Factions

## Hunters

### **Overview:**

The Maverick Hunters are an organization designed to defend humanity from Maverick activity. Consistent of an all Reploid task force, the Maverick Hunters fight diligently to protect the world, putting the safety and protection of human life as their top priority. Originally designed as a sort of Reploid police force, they have now expanded such that they are more akin to a Reploid global task force, stopping all Maverick activity ranging from local law enforcement, damage control, or crisis response.

#### **History:**

The Maverick Hunters were initially created by Dr. Cain in response to the rising numbers of Maverick reports. Mavericks, while their origin was initially unknown, were kept under control via tactical deployment of "Hunters" wherever they were needed. However, the Hunters themselves were also soon turning Maverick.The one force capable of stopping Mavericks was becoming Maverick themselves. That is until the development of Sigma. Sigma would go on to be the most advanced Reploid of his time, with hyper-advanced computing and logical systems, designed to be immune to turning Maverick. Unfortunately, he too succumbed to turning Maverick. With no leader to guide them, and having taken most of the Maverick Hunters with him, Sigma was unopposed in his conquest of the world. But before long, Maverick Hunter X, and Zero, would take his place as leader and single handedly defeated Sigma and his army of Rogue Hunters and Mechaniloids.

Sigma would return two more times since then, with his most recent scheme being the most devastating of all. Using the brilliant Reploid Scientist, Dr. Doppler, Sigma was able to fool many Reploid citizens into accepting a vaccine that would supposedly make them immune to turning Maverick. However, the vaccine turned out to be a time-release virus, comprised of Sigma's very consciousness. Sigma's will suddenly entered the minds of thousands of Reploids all at the same time, forcing X and Zero to once again take up arms to thwart his plan. In the aftermath of the battle, Dr. Doppler, now free from Sigma's control, gave an anti-virus to Maverick Hunter Zero, who delivered the final blow, hopefully neutralizing Sigma once and for all. Unfortunately, the anti-virus program that was developed could not be distributed en mass to the Reploids who had been infected. The cure is a very slow acting one and much to the dismay of Commander X, the effort it takes to subdue a Maverick is usually far more dangerous than simply retiring the afflicted.

In response the the world wide demand for more Maverick Hunters, and the aftermath of the widespread release of the "Maverick Virus", a subsidiary group is being formed now, called "Repliforce". Repliforce is designed to help shoulder the burden the Maverick Hunters have been holding all this time. Since they were originally designed as a police force, they were not properly equipped to handle world wide crises, like Sigma and his followers. Repliforce is the answer to that dilemma, standing in as a Reploid Army tasked with the heavy military missions X and Zero had been doing all by themselves up till now. While their strength is immense and their skill beyond compare, Repliforce should help spread the weight of their responsibilities a little more evenly. However, Repliforce has been noted as taking over the duties of even that of the Maverick Hunters. Some are left wondering why the Hunters are even still around, while others feel the methods through which Repliforce attains these results as "brutal", "overkill", and even "threatening". Though under close watch from their developer, Dr. Cain, Repliforce has so far proven to be an excellent resource.

## Mavericks

### **Overview:**

The Maverick forces, most commonly led by Sigma, are a faction of Reploids dedicated to eradicating the human race to supplant themselves as the superior race and rightful heirs to the planet. They view humans as inferior beings that are undeserving of the planet they live on and are equal to that of a virus in the Mavericks' eyes. Ironically enough, the primary method of Maverick "recruitment" comes in the form of a virus that infects the central mental functions of a Reploid, corrupting their thought process and implanting the will of Sigma in them. Willing or not, once infected, Mavericks become yet another soldier in the army of Sigma.

#### **History:**

"Maverick" is a general term used to describe any Reploid or Mechaniloid that displays rogue behavior or commits any form of human endangering crime. Mavericks usually come in two forms: Viral Maverick, and Willing. A Viral Maverick is a Reploid or machine that has become infected with the Maverick Virus and has had its primary functions or mind hijacked by the will to serve Sigma. Once infected, it is almost impossible to break free of it's grasp. Like a real virus, it appears to spread through the air. Unlike a typical virus, it is not airborne due to the spread of germs, but rather the millions upon millions of wireless transmissions and downloads that take place among Reploids that are communicating either with each other or local computer devices during their every day tedium.

The secondary form of Maverick is that of a Willing Maverick, sometimes called an "Irregular". This breed of Maverick is not necessarily infected with a virus, but rather are the every day criminals of the Reploid race. Because Reploids have been given free will, equal to that of a human, it also means they are just as likely to develop criminal tendencies, ranging from petty crimes to premeditated murder. "Irregulars" have been known to join forces with Sigma's military strength of their own volition because they agree with his cause, as well as simply choosing to commit crimes to suit their own personal deeds. Some illegal activities of note are: Theft, gang activity, murder, grand theft auto, fraud, money laundering, and even forming rogue militias. All of these are more are on the spectrum of what this form of Maverick can do. Because they may not always be under the direct influence of Sigma, this type of Maverick is considered by some to be the potentially more dangerous of the two.

A third kind of Maverick, a subset of the Viral kind, has recently surfaced. They are not only implanted with Sigma's will, but seem to exhibit monstrous like tendencies. Some of these symptoms include: increased aggression, heightened strength output, higher levels of energy generation, loss of cognitive reasoning, loss of personality, and in some rare cases, enhanced self-healing abilities. These are often considered the most dangerous form of Maverick as their actions are completely unpredictable. They lack any predictable guidance or instruction they might find when under the influence of Sigma to make choices one might assume they'd make, regarding self-preservation or battle tactics. They also often lose their own personalities and become like wild animals, making their actions and reactions seemingly random and purely driven by rage or impulse rather than personally motivated influences. This kind of Maverick is a wild card thrown into the mix of an already volatile group of Reploids.

## GAIN

### **Overview:**

GAIN is an acronym, standing for The "Golden Arms Incentive Network". They work as a neutral go-between for people posting jobs and the Reploids that take them. While starting out innocently enough, patrons soon found out that they could discreetly post jobs for otherwise illegal activity without their activity being monitored. As such, unsavory types began to hover around the organization, hiding behind the otherwise innocent job postings the group was founded on. Jobs can range anywhere from the mundane to the extremely deadly, and are usually posted by humans who need a discreet method of finding hired Reploid help without going through the typical channels. GAIN is mostly a shapeless organization, stationed all around the world, though initially launched in North America, as a sort of massive job board. Similar to the Wanted Ads of the newspapers from yesteryear, GAIN hosts a bevy of jobs for a variety of pay. Almost all currencies are valid, and no job is ever declined from being posted due to strict non-disclosure agreements and non-discrimination protocols that are at the foundation of GAIN's core values. Whether you're "good" or "bad", GAIN will never turn down a paying client, or offer judgement of any kind. To them, your business is yours alone. And your business is their business.

#### **History:**

GAIN is the first of it's kind in the modern world, providing a completely neutral environment that does not discriminate, judge, investigate, or even ask the names of their clients. Their top priority is preserving the anonymity of their clients and agents. However, as a result of their dealings, a lot of illegal activity seems to linger around many of the jobs posted to their network. However, as part of a set of legal circus hoops they have jumped through, GAIN reserves the right to keep any and all information transmitted to and from them completely secure and confidential. Like it or not, GAIN has become a hive for criminal activity since it is easy to hire accomplices or otherwise willing participants to whatever task you require help with.

However, GAIN is not all scum and villainy, and has actually proven to be a valued ally to the Maverick Hunters and other world governments. Through their criminal ties, GAIN is an excellent source of information on just about any country or individual one could be curious about. They have helped neutralize mafias, gangs, drug cartels, and even sabotaged a few Maverick weapons factories in recent months. Among both Mavericks and Hunters, GAIN is to be taken with a grain of salt, as you are never quite sure who else has their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. It is not uncommon for one agent to be hired by someone, only to become the target of a rival agent, hired by a rival party. Both Hunters, Mavericks, *and* neutral parties have been known to get involved in some particularly complicated affairs. One way or another, GAIN manages to ensure complete ignorance of the jobs posted, and as such absolve themselves of any responsibility for the actions of their clients or their agents.

Another impressive loophole GAIN seems to have managed to work in is protected under a Reploid employment document. Reploids, especially in the wake of the Doppler incident, are being scrutinized even more closely than before. Unlike their fleshy counterparts though, Reploid citizens do not have the same rights as humans. Fearful of another Maverick Outbreak, knee jerk laws have been passed decreeing that any Reploid without a function is to be retired immediately to avoid overpopulation issues, as Reploids continue to be produced by the thousands every day. If a Reploid has gone unemployed for longer than 6 months time, they are to be melted down and recycled for further Reploid production. GAIN however, has offered these wayward Reploids a backdoor. Because GAIN is technically an employer, many Reploids turn to them to be hired for jobs to bypass the 6 month termination laws. Typically, the Reploids that begin work with GAIN are desperate to find a way out. They are almost always willing to do anything to avoid termination due to lack of employment. However, when the job pool becomes shallow, and all that remain are the shadier job listings, it can force otherwise good people into doing otherwise disreputable things. On the whole, GAIN is a perfectly neutral party, providing a fulcrum on which the balance between the Maverick Hunters and the Mavericks rest on.