Non-aligned human polities, colonies, and factions that exist outside the authority of Armada and Cortex. Many trace their origins to isolation during the Fracturing Epoch or deliberate secession during later expansion, developing distinct cultures, technologies, and survival doctrines. During the Tenebrium Age, Independents were targets of forcible reunification efforts, and in the modern era they occupy contested space along the Line Worlds, Terminal Verge, and Nomadic Reaches, balancing autonomy against the pressure of encroaching empires.