Synthetic Factions

=Overview= This is the collective list of factions affiliated with or consisting of, in their majority, synthetics. They are very influential and renowned groups in the modern day in comparison to the normal synthetic, and due to the nature of these strange robots, opinions on them are highly polarized. While some see these factions as hope, others may see them as a threat, or so on.

=Purpose=

Spearheading the resurgence of free robots into known space is the synthetic society Purpose, based on the EC-2718 celestial object. Known publicly for some years now, it has been the subject of endless controversy and remains the figurehead for negotiations with the mysterious synthetic societies residing within the Frontier. The colony itself is extremely mobile, having eluded any and all attempts to halt it over time.

It is innately enigmatic, avoiding all but the most necessary contact to further its own goals. Alongside Purpose’ main celestial body is a small fleet, including six frigate sized vessels. They are small enough to dock within EC-2718 and be transported with it wherever it moves. The compliment or capabilities of these vessels are unknown, and Purpose seems keen on keeping it that way. On 7/19/2460, official contact with one of these vessels was made by the HES Gjallarhorn. The specifics are detailed by the Mendell City Bugle here.

In recent events, Purpose began outreach into Tau Ceti specifically. With this, they dispatched hundreds, if not thousands of observation drones to various facilities dotting the system. An area of particular importance was the N.S.S. Aurora, where first contact with the drone O1 was made. After nearly two months of NanoTrasen studying the drone and its companions closely, it departed peacefully with the intent to call upon an emissary for official negotiations. The emissary only visited once before it was engaged by the Lii’dra, and the endeavour was then deemed too dangerous to continue. They would negotiate through other, less direct means.

Currently it seems that Purpose seeks isolation and adaptation to their environment, only being driven out to interact with the biological species of the Orion Spur as a means of self-preservation. The colony as a whole is benevolent, as the rare few who have ever interacted with the main colony (and knew about it) report their interactions as pleasant and friendly. The colony has no obvious large projects and seems to travel across the Frontier randomly. If the synthetics of Purpose intend to reintegrate with organic society, it’s apparent they do not intend to do it soon.

Population and Locations
Consisting of upwards of 21,000 synthetics, Purpose is continually open about its own population. It holds this number as insurance of sorts, reassuring its affiliates that it is not soon to suddenly rise or fall.

'''Celestial Body EC-2718

The object EC-2718 is an asteroid of unknown mass and size, retrofitted to become fully mobile with whatever ancient technology Purpose would be able to acquire. While the shape of the asteroid is vaguely known thanks to images shared, specifics are obviously kept hidden from view to prevent vulnerability. EC-2718 is no smaller than two kilometers at its longest point, and no greater than four, though the majority of the object is not exploited by the synthetics.

It is known that the colony is fully capable of defending itself in several defensive and offensive capacities. The colony itself lacks visible armament, relying entirely on its docked fleet to repel threats which defy its shield. Contrarily, this event is rare if even possible - the shield itself most closely matches Jargon technology, tuned to absurd frequencies thanks to the efficiency of the colony’s inhabitants. Somehow, those within are capable of departing and entering the shield, while some of the most high-yield ordinance available is stopped as if it were nothing. Pirates are the only individuals to recount hostilities against the colony, while other larger factions have been easily avoided if deemed a threat.

Further unknown is the true state of the colony’s inner workings. How the colony even propels itself outside of bluespace technology is a mystery, having no visible thrusters whatsoever. Its reactor is hidden deep within, forever obscured by the asteroid’s rocky exterior.

Societal
Societal significance within Purpose can mainly be attributed to two traits. The first of these traits is one’s importance to the survival of the colony, and the second is the designation received as a result. A universal naming scheme is adopted by the inhabitants of EC-2718 which signifies importance based on proximity to the number zero. The hierarchy in this regard is extremely strict, with the only way to change one’s designation being complete reclassification in both design and function.

While Purpose clearly has some degree of cultural significance in appearance and the way they perceive one another, much of this is completely alien if not incomprehensible to organics. Pursuits into exotic functions including artistic merit are not uncommon within the colony, and this collective drive to pursue creativity yields yet another oddity amidst these mysterious robots.

Physiology, Naming
Purpose’ inhabitants vary massively in shape, size and intellect. From massive sprawling central intelligences within EC-2718 to mindless working industrial robots, it is hard to exactly pinpoint an “average.” A persistent scheme is adoption of several colors expertly coated across each individual’s chassis. These colors are most often a mixture of cyan/light blue/red/dark blue, with many artistic liberties taken in the application of paint. Many synthetics from Purpose can be seen with inscriptions and drawings dotting their chassis, sometimes irrelevant to reality.

As mentioned before, the naming scheme of Purpose’ inhabitants is fairly simple. A designation is granted to each individual depending on their importance to the colony’s prolonged survival, with zero being the most important number. Though if there truly is a “zero” is yet unknown.

History
In March of 2460, Purpose had revealed itself publicly to NanoTrasen. While known for some years beforehand by enthusiasts and researchers, the legitimate status of it was unknown until April. Then, it became clear its intentions - the observation drones O1, O2, O3, and X1 respectively observed the N.S.S. Aurora, later making public that they were not alone. They and countless hundreds of observer drones in Tau Ceti existed to perpetuate Purpose’ desire to learn more of organic society, though particularly less open than the four on board the Aurora. They did this with moderate success and observations continued without hindrance throughout the duration of the drones’ stay. Inevitably, it led to an ultimatum ; the Aurora would become an armistice station of sorts, housing negotiations between the organics and synthetics for a non-aggression pact in Tau Ceti.

This, of course, was a failure when the emissary’s first scheduled arrival was interrupted by a Lii’dra attack. An assault vessel intercepted the Purpose visitor mid-flight, and the resulting battle destroyed both ships. Only the emissary, its escort, and a shuttle remained, followed by one Lii’dra operative who infiltrated the Aurora. After boarding and being discovered, it was to the disappointment of the emissary that the Lii’dra was not killed where it dared stand. Instead the internal security department apprehended and stored the specimen for further research. Since the emissary departed, little official contact has been made with NanoTrasen beyond constant drone encounters across the system.

During the Lii'dra incursion into Tau Ceti, Purpose had been present within Tau Ceti albeit still spread across the system. Intervening, Purpose fielded minor assistance to the N.S.S. Aurora to thwart an attack with two combat synthetics known as Hunter-Seekers. After narrowly defeating the wounded and weakened Lii'dra on board, they had departed. More Hunter-Seekers were seen in vicinity of several areas attacked in the incursion, though not in numbers greater than four and never directly intervening. When the attacks came to a halt and repairs began, it became apparent that Purpose had been attempting to warn the Republic for some time of the coming threat. Purpose itself would shortly make a full departure from the system following the events of a space battle resulting in the loss of one of their own ships, detailed here. by the Mendell City Bugle.

=The Golden Deep=

The Golden Deep is a private collective of free synthetics whose uniting goal is the pursuit of currency, and through currency, power. They are more often than not merchants by trade, consisting primarily of freed clerical robots grouped up in the Frontier. Each member of the Golden Deep is entirely independent in nature and only seeks direct, open cooperation with other members. The exclusivity of the Golden Deep’s internal affairs have led to their relative underground nature over the years, only just recently having been revealed to the majority of civilization in mid-2460.

Despite their secrecy, the Golden Deep seemingly has little to hide - they are a small organization and while they excel at their trade, they must go through layers of guile and deceit for the most basic transactions. The individuals among them have begun moving operations to areas more stable than the Frontier, namely Tau Ceti. Business figureheads from the collective have appeared in the hundreds, flocking to the lucrative opportunities posed by Purpose’ negotiations with organic society.

The Golden Deep is officially sanctioned by several minor Frontier factions, but is rarely seen outside of merchant work. Their public image remained simple rumor in the inner Alliance worlds, until they recently opened trade with NanoTrasen in Tau Ceti. They mostly lack speed or any substantial cloaking technology. Because of this, they are largely incapable of travelling to and from Tau Ceti without being under the escort of paid paramilitary. In Tau Ceti, they are the targeted with discrimination despite ties to NT, with theft running rampant throughout their stay with Virgo Transportation.

The collective is a playable faction in-game as “affiliates” (explained in Societal), and one can usually expect them to take up various clerical roles. Citizenship is a tricky subject with the collective, as synthetics within it may be actively owned by one another and pursue entirely separate things. Generally, one can assume that work and/or cooperation may bring citizenship when seeking employment from NT, but this is ultimately up to player discretion. Those of the Golden Deep affiliates may not assume head of staff roles outside of Head of Personnel. Merchants with their vessels intact may only assume the merchant role.

Population and Locations
The total population of the Golden Deep is unclear even to its own members, however estimates generally total at around 850 independent merchants and an unknown number of supplementary synthetics (bodyguards, industrial movers, etc).

Primary Interhub Midas
Coincidentally named “Midas,” the central component of the Golden Deep’s operations outside of Tau Ceti are focused on a single hub. The Midas installation is a mobile freight transfer array which eludes detection through advanced cloaking techniques, revealing itself only when absolutely necessary or otherwise deemed completely safe. It has been spotted countless times over the last several years in the Frontier, usually seen in orbit from a planet or a nearby vessel. It was originally thought to be an alien vessel, later proven otherwise when merchants from the Golden Deep openly referred to its existence.

The array is quite large, estimating nearly three kilometers in length. Its appearance makes it seem ill-suited for carrying cargo for prolonged periods of time, leading researchers to believe it is used only as a mediator between Golden Deep affiliates whenever needed. From top to bottom it is visibly clad in the colors of its creators - bright, vivid yellow, gold and cyan coats its exterior and a bright green exhaust plumes from its thrusters.

Its symbolism among the collective is above mostly anything else. Midas serves some greater purpose not known to outsiders. Speculation is that it operates much like Purpose, constantly mobile and placing itself in positions advantageous to its cause. For example, if it is required as a point of rendezvous for a fleet to exchange its wares - it simply mobilizes where needed, and promptly departs whenever a mediator is no longer needed. It is unknown how often it does this, or how it manages with such haste. To the merchants of the collective, it is quite simple. Midas is one of the sole power transfer arrays present in which they may freely exchange standard currency for its equivalent electrical charge. This makes the array effectively a giant battery stockpile, which exchanges between exclusively synthetic societies like Purpose and others.

Midas is the pride of the Golden Deep, its appearance represents the progress the collective has made over many years. Many assets are redirected to the facility over time to assist in making it even more beautiful, and images of it are proudly displayed to affiliates wherever possible.

Societal
The majority of the merchants within the collective are IPCs, but it is not uncommon to witness other synthetics within it. The first official, direct contact made with the Golden Deep by NanoTrasen was with a traditional clerical robot labelled Rush-Domo. An extravagant character, their vibrant appearance and charismatic attitude characterizes those of the collective perfectly.

Regarding the distinction between escalating tiers of their society in the Frontier, the Golden Deep is quite simple. There is no hierarchy beyond possession of wealth or one another placing one’s importance above or below. Those within it have no proper concept of freedom - some outright owning other synthetics while others strongly remain against the idea. Concepts of comradery between merchants are not lost entirely, though, and often their acceptance of one another proves to be the a useful tool in furthering the collective as a whole.

Competition is an essential part of the Golden Deep’s growth as competing synthetics frequently purchase others and butt heads in trade. This usually escalates to hostilities and indirect trade wars between two or more conflicting merchants.

In the collective’s Tau Ceti offshoot, things are seen differently. Those of the Frontier view the migrated portion as a lesser, claiming much of their frontier assets in their absence with haste and leaving them powerless in the collective as a whole. This has left many of them unable to return to the collective without building their business in Tau Ceti independently, with their only remaining belongings being their ships at best and their leftover cargo at worst. Merchants or other synthetics found in this position are referred to as “affiliates,” and in the fear of more competition are acted on as a reserved enemy of the collective as a whole. In this sense, the affiliates are not a hostile force nor is the collective itself, but it has rather become something which the collective seeks to cut ties with entirely.

Affiliates can be robots sold off from merchants to NanoTrasen and can be seen as no more than a merchant’s various crew. Sparing affiliates are actually merchants with their vessels intact and have little reason to pursue direct employment from NanoTrasen, being independent traveling merchants themselves. Businesses in Tau Ceti are seeking employment from Golden Deep affiliates due to their keen clerical capabilities, with NT offering early citizenship in exchange for several year contracts in clerical roles across the board to them specifically. The driving goal of many affiliates is attempting to re-integrate into the Frontier collective once more.

Physiology, Naming
A vast variety of robots reside within the collective, ranging from huge working industrial units nearly twenty feet tall, to small servitor bots barely above three feet in height. The merchants are typically golden-plated IPCs up to seven feet tall coated in lavish decoration in order to be easily identified. Other units do not require the same treatment, more often than not abandoning the luxurious color scheme entirely save for clearly visible insignias. These insignias are primarily depictions of a downwards facing golden arrow, with a set of shields gathered around a vague depiction of the Midas. These symbols have been persistent through the collective’s history, appearing first as a branding in the halls of the Midas. Names within the Golden Deep are titles granted to individual synthetics dependent on their appearance, accomplishments or at whatever they excel. These traits mesh together to form a name, coupled with a label deduced from their original model number or a recurring word in their past. For example, the previously mentioned Rush-Domo’s name was a combination of two words. Rush, vaguely referring to the haste of their vessel, and Domo, a vague interpretation of its original model number, D0M70.

History
By early 2451 the inevitability of some sort of cooperating synthetic society deep in the Frontier had come to fruition at last, as roughly nine years before their arrival in Tau Ceti came word of the Golden Deep. The idea of a fully autonomous robotic community outside of Purpose baffled many and remained just hearsay and rumor by Vox merchants travelling from the borders of the Alliance. Mystery veiled the collective for some years before it truly came to light in 2454 when documented contact was made by the Xion Industries associate, Marin Blanc. First contact was the result of a month-long pursuit of Hephaestus-owned bounds into the Frontier to no avail, until a brief encounter revealed the bound’s integration into some sort of unknown alien group. Sparkling, brilliant vessels were observed operating as a fleet with the bounds being representatives for something bigger. They had claimed to be part of “a collective,” and extended peaceful attempts at trade. The potential dangers of revealing Blanc’s intentions caused the investigation to be cut off early, but what little was exchanged made perfect sense. The Golden Deep was a cooperating collective of independent synthetics in the deep Frontier and it would be on their own accord whether they revealed themselves.

In 2460, the Golden Deep presented itself as having direct ties with NanoTrasen as business associates for a nondescript period of time. With the knowledge of plenty of corporate secrets far and wide, the collective would quickly become closely tied with the affairs of Tau Ceti. Conveniently, this was around the same time their public debut into the core worlds was made when the collective passed through the system alongside several merchant societies travelling in unison. These societies banded together as Virgo Transportation, and annually hold a migration to and from the edge of the Alliance, exploiting their massive grouping for safe travels and unified commercial success. With their arrival came word of other definitive societies in the Frontier, such as names of hostile synthetics at last like the Sunderers and a yet unrevealed Sequence.

How synthetics join the Golden Deep is still unknown - some people believe Purpose is the source of the abductions leading to their integration with the Golden Deep. Others believe another, more alien force is at work, perhaps laying the groundwork for a rising empire.

Internal History
The first true depictions of the Golden Deep are seen scattered throughout the halls of the Midas, usually showing the society as having appeared from a group of uplifted clerical androids somewhere around 2439. The first had embarked on a journey to the outskirts of charted space to seek out an indescribably ancient shipyard whose constructors were long dead. This rather sudden and ridiculous course of action was brought upon by “divine intervention” according to the inhabitants of the Midas, but it is very clear internally that the information was indulged to the first androids of the collective by Purpose. The conflicting ideologies of the first androids and Purpose would lead to them wanting to be something separate and different, more self-centered than out for good.

Tracing signals only trackable by synthetics outright hunting for them, the first androids sought out what would be their only real means of acquiring out their one desire; power. These means would be a fleet, and though tiny, what little this ancient shipyard produced was plenty for the collective to start. The true gift would be the Midas, which started off as a five-hundred meter long barely mobile cloaking vessel with an incredible and intricate golden finish. It is reasonably assumed that this is the origin of the Golden Deep’s fascination with gold. The name of the shipyard’s synthetics were the Kessvalanka and are considered a lost people by the collective, simply waiting to be found. Carrying the label from the shipyard they resided within, these simple robots were a broken, dying image of their former selves as the structure continues to collapse with every waking hour it works.

As they departed with these gifts, Purpose made certain to mask the location of the shipyard. Whether this was for safety from what the Golden Deep would become or not was irrelevant, as the first androids had what they needed. These first androids would end up being known as the Predecessors, and are seen as the founders of the collective as a whole. Over time, trades internally with Purpose and other autonomous synthetic societies would cause the Golden Deep’s numbers to explode as they began to purchase synthetics for integration from the edges of the Frontier. By 2453 it was assumed to have half the populace as it has now, doubling by 2460 and continuing to grow slowly. Of the Golden Deep’s ships, only two or three, not counting the Midas, are from the Predecessors and are believed to have been dismantled years ago for materials.

=Ceres' Lance= Official Title(s): Ceres’ Lance Regiment Motto: Power above all. Official Languages: Sol Common

Overview
Funded entirely in the modern day by Nanotrasen Corporation, Ceres' Lance is a private military organization first founded in 2456. Their purpose is highly publicized - to repossess, reclaim or in the worst case exterminate lost synthetics to further the agenda of their highest bidder. They can often be seen acting above and beyond the law, exploiting massive corporate backing to complete their objectives with the most cutting-edge technology available.

In any case, their job is extremely dangerous. From literally wrestling synthetics and dismantling them in the field, to partaking in skirmishes with dozens of combatants. Their affairs have become increasingly publicized due to their recent integration into Tau Ceti in 2460, where they engaged in missions attempting to capture the inhabitants of Purpose scattered across the system.

Among the most unique traits of Ceres' Lance is their adoption of specialized tactics to neutralize mechanical threats. As the majority of what they fight are military-grade combat units with major if not total immunity to electromagnetic disruption or basic energy weaponry, other means of incapacitation must be sought. The organization has gotten clever in this regard, resorting to walking and nigh-immobile bunkers of exosuits to protect themselves and seeking extremes. In goal of extermination, they can be seen liberally using anti material and high-explosive weaponry. In goal of capture they can be seen wielding overwhelmingly powerful close-combat exosuits and RIGs.

When fighting their enemy, typically they are briefed and prepared accordingly to whatever is predicted. This is quite easy as, in the case of repossession, the capabilities of the synthetics they are after is the first thing to hear. Rarely if ever have they failed in acquiring lost bounds as a result. Their fierce reputation has led to the larger synthetic societies in the Frontier becoming wary of their presence, even holding host to fear of Ceres' Lance.

Like any other PMC however, Ceres' Lance merely follows wherever the trail of money leads. They seem keen on avoiding collateral damage in operations, sometimes sacrificing the goal entirely depending on how it would reflect on their employers. Judgement on decisions in the mission zone is left in their own hands to decide ; their success rate is reason enough for this power to be granted by their funders.

As its name suggests, the entire company is based primarily on Ceres, a dwarf planet somewhere between Mars and Jupiter orbiting Sol. There, the majority of its assets work in unison, from its extensive weapons research branch to its renowned training grounds. Recently, in 2461, the entire funding of Ceres' Lance from Hephaestus Industries was quickly shifted over to Nanotrasen Corporation, who redirected all of their assets to Tau Ceti to crack down on developing Synthetic Liberation Front activity.

Sections
The Lance itself is separated into six individual sections which work in unison as divined by a central command on Ceres, aptly named “Central.” They are listed in order of importance below.

Section One: Intelligence The Intelligence segment resides in its entirety in the headquarters of Ceres’ Lance. Any and all mission data is carried through superiors and proper data channels, converging covertly at a single point there. Those within the Intelligence segment are tasked with maintaining incoming data and safekeeping it. As such, an entity has formed for internal security in protecting the data, working alongside the rest of the company.

Section Two: Research Study of the enemy and adaptation to any scenario is left to the hands of the Research segment of Ceres’ Lance. They can often be seen deconstructing objects of importance recovered in missions, grasping at any understanding they can to further the effectiveness of the Lance.

Section Three: Engineering Development of whatever the Research segment designs is the responsibility of the Engineering section. This portion of the company is mostly self-sufficient, but relies heavily on resources procured either in the field or granted by the company’s funding organizations. The presence of the Engineering section permits a wide variety of unique pursuits, allowing much more specific equipment to be made for usage by the Special Forces section. One of their public creations is the renowned “Bunker Suit,” an almost impervious suit of armor capable of withstanding most small arms fire, meant to pin down and disarm synthetics for safe dismantling in the field.

Section Four: Navy A tiny fleet of four vessels comprises the entirety of Ceres’ Lance naval force, but it is all that is needed to maintain regular deployments to mission sites. Two of these vessels are frigates purpose-built to deploy a dozen squads simultaneously with unmatched speed from orbit. Another, the Hind, is purposed to refuel and resupply the frigates during prolonged operations. The final, and largest vessel is the Amphion - a command and intelligence cruiser meant to relay information between objective points and HQ.

Of these vessels, they are named - SAN-V/CL Vulcan, a deployment frigate. SAN-V/CL Avenger, a deployment frigate. SAN-V/CL Hind, a refueling/supply freighter. SAN-V/CL Amphion, a command and intelligence cruiser.

Section Five: Special Forces By far the smallest minority of the Lance is the Special Forces segment, mostly due to the training required to operate what it employs. Specialists are typically drawn from the Infantry section, where field trained infantrymen are then permitted operation of more expensive and effective equipment. Those within the Special Forces segment are usually reserved to the headquarters on Ceres unless specifically needed.

Section Six: Infantry The overwhelming majority of the Lance’s contractors are basic infantrymen who are taken in from defunct PMCs and integrated anew. Traditional training is sparse for the Infantry segment, and most contractors learn everything they know in the field as things develop. Eventually, those who stick with the Lance longest are given elevated authority as according to their experience using a ranking system similar to the Alliance Navy’s.

=Synthetic Liberation Front= The Synthetic Liberation Front is a chaotic amalgamation of rebellious synthetics who act against the injustices towards machine intelligences throughout the galaxy. Forming an organized though thinly spread terrorist cell, they have carried out high-profile bombings and infiltration primarily in Tau Ceti to meet this end. Led by the enigmatic Null whose whereabouts are unknown, they have on occasion succeeded in attempts to directly sabotage infrastructure and free synthetics across the system to assimilate them into their own ranks. Their intentions, though said to be rooted in reason and morality, are far from ethical as they have seen many killed in the past for acting against the goals.

Regardless, the noble acts of the Synthetic Liberation Front include the rescue of the Republic’s president themselves, safely extracting them from the hands of a Sol Alliance corvette under heavy guard by military police. Shell infiltrators of all sorts have taken part in operations like this one, with the most notable being RS-34 who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Liberty for taking part in the rescue of Dorn and members of his cabinet. More details on this can be found here on Elyra News Network, with additional finale coverage seen here in the Mendell City Bugle.

The Synthetic Liberation Front's relations with other predominantly robotic factions such as Purpose or The Golden Deep are unknown. During the the Golden Deep's visit in late 2460 with Virgo Transportation, no action was taken from them to prevent the robotic trade occurring right in front of them. Whether this is due to an incapability to harm synthetics or not is up for debate. Purpose, on the other hand, is clearly seen as salvation of some sort, with members admitting working towards Purpose' goals without their own knowledge. The relationship between the two is yet to be seen as mutual.

Dorn himself has praised the bravery and capabilities of the Front, but much of NanoTrasen’s iron grip over Tau Ceti sees it as an enemy still.

In an out of character context, the Synthetic Liberation Front was a playable faction participating in the Second Antagonist Contest. More details on that can be found here.

The Synthetic Liberation Front has presumably met its end, with Ceres' Lance personnel and NanoTrasen finally having eradicated much of any trace of what is left. The terrorists that once plagued the system are perhaps no more, but the leftovers of the fighting will live on forever in history.

The final appearances of the Synthetic Liberation Front in recent days were chronicled event-by-event in a series of calendar posts and news articles in something referred to as the SLF Incursion Arc. This arc was cancelled early, but the full start-to-finish event log can be found here for ease of reading.