Factions

There are four major factions in the Procul region, all playing an integral role in the struggle for power and each providing diverse roadblocks and opportunities to the others. Despite their frequent diplomatic meetings, behind closed curtains they are all sworn enemies as they all chase the slightest advantage over each other.

The following is a brief summary of their backstory and intentions:

## Exedetiae Corporation

The Exedetiae Corporation is the oldest faction of the four. It was started back on Earth by Viktor Salem and later taken over by his right-hand man Stefan Kafanes, the most prestigious scientist of all time, who figured out immortality and still continues to lead their demented research to this day. Following numerous incredibly dangerous experiments, they were shunned from the civilised worlds of the Procul region for being too technologically advanced. In small numbers, they were forced to reside within the wild systems of space. They took what they could from their bases and left their technological gold mines to anyone clever enough to find their hidden stations. Though they do not consider it worth the effort, they can easily smash all three other factions if they wished to do so.

Since the Vabittam Collective will no longer sell the Exedetiae Corporation any materials and most companies refuse to trade with them, they now scrounge a living on quiet backwater worlds in previously unexplored space. However, still they scavenged enough resources to slowly rebuild their assets and continue developing new technology. Starting with gene modification and moving onto creating the infamous Gemini Drive, the warp drive which allowed travel to the 0th Dimension, they have been struck down and are now rising stronger than ever before. Despite the Procul region being in economic and actual ruin following the Arrival of the Catalyst, the Exedetiae Corporation will only continue to grow more powerful, improving their tech, so maybe one day they can purge the other factions and start a new age of science.

(note to self this needs to be rewritten because vc beats them)

## Vabittam Collective

The Vabittam Collective is a small but powerful trade alliance which maintains a huge private military to ensure other factions cannot force them into submission. Being a relatively new faction, they are made up of an assortment of previously struggling trade companies who have pitched in their assets for maximum profit all around. They have few colonies, however, they have industrialised many inhospitable worlds to pursue their main goal of becoming the largest raw material supplier in the Procul region (which they have succeeded at). The leader of the collective, Charles Vabittam, is less of a ruler and more of an organiser or a strong figure to rally behind. Even though he is mostly inexperienced in politics and interstellar affairs, he is a charismatic diplomat armed to the teeth with cunning and wit: the strongest men could not endure the persuasion of his silver tongue.

The Vabittam Collective has a fully-equipped navy and a vast military presence across its space. Their fleet, which is heavily upgraded with high-efficiency technology of their own design, is flown only by elite pilots who strike fast and hard. The bar to join the fleet is absurdly high, as in their own words, "The margin for error in combat is non-existent, unless you have a death wish". Not only this, but the Vabittam Collective is built off the legacy of the Vabittam Empire, an expansive hierarchal nation which were feared for their combat prowess during the "golden age" of the early Second Era: to this day they retain their fighting skills. Alas, their pride and elitism has a fatal flaw. Although they have no issue with domestic AI, most Vabittam high-ranks are distrustful of military-grade piloting and targeting AI. This leads to multiple problems such as crew shortages and decreased morale from practically handing the enemy an advantage on a silver platter. Though they have achieved riches, they need to surpass their short-sightedness to achieve true power.

## Alexander's Rebellion

Alexander's Rebellion is a disorganised, decentralised group of radicalists ranging from civilians to pirates to ex-pats who have rallied under one banner. They believe equality is the key to uniting the Procul region once and for all. Their uprising began when a young man named Alexander Opal, later known as "The Messenger", remotely hijacked a mainstream news service and used it to spread messages of equality and to persuade people to join his way of thinking. With great passion, he slammed robot slavery, slandered prejudice against the recently-discovered primitive Oljas species and highlighted the pathetic inter-species racism despite humanity having moved away from Earth centuries ago. Even with his brief few minutes before authorities cut him off, Alexander was able to change the mindsets of tens of thousands of people. Rallies began forming as people from all walks of life started destroying their government infrastructure and liberating slave robots. People began wondering where Alexander was, and where he would appear next, as the campaign for equality laws gained massive popularity. Without warning, the day came during a march on the Vabittam Palace, where Charles Vabittam himself would address the demands of the crowd. Alexander appeared from the crowd and delievered a speech known to most Rebellion members as "The Messenger's Gospel". Before he could finish, a palace guard impulsively fired a laser bolt into Alexander, killing him. The Vabittam military took this opportunity to push the protesters out of Vabittam territory, and they assumed it was over. However, infuriated by Alexander's death, the newly-founded separatist Rebellion launched a massive invasion shortly after, capturing a huge swathe of poorly-defended Privald and Vabittam space. Now, with a huge rag-tag navy and a strong cause to rally behind, the Procul region dreads to think of where Alexander's Rebellion will strike next.

Tactically, the Vabittam Collective and Privald Republic have every advantage over Alexander's Rebellion until the true magnitude of their message is taken into consideration. Thousands of defectors act as double-agents for them, some going as far as stealing shipments of resources or military supplies and delievering them directly to rebellion worlds. Furthermore, the high morale and sheer number of members is overwhelming to the navies of both Privald and Vabittam. On the flip-side, they have no reliable suppliers of raw resources and little funding to continue purchasing what they lack. Surprisingly, presumably because they know their status in the Procul region, Cobalt Shipyards have agreed to produce the rebellion their own models of ships and weapons for no cost, albeit at a slow rate. This not only makes them stronger, but also prevents the Privald Republic from attacking them because they are backed by the same company. Either way, Alexander's Rebellion has established itself as a force to be reckoned with, using their guerilla and (some may say) suicidal tactics simply because the civilised factions of the stars have forgotten how to fight rough.

## Privald Republic

The Privald Republic is the most "standard" of the four factions. Being the only democratic nation, it could also be considered the most peaceful, as this has led to low levels of unrest and high civilian quality of life. Despite this fact, they are extremely militaristic and boast the largest numbers of all the factions. Their democratic system is unique in the way that elections happen every year, however a president can server an unlimited amount of terms. This allows for swift change if goals are not met, and for good presidents to be kept in power to do the best for the republic. Not only this, but every vote is counted, meaning all of the republic's vast population get an opinion on who should be in power. Being an equal to the Vabittam Collective, relations between them have always been sour. With the Privald Republic being a worse offender as they know the Vabittam Collective relies on them buying materials, both factions frequently disrupt each other's military operations and logistics convoys. Even though they are secretly hostile to each other, these factions cannot openly declare war on each other as they both rely on each other to prosper: Vabittam suppliers need payment to thrive so they can purchase more ships and improve infrastructure, and Privald colonies need resources so they can do the same.

The Privald Republic have very interesting and efficient tactics that are unique to the other factions. As they are not the most prosperous when it comes to credits, they take advantage of their huge numbers by utilising carrier vessels as their main warships, sending in swarms of cheap and swiftly-produced fighters to do their dirty work as the carriers support them with a selection of custom long-range ballistic and energy weaponry. Although beam technology and mass drivers are considered outdated, they fit the niche of Privald strategy perfectly. In contrast, most Privald warships are outfitted with high-tech internal swarm missile tubes to defend themselves from incoming fighter strikes, as smaller craft are an issue for their relatively immobile and large ships, especially as the Vabittam Collective has begun adopting fighter technology to directly counter them. Generally, Privald fighter technology outclasses that of the rest of the Procul sector, sporting deadly fighters and cutting-edge bombers that can carry heavy weaponry without a huge structural deficit.