Suggestion for a new power: The Order

By Marksman

History and Religion:

The Order has been created as a result of a call of human powers for free pilots to join war efforts against aliens in one of those wars. As a result of long, exhausting years of fighting many skilled military fighters were killed or incapacitated. So humans ended up with many resources and lots of technology but almost without skilled pilots. They have turned to last resort to all those scumbags flying around in independent ships and managed to stay alive thanks to their abilities to avoid... Anyhow The Order was created. In order to lure independent pilots government offered them best equipped ships for permanent use, huge wages depending directly on number of kills, and the best conditions. They also were given right to have percentage of spoils. .Many pilots have answered a call for "Blessed war to help humanity" and lined up... Eventually government had to accept only the best, so many volunteers there where...The Order became lucrative organization, everything was for them, they were the best, making the most dirty jobs, giving answers to no one. Strong religious feelings were encouraged between members of The Order, specially the ideas of shahid, the philosophy of "life of pleasure" before death, and "life of pleasures" after..

Your glorious deeds in battle were your way to have your pleasures before (through money paid for kills), and a ticket to garden of Eden where according to your glory you got better place in circle of a warriors. Because war continued for long time many pilots started to train their sons and daughters for service in the Order which slowly start to reassemble something like a cross between medieval religious order and the normandic clans of warriors. But in difference to both the Order became more and more religious with time, mainly because their religion encouraged pleasures and glory. As a result of alien ideas mixing with original religion it became more and more strange. In time of war Order builded many secret bases, hidden sacred places, built bases on uncolonized planets. Those where built with great wealth . Many members who couldn�t fight because of their age thanks to their wealth became very important members of community, some lead new colony enterprises. After the war ender government saw in Order a threat and started to cut budgets...then it started to hunt important ppl who served in Order, mainly because of luxurious and many times illegal (slaves, narcotics) way of live they had. The very popular leader of Order Desil the Enlighted waged a war of assassinations against public officials persecuting those ex members. When an Order have been proclaimed illegal and was given order to disband Desmil proclaimed an open war on "cowards who cannot see the light of glory". He ordered the Order to leave for new place to colonize, along with all (and I mean ALL, not percentage) spoils of war. The members attacked capitol planets and sacked many cities for those missing percents taking with them many people as slaves. From this attack Desmil brought back an artifact (elegantly from distant past, metal brosh with an image of eagle). Since that day he became literally invincible. No beam weapon or poison could get to him. somehow this symbol protected him. It was discovered that this symbol was made of metals that were not found in this galaxy. Desmil became a Prophet.

Anyhow: Government retaliated, and sent an armada that hunted down the Order... Desmil have died sacrificial death with his phadauns in huge atomic blast killing with him whole 10 million populated colony and much of governmental fleet who happened to land there. This allowed the Order to hide in one of their secret temples-asteroids and achieve a truce. Desmil have became a god. Actually any of members of the Order can become one if he will be worthy and will pass the stages of Warrior, Workshiper, Follower, Thinker, Acolyte, Enlighted, Interpreter, Messenger and Prophet. And then if you are very good you will become a assistant of god and this way will be able to influence this world even after you will be in heaven, or if you will find another symbol like the First Prophet found you will become full god like the First. Of course if you will die prematurely you still will have the chance to become god...after some time in Eden you will return to this world in new form.

Politics:

Order is mainly neutral� it has few system, many hidden bases and temples where its members live their lives in ceremonial pleasures. Order have truce with some powers, but is mainly something like pirate clan. Most of it's members are even officials in other governments...well those members are very secretive. Generally only when a member gains a status of Enlighed he proclaims himself openly he is member of Order, and becomes Keeper of Temple or Base or Estate or small Colony. He gets help in running this operations from acolytes, thou of course they don�t do any work...for that there are slaves.

Economy:

Order is very rich. Many corporations pay it for protection, spoils of war, slave labor and donations of rich members running corporations from outside help it very much. The same do illegal produce and trade of drugs, and many very dirty missions that members of Order will do...starting with association, through kidnapping of President children for leader of the opposing state, and finishing with mass atmosphere poisoning with biogenic weapons. Unlike many others they have place to hide, and it is not against their religion to kill, actually it makes them closer to their goal.

Military:

Very strong. Experienced pilots in great ships...with no big targets to destroy. ( if you destroy Order colony you will probably only kill many slaves).They have poor infrastructure, but it is very well hidden. (Actually everybody put up with them because they need them for dirty jobs).

Sociology:

There are members, who enjoy life in ceremonial pleasures in temples(which are hidden luxury resort places), or roaming the galaxy in search of new spoils and glory. Those have everything for free in those places, according to their status, but they must obey their superior and fight for order if there is a danger to it.. or a call of a Prophet. There are Enlighted, and Interpreters who run those temples and colonies, and acolytes who protect and help them. And there is a Prophet who rules with help of a Messengers and "spreads the word" Of course you can choose the path of Glory and pass all those stages without settling down, simply by doing very important dangerous missions...This way nobody will know you are a member of the Order , but you still will be able to have all the benefits and to come to temples. And of course there are slaves, there are the believing servants, those who have seen the light.. those are to be pity on , they want to be in Order , but they simply were born coward and important to become one...those can go to small temples and also taste some of afterlife pleasures. And there are "the blind", those are used on hard works.

The way to join:

Actually the Order believes in equal opportunities, therefore even a slave or outsides can join their organization (through one of their many temples, which have become legal in many places as a result of many blackmails and bribes...or simple belief in freedom of religion)...You will be given a test...a mission.. if you have ship it will be this kind of mission, if you are slave you will be given mission on surface. This mission will be hard and most likely very unmoral (to test you an also to tie you to Order in case you plan a treachery...you can leave order , but you shouldn�t betray it.) If you wont succeed you will be found and killed, if you will you will pass initiation ceremony and become part of the order...Till you become a Workshiper you will commit so many crimes that those puny evidence of "primal sin" wont change anything, but they are ceremonially destroyed when you become Workshiper.

Porphyre has taken the liberty of correcting some spelling mistakes, and eliminating those most annoying 'u's. He has left the word "Workshiper" on the off chance it's the intended spelling, and because he prefers it to "Worshiper." (for variety reasons and the unique sound of the word)


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