Terran RepublicSpoiler
History
This is the empire from which the story begins. Having existed for 1,112 years, it is the originator of all three empires.The Terran Republic was officially established with the ratification of the Declaration of Constancy by nations weary of nearly two hundred years of war. They brought order out of chaos and introduced the world to an era of peace. Terrans eventually made space travel possible. From this, Wormholes were discovered, studied, and found to be a means of transportation from one area of space to another. It is through one of these wormholes that the Terran Republic found their way to Auraxis, an earth-like planet that could sustain life. They proceeded with their ambitious plans of colonization on Auraxis which continued uninterrupted for 20 years.Things radically changed when the wormhole collapsed stranding the entire expeditionary force. They began research on how they could re-open the wormhole, which utlimately failed. During these uncertain times, "Vanu" artifacts were being discovered on Auraxis. Shortly after this, the development of "Rebirthing" technology began. It started to become clear to the Terran Leadership that this new technology could possibly destabilize future colonies. They established draconian restrictions on the new technology, so they could study it better without interruption or meddling by private companies or individuals. A sense of immortality began to create turmoil between developing groups of people with significantly different philosophies as to how the technology should be used. Already, a faction of technophiles emerged embracing the Vanu technology and its lost knowledge.Unrest formed between the developing factions which was exacerbated by rogue scientists and republic military deserters, all blinded by the power that the Vanu Technology promised to bring. Previous attempts to quell the uprising ended in a bloody battle and resulted in the separation of the Technolords, who then declared themselves the Vanu Sovereignty. While this was going on, a second faction called the New Conglomerate seized the opportunity while the Terran Republic was occupied and left what they considered an overbearing Republic.
Unique Traits
The Terran's weapons focus on killing their opponents using a rapid rate of fire, sacrificing damage for this ability. While their weapons have the highest rate of fire of the three empires, they do not have as much damage on impact. In PlanetSide 2, their vehicles specialise in having the highest top speed of any of the three factions, but less armor.
New ConglomerateSpoiler
History
The New Conglomerate was initially formed on Earth, over a century before the wormhole collapse as a mega-collective of civilian corporations who worked alongside the Terran Republic government on virtually every project throughout the solar system. After arriving on Auraxis, the New Conglomerate continued to work along with the Terran Republic on shaping and building up the new world. Over decades, tensions grew because of the rules the Republic enforced and the remaining corporations of the N.C. began rallying rebel groups on the fringe of the civilian population and began organizing a campaign of insurgency. It was then a small group of freedom-fighters that called themselves "Liberty's Call" staged a demonstration protesting the Terran Republic's blatant, systematic elimination of human rights. A large group of people gathered to hear their views; however, they claim the Republic's Riot Police put an end to the demonstration, killing every protester and even several innocent onlookers. Now, more than a hundred years later, the New Conglomerate, founded on the same principles as those supposedly slaughtered in the "alleged" Liberty's Call massacre, is determined to write a new chapter of history. A chapter free of the overbearing and draconian regime from which they claim to have emerged. Staging a short and brutal rebellion, the fledgling movement broke away from the Republic, wresting from it control of several rebirthing facilities and the loyalty of many of its battered and oppressed citizens.Though the fall of the Terran Republic still remains the New Conglomerate's primary goal, there is no small amount of the group's animosity directed at the Vanu Sovereignty, another cell to have splintered from the regime. It is the New Conglomerate's understanding that the Sovereignty holds alien-influenced views of the human race as a flawed species; one they are attempting to mold into something different–something alien–through genetic modification and experimentation.Guided by the idea that humanity deserves to be free from outside influences to find its own path in the universe, the New Conglomerate has decided that the Vanu Sovereignty and Terran Republic alike must be stopped for good, and their crimes against liberty brought to an end.
Unique Traits
Weapon systems designed by New Conglomerate engineers stress nothing more than the brute force they believe is needed to achieve their goals. While these weapons lack the accuracy, refire, and reload rates of the other empires' weapons, no guns can match the raw stopping power and bone-crushing force offered by those of the New Conglomerate. To a New Conglomerate soldier, long barrels and large magazines are simply signs of an unwillingness to get up close and personal and finish the job quickly.
The New Conglomerate's vehicles follow the in-your-face paradigm adopted by the faction by being outfitted with heavy armor designed to punch holes straight through an enemy's front lines. Though this heavy plating does leave them vulnerable to more agile enemies with faster reload rates, just one or two hits from a Vanguard's main gun is often enough to bring down all but the most hardened targets. Without exception, New Conglomerate forces pose a dangerous threat if allowed to close the gap and bring the full weight of their ordnance to bear on the enemy.
Vanu SovereigntySpoiler
History
The Vanu Sovereignty derives its name from a long extinct alien race known as the Vanu, whose strange artifacts were discovered on the planet of Auraxis shortly after the first expeditionary forces from the Terran Republic arrived. When research of these artifacts led to the discovery of "rebirthing" technology, and subsequently the offer of immortality, Terran Republic scientists were made to keep the research on this new technology secret. The Republic did not want news of this technology to reach the civilian population and their massive private corporations. It was under these circumstances which they considered "oppressive" that the Vanu Sovereignty was formed and managed to persuade some "free-thinking" scientists to join its cause. As news of the wormhole collapse began to spread throughout the Republic, its leadership began to grow anxious. The Sovereignty broke away, taking many bright minds and scientists from the Republic and several rebirthing facilities with it. The Vanu Sovereignty now seeks to destroy the Republic for the freedom to experiment on this alien technology, alter and integrate human beings, and further develop and research without restriction. This they feel is the key to the future.Through the use of the mysterious Vanu technology "procured" during their split from the Republic, the group developed exotic energy weapons to aid them in their cause. In addition, they began experimenting with ways to improve the human body through modification. It was this alteration of the human species that generated great suspicion of and ultimately a declaration of war upon the Sovereignty by the New Conglomerate, another faction which had splintered away from the oppressive Terran Republic and which saw the Sovereignty's modification programs as an affront to humankind's natural progression.
Now, surrounded by enemies that they perceive as awash in ignorance, the Vanu Sovereignty fights to claim Auraxis in honor of their namesake and prove once and for all that technology is might.
Unique Traits
The Sovereignty's weapons rely on quickly energizing a splash of plasma-like ammunition that destroys the very bonding attributes of the elements that make up the armor and flesh of enemy forces. These weapons do not have the raw impact of New Conglomerate weapon systems nor rate of fire of Terran Republic weaponry. Additionally, these plasma discharges are not subject to "bullet-drop" like traditional bullets are; instead, they lose potency over distance, causing less damage the further they travel before impact.
The Sovereignty's vehicles have been developed with special "mag-lev" technology that uses Auraxis' own magnetic field to counteract the effects of gravity. This allows them to completely forego the need for wheels in their designs, resulting in highly mobile vehicles capable of strafing left and right and driving over bodies of water. This comes at the expense of dense armor plating, however, as too much weight will render even their strongest mag-lev propulsion systems ineffective.
