Everliving - Background Briefing

Background Briefing for Trusted Clients
Cypher Key #TI-100VP886DMN614#
Security Level: 3
Last Updated: 02.11.2416
Access granted by: EDL (FA-SE)

Founded as a lobbyist group to promote the interests of the Children of Mars, Everliving functions as both an exclusive social club and the hub of the so-called "first true post-human society". The Children of Mars have achieved immortality by implanting their minds into the bodies of children, discarding and replacing their hosts at the onset of puberty. While currently legal within the Martian Commonwealth, this practice has led to Everliving being decried by many as a perversion against nature.

The organization's primary goal is conquering death itself. As a side effect of this, Everliving has become one of the galaxy's leaders in bioengineering research and the development of new medical technology. All of their ships and facilities serve as monuments towards their eternal ambition and quest for knowledge. To Everliving, no price is too high compared to realizing mankind’s oldest dream: immortality.

Everliving is a unique blend of exclusive social club, research institute, and political lobbyist organization. The club's membership and leadership consists solely of the Children of Mars, although the group also employs legions of skilled servants and brainwashed serfs in pursuit of its ambitions. Whether kept in line through mind-altering medical procedures or the simple promise of joining the Children's ranks, their obedience to their immortal masters is unwavering.

Everliving’s singular goal is to secure comfortable immortality for its members. As a result, most of the group’s vast resources are funneled into a wide array of (often unethical) research projects, many involving human subjects. Over time, their mandate to extend the lifespan of the Children has come to include protecting their interests throughout their expanded lives, which Everliving pursues through complex security protocols, political lobbying, and pre-emptive military action.

Everliving is an organization unlike any other, and its goal is nothing short of the eradication of death itself, to perpetuate its membership across the eons. Every Everliving ship and facility stands as a monument towards this ambition. Ruthless and supremely arrogant, Everliving views itself as the first truly post-human society, one with dreams and concerns far surpassing those of 'mere mortals'. With membership consisting almost solely of the new and old rich, positioned in every corner of the upper echelons of Martian society, they are uniquely positioned to achieve these goals regardless of public outcry.

At the heart of Everliving are those it was built to serve: the uncanny Children of Mars. These beings, living through an unbroken chain of hosts, are condemned to immortality inside the bodies of children. Upon the advent of puberty, their host body will invariably begin to reject the implantation procedure, and in order to preserve the inhabiting consciousness, the host must be discarded. Through a complex procedure of chemical and cybernetic alchemy, the Child’s consciousness is then transferred to a new body, usually acquired through the slave trade. The timeless nature of the Children, as well as the unsettling intelligence behind their eyes, can make dealing with Everliving a chilling proposition.

Though grand in scale, Everliving’s spaces are often serene. Halls of white marble stretch towards tranquil gardens or quiet fountains. Moving through an Everliving facility can give one the sense that time is standing still. After having been to an Everliving station, visitors may return years later only to find that nothing has changed in their absence, with seemingly identical white-coated servants waiting silently to greet them upon arrival.

Individual fortunes may rise and fall, but the collective goal of Everliving remains, binding its members together. At the pinnacle of Everliving are the Children of Mars. These elite few enjoy joint control over the group’s assets and command. Everliving’s policies are decided through asynchronous voting procedures by those Children who opt to participate in its governance. As a result many Children engage in centuries-long partnerships, rivalries, and games of intrigue. Individual fortunes command the promise of eternal life… for the privileged few.

Below the central command is the administrative nexus, led by the so-called "first-level servants" of the Children. Many of these are free men and women who believe their lifetime of dedicated service will allow them to enter the Children’s ranks. They fulfill many functions, including human resources, security, and overseeing space infrastructure. Lower-level positions are largely occupied by imprinted and mind-wiped "serfs", a populace of disposable people perpetually and discretely replenished through the slave trade.

Everliving's individual research projects are typically overseen by a designated Child, with a group of high-level servants responsible for its day-to-day operations. These projects cover a wide range of topics related to shaping the human body and mind, and are organized within Everliving into sub-categories comparable to the various departments of a university. Prominent examples include the Host Body Modification and Consciousness Transference Procedure programs.

Everliving's defining feature is their specialized research into the technological sampling, transfer, and manipulation of the human consciousness. The group’s proudest achievement is the sequential immortality used by the Children of Mars, however other applications for the technology are also available, mostly in the areas of “brainwashing” technologies (called “imprinting procedures” internally), bioengineering, and medicine.

On a mechanical level, Everliving's ships and stations are built first and foremost to survive. Their fleets consist of highly defensive and hardy capital ships (to safeguard their valuable agents, partners, and research) that are often accompanied by swarms of fiercely loyal, expendable escort vessels. Much of their technology is uniquely capable of withstanding hostile space environments avoided by other factions, such as the Deadzones, and their life support systems are second to none in efficiency.