THE FAR SPINWARD COLONIES HISTORY
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By the 2050s the unfettered growth of the mega-corporations meant that private equity led the way to the stars. The British Weyland Corporation established settlements in what became known as the Far Spinward Colonies, then brought them under the auspices of the newly formed Three World Empire. But while Weyland and the 3WE were the prime movers behind this expansion, the colonists themselves came from all walks of life, including the Chinese Asian Nations Cooperative (CANC), a supernation subsequently absorbed by the UPP. All told, eighteen colonies were established, inhabited by millions of hopeful pioneers. Then, 75 years ago—disaster. The space between the Outer Rim and the Far Spinward Colonies was scoured by massive solar ejections, gamma bursts and waves of radiation. The time known as “the Isolation” had come. Travel was made impossible, and all communication with the new colonies was lost. Cut off from the Middle Heavens, the Far Spinward Colonies were left to fend for themselves and forgotten. Until now. Looking for a common cause to unite the squabbling superpowers, the United Nations proposed a multi-national expedition, the Great Mother Mission, to unite humanity behind a common goal and reclaim the lost colonies.FAST FORWARD TO 2185
Those 75 years have been tough for the citizens of the Far Spinward Colonies. The radiation storms wreaked havoc, and the loss of their supply lines from home was a terrible blow. Some colonies managed to hold on, re-focusing their efforts on just staying alive. Others fell into barbarism and infighting. Some failed completely, leaving no survivors. On top of all that, the colonists disturbed something that had long been asleep. The Fulfremmen, aka the Perfected, had been hibernating, waiting to be found by living, breathing creatures so they could continue their one mission in life: to infect—to make perfect—everything they find. Three colonies quickly fell to them, before the settlers could mount a resistance. Some fell back to hide in their colonies or hold the line there. Others took more direct action, to try and keep the Perfected at bay. THE FULFREMMEN - SPOILER
The Fulfremmen are relentless in pursuit of two objectives—their need to spread their “perfection” to every living and mechanical entity they can, and their desire to cultivate an Empress hive of XX121 Xenomorphs, a “hive of hives,” as a sacred monument to the majesty of these creatures.
The Perfected were created by an advanced humanoid species known as the Engineers—Homo Gentior—who, in their attempts to recreate an ancient alien lifeform they called the Destroying Angel, also created humankind, the Arcturians and the Protomorph. Despite their technological mastery the Engineers came into conflict with their creations—the Perfected persisted, the Engineers did not.
SITUATION
Asleep for millennia, the Perfected were accidentally awoken after the Far Spinward Colonies were isolated from the Middle Heavens. Capelli, Kareti and July Colonies were overrun and transformed into Proto-Hives. Sanchez Colony was destroyed before they could transform it. But the Perfected’s ability to spread has been hampered by a lack of both navigational data for the Middle Heavens and spaceships with FTL drives that can cover the distance. One year ago, a congregation of the Children of the Two Divines traveled to the Far Spinward Colonies and found them. The Perfected gave some the gift of perfection, but immediately saw the value in keeping others un-perfected, to use as moles within the colonies, to infiltrate them and search for a ship to help them fulfill their destiny. The Children of the Two Divines also brought a gift: an offering of XX121 eggs. The Perfected have been cultivating xenomorph hives ever since and nurturing an Empress to rule over them all. The Perfected know of the Engineer relic they call the “Lychgate” and see this as the perfect place to establish this “hive of hives.”
The Children of the Two Divines are all servants to the Perfected, and they work to further the Perfected’s ambitions at all times.
SITUATION
Under the leadership of a rogue android, Mother Ma’Kayla, this extremist offshoot of the Church of the Immaculate Incubation is nothing more than a starfaring death cult. In 2185 they gathered Engineer star chart data, stole a fleet of modified Heliades-class ships, and headed for what their translations called “Perfect Space.” Expecting to find a paradise, they instead found the Far Spinward Colonies. Now, their leaders have found perfection as bio-mechanoids, and their fanatical followers raid colonies to spread the word. Six of their Heliades-class vessels are still operational, but they suffer from a lack of spare parts and poor maintenance. None has an FTL drive that is capable of anything more than a short haul among the Far Spinward Colonies, and their FTL rating is reduced to 20.THE SCHISM IN THE DEATH CULT
Not all the Children of the Two Divines have proven devoted to the cause of perfection. Six months ago, a group led by Chikondi Okafor realized the error of their ways and the danger they were in. Taking one of the Heliades ships they made a run for it, reaching KOI-784 and Dylan Colony on their failing fumes of fuel, before crashing in the jungle. Rescued by the colonists, they were soon recognized for what they were, or had been.
Gorham’s Marauders prowl the Far Spinward Colonies, seemingly little more than pirates preying on the weak. However, they have only one purpose—to prevent the Perfected from leaving this sector of space. But first things first. To do that they must survive.
THE SITUATION
Gorham’s Marauders are colonists who took it upon themselves to keep the Perfected from spreading across space. On his deathbed, the original pioneer J.V. Gorham inspired his people to destroy Sanchez Outpost before the Perfected could transform it, leaving it a nuclear wasteland. Since then, they have operated out of the ruined Seegson platform orbiting Sanchez Colony, Finland Station, blockading Perfected Proto-Hive planets and destroying any Perfected vessels they find. They have also been raiding colonies, to systematically purge navigation charts, denying the Perfected the knowledge to track humanity back to Earth.
The Cooperative, under Colonel-turned-Warlord Zhāngjié, has ambitions to dominate this region of space, and will always try to turn any situation to their advantage.
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