Alphas

> *"Somewhere, maybe even nearby on Bloodsea or Greenrock or Albatross, the remnants of the Alphas may still be hiding. Creatures bred to be strong and clever and able to kill without a hint of remorse."*
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> - the governor of Poisonwood, mission: Poisonwood Diplomacy (FW Syndicate Diplomacy 1C)
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> The Alphas are an outlaw faction of genetically modified humans. Created centuries ago by a planetary corporation to be perfect soldiers, they are highly intelligent, physically strong, and live for centuries, but lack empathy and compassion and have trouble reproducing. Alphas are easily recognizable due to their green, photosynthetic skin. Shortly after their creation in the 25th century, they rebelled in February 19 of 2450, beginning the series of conflicts known as the Alpha Wars. Open conflict ended around half a millenium ago, thanks to the decisive advantage of the Deep's then-new beam laser technology, but hidden enclaves of Alphas continue to threaten the fringes of human space. The player directly encounters Alphas many times in-game, notably when liberating Poisonwood, and when fighting the Carrier "Giftbringer" in the Wanderer storyline.
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> Within Human space, February 19 is celebrated as Remembrance Day.
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> > *At the height of the War, dozens of planets had been enslaved by the Alphas.*
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> > *Remembrance Day commemorates the beginning of the war, rather than its end, as a perpetual reminder that the war is not over: although the Alphas were defeated, some of them escaped and remained in hiding, and they and their offspring are presumed to still be present in the galaxy today.*
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> > *Since the Alpha War, genetic resequencing technology has been very tightly controlled. Because the Alphas were the product of experimental genetic manipulation rather than natural evolution, it is believed that their genes are less robust than true human beings, and they are almost unable to have viable offspring without access to special technology. Therefore, most Alpha enclaves that have been discovered since the War have had very small populations, no more than a few dozen.*
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> > *In these days when the Navy ensures peace throughout much of the galaxy, on many worlds the Alphas are treated as nothing more than a bogeyman story to frighten children. Because the most striking physical feature of the Alphas was their photosynthetic skin, on some worlds kids even run around wearing green face paint on Remembrance Day, trying to frighten people. But on other worlds, especially on the fringes of space where the Navy seldom patrols, the Alphas are still spoken of with fear.*
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> > - Captain's Log
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> Faction Relations
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> * Humans - The Republic continues to root out and destroy Alpha installations wherever it can, but anarchist settlements, pirate planets, and other fringe worlds beyond the Navy's protection are still harboring them. The Syndicate has (unknowingly) used Alpha consultants to construct an economic modeling program that has accurately foretold market conditions for several years now. Rumors and legends exist of another group of genetically engineered humans known as the Betas, designed as counters to the Alphas and without the pride and ego that led to the Alpha uprising.
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> * Hai - *"We know of them. Indeed, our first contact with the humans, two centuries ago, was with these green people. They sought to cheat us and dominate us. They are not merely misfits like the Unfettered; these Alpha humans are cruel and self-interested. They thought we were simple because we are peaceful, but we were too shrewd and too strong for them, and they are now banned from our territory."*
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> > - Ambassador Sayari, mission: Alpha Surveillance (Wanderer Alpha Surveillance A)
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> * Unfettered Hai - *"They sell us many jump drives. They say it is their calling to help us. The unfettered human leader told a story I did not understand, that Prometheus was punished for stealing from the gods, but no one is punished for stealing from Prometheus."*
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> > (Unfettered: Jump Drive Source)
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> * Kor Mereti - The Alphas have stolen some Mereti technology.
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> * Kor Sestor - The Alphas have stolen a great deal of Sestor technology and ships, and had managed to take control of a large number of them, as elaborated on in the Wanderer story.
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> * Quarg - The Quarg view the Alphas as an internal human political issue, and remain neutral.
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> * Pug - The Pug are believed to be the source of the beam laser technology that saved the Republic, and fought in the Alpha Wars against the Alphas by using human ships containing alien technology.
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> * Wanderers - The Alphas [enabled, encouraged] unfettered raids into Wanderer space, and destroyed the spaceport at Varu K'prai while transferring their stolen Sestor drones into human space.
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> * Remnant - The Remnant fled human space at the height of the Alpha Wars, and retain that era's intense anti-Alpha sentiments.
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> * Drak - The Alphas have not yet been directly addressed by the Drak.
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