Small Magellanic Cloud
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a dwarf galaxy in orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy. It contains around a billion stars. Some speculate that the SMC was once a barred spiral galaxy that was disrupted by the Milky Way to become somewhat irregular; it still contains a central bar structure.
At a distance of about 200,000 light-years, it is one of the Milky Way's nearest neighbors. It forms a pair with the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is positioned a further 20 degrees to the east. The Small Magellanic Cloud is a member of the Local Group.
The star systems of this "island universe" remain largely unexplored by Milky Way civilizations. The cloud is known as the home of the reclusive Orlian Empire, and has also housed staging grounds for the Emissaries. It is believed most of the Emissary bases of operation were wiped out during the Emissary Campaign, but some may have eluded the combined Inter-Stellar Alliance forces.
