Sandbox:Boggle08

History

The Aphrodite Trade

The history of the Underhive Collective begins with the Aphrodite trade, approximately in 26XX. As dionae rose to prominence throughout the spur, word of the narcotic effects of Aphrodite, a chemical injected by dionae nymphs when siphoning sapient blood, began to disseminate across the underbelly of Eridanian society. Soon, Nymphs acquired illegitimately through Biesel and the coalition began to filter in through the then active bluespace gate. For a time, these activities went unnoticed, until the substance began to trickle into suit society.

As employers within the federation began to notice bleary eyes and bite marks on their workers, so too did they realize that the ability for the nymphs to retain memories from blood compromised the NDA’s of many employees, threatening information security of corporate enterprise. Due to the initial lack of action, this even managed to put the system into minor political turmoil with their solarian hosts, as the presence within their system violated the rueltab treaty, which was meant to prevent the habitation of new dionae outside of the rueltab system. Just as well, there were concerns of the trade spreading outside of the federation, with those concerns being met when a smuggled shipment of nymphs was intercepted en-route to Venus.

Due to these mounting concerns, the corporate board of the Eridani Federation took action in 26XX, formally banning the use, distribution, and presence of dionae gestalts and nymphs within the system. All would be legally classified as contraband, and crackdowns began as corporate enforcers began to file through all levels of eridanian society. While this has been extremely successful in suit society, the nymph trade remains among the dregs, albeit with a significantly reduced presence.

The Birth of The Underhive Collective

The origin point of the underhive collective remains in obscurity, as no individual gestalt has ever claimed to have founded it, and each tells a conflicting story when prompted. Rumors of a pure-gestalt community did begin to circulate around 26XX, after the crackdown and ban of dionae in the Eridani federation, but they did not become “active” until 26XX, five years after the ban. In what would be later known as “The Tokura-Den Incident”, a major Aphrodite harvesting facility secretly nested inside of the settlement of Den was rocked with explosions, big enough for the Suits in Tokura to feel it rumbling under their feet. As enforcers arriving on the scene noticed a lack of nymphs in the extraction and holding areas, as well as a considerable number if suits on the premises. CCTV footage in neighboring sections of the undercity picked up dionae gestalts silently creeping through the tunnels and underpasses of the area before disappearing into the city’s air exchange/ducting system.

Since the Tokura-Den incident, more and more Aphrodite draineries have been hit, and sightings of fully formed gestalts have become more and more frequent. Although there is a concern of what these lone gestalts are capable of, they are actively hurting the Aphrodite trade, and have proven to be too elusive to root out in totality. Corporate enforcers for the time being consider the situation under control.

Biesel, Eridani Dionae, and The Aphrodite Trade.

Biesel became aware of the Aphrodite trade as it progressed, thanks to pressure from the Eternal lobby. Extracted Aphrodite is a controlled substance under biesellite law, and it is illegal to force a gestalt or nymph to perform a bite under coercion. Cargo coming into and out of the Eridani Federation is examined before it is accepted, and any individual from the federation to have been found in possession of gestalt material will be seized and charged appropriately.

Eridanian Gestalts, whether acquired through migration or confiscation, are treated as political refugees in the republic of Biesel. They are registered and chipped, then deferred to the eternal temple. Small clusters and individual nymphs are typically repatriated into a receiving gestalt, while fully formed ones must find their own way.

Society

Life in the Underhive Collective

Outside of a few well hidden, well fortified complexes, Underhive Dionae operate in small individuated groups called cells. Each cell is around the size of a small village community, numbering approximately 100-200 cyclops-sized gestalts. Anything larger than an Argus is rare, due to the difficulties of hiding and sustaining anything that large.

Those of the Underhive reside in the deepest recesses of Eridanian mega cities; the path to one is usually through a labyrinthine maze of ducts, tunnels, pipes, and air exchange systems. Some cells of the collective sequester themselves away from humanity in an area that are too dangerous or radioactive for humanity, such as areas rife with industrial runoff or hazardous waste dumping sites. A few underhive cells have even managed to root themselves so deep, that they have cracked underneath the foundations of mega cities, and have begun to bore new settlements or even entire tunnel complexes.

Cultivation

The majority first generation of the Underhive Collective owes their existence to first being individual nymphs, that in one way or another, escaped captivity or service from the Dreg class. For nearly all dionae in the collective, they were never part of a gestalt or “whole” until they escaped or were rescued by the underhive collective.

A few cells in the collective specialize in cultivating new dionae, but the entire collective as a whole is wary of expanding too quickly, due to fear of attracting too much attention from the suits.

The Racket

“Racket” tends to refer to the collective work or projects undertaken by members of a particular cell. Due to the risky nature of operating inside the Federation, most of these rackets require the use of intermediaries or careful planning. Money from the extranet or other forms of enterprise that utilize remote networking are very popular, and can range from legitimate online businesses, to scam calls, or even hacker groups.

Salvage rackets tend to be the next popular form of work, as the Dionean physiology is more than capable of wading through dumping sites and scrap yards that ordinary Dregs cannot. This is also where the Underhive's native Scrapper population comes from.

Due to the close knit nature of underhive collective cells, a Racket is never a solo undertaking, and the share of the profits are always distributed equally between members. Even when the racket physically separates, or it’s members manage to escape the system and find legitimate work, the cell remains in close contact: sharing funds and long term goals.

Only one business is off the table: Making and distributing Aphrodite. This is not just because it is an inherent affront to the Collective; this is to reduce attention from the authorities, with the hope that the destruction of the trade will encourage more complacency.

Religion

The Underhive Collective, shaped by its environment and circumstances, is overwhelmingly Ichor Eternal. This belief system, also known as Blood Eternal by those less familiar with its deeper tenets, emphasizes the exploration and utilization of Dionae's genetic learning abilities as a pathway to ascension. The Underhive Collective's religious landscape is characterized by a strong sense of community. The egalitarian nature of rackets extends to religious practices, with profits and resources shared equally among syndicate members. Living in the Underhive presents numerous challenges, both physical and spiritual. The harsh environment and constant threat of discovery by authorities require resilience and adaptability. Religious practices often evolve to meet these challenges, incorporating practical elements that enhance survival and community cohesion. The emphasis on genetic absorption in Ichor Eternal is not only a spiritual practice but also a pragmatic response to the need for diverse skills and knowledge in a resource-scarce environment. By acquiring knowledge and abilities through genetic material, members can quickly adapt to new situations and tasks, improving their chances of survival.

Demographic Relations

Dionae and Suits

Among the suits, Dionae are regarded with disgust and contempt; Dionaen presence in the Federation is in direct violation of the Rueltab treaty. The fact that Dionae managed to proliferate within the Federation is a stain on the suits' clean record of legalistic integrity between them and the Solarian Emprie. Dionae are seen as pests and vermin that act as agents of the federation’s underbelly. Nymphs found caught out on their own are usually dispatched, while fully formed gestalts are usually deported to Biesel or the Rueltab system.

Dionae and Dregs

Among the Dregs, they are tools to be used, and resources to be exploited. Dionae nymphs are typically prevented from merging into gestalts; this is to ensure obedience and dependency from the nymphs. Most of these nymphs under dreg ownership are either used as portable Aphrodite dispensers, or are strapped into specialized machines that continuously trigger the siphon reflex to harvest the drug on its own. Infrequently, they are used as work animals for interrogation, information gathering, prospecting, and scouting. Dionae based prosthetics are rare, due to the availability of cybernetics in Eridani. They are usually the telltale signs of a prominent dealer or Aphrodite junkie, and are extremely incriminating to have.

Underhive Scrappers

IPC Scrappers and the Underhive collective mutually share the same condition: They start incomplete, cast out, shunned by society at large, and left to fend for themselves. So naturally, they have made an excellent symbiotic pairing: the Collective will rescue and induct abandoned positronics. In exchange, scrappers act as the inconspicuous face and muscle of the organization, venturing where it is too dangerous for underhive dionae to expose themselves, and protecting them where they choose to reveal themselves. Underhive Dionae will often communicate through their positronics remotely, usually via the IPC’s speaker system, and sometimes even through visual output feed of a chassis.

Many scrappers are employed in a technical capacity as well, thanks to their ability to onboard or retain new data packets; their ability to interface closely with technology is also prized by the collective’s cyber-infiltrators.

Mindtypes

Underhive dionae can assume any mindtype, with a bias towards the more pluralistic ones. The exceptions that do not or barely exist are bloodless band, singular sound, and mourning mass. Singular sound is rare, as underhive dionae are typically formed piecemeal. Bloodless band is impossible, as the conditions to form one and the lifestyle it encourages are impractical. There are no documented instances of Mourning Mass dionae within the Underhive Collective.

Settlements

Underhive Collective cells are scattered throughout the Federation, their locations and local customs only known to their members. There is only one settlement that those of the Underhive dare to speak of, and each time, the information about it's purpose and location is given. Known simply as The Archive, It is rumored to be the largest settlement of the Underhive Collective. It's ultimate purpose is unclear, but those outside of the collective theorize that it is a massive data center that remotely coordinates the Underhive within the federation, as well as externally.