Scattered by the wormhole, the Battle Brothers have moved quickly to establish themselves in the Sirius Sector. Stranded far from the rest of humanity with their Founder slain, the Brothers still hope to carry out his vision. Even as advancements are made in gene sciences, the Battle Brothers remain steadfast symbols of the Founder’s dream for humanity, and their unwavering faith has turned them into a symbol of humanity’s potential and resilience.
The Battle Brothers now serve as the elite army of the Conduit, a genetic and mental duplicate of the original Founder. They seek to reunite the shattered human factions in Sirius under their rule, finding a means of recontacting Earth and enforcing their vision of a united humanity. Other factions and species are viewed as little more than impediments to this goal, which the Battle Brothers will overcome, and nothing will cause them to relent in their pursuit of the Founder’s vision.
How will you unite humanity?
History
Formation
The precursors to the Battle Brothers were Earth’s Battle Armoured units. These units used battle armour developed on Earth in order to put down rebellions in the peripheral colonies. Over time, the Battle Armoured units formed detachments on different planets to specialise in how to deal with local conflicts.
The Founder
Battle Brothers were created by a visionary scientist, known as the Founder, who used a series of gene-mods in order to enhance soldiers beyond their human limits. The Battle Brothers were soon deployed to maintain unity and peace over Earth and its nearby colonies. The gene-mods proved wildly successful, and many sought to join their ranks.
The Vision
The Founder revealed his vision of a united and uplifted humanity, capable of thriving throughout the galaxy with the use of advanced gene-mods. In order to overcome political obstacles to his vision, the Founder led a daring coup to seize control of humanity’s colonies.
Civil War
Many Battle Brothers followed him, overtaking the previous administration in order to improve the lives of many within the colonies. Other Battle Brothers rejected the Founder’s ambitions, and soon a civil war erupted that engulfed all of humanity.
The Pursuit
The civil war proved incredibly destructive. On Earth, the fighting was particularly fierce, and some feared that it might render the world uninhabitable. A portion of humanity chose to flee the situation, commandeering one of the Founder’s fleets. The Battle Brothers pursued these refugees, eventually meeting them in battle at the edge of known space.
The Wormhole
The Battle Brothers met with a surprisingly fierce resistance, with the Founder losing his life in the ensuing battle shortly before a massive wormhole left both fleets stranded in the Sirius Sector. The remaining Battle Brothers made the decision to recall their ships to assess the situation.
Sirius
Scattered by the wormhole, the Battle Brothers have moved quickly to establish themselves in the Sirius Sector. Stranded far from the rest of humanity with their Founder slain, the Brothers still hope to carry out his vision. Even as advancements are made in gene-sciences, the Battle Brothers remain steadfast symbols of the Founder’s dream for humanity.
First Contact
The Brothers soon discovered alien life. They treated these aliens as an obstacle to their goal of reuniting the humans scattered through Sirius and finding a way of returning to Earth. Their attitude led to conflict with other factions, which in turn resulted in the Battle Brothers viewing these aliens with scorn and bitter resentment.
Timeline
- 40 BRC - Development of Gene-mods
- 20 BRC - Founder's Coup
- 0 - Humanity Arrives in Sirius
- 8 ARC - Foundation of the Protectorates
- 17 ARC - Reunion Wars Begin With Havoc Brothers
- 109 ARC - Creation of Prime Brothers
Society
The Battle Brothers now serve as the highly elite army of the Conduit, a genetic and mental duplicate of the original Founder. They seek reuniting the shattered human factions in Sirius under their rule, finding a means of recontacting Earth and enforcing their vision of a united humanity. Other factions and species are viewed as little more than impediments to this goal, which the Battle Brothers will overcome. Nothing will cause them to relent in their pursuit of the Founder’s vision.
Protectorates
The Battle Brothers' domains are known collectively as the Protectorates. The seat of the Conduit and the Custodians is one planetary system, Lucipol, the centre of political and technological power, as well as the most populated domain. Newly conquered planets are often under martial law, directly ruled by a Battle Brother garrison. As soon as a planet is settled and becomes a full-fledged Protectorate, Custodians are detached from Lucipol to preside over it and serve as liaisons with the Conduit’s court. Sometimes, if a planet has a low population and few resources, it will remain an outpost without being developed into a Protectorate.
Most civilians in the Protectorates are involved in supporting their military in some way, via manufacturing, logistics and so on. Everything is focused on implementing the Founder’s vision. Sports and games of skill are encouraged, and citizens are expected to try to better themselves. There is still room for individual expression and creativity, although it is a very competitive society where each citizen must further the Founder’s goals in the way they lead their lives.
Soldiers of the Founder
Battle Brothers are the soldier class of a militaristic society. Battle Brothers are the military arm of the Conduit’s faction, the legions of the Founder. They hail from a very militaristic society. They undergo intensive training and gene modification. Becoming a Battle Brother is a highly respected achievement in their society. Most Battle Brothers truly believe in the Conduit’s vision and are ready to die for it. While they are elite warriors, most of them die on the battlefield simply because they never retire and keep on volunteering to fight until they fall. Those who become unfit for combat due to old age or untreatable wounds become part of the military support structure.
They thrive in battle but are not the most cunning strategists. Battle Brothers are intense, devoted, almost fanatical. Many say that what is holding them back from taking over the sector is that they are better at tactics than strategy. They rarely ally with other factions and view everything through a military lens.They are very proud and take defeat as a personal failing. While the high-level command does have a strategic vision, they can struggle to impose their choices on the ground-level officers, who are very autonomous and will constantly adapt their tactics to the realities on the ground. This has led to many triumphs but also cost them some wars despite great combat performances.
Detachments
Battle Brother Detachments are loyal but quite autonomous. Even standard detachments have their own unique culture, formed over centuries of battles. They are loyal to the Conduit and the Custodians and will not disobey a direct order, but they can have their own interpretation of how to execute it. They usually are pretty proud and do not like losing face.
Social Position
Battle Brothers want to fight and tend to leave politics to the Custodians. It is uncommon for a Battle Brother to reach the higher strata of society, the political class, and become a Custodian; they are seen as enforcers of the Founder’s vision, not interpreters of it. Nevertheless, high-ranking Battle Brother commanders and detachment leaders can have a lot of sway if they try to. But they mostly remain outsiders in the Conduit’s court and need to have a knack for intrigue if they want to exert influence at the highest echelons. Most Battle Brothers feel a mix of contempt and unease towards politics and the subtleties of non-military life.
The Radiance
The Battle Brothers see the Radiance Cascade, which brought them to Sirius, as a tragic event which has severed them from humanity. Archivists and researchers have been tirelessly seeking a way to reunite humanity in order to return the Founder's order to the Milky Way, much of which involves active research within the Zone. The most enduring result of such research has been the creation of the Ratmen Clans due to mutations undergone in their test subjects. While few promising results have so far emerged regarding a pathway home, the Battle Brothers remain committed to finding a means to return so that they might unite humanity across both the Sirius Sector and the Milky Way.
Language
The Battle Brothers Detachments drew recruits from many cultures, with Detachments often adopting the most common language of the world they were assigned to. Battle Brothers, upon receiving their gene-mods, would be allowed to choose a name; traditionally, these names have been angelic figures, but some detachments instead take names from other protectors from a variety of cultural traditions. These originally operated as code names, but in the centuries since their creation, the adoption of these names has gained significance as a rite of passage, and the recruit will rarely make use of their birth name after adopting it.
Many Battle Brothers will also include their town or region of origin in their names; this is often necessary to distinguish between those who have chosen particularly popular names such as Michael. Those who distinguish themselves may instead be awarded a title, such as Destroyer of Saronoi; for example, if they distinguished themselves in a battle. Captains and other officers may even have entire planets or systems listed in their titles rather than towns or systems.
Example Names
[Raguel], [Acolyte] of [Vastport]- [Name], [Title] of [Region]
Battle Brother Officer Names
- Barachiel, Logister of Antinoi V
- Zadkiel, Engineer of Crucis
- Cerubiel, Judge of Jari Prime
Battle Brother Names
- Raguel, Acolyte of Vastport
- Tennin of Ostramire
- Cambriel of Dawnford
Note that characters are usually referred to by their first name (in italics).
Trivia
Notable Characters
- Jakob (Jakob's Path) – An experienced and proud captain of the Battle Brothers, determined to find a means of returning to the Milky Way
- Kepharel (Jakob's Path) - A wise Archivist who serves as a companion and advisor to Jakob.
Proverbs
- "To forsake the Conduit is to forsake humanity."
- "Only the Conduit can lead us back to Earth’s golden shores."
- "The Conduit demands unity: independence is betrayal."
- "Lost in the depth of night and surrounded by the alien, the Conduit shall be my light."
- "The Founder did not change us; he purified us."
