National Secessionist Forces

The National Secessionist Forces or NSF is a national militia group engaged in what it terms the Second American Revolution,Jaime Reyes: "The NSF: the biggest terrorist threat in the U. S. This national militia group thinks it is fighting the Second American Revolution." and the principal opponent of UNATCO in the United States. The NSF are hostile to the United States due to the numerous draconian, authoritarian measures introduced by the federal government to pacify society, maintain control, and empower the rich plutocrats against the poor majority, turning America into an elitist state.NSF terrorist: "Fascist!"
NSF believes that these steps are no mere coincidence due to a crumbling world, but a deliberate conspiracy by the rich against the masses, citing the consolidation of state-corporate power through preferential taxation (reducing corporate taxes and increasing personal ones), oligarchic practices and selective choosing of members of key institutions, and the ever more violent measures to maintain public order as examples. They believe their continued resistance is necessary for the good of the people, and any means are warranted, as long as they serve that goal.Leo Gold: "Don't believe me? It's all in the numbers. For a hundred years, there's been a conspiracy of plutocrats against ordinary people."
JC Denton: "Do you have a single fact to back that up?"
Leo Gold: "Number one: In 1945 corporations paid 50 percent of federal taxes. Now they pay about 5 percent. Number two: In 1900 90 percent of Americans were self-employed; now it's about two percent."
JC Denton: "So?"
Leo Gold: "It's called consolidation. Strengthen governments and corporations, weaken individuals. With taxes, this can be done imperceptibly over time. "JC Denton: "I guarantee you that the interrogation staff at UNATCO will not be as forbearing as I am."
Leo Gold: "The entire executive branch is hand-picked. Nineteen of the last twenty-three U.S. presidents have been members of the Trilateral Commission. The Trilateral Commission is financed by the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. Don't tell me --"
JC Denton: "That's a think-tank. Anyone can become a member."
Leo Gold: "But not everyone does. That's why they call it the "secret government.""Leo Gold: "Do you ever ask what it's for? The surveillance, the police, the shoot-on-sight laws? Is that freedom?"Leo Gold: "You can't fight ideas with bullets."Leo Gold: "The more of us you kill, the more that seccessionism lives in the hearts of the people."
At the start of , NSF is the primary antagonist, portrayed as a notorious terrorist group that JC believes should be eradicated. This notion continues up to LaGuardia. When JC learns of Paul's involvement with the organization, and finally meets and talks to Juan Lebedev, the NSF leader, he begins to suspect that UNATCO may be the true villain, not the NSF. When JC is ordered by Paul to go to NSF HQ to send the distress signal, he also finds, based on Paul's words, evidence of the covert financial transactions between UNATCO officials and anonymous parties, as well as UNATCO's role in the Statue bombings. When JC sends the distress signal, Walton Simons orders the UNATCO troops to kill him. Whether JC wants to or not, he is now allied with the NSF. Eventually, JC is captured and transported to MJ12's complex beneath UNATCO HQ. This confirms UNATCO's involvement in the MJ12 conspiracy, inverting the situation from the start of the game.
== History ==
Building on the foundations laid by the New Sons of Freedom and the Northwest Secessionist Forces and the Northwest War, the National Secessionist Forces are the third organization to carry the NSF abbreviation, formed in 2042. In the wake of draconian gun control legislation in the form of the Sporting Weapons Act, the third NSF emerged as the National Secessionist Forces. The new NSF was composed of individuals who refused to give up their rifles, grenades, land mines, and other "collectibles" prohibited by the Act. Led by General Leon Woods, the goal of the NSF was to liberate the states of Washington, Montana, Oregon, and Northern California, and secede from the United States. Originally operating in the western United States, the NSF steadily spread across the American mainland, gaining footholds and establishing a large support base in major eastern urban centers such as New York City. While the United Nations and the US government classified the NSF as a terrorist group, many people saw the NSF as liberators from an increasingly authoritarian US federal government.
Leon Woods was killed in a last stand in 2045, but the NSF continued on gaining more and more strength, as well as support from Silhouette (the resistance movement against the French government), the Luminous Path Triad, and X-51 (a group of former Area 51 scientists). Dissident computer scientists and programmers, said to be based in Seattle and San Francisco, aided the NSF in setting up a highly encrypted communication network; eroding the edge that MJ12 and UNATCO had due to their control over the Aquinas network and ECHELON. At this point, the United Nations declared war on the NSF.UNATCO bulletin terminal: Know Your Enemy -- NSF
By 2052, the NSF became the fastest-growing political movement in the history of the United States, aided by UNATCO's brutal conduct and the steady deterioration of the United States into a dictatorship - a process that started over two decades earlier, with the Northwest War. Despite summary executions, mass crackdowns,
JC Denton: " On second thought, I don't need your help."
Joe Greene: " Then let me ask YOU a question. What do YOU think about the summary executions happening on the very streets of New York?"
JC Denton: " I'd call it civil unrest."
Joe Greene: " Let me be more pointed. How does it feel to be ordered to murder civilians just because they support the fastest-growing political movement in this nation's history?"
JC Denton: " In a democracy, armed rebellion is criminal, not political."
Joe Greene: " Rebellion, as the Declaration of Independence tells us, is not only our "right" but our "duty" when we have suffered "a long train of abuses and usurpations.""
 and pinning the blame for numerous acts of terrorism (most notably the bombing of the Statue of Liberty) and common crime (eg. human trafficking and dealing in drugs), NSF continued to grow and formed alliances across the world, most notably with the Luminous Path Triad, an actual mafia group, and Silhouette, an intellectual collective.
The NSF aggressively confronted the United States government. Operating unimpeded in western parts of the United States, the NSF also operated covertly in the densely urbanized Eastern Seaboard. The most notable operation was the attack on Liberty Island and UNATCO's base of operations, when NSF troops under Colonel Leo Gold seized stockpiles of Ambrosia and attempted to get them out of the city and into the hands of the common people, suffering from the Gray Death. The complex operation was actually a plan within a plan: The main goal was to secure a single sample of Ambrosia, so that Tracer Tong and the Luminous Path Triad could analyze and replicate it: VersaLife held a patent on Ambrosia and deliberately restricted production, on orders from Page, to both hold the powerful hostage and to cull the undesirable parts of the population.Paul Denton: " Just listen to what I've got to say. We don't have much time."
JC Denton: " You got that right. UNATCO will have a team here in a few minutes."
Paul Denton: " The Gray Death is a man-made virus. Everyone up to the President is at UNATCO's mercy as long as UNATCO controls the supply of Ambrosia."
JC Denton: " You believe that?"
Paul Denton: " We have proof. We need to get the Ambrosia to Hong Kong. Heard of Tracer Tong? He can help us synthesize it ourselves."
JC Denton: " You better step away from the jet. Your boss is my next objective."
Paul Denton: " Join us, JC. Talk to Lebedev. He can convince you."
NSF liberating Ambrosia and replicating it independently would remove the threat of the plague constantly hanging over the people.ParkBum2: " Soon as the NSF learn how to make the vaccine, there won't be any more Gray Death." However, the operation failed, due to the actions of JC Denton, UNATCO's latest nano-augmented agent, who routed the NSF forces at Liberty Island and led the recovery efforts in New York City, ultimately capturing Juan Lebedev, one of the highest ranking leaders of the militia. With Lebedev captured and executed, the situation seemed decisively in favor of UNATCO and the global conspiracy. Denton soon followed his brother's example, convinced by Jock to aid Paul, and defected to the NSF side (not necessarily the NSF itself), becoming a key player in the struggle against UNATCO and Majestic 12 - and a scapegoat for the death of Lebedev and numerous acts of terrorism.Hell's Kitchen bulletin terminals, MOST WANTED: JC Denton 
Despite the loss of Lebedev, the NSF remained active and fighting, and platoons were even distributed worldwide to assist the resistance.
==Organization==
The NSF is a distributed, decentralized militiaPaul Denton: " Jesus Christ. Didn't you hear me? I ordered the militia to stand down."JC Denton: " Your "militia" killed a lot of our men tonight." that is nonetheless the primary fighting force of the global resistance movement. Platoons may even be assigned to overseas service, e.g. to assist Morgan Everett and Silhouette in France, with no loss of cohesion or fighting ability.Morgan Everett: " The gold -- wonderful! My people will take control when you move out. I believe you know Chad. I've given him control of an NSF platoon on loan to me from America." It also forms alliances with other groups regardless of their provenance, including the Mole People living beneath New York. Abandoned by the government, the moles owe little loyalty to the state and believe NSF is warranted in standing up to it.Mole Person: " The NSF have every right to stand up to the government. Somebody's gotta"
JC Denton: " Maybe you should join your people. Anywhere underground would be safer than Battery Park."
Curly: " The moles need someone topside. Besides, it's been pretty quiet. I'd rather be here than have the NSF tromping around with machine guns."
JC Denton: " The NSF are hiding out with the mole people?"
Curly: " Yeah, they haven't hurt anybody. We guess it's all right."
JC Denton: " I need to contact the NSF. Think you could tell me how to find the moles?"
Curly: " Sure. Just give me the password so I know they trust you."
Charlie Fann: " Are you the Feds? We don't need a war down here."
JC Denton: " I work for UNATCO."
Charlie Fann: " Well, the NSF come through here, but they don't bother us. If we need help with anything, it's our plumbing. We lost pressure because of the explosions on South Street."
JC Denton: " Tough break. You tell me about the NSF, and I'll put in a word with the city about the water."
Charlie Fann: " The city don't know we got water and they don't NEED to know. How about you fix it and then I'll talk."
JC Denton: " I don't have much time."
Charlie Fann: " I would open the valve myself, but there was a cave-in; the utility door's blocked. It's up at the north end of the tracks, in case you want to take a look."
JC Denton: " Clearing a tunnel -- that would require explosives."
Charlie Fann: " It could be done; a LAM would do the trick. It's just that I'm not gonna be the one to talk to the Rooks. They'd probably sell us one, but they don't like people going into their turf, which is the whole upper level."
 
The lack of centralized leadership makes it less effective, but also less susceptible to crackdowns by the state or the UN. The murder of Juan Lebedev by UNATCO (either assassinated or killed in custody), the anarchistDeus Ex Bible: "Next, you race to stop the Ambrosia from leaving New York. You travel through the underground tunnels of the Mole people until finally reaching the helibase and airfield where the vaccine is being prepared for transport. You track down Juan Lebedev, the millionaire anarchist funding the plot. Surprisingly, you are met there by your brother Paul, who reveals he has been working as a double agent for the NSF, and urges you to reconsider your own affiliations." millionaire who was both one of NSF's highest leaders and a major source of funds, killed by UNATCO (either assassinated or executed in custody), NSF remained operational and active, including loaning troops to other resistance fighters.Deus Ex official strategy guide: "Juan Lebedev: NSF Funder
One of the highest of the high in the NSF organization, Lebedev is the moneybags behind the whole operation. You've got to hand it to the guy: in a world that's going down the toilet, he's doing okay. He's got his own multi-level jet, his own hangar at the airport, loyal troops and enough cash to go anywhere he wants. A man like that would have a much longer, happier life expectancy if he's just fly off to a tropical island somewhere and not get involved in politics and terrorism. Lebedev has two primary talents. He's a researcher and a talker. You can learn an awful lot from a guy like this, but keep in mind that he's not going to tell you what he doesn't want you to hear. Of course, that goes double for everyone else you know. It's a tough world for an enthusiastic young agent like yourself, and Lebedev can make it tougher."Mole Person: " Hell, the NSF don't hurt anybody."
Its key advantage lies in communications: NSF communications are highly encrypted and tunnel through public networks such as NYCNET, allowing it to coordinate operations and communicate freely, despite Daedalus' surveillance.Datacube transcripts (DX) The decentralized nature also results in a large pool of potential recruits, though there is constant friction: NSF troops from Alabama, where strict dress codes are observed and earrings disqualify from holding command positions, might find themselves fighting in New York City alongside heavily tattooed officers involved in organized crime, including prostitution and drug trade. While UNATCO leverages this in propaganda to slander the NSF as little more than criminals, the NSF considers it as a strength: Representing everyone's interests.
Amos: " Did they find the shipment?"
Jackson: " Yeah, we got the whole supply. You can see the ship's lights crossing the bay."
Amos: " Guess y'all were right. So why aren't we pulling out?"
Jackson: " Mike's on the horn. JoJo wants a lead on the distribution network."
Amos: " Hell, we don't have enough men to protect what we've got."
Jackson: " That's what JoJo wants."
Amos: " I wonder. How's a guy with a tattooed forehead get to be an NSF colonel? Pardon me, but back in Alabama we wouldn't let a man who wears earrings plan a military operation."
Jackson: " I'd watch what I say about JoJo. He's got a temper."
Amos: " He's a punk and he's gonna get us all killed."
Jackson: " The NSF is strong because it represents everyone's interests."
Amos: " Yeah, yeah."
===Militants===
right|thumb|Amos and Jackson, a pair of militants.
The NSF is a lot more organized than its predecessors, using standardized uniforms and trying to provide all of its field units with training and small arms, rather than relying on whatever they can scrounge up, which proved to be the undoing of the Northwest Secessionist Forces.Veteran: "I seen a lot of battles, blessed be our Lord, back in the Northwest War. Didn't have uniforms back then, just a shotgun and all the shells you could carry. The NSF sure has grown up, praise Heaven. They got organization now. Listen to me, young sir. I can tell you: that's what lost it for us last time, what the government's always been good at and we haven't. But it looks like the boys got some discipline this time around, and your men better take note. That's right. Stand up, wipe your noses, and take note. You got yourselves a -- hail Jesus! -- you got yourselves a rebellion!" There is, in fact, some overlap and continuity with the Northwesterners, and many draw a direct connection.ClinicMaleBum1 (Rafael): " The riot cops are running scared."
ClinicMaleBum2 (Jake): " Reminds me of Washington. I was there when the NSF overran Squalnomie, back when they were called the Northwest Secessionist Forces."
ClinicMaleBum1: " Were you at Squalnomie?"
ClinicMaleBum2: " Yeah. It was night, they came in with thermoptic camo and we never picked 'em up on any of the sensors. What a goddamned mess."
ClinicMaleBum1: " I didn't know."
ClinicMaleBum2: " Had a hard time sleeping after that. Didn't do real good on the psych evals either. Got drummed out in short order."
ClinicMaleBum1: " The Army probably didn't want to have any reminders hanging around."
ClinicMaleBum2: " Yeah, and now look what they got" 
However, the extent of training varies. NSF troops are volunteers, usually American citizens suffering from poverty and starvationNSF terrorist: "I guess this beats starving back home." signing up to fight the government,NSF terrorist: "Now this is what I signed on for." including law enforcementNSF terrorist: "That's him! He's a cop."NSF terrorist: "Never killed a cop before."NSF terrorist: "Something moved -- could be the law."NSF terrorist: "Who's there? I think the law's on us." and the military.NSF terrorist: "This guy wasn't just a grunt. What's going on?" The NSF do not discriminate based on either genderErin Todd or ethnicity,Leo Gold, JoJo Fine, Miguel, Juan Lebedev and sometimes simply hand out military-grade weapons to anyone who wants to fight the government. A non-trivial amount of people just take the guns and do what they want, like trying to shake down people for credits and other items.Alley bum: " Did you SEE that?"
JC Denton: " Yes, I --"
Alley bum: "That was UNCALLED for. You mug people, great, you need the dough, but you SHOW some RESPECT."
JC Denton: " What were they after?"
Alley bum: "Especially when it's your ALLY. THEY came to us. THEY wanted an underground base."
JC Denton: " So those guys were... NSF?"
Alley bum: "Yeah, the NSF gives guns to anybody who wants to fight. A lot of people just take the guns and do what they want."
JC Denton: "So the terrorists are based... in the subways? The sewers?"
Alley bum: "They need to move some kind of secret equipment. Our tunnels are like the crossroads."
JC Denton: "Tell me how to find this base and l bet I can get the NSF off your back."
Alley bum: ""Underworld." Just remember that word when you see Curly. He lets people in."
As a result, even if NSF troops wear the same body armor and concealing masks (which get uncomfortably hot),NSF terrorist: "Hot as hell in these masks." the level of morale and especially training vary. Some fight, but remain skeptical of their actual chances,NSF terrorist: "Got him. Maybe we have a chance." others psych themselves up by comparing themselves to outlaws like Billy the Kid.NSF terrorist: "...like Billy the Kid, man. We're outlaws." At their worst, the NSF might provide only two weeks of training in a militia camp before assigning a trooper to a combat unit.NSF terrorist: "Two weeks training at a militia camp... I ain't ready for this." This can lead to complications and bad decisions: During the fighting retreat across New York City,
Joseph Manderley: " That will be JC's job."
JC Denton: " What's that?"
Paul Denton: " The power station. The NSF have the Ambrosia in a warehouse protected by cameras and booby traps. We want to power down the whole system."
Joseph Manderley: " We're talking one illicit generating plant, protected by weak groups of NSF. Knock out that plant, and Paul's team can walk right into the warehouse."
JC Denton: " Just tell me where it is."
Paul Denton: " The NSF are openly resisting our deployed forces, gradually falling back. You'll have to deal with them first."
Joseph Manderley: " And you be ready, Paul. When the power drops, go in and go in hard."
Paul Denton: " I'll use my discretion."
Joseph Manderley: " Go in like the U.S. Marshals. We lose the vaccine, I'm sending your butt to the Mayor to explain why he and his three daughters won't get their pills this month."
Paul Denton: " Yes, sir."
 NSF recruits wound up taking hostages,T. Frase's computer using them as human shields and buy minutes to get the Ambrosia vaccine away from UNATCO and transport it to NSF-aligned scientists.Curly's journal On the other end of the spectrum, the NSF can execute a lightning-fast raid on UNATCO headquarters, steal a full shipment of Ambrosia, then disappear into the night with a force fighting a delaying rear guard action and tying up UN soldiers - all in under an hour.UNATCO Trooper: " Everything was clear an hour ago. Then, BOOM!"Alex Jacobson: "It all happened an hour ago -- the barge docked and the NSF moved right in on it, offloading the cargo into speedboats. Our undercover man Harley Filben should be somewhere out on the docks now."
Such variety isn't limited to rank and file troops and affects officers too: Colonel JoJo Fine, the aforementioned heavily tattooed gangster and one of the main commanders in NYC, was also considered less than competent by the better trained and more experienced militants of the NSF, on top of being engaged in a variety of criminal activities and using his standing as a shield.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Commander Frase:
I've completed the initialization of the warehouse perimeter security grids with the login and password you requested; these codes will work for both grids. I'll set up internal warehouse security measures next -- I don't really trust JoJo to do the job right.Login: NSF
Password: righteous-Decker" 
The NSF sources its weapons from a variety of sources. It does not have access to the sophisticated technologies provided to UNATCO by Page Industries, but does employ commercial-grade security robots with ruthless efficiency.Alex Jacobson: " The NSF had a commercial-grade security bot in this area, but one of our soldiers zapped its electrical system with an EMP grenade."Alex Jacobson: " The NSF put a commercial-grade security bot in this area. You can either avoid its patrol route or, if you're feeling lucky, try to take it out with EMP grenades or explosives. I wouldn't recommend taking it on with small arms." Many black market merchants, most notably the Smuggler, are sympathetic to the NSF due to shared ideological ties and may reserve their most valuable stock for them.JC Denton: " I need your help."
Smuggler: " So?"
JC Denton: " I've uncovered the truth about the Gray Death. It's a man-made virus, and there's a load of it on a superfreighter at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard."
Smuggler: " No tall stories. Just tell me what you want."
JC Denton: " Help me scuttle it. You have any extra LAMs or rockets?"
Smuggler: " You think you can scuttle a freighter with a LAM?"
JC Denton: " A few LAMs, at weld points."
Smuggler: " I'll help you out. How about a rocket for a GEP gun? Usually save those for the NSF, but I'll sell it at a loss, say 2500. You can also have a half-dozen LAMs for 2400. Better buy now; I'm selling cheap only because a lot of people could die."
==Ideology==
The National Secessionist Forces are a part of a global movement directed against attempts to replace national governments with an unaccountable, globalist meritocracy Paul Denton: " The UN was founded not to end war but to gradually dissolve national governments and replace them with a Globalist meritocracy." first outlined by David Rockefeller nearly half a century earlier: "Supernational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers."Paul Denton: " The United Nations' secret goal -- well, this is David Rockefeller's description, from half a century ago: the supernational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers." Such a globalized and simultaneously centralized system is only profitable for the wealthy,Paul Denton: " The wealthy have always been the ones to profit from one-world government." and simultaneously incredibly inefficient, as, in the words of Paul Denton, "a few bureaucrats in New York can't make good decisions for New Jersey, let alone Paris or a village in China."Paul Denton: "A few bureaucrats in New York can't make good decisions for New Jersey, let alone Paris or a village in China." The resulting debacle has a corrosive effect on liberties, leading to the notion of inalienable liberty - essentially human rights - being lost and individuals being at the mercy of the state controlled by the rich. The state decides what liberties the people will have, decided on the basis of which liberties they have the strength to cling to. The NSF is thus an expression of popular discontent with bloated ruling entities that are too large to have a positive effect.Paul Denton: "Average people are beginning to wake up to the fact that bigger isn't better. That kind of centralization can only lead to precisely the debacle that the UN has become. Somehow the notion of unalienable liberty got lost. It's really become a question of what liberties will the state assign to individuals -- or, rather, what liberties we will have the strength to cling to." Many are not even aware that they can fight for their liberties and resist their curtailment.
Smuggler: " Why'd you come back? UNATCO's got every cop in New York after you."
JC Denton: " Unfinished business."
Smuggler: " So you finally wised up and joined the NSF?"
JC Denton: " I don't know if I've joined anything, except maybe the people."
Smuggler: " Good enough. You know where you stand. It's because people don't know they can pick a side that the government has so much power."
JC Denton: " I've got to get moving. Have anything you want to sell?"
Smuggler: " Sure. Something you might like: an assault shotgun and some Sabot rounds. I also have some LAMs; I'll give you the whole box of five for 3500."
 The NSF opposes both the United Nations and megacorporations. Their scale exceeds the ability of average people to understand, making them easy to subvert,Paul Denton: "Average people never benefit from government and business on a scale they can't even understand. " even if the original intentions for their creation (see Rockefeller's quote above) were pure. UNATCO is held up as an example of this: A global response to a common problem, which looks good on paper, but due to its operation on a global scale, beyond conventional boundaries, it cannot be held accountable and is essentially a tool of dictatorship.Paul Denton: "It's only a matter of time before someone clever and ambitious figures out that the tools of dictatorship have been ready-made by well-meaning governments all over the world. UNATCO, for instance. A global response to a common problem. Looks good on paper, but a global military force is hard to keep accountable." 
This extends to the United States government, seen as completely tyrannical and, ironically, whose rhetoric done more to defeat liberty than all of the armies and police forces of the world combined.Chad Dumier: " The rhetoric in Washington has done more to defeat liberty than all of the armies and police forces in the world." Deliberate consolidation of power by the government in collusion with the wealthy has used taxation to empower themselves, while undermining the power of the people. The most notable examples are the shift in tax rates - in 1945 corporations paid 50% income tax; in 2052 they pay a measly 2%, while an assembly line worker pays 40%Leo Gold: "Ever wonder why big car companies pay two percent tax while the guys on the assembly line pay forty?" - and a major reduction in self-employment, representing a shift to wage labor.Leo Gold: "Don't believe me? It's all in the numbers. For a hundred years, there's been a conspiracy of plutocrats against ordinary people."JC Denton: "Do you have a single fact to back that up?"Leo Gold: "Number one: In 1945 corporations paid 50 percent of federal taxes. Now they pay about 5 percent. Number two: In 1900 90 percent of Americans were self-employed; now it's about two percent."JC Denton: "So?"Leo Gold: "It's called consolidation. Strengthen governments and corporations, weaken individuals. With taxes, this can be done imperceptibly over time. " Similarly, the creation of the Trilateral Commission or Rhodes Scholarships created unaccountable instiutions that produce recruits according to the plutocrats' desires, leading to progressive centralization of power.JC Denton: "I guarantee you that the interrogation staff at UNATCO will not be as forbearing as I am."Leo Gold: "The entire executive branch is hand-picked. Nineteen of the last twenty-three U.S. presidents have been members of the Trilateral Commission. The Trilateral Commission is financed by the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. Don't tell me --"JC Denton: "That's a think-tank. Anyone can become a member."Leo Gold: "But not everyone does. That's why they call it the "secret government.""StantonDowd: "Cecil Rhodes, for instance. Absolutely no formal connection to the Illuminati at all, but one of the greatest visionaries of centralized power. Now we have the Rhodes Scholarships, which feed recruits right into the Council on Foreign Relations... A very powerful tool."
However, the NSF is not merely a meaningless, yet strong local movement. The NSF swears allegiance to the Meme War declared by Silhouette, an allied anarchist association from France, primarily consisting of intellectuals, artists, and labor organizers,Midnight Sun, UN Gets Serious with Frenches fought to preserve the meanings of words like freedom and liberty.Terrorism -- Crime or Conscience? Like Silhouette, the NSF observed the steady erosion of civil rights in the name of both: Mass surveillance, extensive policing with the right to shoot-on-sight,Leo Gold: "Do you ever ask what it's for? The surveillance, the police, the shoot-on-sight laws? Is that freedom?" reeducation camps dating back to the Northwest War,APR, Bootcamp for Betty with the end goal of reducing United States citizens to mere slaves at the mercy of the wealthy. The resulting struggle is seen as intrinsically heroic,Datacube transcripts (DX): "All Proud Members of the NSF: Our time is fast approaching; what we have always feared is upon us, have no doubt -- we are fighting against our own imminent slavery. But you are Brave, you are Strong, and we will Triumph.A temporary office has been arranged in the warehouse basement for the coordination of equipment, armament, and other supplies. We request that each member report to the office to be fitted with a telemetry rig prior to proceeding to your assigned post. The office code is 9923." and NSF consciously plays up the revolutionary aspect, drawing on the mythos of the American Revolution.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Young:
I've got to assist our forces at the airfield, but I've prepped the security grid here in case of attack -- if UNATCO does breach our perimeter, log in as TJEFFERSON with the password NEWREVOLUTION and activate it immediately. It should buy you some time, at least long enough to get to the airfield. I know Erin is looking forward to seeing you again. Don't disappoint her.
-Decker Each summary execution carried out by the police or UNATCO (regardless of whether it is considered civil unrest or criminal armed rebellion) only adds fuel to the fire,
JC Denton: " On second thought, I don't need your help."
Joe Greene: " Then let me ask YOU a question. What do YOU think about the summary executions happening on the very streets of New York?"
JC Denton: " I'd call it civil unrest."
Joe Greene: " Let me be more pointed. How does it feel to be ordered to murder civilians just because they support the fastest-growing political movement in this nation's history?"
JC Denton: " In a democracy, armed rebellion is criminal, not political."
Joe Greene: " Rebellion, as the Declaration of Independence tells us, is not only our "right" but our "duty" when we have suffered "a long train of abuses and usurpations.""
 and only entrenches the idea of seccessionism in the hearts of the people.Leo Gold: "The more of us you kill, the more that seccessionism lives in the hearts of the people."
This popular message of revolution against the unjust powers that be is bulletproof,Leo Gold: "You can't fight ideas with bullets." echoes among the disenfranchised and the impoverished, and results in a steady stream of recruits and supporters, drawn in by various aspects of their fight. Some, particularly the young and destitute, focus on the expected reprisals towards the 1% and redistribution,
Josh: " They're gonna kill the top one percent and then split up the rich people's money with everybody."
JC Denton: " Can you tell me anything specific?"
Josh: " Go to hell."
 others want retribution - in particular after the revelation that Gray Death is a man-made plague whose cure is deliberately kept out of reach. All aspects attract a wide array of people, including antifascists,NSF Trooper: " Fascist!" anarchists,Datacube transcripts (DX): "I've set up the turrets and cameras in the statue ruins... a hasty defense, but since we won't be here long, it should work. The security computer login is: NSF001. The password is: smashthestate."NSF Trooper: " That's him! He's a cop."
 conservative militants, and affluent anarchists. All become enemies of the state, who are slaughtered - particularly by UNATCO - without regard for due process,Datacube transcripts (DX): "Paul, I'm sending this message from the plane -- UNATCO has been even more ruthless than we'd feared, and the reports I'm receiving now are that our people are being slaughtered in the tunnels; it's probably only a matter of time before I'm captured and executed, and I don't doubt that they'll kill everyone they can back at our headquarters.
If you find this, you must get a message out to our people. Align the communications dishes using the satellite dish control computer -- the login is MCOLLINS and the password is REVOLUTION. Nearby is the actual communications console; log in using NAPOLEON and the same password, and a coded warning will automatically be bounced to everyone on our network.
I can hear the gunshots. They've reached the plane. I'm sorry I won't be able to thank you in person -- you've done much for the peoples of the world.
JL" subjected to torture, execution, and scapegoated for crimes perpetrated by UNATCO and its masters.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Juan, I have a feeling that -- one way or another -- my time here is short, and I think my loyalties are already being questioned. The inevitable complications from the raid are only going to raise more doubts, so I've pulled together everything I could access without raising additional suspicions.
Attached you should find information linking Simons, Manderley, and other high-ranking members of UNATCO through covert communications and a series of monetary payments. If you check the records, over c10,000 a month is being placed into an anonymous Zurich account routinely accessed by Manderley -- the payments were slick, being dispersed through a number of shell companies and orbital banks, but they all eventually originate with companies in which Simons has a controlling interest if you follow the trail far enough back.
I also managed to document some of UNATCO's less than shining operations, including their role in the Statue bombing. Most disturbing is further verification of Tracer's suspicion that UNATCO may not only be involved with the distribution of Ambrosia, but also with the Gray Death in some way.
I've given a copy of all this same material to Jock with orders to deliver it to Tracer if things get as bad as I think they might. Be careful.
-P" The further irony is that the NSF are charged with being fanatics, but it's UNATCO that deliberately indoctrinates young people to kill, creating remorseless killing machines.Leo Gold: "UNATCO teaches teenagers to fight when it still seems like a game, and -- look at you! -- you're a killing machine!"
In terms of their long-term goals, the NSF is radically opposed to centralization and the one-world government desired by the Illuminati. While the NSF and the rest of the global resistance may make an alliance of convenience with Morgan Everett and Stanton Dowd, ultimately they want to seize control of Area 51 and the tools Page used to control the affairs of the world. They want to perpetuate the tyranny NSF fought for so long, but making it "compassionate".
JC Denton: " How much further?"
Morgan Everett: " Not far. You will reach Page. I just wanted to let you know that Alex hacked the Sector 2 security grid; the code's 8946. And I wanted to warn you about Tracer Tong."
JC Denton: " Tong's helping out from Vandenberg. The vaccine worked."
Morgan Everett: " Yes, well, he has another motive. He wants you to destroy Area 51."
JC Denton: " That's the plan."
Morgan Everett: " No, JC. Spare the facility. Spare Helios, the power station... They can be made to serve us."
JC Denton: " Us?"
Morgan Everett: " You and me, JC. We'll rule the world in secret, with an invisible hand, the way the Illuminati have always ruled."
JC Denton: " Don't you think it's time we end the tyranny -- for everyone?"
Morgan Everett: " There's such a thing as a compassionate conspiracy. We don't need Page's commandos, troopers, crude inventions... Trust me. Kill Page. Dowd and I will be here to help with the next step..."
 The NSF instead desires a decentralized government on a scale comprehensible to people, rather than a bloated government interested in self-perpetuation only, resorting to violence and "emergency powers" whenever a challenge to its authority arises.NSF Prisoner 1: " The United States government has had "emergency powers" since World War II. We've never left a state of war."
Walton Simons: " Speak for yourself. The federal government is just responding to a threat."
NSF Prisoner 1: " A government should be about more than self-perpetuation."
Walton Simons: " You will confess, by the way. I don't like to dirty my hands with that sort of thing, but you will confess."
 The goal is empowering people and self-reliance, in place of surveillance and intimidation by an outside force believing people incapable of protecting themselves.NSF Prisoner : " I can sum it all up in one word: self-reliance. That's what we stand for."
JC Denton: " How about you tell me where that shipment is being taken."
NSF Prisoner : " UNATCO assumes that people are incapable of protecting themselves and therefore should submit to surveillance and intimidation by an outside force. We won't do it!" In fact, with advances in technology, it would be theoretically possible for individuals to protect their property against any outside threats. The idea of 350 million individual fortresses might not be ideal, but from the NSF perspective it's preferable to one large fortress constructed by a corrupt government against its people, and in the name of protecting them from terrorism to boot.JC Denton: " The governments of the world believe an average citizen should not face the threat of terrorism alone."
NSF Prisoner : " We don't need your help. The technology exists today for an individual to protect his property against explosives, firearms, surveillance, intrusion, contamination..."
JC Denton: " 350 million fortresses is not my idea of the "land of the free.""
NSF Prisoner : " It's better than one big fortress constructed by a corrupt government against its people."
 The corruption extends to attempts at social engineering, using the aforementioned biased taxation for the purposes of consolidating power.NSF Prisoner : " It's simple numbers. Big companies pay like two percent tax, while you and me, we pay like fifty. It's the tax code that makes sure big bureaucracy gets bigger and people have no power."
JC Denton: " Let's get back to the subject of the missing vaccine."
NSF Prisoner : " All taxes are social engineering. That's always been their real purpose."
JC Denton: " I'm not going to stand here and listen to you badmouth the greatest democracy the world has ever known."
NSF Prisoner : " What happens is that politicians get money from big companies, so all the social engineering is for making big companies. Like I said, it's simple numbers."
 This kind of organized oppression led to organized resistance,NSF Prisoner 2: " If there wasn't organized oppression, there wouldn't be organized resistance, and what you call terrorism would not exist." and would not have been necessary if the government was acting like one, rather than a foreign occupying force.NSF Prisoner 2: " A government shouldn't have to occupy its own country with troops."
Ultimately, the global resistance movement the NSF is a part of would prefer to destroy global communications by eliminating the Aquinas Protocol at Area 51 and the tools of digital slavery created by Majestic 12, resulting in a hard reset and a new dark age: An age of city-states, craftsmen, and most imprtantly of all, government on a scale comprehensible to its citizens. A world where the tools of dictatorship aren't readily available, so that a new Bob Page is merely a question of time.
Tracer Tong: " We can get you into Sector 3 -- but no further. Page is in a separate area with its own security grid."
JC Denton: " Everett says you want me to destroy Area 51."
Tracer Tong: " I intercepted his communication. JC, he is simply using you to bring the Illuminati back to power. Listen to Savage and me. There is a reactor lab with two antimatter reactors..."
JC Denton: " In other words, yes. You want me to blow the facility up -- why? It's just a hole in the ground."
Tracer Tong: " Decades ago, the UN made Area 51 the central hub for all electronic communications. The Aquinas Protocol, originally for surveillance, has given Page unlimited abilities to censor and control all forms of media."
JC Denton: " If we destroy the Aquinas Hub, we'll take down the global network."
Tracer Tong: " Exactly. They dug their own grave, JC. We're going to eliminate global communications altogether."
JC Denton: " I don't know... sounds like overkill."
Tracer Tong: " As long as technology has a global reach, someone will have the world in the palm of his hand. If not Bob Page, then Everett, Dowd..."
JC Denton: " Another Stone Age would hardly be an improvement."
Tracer Tong: " Not so drastic. A dark age, an age of city-states, craftsmen, government on a scale comprehensible to its citizens."
JC Denton: " I'll think about it."
Tracer Tong: " Savage has a map of Sector 3 from when he worked down there -- I'm transmitting now. Use it to find your way to Page's complex in Sector 4, then find the coolant control room, which should be at the northwest corner of Sector 4. Cut off the coolant to the reactors, then go to the reactor lab. I will tell you how to trigger an explosion."
==Interactions==
===Deus Ex===
JC Denton interacts with the NSF extensively in the first act of the game. His short tenure with UNATCO sees the capture of several important bases—including the NSF New York headquarters in Hell's Kitchen; capture or death of several commanders, including a prominent NSF leader and financial backer, Juan Ivanovich Lebedev, and the failure of a critical operation in New York City.
During the remaining course of the game, the organization remains largely intact—though with a reduced strength in the East Coast. This is probably due to the sending of the NSF distress signal by JC which allowed other NSF bases and resistance groups in Europe to take necessary counter measures. Several prominent members from the New York Section remain at large, probably waiting to reform the organization in New York; indeed, this is evidenced by the fleeing of NSF commanders Decker Parkes, Erin Todd and Wayne Young to Europe. During the game, an NSF brigade are conducting operations in Paris under the command of Chad Dumier, leader of Silhouette and the Illuminatus Morgan Everett. Morgan Everett, in conversation with JC, mentions their still-operational HQ as being a few hundred miles north of the X-51 base at Vandenberg. Near the Champs-Élysées in Paris, JC Denton overhears a man asking his wife to come with him to America, as he has been contracted to work with the NSF.
However, with the complete dissolution of MJ12 after Deus Ex, and with the Illuminati's relaxed (albeit facetious) public gun laws, the NSF probably dissolved peacefully during the Collapse.
===NSF Terrorists===
thumb|180px|NSF terrorist
NSF terrorists are the first enemy JC Denton faces in the game. Alex Jacobson cautions JC that the NSF are "everywhere". During their first encounters they are armed with 10mm pistols, but as JC advances through New York, they become armed with better weapons, such as sawed-off shotguns and assault rifles. Three even have flamethrowers; one is under Castle Clinton, while the other is in Battery Park's subway station, the third in the Helicopter Station. They use LAMs as grenades, but very few are equipped with one. Additionally, some of them employ the use of dobermans.
NSF terrorists are noticeably somewhat weaker than other grunt-type enemies, with only 75 health instead of 100 health, as well as worse aim and reflexes, as they are not professionals.
NSF terrorists disappear after clearing the LaGuardia Airport, except for two in the Majestic 12 complex beneath UNATCO Headquarters. These two terrorists were imprisoned; one of them (Miguel), depending on JC's actions, survives or even manage to escape. The other is found dead in his cell, with a medkit.
Despite the add-on eyewear on the ski masks, their models have eyes.
==Locations==
The NSF headquarters are distributed across the country, with the main HQ located in northern California, a hundred miles north of Vandenberg. The NSF also operates local headquarters, with the most notable being the New York headquarters, located at 20th street. It was set up in a warehouse, protected by cameras, traps, turrets, with a significant supply of high explosives in the basement.
Joseph Manderley: " That will be JC's job."
JC Denton: " What's that?"
Paul Denton: " The power station. The NSF have the Ambrosia in a warehouse protected by cameras and booby traps. We want to power down the whole system."
Joseph Manderley: " We're talking one illicit generating plant, protected by weak groups of NSF. Knock out that plant, and Paul's team can walk right into the warehouse."
JC Denton: " Just tell me where it is."
Paul Denton: " The NSF are openly resisting our deployed forces, gradually falling back. You'll have to deal with them first."
Joseph Manderley: " And you be ready, Paul. When the power drops, go in and go in hard."
Paul Denton: " I'll use my discretion."
Joseph Manderley: " Go in like the U.S. Marshals. We lose the vaccine, I'm sending your butt to the Mayor to explain why he and his three daughters won't get their pills this month."
Paul Denton: " Yes, sir."
 Additionally, the warehouse was protected by an EMP field, designed to interfere with any high tech UNATCO might deploy, including augmented agents.JC Denton: " What about the EMP field?"
Paul Denton: " Still in place. Your primary objective will be to locate and disable its power source, probably an industrial-sized generator in a large building."
Paul Denton: "Good work -- the soldiers will take over now. My men are in position, JC. We're counting on you to disable this EMP field. Talk to the locals. The power source must be nearby." The headquarters was powered by generators located in the warehouse district. It was set up discretely, using well-paid civilian truck drivers to make deliveriesSally: " Appreciate the business. Yeah, I met this truck driver a while back. He had a lot of cash. I asked him where he got it, and he told me he'd just hauled power cables to a warehouse near here."
JC Denton: " Do you remember the name of the street?"
Sally: " Didn't seem like a big deal at the time. You might try that mech chick who runs the Underworld Bar. She grew up around here."
JC Denton: " That helps a little. Thanks."
 and civilian contractors, unaware of who they were working for. The gas-powered generators were concealed on the top of the building, though installing them indoors meant a real risk of asphyxiation - considered an acceptable trade-off.JC Denton: " I'm looking around for a power generator, possibly hidden, large enough to power a building."
Worker: " You in real estate?"
JC Denton: " I just need to find it."
Worker: " Oh-oh-oh, of course. You know, I tied in power at a place a few blocks south, a warehouse. Strangest thing. They wanted to conceal these gas-driven generators on the second floor. Didn't give a hoot if their own people got asphyxiated."
JC Denton: " How do I get over there?"
Worker: " No way through the blockades now. We went over some rooftops to get there; there was a lift -- the code was 3316, I think."
JC Denton: " Thanks for the tip."
 They also kicked out the vagrants and transients that used the abandoned Osgood and Sons Imports warehouse as shelter, inadvertently leaving behind clues to the location of the generator.JC Denton: " Hi, I'm in charge of law enforcement on this block. You doing all right?"
ClinicOlderBum: " Yeah. They told me to come in here. Is that okay?"
JC Denton: " Perfectly fine. Just making sure everyone's safe."
ClinicOlderBum: " Hey, while you're at it, you oughta do something about the NSF. Perfectly good shelter..."
JC Denton: " You know what they're doing in this neighborhood?"
ClinicOlderBum: " Kicked us outa the old Osgood place. A bunch of us camping in the tunnels. Talk about rights, but when they want something, they take it."
JC Denton: " Maybe I'll look into it. You take care of yourself."
In general, overt presence is rare in contested areas and will typically take the form of ad hoc defenses, fortifications, and temporary command centers, such as during the Liberty Island raid, where the NSF deployed a hasty security perimeter and defense in under an hour, includign cameras, turrets, and even a commercial-grade security bot.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Brother,
I've set up the cameras in the statue ruins...a hasty defense, but since we won't be here long, it should work. The security computer login is: NSF001. The password is: smashthestate " Beyond that, their greatest weapon was secrecy, letting the enemy control the surface, while retaining control of subways and tunnels, allowing them to move supplies around unimpeded.Veteran: " Now tell me, young sir, with that smart look on your face, if the army has the streets but the rebels still have the subways and tunnels, is that a UN victory? Those NSF boys certainly don't have trouble bringing in supplies, with or without the streets."
Secrecy was key: Juan Lebedev, a key leader and backer of the NSF, was suspected of having ties to the secessionists, but despite Manderley's efforts over the years, no conclusive proof could be produced to justify an assassination attempt. Lebedev was able to purchase a whole terminal at LaGuardia Airport, using it to organize NSF operations in New York City. In fact, Lebedev's 747 almost carried the Ambrosia to Tracer Tong, before JC and UNATCO recaptured the shipment and shut the terminal down in the wake of the Liberty Island attack.JC Denton: "We think they're loading the Ambrosia onto a plane. Heard anything about that?"
Harley Filben: " Nothing I could put a price on. UNATCO already thinks it's Juan Lebedev."
JC Denton: " Lebedev?"
Harley Filben: " I don't know who else it could be. He owns a whole terminal at LaGuardia. Manderley's been trying to bump him off for years."JC Denton: "Since when is LaGuardia for sale?"Harley Filben: "City had some debts a few years back. There's always a buyer. But Lebedev's small-time. He can't buy off the big politicians like a Bob Page."
Finally, Stephanie Maxwell was pushing to have an NSF presence at Vandenberg after X-51 split off from Area 51. MJ12 attacked the complex before any arrangements could be made, with a team of NSF soldiers deploying on site after JC Denton intervened.Stephanie Maxwell: "This is what we get for not having a militia."
Stephanie Maxwell: "Maybe they'll listen to me now." 
==Trivia==
*The starless flag used by the NSF as logo for their computer networks is an interesting choice. Stars in the canton represent states of the union, and by extension, the union itself. Their removal without touching the thirteen stripes representing the original colonies reinforces the idea of a second American Revolution.
* The quote "the supernational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers" attributed to David Rockefeller in Deus Ex is not actually confirmed as belonging to (the real-world) , and has never been decisively attributed to him. In fact, for all his power and influence being similar to Bob Page, Rockefeller was a supporter of an interdependent international order where national governments cooperated and collaborated together, rather than supplanting them with a one world government. This isn't necessarily an error: Actions of Rockefeller that brought upon the international order take on a new meaning in the context of the Deus Ex Universe and the confirmed existence of the Illuminati, among other things.
==References==
es:NSF
ru:Национальные Сепаратистские Войска
Category:Deus Ex organizations
Category:Factions