The Foundation

[Nemesis]

Faction Name: "The Foundation"
Government: Unknown.
Capital: The Towers.
Territories: The Towers, otherwise neutral.
Population: Unknown.
Goals: "The preservation of lost technology, and the advancement of the human condition."

History:

An organization of considerable mystery, The Foundation came into existence allegedly when mankind first constructed the Towers as repositories of technology that was too important or too difficult to destroy. Very little record remains of this event, and many would question if it ever occurred in the first place if it were not for the Towers themselves. The Foundation has been there ever since mankind first emerged from the underground cities, or from the "other world", pleasantly greeting those who they deem as worthy "clients" - and otherwise retaining their curious silence.

According to their own statements, the Foundation was established to "care for and preserve" relics of overtechnology from the pre-destruction times. They are historians, technicians, and jailers for charges of unimaginable strength, and they courteously advise those who would challenge their positions that to unleash said machines upon the world would cause unbelievable destruction. They are supported in their endeavor by a seemingly limitless swarm of mass produced autonomous drones, the Ammon floating scouts and Scavenger mobile weapons that on their own are already formidable, but on occasion are seen escorting a unique device or vessel, such as the flying fortress Raiden, or state-of-the-art battleship St. Elmo, presumably for some manner of testing.

As a neutral entity, the Foundation keeps to its word, and avoids getting involved with political matters - so long as they are permitted to operate in others territories, they will, without any prompting, occasionally offer aid to one party or another, often in the form of lost technology, services, or weaponry that cannot be found anywhere else. What they ask in return is often merely combat data, and for the weapon to sometimes be returned once its intended use has been made. Yet, despite this seemingly even-handed and charitable behavior, the Foundation has been rumored in certain circles to be pot-stirrers of sorts, mostly interested in instigating and prolonging conflicts, a charge they have thus far readily denied.

After all, they are conducting a "public service"...




Look and feel: As of this moment, unknown. No human being has ever been met from the Foundation, as they communicate exclusively via electronic communication methods or written messages.




Notable Individuals:

"The Foundation Man":

The sole figure who appears to represent the organization, he is sometimes referred to as "Zaidan" in the Eastern territories. The Foundation Man is cheerful, straightforward, and polite to a fault - the characteristic corporate salesman, and it is he who contacts those whom the Foundation believes may be worthy of its aid. Rarely one for small talk, he seems to enjoy gushing over the features of the various weapons at the Foundation's detail, explaining in lurid detail what they have on offer, but the times he has occasionally given a private view, he appears deeply cynical of the human condition.



Mass Production Machines:



Scavengers:

Autonomous, avian machines that prowl the less populated areas of the world at large. They can be found in wastelands, or in increasing numbers alongside Ammon scouts the closer one gets to a Tower's location. Highly intelligent, Scavengers hunt in packs, tracking their targets over days or weeks without any need for rest, and are armed with a variety of kinetic weapons to complement their airborne companions, they are called as such for their behavior. Scavengers will retrieve any technology of interest that catches their eyes, taking it back to their base of operations, which is believed to be the Towers themselves. Whatever takes place there is uncertain, as none have ever returned from one alive.

UNACs:

The Foundation's first commercially marketed product, UNAC (UNmanned AC) technology has been offered to various parties across the Earth Sphere. It allows for an AC to be operated remotely, and programmed with a high degree of competence and compatibility. Despite this system's popularity, low price, and high efficiency compared to conventional artificial intelligence units, many larger bodies are skeptical of adopting it due to the presence of several black box components.





"Special Weapons":

The Foundation has access to an undisclosed number of super-weapons sealed away in the towers. These are believed to have either been developed before, or possibly during Earth's inhospitable period within the towers, and many details are unclear. What is known is that each is phenomenally deadly, displaying unique, cutting edge technology or overwhelming firepower. By the Foundation's own account, many possess their own artificial intelligence, and only they possess the means to reign them in, but this claim is as of yet unverified.

Above is pictured the "Type D No.5". This titanic 80 meter tall super-behemoth was deployed in response to the League's attempt to seize and occupy a Tower. In a short battle of less than ten minutes, the No. 5 permanently retired two of the League's NEXTs, and crippled a third before a retreat order was called. It has not been seen on the battlefield again since, but the memory of its presence keeps many of the Foundation's enemies at bay, lest they have more at their disposal.

 

[Nemesis]

AFFILIATIONS & SUBSIDIES:

Not unlike the larger corporations, there are some smaller groups or entities that have (either passively or overtly) aligned themselves with the Foundation.



SIGNS:

The Earthborne counterpart to Collared, SIGNS replaced the localized Ravens' Nests that were found in various underground cities after the Mu War. Compared to Collared, it is more "blue collar", allowing not only mercenary work but ordinary contracting work between parties, acting as an intermediary between different parties and safeguarding the identities and information of its users. It charges only the most minimal of fees, but their background and fraud-finding services are highly extensive, and it has become one of the most used and trusted services on the face of the planet.

Despite this, there are some who claim that SIGNs works hand-in-glove with the Foundation, and that information provided to it is funneled directly to their beneficiary. While there has been no direct response to these claims, it is known that the larger corporations prefer the use of Collared for a reason.



Navis:

A smaller corporation that precedes the current era, Navis once feuded with Crest, Kisaragi, and Mirage for control of Mars. They specialized in Archeotech, and it was their unwitting excavations that resulted in the resurrection of the Dinosaur Empire, as well as the dormant Disorder autonomous weaponry, causing the Frighteners Crisis of the 2600's. It is rumored that Navis, during their excursions on Mars, came into possession of certain facilities on Earth, and some of them departed for the planet well in advance of the League's formation, though this allegation has yet to be proven as anything more than speculation. All records of Navis involvement beyond what is written here were destroyed along with their headquarters, supposedly by the Dinosaur Empire, but it is not impossible that it was incinerated on purpose to protect sensitive information.



Artificial Intelligence Office:

An independent company that emerged over three hundred years ago during the Chrome-Murakomo conflict. The AIO formed the design basis for the Controllers, the massive governing supercomputers that would serve as protectors and wards for those who remained on Earth. Their involvement faded as Zio Matrix and Emeraude formed, replacing the prior corporations, and the Frighteners Crisis emerged, but it is believed that they took a behind the scenes role in examining the Disorder autonomous weapons, and in some cases even copying its technology. The similarity between the Disorder units and the technology employed on Earth ultimately resulted in the Silent Line incident planetside, and their sudden disappearance on both Earth and Mars thereafter.

Members of the AIO were issued an outstanding warrant for arrest in the 2800's after it became clear that many Controllers were constructed with faulty logic drives, or otherwise subjected their populations to bizarre social experiments designed to keep them placated or otherwise at one another's throat. An investigation by The League that involved parsing thousands of falsified personnel records was unable to find evidence that any living personnel had ever been associated with it, although this fact has since been quietly suppressed in order to avoid public speculation.

What is known is that information on the Silent Line has been of considerable interest to the Foundation, and several of the aliases employed by AIO's "employees" had ties to entities that presently work with the Foundation in one capacity or another.

---

RAVENS:

Not unlike the larger Corporations, the Foundation keeps a stable of hand-picked Ravens, though unlike those employed by the League, none of them are Lynx. While it is not unheard of for them to accept requests outside of the Foundation, it is always seemingly in their parent organization's best interests. Notably, they are known for targeting Ravens or Lynx who are rising in prominence, or who display unusual talents, leading to the term "Irregular" being floated to refer to those who attract their attention, though the reasons for this behavior are currently unknown.



Hustler One:

"Target Verified. Commencing Hostilities."

The "Ghost of the Raven's Nest", Hustler One's red AC Nine Ball was once a common fixture three hundred years ago, ranked #1 on internal assessments of Ravens. Famed for only taking the toughest jobs, Hustler never knew failure. However, when the war with the Dinosaur Empire began, and the Earth began to be restored, Hustler One vanished without a trace. What was unusual was that despite the variety of underground cities, each with its own crew of Ravens, there was always a Hustler One, and always a Nineball involved with the Ravens Ark. This curiosity formed the basis for much speculation, but nothing was ever proven, and the name fell into legend for over two hundred and ninety years, spawning the occasional imitator, but never being proven as anything but a story for new AC pilots to scare them away from the Arena.

Now, after almost three hundred years, Hustler One has returned, seemingly in the service of the Foundation. How deep its loyalties lie remain uncertain - but its skills have not faded even slightly, making it a true terror to encounter on the battlefield. Its trademark classic red, first-generation AC has so far proven to be a match even for NEXTs, displaying unnering aim and almost prescient maneuvering that wrings every last drop out of the ancient hardware it resides in.

Only those capable of overcoming the greatest of Ravens will earn the right to call themselves "Ninebreaker".



Chief:

"Testing, testing! Can anyone hear me? VIVA LA RESISTANCE! Ha ha ha ha!"

The Foundation's other most commonly seen agent, Chief is almost the polar opposite of Hustler One. Where the Master of the Arena is cool, composed, and calculating, Chief revels in battle with murderous glee, is characteristically sapient, chipper, conversational, and philosophical in his dealings. Despite his often unfocused and unpredictable nature, his combat skills are top-notch, and his custom 5th Generation AC, the Hanged Man, sets the standard for all others of its class. Where Chief goes, death and destruction are soon to follow.

He seems to regard Hustler One as a "stiff", or a "relic", and aims to outdo him at every turn. Sarcastic and provocative, despite following his missions to the letter, it seems as if he has a bad reputation among Ravens for his attitude.




Angie:

"This is some kind of a sick joke, right Angie? We turned ourselves into puppets for this?! I don't even remember why! " - Zodiac No. 3/8

Not an AC pilot, but an overseer and project manager of some kind for the Foundation, she usually appears through a series of autonomous support craft that ferry ACs and other materials into battle. Angie was apparently tasked in the past with something called the "Zodiac Project", but it seemingly ended in failure, causing her to be assigned to Chief instead, whose personality seems to grate upon her considerably.

 

[Nemesis]

AFFILIATE: THE BAHBEM FOUNDATION


Pictured: Remains of what are believed to be failed Dolem prototypes, located in Bahbem's mansion depths.

An organization affiliated with The Foundation, Bahbem sub-faction is rumored to have been founded by Mulians who split off from their kind in Fiji Jupiter. Ostensibly a charitable nonprofit aimed at promoting a global culture of peace, as well as the preservation of the arts and sciences, it nevertheless operates under curiously opaque conditions. It does not accept direct applications - rather, it reaches out to specific, talented individuals, and looks to recruit them into its fold. To this date, it has only ever made five offers as such, despite being recorded as existing over three hundred years ago.

Their relationship with The Foundation is hazy at best, but the two do appear to work together, and have a relationship that has lasted over two centuries, seemingly founded on the shared goal of preservation and studying arts and culture.

PERSONNEL:

Name: Novalis Ahaan Elwren
Age: 20 (Despite this, he appears 25, perhaps as a result of accelerated aging)
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2
Weight: 180lbs
Eye color: Cobalt
Hair Color: Indigo
Ethnicity: Mixed European/American heritage, unknown genes present as a result of genetic tampering.
Appearance: See above.
Other Information:
Emblem:

Likes: Classical music, family, chess
Dislikes: Modern electronics (bit of a luddite), competitive sports, unexpected interruptions
Forte In Sports: Baseball
Favorite Food: Eggplant Parmesan
Race: Coordinator (?)
Other Notes: Vegetarian.
Character Theme:

One of a small handful of individuals recruited into the Bahbem Foundation, the second child originating from an unhappy marriage. According to his own accounts, he owes a "debt" of sorts to Bahbem, but the details are as of yet uncertain. What is known that he acts as the Foundation's negotiator and vanguard - and has a vendetta against the terrorist group "Reclaimers".

Mobile Weapon:

X-ATH-02 Strikedog:
A customized AT designed based on feedback from the Red Shoulders, which fought against the BETA in Alternative V. Many details about its origins are unclear, but it is manufactured to a far higher spec than existing ATs, and serves as the basis for the Foundation's ongoing private development plans for state-of-the art, compact mobile weapons. It features a shoulder-mounted Solid Shooter, a strike claw with integrated machinegun, and a single Arm Punch, located on its right arm, and is compatible with the standard suite of Armored Trooper weapons and equipment. Notably unlike most ATs, the Strikedog does not explicitly need to be reconfigured for different environments - it is a true "almighty" variant capable of operating in all environments from the harshness of the arctic and the barren deserts, to the depths of space.