The Centauri Union is a democratic coalition of systems located in the southern regions of the stellar neighborhood.  It was officially established in 2197 and currently includes the Human colonies in the Alpha Centauri, Sirius, Procyon, and Groombridge 1618 star systems.

The Alpha Centauri colonies were the first permanent Human settlements to be established outside of the Sol system.  These early pioneers were accustomed to living under the corporate rule of the UEC, but with FTL travel still in its infancy; the vast distance from Earth required them to become more independent.  The colonists were allowed to organize their own provisional government which began as a type of monarchy where family bloodlines determined each individual’s status in society.  Yet, as the population of new immigrants surpassed the number of elitists, this strict social order began to change and the average individual quickly gained new rights and freedoms.

The Sirius and Procyon colonies, on the other hand, had no provisional government and were under the direct jurisdiction of the Mining Guild.  These colonists and their families were considered beneficiaries of the state and administrated over by a regional Guild Baron.  As these two colonies continued to grow in both scope and population, new opportunities became available for those who were born into this life.  Although these individuals were given the same basic rights as any other company employee, they often felt restricted in this limited society.

As the founding sponsors of these colonies, Bourne Industries and the Reinhold Corporation had cultivated a close business partnership years before they established their own separate operations beyond Sol.  These two corporations continued to work together on a variety of financial ventures; including the colonization of the Groombridge 1618 system, and even assisted in the creation of a free trade agreement between their respective worlds.  This, in turn, brought the colonists together as well; culminating in an exchange of ideas, cultures, and technologies.

After the war with the Zendathu, the UEC attempted to recuperate from its losses by raising taxes on most of its colonies.  This action eventually led to diplomatic protests from all of the affected worlds, but the Reinhold Corporation was the first to officially cease all of its shipments to Earth as an open declaration of dissent.  Determined not to lose any further resources, the UEC ordered them to resume their shipping schedules or a permanent military presence would be established.  Fearing a corporate takeover and knowing that their security forces alone were no match for the SolCorp fleet, the Sirian people turned to their allies in the Alpha Centauri system for support.

Less than a year after the colonists in the Tau Ceti system declared their independence from Earth, representatives from Alpha Centauri, Sirius, Procyon, and Groombridge 1618 came together to sign their own “Contract of Sovereignty”.  This contract officially recognized the separation of these worlds from the UEC and created a colonial council with elected members from each colony.  The newly formed Centauri Union not only provided military defense and economic support to all of its member systems, but also granted each individual new rights and freedoms and gave them a voice in the overall procedures of this interstellar government.

The city of Knossos on Kentaurus Prime was established as the official capital and, to this day, remains the center of all government activity in the southern regions.