The Orders of Life are:
Oxygen[]
The oxygen order of life is known for frantic movement. They prefer the A and B levels of hyperspace travel and are comprised of individuals that group together to form societies.
Hydrogen[]
Members of the hydrogen order live in the atmospheres of gas giants. They are large beings that can expel and reabsorb small parts of themselves to perform tasks, including brainstorming. They prefer the C and D levels of hyperspace which are much slower routes and less used by the oxygen order.
Mechanical[]
Mechanical life is extremely well adapted to space and extremely ill adapted to the E level of hyperspace. Their logical, mechanical minds are unable to influence E space as the other life orders can. Machine life is hardwired with constraints on replication, but once in the distant past a machine outbreak coincided with the previous great rupture and was only defeated by an alliance of the other life orders.
Memetic[]
Members of the memetic order cannot exist in normal space without a host mind to inhabit but are able to exist independently in the E level of hyperspace. Memetic organisms embody concepts or ideas and disproving the idea kills its embodiment. Interactions with memetic creatures are arguments expressed in physical form. Some memetic creatures seek out physical matter to consume in order to gain physical existence, allowing them to have material effects. The transcendents have found a way to allow memetic organisms to exist in normal space free of a host mind.
Quantum[]
Members of the quantum order do not experience time in the traditional sense and observation inhibits their functionality. They typically avoid the E level of hyperspace. Most quantum beings reside in the foam interstices of the cosmos.
Hypothetical[]
Old Ones[]
Also known as the retired order, the oldest races leave galactic society and life-bearing planets behind to settle on the inner side of an enormous structure which completely surrounds a red giant star. As these races purify themselves for transcendence they feel more and more the 'pull of the tides' and feel uncomfortable away from the strong gravitational pull of a sun.
Transcendents[]
Transcendents live around and possibly, in or beyond black hole singularities. Members of the transcendent order are conglomerates resulting from the merging of members from every other order. Many transcendents enter black holes seeking "unseen realms". Close proximity to black hole singularities allows transcendents to process extremely large amounts of data, even being able to predict the timing and nature of the rupture presumably without calculus. Like most of galactic civilization, they seem to think in terms of species rather than individuals, willing to sacrifice trillions in the pursuit of their goals yet also looking to minimize the effects of the rupture.