The faraway, astronomical world of Mobius is lorded over as were the oceans of old--tied together by titanic shipping companies who transport goods and provide services to the many varied people of the galaxy.
One of these is the arm-spanning Common Industrial Group, who holds a controlling interest in the majority of the stellar shipping lanes--upward of 50 star systems, and 25 permanent lanes. Alongside this iron grip on transport, CIG maintains dozens of byways, rest stations, and toll booths. Employer of tens of thousands of persons, it is the largest and most powerful company the world over.
Second-fiddle to this titan of economy is Outerworld Materials and Transport, jack of all trades in the shipping world and master of none. As with CIG, Outerworld transports goods via stellar lanes, using long-path solar sailing vessels to deliver valuable materials and needed goods to the systems and worlds that need them.
One of the chief things shipped by these monolithic companies is materials harvested from massive, interstellar beasts known colloquially as "whales". They have no biological relation to the whales of Earth's familiar waters, but they are said to evoke a similar awe and scale. Every part of them sees use, from their gut flora being reused to make bread and beer, to their meat feeding cities on-world, to their natural oils being used as specialized fuels.
The titular ship, Mobius, is one vessel in the OMaT's vast fleet. A rebuilt freighter, she oversees one of the smallest permanent shipping lanes, and loyally traverses it across the seasons. Bedecked in aftermarket sails, anchors, and plating, she is a sight to behold, delving the great oceans of the interstellar void. Her captain is an old whaler with a reputation that precedes him; when financially pinched, he turned to piracy.
Years after he turned tail on his passion, and hoping to clear his name, he signed on with the shipping company. As penance, he accepted a job in this backwater corner of the universe, staring out her port-holes and yearning to once again feel the solar winds at his back, a great whale in his sights. Someday, he says, I'll go back to whaling. And the Mobius will be the only vessel I'll trust, when that day comes.