Golden Age of Navigation
During the Golden Age of Navigation, sometimes just called the Age of Navigation, was a time when the Navigation, Exploratory, and Ferryman guilds operated as the defacto leaders of all interstellar political efforts by virtue of their operation of interstellar transit. During this time the Bi-frost was greatly expanded and many new disks and stars were pulled closer to the laser canals.
During this age the Forgeborne process underwent several refinements that allowed the process to be undertaken by anyone regardless of species. This allowed for populations with little to no humans constituents to start Forge Monasteries which in turn allowed guild houses to position themselves as important mechanisms of the local economies. If your world had a Forge then the guilds would service your world, cutting new canals through the void to reach your world if necessary and enabling your world to achieve incredible economic success. In return the guilds wanted access to the forge, would require resources for operating laser stations, and of course would impose modest fees on trade.
All things considered this arrangement, while not equitable, was beneficial to everyone involved. The alleviation of wartime restrictions coupled with increased access to materials, art, and information caused a massive boom in scientific progress and artistic accomplishment.