amount of gasses.
Seer-Prophet Belt: A dense asteroid belt between Seer and Prophet, the belt holds a rather large amount of resources, leading to a rather robust mining industry. The dwarf planets Fate and Fortune are the centers of operations in the belt.
Prophet: A mass gas giant about three times the mass of Juppiter, Prophet hosts several minor mining operations on its moons, though they are not the most notable things in the world's orbit. A massive prothean warship was discovered in a highly elliptical orbit of Destiny near Prophet, and the vessel was transferred into the world's orbit to allow for easier research. The vessel and its research station, designated Yamato Station by the Alliance, remain in orbit of the planet to this day, leading to a high concentration of Alliance warships in the area. There has been some thought of moving the vessel, but nothing has yet been done. The heavy Alliance presence and powerful magnetic field led to Prophet being the main discharge point for the system.
CHAOS:
Stars: 1 (K2)
Planets: 4 (3 terrestrial, 1 gaseous)
Asteroid Belts: 1
Population: 194,000
Description: A system rather distant from the rest of the Cluster, being 12 light years from Destiny and even farther from Asgard and Utopia, the Garden World of the Chaos System leads to it being colonized regardless. Alliance presence in the system is relatively minimal, though a small outpost exists to ensure control of the System alongside a small number of warships.
Tartarus: A modest world half the mass of Earth, Tartarus is a hothouse world similar to Venus, though less extreme. In 2156, a prothean passenger liner was discovered on the planet's surface, appearing to have attempted to hide within its atmosphere, though the damage evident on the wreck tell of its failure.
Gaia: A Garden World about a third more massive than Earth, Gaia holds the majority of the system's population, with 188 thousand people calling it home. Most of the settlements on the planet are fiercely independent, disliking the Alliance and commonly challenging its control of the world. Gaia once had a small moon around 30 thousand years ago, but the moon moved too close to the planet and broke apart, forming the rings orbiting Gaia and causing a minor extinction event, which the world has only barely recovered from.
Erebus: A gas giant about two thirds the mass of Saturn, Erebus hosts a modest gas extraction industry. It is uneconomical to export the gas to the rest of Alliance space, but Erebus fulfills the requirements of the system.
The Gap: Between Erebus and Nyx, a massive gap exists, almost 100 AU wide. Within this gap only a sparse collection of icy bodies exist. There has been no development within the area, but there are rumors of a smuggling base within The Gap.
Nyx: An icy world at the far edge of the system, almost no light reaches Nyx, leaving Nyx eternally in darkness. It took almost 2 years after the system's discovery for the existence of Nyx to be confirmed. The planet rarely sees humans, with the only permanent presence being a smuggling base, the same one thought to be within The Gap.
SHARADIN'S REST:
Stars: 1 (K6)
Planets: 3 (all terrestrial)
Asteroid Belts: 1
Population: 7,900
Description: In 2151, when the SSV James Cook was surveying the system, the ship's reactor began to experience problems. This turned into the reactor almost exploding, taking out the ship and its crew of hundreds. A group of four crew members ended up saving the ship from destruction, though at the cost of one of their number Frances Sharadin. In honor of the brave heroes, the three worlds of the system were named for the surviving three, while the system itself was named for Sharadin. The system has seen relatively modest development, mostly focused on mining.
Burning Worlds: In a dangerously close orbit of Sharadin's Rest, an asteroid belt resides. Some of the asteroids in the belt with more elliptical orbits are known to actually dive into the outermost layer of the star, while some of those which don't are still more liquid than solid. The richness of the belt makes it a common mining site, with operations powered by plentiful solar energy.
Kowalski: A rocky world not much bigger than Mercury, Kowalski is not much different from that first world of Sol, being extremely hot and desolate due to its proximity to its star. Some mining and solar collection facilities exist on the world, but not many.
Bakshi: A world around the size of Venus, its low density gives it a gravity about two thirds that of Earth. Rich in aluminum and other light metals, Bakshi holds some modest mining, its higher gravity, livable (if uncomfortable) temperature, and an atmosphere that only requires a breathing mask makes it more popular than Kowalski, with a population over triple that of the smaller world.
Hansen: An icy super earth with a gravity about five times that of Earth, Hansen hosts a dense atmosphere that is filled with mainly argon and nitrogen. The world's high gravity has limited its development, but its strong magnetic field makes it a popular discharge point.
VANAHEIM:
Stars: 1 (G7)
Planets: 4 ( 3 terrestrial, 1 gaseous)
Asteroid Belts: 0
Population: 328,000
Description: A system nearby Asgard, Vanaheim has greatly benefited from its proximity to the Mass Relay. The system has an above average metallicity, and is home to Njord, a world similar to Atlantis and currently being seeded with Earth life.
Hnoss: A small but rich world about two fifth the mass of Earth, Hnoss holds a large amount of rare earth metals, particularly gold and silver. The planet has a growing mining industry that does not appear to be slowing down.
Kvasir: A rocky world about the mass of Mars, Kvasir is of little note compared to the riches of Hnoss and the waters of Njord that surround it. The planet has no permanent population, and it seems it will remain that way for a long time.
Njord: A watery world about the mass of Earth, though less dense and with lighter gravity, Njord is similar to the world Atlantis in that it's a water world almost entirely covered by water, over 95 percent of its surface being under the waves. The planet's moon Skadi, is almost as large as Mars and is sometimes considered a planet in its own right. Skadi provides Nkord with extremely high waves, providing an incredible surfing experience exploited by several travel agencies, but also periodically submerging the world's limited land. Terraforming of the planet began by the Exogeni Corporation in 2154, though settlement began a year earlier, with several bacteria and plants already introduced. The world's atmosphere, rather thick with a decent amount of CO2, has led to it progressing faster than Atlantis, with most estimations putting its terraforming completion ahead of the other world.
Odr: A gas giant nearly five times the mass of Jupiter, Odr has seen relatively little development, though several travel agencies provide tores to the world from Njord to see its magnificent rings.