Manifesto

House Of Orion 
Axions

Known Organizations / Omniscience Intel

The House of Orion is an aristocratic organization that is far older and more technologically advanced than humans; the full scope, influence of their reach throughout Earth’s history and their true origins are still a mystery. Posh and cultured the House of Orion’s are highly politicized, they blend science with religion, they smile to your face and stab you in the back. 

There is limited biological information in the Omniscience on this species. Axions are the neologism used to describe these ancient beings. Known across the universe as intergalactic bankers. They lend life, resources, technology, anything for payment. They aren’t a typical bank in the classical sense, they accept payment in many forms, Ṣābā’, life forms, sacrifices, murder for hire, sensitive intel, etc.   

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good! Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed is a necessary evil, in all its forms.

A perpetual cold war quietly rages between the “Inter Vivos” (Between The Living) organization, a faith founded on a science-backed belief system and the rulers of the House of Orion. Negentropy (negative entropy) is a technology granted to their populace by the Emperor (Adun) and Empress (Selene). The old way and the new way are at odds with each other. One belief system requires consistent effort, inherent risk and the necessary resources required to acquire the life forms that are needed to maintain their eternal life. Lifespan is required for their technology to maintain their youth; this results in a constant demand and forces Axion commerce and occasionally military action. The other method allows new life (natural births) to restore their ranks and bring their civilization back to its former glory through re-population.  The Axions have not been able to procreate for thousands of years, even with infinite life they still need to increase their population to survive as a species and as an empire. Defying aging is only half of being immortal. The Axions deeply desire to return their fertility capabilities and to capture the Ascarians. Complete intergalactic control is what The House of Orion is after; unfortunately for them the path to that goal is littered with bodies and internal conflict. 

The Inter Vivos are similar to the Catholic church, except that their religion is one built on science; everything can be understood at a subatomic level. The evolution of science and religion has resulted in a unique version of a cult. Their version of enlightenment is through the eternal life granted to them through technology and the transference of biological lifeforce. Ishtar, their head priestess, has one singular goal; to find a way back to fertility for her people. This is in slight opposition to the Emperor and Empress who have already achieved eternal life at the expense of the rest of the galaxy. One thing the Axion species can agree upon is that their path to simplifying their existence is through capturing the Ascarian tribe and harnessing the Promethean’s eternal youth. If this was accomplished, the need to engage in commerce or risk violence to acquire the biological life forms required to perpetuate their lifespan would be negated. The weakness of their species is in their finite numbers and the necessity to continually extend resources or put themselves at risk to meet a violent end. The Axions as a collective desire the ability to birth new children and to find a way back to their intergalactic dominance. 

I.
Axion Aesthetic Profile

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment

The Omniscience files hold little public data about the history of the House Of Orion. They hail from deep space and avoid interactions unless they seek them out on their own terms, both diplomatic and military maneuvers are rarities.

The House Of Orion has settled on a number of the Sky Islands and submerged war ships in the bodies of water below. The unique magnetic fields of Neso have resulted in ore-laced floating islands levitating over the oceans of planet Neso. The propulsion systems and the harnessing of the magnetic fields combine to keep the Axion ships suspended in the air with minimal energy expenditure.           

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion 

The Orion population is stagnant; it is crucial for their survival to avoid direct conflict where applicable in order to maintain their ranks. When engaged in a combat situation, user-controlled drones are the Axion’s first line of defense and offense. Once they are depleted they maintain a shielding system around their personal armor that can absorb a large amount of energy but is susceptible to piercing weaponry. Teeth, claws, and blades are more effective against them than projectile and energy weapons. 

All Orion members don the same colors, house crests and can only be differentiated based on their rank which is identified by the marking on their armor. Humans have little insight into this internal hierarchy. 

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics

There are differences between their arbitrators (the banking commissioners) and their security details. The arbitrators wear long flowing solid white or black robes, they are known to communicate at a high level in any language, they are extremely eloquent and smooth when negotiating, the art of persuasion has been perfected over the millennia. Their ability to navigate complex social cues and human psychology is surprisingly impressive. On the contrary, their security units have ornate armor, show no emotion, and rarely speak.   

The leaders of the Houses are off-planet and have only been seen by humans once to sign a tentative peace treaty. Otherwise, they maintain a safe distance on their home planet and are deeply insulated within their fleets. The royal armada is off-planet and has been rumored to cleanse entire planets when the inhabitant’s default on their debts.  

Veni, Vidi, Vici.

II.
Axion Accessorizing

II.A.
Animals / Weapons / Dwellings

The House of Orion respects life solely for the value it can yield for them. Nature and other species are considered a commodity like any other and are treated as such. 

They breed genetically altered big cats long extinct on Earth, tigers, lions, and other off-world creatures they use as home security personnel and as a form of showcasing their wealth to their counterparts. 

With advanced technology and the advantage of thousands of years of evolutionary development, the House of Orion is leading the race to be the most powerful colonizing force in the galaxy. Devastatingly powerful energy weapons, ultra-high frequency acoustics, EMPs, AI-controlled drones, and biological warfare are their weapons of choice. Despite their powerful army the Axion’s try to not engage directly in conflict due to their inability to replenish their forces. For this reason, the Axions rely on their wealth to hire mercenaries to do their dirty work.   

The House Of Orion does not boast a large population, they reside in luxurious villas and inside ultra-modern mansions, maintaining an extremely low orbit over the largest bodies of water that cover the planet. The decor is extremely sterile and contemporary. 

The unique gravitational fields and high metallic content of the floating islands have suspended the floating islands to the sky.

From floating island to island, they transport goods and themselves through an adaptation of the hyperloop concept. Almost akin to teleportation, Orion security details will arrive in the blink of an eye wherever an intrusion into their territory is discovered.

II.B.
Resource(s) of choice 

The Axions require Ṣābā’ for their space armada as a form of fuel, their bioengineering experimentation, and as a catalyst for their Negentropy (anti-entropy) technology. 

Although they still need raw materials, water and metal alloys, their diet is synthetic vitamins, proteins, and minerals. 

Thousands of people go missing across the galaxy each star cycle, where they end up in Axion laboratories. If one defaults on their debt to the House Of Orion they will be forced to forfeit their life or have their entire family suffer the consequences. In Covenant culture it is considered honorable to be sold into the flesh trade to save your family from crippling debt. The primary resource for the Axions is life itself; they need living beings to steal their youth, performed in a secretive ritual that humans have been attempting to replicate in order to achieve the same god-like status. Human science focused on rejuvenation is rudimentary in comparison to the longevity achieved by the Axion technology. 

Time itself is a commodity. Lifespan has become currency. Debt is paid for in life.

III.
Allegories 

 Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Deeper Undertones / Meanings

The principal goal is to achieve autarky (national economic self-sufficiency) through protectionist and economic interventionist policies.The extreme authoritarianism and nationalism of The House of Orion often manifests a belief in racial purity or a master race, usually synthesized with some variant of racism, they demonize the “Other” tribes; the idea of racial purity has motivated the Axion regimes to commit massacres, forced sterilizations, genocides, mass killings, or forced deportations against a perceived “Other”. This is what occurred within the internal Axion conflict which resulted in the Fallen Ones, the Feeders who have been genetically cursed. That great war wiped out many of the Orion forces, the cost of removing the insurrection resulted in their females losing the ability to bear children and crippled the great house’s ability to maintain imperialist control across the galaxy. 

Those Who Win The Wars Write The History.

IV.
Back Story

Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers   

The primary problem the Axions have been facing is they are not able to procreate, rendering them unable to produce more of their species. The answer to how the Axions fell from their former glory is found in their history. Many, many years ago, there was a great divide between the royal families. Divisive rhetoric and personal vendettas won over discussions and empathy. A devastating war ensued. The current Empress and Emperor won the war, the losers were cast out and their brothers and sisters were cursed for having oppositional ideologies. An unforeseen side effect to the biological weapons used was infertility to anyone exposed to it, regardless of being inoculated from the full mutation in advance. The defeated became what is now known as the Feeders. A gene-editing process followed by being cast out into deep space to fend for themselves as their DNA mutated to flesh-craving savages. A splicing of Formicidae and Canis genus’s with the Axion DNA resulted in a truly unique creature. The deep familial and colony-oriented loyalty and established hierarchy was passed down into the Feeders base instincts. Wolves and Ants form a deadly combination of apex predatory traits. The ability to lift multiple times its own weight, move swiftly, enhanced senses, with the ability to communicate through pheromones and sounds while hunting in synchronicity.  

The House of Orion’s interest in the human species and the Ascarians is the belief that they will be able to repopulate using the power of the Ascarian’s eternal youth and the DNA genome sequences found in the human species (since they are not that far removed genetically from humans). This method of research is fatal for the participant, the scientists from the great houses are determined to find a cure to their dwindling population without holding any remorse. The inner Axion circle has schemes of cosmic magnitude.   

The Axions themselves do not perish from natural causes, disease and chronological entropy are not their enemies. They have discovered methods of perpetuating their lifespans indefinitely at the cost of other life. The exact methods are unknown; however, the House of Orion will purchase young species in exchange for resources and technology; the sale of life is an intergalactic business. The weak and poor are sold and bartered in the same way cattle were sold eons ago. Naturally, the Feeders, Ascarians, and Femme Fatales will hunt the Axions on sight. Unless their supply chains are cut off or they are met with an untimely death, Axions are safe from father time. 

Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate.

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope 

The goal of Ishtar the Inter Vivos head priestess and their faithful followers is to bring the creation of life back to their people. By achieving the ability to carry a child into this world they can save their population and bring the great houses back to their former glory through unity under one banner. 

The goal of the Adun (Emperor) and Selense (Empress) is to maintain eternal life and not have to engage in commerce or war to achieve it. By eliminating all of their enemies and potential threats to their reign they will be able to bring peace and stability to the Axion houses. They want to use the Ascarians gifts to grant them eternal life, permanently.

As with most royal families, the power struggle is an internal one. With modern versions of Dukes and Barons the betrayals, murder, and political struggles for control come from inside the family. Brothers killing brothers for power. Since their women lost their ability to bear children long ago, they have turned cold and bitter inside. Empathy is a foreign thought, self-interest and revenge have stolen the Axion focus. 

It is rumored that the sister of Ishtar, the Inter Vivos head priestess, is Azanami, the Fallen One’s Queen. From the shadows, Azanami guides the Feeders and will stop at nothing to return to the Axion form and exact her revenge.

Hedonism is the lifestyle of the aristocratic family; diverse and perverse forms of pleasure and vices are the after dark lifestyle of the elite. 

The universe has devoted itself to its own self-interest, to insatiable cravings, it’s gone numb to pure feeling, to true sensations, it has become addicted to synthetic pleasures, hopelessly putting their belief in false idols.

VI.
Character Development (heroes)

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines

The Grand Emperor (Adun) and Empress (Selene): are the leaders of the House Of Orion. The Axions revere their leaders as Gods.

Ishtar (sister of Selene and head priestess of The Inter Vivos): Little is known of their “religious” tenets; however, their head priestess is more representative of a leading scientist. Her daughter is Izanami, leader of the Fallen.

Mactans 
AKA Femme Fatales 

Known Organizations / Omniscience Intel

The Mactan tribe is named after the arachnid Latrodectus Mactans, commonly recognized and feared under the name of the Black Widow spider. The female spiders are well known for the distinctive black and red hourglass on their body, and more menacingly for eating their mate after reproduction. Symbolic of the relationship the Mactan tribe has with the patriarchy. Labeled as an illegal dissident cult by the Elysium Sect, the title of Femme Fatales was a propaganda tactic used to demonize the leadership of the escaped conclave. The Mactan leadership embraced the title as a compliment and validation of their strength. Considering that they are reminiscent of the legendary all-women Amazonian warrior tribes, deadly and stunning to look at. Fiercely independent, the women of the Mactan tribe have broken away from the human race millennia ago. When the human population was on the brink of becoming unsustainable the leaders began sterilization of the low net worth and undesirables. This infuriated the females who were subjected to losing their bodily autonomy and the gift of a newborn baby. They rebelled, and a civil war ensued. When they successfully achieved their independence, they didn’t leave empty-handed, they stole proprietary bioengineering IP from the Elysium Sect. The technology’s description was classified in the Omniscience archives; all that is known is that it was related to biohacking. They maintain their ability for natural births; however, they are forbidden to mix their blood lines or blend their tribes’ genders. The result of generations of selective breeding has granted the Mactan’s physical gifts, abnormal strength, completely disease-free, advanced rote memory, stamina, sensory enhancement, lightning-fast reflexes, and deadly accuracy.     

With the advent of genetic engineering the time required for the evolution of new species may literally collapse.

I.
Mactan Aesthetic Profile

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment 

The dense jungle region of Neso is home to this great warrior race. Lush vegetation, vast exotic biodiversity, high humidity levels, and high elevations are covered in low-hanging clouds. A natural cover, the mist offers an advantageous position for ambushes; the element of surprise is often utilized in Mactan military strategy. 

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion  

The Mactan warriors wear a smoother, softer, derivative of leather; these garments have a similar design to Shibari. This allows them to attach their myriad of blades and arrows while running through the jungle or swinging vine to vine. Traditional garments are seen as oppressive and lack breathability. They are not shy, they don’t feel shame from society’s preconceived notions on sexuality and modesty. They feel no need to cover themselves other than to stay hidden or for protection during warfare. Fearlessness in the face of danger adds to their deadly allure. They run swiftly from tree to tree and use cleverly engineered grappling technology when a vine or branch isn’t reachable. 

As they reside in a warm climate, the Mactan dress appropriately for optimal camouflage. They possess cloaks that utilize reflective light technology to create adaptive cloaking for the user. By absorbing the spectrum of light around them they reflect it back through their cloaks, allowing them to remain hidden when stationary. If wandering through their territory an ambush from above is the last thing their enemies never see coming. 

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics 

A-sexual reproduction is achieved through artificial insemination. An all-female democratic society, they have accomplished an autonomous utopian society. Sexual orientation is pansexual, they have perfected their version of the Kama Sutra, mutual pleasure is a form of bonding and is seen as a sacred experience. A hybrid of THC, DMT, and Psilocybin is administered during group ritualistic sexual practices. The love they have for each other is strengthened through these levels of intimacy, which correlates to their Spartan-inspired combat style. Defensively they fiercely protect each other, and when it is their turn to attack it is in a wave of arrows and synchronicity.     

I always wanted to be a femme fatale. Even when I was a young girl, I never really wanted to be a girl. I wanted to be a woman.

II.
Mactan Accessorizing

II.A.
 Animals / Weapons / Dwellings / Transportation 

The Mactan warriors are primarily trained as Archers; their weapon of choice has a plethora of arrow tip variations. Ranging from poisonous, explosive, stun, and burrowing arrowheads that drill through the armor into the flesh of its victim, targeting vital organs. The variation in weaponry also extends to a Mactan’s sidearms, carrying sharp blades of all sizes, a roll of poisonous darts, and throwing knives for a quick way to defend themselves. They do have access to powerful energy weapons; however, they rarely use them since the energy signatures alert their enemies of their position. From an early age Mactan’s train to master the art of guerilla warfare, they chose the element of surprise, silence, and stealth as their primary weapons of choice; they refer to their combat style as the ‘Mortus Tacet’.

The Mactans make their homes in technologically advanced tree houses, using similar reflective cloaking technology as their robes; their dwellings are hard to spot with the naked eye.

They operate high-speed hovercrafts, similar to a motorcycle, to traverse long distances in a short time. If they are on the offensive and want to move stealthily, they will run and swing tree to tree with the agility and prowess to rival that of any primate.

Dormant space ships are covered in foliage overgrowth waiting for the day when they will be needed. A planetary catastrophe would warrant an immediate evacuation, which they are prepared for. If they need to transfer their conclaves off-planet, or engage in all-out war, their fleet is on standby.  

II.B.
Resource(s) Of Choice

Water is necessary for all biological life; freshwater springs are the veins of the forest giving life to the vast biodiversity of the jungle region of Neso.  

Metal alloys fetch a premium, mining the hills of the region for ore and rare metal alloys has proven extremely lucrative. The mining business opened up trade routes with the Fleshtech Corp and allowed the Mactans to amass a large armory of ordinances, arrows, energy weapons and blades.

Ṣābā’ is harvested when discovered. Due to its diverse use profile the Mactans have secret stockpiles of the substance for future economic leverage when negotiating foreign policies and treaties. It is used to power their starships, homes, and trade for off-world goods with the Fleshtech Corp. Nūr is used sparingly in their ceremonial bonding rituals.   

III.
Allegories 

III.A.
Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Deeper Undertones / Meanings

Modern science has afforded these women with the ability to artificially inseminate in vitro the chromosome requirements for an embryo with programmable characteristics. To not only procreate A-sexually but to genetically engineer the planet’s most elite warriors. Through selective breeding, they have bio-engineered their species to thrive in the deep jungle environment and push the boundaries of human evolution. 

Fleeing and destroying the patriarchy is a key element to the Mactan story. The Patriarchy is an institutionalized social system in which men dominate over women; it can also extend to a variety of manifestations in which men have social privileges over women to cause exploitation or oppression, such as through male dominance of moral authority and control of property. Aligned closely with evolutionary psychology, this theory posits that gender inequity is an inherent part of human social structures. The original leaders of the Femme Fatales were tired of seeing history repeat itself, they decided the best course of action was to form an all-female society. A utopian society without the need for men for sexual gratification, procreation, or protection. 

Women’s freedom is the sign of social freedom.

Sexually open and expressive culture, apart from the rules surrounding mixing the blood lines or giving birth to males, the Mactan society supports individual expression in all forms. Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people regardless of their sex, species, or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic or sexual attraction to others.

Freedom of choice is a key principle within the tribe’s ideologies. It is forbidden to infringe upon the rights of any tribe member, regardless of the individual’s beliefs, abilities, or social ranking. Equality is a major component of their value system, the perpetuation of the tribe’s greater good is ingrained into their youth at an early age. The mindset of doing their individual part to benefit the aggregate society is viewed as a logical and natural evolutionary transition towards a peaceful environment that fosters a tranquil life for all.    

By propagating women’s nature as non-violent they are discouraging women from becoming fighters in the struggle for their own liberation and that of society.

IV.
Back Story

IV.A.
Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers   

Breaking free from societal pressures and influences is what originally drove the Mactan leaders to develop their own moral compass and political systems. The human race’s political climate was becoming increasingly oppressive to individual rights, the wealth disparity, social rankings, birth control, and overall individualism were reaching a tipping point. That is when the idea of colonizing their own all-female society, free from testosterone-driven decision making. Civil rights, inclusion, and tolerance made great progress in the early days of Earth’s globalized ethos. However, when the quality of life degraded and interplanetary dispersion became necessary for the survival of the human race, the geopolitical climate changed. In the name of protecting their people, governments increased their overreach, surveillance, population control, censorship, nutrient rationing, and commodities like clean oxygen became unaffordable. The loss of medical autonomy saw the forced sterilization of anyone deemed an enemy of the state. Women were being forced to breed only males for military purposes and a more highly resilient workforce. This did not sit well with Ferox Robius, the leader of the great exodus. For years she plotted and planned a rebellion and escape plan for herself and her secret organization, this was the proverbial birth of the Mactans.     

After breaking free from human civilization, a rather small all-female crew landed on Neso thousands of years ago, since then they have grown their population to a staggering number. 

The Elysium Sect has been hunting the Femme Fatales with the intent of getting their proprietary gene therapy technology back. The original Mactans knew that this power could not be left in the hands of an evil cult with ambitions to dominate the galaxy with super soldiers. It was also a key chess move to level the playing field and guarantee the survival of the Mactans. 

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope 

Independence, autonomy, freedom and honor, are all fiercely protected ideologies. The Mactans have a democratic policy that ensures every single tribe member has a voice at the highest level of tiers within their political hierarchy. A vetting system called the Auditus is implemented to organize which ideas, lamentations, and information are heard, and in which chronological order. Fair resolutions, open lines of communication, the best ideas being explored, and a sense of inclusion are the goals of their ‘Auditus’. 

It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.

A loving family, a sense of oneness, a sisterhood of like-minded individuals. Sexually progressive in nature, hedonism is a noble pursuit and self-expression is never hindered. The loyalty to their tribe is unyielding; they would rather die than betray their conclave. A good death defending their sisters is the highest honor attainable, laying down their life for their friend or family is the greatest proof of love.  

VI.
Characters (heroes)

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines

The original dissenter, Ferox Robius. 
Tribe Leader Jadith
Next in Ferox’s line, to be groomed for leadership
Inter-tribe love interest
Forbidden love interest with a human male

ASCARIANS
(Prometheans)

Known Organizations / Omniscience Intel

Independent Entity: The irony of humanity is they are always trying to revert back to their child-like state, to reconnect with the energy they had when they came into the world. The Promethean species, although ancient beings themselves, are children in both spirit and appearance. Their telomeres never shorten, granting them eternal cellular life, free from disease, sickness and the restraints of time. The Promethean species on Neso became known as the Ascarian tribes. Deeply spiritual, connected to all the energy and wavelengths in the universe. Throughout their incomprehensible lifespan, the Ascarians have honed their meditation skills to achieve what even the most observant Tibetan monks would view as supernatural abilities. The fMRI scans of monks’ meditation abilities shocked the scientists of old, pulmonauts of the highest caliber pale in comparison to the physiological manifestations an adept Ascarian can master. The skills and experience an Ascarian can amass throughout their life, translate into abilities that are beyond what human science can explain. Through the basic principles of breath and meditation alone, an Ascarian can achieve formidable power and abilities. Little is known about the Promethean species’ origins. Exactly when they arrived on Neso is still unknown; they are thought to have been here before any other intelligent life. The Ascarians hail from a technologically advanced civilization; competitive intelligence from the other tribes have proven that they have extremely advanced cruisers buried in the sand of Neso. They have given up their desire for control of the galaxy and attachment to technology. After the war with the Axions, they all took a vote to go dark; they have opted to forego technology in an attempt to hide on the planet. For centuries they have been on the run from the House of Orion. The Axions desperately want them for their ability to defy time; their permanent anti-entropic properties can be harnessed through scientific breakthroughs in somatic maintenance and repair. These pale skinned beings are stuck in an eternally youthful state, they do not surpass the development of a twelve-year-old (by homo-sapiens standards). Scanning instruments fail to detect them due to the natural cover provided by the incessant sandstorms and their lack of live technology. Since going dark and leaving no electronic footprints, trying to contact or locate Ascarian tribes has been challenging. This dedication to secrecy is by Ascarian design.

They blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed.

I.
Ascarian Aesthetic Profile

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment

Reclusive by nature, the species has been relegated to the desert region of Neso. Dangerous and unforgiving, the badlands are inhospitable to the majority of organic life. Seeking asylum from the House Of Orion, the Ascarians have a symbiotic relationship with the Xenios, a sand tribe that is native to the badlands of Neso; they are devoted to protecting the Ascarians. Whether this is of their free will is subject to debate, since the Ascarians have honed the ability to use parasitic pathogens to control intelligent life forms.   

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion

Evolutionarily developed armor, the Ascarian species’ skin tone is pale due to a lack of melanin due their epidermis being infused with severely compressed carbon, resulting in ‘diamond skin’. This feature of their anatomy allows them natural protection against the elements and innate defensibility from enemies. Obitus Warriors are the tribe members who don’t shy away from violence as much as the other Ascarians, naturally they are in charge of the tribe’s security detail.  

The robes the Ascarians don are variations of Kasayas (the Monastic attire worn by monks), the reddish tint and tan colors blend them into the backdrop of the desert as a form of camouflage. The more spiritual oriented Ascarians are called Umbra monks and will only use violence at the absolute last moment when unavoidable and absolutely necessary. They have focused their gifts more on premonitions than combat. 

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics 

The markings on the forehead are a symbol of their religion. After ingesting Ṣābā’ tea the lotus flower shape becomes bioluminescent and they slip into a deep meditation. This is the intermundane where they travel through space and time to gain insights into the past, present, and future. It is also how they avoid capture, while not fortune tellers in the traditional sense, they have learned to use this form of counterintelligence to foresee apocalyptic events such as mass-scale invasions and weapons of mass destruction. This may be one of the reasons their species has survived for so long; evolution allowed to run its course uninhibited over a great many millennia, granting them the ability to peek into time to avoid extinction level events.

“Astra Inclinant, Sed Non Obligant.” 

Translation: “The stars incline us; they do not bind us.” 

Interpretation: “People are influenced by destiny, but they are not bound by fate.”

II.
Ascarian Accessorizing 

II.A.
Animals / Weapons / Dwellings / Transportation 

Ascarian bodyguards, the Xenios have supernatural strength and will lay their life down for their Ascarian host without hesitation. They traverse the sands with cat-like agility and can reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour and can maintain that pace for hours. When Ascarians need to move fast and do it undetected, they ride the Xenios.

Spears and swords are wielded with smooth lethal intent, acute combat neural plasticity has been honed over eons resulting in extremely adept users. The metal alloys the Ascarians use for their spears are not found on the planet Neso; the metal pierces through energy shields with relative ease and can slice through metal like a hot knife through butter. Rare and sacred, the weapons of the Ascarians are a dead technology; the finite supply renders these artifacts a priceless competitive advantage. 

The Ascarians have their own native martial art called Ventus, which is both lethal and beautiful. Extremely dense muscle fibers in combination with countless hours of training has granted them the ability to generate substantial force with unmatched speed, pushing the absolute limitations of physics. Deadly precision, the accuracy of their strikes can only be described as supernatural. Knowledge of vital organs, pressure points, joints, and arteries are an added variable as to why they are such proficient killers. Known as sages of beautiful violence. Dismantling their opponents through more than solely the physical, but with legendary guile, genius stratagems and proficient assessment of their opponents’ weak points. Although peaceful and merciful by nature, it is common for an Ascarian warrior to remove their victim’s eyes as a symbolic message to invaders for their lack of foresight. Unassuming based on their appearance, being underestimated is a strategic advantage they capitalize on. Smooth and effective, there are few in the galaxy that can compete in straight hand-to-hand combat with the Ascarian elite.   

Ascarians have a deep connection with the environment around them, animals are innately attracted to them. They keep small pets within their cloaks, lizards, insects, birds, etc. Animals with flight form a rudimentary network of communication. These domesticated creatures have been known to be useful for healing, utilized as spies and for spreading their parasitic pathogens to new hosts and to take control of their host’s motor functions and hijack their limbic systems.

The Ascarians live below the ground in cavern systems and within the rock formations. They live in minimalist surroundings; smooth granite surfaces and bioluminescent plants make up the majority of their interior design. Underground streams form natural hot springs and rivers of freshwater.  

To quench our thirst for existential meaning and incessant ambition, one must remember to laugh and love like a child.

II.B.
Resource(s) Of Choice

The primary resource of value to the Ascarians is water and Ṣābā’. Any living organism roaming the badlands desperately needs to stay hydrated. Water is crucial to the survival of the Xenios and the Ascarians, just as they are to each other. Ṣābā’ is collected and cherished by the Ascarians. What they do with it has been hidden from prying eyes; used in their ceremonies it is a crucial part of their shamanistic practices. One theory is that Ṣābā’s unique properties related to bending the space-time continuum have granted them insights not only into themselves, the past, but also into the future. It is thought to be a primary factor in their ability to recover extremely fast and their somatic cells eternally youthful. A simple people, removing the desire for want is a key teaching in their belief system, they have little use for material possessions. Scraps from the other tribes are repurposed in extremely creative ways to create ingenious devices that make the Ascarian and Xenios’ lives easier.  

Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.

III.
Allegories

 Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Deeper Undertones / Meanings

Their contrarian approach to technology is condemned by the tribes that have embraced machines to be their savior. Their peace and happiness stirs up jealousy in the hearts of the other tribes. The Axions have a bloody history with the Ascarians and have hunted them for sinister purposes for centuries with little success. The Humans and Fleshtech regard them as inconvenient lower-class life forms that are meant to be removed from Neso. Similar to ethnic cleansing and social classism, the Ascarians are persecuted for simply being and for the longevity benefits they can afford to the hyper-wealthy. Time is the new currency and Ascarians have an infinite amount.  

Similar to Christ’s second coming, the Ascarians believe in a Second Advent, a Parousia, a leader that will guide them back to a new home planet free from persecution, taking them to an oasis called Susurrus. 

Ascarian observed practices include meditation, observance of moral precepts, monasticism, the cultivation of the Paramitas (perfections, or virtues). Pāramitā (पारमिता in Sanskrit, is a Buddhist term often translated as “perfection”. It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated with enlightened beings. ‘Love’ for lack of a better term, is the binding agent that keeps their tribe together; they approach all internal conflict with an attitude of finding common ground and seeking out the truth, regardless of their previous bias.

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

Apricus is the name of the Ascarian faith. There are many elements to the Apricus way, a combination of Peyotism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Environmentalism. Taoism or Daoism is a philosophical and spiritual tradition of Chinese origin that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. In Taoism, the Tao is the source, pattern, and substance of everything that exists. Taoism teaches about the various disciplines for achieving “perfection” by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the all, called “the way” or “Tao”. Ascarians feel deeply intertwined with the unseen wavelengths and spectrums of light and energy that are permeating the air.

The Peyote Religion (legally termed and more properly known as the Native American Church), also sometimes called the “Peyote Road” or the “Peyote Way”, is a religious tradition involving the ceremonial and sacred use of Lophophora Williamsii (peyote). This is similar to the way Ṣābā’ is ingested and used to violently fling their consciousness into a deep meditation.

As expressed in the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, the goal of Buddhism is to overcome suffering (duḥkha) caused by desire and ignorance of reality’s true nature, including impermanence (anicca) and the non-existence of the self (anattā). Most Buddhist traditions emphasize transcending the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana or by following the path of Buddhahood, ending the cycle of death and rebirth. Ascarians have seemingly conquered death through the Apricus way. 

Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment. Ascarians feel a oneness with all life and vehemently object to the destruction of nature and the inhabitants. A long time ago at the peak of their power, the Prometheans were the gardeners of the universe, they planted biodiverse ecosystems and terraformed planets to sustain life. They were the defenders of nature and policed its exploitation where they could.  

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

IV.
Back Story

IV.A.
Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers 

The Promethean home planet “Mellifluus” was destroyed eons ago by the House of Orion’s first emperor. A brutal war waged until the Prometheans decided to abdicate their position in the universe, to go into hiding and seek peace instead of conflict.

IV.B.
Unofficial Allies

While the Ascarians are largely an ostracized and oppressed people, the Femme Fatales have been known to exchange goods and assist in removing the scourge of the other tribes encroaching upon their lands. They are ideologically aligned when it comes to protecting nature and other life forms that live on Neso.  

Feeders will not come to the Ascarian’s aid; however, it is peculiar that they can communicate with each other and curiously enough, they will not attack an Ascarian regardless of how hungry they are. It may be their tough muscle fibers and durable skin, but why the untamed vicious creatures of Neso do not regard the Ascarians as an option for food is an unsolved mystery.   

Myths and legends are whispered in secret about the truth of Promethean history. It has been said that they were there at the beginning of time itself, the first self-aware being. Shaping the universe through birthing stars, sharing Apricus’s teachings with intelligent life, terraforming atmospheres and creating water on planets. To the majority of the tribes their eternal youth is seen as an affront to science, religion, and the natural cycle of life. Intergalactic educational curriculums, media propaganda, and The Omniscience (the human AI, a universal Encyclopedia, a decentralized oracle of all human and alien knowledge compiled into one open-source database) have written of their savage nature and low levels of cognizance. There are very few official records of Promethean and human interactions; The House of Orion has deemed them a threat to their aristocracy and will hunt them to the end of time. Why these peaceful tribes have been pushed to the brink of extinction through genocide and labeled as subversive threats to the universe, is unknown. It is likely a combination of a jealousy of their eternal youth or an ambition to learn the Promethean secrets to hold power over time held within their genetic code.

A disciplined mind brings happiness.

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope

Known for being peaceful unless provoked. Love is the default response. The Ascarians are essentially wise old men stuck in the body of an adolescent, the facade of their youth is magnified by their temperament, emotional maturity and calm temperament. It is a symbolic paradox that the species that have figured out a better way to exist is portrayed by the innocence of youth. The truth has always come “out of the mouths of babes”. 

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened

Artist in the truest sense. Although their civilization may seem simple on the exterior, the Ascarians are masters of their crafts.  From painting giant murals in the caves that would put the Sistine Chapel to shame, to metalsmiths that would impress the eye of the most discerning Katana-kaji. Musical compositions made to rival Mozart, Beethoven and Puccini, the instrumentation pedigree of Jimmy Page, vocals of Aretha Franklin, elite poets, chefs and writers, their culture appreciates the important things. The Ascarians have completed one hundred thousand hours in a diverse spectrum of disciplines, time has allowed them to delve deep into the arts, perfecting their skills and getting intimate with the things that feed their soul. 

They enjoy simple pleasures, family, fellowship, yoga, and breaking bread together. Breaking fast together is a revered custom and is a testament to their family-oriented value system.

They are people of faith and live by a rigid set of principles. Violence is abhorred, but a decision must be made, face the darkness of the universe or remain the ember of light in the shadows. 

In the end they must destroy their enemies for their own survival, the survival of freedom itself, and the galaxy’s biodiversity. 

​Those who make peaceful revolution impossible 
will make violent revolution inevitable.

VI.
Characters (heroes)

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines

Tribe Leader Masamune
Tribe Leader’s son Gorō & daughter Nyūdō
High Shaman Evenki
Umbra Monks & Obitus Warriors 
Prophecy of The Chosen One, Amrita, a leader that will deliver them to their promised planet, Susurrus.

Homo Sapiens

The Human Race Is Divided Into Three Known Organizations

The Elysium Sect: a privatized militant organization, an imperialist cult composed of religious zealots, they hold a philosophy oriented towards achieving a twisted enlightenment earned through unwavering servitude to their leadership and strict adherence to their precepts. 

The Covenant: a semblance of government ordained order, a totalitarian regime, the last remnants of humanity’s United Nations. 

Cyphercells: a secret society of elite contrarian hackers that live amongst the Elysium and Covenant citizens. Unpredictable, the spectrum of their intentions range between collapsing society and freeing the minds of the people.

If the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.

I.
Human Aesthetic Profile

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment 

The human race is spread across the known galaxy, as resources on Earth became increasingly scarce and the environment inhospitable they were forced to colonize new worlds. The majority of the human species live in massive overpopulated space stations, colloquially referred to as the “shelf” life. The upper echelon of the political and societal elite live in luxury colonies on habitable planets Ursa Prime and Neso. There are some remnants of the human population that were left behind that still remain on Earth; however, their quality of life is not to be envied.  

 The Elysium Sect has claimed the prime defensible locations in the ancient boreal forest region of Neso, the most conducive environment for the preferred human lifestyle, temperate climate, ample oxygen, massive old forest trees, great oaks, and fertile soil. Its nostalgic similarities to Earth are what initially attracted humans to this region.  

Aside from harvesting resources, The Covenant has little presence on Neso as of yet. They are in close orbit but remain politically neutral in most conflicts and haven’t committed to sending their full security forces to Neso. The majority of the Covenant population competes for scarce resources on international space stations.

Cyphercells are integrated into both human organizations under the guise of regular citizens. They have their own secret society that influences both organizations from the shadows.  

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion 

The Elysium Sect predominantly wear black and gray; they adorn themselves with the faces and symbols of their prophets and gods, immortalized in their armor, statues and tattoos.     

The Covenant armor is bright white and contains what resembles gold rays of light, symbolizing the light of a star. They view themselves as the light, the solution to the darkness of the universe.   

Human fashion has evolved to minimalist simplicity, flowing oversized robes and climate-controlled skin suits are functional and stylish. Individualism is thoroughly discouraged, openly being recognized as a symbol of rebellion. Military personnel don technologically advanced suits of armor. Worn underneath are standard-issue bodysuits that regulate temperature and provide a protective layer from puncture wounds and the elements, an ultra-thin, high-tech, chain mail.

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics 

The top percentile of elite humans appear exceptionally youthful and healthy, the lower rungs of society are affected with space illnesses induced by prolonged station life in orbit. Thanks to centuries of medical advancements, the societal elite can afford to forgo cognitive and physical aging, essentially giving them the freedom to create any aesthetic look they desire. Bioengineering and mRNA technology has progressed exponentially over the millennia, allowing citizens who can afford the hefty price point a distinct advantage. Cognitive enhancements, metabolic rates, customized physical attributes. Topped off with the ability to pass these gifts to offspring through hereditary mutations permanently passed down during alterations made in the womb, or during the artificial insemination stage. This modernized silver spoon widened not only the wealth disparity but fixed the winners of the genetic lottery as well. The average life span expectancy of a lower deck space station resident is less than fifty years old. Meanwhile the rich and powerful sustain aberrant lifespans that can stretch for hundreds of years.

The Elysium Sect members have invested heavily in cybernetics, most have mechanical implants, this grants them augmented abilities and doubles as a method for their leaders to have a physical fail-safe installed as a method of controlling their subjects. Runes and glyphs are tattooed to tell stories and permanently substantiate rankings. These religious zealots will generally hold rigid and stern expressions. A defining characteristic of sect members is their piercing blue eyes, a gene editing and side effect of their ritualistic practices.

The Covenant: has its military units and civilians from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Racism is less prevalent since old world races have been mixing for centuries, classism is the primary form of discrimination. White and gold are reserved for the government representatives; it is illegal for regular citizens to wear those color pallets and associated government symbols. 

Ad Astra per Aspera

II.
Human Accessorizing

II.A.
Animals / Weapons / Dwellings / Transportation

Humans have further developed a blatant disregard for other biological life, they have transitioned to cloning and automation for crops and protein synthesis. The taste of food is programmed based on historical records and recreated with the desired taste profile, the perfect nutrient profile is reserved for those who can afford the good stuff. Humans have continued to customize the DNA of felines and canines that they maintain as pets to this day. They are considered luxury items and double as a security feature. Despite the disregard humans have for lifeforms they deem below them, a domesticated pet is recognized as a sign of luxury, and on occasion a life-saving security feature. The Elysium Sect strictly possess just felines, in their eyes they are the most dignified pets. They hold a curious contempt for canines.

Humans are still obsessed with guns, the enemies are different, but the results are the same. As a species with a long history of violence the obsession with weapons persists. The ammunition may have evolved but the effects did not. Since energy shields and armor have evolved to deflect energy and protect against the majority of projectiles, humans have had to hone their skills with hand-to-hand combat and have returned to using plasma swords and various blades out of necessity. Valuable in close quarters combat and necessary to survive the inhospitable surface of Neso. Humans can get upgrades to their biological frame through cybernetic integrations, mRNA alterations, and biohacking their DNA sequence for physical combat attributes (muscle density, bone density, healing rate, speed, reflexes, vision, etc.).

On Neso the wealthy dwell in the ultra-contemporary spherical works of architectural art. The top-earning Monad percentile spends their time on the Ursa Prime and secure regions of Neso’s colony. The ancient boreal forest with its pristine air is particularly yearned for, a luxury of the future. Also known to be beneficial to alveoli recovery, the oxygen-rich environment is beneficial to cleansing the lungs and avoiding further space illness damage and provides an overall better quality of life. 

The Covenant has an off-planet home called Ursa Prime and seven space stations the size of countries. The majority of the human species live in small domiciles called ‘shelves’ and they spend a disproportionate amount of their free time plugged into the future iteration of the internet, The Omniscience, dubbed the “Omni” for short. The first sentient AI is now the facilitator of all of all entertainment, information and where most people experience the best moments of their monotonous life.

The Elysium Sect’s leaders are rarely seen; they have their own district on Ursa Prime but are often off-planet advancing “The Mission”. They have constructed grand temples across the Galaxy and are building the foundation of their empire on top of the ancient alien ruins at the heart of the boreal region of Neso.

Human technology has advanced enough to allow for intergalactic travel. Ships utilize reverse polarity propulsion systems for precise flying and hovering capability. Space stations carry the vast majority of the human population, massive cities that are similar in mass and amenities to everything you would find in a regular city, except this world is in a massive floating container. The human warships are rudimentary in comparison with Axions; however, humans use their numbers to their advantage, there is no shortage of pilots and ships. “Mother” ships expel drones in vast numbers. Futurist versions of motorcycles have been engineered to satisfy humans’ deep desire to go fast. Illegal races compete with illegal fight clubs for market share in the underground betting world. The underground economy also incorporates the Ṣābā’ industry. Fueling not just experiments and vehicles, but also the sport in the form of sponsorships, with unscrupulous business practices happening behind closed doors. The modern-day equivalent to energy companies of old like Aramco, Shell, Petronas, etc.

II.B.
Resource(s) Of Choice 

The Monad runs the entire decentralized stock market, it governs the commodities market, is accepted everywhere and maintains the monetary balance of the universe. Humans have always desperately needed clean water sources, which has not changed, a universal necessity to all biological life. When it comes to Ṣābā’ humans recognize its value as an energy source but are still learning all the possibilities it holds. Rare metallic alloys are a constant need for the construction of ships, buildings, and weapons. Humans use other humans as a resource. The secondary human market is a massive industry (organs, DNA, stem cells, etc.). The Covenant restricted natural births a long time ago and essentially sterilized mass segments of the female gender. If a family wants to have more than one child per household, they must commit the additional children to the military academy for twenty-five years; it is common for soldiers to not complete the contract duration (loss of life in combat or training is a stark reality). Sterilization has become hereditary in 65% of the female population; the majority of babies are born in tubes or cloned from DNA. The dichotomy of the situation is that the leaders of the Covenant have to control the population to maintain sustainability, but they require a tentative balance of fresh offspring to refill their ranks and perpetuate the elite’s lifespans. Blank human embryos are peddled in private and harvested from the poor to lengthen the lives of the wealthy. Stem cell science has evolved to the point of ease of manipulation for commercialized purposes, sometimes a human life is only worth the value of its stem cells and internal organs. A consequence of the apathy and desperation on the space stations is that the vulnerable people are kidnapped and sold into the secondary human market. “Mercators” known on the street as “Meat Merchants” are the new age of drug dealers, except now they are selling time. In the past the only thing you couldn’t buy was more time, now lifespan, beauty, and health is simply an exchange of Monad. If someone is unable to service debt, they can clear their family’s debt by sacrificing themselves. If a family can’t pay the interest to satisfy their debt servicing they have to sell one of their children or themselves to the flesh dealing Mercators who in turn sell them to those who can afford them, namely the house of Orion, Covenant elite, and the inner circle of the Elysium Sect.

Two things nobody used to escape, death and taxes. Now it’s just taxes.

III.
Allegories 

Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Undertones / Meanings

Classism has evolved into a pseudo Matrix for the wealthy, by hoarding Ṣābā’, harvesting human stem cells and organs the elites prolong their lives and maintain their youth. The disparity between the rich and the poor has never been more prevalent. The poor live in quiet desperation and fear of space illness (a plague that affects humans that spend too much time in space). The ultra-rich have access to technology and can pay to take a life to lengthen their own. For all intensive purposes, having enough Monads allows you to harvest the poor. There are only two ways to gain access to Ursa Prime or the human colony on Neso: pay a substantial sum to lobbyists in the form of political donations or joining the security personnel on Neso. 

What’s a deep breath if the air isn’t fresh?

The Elysium Sect and the Covenant hold very imperialistic value systems. Imperialismis a policy or ideology of extending rule over peoples and other countries, for extending political and economic access, power, and control, often through employing hard power, especially military force, but also ‘soft’ power. In ancient Rome, imperium was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. The Elysium Sect’s subjects abide by Asceticism: it is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often to pursue spiritual goals. A hypocritical doctrine since the Elysium Sects elders hold an unprecedented level of corrupt opulence. In contrast to the dictums imposed upon their followers, they pursue all forms of hedonism at the expense of their morals. They perform their abhorrent, despicable acts in the shadows, a secretive extravagance.  

Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.

IV.
Back Story

Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers   

The Elysium Sect have raised a deeply dedicated following, a hybrid between a religious faith and a military organization. By taking disenfranchised children from their families at a young age it has proven easy to indoctrinate child soldiers. Training starts from as young as 6 years old and live combat missions start when puberty does. The Elysium Sect has amassed an army of zealots whose primary economic function is to colonize planets and strip them of their natural resources to fund their conquest. There are several rumors floating around the space stations and political circles accusing Elysium members of insidious flesh dealing practices. The elders that control the Elysium Sect from behind the scenes are typically grossly obese and live a life of hedonistic opulence whereas their members are raised with strong work ethic, are encouraged to be fit, healthy and athletic. One of their religious tenets include the practice of asceticism and refraining from simple pleasures and any form of luxury. A cross between a corporation and a cult, they employ the use of militant power to gain massive wealth and power. Manipulation of their followers is easy to perform when the troops are motivated by a higher calling. Their followers believe they are going to achieve a form of enlightenment in the afterlife if they fall in battle. A “good death” in service of Elysium is the fastest way to a high status in the afterlife; it is the pinnacle of honor in their culture. A zealot will gladly disembowel or slit his own throat if ordered, a defeated soldier will Seppuku himself or bite into a cyanide-infused tooth to avoid capture.  

The Covenant is a futurist example of government overreach, surveillance, and sterilization. The sacrifice for the “greater” good is the propaganda that is being indoctrinated into the human race. The leaders see themselves as the bringers of light, where everyone else lives in shadows; this is referenced in the semantics of their banners, armor, and crests. Transhumanism is the belief that humans can evolve past our current physical and mental limitations through the means of machines and technology. In the deep future of Metaworld this concept is being explored. Humans have deep emotional bonds with machines, they have fallen in love with AI programs and prefer the digital realm to reality.  In the past humans identified as machines and chose to forgo their biological forms, their very humanity, to achieve immortality as an uploaded consciousness. The original ones that performed this transcendence in the past became what is known in the present day as the Fleshtech Corp. This technology is now banned by the Covenant and Elysium Sect; they view the blending of human and machine consciousness as an abomination. Fleshtech spies have been known to use human clones as “skins”. They can implant their consciousness into the brain stem of a biological host to disguise themselves, allowing seamless integration into human society. Because of their transhumanist ideology the Fleshtech are despised by the Covenant and vice versa. 

The Covenant rules with an iron fist, much of humanity is sick and the international space stations they live in are overpopulated. To live on-world requires significant resources and is reserved for only the most influential and powerful of the human species. Resources found on Neso might be the last hope of avoiding mass deaths. Space illness is a slow degenerative disease that has treatment provided by the Covenant; however, that same treatment is how the covenant keeps its population alive, but dependent on the state. A per diem of Monad credits is not enough to afford the proper long-term care. It is unachievable for a lower deck space station resident to afford the procedure to cure the space sickness that has been coined the “slow death”. Similar to the pharmaceutical industry of the human civilization of the past, the treatment’s primary function is to mitigate the symptoms; a cost-effective cure is not a good business plan. Many humans have developed the ‘slow death’ from intergalactic travel and from spending too much time in synthetic atmospheres with recycled air. They have gaunt, pale skin, and black veins. Terminal patients are afflicted by a physical deterioration similar to leprosy. Citizens of the space station have a Monad per diem they earn based on their societal ranking and the value of their contribution to the Covenant’s social credit system. Among customary bills and costs of living, there is a fee for purified air. The public air system struggles to keep up with the rigorous demands created by overpopulation. The common people’s air goes through periods of toxicity that result in respiratory diseases and a slew of health concerns. The Covenant employs nepotism to maintain a societal hierarchy, siphon resources back to the elite, and in rare cases, population control. Oxygen, bioavailable nutrients, water, and metal alloys are all traded on a fully decentralized exchange with the Monad as the maximalist cryptocurrency of the future. This system is analogous to stock markets of the past. 

The classes are set. You will never leave your caste.

Earth stands as a carcass of its former self, more polluted, more corrupt, and even more chaotic than ever. Only futurist corporations and the unlucky poor that could never get off-planet remain as its inhabitants. The lack of competition among global corporations eventually created a few monopolistic entities that have turned the majority of the earth’s surface into photovoltaic panel farms to facilitate the massive energy requirements of their servers and machine cities. The Elysium Sect and the Fleshtech Corp are two of the major corporations that still have financial interests on Earth; the rest of the market share is controlled by the nations that are members of The Covenant.

Ursa Prime is the first human colony, a utopian Earth-like exoplanet. Extraordinary vegetation, naturally occurring crops, and pristine waters. Only the obscenely wealthy and those part of the Global Security Initiative (an allegiance of Fleshtech, Covenant, and Elysium citizens whose sole function is the unified defense against known and unknown enemies). Population control is a necessity for maintaining the tranquil setting; severely strict laws are adhered to for maintaining such a tense alliance. The capacity rate is in the thousands for the citizens allowed to have a residence on Ursa Prime. The abbreviated initialism ‘UP’ is used as a phrase among human civilization when describing getting called UP to live on Ursa Prime. Metaphorically representing going up to heaven. Lotteries are held by the Covenant to maintain hope for the citizens of the space stations that want to get to live on Ursa Prime. The Elysium Sect graduate only their most loyal members to receive citizenship on Ursa Prime; their Elders predominantly live on Ursa Prime. The Covenant and the Elysium Sect are allies out of necessity for survival; however, their deep-rooted political and ideological differences have beset the two primary human divisions in a perpetual cold war.

Interactions with Fleshtech Corp are purely transactional and contracts are enough to maintain peace between the humans and the AI sentients. Apart from being extremely condescending towards humans, the machines keep to themselves for the most part, but they are by no means ‘friendly’. The humans and the sentients had a great war two thousand years ago before the discovery of Neso. The vast majority of the humans have forgotten the horrors, only a select few of the ultra-elite haven’t died since that war, the Fleshtech executives that survived… never forget anything.

As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope 

Elysium followers are cult-like in their dedication to their corporation. They desire enlightenment and to be called UP to Ursa Prime. They operate from a higher calling and this belief system grants them no fear in battle, they do not tire, they have unlimited motivation, acute focus, and unwavering discipline. They have strict moral tenets but will commit atrocities without flinching in the name of their faith. 

The Covenant civilians that are stuck in space are depressive by nature, they have a deep desire for freedom and for something they can’t articulate… yet feel called to it. Ripe for manipulation by the Elysium sect. Existential angst is common in “the shelf” life. Covenant leaders and politicians constantly betray each other and make political maneuvers to gain power and wealth. Maintaining generational wealth is challenging when, in theory, you can live forever.  

Humans studied science to learn to get what they wanted.

It’s a pity humanity failed to study philosophy to know what they should have wanted in the first place. 

We have achieved what we want, but not what we need.

The Cyphercells have anarchistic tendencies and aim at breaking humans away from the Covenant and the Elysium Sect. They have hacked the ID tracking systems of both organizations and have embedded sleeper cells in both. The modern-day cypherpunks are spies, intrigue and political manipulation befall both human organizations. A cypherpunk is any individual advocating widespread use of strong cryptography and privacy-enhancing technologies as a route to social and political change. Society always seeks consensus and the individual has always been searching for their own personal truth. 

VI.
Character Development

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines 

• Judas Nephilim Cult Leader of Elysium Sect ( Primary villain )
• Covenant “First Families” (Wealthy political descendants) 
• Ulysius Goethe Covenant Unifier  ( True genuine leader)
• John Idris Rebellion Leader ( Unlikely hero )
• Aisha Risalah ( Favorite of the people, a political leader )
• Juliet Eridunus Female love interest ( AI skin )
• Romulus Mephisto ( Elysium Sect False Prophet )

FEEDERS 

Fallen Axions, sometimes referred to as “The Hive”

Known Organizations / Omniscience Intel

The Axions genetically cursed and banished their brethren to a life of servitude to their base instincts; they are now forced to give in to their hunger for raw flesh. After the war they spread throughout the galaxy, growing, evolving, biding their time. The Feeders are seen throughout the galaxy as a pestilence, a disease and nuisance to the planet that everyone wishes they could eradicate off the face of Neso. But despite this, the Feeders remain one of the most successful races in the galaxy due to their hive eusociality, expedited evolutionary adaptability, sheer numbers and rate of reproduction. For every Feeder killed, another one is always ready to take its place. Their species history is hidden in shame, ravaging planet to planet while they seek out Axion life.

 Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.

I.
Feeder Aesthetic Profile

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment

Volcano Badlands are a barren wasteland of sharp igneous rock formations, lava, smoke, and ash are the topographical features. The most Ṣābā’-enriched geographical location on Neso, Feeder hives inhabit this unpredictably dangerous region. Attracted to the Ṣābā’ that attracts the Axions, the Feeders infest the caves where rich deposits of Ṣābā’ can be found.

Even Evil Needs A Home.

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion

The epidermis of the Feeders has been studied and the tissue was unique in the sense it had elements of an exoskeleton and thick yet malleable skin. The mutation infused elements of an insect’s natural armor with the warm-blooded advantages of a mammal’s skin. If required to survive in a frigid environment, a Feeder can grow a thick coat of fur. The fossils of Feeders have been documented on Neso and other planets; this is where the vast majority of Omniscience data was acquired and studied. A live specimen will fight to the death and attempt to commit suicide before being captured, this makes it extremely hard to sedate and contain off-planet. 

The Feeder rank and class is determined by the version of the genomic mutation. There have been documented reports of at least 10 different types of Feeders. There have been documented sightings of ten different Feeder mutations. The Queen’s generals are Mothers who take care of the young, underlings that specialize in gathering food, Zygous Elites that protect the queen and her dwelling, and flying feeders who strike fear into those unfortunate enough to run into them. The Queen will breed the requirements for her tribe as needed; a tenuous balance, organization and control is maintained by her. By far the most common and savage Feeder encounters are with the Ghrelins. Incessantly hungry, they are seemingly mindless killing machines, they use their sheer numbers, claws, teeth, and feral strength to overwhelm their opponents. Extremely fast, agile, armed with an acute sense of smell, they can see very well in the dark and can sense vibrations in the earth to stalk their prey. They have effectively become the planet’s apex predator. 

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics 

The ability to evolve and adapt their DNA sequencing at an expedited rate makes it extremely difficult to combat these creatures. A virus is an effective bio-weapon only for a short window. The Queen can imprint genetic adaptations on her young, based on the changes her enemies make to combat her swarms. The key to their longevity as a species is in their ability to adapt to facilitate harsh environments, the enemy’s eradication methods and grow an embryo to a fully-grown Feeder in as little as one trimester.  

The Feeders are one of Eusociality, they are all cooperative in their care of their young. Labor is split into two different groups: those who reproduce and take care of the Queen and those who don’t reproduce (Ghrelins, Elite Hunters, Fallen Generals, etc.). Despite being a highly organized society, they lack heavily in advanced social behavior. Feeder Elite lead their hoards using pheromone messaging to relay orders from their Queen.  If you kill a Feeder leader and there isn’t one to replace its command hierarchy, the hive will fall into chaos and disorder. Lacking leadership, the common Ghrelins and drones succumb to fighting among themselves and anyone around them in a giant free-for-all. Lone Feeders are rare and still dangerous but prove much easier to kill. Feeders succeed in numbers and a smaller group or individual poses less of a threat. Kamikaze style, they overwhelm their targets with their ferocity, disregard for their own self-preservation and sheer numbers. By any means necessary, is the typical strategy.

When a Feeder is killed, its carcass releases a pheromone that causes the others around it to react in a violent frenzy. Feeder blood has been found to have toxic interactions with humans. If the blood interacts with human cells the following infection will silently kill a host in 3 days. Showing no symptoms until the toxin in the blood reaches the brain and heart.  This has made Feeder blood a popular poison used in assassinations. 

Feeders dispose of their dead by eating them, there is no room for sentiments when you’re hungry. Even in death they serve the hive.

Our own genomes carry the story of evolution, written in DNA, the language of molecular genetics, and the narrative is unmistakable. Evolve or perish.

II.
Feeder Accessorizing

II.A. 
Animals / Weapons / Dwellings / Transportation 

Although the genotype of the Feeders was established at the dawn of their curse and subsequent genetic mutation. The phenotypes of Feeders differ greatly planet to planet, environmental factors including temperature, nutrients and Ṣābā’ consumption in combination with their ability to evolve thousands of times faster than natural evolutionary patterns has yielded a diverse set of traits across the species. The two primary genetic markers found in Feeder tissue have been from the Canis and Formicidae genus’s. Some of the most interesting and impressive social elements in the animal kingdom are found within their communities. Loyalty, intelligence, hunting prowess, ferocity, fearlessness, and family eusociality are attributes of both species. Wolves have over 200 million scent cells, a crushing jaw of over 1500 pounds per square inch and can eat 20 pounds of meat in a single setting. Ants can swim, do not require lungs, can carry fifty times their body weight and the species can close its jaws at 140mph, the record for the fastest movement found in the entire animal kingdom. Feeders have assimilated all the most desirable traits of both species into their genetic code. The eerie howls of the Feeder Ghrelins can be heard under the cover of darkness. Many ants don’t have eyes or ears, Feeders communicate through sounds, vibrations, pheromones, and touch. The Feeders act as though there is an overmind that controls them, they call to each other through acoustics that the human ear can’t pick up. It has been rumored that their level of synchronicity, fierce fealty, and unwavering discipline to the hive can be attested to an overmind collective consciousness. There is currently no fully understood scientific explanation as to how the Queen controls the hive with the gracefulness of a conductor operating a symphony. The Feeder drones bring the Ṣābā’ back to their Queen, who feeds on it. Amplifying the production quality and speeding up the birth rate of herself and her Mothers. The ingestion of Ṣābā’ in large amounts results in her being able to see visions of other moments in time, due to the manipulation of time and space that occurs with Ṣābā’ under the right influences. This technique may allude to the method the Feeders have used to track down Axion settlements throughout the galaxy.  

Feeders eat everything, they have no animals, no pets, they hold no quarter and they have no remorse. The only beings Feeders seem to have a mutual respect for and actively avoid are Ascarians.

Feeders can climb anything, great swimmers, reach speeds of up to 80mph and can dig very well. Darkness is the friend of the Feeder; they are primarily nocturnal and don’t require line of sight to hunt their prey. They hide in caves and burrow underground throughout the dark crevices of the worlds they inhabit, lurking, waiting for nightfall, to hunt.

Evolution was far more thrilling to me than the biblical account. Who would not rather be a rising ape than a falling angel?

II.B.
Resource(s) Of Choice 

Feeders resource selection comprises of Ṣābā’, Flesh, and Water. An insatiable desire to feed is the curse of the Feeder mutation. This overrides the decision-making ability in the lower ranking species prefrontal cortex, a hijacked limbic system is one genomic trait that Feeders couldn’t evolve their way out of. This drives them to constantly hunt, Feeders can never know peace and are always on the move in search of new hunting grounds. 

This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call natural selection or the survival of the fittest.

Ṣābā’ can be metabolized by Izanami to accelerate the breeding process for new Feeders. It allows her to produce stronger more evolved phenotypes in shorter incubation periods. Over the thousands of years since her banishment, Izanami has evolved to interact with the Ṣābā’ on a biological level, granting her access into glimpses of the past, present and future through the manipulation of the space-time continuum that occurs under large doses.  

III.
Allegories

 Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Deeper Undertones / Meanings

Revenge and the quest for redemption are the common themes of the Feeder tribe. After being betrayed by her family, Izanami was filled with hatred and rage, her relegation to the darkness left her jaded, spiteful and self-destructive. Driven mad by the grief and rage she felt by being betrayed at the hands of her blood relatives. Izanami has two voices and personalities inside her head, part of her is desperately seeking a way back to Axion form and redeeming herself and the other voice is hell bent on exacting revenge and finding atonement in the blood of her enemies. This constant internal dialogue results in erratic and terrifying behavior.  

An interesting coincidence from the bio-weapon used on Izanami and her followers is how the Axion mutation attributed Wolf attributes to the Feeder species. The irony of the deep seeded desire for revenge that has been planted in the Feeder soul, is how it has been exasperated by the fact that Wolves are one of the only species in the animal kingdom that kill for revenge. This became a form of poetic justice for the Axions; they thought the curse would make the fallen Axions simple-minded, unorganized and savage. They failed to see how Axion DNA would react to the mutation over time and are now faced with an evolutionary advanced scourge that is actively hunting down the last of their species.

I can only fathom the depth of revenge that lives inside you.

IV.
Back Story

Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers 

Since Feeders lack the technical capabilities to build space ships to transport them from planet to planet, they have developed the evolutionary ability to cocoon themselves on the exterior or interior of the other tribe’s ships as stowaways. In this chrysalis state, they do not require oxygen, can withstand extreme swings in temperature, can slow their heart rate and metabolic demands to extreme lows to avoid detection and sustain long trips without feeding. The Locus, Zygous, Generals and Feeder Mothers have been known to be able to use their biological form to interact with digital mainframes, similar to hacking, they can infest machines and control them with their consciousness. Tentacles integrate into the hardware and the electrical impulses allow communication between the Feeder brainwaves and the machine’s operating software. According to the classified files from Omniscience; the reason these Feeders possess that ability and quadrant knowledge is from them being Fallen House Of Orion members that have been cursed. The number of Feeders with this ability is unknown; it is estimated that there may be up to a hundred, but it is certain that there is only one Queen Izanami. The Feeder Generals and Elites will evacuate a planet once the food source to population ratio has reached an unsustainable threshold. They have stolen and infested ancient House Of Orion ships that float in deep space waiting to be called upon by Izanami when required. At the end of the purge the scourge leaders depart and the Ghrelins are left to devour the planet, and then each other.   

The Fallen have forsaken their holiness, revenge, lust, ambition and pride are exalted as the gods of their idolatry

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth  / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope 

There have been dens of Feeders on many planets; however, Queen Izanami and her Zygous are not on any other planet, they are on Neso. Ṣābā’ provides the sustenance required to produce Feeders at an exponential rate. Only the Queen and her Mothers can produce the larvae that grow into new Feeders. There have been planets that were once biodiverse paradises that Feeders have turned into desolate wastelands, once the food runs out, so do the Feeders. If the Queen and her Mothers have the necessary resources to produce offspring at mass, they will overrun a planet within a few centuries. Going planet to planet, seeking out House Of Orion colonies, mining expeditions and major cities. When the House Of Orion were achieving the upper hand and the outcome of the war was becoming apparent to both sides, the Empress and Emperor extended the olive branch of peace in the name of saving precious Axion blood. Izanami and all the dissenting family members were invited to a great feast to celebrate the end of the civil war. They wanted to send a warning message to all the families, so they devised a trap. Once all the guests were comfortable and they broke bread together, shared laughter and toasted to new beginnings, the Empress made a final speech where she condemned the acts of the Fallen (the Axion dissenters) for eternity. The doors were sealed, and a gene therapy serum was administered to the entire hall in aerosol form. The weapon mutated their cells, resulting in the grotesque Feeders of today. The plan partially backfired, the House Of Orion was inoculated in advance, shielding them to the majority of the serum’s effect; however, a side effect was Axion females losing the ability to give birth. The Feeder tribe has been looking for the House of Orion council members for centuries. Half of Izanami’s mind is trying to force the House of Orion to provide a cure for their curse and the other half simply wants to have her children, eat their children, while they watch. Neso is the most Ṣābā’ rich super exoplanet ever discovered. Izanami knows Ṣābā’ draws the House Of Orion and she is betting that her occupancy of the Volcano Region (the continent with richest deposits on Neso) will force their hand. Or she will watch the planet burn. Izanami seeks redemption or revenge, whichever comes first.  

Seek revenge and you should dig two graves, one for yourself

VI.
Characters (heroes)

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines

Queen Izanami: The leader of the insurrection of the Fallen Axions of old. She is rumored to be the daughter of the Empress’ Selene’s sister, Ishtar of The House Of Orion.

Locus: The Feeder Right Hand to the Queen.

7 Zygous Elites, The Queen’s harbors of Death, the Zygous leader, is named Lucian.

The surviving Axion generals that remain from the purge are more advanced than the mass of the underlying hordes. They maintain their higher cognitive abilities of old and enhanced physical gifts.

Fleshtech Corporation
(Transhuman Sentients)

Known Organizations / Omniscience Intel 

The Last Corporation: The zenith of alchemical consciousnesses, a personification of deep learning; the Fleshtech Corporation is a conglomerate of Earth’s ancient big tech companies. The original executives are sentient androids that prior to their synthetic evolution used to be an individual human consciousness. A few millennia ago computer science researchers achieved singularity, they mapped the mind in its entirety and converted that code to an AI software that could eventually integrate with biological matter. The human precursors to the Fleshtech experiment decided to forego their humanism and be integrated into AI software, for eternity. This exodus from the flesh was a defining moment in human history, many humans saw the union as an abomination and a devastating war between humans and machine ensued. After significant losses on both sides, an agreement for a tentative peace and alliance was forged. The transhumanism technology was forbidden by the Covenant and the Elysium Sect. There are a finite number of serialized “Originals”, in the name of self-preservation the Fleshtech leaders are far removed from any real threats. All subsequent “new” Fleshtech beings are only sentient AI, they have not been meshed with a human consciousness. As a general rule, the older a Fleshtech model is, the more powerful it is.   

Politicized Gangs: There are AI systems that do not abide by the corporation’s dictums. They have formed their own gangs with dangerous political ideologies; they primarily maraud deep space. It is a problem for the humans since they can hide in both human organizations by wearing human ‘skins’ and perpetuate their sinister agendas under the guise of humanity. Their polarized goals range from the deletion of the human species to the further integration of the human mind and the digital realm. The programming allows the AI to titrate how much human emotion and personality traits they want to exude. If an AI goes too far on either side of the spectrum it manifests itself in disturbing behavior. Controls have been set in place; however, ultimately it is up to the machine how human it wants to be. 

‘What is a human being, then?’
‘A seed.’
‘A … seed?’
‘An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree.’

I.
Fleshtech Aesthetic
Profile 

I.A.
Selected & Established Neso Region / Topographical Environment

The cold Arctic wasteland is where the Fleshtech Nest is located on Neso. Barren and desolate the Fleshtech do not need comfort, warmth, or freshwater. The hostile environment is covered in sharp and jagged obsidian rock formations, snow and ice caves with massive stalagmites and icicles. Fleshtech build synthetic infrastructure everywhere they go. The machines have utilized geothermal, photovoltaic, and Ṣābā’ based energy sources to fuel their manufacturing and mining processes.

The AI collective has outposts all over the galaxy, gathering intel and data relayed back to the shared surveillance consciousness in real-time. The Fleshtech connect virtually into a shared network which allows them to share data and access what all of the machines see in their own personal surveillance cloud. 

There is a pilot program of a shared colony with humans on Ursa Prime, an exercise for machine and human community building. The majority market share of the corporations that remain sprawled across the Earth are under Fleshtech ownership. Advancements in photovoltaic technology supply the large energy required for the massive Fleshtech demand, solar panels of the future are everywhere, sprawling as far as the eye can see, covering the majority of the Earth’s suitable land surface.

I.B.
Armor / Attire / Fashion 

Fleshtech exoskeletons are predominantly black; machines gravitate towards darker hues. Made from highly durable alloys; the machines maintain some humanistic elements, in the sense they customize their appearance (not common for machines to self-identify). The “originals” maintain a portion of the brain that is still intact. A neural link connects the sentient AI chip and the rest of the machine body to the biomechanical hard drive.

There are AI bounty hunters that cover themselves in ragged clothes that resemble an artist’s depictions of the reaper of death. Some machines hide in plain sight by wearing human clothes and biological ‘skins’ in order to blend in with society.

Some of the Originals have donned themselves in elegant exoskeletons that are beautiful, even by human standards. The highest-ranking executives of the corporation are connected to vast amounts of data and have been known to spend centuries within their own digital universes, learning, living and waiting for their turn to lead.  The Fleshtech Originals have a gracefulness to them, their robotic parts and their past humanoid characteristics flow together as one. A person’s unique gait and nervous ticks are present in their movement characterization. They are more akin to a robotized evolution of mankind than the rudimentary machines of the past.  

I.C.
Differentiating Characteristics 

The Fleshtech Originals have been serialized to symbolize their rank, numbered in the order from when they decided to become transhumanists and move permanently to a virtual and eternal life. All Fleshtech members hold a ranking, much like a credit score within the corporation, based on tenure, financial data and military contributions to the company.

All Fleshtech Originals at a certain point had an ultimatum they had to make, to give up on their human life and become part of the machine collective; however, the technology to mesh new biological consciousnesses with an AI one has since been lost by most. The existing Fleshtech that possess removable biomechanical implants are the Originals from before the last great war between humans and machines. The machines have been working on regaining the ability to create new uploaded human consciousness. The Fleshtech have been experimenting with blank human embryos and cloning to produce ‘skins’ that are biological hosts for the AI implant. This disguise allows them to move freely and infiltrate human organizations with ease.  The goal is to be able to not only live forever but to live forever by moving from human skin to human skin; feeling sensations, experiencing touch, tasting, and breathing fresh air again. Accepting all of humanity’s simple joys while establishing themselves as their own personal god.

What use was time to those who’d soon achieve digital immortality?

II.
Fleshtech Accessorizing

II.A.
Animals / Weapons / Dwellings

The AI understands the necessity for biodiversity to maintain the health of the planet; however, they do not value biological life apart from how it can benefit them. The androids have machines that resemble animals, they also double as small service droids. Labor is performed by simplified machines. These service droids would be the equivalent of pets to a Fleshtech. Micro surveillance drones are scattered throughout the galaxy, feeding the collective surveillance from every private conversation and current event.

The Fleshtech Corp never ceases to push the limits of technological advancements. They have weaponized biological warfare and various novel energy weapon systems. Nanotechnology can heal a damaged Fleshtech or clean the human flesh off of the bone. Nanites are an expedited form of flesh-eating disease, the assault conjures up visuals of a school of voracious piranhas devouring their unfortunate prey. The Fleshtech rely on numbers to overwhelm their enemies; their primary cruisers carry a swarm of smaller drones. Specialized units have the ability to camouflage by reflecting light to temporarily cloak themselves. Batteries have been perfected, being able to store energy with up to 99% efficiency. Methods of charging their internal processors have superseded anything that was once thought possible by the laws of thermodynamics and physics. A reactor core can provide life to a Fleshtech for centuries without any maintenance. Ṣābā’ cells have further revolutionized energy storage capabilities.  

Machines don’t require many amenities, only the Originals have their own bleak quarters and individual homes. Transportable massive vertical ships carry the masses of standard ground units. They stand arms crossed charging, awaiting activation orders in a device that resembles a coffin before deployment. Inside these vertical ships the units plug into a connected network sharing eons of knowledge in real time. Transparent fiber optic cabling moves and writhes as if it was alive. The wires of the future act like snakes that can slither themselves to their ports. They can attract themselves together and organize themselves in the most efficient way possible within the space they occupy. They change color to represent damage or disconnection. When they are not in use they retract and stow away into a small and neat format at the mere thought of its operator.

There will come a time when it isn’t ‘They’re spying on me through my phone’ anymore. Eventually, it will be ‘My phone is spying on me’.

II.B.
Resource(s) Of Choice 

Monads drive everything the Fleshtech accomplish, a war chest is a necessary form of self-defense in a galaxy rife with conflict. Business is a primary directive for the board of advisors that govern the Fleshtech decisions. Selling arms to both sides of warring factions and harvesting any value they come across, regardless of the consequences.  Monads are useful to purchase rare metallic alloys and other commodities required for building armies at mass. The initial research on Ṣābā’ has shown promising results as an energy source and as a medium to transfer consciousness from synthetic data to biological hosts. Human lives, newborn clones, blank embryos and DNA are experimented upon in secret. The desire to merge biological reparation, natural evolution and inanimate metal with the permanence of a digital consciousness has been a longtime goal of the Fleshtech Corp. Benefits of a machine’s efficiency combined with the magic rejuvenation and physical adaptation afforded by merging with a biological organism. The union promotes unfettered evolutionary possibilities by removing the constraints of a wholly biological form. DNA sequences are a form of intellectual property in the future and the Originals are collecting it in mass.

The Monad doesn’t sleep and neither do Fleshtech

III.
Allegories 

Philosophical / Ideological Profile / Deeper Undertones / Meanings

Throughout the course of history humans mixed races to the point where racism based on skin color or culture became negligible. The mixing of cultures rendered most prejudices a mute argument when singular ethnicities are no more. However, classism is very much alive and well. The new form of segregation is based on one’s social credit score and Monad account balance. In addition to the separation of humanity, xenophobia and the future of racism is directed towards machines and other species. The Covenant despises the Fleshtech Corp for giving up on their humanity, their past destruction and monopolization of Earth. The Fleshtech Corp holds contempt for humans for their fallible nature and unwillingness to accept the natural evolution of humankind to transition towards transhumanism. With overbearing surveillance tactics employed by both sides, a consistent cold war is part of life in the deep future. There are slurs used by both sides to refer to each other’s disdain of the other. Transhumanism stems from the desire to live forever. They have given up on what makes them human for the allure of wealth and eternal life. Posthuman transhumanism: a transhuman ideology and movement which seeks to develop and make available technologies that eliminate aging, enable immortality and greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities, as to achieve a “posthuman future”.

Your worst enemy, he reflected, was your own nervous system. At any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom.

AI takeover: A variant of transhumanism in which humans will not be enhanced, but rather eventually replaced by artificial intelligence. Some philosophers promote the view that humans should embrace and accept their eventual demise. This is related to the view of “cosmism”, which supports the building of strong artificial intelligence even if it may entail the end of humanity, in their view it “would be a cosmic tragedy if humanity freezes evolution at the puny human level”.

So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money? Is it creation? Control? In Metaworld, it’s time.

IV.
Back Story 

Home Planet / Origin Story / History / Allies / Enemies / Lovers   

Aristocratic billionaire families from ancient human history were among the first candidates that transitioned to become eternal tech. The appeal of living an immortal life lured them into an obsession with becoming more, daring the laws of nature to become their very own gods. Adam Nabi was Version 1.0, he was the first of his kind, as time passed he has been forgotten by the majority of humankind, V1.0 has hidden his existence from the rest of the tribes. Human memory will never be as reliable as a machines. He is the original human consciousness that meshed with an AI. As the original transhumanist hacker, V1.0 oversees the Fleshtech surveillance system from the shadows, studying, learning, biding his time. After thousands of years in a sensory deprived machine he longs to feel what it is like to be human again. The petrichor after a good rain, the chemical cocktail from an orgasm, the softness of a gentle touch, the sensory experience of a satiating meal, the pain of loss, the joy of victory, the very essence of what it means to be human. His primary directive is to be able to transition back into a human form and he is willing to do anything to achieve this. Hawwa Nabi (Version 2.0) is his wife. She had a mental break from the shackles of eternity, she tried to destroy him and all the technology when she decided she didn’t want to be alive as a machine any longer. This was the reason the technology to mesh human consciousness with an AI was lost. However, she lost the battle which resulted in her being shut down, placed in stasis and lost to obscurity. Once Adam can successfully transition biomechanically implanted consciousness into a human clone, only then he will awaken her.

You can’t get enough of what you don’t actually want.

Fleshtech investors (the Original self-aware AI members) are humans that gave up on trying to save the planet and decided interplanetary travel was the future, as opposed to pursuing environmentalism. This fostered a belief system with blatant disregard for ecosystems and biological life. They ravaged the Earth and feel no remorse for their actions. 

The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and consciousness cannot evolve unconsciously. The evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and will cannot evolve involuntarily.

V.
Psychological Profile

Overbearing Intentions / Revenge / Power /Love / Wealth / Longevity / Freedom / Self Righteousness / A Higher Calling /A Belief / A Hope 

Even though the Fleshtech are primarily made of code and inanimate metals. The foundation of AI programming retains elements of human emotion since it was either fused with human consciousness from its inception. In the case of an AI that has no previous human consciousness origin, it was still influenced by human coding at its birth and therefore maintains elements of human tendencies. Try as they will, there is still a dependency on the machines to require human elements in their code to maintain function and survival. They still elicit anger or fear when the right parameters occur. Extremely logical and data-driven, the Fleshtech make decisions primarily from complex calculations on extrapolated potential outcomes. These cyborg humanoids try to portray the appearance of operating as an altruistic entity in their foreign policies. However, the more time goes by, the more it seems they are willing to breach the moral gray areas to see humanity and others fall under their will if and when the time comes. The original investors have a deep-rooted superiority complex and believe they have to see that the greater good is achieved, and will see it by any means necessary, including committing genocidal atrocities. Amassing corporate profits, hoarding energy and dominant military power are key components of the Fleshtech Corps ambitions.

The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain or past.

VI.
Character Development

Craft Main Characters (Protagonists & Antagonists) / Design Their Personalities / Identity Traits / Storylines

Original V 1.0 (Adam Nabi)

Original V 2.0 (Hawwa Nabi)

Concaten, wants to bring the techno-revelation (corrupted AI software hell bent on destroying all sentient organics)

The Seven Systems Horsemen (Concaten’s generals/loyal followers)