At the present time, there are twelve Human factions on Chiron, although some are considerably weaker then others. The factions are spread across the entire planet and while some control a large area, others only control a small region surrounding their main colonies. There are still a few independent colonies dotted across the planet, but most of these independent colonies were either destroyed by the Progenitors or joined one of the other factions in hopes of gaining their protection. The situation is still tense on Chiron, with many potential conflicts seething just under the surface at Planetary Council meetings. The current planetary governor, Corazon Santiago, leader of the Spartan Federation, is determined to bring about an agreement with other Human factions to wage a massive war against the Progenitors, but few factions have the available resources needed to wage such a campaign, and there are some that are secretly working with the Progenitors, unknown to the other factions.
Description: Deirdre Skye quickly became known as the woman most in touch with the planet. At first this slogan was used figuratively, but as the first years after landing on Chiron passed, it became apparent that the planet was more then just a sphere of rock. Deirdre Sky and her faction, Gaia's Stepdaughters, found they could control the Mind Worms using psionic powers. An elite corps of soldiers was created to herd, breed, and control the Mind Worms, and this corps was instrumental in winning an early war against the Human Hive. Unfortunately, an unforeseen consequence of this action was the virtual reverence that some members of Gaia's Stepdaughters had for the Mind Worms and the planet in general. Where Deirdre Skye wanted to live in harmony with the planet, these worshipers wanted to erase all former Human technology and adopt a new way of life, tailored specifically for Chiron.
These radicals quickly found a focal point in a young boy named Cha Dawn, found alive and unharmed in a growth of Xenofungus, a situation that would have killed any other Human. Cha Dawn possessed incredible psionic powers and had amazing control over Mind Worms and other natural life on Chiron. Once in contact with the radicals with the Gaia's Stepdaughters, Cha Dawn accepted his role as a prophet for the new order and quickly secured the loyalty of a number of people within the faction, especially among the elite corps of Mind Worm controllers. On the chosen day, Cha Dawn and his supporters simply left Gaia's Stepdaughters. They traveled across the virtually deserted continent they shared with the Human Hive, picking up colonists and Mind Worms as they went. Eventually, they settled in an area adjacent to the single largest collection of Xenofungus on the planet.
Highly aggressive, it did not take Cha Dawn long to set up his colonies before he declared the existence of the Cult of Planet. Soon after, he launched a devastating raid against both Gaia's Stepdaughters and the Human Hive in order to secure additional resources and to sabotage the research projects of the two other factions. The aggressive tactics employed by the Cult of Planet ensured that they had few friends, but their large army of Mind Worms held off most attacks. Years later, the Cult of Planet took advantage of the revolution within the Human Hive that gave birth to the Free Drones faction to expand its own border and to "cleanse" more of the planet from those that did not believe in Cha Dawn.
The massive wars fought against the Human Hive, Gaia's Stepdaughters, and the Free Drones have left the Cult of Planet weakened, but still in a good position with a large army of Mind Worm Boil and other native life forms. The Cult of Planet's research into the planet has continued unabated even through the wars and the battles fought against the Progenitor aliens and it was the Cult of Planet that discovered that the Xenofungus on the planet was expanding at an increased rate and that the Mind Worms were becoming more active and more deadly. What this means of the Humans on the planet, not even Cha Dawn knows. Currently, the Cult of Planet is still rebuilding its forces and growing a new army of Mind Worm Boils, including a special group of Demon Boils. Although willing to support a war against the Progenitors, the Cult of Planet is too paranoid of its neighbors to provide more then a token force for the war.
Description: Aki Zeta-5 began her life as Aki Chang, an unassuming computer programmer that had joined the University of Planet faction soon after landing on Chiron. Her high intelligence and great skill brought her many privileges, including basic access to life extension treatments. She had no real interest in promotions and fought to remain in the field she loved, algorithm effeciency, even after several attempts to promote her to higher management levels within the research community in the University. Unfortunately, her life came to an abrupt end when she was killed in a tragic traffic accident in 60 AL, and this is where her life took a surprising direction.
Another research lab was experimenting in the interaction between an artificial intelligence and the Human brain and was at the point where they wanted to test their theories on a real Human subject. But the research team had some concerns about using a living body, so they selected a recently dead person, which happened to be Aki Chang, to experiment on. Using their facilities, the research team was able to partially revive Aki Chang, although she would never survive without life support and was almost completely brain dead. It took two years of work, but eventually the team was able to properly integrate an artificial intelligence and Aki Chang into a single being, which they named Aki Zeta-5, as the AI was dubbed Zeta and this was their fifth version of the AI. They were immediately amazed at the results, not only could the AI control Aki's body, it could also access her memories and in a very strange process, the two beings began to merge into a hybrid intelligence. The research team began to run experiment after experiment on their new creation, spending almost two decades looking into their creation and attempting to duplicate the results, which they were never successful at. During this time, word had leaked out, as it often does, that the research facility had created a hybrid Human / AI and many wanted to meet her. A secret cult was formed that began to worship Aki Zeta-5 as a kind of technological savior, the ultimate integration of Humans and machines. The cult began to grow in numbers during the years of Aki's virtual imprisonment, as did their resentment at Aki's treatment. The cult first requested that the hybrid be allowed to experience things outside of the research facility, but the lab refused and the cult quickly grew angry and its requests soon turned into demands. Protests and riots over Aki's treatments began cropping up in the latter half of the 70's AL, but there was little that the government could do as the research lab had purchased Aki's dead body legally and was a private organization.
One day, early in 81 AL, the cult had had enough. With perfect timing and precision, the followers of Aki had planned for her escape. They had prepared for every contingency and had made arrangements with the Nautilus Pirates to bring Aki and all of her followers, nearly 4000 colonists, across the ocean to a different continent. On a lonely night, the followers launched their plan and freed Aki Zeta-5 from the research facility that had been her home for over two decades. In the process, they had destroyed the facility and all of its research, setting back the research that had led to Aki's creation by decades. Convinced to lead the people that had freed her, Aki quickly moved into her new position of authority and calmly assessed her situation. She realized that the University may come after her and her followers once they left, so she was determined to protect them. To this end, Aki personally led a raid against a military research facility to acquire the designs and technology for military equipment that her followers would need to build at a later point. A few hours later, Aki Zeta-5 and her followers met with the delegation from the Nautilus Pirates and made their escape from the University of Planet.
As expected, Dr. Prokhor Zakharov, the leader of the University of Planet, was furious at the mass defection within his faction. Even worse was the theft and destruction of years of valuable research at the hands of Aki and her followers. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about it. He dared not attack by sea, as his fleet was small and no where near as skilled as the fleet of the Nautilus Pirates, so he waited and built a fleet. Aki Zeta-5 and her followers were safe for the time being, but had few resources. Led by the almost emotionless Aki, the Cybernetic Consciousness was declared, and it became dedicated to the construction of a society that integrated both Humans and machines together, mostly in the form of cybernetic and bionic implants. Although they started from a very high technological level, the newly formed Cybernetic Consciousness had little in the way of supplies. They quickly built colonies using resources purchased from the Nautilus Pirates and they opened their borders to immigrants that wanted to join their new society, although very few joined. Although pacifists by nature, the Cybernetic Consciousness knew that the University of Planet may still attack, so they prepared a small, but powerful army of bionic warriors just in case.
Nearly fifty years later, Dr. Zakharov decided that he was ready for war and the University launched a surprise attack on the Cybernetic Consciousness. Attacking from across the ocean was difficult, but not impossible for the University's military. They had brought a large number of cargo vessels to sustain their forces and were certain of reinforcements if they were needed. For nearly two years the University pushed the military forces of the Cybernetic Consciousness back into their fortified colonies, leaving the open ground in the hands of the University of Planet. Desperate for allies, the Cybernetic Consciousness turned once again to the Nautilus Pirates and managed to convince the isolationist faction to join their side. Not doing anything by half measures, the Nautilus Pirates completely destroyed or captured not just the University's invasion fleet, but their entire fleet, all of their sea bases and sea colonies, and destroyed all of their naval bases and dry docks. The University's army was completely cut off and running dangerously low on supplies. Some military units surrendered outright, while others fought until the last soldier ran out of ammunition, but the result was the same: the Cybernetic Consciousness won the war and destroyed the invasion force.
Confident from their last victory, the Cybernetic Consciousness joined the Peacekeepers and the Data Angels in the First Progenitor War and dedicated a large expeditionary force to the war. Beginning with several victories, the leaders of the Cybernetic Consciousness believed that victory was at hand, but a sudden reverse in fortunes saw their army retreating and being slowly cut down and destroyed by the Progenitors. There was little the small faction could do, it had no reserves to send aside from those that had been deemed critical to the defense of their colonies, and it slowly watched its army, and hundreds of its precious colonists, being slaughtered. Its army completely destroyed, the faction did not even attempt to continue the war against the Progenitors and watched helplessly as the aliens moved in and slowly reduced the Peacekeepers to rubble.
Now, five years after their war against the Progenitors ended, the Cybernetic Consciousness has still not been able to rebuild its strength. It drained almost all of its available resources to build its expeditionary army, and now it has nothing left to rebuild it. Even worse, in recent years, the attacks by native life forms have gotten worse and worse. Farms and facilities outside of the colonies are slowly being overrun by Xenofungus and Mind Worms, and the Cybernetic Consciousness does not have the resources to defend everything at once.
Description: Morgan Industries, even the name belies the greed, corruption, and arrogance of this faction. The arrogant, but highly intelligent "CEO" of this wealthy Human faction, Nwabudike Morgan is always looking to expand and grow; "his shareholders demand it," is his constant refrain. But everyone knows the truth, that Morgan Industries is an extension of what was occurring on Earth when the SS Unity was launched, the control of governments by mega-corporations, often called transnational or pan-national corporations. But in order to preserve his position as the largest of Chiron's economies, Nwabudike Morgan needs to keep constant tabs on his competitors and enemies, both in the private sector and in other governments. To this end, he established a large espionage and intelligence community.
One of the leaders of his sprawling intelligence community was Sinder Roze, a highly skilled organizer and computer expert. Roze had risen through the ranks of Morgan Industries and she had landed in her influential position mostly by bribing her competitors and assassinating her enemies. Unfortunately for Morgan Industries, Roze had an agenda. Roze desperately hated secrets and lies, a strange attitude for one of the top leaders of Chiron's largest intelligence community, but her feelings had evolved over her years of rising through the ranks. Using the connections that she had made on her way to the top, Roze had subverted major sections of each branch of the intelligence community and almost the entire computer intelligence service and special operations service, valuable tools for what she had in mind. Using agents in the foreign intelligence service, Roze had made contact with a number of independent colonies on a different continent and had worked out an agreement that would allow her and her followers to join the colonies and form an independent faction.
In 62 AL, Roze launched her plan and it succeeded flawlessly. In a single day Morgan Industries completely shut down, caused by its own intelligence services. Power centers were turned off, environmental systems temporarily disabled, and security systems were deactivated. The sabotage was not enough to cause Morgan Industries to collapse, but the chaos that followed prevented the faction from stopping thousands of colonists from leaving with everything they could carry. While the journey was long and hard, Roze and most of her followers arrived at their destination within a year and announced the existence of the Data Angels soon afterwards.
Although animosity existed between the Data Angels and Morgan Industries, the collapse of Morgan Industries entire intelligence community was a huge blow. The important players that did not defect with Roze were assassinated during the hours of her defection, but to ensure the survival of her faction against the vindictive Nwabudike Morgan, Roze quickly threatened to share all of her data on Morgan Industries with the other factions if she was ever attacked. After Morgan Industries backed off, the Data Angels quickly established themselves as the information brokers of the planet, selling and acquiring information of all kinds and even reaching an agreement with the ever practical board of directors at Morgan Industries. The spy network retained and expanded by the Data Angels is unmatched by any other faction. Even the duality of incredible security precautions on information leaving the faction and the free flow of information within the faction have been maintained successfully in the hundred years since the faction was originally formed.
The Data Angels has tried to stay out of the politics of the other factions, and has been mostly successful, at least until the Peacekeepers convinced Roze to join the Peacekeepers and the Cybernetic Consciousness against the Progenitors in the First Progenitor War. The Data Angels provided their best special forces teams, the best on the planet, but after the early battles, the Progenitors proved too powerful. Cutting her losses, Roze pulled her forces from the fight and largely escaped the devastating battles that crushed the Cybernetic Consciousness's expeditionary force and the Peacekeepers colonies.
Description: Life for drones in the Human Hive is tough. The government controls most of their actions and limits their freedoms, they get the lowest level and quality of education possible, and they are treated as the worst class of citizens within their own colonies. Even though they outnumber their "masters" many times over, they are not treated with the respect they deserve. Unfortunately, most drones are not very intelligent and most do not mind their place in society, mainly because it provides them with a sense of security and safety they do not believe they would otherwise have. This has been true within the Human Hive for nearly two generations of colonists, but even within the first years after landing on Chiron, the government began using the drone level of society to dispose of political dissidents and unwanted population. One such group of citizens had a child named Alex Domai, an intelligent and charismatic individual who would have been permanently placed at a low level of Hive society because his parents had been black-listed by the government.
After only sixteen years of living under the conditions that the Human Hive callously placed on the drones, Domai knew that he had to change things. Quietly building support, both by leadership and manipulation, Domai spent the next ten years of his life preparing for his revolution. Eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a drone in the Human Hive, the rank of Foreman, Domai led his revolution in nearly every city within the faction. Riots ripped through the street and before the military or police could respond with Nerve Staples, Domai's supporters had disabled the implants that all drones were forced to have. Although successful in a large number of cities, Domai's revolution was not as complete as he had hoped for and a large number of his supporters were quickly crushed under the mobilizing police and military. Although unable to overthrow the government or capture most of the key cities in the Human Hive, Domai was able to liberate the drones in a number of cities, and with some of the local soldiers joining his side, Domai had a small military force to hold off the Human Hive, still recovering from the damage that Domai's revolution had caused.
Getting immediate support from Deirdre Skye and her faction, Foreman Domai declared the existence of the Free Drones faction. The new faction quickly built an industrial machine and began construction on a military force that they hoped would forever ensure their survival from the Human Hive. Unfortunately, the wanton pollution that the Free Drone faction created quickly alienated Deirdre Skye, who withdrew her support from the Free Drones after only a few years of trying to convince the Free Drones to change their ways.
As the decades passed, the Free Drones have fought several major wars and engaged in almost constant border skirmishers with the Human Hive faction. Expanding to cover a large section of their continent, the Free Drones became an industrial powerhouse unmatched by any other faction. The Free Drones are also a thorn in almost all of the other factions as they will readily except into their ranks any group of drones that overthrows their local government. The rebellions are almost always short-lived and result in the deaths of many drones, but it has led to the Free Drones having colonies on almost all of the continents, bring their industrial power everywhere.
Description: Deirdre Skye had always been a practical environmentalist. She knew that there was little chance to completely avoid damaging the planet's ecology, at least in the short term, but she was determined to avoid the near-permanent damage that Humans had caused on Earth. As she watched the breakdown of order on the SS Unity, she was thrust into a position of leadership over a fair number of like-minded colonists. Although the first few years on Chiron were tough for the Gaians, they eventually found a way to co-exist with the planet, producing just enough pollution that the planet could absorb it harmlessly. In the process, the Gaians became experts on Chrion's strange life forms and were the first to discover a way to capture, control, and breed, the Mind Worms. Using them at first for exploration, the Gaians came into contact with a large number of independent colonies and established a high level of trade with the ones that were willing to accept the Gaians' close relationship with the deadly Mind Worms. Unfortunately, soon after discovering an incredibly fertile region known as the Monsoon Jungle, establishing outposts, and laying the foundations for a number of new colonies, the Gaians encountered the aggressive Human Hive faction. The first battles turned into slaughters and the mostly unarmed Gaians were forced to flee from the vicious and relentless Hive soldiers. Now the Mind Worms were given a new task: war.
Using the Mind Worms as soldiers allowed the Gaians to quickly push back the Hive soldiers and win the short war, but it also set into motion a terrible series of events. Pushed to the limits of their sanity by the constant exposure to the Mind Worms and the early methods of controlling them, many of the soldiers came to look at the Mind Worms and the planet itself as gods. Many of the colonists began to feel the same way and cults began springing up everywhere in the faction. Not wanting to interfere in the lives of individual members, Deirdre Skye could do nothing but caution her high command not to take violent action against the cultists. This proved a terrible idea when the discovery a young boy named Cha Dawn led to the defection of a massive number of colonists and almost the entire elite Mind Worm corps. A few months later, the Cult of Planet faction was born and a thorn grew in the side of the Gaians forever.
Although able to conceal their military disadvantage until they had time to rebuild, the Gaians had lost a number of highly skilled researchers to the Cult of Planet and was forced to trade technology and information with the University of Planet to maintain its edge against the Human Hive. Although the agreement with the University broke down a few years later, it did buy the Gaians the time they needed to recuperate after the creation of the Cult of Planet. It also allowed the Gaians to come to the aid of Foreman Domai when he led his revolution against the Human Hive. Although the wanton destruction and pollution that the Free Drones visited upon the planet eventually caused the Gaians to withdraw their support, the Human Hive was vastly weakened, which was worth almost any price.
Unfortunately for the peace loving faction, peace never came to the Gaians' part of the world; the near-constant raids by the Cult of Planet and the massive war against the Human Hive had left many of the Gaians bitter and resentful of their place in the world. Although none would ever reverse the environmental policies of Deirdre Skye, several members of her own council are questioning the pacifistic policies that are almost as ingrained as the environmental ones. However, even by the present time, the Gaians have not decided whether to become more aggressive or not, although they continue to maintain a large defensive military, based around both conventional forces and native life forms. If the Gaians ever decide to adopt a more aggressive stance they will be lend their support to any campaign against the Progenitors and will probably begin to recapture territory lost over the years to the Cult of Planet.
Description: The most restrictive and oppressive of all the factions, the Human Hive has strict guidelines on every aspect daily life and uses the military and a powerful police force to ensure full compliance with the law. Formed in the first days after landing on Chiron by the SS Unity's Executive Officer, Sheng-ji Yang, the Human Hive quickly became a bastion of hope on a hostile planet. The Human Hive had managed to retain control of a large amount of supplies from the SS Unity and they were in an excellent position to establish new outposts and colonies on the section of the planet where they landed. Unfortunately, Sheng-ji Yang used his position as leader of the Human Hive to put into practice how be thought a society should be formed. An elite group was formed to lead and direct all aspects of society, from education to the economy and even to entertainment. Although it has some similarities to a communist state, it is quite different, with a powerful command economy and a real currency. Unfortunately, the largest portion of the economy is completely controlled by the Hive's massive military complex.
During the first years on Chiron, many looked to the Human Hive as a savior. It was led by someone that many of the colonists recognized as the true leader of the mission after the captain died, and it provided an organized sanctuary against the chaos and hard life that the colonists experienced on the planet. However, most people quickly learned that the authoritarian-style government of the Human Hive was very brutal and it was never to be crossed or disobeyed.
Expanding rapidly across the continent it was on, the Human Hive discovered a nutrient rich section of the planet that they dubbed the Monsoon Jungle. It was a vast field of fertile plants and soil, out of place among the sparse vegetation of Chiron. The region was perfect for Human colonies and Sheng-ji Yang wanted the entire area for his faction. Unfortunately, Gaia's Stepdaughters, under the leadership of Deirdre Skye, had also discovered the fertile region and was already establishing outposts that would form the basis of the colonies that would come to the region. With orders to take the Monsoon Jungle for the Human Hive, Yang's soldiers opened fire on the Gaians' outposts, slaughtering hundreds of unarmed civilians. The conflict quickly came to the attention of Deirdre Skye, who directed her small army, led by an elite group of soldiers controlling a number of Mind Worm boils, against the attacking soldiers. Unprepared to face a combined group of Human soldiers and Mind Worms, the Hive soldiers broke in battle after battle, and as the Hive fell back, the Gaians continued to advance, capturing several colonies in the process. By the time Sheng-ji Yang was willing to sue for peace, the Human Hive was half of its original size, and there were a large number of displaced colonists and soldiers clogging most of the remaining colonies.
The Human Hive's struggle to regain its former position on its continent took an even worse turn when a massive uprising among its huge drone population led to the creation of the Free Drones faction in the middle of its territory. This uprising was quickly followed by a series of crushing raids by a breakaway faction from the Gaians, the Cult of Planet. Sheng-ji Yang nearly drove what remained of his shattered faction to the ground with his efforts to recreate the momentum the Human Hive had had in the first years after landing on Chiron. It took another two decades and although nearly bankrupt, the Human Hive once again had a large military and the will to use it. Beginning the largest and longest war in the planet's short history, the Human Hive fought against the Gaians, the Cult of Planet, and the Free Drones in an effort to subjugate them all and lay claim to the entire continent. Unfortunately, the other three factions proved too powerful and although nearly all of the independent colonies were engulfed during the two decades to war, none of the other factions were destroyed.
Sheng-ji Yang's ambitions thwarted once again, he used the decades following the war to once again increase his military might. He formed a secret alliance with the University of Planet and began receiving technology and money in exchange for constructing weapons, vehicles, and ships for the University, helping them circumvent the restrictions placed on them by the Nautilus Pirates. Although his plans were delayed by the sudden and unforeseen arrival of the Progenitors, Sheng-ji Yang will soon lead his faction in another war against his neighbors; and this time he may have the military capacity to defeat them all.
Description: After the colonists arrived on Chiron, people were spread across the planet, without any means of contacting each other. So groups of colonists that found each other banded together and used what supplies they had with them or they had recovered from pods dropped by the colony ship during its descent to build small outposts. These outposts provided protection from Chiron's often hostile environment, but it also provided a sense of community to the beleaguered colonists. As the main colonist factions expanded and grew, they came into contact with these independent colonies and most times these colonies were absorbed by the larger and more powerful factions, but many independent colonies enjoyed their independence. While an independent colony might share the same ideology as a nearby faction, many still wished to remain separate from the politics that govern that particular faction.
During times of war, the independent colonies often become targets. If a colony supported one faction in any way, then the enemies of that faction saw the independent colony as a legitimate target for occupation. In this way, the number of independent colonies has steadily decreased since the first years after arriving on Chiron. This is especially true after the arrival of the Progenitor aliens, which indiscriminately attacked and destroyed Human colonies. Many independent colonies sought protection by joining with the larger colonies, but there still remained a large number of independents even after the arrival of the aliens, although that number continues to decrease with each passing year as independents get destroyed, occupied, or join one of the larger factions.
Although fiercely independent in regards to local control, the independents are also the only group on Chiron that fully comply with the orders of the Planetary Governor. The independents do not have enough sway on the council to nominate one of their own leaders, and they are not united behind a single leader either, but they do fully recognize the leadership of the Planetary Governor. This provides the Planetary Governor with a faint air of legitimacy as they can accurately claim to govern the faction they come from, the allies of that faction, and the independent colonies on Chiron.
Description: A devout christian, Sister Miriam Godwinson does not believe in science or the promise it claims to hold for the future; she only reluctantly agreed to join the Unity mission as the chief chaplain at the request of the United Nations. When the mission started to fall apart and the Unity's captain was assassinated, she took it as proof of the failure of science and convinced many colonists to follow her. After landing, Sister Miriam established firm control over her faction, forcing strict religious beliefs on her followers, but also pursuing a very aggressive posture against the "heretics" that surrounded her oasis of peace, or at least that is how she saw the current situation. Expanding quickly over her continent, Sister Miriam ran into another aggressive faction, the Spartan Federation, and a series of border skirmishes quickly ensued. As the two factions tried to out-expand each other over the course of months, they spread across their continent like a fast moving disease, overextending their lines of supply in efforts to cut off the other's. Although a war never started during the first decades of expansion, tensions were always high, and border skirmishes and even deep raids were a command occurance.
It was not until 86 AL that a war finally broke out between the two factions. Sister Miriam, from her main colony on a high plateau known as the Sunny Mesa, had established detailed plans for an invasion on the Spartan Federation through an uninhabited region known as the Great Dunes. The invasion plan worked perfectly, but Sister Miriam underestimated the strength of the Spartan military and while her invasion force conquered several critical colonies, the Spartan Federation was able to slow down the advance of that army while simultaneously launching its own invasion across the huge border that separated the two factions. Through better planning and better technology, the Spartans were able to cut off and then destroy the Believer's invasion force. What followed was a furious advance by the Spartan's army and air force. Rolling over the Believer's remaining forces, the Spartans swallowed colony after colony, leaving only the core of the Believer's colonies, those in and around the Sunny Mesa for last. At the last moment, as the Spartans were preparing for their final offensive, the UN Peacekeepers and Morgan Industries intervened and threatened to cut off all economic trade to the Spartan Federation, forcing them to stop their invasion.
Promising to pay crippling reparations and never again build an air force or a large military, the Believers entered into a period of extended civil unrest and disorder. There was much talk of replacing Sister Miriam, and there were several attempts on her life, but she managed she remain in power through sheer force of will and determination. She could do nothing about the past war, but she could prepare for the next one.
Fortunately, having won the war, the Spartans did not seem too concerned with the Believers afterwards. Sister Miriam stopped paying the reparations in 97 AL, only five years after the war ended, and started building a small, but highly skilled army and air force in 102 AL. What Sister Miriam would have done next is open to speculation, because the arrival of the Progenitors changed her plans entirely. Seeing a world without friends and presented with the opportunity to spread her religion to a new race, Sister Miriam dedicated the few research facilities she had left to studying the aliens and their technology. Even after the initial disasters involving Morgan Industries and the aliens, the Believer's did not stop their research and eventually they received a huge windfall. A Progenitor, having been exiled from his race for crimes he committed, was discovered by a scouting mission from the Believers and he decided to join them; it was certainly better then starving in the wilderness. Within a few short years, the Believers had made huge strides in understanding the Progenitor's strange technology and had built a device that allowed it to communicate with the exiled Progenitor.
Using their extensive knowledge of the Progenitors, the Believers sent a delegation to one of the Progenitor factions with their translation devices. Attacked on sight, the Believers had only a few minutes to activate the translator or be killed by the Progenitors. Fortunately, the translator worked and a dialogue was established between the delegation and a group of Progenitors under the control of Conqueror Marr, the Progenitor's translated title and name. The delegation eventually expanded into a large embassy and then into a formal, but secret, alliance between the two powers. Sister Miriam had gained the powerful ally that she sought after her defeat at the hands of the Spartan Federation, and Conqueror Marr had gained the pawn that he needed to begin his offensive against the Human plague that had occupied Chiron while his race was absent.
Although still in the infant stages, the alliance between the Lord's Believers and the Progenitors has already had a profound affect on both groups. The Believers have access to highly advanced and different technology that should overwhelm the Spartan Federation, at least initially, and they have reacquired the high level of confidence they possessed on the eve of their near-fatal war with the Spartans. On his end, Conqueror Marr has gained a useful pawn and has learned infinitely more about the Humans then his Progenitor enemy. In fact, Sister Miriam is the only faction leader that knows that the Progenitors are in fact two warring groups, a very important detail that is a closely guarded secret
Description: Recreating the conditions of several nations on Earth at the time of the colony mission's departure, CEO Nwabudike Morgan and his corporation, Morgan Industries, took control of a number of colonists immediately after landing on Chiron. Although only a few colonists lived under the control the control of a transnational on Earth, they had mostly good memories of the experience and they convinced their fellow colonists to welcome Morgan Industries. Within a few short years, the hardworking and dedicated corporation had brought wealth to the colonists, which brought about a flood of refugees to the colonies controlled by Morgan Industries. In the process of receiving and processing these refugees, Morgan Industries also became the first Human faction to be attacked by the Mind Worms. They overwhelmed one of the processing centers that the Morganites had established and slaughtered hundreds of desperate and homeless colonists. Theses attacks spurred Morgan Industries to create a real military force, which they had been reluctant to do as they felt it was a waste of money. Only a few months later, the Morgan Security Force was retasked with not just securing the colonies and Morgan Industries' facilities, but with finding and destroying the Mind Worms and clearing away the Xenofungus.
Although it is a benevolent corporation to its own colonists, Morgan Industries projected a very different face to the other factions, especially through the Morgan Foreign Affairs Bureau. Determined to expand into every other factions and dominating their markets at all costs, Morgan Industries was aggressive, fiercely competitive, and disrespectful to those that didn't allow for complete free market competition in their factions, although Morgan Industries always tried to crush competition within their own faction. To meet their goals, Morgan Industries dealt and traded with everyone, from faction leaders and governments to criminal organizations and rebels, no matter how vile. With the promise of opening markets and allowing Morgan Industries into a faction, the company would pour billions of credits into projects and revolutionary causes. For simply the promise of competing with government controlled research labs in the University of Planet faction, a promise that was not delivered upon, Morgan Industries poured 36 billion credits into the creation of a planetary network that connected almost all of the colonists together for the first time since landing on the planet.
Although Morgan Industries tries to remain neutral in most conflicts, it maintains a powerful and a large intelligence community. They established spy networks in all of the existing Human factions and had networks in several of the independent colonies as well. Unfortunately, in a single night, a huge portion of their intelligence community defected under the leadership of Sinder Roze, a high ranking manager in the intelligence agencies. Sinder Roze led the traitors to a group of independent colonists where she formed the Data Angels faction. Although many in the Morgan Security Force wanted to immediately attack the new faction, cooler heads prevailed, especially since Roze had threatened to reveal all of the corporation's secrets to the other factions. The only time that Morgan Industries did use its considerable economic resources to intervene in a conflict was in the war between the Lord's Believers and the Spartan Federation. Along with the UN Peacekeepers, the Morganites were able to convince the Spartans to not completely destroy the Believers with the threat that both factions would completely sever economic ties with the Spartans, an act that the Spartans could not have survived without considerable difficulty and economic chaos. Unfortunately, to gain the support of the Morganites, the UN Peacekeepers had to give Morgan Industries control over a rich field of resources they had named the Uranium Fields, a location that is now being strip-mined by the Morgan Mining Bureau.
With their people content and their economy second to none, the Morganites have little to fear, at least until the Progenitors arrived. Their arrival was at first believed to be a new opportunity for growth; new markets that had never been exposed to Morgan Industries and trade agreements could be worth trillions of credits if Morgan Industries could acquire exclusive agreements. Unfortunately, their plans did not work out as well and their first diplomatic and trade convoy was brutally slaughtered by the aliens. On top of this, the increased alien activity has been especially bad for the colonies controlled by Morgan Industries, they seem to be targeted while most of their neighbors go unharmed. Due to this changed situation, Morgan Industries is taking a more active role, or at least a more public role, in world politics and is pushing new initiatives and measures that would unite the Humans against the Progenitors and possibly even against the planet itself. So far, support has been the weakest for its strong measures against the planet, but the measures against the Progenitors have received the support of the current Planetary Governor, Corazon Santiago.
Description: Ulrik Svensgaard had always loved the ocean, as a child he had wanted to become a sailor and had fantasized about living on the ocean forever. He joined the United Nations Space Command and joined the colony mission for the sole purpose of sailing on a distant sea, completely untouched by human hands before the colonist's arrival. The disaster that befell the colony mission just before arriving on Chiron did not faze Svensgaard too much. He was always a charismatic and charming person and had instilled his vision in many other colonists and especially among the regular crew of the Unity. When the escape pods were leaving the dieing ship, Svensgaard and his supporters had control over several pods and purposely steered them towards a shallow sea on the surface of the planet.
The first years were difficult for Svensgaard and his followers. They lacked much of the technology that they would need to survive on the oceans of the planet, but they were quick to learn and quickly adapted to their new situation, even the appearance of the ocean dwelling Mind Worms, the Sea Lurks and the Isles of the Deep did not phase the happily self-titled Nautilus Pirates. Although they did not attack or steal like normal pirates, they did live on the water or in hidden coves on deserted islands away from the other Human factions. In fact, it was not until 26 AL, when the University of Planet activated its primitive planetary network, that the Nautilus Pirates communicated with any other Humans outside of their own faction and the few refugees that they had encountered over the years. Concentrated in strategic areas throughout the world, the Nautilus Pirates became the primary method of trade between the other factions, which brought great wealth and power to the burgeoning faction. Unfortunately, other Human factions soon looked to the Nautilus Pirates as potential allies and enemies, and the faction became embroiled in several diplomatic plots, which prompted Svensgaard to withdraw from many of the activities that his faction had been engaged in. One of the worst incidents involved the University of Planet, which was caught trying to steal some of the Pirate's research for their own use.
Holding a grudge for a long time is easy for those undergoing life extension treatments and Svensgaard never forgave the University for their attempted espionage. Always looking for a chance to hurt the University, short of engaging in actual battles and war, the Nautilus Pirates became more like their namesake and engaged in random acts of piracy against shipping to or from the University of Planet faction. It was during this time that the Pirates were contacted by devout followers of the captive hybrid Human / Artificial Intelligence named Aki Zeta-5. The followers wanted help from the Nautilus Pirates to escape from the University after they released Aki Zeta-5. Unfortunately, the followers numbered in the tens of thousands and required a huge flotilla of ships to cross the oceans to the place they selected for their new home. Although reluctant, Svensgaard agreed to help them and in 81 AL, the Pirates helped deliver nearly 80,000 people from the University's territory across the ocean to an uninhabited corner of a different continent.
The Pirate's support of the new Cybernetic Consciousness would only worsen the weak relationship between them and the University, which culminated during a war between the University of Planet and the Cybernetic Consciousness in 138 AL. As the war progressed, it became apparent that the relatively weak Cybernetic faction would be crushed by the University, so the Nautilus Pirates intervened on behalf of the Cybernetic faction. During a series of naval conflicts, the Pirates sank the University's entire combat navy, even destroying their coastal defense ships that were not even involved in the conflict. After the ships were destroyed or captured, the Pirates proceeded to capture all of the University's floating colonies and wreck all of their land-based naval bases and dry dock facilities. The Pirates victory was so complete, the University did not have the means, let alone the will, to continue the war and agreed to a peace deal soon afterwards. As part of the agreement, the University of Planet swore to never again build a navy, although they quickly found a loophole in the agreement and began purchasing naval ships from the Human Hive.
With the war behind them, the Nautilus Pirates once again tried to distance themselves from the political affairs of the other factions, even their allies the Cybernetic Consciousness. Their reluctance to become involved led to the disastrous and one-sided war fought by the Peacekeepers, the Data Angels, and the Cybernetic Consciousness against the Progenitors in 148 AL. Had the Nautilus Pirates been involved, they could have sank the sea bases used by the Progenitors easily, saving hundreds of thousands of Human lives in the Peacekeepers' colonies. Devastated at the realization of what their inaction had caused, the Nautilus Pirates have decided to rejoin international affairs and has openly pledged to the Spartan Federation to support any future conflict against the Progenitors, even if it means working alongside the University of Planet.
Description: Since the disastrous landing of the colonists, there has been an uncounted number of former colonists that have taken to roaming Chiron. These nomads, as they prefer to be called, live in self-sufficient and tight knit groups that travel in groups of rovers across the countryside. The average population of one of these bands is usually between 10 and 50. The nomads often travel between the cities and colonies of the other factions and trade goods between them. During the early years after landing on Chiron, the nomads were among the most reliable methods of communication and trade available, but as the factions have expanded across the planet, the nomads have been pushed further and further away. Although most factions recognize the neutrality of the nomads, there have been increasing reports that certain factions, including the Human Hive, have been taking a dim view on nomads that journey freely between their territory and the territory of their enemies.
After the arrival of the Progenitors, the nomadic way of life seemed about to end. The Progenitors attacked any Humans that entered into their claimed territory and entire bands of nomads disappeared without a trace. But that seems to have stopped within the last ten to twenty years. There are rumors that the nomads that frequent the aliens have learned how to speak their language with the help of special devices, but so far nothing has been proven. One of the greatest benefits of the nomads is their acceptance of outsiders that choose to leave their former lives and join them. Although new members of a nomad group go through a trial period, those that prove to be loyal to the band and not to their former faction are welcomed freely into the band and are treated as equals. The nomads also have an interesting relationship with the native life forms of Chiron. Most nomads have no love for the mind worms, but at the same time, a number of nomad bands use mind worms to protect their families from other mind worms.
Description: As head of security onboard the SS Unity, Colonel Corazon Santiago felt personally responsible for the captain's assassination. She felt that there should have been more that she could have done to prevent the assassin from killing her captain and then escaping. Although she never did find out who the assassin was, she became determined that the colonists that looked to her for leadership were well defended. To this end, Colonel Corazon Santiago formed the Spartan Federation within a year of landing on Chiron. Gathering all of the military equipment she could find, she quickly organized a defense force to protect the colonists from any outside aggressor. She realized that the other faction leaders were too strong willed to join together and without that kind of unity among the factions it was only a matter of time before war broke out, and she was determined to never be on the losing side of such a war. In her honest moments she realized that she was also one of the faction leaders that would never allow another leader to control the colonists under her protection, but most days she never thought of it in that light. With a powerful military already established, the sudden attacks by the Mind Worms did far less damage to the Spartans then the other Human factions, but they placed a fresh reminder in Santiago's mind that the world was a dangerous place and that only the strongest would survive.
The next step for the Spartan Federation was rapid expansion and the establishment of more colonies to house the increasing number of colonists that were streaming into the Spartan Federation. Unfortunately, in the process of establishing new colonies, the Spartans encountered the highly aggressive Lord's Believers under the control of Sister Miriam Godwinson. Not wanting to be bordered by a more powerful faction that Santiago viewed as dangerously unstable and aggressive, the Spartans tried to out-expand the Believers. Colonists from both factions spread across the continent trying to out-maneuver each other and take control of the more prized locations on the planet. A large number of border skirmishes were fought between the two factions during the decades of expansion, but no major wars were fought.
Unfortunately, once the entire continent was under the control of the two competing factions, Santiago knew that it was only a matter of time before conflict between the evenly matched factions escalated into war. The Spartans prepared for this eventuality by securing the long border between the two factions and building a large and highly mobile military force to respond to any action by the Believers. Unfortunately, the Spartans did not believe that the Believers would attack through the desolate region known as the Great Dunes, which was exactly the path chosen by the Believers when the war began in 86 AL.
The war initially went bad for the Spartans, as the direction Believers' attack was unexpected. Several important colonies and production facilities were seized, but the Spartans quickly rallied and a great militia was formed to slow down and eventually stop the Believers. While the militia delayed the Believers' army, the main Spartan army and air force surged across the border into the heart of their enemy's territory. The Believers had counted on the army to withdraw from the border to try to stop the invasion force and were unprepared for the quick counterattack. The border regions fell almost instantly, and whole sections of the faction's territory were cut off by the rapidly advancing Spartan army. The Spartans systematically cut off the support lines to the Believers' invasion force, which eventually had to surrender from lack of supplies. The final phase of the invasion was to be an assault on the true core of the Believer's territory, the colonies on and around the Sunny Mesa. Unfortunately, the UN Peacekeepers and Morgan Industries did not want to see one of the Human factions destroyed in such a manner and interfered in the hours just before the final invasion was to be launched. The two factions threatened to cease all trade with the Spartan Federation. The faction, already crippled from the six years of war and the large number of colonists that had been pulled from the economy to serve in the military, would have been economically decimated. Reluctantly, the Spartans canceled their invasion and ended the war, forcing the Believers to agree to pay huge reparations and to agree to never field an air force or a large army again.
With the war over and its one external threat eliminated, the Spartan Federation turned to internal matters: the administration of many new colonies filled with hostile people, the recovery of their own crippled economy, and surveying the large new territory that they had taken from the Lord's Believers. This process would take decades to complete and the arrival of the Progenitors forced the Spartans to being fielding armies on other continents to secure their interests abroad, slowing down the process even more. Scouting their new territory led to the discovery of a strange artifact that the Believers had discovered decades earlier, but had ignored. The Nexus, as it became known in the Spartan Federation, was a very strange device, very different from the other alien artifacts discovered scattered across the planet. The Nexus appeared to be a type of communication and control center and it seemed to provide very limited control over the planet's Xenofungus and native life forms. With an agreement formed with the University of Planet, the Spartans began to research the strange facility and in the process became much closer to the planet's alien intelligence then any of the other Human factions, aside from the Cult of Planet and Gaia's Stepdaughters.
Their relationship with the planet notwithstanding, the Spartans remained virtually unchanged. They continue to support a very strong military, but instead of focusing on the recovering Lord's Believers, the Spartans are focused on what they think is the planet's biggest danger, the Progenitors. Although they refused to get involved with the Peacekeepers foolish assault on the Progenitors in 148 AL, they remain the primary Human factions in favor of destroying the Progenitors before they become too strong. In fact, following that war, the Spartan Federation is easily the most powerful of the Human factions and would be the leader in any future war against the Progenitors, especially since Colonel Corazon Santiago is the current Planetary Governor.
Description: Pravin Lal watched the Unity's captain die in the ship's sick bay and we watched the colony mission die hours later. He remains the only faction that is truly dedicated to upholding the mandate that the United Nations gave the colonists when they was left Earth. As such, he gained the most support from the colonists when the Unity was abandoned. In the first years after landing on Chiron, Pravin Lal became the leader of the United Nation Peacekeepers, a term used by the early colonists and adopted officially by Commissioner Lal in 10 AL. With the support of Morgan Industries and the University of Planet, Commissioner Lal established the Planetary Governor's office and was elected to the position once contact was established with the other faction leaders and the majority of the independent colonies. Constantly working to improve relations between the other faction leaders, Commissioner Lal spends most of his time in fruitless discussions, but in the process he created a network of allies and associates in almost all of the other factions, ensuring that while they may remain independent, none of the factions would seek to invade the Peacekeepers.
Meddling in foreign affairs is routine in the Peacekeepers' faction, but only once did Commissioner Lal threaten to use complete economic sanctions to try to end a war. When the Spartan Federation was on the verge of completely annihilating the Lord's Believers, he convinced Morgan Industries to back his threat of complete economic sanctions against the Spartans if they went ahead with their plans. The move worked and the Believers were not totally crushed, but it cost the Peacekeepers the valuable region known as the Uranium Fields. Giving the Uranium Fields to Morgan Industries was the price that Lal had to pay for their support.
After the arrival of the Progenitors, the Peacekeepers rapidly expanded their military in hopes of preventing the aliens from becoming a menace, but the lack of a consensus among the other leaders led to no decision being made, which allowed the Progenitors to secure their borders and begin expanding. It would not be until 148 AL that the Peacekeepers had the support of any of the Human factions to engage in a military assault on the Progenitors. Unfortunately, only the militarily weak Data Angels and Cybernetic Consciousness factions would join the Peacekeepers in the First Progenitor War. While Commissioner Lal had hoped the Spartans, the largest military force on the planet, would join their cause, the Peacekeepers entered the war virtually alone and against the advice of the Spartans. Although the element of surprise worked in the Humans' favor, the aliens superior technology eventually won out and the Peacekeepers were forced to retreat again and again.
Using mobile sea bases, the Progenitors were even able to begin a direct assault against the Peacekeepers colonies, bombing them mercilessly. Although the Progenitors eventually withdrew their float fotresses, the Peacekeepers were decimated, their military virtually destroyed, and their colonies reduced to rubble. The Data Angels and the Cybernetic Consciousness came out of the war much better, but still damaged and there was little they could do to help their one-time ally. Since the end of that war, only five years ago, the Spartan Federation has become more vocal about the use of military force against the Progenitors and it appears that Morgan Industries and the Nautilus Pirates are willing to support that option as well; too late to help the Peacekeepers in their shattered colonies.
Description: Research for the point of research was the unofficial motto of Dr. Prokhor Zakharov, the science officer on the SS Unity. Everyone knew his stance on research and knew that he ran a very tight science department. Little escaped his notice, and while he did not mind projects taking longer then originally planned, he was furious when he discovered people wasting time. He honed his leadership skills in many research facilities on Earth and simply extended those skills in the confined spaces of the SS Unity. Of all of the senior crew, Dr. Zakharov spent the least time sleeping during the trip to Chiron, always working and always conducting experiment after experiment. Unfortunately, after the captain was assassinated, he was one of the leading instigators of the breakdown in command on the ship. He had always felt that the projected timeline for the mission was wrong and spent too little emphasis on research, and he was not about to let an opportunity escape him. He yelled and fought tooth and nail for every resource that he could get and when it became apparent that the colony ship was going to break apart and the people were to scatter, he took control over as many scientists and engineers as he could get, as well as highly educated and trained colonists and was then the first to leave the ship. Using preliminary scans of Chiron, Dr. Zakharov had already chosen the site where he wanted to land and form his first colony, a region that he named the Garland Crater.
Using the crater as his main base of operations, Dr. Zakharov quickly expanded into the surrounding countryside before starting extensive educational programs for the colonists. He had established a number of private and public research facilities immediately upon landing and was quickly seeing the results of that research. When the Mind Worms attacked, the University of Planet, as Dr. Zakharov had named his facion, was one of the the most prepared, using only technological methods to protect his soldiers.
Time passed eventfully for the people of the University of Planet. There was not a time when a new technology was being announced, or a new theory being discovered, even if it was later disproved. However, money was always a problem for the government. With so much pouring into research, there was little left to spend on social programs or support programs for the colonists, even the military suffered. So it was not a surprise when they turned to the wealthy Morgan Industries to help build the planet's first primitive global network. Using only the airwaves, and without the support of satellites, the University was able to connect nearly all of the Humans on Chiron for the first time since landing on Chiron, 26 years earlier.
Always on the lookout for new technology, the University of Planet realized that the Nautilus Pirates had technology in areas that the University had barely touched, mainly in the exploitation of Chiron's oceans and seas. Since the Pirates were not willing to trade or make any sharing arrangements for their technology, the University resorted to espionage, a task they are not very good at. Their spies were quickly caught and the relationship between the two factions soured immiediately. The University would not know had bad that relationship was until the defection of the followers of Aki Zeta-5, which was supported by the Nautilus Pirates. Without an adequate navy, there was no way that the University could hope to challenge the Pirates on the water or regain their lost research that the newly formed Cybernetic Consciousness had taken with them.
Although not heavily involved in politics, for a very short time Dr. Zakharov was elected to the position of Planetary Governor. The one mark that occurred during his tenure was the arrival of the Progenitors. Although several factions had attempted to communicate with the Progenitors, all known attempts had failed miserably, forcing Dr. Zakharov to declare all Progenitor aliens to be the enemies of Humans in 104 AL. Following his proclamation, Dr. Zakharov did nothing against the aliens, he did not attempt to use the faction's anger against the Progenitors to unite the Humans against them, and he certainly did not attempt to pass any resolutions that would lead to actions against them. By the time his term ended, most of the anger had subsided and a golden opportunity to unite the Humans in a common cause had passed. That opportunity would never come again.
Life returned mostly to normal in the University faction, at least until Dr. Zakharov believed that he was ready to face the might of the Pirate's navy. Although not wanting to launch a first strike against the often reclusive faction, the University prepared for their involvement when they first launched their war against the Cybernetic Consciousness in 138 AL. Several early successes led Dr. Zakharov to believe that victory was at hand, but nothing prepared him for the sudden involvement of the Nautilus Pirates. Dr. Zakharov thought he knew how strong they were and how advanced their technology was, but his estimates were completely wrong. Within a few days of fighting, his invasion fleet, the only link between his main colonies and his army attacking the Cybernetic Consciousness, was destroyed. The Pirates did not stop there either, they sank all of the University's commercial shipping as well, and any other military vessel they could find, and they destroyed all of the University's naval bases and dry docks and then took control of all of the sea bases and sea colonies that the University had established. Dr. Zakharov was forced to sign a treaty promising to never build a navy and to never wage war on the Cybernetic Consciousness again. But there was a loophole. The treaty never said he could not control a navy, only that he could not build one. Finding an ally in the technologically backwards Human Hive faction, Dr. Zakharov traded advanced technologies and research for access to the Hive's extensive industrial capabilities and began purchasing a new fleet of skilled sailors.
With the renewed call for action against the Progenitors, Dr. Zakharov and the University of Planet are claiming that they support military action and have even begun to build a new army for the new war, but they have a very different motive. They intend to wait until the Nautilus Pirates, another firm supporter of a war against the Progenitors, deploy their fleets away from their colonies before they bring their own ships, built by the Human Hive, and their army against the colonies and bases of the Pirates. Destroying and disabling the Pirates would serve as revenge for Dr. Zakharov, but would only be the first act in a prolonged war that would include the invasion and the destruction of the Cybernetic Consciousness. Dr. Zakharov is even prepared and has already begun to divert resources away from research facilities towards the military, although some in his council question this move. Unfortunately, no member of his council realize the extent to which Dr. Zakharov has become driven by dreams of revenge against the Nautilus Pirates and the Cybernetic Consciousness, or are far he is prepared to go to see them destroyed, for nothing else will satisfy him. Deep within the military research facilities of the University of Planet, there is a design for a weapon not unlike the nuclear bombs built on Earth, but this weapon is even more powerful, and the scientists have recently been given orders by Dr. Zakharov to start building one.