The Advent Unity

The Advent, whose society is known collectively as “The Unity,” is a highly advanced pseudo-religious civilization that relies heavily on spiritualism, psychic prowess and cybernetic technologies. A sense of elitism permeates the Unity, and is most strongly expressed through the high value its members place on psionic ability.

History

The Advent evolved well before recorded history. It is said that it began as one of many broken peoples who sought spiritual escape on peripheral worlds following the great wars.

The earliest known records of the Advent can be traced back to slightly after the formation of the Trade Order. At its inception, the Order sent emissaries to invite all known inhabited planets to join the organization. One such group discovered a single desert world orbiting a massive red star. Surprisingly, this world was populated by a thriving civilization. Excited by the potential for profit in this new market, the Order authorized immediate integration and the emissaries initiated contact. However, the leaders of the Unity of decided to reject the membership offer.

Not willing to accept failure, the Order sent a series of market research teams to acquire data that could be used to formulate a more elaborate strategy. They received a single, incomplete report containing "disturbing" information.

The people of the desert world practiced what was considered sinful and taboo to the people of the early Trade Order. Cerebral Integration Technologies, unrestricted biological experimentation, strange forms of collectivism, and the wholesale usage of countless neurochemicals were but a few of the transgressions committed by the Advent against the Trade Order's bylaws.

The Trader Worlds voted - overwhelmingly - that such an aberration had no place within the territories of their new Order. With an instinctive fear, the Traders took control of the planet by force and exiled the inhabitants far into uncharted space.

When the Trade Order forced the ancestors of the Advent from its homeworld, it made an indelible scar upon the population's psyche. An etching was created upon Advent citizens in all the following centuries to exact retribution upon their enemy and assume their rightful place in the galaxy. This powerful drive for revenge pushed the Advent even further in its practices, advancing its technology level far beyond anything the Traders could have imagined (current Advent technology is so sophisticated that it rivals the Vasari's). Over the next thousand years the Advent would use all the resources at its disposal to create frightening new weapons and abilities powered by its extremely advanced PsiTech. With its resources exhausted and an arsenal to wield, the highest Coalescence synthesized the will of the Unity and determined the time to return the people to their original homeworld to fulfill their prophecies of dominion.

The long war with the old Trade Order, reorganized into the Trader Emergency Coalition, and the newly introduced xenos, the Vasari, had soon drawn to a stalemate. Five years after the Advent had plunged itself into war, wreaking havoc throughout much of the Eastern Front, its troops had to regroup and entrench their territories; and so magnificent Starbases were erected.

Ten years later the constant fighting had done nothing to break the stalemate. Resources were starting to dwindle and peace talks between the races had begun. It was at this point that some of those within the Unity wondered if vengeance was the correct course of action.

Another five years passed and the Advent Coalesences began to turn on each other. The Loyalists seek only to continue their quest for dominance over the lesser species, and to exact vengeance upon those who banished them and left them for ruin. The Rebels, who sense corruption within the Unity, driving the Advent's mad hunger for retribution, seek to cleanse the Unity of such deviation from its teachings, and to establish diplomatic, if not peaceful, relations with the TEC and the Vasari.

Culture

At an early age, Advent children are taught to seek enlightenment in whichever way naturally suits them and it is common to see even the very young using neurochemicals or artificial implants to augment their mental abilities. This advanced level of integration with their technology – known as PsiTech – is largely responsible for the Advent‘s strange sense of collectivism, and allows the sharing of thoughts and feelings on an almost innate level.

Navigating, interpreting, and shaping are highly prized skills in Advent culture and one’s mastery in these areas forms the basis of the Unity‘s social hierarchy. Females in particular demonstrate a natural prowess and have come to dominate the higher castes, called Coalescences. Then there are the Silent Ones - those who are unable to participate in the Unity‘s group mind - they are exceptionally rare and universally shunned.

Technology

Advent technological levels are vastly superior to the TEC's and is roughly on par with the alien Vasari's. They excel because of a wonder called PsiTech which amplifies their mental ability above all other races'. It is also used in the everyday life of Advent civilians and helps improve the workforce supply for the Advent military.

Weaponry & Defense

The Advent people pride themselves on their advancements in technology over the TEC during the past one thousand years. Where the Advent has flourished by having no restrictions on technological expansion, the TEC have been under the strict guidance of the Trade Order's leaders: the TEC's technology has remained almost stagnant as they rely primarily on chemically-propelled missiles and cannon shells, as well as low-grade lasers. By contrast, Advent armaments consist almost entirely of directed energy weapons, with the exception of ship-to-surface kinetic bolts. Superior in defensive design as well, Advent shields are able to mitigate far more damage than TEC or even Vasari defences will allow.

However, the Advent favor cheap, lightly armored ships with lower hull strength, preferring sophisticated shield systems to bulky armor. All Advent structures and spaceships are designed to be aesthetically pleasing and are typically slenderer and sleeker than TEC or Vasari designs.

PsiTech

PsiTech is the technology that members of the Advent use to augment their mental abilities. This allows them to accomplish tasks through the use of their mind instead of physical power. This makes the Advent especially powerful and potentially advantageous in many aspects: although Vasari phase detection is arguably superior to the Advent's, it requires large machines and multiple Vasari to monitor the phase lanes, whereas the Advent needs only to utilize a small group of Scryers who use their mental power to detect enemies approaching Advent territory.

The same principle applies to the TEC as well in the aspect of armor. Where it is clear that the TEC possesses greater abilities to combine alloys and polymers into a great mass (which in turn gives a greater amount of armor), the Advent can telekinetically hold armor together through the use of PsiTech.