The Arcturus Republic

The Arcturus Republic isn't truly a nation in the same way as the other great powers in the galaxy. Instead the realm of Arcturus is a loose confederacy of warrior clans, who on occasion make raids into civilized space. While the Arcturan barbarians are widely considered a menace, they are still valued as mercenaries so much that none of the great powers have yet ventured to crush their corsair fleets.

The people of Arcturus are also a living reminder of a dark chapter in the history of the galaxy, before the current ban on genetic engineering. A millennia ago the ancestors of the Arcturans were created to be elite super-soldiers for one of the dominant powers of that age. They were engineered to be stronger, faster and also more tactically clever than regular soldiers, which backfired horribly when the super-soldiers decided to usurp power from their creators. For a brief period the known galaxy was completely run over by these barbarians, but their power was never truly cemented because they had trouble working together and couldn't agree on whose leadership would be acknowledged. The people of the galaxy rebelled against their genetically engineered masters and banished them to the region currently known as Arcturus.

Because of these events genetic engineering of humans is frowned upon, but is still considered necessary in some circumstances. To ensure that there would be no future rebellions scientists take care to install many drawbacks on their creations, such as a shorter life-span, while most governments have declared genetically engineered individuals to lack human rights and to be bound to benefactors.