The Resistance

The Resistance is the name first given to all survivors stranded on the Cradle Worlds and Earth following the Scourge invasion. Since then, the term has expanded to include all groups that utilize pre-war technology, including the rogue colony of Kalium.

## History

Though the Scourge invasion cost thousands of humans their lives - and billions their freedom - a surprising number of people were able to escape Scourge domination. Some of those who were left planetside were able to hide out in remote locations or subterranean warrens, eventually establishing outposts, then small societies. Meanwhile, humans who had access to ships were locked out of reaching the colonies once they reconfigured their foldspace nodes, and were forced to make blind jumps away from known colonised systems to escape the Scourge.

Over the last 160 years, these various societies have struggled to survive the hardships of the occupation and isolation. Some have headed headlong into savagery as a result of these privations, or raised up a dictator to lead them, but others have maintained hope that relief would come. The latter are the groups who maintained the foldspace nodes on occupied planets, eventually paving the way for the Reconquest.

These ragtag bands were initially unlooked for by the United Colonies of Mankind, but their presence was enough to change the course of the Reconquest from a campaign of revenge to a war of liberation instead. The UCM were able to contact some of these groups as well, equipping those on low-priority worlds with the tools necessary for guerilla warfare, while coordinating with those on higher-priority worlds to incite larger-scale uprisings.

Resistance actions have contributed greatly to the success of the Reconquest so far. Bands on Eden Prime and Elysium Prime were able to provide sufficient diversion to ease the landing of UCM troops, and it was a Resistance cell that blew a hole in the Scourge's orbital halo around Earth, kicking off the eventual invasion by the Triumvirate. However, Resistance groups have also worked against the UCM at times - the betrayal on Asgard Prime and the thermonuclear detonations on Eden Prime were both actions taken by Resistance forces.

## Resistance Groups

Early into the Reconquest, the United Colonies of Mankind applied the term of "Resistance" to any group of humans that had managed to survive the Scourge occupation. This definition, while workable in a planning sense, swiftly unusable due to the extreme differences between each Resistance group. As a result, the UCM created two broad categories to describe humans at liberty on Scourge-infested worlds: Allied, and Feral. These two categories, despite grossly oversimplifying the matter, were used for several years until the rediscovery of Kalium, at which point the definition had to be expanded to include Independents.

### Allied

Allied Resistance societies are those willing to assist the UCM. Though groups within this category are still highly divergent, Allied bands are generally civilised, reasonably sophisticated, and value government. These bands were the ones to maintain the foldspace nodes and became natural allies to the UCM after years of waiting. Though some of these bands are subjugated by despots similar to those who rule Feral groups, these leaders are at least shrewd enough to know what awaits them when the UCM arrives in force, and therefore generally cooperate.

Once a world or region is liberated, most Allied groups are absorbed into the ranks of the UCM, their long years of privation making them excellent recruits for the Legions. As these groups are given access to superior UCM weapons and wargear, they're allowed to abandon their old improvised weapons, putting an end to most of their visual character and distinctions as a fighting force.

### Ferals

Feral Resistance groups are even more divergent than Allied groups, with the only trait shared amongst them being their refusal to cooperate with the UCM. These societies are often controlled by a despot who often takes on a grandiose title to cement their claim to power, and who is loathe to surrender it in the name of "liberation." Though some of these Feral groups are enlightened societies that see the UCM as yet another foreign conqueror, others are subterranean dystopias, while still others are literal bands of savages. The latter is particularly feared, as instances of cannibalism and human sacrifice have been widely reported.

In an ironic turn of events, the only Resistance bands that still exist on conquered Cradle Worlds are these Feral groups, with the target of their resistance being the UCM itself. In time, it may be that "Resistance" is used to describe those who oppose all foreign occupation, whether it be UCM, Scourge, or - in the case of the Tlalocan moons - the Post-Human Republic.

### Independents

Recent events have led to the creation of a third category of Resistance societies - those who are not under Scourge occupation, but who also are not under the auspices of the United Colonies of Mankind. These groups have been able to stay free by virtue of their access to starships, and generally consist of those who escaped the Cradle Worlds, but who never reached the Colonies. After living in space for 160 years, these Independent groups are beginning to reappear, perhaps in answer to the Reconquest or the invasion of Earth. Though their forces have little experience with ground combat, they typically have lower mileage vehicles as a result, as well as the void support necessary to deploy and extract their forces.

Despite the general assistance provided by these Independent groups to the UCM, state censors have quashed most talk about these "free" societies, lest public opinion of the UCM change irrevocably. The romanticism of people living their lives without interference or military obligation is one that many colonies would welcome, especially in the wake of the conscription measures passed during the Battle for Earth.

#### Vega Scrapfleet

The best example of an Independent Resistance group, the Vega Scrapfleet was formed from the battered survivors of the Battle of Vega. In the aftermath of the conflict, surviving ships were ordered to return to Earth and the Cradle Worlds immediately, leaving stricken vessels behind to await repairs and resupply. Thanks to the Scourge arrival a day later, this help never materialized, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves.

In the 160 years that followed, the Vega Scrapfleet was able to survive, emerging from their isolation with the largest functioning fleet of pre-war vessels of any Independent Resistance group. Contact was made with the United Colonies of Mankind early in 2671, with representatives of the group jumping directly to Eden Prime. Initial relations were frosty due to the Scrapfleet claiming they were beyond Colonial authority, but both parties agreed to keep dialogue open. This would prove to be a wise move on the part of the UCM, as the Scrapfleet would eventually prove to be a decisive factor during the second void battle above Earth. Following this intervention, the Scrapfleet has since thrown its lot in with the Triumvirate.

#### Kalium Kabal

Perhaps the most prominent Independent Resistance group is the Kalium Kabal. Unlike the other colony worlds that make up the UCM, Kalium chose isolation rather than agree to accept centralized control from Aurum. Its provisional government deactivated the planet's foldspace nodes as a way to close itself off from the possibility of joining the UCM, plunging the planet into a dark period of which little is known.

What is clear is that Kalium has reemerged from its isolation as a totalitarian state, having weathered several civil wars and power struggles in the process. Its ruling body, the Kabal, is one and the same with its army and fleet, and maintains near-total control over the civilian population. Though the Kabal lacks the technological progress and resources of the UCM, it has still managed to build an army large enough to become an important ally of convenience.

## Technology

Resistance technology is so diverse as to be impossible to describe comprehensively. 160 years of isolation, coupled with wildly different fortunes for each individual group, has led to significant divergence in terms of weaponry and armament. However, most Resistance armies have a two-tier tech and quality system.

The first tier consists of military weapons and vehicles inherited from the pre-war government, the Earth Administration Authority. These assets are not necessarily inferior to UCM hardware, though they were designed for very different circumstances and had smaller production runs. As a result of the relative scarcity of this military hardware, Resistance groups only sparingly commit these resources to conflicts; however, the gathering momentum of the Reconquest has seen more and more groups willing to dust off their most precious and limited weapons.

The second tier includes an eclectic mixture of repurposed civilian tools, vehicles, and systems. In the immediate aftermath of the Scourge invasion, hundreds of old civilian vehicles were left behind on highways and streets, allowing Resistance bands to take whatever they desired. Scourge reclamation crews have made these assets harder to come by in recent years, but there are still more than enough for the Resistance to use to replace losses or scavenge new parts. The simplicity of replacement means that these ramshackle units are generally considered to be expendable by the Resistance bands who operate them, though this attitude naturally doesn't extend to the crews of such vehicles.

This tiering system applies to Resistance void assets as well. While some Resistance fleets operate the former warships of the EAA, others have had to make do by repurposing old civilian vessels (e.g. the Seneca detonator). These vessels typically have poor scan range and thrust, as those qualities were not prioritized by manufacturers, but feature thick ablative armour in many cases, as well as potent firepower. Due to the extreme number of competing starship manufacturers during the Golden Age, many of these ships feature systems that can be swapped out for donor parts from another, completely different ship. This makes Resistance ships extremely easy to return to active service, and is likely what has allowed the Vega Scrapfleet to exist at all. Some of these pre-war ships are still produced new in the shipyards of Kalium, though they also have maintained their defense fleet from before the Scourge's arrival as well.