I think that covers this topic. At least for now.
Grey, Wildcat, and Black Colonies
There are officially only five grey colonies, or permanent human settlements that are not part of the ‘official’ (which is to say, Amalgamation-assigned) colony system. Each one is found on one of the ‘Green’ worlds (planets not only safe for humanity, but also at least as habitable as one of the official colony worlds). At this time, transportees will not be sent to a grey colony unless they have unique skills or natural talents. There are plans in place to change this, once a grey colony can maintain a population of at least two hundred thousand.
An undetermined number of transportees manage to get to a grey colony anyway. Their officially unofficial existence appeals to those who have good reason to hide under a new identity. It’s already been established that asking other colonists impertinent questions can be unwise, or at least highly socially awkward. Great Powers, NGOs, and megacorporations will often put mentally stable but politically embarrassing personnel in a grey colony as remittance men; they get paid to stay right where they are, and never go home. It’s hard to tell them apart from private individuals who just have a briefcase full of stolen money.
Poorer transportees who find the official colony worlds intolerable will gravitate to wildcat colonies. Depending on the planet, this could be a corporation research facility, a collection of salvage operations, an ad hoc refueling and resupply station, or a half-built pirate haven (they rarely survive long enough to be a fully built one). If you aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty – in any number of ways – you can get quite deep into the Tomb Worlds before you find whatever it is that’s going to kill you. Because eventually something will – but better that than growing corn in Jefferson for the next forty years, right?
As for the ‘black’ colonies… oh, those are just myths. Secret colonies? Places where unwise research paths might be taken, or odd and unsavory technologies can be examined with proper amounts of funding? Cities where bizarre alien theories of sociology and psychology can be tested out, or the human genome can be molded and formed under safer conditions? An entire world where no technology is permitted above that of the steam engine, in order to give humanity one final bolthole in case the murderers of the Amalgamation decide that it’s our turn? Well, space is large — but even so: hiding it would be nigh-impossible. Somebody would talk, surely. It must all be a myth.Although if it were true, then certainly one other thing would also be true. Operations of that level of intensity would unfortunately need a steady supply of research subjects. Ones that would not be missed.
