Guild of Engineers

The Guild of Engineers (GoE)

One of the Hegemonic High Guilds, responsible for resource acquisition, cybernetics, AI, tech advancement, and research. Often have the best toys. Decadent and powerful, the Guild of Engineers are beyond the ability of the Governor to police. The Guild is exploiting this, using this remote sector to perform experiments banned by the Cults and the Hegemon. Their current project involves converting Way energy into a highly unstable but physical compound.

Turf: SB-176 (HQ). Mining concerns in every system in Procyon. Advanced research facilities in Rin, Iota, and Brekk.

Allies: 51st Legion, Isotropa Max Secure

Enemies: Borniko Syndicate, Cobalt Syndicate, Conclave 01, Counters Guild

Tier: V (The highest tier in the game, reflecting immense power and resources) Interests: Technology, research, resource extraction, patents, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Ur artifacts. Hegemony Status: A sanctioned High Guild, but often operating with a degree of pragmatic independence, especially in frontier sectors like Procyon.

Overview: The Guild of Engineers is one of the pillars of the Hegemony's technological superiority and economic might. They are the galaxy's preeminent experts in virtually all fields of applied science and engineering, from mining and resource processing to advanced robotics, AI, cybernetics, and even certain aspects of starship design (though the Starsmiths Guild handles jump drives specifically). Their power stems from their near-monopoly on critical patents and their unparalleled expertise.

In The Procyon Sector, the GoE's presence is particularly strong due to the sector's abundant (and often untapped) resources and the relative freedom from direct Hegemony oversight that allows for more "experimental" research. They are a massive, hierarchical organization, akin to a blend of a mega-corporation, a scientific institution, and a powerful, almost religious order dedicated to the pursuit of technological mastery.

Culture & Philosophy:

• Logic & Efficiency: The GoE values logic, precision, and efficiency above all else. Emotions are often seen as hindrances to pure scientific pursuit.
• Knowledge is Power: They hoard knowledge and guard their patents fiercely. Information is a commodity, and access to it is a privilege earned through service or exceptional skill.
• Technological Supremacy: They believe that technological advancement is the key to solving all problems and achieving ultimate control over the universe. They are relentless in their pursuit of new breakthroughs.
• Ethical Ambiguity: While they generally operate within Hegemony law, their drive for innovation often pushes them into ethically grey areas, especially concerning AI sentience, genetic manipulation, and the study of dangerous Ur artifacts. "The greater good" (as defined by them) often justifies their means.
• Meritocracy (with caveats): Advancement within the Guild is theoretically based on merit and scientific contribution, but internal politics, old boy networks, and corporate espionage are as common here as anywhere else.

Hierarchy & Structure:

• The High Council: The ultimate governing body of the Guild, typically composed of the most revered and influential Master Engineers. They set long-term goals, approve major projects, and handle top-level negotiations.
• Master Engineers: The elite of the Guild, leaders of research divisions, station commanders, and heads of major industrial operations. They are fiercely intelligent, often eccentric, and highly specialized.
• Engineers/Researchers: The vast majority of Guild members, from fresh graduates to seasoned veterans, working on various projects, either on stations like SB-176 or on remote mining worlds.
• Apprentices/Techs: Entry-level positions, often tedious and low-status, designed to weed out the uncommitted.
• Support Staff: Non-engineer personnel vital to Guild operations, from security forces (often highly augmented) to logistics and administrative staff.

Relationships with Other Factions (in Procyon):

• The Galactic Hegemony: Officially aligned and indispensable. The GoE provides the Hegemony with its technology, infrastructure, and much of its wealth. However, the GoE sometimes chafes under Hegemony bureaucracy or ethical restrictions, and the Hegemony occasionally suspects the Guild of holding back advanced tech or pursuing forbidden research (especially related to the Way or Ur artifacts).
• Other High Guilds (Starsmiths, Counters, Yaru/Makers):
• Starsmiths Guild: A complex relationship. They rely on the GoE for components and base technologies, while the GoE relies on them for starship construction. They are often rivals for funding and influence.
• Counters Guild: Financial partners. The GoE's vast operations and resource extraction provide immense wealth that the Counters Guild manages. They have a more symbiotic relationship, though the GoE might consider the Counters less "intellectual."
• Yaru (Makers Guild): A tense relationship. The GoE holds patents on AI and cybernetics, while the Yaru specialize in cloning and genetic engineering. There's a subtle competition, and the GoE might view the Yaru's "organic" methods with a mix of disdain and morbid curiosity, especially concerning the Yaru's more radical cloning experiments. The Hegemony often tries to keep both Guilds from interfering with each other's specialized domains.
• Rebel Alliance: The GoE views them as an annoyance, a disruption to order and progress. However, disgruntled GoE members might secretly aid the Rebellion, or the Rebellion might target GoE assets for tech or resources.
• Syndicates: The GoE tries to maintain an official distance, but quietly, they often deal with syndicates for illicit materials, labor, or to dispose of "problematic" research. Syndicates, in turn, frequently target GoE facilities for their valuable tech or intellectual property. The Borniko Syndicate is a particularly notorious thorn in the GoE's side, specializing in stealing high-end tech.
• The K'larr: A relationship of wary respect. The K'larr possess their own distinct and advanced technology, some of which even mystifies the GoE. There's an academic desire to study K'larr tech, but also a healthy fear of their capabilities and their often inscrutable motives. Covert operations to acquire K'larr tech are likely.
• Church of the Stellar Flame: A source of constant friction. The Church's fanatical condemnation of Ur artifacts and Way-tech directly conflicts with the GoE's relentless pursuit of knowledge and its clandestine research into these very subjects. The Church frequently lobbies the Hegemony to restrict the GoE, and GoE agents often work to conceal or smuggle Ur artifacts before the Church can destroy them.
• The Cult of the Seekers: While both are interested in discovery, the Seekers' more mystical, exploratory approach often clashes with the GoE's scientific, utilitarian one. However, they might share information about new Way-anomalies or Ur-ruins if it serves their respective interests.

Common GoE Motives for Scores:

• Acquisition of Rare Materials/Ur Artifacts: They always need exotic elements, specialized crystals, or ancient tech to fuel their research.
• Patent Enforcement/Theft: Protecting their intellectual property or (less commonly) trying to acquire rivals' secrets.
• Testing New Tech: Sending a crew to a dangerous environment to field-test a prototype.
• Cover-Ups: Retrieving escaped AI, silencing a rogue engineer, or cleaning up a catastrophic experiment.
• Resource Management: Securing new mining operations, resolving conflicts at existing ones.
• Counter-Espionage: Identifying and neutralizing agents trying to infiltrate their facilities or steal their secrets.

The Guild of Engineers isn't just a faceless corporation; it's a vast web of brilliant, ambitious, and sometimes dangerously amoral individuals, all driven by the pursuit of technological progress. This makes them a complex and compelling faction for any Scum & Villainy campaign.

NPCS :

Avalon Riat (chief executive, cybernetic spider legs, megalomaniac).

Thiel Kharrat (operations head, brutal,connected, influential).

Oevers Star (head researcher, genius, reclusive, overworked).

Yast Jor (commanding, shrewd, bold).

Notable Assets: Technology even the Hegemon is unaware of, stored in the Grand Archive. Secret research laboratories.

Quirks: Many high-ranking Guild members sport custom cybernetics.