Epirian Foundation

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Epirian Foundation
Capital	Space Station Apex
Official Languages	Unknown
Power	Major Power
Size	Unknown
Head of State	Board of Franchise CEOs
Head of Government	Franchise CEOs
Governmental Structure	Corporate Federation
State Religion/Ideology	MegaCorporatism
Demographic	Humans, Aliens, and Robots
Military Force	Drones, Military Contactors, and Security Personnel

The Epirian Foundation‘s robotics and terraforming technologies transformed much of the Spiral Arm. The Foundation took barren, lifeless worlds and made them habitable, exploiting the resources of rocks they couldn’t turn into homes. The Foundation itself was formed as a loose coalition of independent franchises, each specializing in their own unique technologies.

On the vast space station Apex, competition for new worlds and entrepreneurial invention was encouraged by the Epirian Head Office. However, outright conflict or legal infractions were policed severely. Under the leadership of Apex, whose stewardship rotated amongst the CEOs of the franchises, the Epirian Foundation thrived, spreading across a wide swathe of the Spiral Arm’s resource rich systems.

The Maelstrom tore apart the stability and organization of the Foundation. Apex was one of the star systems first hit by the wave of energy, and the impact of losing the Foundation’s central governance was substantial. Since then, the internal structure of the Foundation has fragmented, with the individual franchises growing apart, protecting their own interests while viewing each other with suspicion. The progression of the Maelstrom’s Edge into the middle of the Spiral Arm has endangered many Epirian worlds and every franchise has to make difficult decisions about who and what to save from their doomed territories

In battle, the Foundation’s greatest strength comes from their advanced robotics technology, and the neural links that their ‘handlers’ use to boost the effectiveness of their drones, bots and mechs. The fast-flying Firefly drones scout ahead of the main force of Spider drones, providing intelligence about the enemy and allowing flanking moves, while units like the Scarecrow Sentry bot and Hunter Warmech provide fire support. Supporting this army of artificial combatants are the multi-faceted Contractors, employees of the Foundation who function as mechanics, workers, and front-line soldiers, depending on the situation.

Units

Epirian Contractor Engineers

Although the Foundation is famous for its robotic units, Contractors are a common sight in nearly all military and security endeavours and typically make up around half of an expeditionary force or security team. In addition to their value as fighters, Contractors are also expected to contribute to the maintenance of Epirian robots and facilities, and the lines between engineer and soldier are frequently blurred. it is just as common to see a Contractor with a spanner in their hand as it is to see them crouched behind a barricade with a rifle.

Epirian Bot Handler

A Handler's neural interface grants unparalleled access to tactical information and the ability to control bots at a distance. Journeyman Handlers lead the Epirian forces into battle, while the Apprentice Handlers command units of Spider Drones.

Masters Bot Handlers

Earth Caste Master Handlers wear powerful machine-assisted armor normally reserved for elite SecDef forces, and wield an arsenal of weaponry that normal soldiers can only dream of. Some Master Handlers eschew additional weapons and instead utilize Neural Nodes: an incredibly expensive and controversial technology that combines a powerful machine neural processor with a tiny portion of the Master Handler's cognitive functions. The Neural Node acts as an independent, duplicated version of the Handler's consciousness for a brief moment, before safeguards purge its core memory. The Neural Node creates a powerful momentary electronic copy of the Master Handler's mind into the target drone, to assess the situation and provide the drones with a specific order. There are many voices both outside and within the Foundation that decry the use of Neural Nodes, claiming they are a form of A.I., which puts all of humanity at risk. The Foundation remains resolute that purging a Neural Nodes at regular intervals prevents any potential issues from arising. Master Handlers themselves ignore the controversy, relishing any opportunity to become closer to the robots under their control, to devastating effect amongst those that stand in their way.