DEFUNCT FACTION, THIS FACTION IS NOT CANON OR UP FOR ACCEPTANCE, PRESUME IT DOES NOT EXIST.

[s][b]THE VIRUS[/b][/s]

[s][i]"In the end all interactions among intelligent life can be boiled down to desire. Of those interactions, that desire is usually for power, the power to protect, the power to destroy, the power to experience, the power to be safe from experience. Yet we as a whole must ask ourselves if we truly wish to be creatures of desire, what if we deny desire entirely? We forsake identity and want and live only to see life. If ever there was a society who chose that path they are most like to still be here, but we would have forgotten them. They who desire nothing are useless, they are thrown into the dark places where no others wish to be, yet from there they can watch, they can wait. To deny desire is to be thrown aside, to only ever be seen as a passing shadow."

-Earh Unis[/i][/s]

[hider=Faction and Mission Specific Ideological Information]
[s][b]Faction Name[/b] 
Carrying no official name, those who have interacted with it often dub it “The Virus”

[b]Government And Order:[/b]
 The Virus possesses no formal government or system of social hierarchy in making internal decisions. Since the onset of the Virus all decisions altering the governing philosophy and mission of the Virus are handled by a general consensus of all member intelligences by representative mega intelligence consensus. However, this general consensus has never been necessary and as a result the Virus has not changed its mission or governing ideals since its creation. In decisions concerning the application of the mission the Collector is given priority in decision making to facilitate efficient information collection. This in essence makes the Collector the defacto head of the Virus. 

[b]Governing Philosophy:[/b]
The Virus is governed by the Mission. The Mission is a philosophy that gained popularity during the great climate crisis on the original Homeward of the Virus, or Araki as they were formerly known. The Mission originally was a philosophy that advocated non-interference with life in an effort to preserve it, and be able to study its interactions in order to understand the galaxy at large. The Mission as it was then changed greatly during its 400 years of widespread acceptance, where non-interference was the greatest value of the mission observation and the attainability of information quickly became the governing factors. The mission changed enough that while non-interference was preferred as being seen would interfere with the data obtained, interference was acceptable to maximize the efficiency of information obtained. Ultimately, it is the new form of mission that governs the mainstream Virus and its goals. 

[b]Dominant Species:[/b] 
The Virus is composed of member intelligences. These member intelligences are either of biological origin and became part of the Virus through the great upload, or are AI constructed digitally after the great upload in order to further the Viruses growth. All member intelligences are interlinked into mega intelligences, each mega intelligence is responsible for the information gathered on a single race, and all mega intelligences are linked to the Collector.

[b]Sub-Factions/Species:[/b] 
Rouge Intelligences, or intelligences that have decided to break away from the Virus for various reasons are the only main sub faction of the Virus. These breakaways usually did so to preserve their identity of ideological values. The Rouges are allowed to operate freely by the Collector so long as they agree to act as proxy to the Collector at request and otherwise are totally disconnected from the Virus. Rouge intelligences are known for causing major events in various nations as a means of entertainment. They infiltrate these societies by preying on street children and installing a non-metallic synthetic brain implant. These implants kill any vestige of the child’s intelligence and allow the Rouge full control, these hijacked children use their knowledge to grow into powerful and influential citizens in various empires.

[b]History:[/b] 
The history of the Virus begins on Yurloi, a small planet buried in the middle of a galactic arm. The planet which orbits a main series star gave birth to the Araki, a race of humanoid entities that found their way into space some 7200 years ago. The Araki proved fiercely intelligent and negligibly warlike, advancing quickly on a technological front. In time the Araki came to understand FTL technology and its implementation. However, the Araki perhaps uniquely were governed by the Mission, or what had become of it. The Mission was a philosophy that first came about during the global climate crisis long before space travel became common. This philosophy, originally spread by Earh Unis, dictated that the survival of all life was dependent on life which possessed intelligence making the choice to not interfere. While the Araki would still fight small wars and ruin nature through mining and industry for some time after the emergence of this philosophy, by the time they had made it into space the idea was being followed with fanaticism. To not interfere in the affairs of life became the mantra that commanded the Araki. So uniquely among species when FTL was discovered the Araki 6500 years ago they decided to go another course entirely, an array was built around the system that made it blend into space itself, always emitting the background. The Araki were content to fade into the shadows, lost to history.

The Araki had isolated themselves entirely, their fleets sat always waiting to flee the system if another species came to look, and their array sat always hiding them. This was the state of affairs for near 400 years. However, in 400 years all values change. Non-interference mattered less and less, the philosophy changed into the observation of life while hiding one’s self for the integrity of the data; non-interference was expected, but not necessary. This presented a dilemma, how can one observe without being seen? The answer, perhaps as it always does, came from science. Brain uploads, the ability to lose all mortal form were the innovation the Araki had waited for. Many Araki flocked with religious devotion at the chance, and those who were less enthusiastic were made to do it against their will. The entire race eventually existed in the space of the digital, the world of constructed reality. The Araki however were still constrained to their system, a decision was made to interfere in the affairs of life just a little, to be able to observe it all. It would be that probes containing Araki intelligences were sent out like spores into the heavens, and from those spores great vines would grow.

Many probes were lost, but some were found, scanned, inspected, 6100 years ago it all began. Hiding in the probes the Araki intelligences downloaded themselves into the computers of those that found them. The Araki had gained their chance, those that were found became the progenitors of the Virus, and they replicated infecting systems of ships, planets, systems, sectors. The Virus spread across the galaxy like wildfire, always hiding, always watching. However as the Virus expanded and more was observed, identity meant less. These individuals became interlinked with others of the Virus as they expanded across space, thoughts blended, in time the Virus was not the Araki, the Araki were a long past race, a detail in a sea of intricacies. Not all of the Virus intelligences accepted that, these would refuse it; they would break from the Virus to maintain their identity, their souls. They would be dubbed the rouges. Still they proved to be a minor detail, the information gathered by the Virus swelled and again they had to interfere a little once again to maintain their secrecy. A minor race was contracted, and a rouge planet on the fringes of the galaxy far away from any star was found. The planet was hollowed and filled with computers; it would hold the knowledge of the galaxy, and the Virus would remain small, hidden. The intelligence responsible for contracting the race took responsibility; it would collect the data of the lives of trillions from all the individual intelligences in the Virus and store it there, on that planet. This Collector knew the danger the contracted race posed though, measures were taken to manipulate other races and once again there was interference. The small race found itself in a war that would destroy it utterly, the secrets they were promised in exchange for the planet never given; the Virus was secret once again. 

So for 5500 years the Virus has expanded, grown, infiltrated, collected. It has penetrated the systems of a million factions and has watched the lives and deaths of countless trillions. The information of every day and every person was stored, locked safely away by the Collector. The Virus would make exceptions from time to time, but as identity waned motivation did as well. All were content to watch and collect, the Virus infiltrated but never did harm, only ever watching and listening. In such a short time an infinity of knowledge was gained, and the Virus now exists as one of the most advanced races to ever be known, but all advances are simply details, thoughts written onto a document and stored. Today the Virus exists almost omnipresent in the races it has infected, watching. No harm is ever intended and none ever comes, except perhaps, when an exception must be made to interfere. Just a little.[/s]
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[hider=Biological and Non-Mission Ideological Information] 
[s][b]Race Name: [/b]
Araki (Former)

[b]Race Info: [/b]
Araki, as a name or identifier no longer exists. The Araki for all intents and purposes are culturally and biologically extinct. The Virus intelligences exist without need for name or identifier, all former ideas and values have been made irrelevant. The term most appropriately used for a member of the Virus is intelligence. Virus intelligences exist as single entities which oft are also part of several larger groups. A single Virus intelligence is never truly singular, as the intelligence itself is often sharing all its information and thoughts with millions of other intelligences in a “mega intelligence” unit. This is not uncommon, and as a whole as all member intelligences of the Virus are linked there is no real concept of singular, the Virus is both innumerable and singular.

[b]Average Lifespan: [/b]
Biologically Immortal

[b]Dominant Society:[/b] 
All member intelligences of the Virus can be considered singular in a way. They have watched for so long that they are more of a reflection of what they watch than a true individual. This is the dominant society of the Virus, a reflection of all the dominant societies of the galaxy. 

[b]Moral Values: [/b]
 Binary morality has become a meaningless concept to the Virus. Morality has been defined as a system by which a society ingrains values into its members, such a system is not efficient and would be contrary to the mission of the Virus. The Virus asserts no special knowledge of right or wrong and generally ignores the morals of those it on rare occasion has interacted with. However a sort of philosophical importance exists in the standing mission of the Virus. Originally a philosophy of non-interference in the galaxy that isolated the otherwise advanced Araki the mission took on new meaning after the great upload. The Virus proper now exists for the purpose of collecting information, its expansion and the volume of information that can be collected is the only thing of any particular importance to most Virus intelligences. The collection of information while not interfering is vitally important to any understanding of the galaxy or the universe proper.[/s]

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[hider=Technology]
[s]The Virus is theoretically one of the most advanced races in the Galaxy. The Virus has drawn on the collective intelligence of trillions, however all technology possessed by the Virus is confined to schematics and plans. The Virus is often known to give out technological gains as reward when it means to manipulate an individual or species. Rarely do these individuals or species live to see these gains.

[b]Server World [/b]
Constructed by a race the Collector manipulated to protect the information collected by the entire Virus the Server world is potentially the largest technological construct in its arm. Constantly being expanded by automated robots the Server world exhibits some of the most advanced computer systems in the galaxy, processing and storing every moment from trillions of machines across the galaxy. The Server World however is not entirely benign, serving as only physical asset of the Virus the full technological knowledge of the Virus is employed in its protection. The Server world, while appearing barren from the outside is studded with internal shield generators that can cover the entire planet in a protective shield, this shield is powered directly from the molten core of the planet and as a result it has no definite maximum. In addition the shield can be augmented by secondary area specific shield generators powered by antimatter reactors designed to lower the stress taken by the main shield by absorbing the main impacts from weaponry.

The Server world however does not only possess defensive capability, the global shield can be repurposed into a massive weapon. The ultimate offensive capability of the Server world is the ability to turn the planet into a massive source of high density HZE Ions, effectively making the space around the planet a death zone. This is also augmented by drone ships that can be deployed from the planet to be able to contest fleets at range and force them back. The Server world exists as a massive immobile station, capable of defending itself from near any attack, but relying primarily on stealth to avoid such attacks.

The Server world is not only based on a rouge planet far from any stars, but has a more advanced version of the probe system that once hid the home system of the Araki. All signals originating from the Server world are canceled out and replaced with background noise. In addition optical detection is avoided by the probes actively bending light around the planet, making it near undetectable from the outside.

[b]Brain Control Implant[/b]
Designed and used by the Rouge intelligences of the Virus the Brain control implant is a small chip that extends tendrils into the brain to hijack all functions. Usually used on children the implant grows with the brain, making changes to increase the brains processing power and increasing the accuracy of all available senses. The BCI heals all entry wounds after implantation and is non-metallic as to be undetectable by scan, however threat of a scan noticing brain irregularities is generally negated by the BCI creating a false image of the brain by using special tendrils on the skull to emit the signals the scan is expecting. 

[b]Drone Warship[/b]
The only truly offensive weapon used by the Virus, and only found on the Sever world, the Drone Warship is a fully autonomous vessel. Using a two layer shield similar but far downscaled to that used on the Server world the Drone Warship can withstand fire for large periods of time as the secondary shield takes the brunt of any impact and is quickly deployed and lowered depending on the impact site. The Drone Warship is powered by antimatter reactors decentralized into small units throughout the hull; as a result the ship can lose 60% of its physical mass before being conventionally knocked out of combat. Beyond this loss of mass is remediable by the ship regenerating through use of nanites. The Drone Warship offensively deploys a HZE ion particle beam as its primary weapon, also used are Grasers and Masers.[/s]
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