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In the "CENTAURI DAWN CONTEST"-winning story, "Unity" by SMAC Fanatic, there is a part where the protagonist, Rachelle Williams, reflects on each of the faction leaders she's met.
In the spirit of shamelessly self-promoting my custom faction project, I have added on to that passage to describe twelve of the fourteen the custom faction leaders I am developing:
Italics is from the original story.
“As diplomatic aide to Lady Deirdre, I have been to many places and met many faction leaders.
I met Academician Prokhor Zakharov, and I saw a hunted, driven man, desperately seeking an answer to unanswerable questions, trying frantically to escape his own mortality.
I met Commissioner Pravin Lal, and I saw a man whose profound love of humanity and protectiveness of human rights crippled him at every turn. While his morals and ethics are laudable, he spends too much of his time interpreting and enforcing the UN Charter, and his society is stagnating around him.
I met Sister Miriam Godwinson, and I saw a woman who could have single-handedly led this mission to unified success on Planetsurface, were it not for her intense devotion to her faith. Her charisma alone could have held the mission together when it was fragmenting high above Planet, but instead she chose to walk the path of God, and pays the daily price that He demands.
I met Chairman Sheng-ji Yang, and I saw a man whose desire for a Utopian society overrode any concerns for the welfare of his people or for their democratic rights. His social experimentation, for all his good intentions, is sick and twisted and completely indefensible.
I met CEO Nwabudike Morgan, and I saw a man who loves and cherishes wealth above all things. Yet how would he fare if trade and commerce dissipated tomorrow? What if society finally evolves to that higher plane where material things have no significance?
I met Colonel Corazon Santiago, and I saw a soldier fighting a thousand needless wars. Survivalism has no place on Planet, where all should be allowed to live in peace and harmony with one another, not brainwashed into fighting crusades against all who oppose them.
I met Datatech Sinder Roze, and I saw a woman whose love of anarchy and devotion to covert operations blinds her daily to the realities around her. For her, the virtual world is fast becoming the real world, and the day may come when she retreats into that world completely.
I met Captain Ulrik Svensgaard, and I saw a man who lost everything he had, and who now erroneously believes he can find it again in the oceans. His unswerving ardor for his precious waters overrides all else.
I met Foreman Domai, and I saw a man whose dedication to his people leads him to treat them as eggshells, that they may break if they are dropped. His suspicion of knowledge and scientific progress is crippling his society, and his industrial efforts simply turn Planet against him.
I met Prophet Cha Dawn, and I saw a young boy whose empathic talents gave him an inflated sense of self-importance and led him to believe that he is Planet's chosen emissary to the people. His ideology is contradictory - on his quest to wipe the blight that he calls humanity from the face of Planet, he is himself defacing Planet's surface daily with more and more strip-mines and boreholes.
I even met Caretaker Lular H'minee and Usurper Judaa Marr, and I saw the last few members of a race which tore itself apart over the results of a single experiment. Their technology could have been used to incredible ends, but now it has been used to construct terrible weapons which they daily use to decimate their own kind.
I met Governor Michael Garrison, and I saw a man who was devoted to claiming Planet for the good of his people as well as for Planet itself. But with such care, his devotion to protecting both has led him to alienate many, and driven his settlers to near penury.
I met Secretary-General Mikhail Borokhov, and I saw a man whose ideals were born from death and destruction on Earth. After all he and many before him have seen, all he wants to do is to create a world that could live peacefully through separation- at any cost. With violence, he seeks to impose peace, and by causing submission, he tries to preserve sovereignty.
I met Elderess Avril Walker, and I saw a woman of a generation we hoped to have left back on the world they destroyed. She promotes hedonism and the isolation of the old from the young, desiring to hoard valuable knowledge and wisdom from the rest of humanity. They really should know better.
I met Bishop Peter St. Clare, and I saw a man from a church that has fallen in the eyes of many, and wishes to redeem it on Planet. He is a new voice of an old faith, but is still stained and stricken by memories of inquisitions, crusades, and abuses of its past.
I met High Priest Cuzco Sol, and I saw a man of fiery love for Ra at the cost of Gaia. He truly believes that by carving a polluted Earth out of this world, he will receive salvation from the suns.
I met with First Speaker Theresa Corelli, and I saw a woman who desired my kind to prosper and be happy. But with all her powers, she has forgotten that we Empaths are still human. I fear that by separating “Psions” from humanity, she shall drive a wedge between us all that shall never be removed.
I met Chieftain Robin Huxley, and I saw a soldier who distrusted peace and stability as what she considers to be “soft.” In her misguided attempts to preserve the best and brightest, she preys upon our civilization just so she can create her own.
I met General Patrick Donovan Gray, and I saw a man who had become insane with grief. Yet, he is not innocent. If he had only thought of respecting Planet instead of rejecting it utterly and abusing it, his family and base may have been spared. Now, he is nothing but Vengeance with a scheming mind and sadistic maw.
I met the Executive Board, and I saw men and women who desire to become kings and queens of this world through the pettiest thing- money! Their grand ideals for preserving the economy are lofty and genuine, but they only wish to protect it so they can take it. With their stockbrokers and mercenaries, their schemes to wrest control of the energy markets are menacing.
I met Patrician Seneca Alexius, and I saw a very odd man who broke from the Peacekeepers for no reason but to create his idea of a “perfect city.” What is even stranger is that he has quite a following. He is capable of great works of architecture and art, but why does he seek to do it apart from all, and only want the richest, the most fashionable? Why does he not understand that wealth and fashion are only arbitrary? In the end he is only creating more political turmoil.
I met Director-in-Chief Sylvia Gauss, and I saw a woman who held in her hands the engines of creation. She now uses them to build an order ruled by the technologically proficient and where the less gifted are victimized, coldly discarding them in her cruel meritocracy.
I met Oracle Gennaro Almeida, and I saw a man haunted by the ghosts of past wars and the demons of an uncertain future. In his hysteria about a forever-divided Planet and his panic about the increasing amount of factions, his pleas for peace and unity have been drowned out. The only solace left to him are the books he so fiercely protects.
Even my leader, Lady Deirdre, is not without her faults. Her commitment to keeping Planet pristine and pure is exemplary, but her pacifism is her undoing. She is not prepared to fight for what she believes in, and I believe that will be her downfall.
And then, Prime Function, I met you, and I saw in you a convergence of two worlds, the natural and the technological, and I saw the product - a woman whose only goals are enlightenment and rationality. Your logical progression fascinates me, and I applaud your quest for knowledge.
And to further those ends, I would like to join you.”
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Please don't ban me.
In the spirit of shamelessly self-promoting my custom faction project, I have added on to that passage to describe twelve of the fourteen the custom faction leaders I am developing:
Italics is from the original story.
“As diplomatic aide to Lady Deirdre, I have been to many places and met many faction leaders.
I met Academician Prokhor Zakharov, and I saw a hunted, driven man, desperately seeking an answer to unanswerable questions, trying frantically to escape his own mortality.
I met Commissioner Pravin Lal, and I saw a man whose profound love of humanity and protectiveness of human rights crippled him at every turn. While his morals and ethics are laudable, he spends too much of his time interpreting and enforcing the UN Charter, and his society is stagnating around him.
I met Sister Miriam Godwinson, and I saw a woman who could have single-handedly led this mission to unified success on Planetsurface, were it not for her intense devotion to her faith. Her charisma alone could have held the mission together when it was fragmenting high above Planet, but instead she chose to walk the path of God, and pays the daily price that He demands.
I met Chairman Sheng-ji Yang, and I saw a man whose desire for a Utopian society overrode any concerns for the welfare of his people or for their democratic rights. His social experimentation, for all his good intentions, is sick and twisted and completely indefensible.
I met CEO Nwabudike Morgan, and I saw a man who loves and cherishes wealth above all things. Yet how would he fare if trade and commerce dissipated tomorrow? What if society finally evolves to that higher plane where material things have no significance?
I met Colonel Corazon Santiago, and I saw a soldier fighting a thousand needless wars. Survivalism has no place on Planet, where all should be allowed to live in peace and harmony with one another, not brainwashed into fighting crusades against all who oppose them.
I met Datatech Sinder Roze, and I saw a woman whose love of anarchy and devotion to covert operations blinds her daily to the realities around her. For her, the virtual world is fast becoming the real world, and the day may come when she retreats into that world completely.
I met Captain Ulrik Svensgaard, and I saw a man who lost everything he had, and who now erroneously believes he can find it again in the oceans. His unswerving ardor for his precious waters overrides all else.
I met Foreman Domai, and I saw a man whose dedication to his people leads him to treat them as eggshells, that they may break if they are dropped. His suspicion of knowledge and scientific progress is crippling his society, and his industrial efforts simply turn Planet against him.
I met Prophet Cha Dawn, and I saw a young boy whose empathic talents gave him an inflated sense of self-importance and led him to believe that he is Planet's chosen emissary to the people. His ideology is contradictory - on his quest to wipe the blight that he calls humanity from the face of Planet, he is himself defacing Planet's surface daily with more and more strip-mines and boreholes.
I even met Caretaker Lular H'minee and Usurper Judaa Marr, and I saw the last few members of a race which tore itself apart over the results of a single experiment. Their technology could have been used to incredible ends, but now it has been used to construct terrible weapons which they daily use to decimate their own kind.
I met Governor Michael Garrison, and I saw a man who was devoted to claiming Planet for the good of his people as well as for Planet itself. But with such care, his devotion to protecting both has led him to alienate many, and driven his settlers to near penury.
I met Secretary-General Mikhail Borokhov, and I saw a man whose ideals were born from death and destruction on Earth. After all he and many before him have seen, all he wants to do is to create a world that could live peacefully through separation- at any cost. With violence, he seeks to impose peace, and by causing submission, he tries to preserve sovereignty.
I met Elderess Avril Walker, and I saw a woman of a generation we hoped to have left back on the world they destroyed. She promotes hedonism and the isolation of the old from the young, desiring to hoard valuable knowledge and wisdom from the rest of humanity. They really should know better.
I met Bishop Peter St. Clare, and I saw a man from a church that has fallen in the eyes of many, and wishes to redeem it on Planet. He is a new voice of an old faith, but is still stained and stricken by memories of inquisitions, crusades, and abuses of its past.
I met High Priest Cuzco Sol, and I saw a man of fiery love for Ra at the cost of Gaia. He truly believes that by carving a polluted Earth out of this world, he will receive salvation from the suns.
I met with First Speaker Theresa Corelli, and I saw a woman who desired my kind to prosper and be happy. But with all her powers, she has forgotten that we Empaths are still human. I fear that by separating “Psions” from humanity, she shall drive a wedge between us all that shall never be removed.
I met Chieftain Robin Huxley, and I saw a soldier who distrusted peace and stability as what she considers to be “soft.” In her misguided attempts to preserve the best and brightest, she preys upon our civilization just so she can create her own.
I met General Patrick Donovan Gray, and I saw a man who had become insane with grief. Yet, he is not innocent. If he had only thought of respecting Planet instead of rejecting it utterly and abusing it, his family and base may have been spared. Now, he is nothing but Vengeance with a scheming mind and sadistic maw.
I met the Executive Board, and I saw men and women who desire to become kings and queens of this world through the pettiest thing- money! Their grand ideals for preserving the economy are lofty and genuine, but they only wish to protect it so they can take it. With their stockbrokers and mercenaries, their schemes to wrest control of the energy markets are menacing.
I met Patrician Seneca Alexius, and I saw a very odd man who broke from the Peacekeepers for no reason but to create his idea of a “perfect city.” What is even stranger is that he has quite a following. He is capable of great works of architecture and art, but why does he seek to do it apart from all, and only want the richest, the most fashionable? Why does he not understand that wealth and fashion are only arbitrary? In the end he is only creating more political turmoil.
I met Director-in-Chief Sylvia Gauss, and I saw a woman who held in her hands the engines of creation. She now uses them to build an order ruled by the technologically proficient and where the less gifted are victimized, coldly discarding them in her cruel meritocracy.
I met Oracle Gennaro Almeida, and I saw a man haunted by the ghosts of past wars and the demons of an uncertain future. In his hysteria about a forever-divided Planet and his panic about the increasing amount of factions, his pleas for peace and unity have been drowned out. The only solace left to him are the books he so fiercely protects.
Even my leader, Lady Deirdre, is not without her faults. Her commitment to keeping Planet pristine and pure is exemplary, but her pacifism is her undoing. She is not prepared to fight for what she believes in, and I believe that will be her downfall.
And then, Prime Function, I met you, and I saw in you a convergence of two worlds, the natural and the technological, and I saw the product - a woman whose only goals are enlightenment and rationality. Your logical progression fascinates me, and I applaud your quest for knowledge.
And to further those ends, I would like to join you.”
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Please don't ban me.