Persei

According to Werner Fricke, a former member of the UNE planetary expansion committee, "The promise of Persei is what makes Rhetor possible." The planet's vast deposits of rare elements were the economic engine that drove development in the system. At first they brought in mining consortiums and technology companies, then top-tier scientists followed because of the expedited access to rare elements in their research.

As the planet's resources were mined away, Persei gained renown in intellectual and scientific communities. Numerous corporate research institutions and privately funded think tanks are headquartered here. Yet, it was the work done at the state-sponsored University of Persei Analytical Research and Quantification (UPARQ) that became known for pushing scientific boundaries. Though the work done at UPARQ is mostly classified, energy-efficient Quantum drives and improved thermal-resistant spacesuit fabric are just some of the advances believed to have originated there. Due to the sensitive nature of UPARQ's work, access to the planet has become highly restricted.