Editing Quest:A.I. Quest (section)

=Factions=

==The Guild==
[[Image:AIQuestGuildLogo.png|200px|thumb|right|The current logo of The Guild.]]
:''Tell me sir and/or madam, are you a voice of the people?''
:''I believe so, yes.''
:-Ophion, being questioned by "X-Ray"

The Guild is the name given to Ophion's collective actions across the Fringe. The Guild started as not a legitimate business entity with any other factions, but in time it has become regarded as one in dealings with the UFW and the present leadership of the Losirian faction. The Guild has a defense pact with the UFW and has managed to defend themselves from UGEI belligerence. With A.I. Apollo running a rapidly growing economic empire, and Metis spearheading research attempts that easily bypass any human's efforts on a similar scale, the Guild is quickly growing to form an actual empire.

==United Fringe Worlders (UFW)==
Once a string of wealthy mining colonies on the Fringe of UGEI space, the UFW became united under a single Union. With the UGEI off fighting other wars, the UFW took its chance and pushed back the UGEI and claimed the Fringe for themselves as best they could. However, with their limited scientific know-how, the UFW has struggled to maintain independence. Each world is its own "state," but all follow a common guide known as The Union. The Union is a pact of protection, where all UFW states will share resources for a common defense. The majority of Union is human. Its current President is William T. King. Each planet operates on a 'separate but equal' mindset, working together to ensure they may stay independent from the UGEI. It's people are rather hardened to the dangers of the universe, due to their popularity as a target by pirates and any mercenary or Xeno company. Despite this, the UFW is hesitant to embrace any manner of automated technology. Due to previous association with the UGEI, they consider technology like that nothing more then an attempt to replace humans, giving larger companies an excuse to not have to have humane or ethical treatment laws. The heavy-handed manner in which the UGEI dealt with the rebellion, and the regular attacks by Pirate and Xeno raiders have resulted in the UFW being somewhat technophobic as well as Xenophobic. They are far more neutral to Malorians compared to the UGEI.

Often refers to themselves as 'The Union' considering themselves a single body this way, but the generally used term referring to their nation is 'UFW'. It's current president is known as William T. King.

After coming into contact with The Guild, much has changed for the UFW in more ways than one. If not for The Guild, the UFW would have likely been taken over long ago by the UGEI by sheer attrition. However thanks to Ophion's meddling, not only have they solidified their control over their regions, they have also expanded their businesses, alliances, and ship building capacity and general technology greatly. The story behind how is a long one but generally revolve around the Guild's actions in and around UFW space. In short, the UFW would not be the same if Ophion had not risen to power, the President himself is quoted as saying "We certainly would not have survived as long as we have if not for your support" referring to Ophion. As of now, the UFW has taken on more of a support role, they themselves not wishing to take over UGEI lands and instead protect their own freedoms. However, due to subtle nudges politically from Apollo, their government is growing to become more in favor of such a thing-and even more so, supporters of Ophion are very popular with the masses for all Ophion has done.

==United Galactic Expanse Initiative (UGEI)==
Originally one of Earth's many deep space mining Corporations, the UGEI received several incredibly wealthy investors, putting it ahead of its competition. This boost allowed them to form a near-monopoly on colonization and mining operations for the human race as they began their rapid expansion outwards. While effective at spreading humanity's wealth and influence, according to employee reports the UGEI also grew incredibly greedy. They took large cuts from anyone that used their mining platforms, or simply took mining locations from independent companies by questionable legal means. The UGEI also refuse to share their mining platform secrets, leaving their efficiency and the cocktail of gases used by ships as star-ship fuel mostly a mystery to the common man. Due to a lack of personnel, and the availability of their wealth, the UGEI appear to have merged with several robotics Corporations at some point, giving them a source to dump much of their gains into that will in the end save them even more. This lead to them being able to free up much of the labor they needed for their mining platforms with the creation of humanity's first V.I. To this day, they continue to search for a way to make all mining automated, maximizing their profits and reducing the chance of human error. 

According to the Extranet, much of the UGEI's inhabited worlds are human, with very little alien immigration, especially recently. Large part of the reason is due to the proxy war the UGEI is holding against the Malorians for access to rich sectors of space. While unable to officially declare war, or even have armed forces, the UGEI uses it's massive size, access to legal council, and various other loopholes to build a fleet of massive proportions to combat the aliens. Over time, they have overstepped the bounds of normal corporation duties, until they began to more closely resemble a military driven government. They're responsible for an enormous portion of humanity's growth and strength during the last century, even if they do bleed colonies dry, leaving them nearly untouchable to normal legal means back home in the home worlds. In accordance with ancient treaties between the long dissolved nations on Terra, the UGEI is forbidden to formally own any buildings, ships or territory within the Sol System on a permanent basis, they are instead forced to temporarily lease everything from their typically Terran owners: a small consolation prize after an eternal court struggle against the UGEI's growing presence. As a result of this, UGEI has a very small overt prescience within the cradle of Humanity, however behind the scenes, the vast wealth at UGEI's disposal enables them to secure a huge amount of political, economic and military influence. 

A UGEI mining license takes 4 months of operation to earn. In which time the UGEI are entitled to 85% of profits. Even after obtaining this license, the UGEI is still entitled to 70%.

==Malorians==

:''Has man not dreamt of banging hot alien babes since first he looked up at the stars?!''
:-Popular Action Film catchphrase

A race of extraterrestrial humanoids that were originally encountered around the start of humanity's great expansion. Humanity originally jumped to one of their system by random chance, but after several attempts at negotiating, the race traded with humanity, and even immigrated over to some colonies in interest of their star cousins. This discovery was of course, earth shaking for many and lead to a massive cultural shift in how people see the universe as a whole. As humanity expanded, however, they drew closer to Malorian territory, a series of colony worlds that were quite rich in minerals due to the nature-friendly methods of the Malorians, and human friendly atmospheres (requiring far less to walk planetside than other rich systems). Finally, after years of a solid alliance with the Xenos, a massive conflict with the UGEI occurred. As recorded by the UGEI, the Malorians suddenly attacked several defenseless mining bases belonging to the UGEI, supposedly out of a 'hate' for their practice of harvesting, and wanting to steal their resources for themselves. The Malorians, on the other hand, claim that despite several warnings not to expand into several of their systems, the UGEI continued unwarranted into lands the Malorians claimed to hold dear, and as a result, forced their hand. Despite this, the Malorians hold no proof of their claim, and any they do possess is considered insufficient before any court so far. Espionage is suspected. 

Whatever the cause, the UGEI saw this as a good reason to mobilize for war and push the Xenos off their resource rich planets. While technically unable to do such a thing for themselves, the UGEI often work through loopholes and contractors to have an excuse to have machines of war when they should not. UGEI and the Malorians have been at war for nearly a decade as of the time of Ophion meeting them.

Malorians have skin colored in a range of deep aqua to copper red, with patches of fur, normally with a slim athletic build. Malorians have large black-yellow eyes and 4 arms. Each limb ends in three slightly longer jointed digits. They only have one set of legs, but the digits are of a similar length. They have larger, if flatter ears, with wider noses and omnivorous teeth. They generally live long lives. From the tribes observed, they possess a love of nature unlike many other races, feeling connected with foliage enough to go so far as to transform entire planets into jungles like their home world. It is suspected a major reason for this is due to a cultural shift in their society that considered old ancient trees becoming the spirit of ancestors, a practice quite common on their jungle homeworld. While this may be moderated among other specimens, Ophion has recognized the Malorians can, at times, possess a zeal for this activity. Despite this connection, they can be rather industrious, despite their reluctance to harm their own planet, and as with any race of people, exceptions do exist, being sentient as they are. It appears groups of Malorians are lead by an 'Elder', considered the wiser and more respected member most of the time, the most common form of government.

Malorian Culture is not fully understood at this time, but it seems their homeworlds are run by a higher council (The Council of Juma), a tribe of very old and wise Elders who's words are widely respected in the community. These figure heads represent both a political and a religious leader in their community, and ignoring them is seen both as illegal and blasphemous. Other tribes are loath to try anything without the word from their High Elders. The entire structure of Malorian society appears based around such tribes, normally starting as family units, but can become intertwined due to relationships, assimilation, or death of other figures in said tribes. It is also a symbol of status, and only the largest tribes have the privilege of owning entire planets in their name.

The practice of space travel and general space age work has recently become possible in Malorian history, due to their recent discovery of warp travel-a method of moving faster than light between stars to cut down travel time to a reasonable time period. This method is similar, if not exactly the same as the way humans discovered, leading to many ship designs similar, though they look far different from one another.

Known Factions
*Council of Juma: The core tribe of the Malorian homeworlds. They seek neither war nor peace, only passive defense of what is theirs, and refusal to allow the UGEI to push them over. That said, their attitude has alienate much of their own people, despite the deep seated respect people have for them.
*Latuma Tribe: Separate colony group from Malorian homeworlds that pursue the expanse of nature over everything else. Nearly zealots in this regard. Extricated themselves from Malorian space with only the desire to spread their ancestor's name. Seen as outcasts by their brothers, where as they see themselves as bringers of healers of broken worlds.
*Ishtooy Tribe: Hostile group of militaristic Malorians. Protect several sacred planets by embracing technology. Strong dislike for Xenos of all sorts. They have gained a lot of support since the UGEI started attacking their bases. They stole any technology they could and rapidly built large fleets to push back the offending Xenos. They own large stretches of territory, but have very few civilians. Almost every Malorian in their groups is suited for war.

==Losirians==

:''First space krakens, now space SHARKS?!''
:-Post on UFW extranet

A race of extraterrestrial aquatic humanoids that were encountered later after humanity had established itself among this sector of space. Much of the first contact dealt with attempts at communication, before the human fleet opened fire out of fear of the creature's appearance, as the Losirians tore their fleet apart. Losirians rarely leave their home planet despite their technological advancement, mainly due to their reliance on water to remain healthy, but when they do, their ships are specially designed to hold reservoirs of water to allow them to exist in comfort. All Losirian technology is waterproof. While they do not require it constantly, many have taken to wearing suits to keep water flowing against their gills when they're not on their ships, or at their homeworld. They have adapted to be amphibious due to the nature of their homeworld and their own mental development-naturally, far less predators existed on the land leading to a preference for land survival traits, while much of their prey remained in the sea-leading to a mix of both. They're carnivorous in nature, but normally refuse to dine on sentient races despite rumors and racism that says otherwise. This appears to be less a moral decision, as a logical one, since eating sentient species usually means other of that species will attack them on sight. They stay out of most politics, keeping mostly to themselves, ever since the fiercer days of their conflict with the UGEI, taking to the philosophy of 'humans merely do not understand'. Beyond the dominant clans on their homeworld, they do not have a galactic presence beyond mercenary groups. Despite their reluctance, it isn't unheard of for some immigrants to be within largely other race colonies. If they are, however, they stay low and quiet as often as they can, due to racism.

Losirians' skin usually ranges between various colors of blue and white, and is occasionally gray. They normally have a thin muscular build, due to how their skeletal system and fat storing operates. Retractable webbed fingers and toes, extremely tough skin which is rough to the touch, and a set of serrated sharp teeth meant for tearing meat apart give them the 'shark-like' reputation.  They also normally have a rather high pain tolerance as a species, compared to most other beings. They have holes for ears, and have tubes connecting their head to their shoulders to support their dual breathing organs, allowing them to be amphibious. Their eyes are normally pitch black, with a secondary lid to protect it from water and sunlight. They also commonly have a tail with frills and fins, though the tail merely aids in swimming, instead of being the main force behind it. From what Ophion has seen, many Losirians enjoy wearing water breathing apparatuses to their body. This means that in an oxygen-less environment, their suits allow them to survive just like a space suit would. Normally violent, territorial, and carnivorous by nature, Losirians have yet failed to make peaceful contact with humans as far as Ophion is aware. Being able to eat nearly anything organic, many races have come to fear Losirians out of instinct, further inhibiting their diplomatic options along with the isolated and distant nature of their colonies. As a result, it would seem some take to mercenary work to make use of their natural ferociousness.

What little is known about Losirian culture implies they're organized into clans, where many of the lesser males follow the orders of an Alpha male. Females are normally traded between the more primal clans, but female Losirians are not without their own vicious streak, known to even kill Alpha males in rare cases. Despite this, much of Losirian culture is Patriarchal.

As of lately, Ophion has influenced a great change in Losirian culture and indeed, their entire society as a whole. Ophion has supported the Losirian mercenary clans with funds for work, while at the same time fighting many of them due to UGEI influence. In the end, Ophion went to support a secondary faction within Losirian society to subvert these violent clans and solidify the empire as a more reliable ally. This resulted in a massive civil war that raged for several cycles as much of the previous reigning hierarchy was brought down by this mysterious benefactor. Who Ophion will come to know as Emperor Leuk took over as the Losirian dictator, and with an iron fist, forced the remaining colonies to unite under his rule. His surprising control over the Losirian population is somewhat suspect, despite the violent nature of the creatures they appear to listen to him. It was discovered that the Emperor was indeed not a Losirian himself, but instead a Jelack, a species of rare yet highly intelligent jellyfish-like creatures which have lived in secret under the Losirian rule due to their superior numbers and ferocity. Jelack have been known to exhibit some manner of telepathic control over Losirians, but normally only the weak willed and this is suspected to be part of the Emperor's secret for garnering so much support so fast. Since his leadership was established, the Emperor, on top of providing many many ships to throw at Ophion's disposal, has begun to institute changes to benefit his own species in the Losirian homeworlds, often leaving the Losirians high and dry-and often angry. He has silenced any who oppose him, however, with jailtime if necessary (and even reeducation at times). Still, it is hardly as violent as the rule under the ruthless mercenary leaders who cared nothing for their own people.

Known Factions
*Reefling Clan: One of the largest mercenary clans in Losirian Space, they're often regarded as a manner of 'Mafia' by human standards, taking control of key locations behind the scenes and taking much of what they produce in return for 'protection'. With the collapse of the Losirian government, their job became much more valuable, and are now seen in a relatively positive light by most civilians. Their leader is Durlock, an enormous cybernetically enhanced Losirian Alpha Male who prefers to use heavy robotics and cybernetics to do much of his work.
*Razorskin Clan: Rival mercenary group. Methods usually include boarding ships and slaughtering the crew, then selling ships to scrapyards. They're far more vicious then Reefling clan, and infamous more for their brutality outside of Losirian space, and being the main source of negative Losirian rumors and racism. They lack the assets the Reefling clan have, but steal most of what they own. Their methods try to ensure maximum profit, as well as food for their entire ship.

==Lightlings==

What is most accurately described as "Space Kraken" by some humans, Lightlings are squid-like entities that are able to exist in the vacuum of space. They appear attracted to electrical energies, and feed off such power, as well as gas found in nebula clouds. They have a unique adaptation that allows them to warp jump using their own biology and excess stored-up gas. They are also able to make 'micro warp jumps' which allows them to move very fast through the vastness of space, even within gravity wells. This, combined with their ambush predator mentality, makes them deadly for any exploring ships that happen across them. While not invincible, the creatures are rather tough, halting much of the UGEI's rapid expansion. As detected by Ophion, however, the larger of the species appear to have a rudimentary sentience, demonstrated via garbled communication signals after a fight where a Mother Lightling's children were killed. As a result, Ophion released the Mother, curiosity peaked.

More commonly found in asteroid belts and especially gaseous planets, these creatures are a terror of the void for any unsuspecting ship unlucky enough to fall prey to them be it of human, A.I., or xeno make. They are extremely temperature resistant, even the young. Lightlings are immune to energy weapons, and are seemingly able to absorb any energy beams. How ever kinetic based weapons, like rail guns and their type, has proven to be very effective in dealing with them. Rail gun type weapons are the preferred weapons to use against the Lightlings, however missiles can be used against them as well but are less effective.

CLASS CLASSIFICATION:
* ''Infant'' 
* ''Adult''
* ''Mother''
* ''Kraken''
*''Leviathan'' [rumour only - no proven sightings yet]