Quote:(from: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=147406)
The Cult of Archangels is a religious movement originating on Planet Crete and having its followers all over the Corsair space. Unlike many other faiths of Sirius, the Cult is not a unified religion but rather a set of beliefs that many Corsairs and followers of the Archangels consider a major part of their cultural heritage. Also unlike other Sirian faiths, the cult does not have any official hierarchies or leaders. Instead it is said that each individual has his own way to worship and the cult is considered one big family where everyone contributes in some way. The main belief of the cult is that there are twelve archangels who protect humanity from evil spirits and demons. They also believe that they can contact these angels through various rituals and prayers.

The Cult of Archangels is very secretive about its activities and as such no information about them is known by most of the public. The most common rumors about the cult are that it is a branch of the Catholic Church set up to worship the fallen angels or that it is a demonic religion using humans as sacrificial lambs to summon their demons. While the first rumor may have a grain of truth, the Archangels are not fallen angels and in fact most of them were never angels to begin with, but humans who dedicated their lives to the worship of the twelve. The second rumor is completely false and is probably what lead to the banning of the cult on all known Sirian worlds. It has also lead to the misconception that the cult is a violent one and this has caused the average citizen of the galaxy to fear it.

In reality, the cult is a religion of peace that preaches altruism and purity. Its members do not believe in warfare as a means to an end. They see it as evil in and of itself. They also see combat as something that is only to be used as a last resort and even then it is only when all other means have been exhausted. The cult teaches that one should live their lives in such a way that they can best help others. It also preaches a doctrine of balance. This means that the members should not overly focus on one aspect of their life. For instance a member should not put so much time into their work that they neglect their family. The point is that each person in the cult should strive to achieve this "balance" in all parts of their life.

It is said that the Archangels themselves choose who they want to become angels and these people are instructed to lead normal lives. In reality, the process of becoming an angel is so complex that most people never even achieve this status. Only the most dedicated of followers are able to become "adepts". Adepts are the true leaders of the cult. They make all of the important decisions and they also have access to some of the cult's most closely guarded secrets. It is through the adepts that the twelve original archangels were chosen as well as the current set.

One of the most closely guarded secrets of the cult is the ritual known as the Ritual of the Lost. The ritual allows for a follower to ascend to the realm of the archangels. While in this realm, the adept is able to touch the arch angels themselves and even converse with them. It is also in this realm where the adept will become a true leader of the cult. The ritual takes years to learn and only a few are able to do so.

Another ritual taught only to adepts is the Ritual of the Joining. This is the main act that allows a follower to merge with the higher purpose of the cult. During this act, the adept and a chosen partner (who is called the focus) are sealed for all of time. The ritual takes a couple days to complete and is only performed once.

While the average member of the cult would not know all of this, they are still taught to be good and serve their community. The average follower is also taught a few combat skills so that they may serve the order in a time of need. These followers are taught to see the order as their family and do whatever they can to help them.

Quote:(from: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=179601)
The main body of the dark matter storm bearing down on the Alberta System is to arrive imminently, as forecasted by Ageira Technologies. Alberta has long been buffeted by the storm's advance waves, which brought disruption and destruction in their wake. Liberty has formally ordered its remaining citizens to evacuate, marking the end of the House's tumultuous presence in the system. The remote frontier region was originally settled by a group of independent settlers who were forced out of the rest of the world after an asteroid hit wiped them all out. They called themselves "The Lost Tribe" and lived there for decades before being driven off.

With the loss of their home, they have since been trying to rebuild their lives from scratch. It is only through the efforts of a few dedicated individuals that they are making progress at all. In fact, the Lost Tribes have managed to re-establish contact with the outside world, but it is slow going due to the harsh environment and lack of communication devices. They still have no idea that a new powerful civilization exists in the solar system, or that their efforts to start anew are being watched.

In any event, this particular remote colony is your best shot at finding a safe landing spot on the way to your target. Unfortunately, you're starting to get radar returns from far off in the distance. They are from a large group of alien ships, currently maneuvering to surround the colony.

The Liberty mission has not only brought a new enemy, but an old one as well.

You quickly transmit a hail. "Do not approach, we are not your enemy. Identify. Let us through to the colony."

The response comes back. "Halt or we shall open fire. You are too far for us to allow you to pass."

"The storm is closing in! We're already on the outskirts. We need to pass through!"

"You have until the count of five to halt. One..."

"Alright! Alright! We'll stop, but only because we don't want you to open fire and hit one of us! We are the Galactica. Do you really want a war with us?"

"The situation has changed rapidly. What are you doing here?"

"We're colonizing! We were forced out of our home by the dark matter storm. We've been trying to make a go of it here, but as you can see, the odds are not in our favor. You're too late; the storm has already struck. You can't come through. It's too late."

"We'll see. We need to move through. Please, allow us to pass. We'll escort you to the colony."

"Very well, but make haste. The Galactica cannot stay here; we'll have to force a passage if you want us to allow you passage. We don't want to, but we don't have any other choice."

"Thank you. Please ensure that the rest of your ships stay away. Don't approach within a thousand miles."

"We'll do our best, but this is a small community and we're all responsible for each other. Please, get through the opening quickly. The storm is closing in. You need to leave."

"Very well. We'll get you out of here, don't worry."

Quote:(from: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=144828&pid=1906487#pid1906487)
The Scimitar landed on the sands of Crete. They were in the largest city of the planet, Cayambe. She left the ship on the pad for it to be taken to one of the large hangars, sliding her cred-chip in front of a reader. Her balance was slim, but not slim enough not to afford a vacation on the Corsair homeland.

"So, explain to me what we're doing here. And this time in plain English." She felt like she knew the answer to this question, but she wanted to be sure she understood him correctly. To be honest, she didn't want to know.

He took his leave from the table and stood up, walking over to her as he spoke. "We are going there to do a job that needs done." He paused for effect. "And I don't mean just some simple robbery."

She nodded slowly, trying to make sense of what he had said. "What kind of job? What's the nature of this job?"

"It's a job that will benefit us greatly. We'll get paid well for our work. We'll be treated well. And most importantly, we'll get away with what we need to."

She was starting to get a bit worried about this. "Why can't we do this job...some other time?"

He gave her a look as if she were stupid. "Because we're doing this now. It's going to be dangerous, so I need you to stay with me the entire time. If anything happens, you need to run and get help. I can't be there to protect you."

She didn't like the sound of that at all. "What's going to happen exactly?"

"We'll get into town. There will be guards and mercenaries. We won't be able to go too far in our armor, so we'll have to rely on other tactics."

She gulped at that. "What else is going to go wrong?"

"We'll have to get the job done quick and get out as fast as we can. But, there is a huge amount of wealth there. We should be able to pull it off. With any luck, we'll never see each other again. Now, let's get going. We have a long night of work ahead of us. I'm going to need your help on this one, Zee. I need you to keep a level head and to think clearly in any situation. Can you do that for me?"

She looked at him with a blank face, her mind still stuck on the whole "I'm going to get killed" part of this plan. "Sure I can do that. What do you want me to do?"

He quickly went over the plan one last time. Then, he tossed her a dark gray hooded cloak. "Put this on. We're going to infiltrate the palace through the sewers."

"The sewers?" She was baffled by this plan, but if it was going to help them get in safely...

He nodded. "There's a way to enter the palace from the inside. The guards won't be expecting us down there, so we'll just slip right in."

"Shouldn't we be doing this in armor? With weapons?"

"We could, but it's more likely that we'd be stopped at the entrance. They'll be looking for us in armor. Plus, if we're going to be sneaking around anyway, it might be better if we aren't wearing anything bulky."

She nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."