The Union

*A group united on the belief of stopping wars before they happen, peacekeepers of society. Peace from the shadows.*

- **Unknown**

## History

### Origin of the Union

At the dawn of humanity, there has always been an instinctive notion to protect others from things they didn’t want to accept. Back in the Dark Ages, Galahad, knight of the round table, formed a council he believed could protect his kingdom from the forces of darkness from this or other worlds. Upon finding the Holy Grail, an artifact of legendary status that grants the owner eternal life. With his life expanded, Galahad knew that the Round Table needed to expand into the future as well, and thus was born Unio.

For centuries, Galahad would lead the Unio, eventually changing the name to Union, against threats from the celestial heavens. Alien attacks frequented the planet, and many legends spread of a traveling group that would kill the attackers. From the invaders, however, came alien technology, allowing Galahad and the Union to advance their knowledge by centuries. The Union created a protocol inside of early nations and implanted themselves deep in world governments. The idea was to be unified regardless of race, color, or creed. To further this cause, Galahad went to each empire and left an heir, immortal themselves.

### Under New Management

Through the years, Galahad knew he was becoming out of touch with the members of the Union. He decided it was time to pass the torch onto someone else he believed could further the effort of the cause. He chose a new leader, and under them, the Union flourished. During the 1500s, the Union went to the New World, establishing a base well below what would later be known as Washington, D.C. The Union saw a period of prosperity, covering up oddities and bringing criminal syndicates to judgment.

During the American Revolution, the Union remained neutral, as it had done through other conflicts, but maintained a vigilant watch from within both powers. The same went for the American Civil War, though several Union members left due to the inaction. It was around this time that scientists in the Union discovered a resource that would change everything.

### The F. Troop

The Union learned that Chinese had discovered an elixir using the blood of Galahad’s heir, which would seemingly resurrect the dead as mindless slaves. Using the elixir and DNA, the Union created a synthetic version to use themselves. Using this version on a corpse would reanimate it, but retain some of the higher cognitive functions that allowed the deceased to use weapons, strategize, and follow orders. This team would be known as “The F. Troop”, due to the similarity to Frankenstein.

The F. Troop is rarely used by the Union, however, because of their tenacity to kill and destroy everything in their sights. They, therefore, only call in the team when casualties are not an issue. At the turn of the century, the Union learnt of a war building, and decided it would try to prevent it.

### Modern Era and the birth of the Superhero

During the outbreak of World War I, the Union consulted with war leaders to see if a treaty could be brokered, but the nations of the world only had hate and death in their eyes, and could not see the blood filling the sewers. In the aftermath, the Union knew they needed a countermeasure for the inevitable second conflict, and it was at the break of the second world war, came the dawn of the Superhero. Many of the so called superheroes were not afflicted with the Novis-Gene, and were instead costumed men and women fighting corruption and crime. The Union contacted the brightest of the superheroes and gained them as members, upgrading their equipment and creating the first “Super Squad”, a team that would fight the terrors behind the curtains of the war. The Union learned a man who came into contact with an anomalous object in the 1940s, transforming him into a hero himself. They contacted him and joined forces. Over the next 6 years, he would eventually become the new director of the Union, Tony Trent, known by his hero name “The Face”.

After World War II, came the conflicts of the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. It was in the early 1970s that another hero emerged, Thomas Whitehouse, better known as the Engine to his fans and enemies. The Union contacted Whitehouse and asked him to fight the Soviet Union on American soil. It is now the present day, the Union has taken a less direct approach to conflict, choosing to fight from the shadows, thus their motto “Pax ab Umbra”. They’ve decided to create a new Super Squad, and are slowly gearing up for the inevitable next conflict.