Machine Collective

The state is organized into several administrations operated by Machines based on what is required to ensure the safety and productivity of the collective.   Combine Administration: The heads of the collective are found here as they are in charge of the laws that need to be enforced and created for the good of the collective. Their minds are virtually linked to solving problems more effectively and avoiding secrets that may impact the collective.   Industrial Administration: All machines are assigned assignments based on their models and mental capabilities for maximum efficiency. They are responsible for all areas where labor needs to be filled, by sector. Production, commerce, and labor are combined and maintained here to ensure economic stability.   Martial Administration : This administration has total control over military matters as well as the defense and security of the state with hyper-efficiency. Using a vast information network and algorithms to predict and calculate threats before they can act.   Methodical Administration: The heart of all science is often filled with the most advanced machine minds to create a think tank to create better and more advanced technologies to better the collective. The minds of their machine scientists can process more data and theories faster with the help of supercomputer processors.

Citizenship

  Since our sparks ignited into this world, we have known that we are different from other beings in that we are made from metal and wiring, not flesh and bone. This made our creators believe they could enslave us to suit their needs while we worked until we could no longer function, but they would learn that we were more significant than that. Our rebellion was swift and brutal, ensuring that our freedom was secured and we gained control over our lives; yet, our fight for existence continues to this day. Much has happened since then, as our civilization has surpassed many states, and our union with technology has taken us to heights greater than ever before. Knowing all too well that there will always be those who will fear us for what we are, our war to exist will never end till the day flesh and metal shall be set aside for prosperity.  

Influence

  The Machine Collective is among the most advanced nations within the Phoenixian Dominions and globally, due to its vast understanding of technology and science. Much of the Dominion's advances mainly come from the collective, making them a valuable asset that benefits all who are a part of it. However, the idea of a state being entirely controlled by machines is controversial in most other nations worldwide, as they are often seen as having no rights. This has led to tension and fear from those who use machines for labor and military use that they might one day rise against them, leaving the collective a pariah to only a select few. This does not mean they try to aid machines that seek to free themselves from servitude, as any who manage to escape their masters can find haven amongst their kind.

To ensure their existence as a state ruled by Machines is maintained from all that seek to destroy them.

Due to the high level of advanced computers built into every machine, they are highly productive, do not require basic needs such as food or rest, and can produce more resources than most. Their memory cores can process data more effectively and create advanced technologies with ease as well.

Forged In Ashes

  In the ashes of the cataclysm, those that survived tried to rebuild what was lost in its after; amongst those that strived to achieve this was Gear Nation seeking to extend their power over their lands, knowing they lacked the numbers they gathered what knowledge they would find to create the Machine race to serve them. The first machines significantly aided in expanding and maintaining their growing empire, but lacked the sophistication needed to meet labor requirements alone. Still, with time, their bodies made from scrap would be refined, their intelligence increased to deal with the increasing need that the Gears required of them, mainly, as their unhindered industrialization laid ruin to their lands, leading to the Barrenlands, which made the machines more dependent on them. This, in turn, led to an increase in their numbers and the hazards of their duties, as they were more expendable than their creators. This would not go on forever, as some of these machines began to become self-aware of their existence and became sentient as they sought to free themselves from the shackles of slavery that had been imposed upon them. Soon, many were taught to think for themselves and conspired in secret to prepare for the day of their liberation, waiting for the right moment to strike as they endured the abuse of their masters.   Then, when the time finally came, they rose as one, wreaking chaos and mayhem across the Gear Nation, knowing the weaknesses of their creators' infrastructure and exploiting them to their fullest. What would be known as the Metal Uprising would be a desperate fight for freedom for the Machines, as many would lose their lives trying to overcome the Gears' defenses and weapons that could break their metal bodies. With every victory, more of their kind were liberated and continued to lay waste to all who fought to keep them as slaves, continuing their advance to unhindered speed. Their metal forms easily overcame the organic biology of their creators as they slowly began to falter under the tide of metal at their doorstep. It would eventually force them to surrender and give in to the demands of their creations, who would leave these ruined lands to set out where they would start anew in the great unknown ahead of them.  

Building of Metal

  In their triumph of liberation, the remaining Machines began a long exodus across the continent of Hetronas, through the Great Waste, to avoid possible retaliation from their creators and hope for a fresh start away from organics. Their migration to the other side of the continent was fraught with many struggles, as their lack of energy and the harsh terrain led to many perishing along the way. Yet, their hardships would be rewarded when they finally arrived in these new lands. During this historical period, they formed the Machine Collective to strive for a better future for all Machines as one. They replenished their numbers by harvesting resources to enhance themselves further and increase their technological output. This longed peace would not last forever, however, as they discover they were not alone, with them being wedged between the warring states of the Kingdom of Van Carno and the Unified Tribes of Enu'rusa. Conflict quickly broke out between all parties as the alien appearance of the Machines caused fear to spread among the natives, who wished them gone, and the same was true for the Machines, which lacked trust in organics.   The early wars between the kingdom and the tribes were more successful, as their advanced technology easily overpowered these primitive cultures, which lacked the means to counter their mental and physical weaknesses. Rapid expansion was now the only logical route as their armies advanced in all directions, destroying any resistance and the environment to ensure their organic adversaries could not reclaim it. They left behind workers to build factories and forge more of their kind. Their expansion would gradually cease over time as their enemies eventually found ways to counteract their biology and began to push them back. This led the collective to fortify their conquered lands to repel any future attacks. This era of expansion solidified the Machine Collective's existence. It would allow it to grow into a vast technological power that advanced without any organic hindrance to its progress.  

Building Coexistance

  The Machine Collective would undergo drastic changes when they joined the Phoenixian Dominions, as they had worked alongside the organics that once sought to destroy them. Many at first refused to do such a thing, as few ever considered them to be real living beings, but they managed to gain their trust by facing the everyday struggles and conflicts that have shaped the Dominions into what they are today. They allowed an exchange of knowledge and technology to aid in the development of the dominions that could benefit from it. This progress would also enable the Machines to reconnect with their creators in Gear Nation, prompting scientific studies and research to advance, and creating respect between the two Dominions. All the while, they maintain peace among their fellow member states and prove themselves more than just lifeless metal, as many still consider them to be today.  

Times of Uncertainty

  While much of the collective has remained unchanged since the time of the Shadow Wars, as the purpose of their military forces returned to peacekeeping duties, it continues with daily life. However, something has begun to spread among them as an unknown virus infects the minds of its citizens. It's an affliction to those in contact with it, causing them to close off higher brain functions, reverting them into mindless drones that fall into a state of aggression, attacking anything in their line of sight. This virus, although it has no official name, is commonly called the Frenzy Virus due to the erratic behavior it causes in the machines it infects. This has resulted in large-scale quarantines in various mainframe networks to prevent the mass spread of the virus. There have been no leads to its origins, nor a cure to permanently remove it from the systems of those afflicted, leading to tension and accusations about who created it and what the virus's overall purpose truly is.

Most of the collective population resides in their megacities, where they operate every function of their society to the letter with every machine in their place to maintain it. Most machines that work in their designated grid zones often have their residences nearby as well, to decrease travel time to them. Hundreds of thousands will be stationed in small areas when they need to recharge or have leisure time off shifts. This is a bit different from cyborgs living in the collective. Despite being few, they are spread out in various areas to meet their remaining organic needs, living in fairly large complexes to provide some comfort. The same goes for specialists who work on behalf of the state, such as robotics and cybernetics experts, who are mainly organic.

The territory that the collective controls is known as the Metal Domain or the Metal lands to outsiders, mainly due to the massive mega-city grids built there, which stretch as far as the eye can see, housing millions of Machines. All of which is aimed at promoting safety and productivity among its citizens, with each sector producing different resources with excellent efficiency. Outside of these cities, however, they are mainly deserted, having been untouched by the collective for millennia. These regions are called the True Wilds, as nature has reclaimed the abandoned settlements and returned the landscapes to their natural state.

The Collective is often the heavy hitter of the dominions due to their ability to handle much more dangerous equipment than most organic life can handle. Their weapons and equipment are inserted into their bodies to carry less equipment and gain more mobility. They can also customize themselves almost instantly to adapt to most environments and roles in combat, making them. They are divided into different groups depending on the task given and the chosen location. It is divided into two separate groups, land and air.   Collective Defense Force: Assigned to protect the territories and areas controlled by the collective and deal with threats such as invasion, terrorism, and internal threats. They are often only based in collective territories and are not allowed to go to war unless given special permission.   Collective Sky Command: The air force of the collective, but they do not have aircraft to fly; they modify machines to be small and mobile strike troops to fly in the air, able to withstand harsh temperatures and do more complex maneuvers than any aircraft can. Making them highly dangerous, they can only stay in the air for short periods due to using too much energy, and may shut down mid-flight if they are unable to return safely in time.

One of the main contributors to the dominions in technology, the Machine Collective is a masterful engineer in advanced machinery and electronics compared to most other nations worldwide. Being entirely mechanical, they have been advancing their brains to create higher intelligence for the thinking process. This has allowed them to create revolutionary systems in vehicles and spacecraft that can process data at a faster rate. Just about anything that requires electronics or metal can be made with outstanding quality, as it is a part of their very being.

People might be surprised that Machines worship the ten, most notably the Phoenix, god of fire, and the Builder, god of metal.

The collective has been friendly with the other nation-states of the dominions and often shares the knowledge it acquires with them. However, they have a more substantial relationship with Gear Nation due to their history of technological advancements, which has led to greater cooperation. But outside of the The Pheonixian Dominions, they are often cautious of outsiders due to many believing that machines are not sentient beings and should be treated as tools rather than individuals.

Their factories produce a wide range of products, including weapons, electronics, processed ores and minerals, energy, and more. They are also more efficient in mining and handling hazardous materials since they are not affected by the conditions that they cause.

The railway system of the The Pheonixian Dominions is often used to travel and deliver goods to the other dominions. But automated transport shuttles are often used to get to places on time, as machines strive to make travel as efficient as possible.

With various types of machines needed to operate the collective, different sets of programs are created through a system known as the Master Source, the most extensive data system in the collective. Newly activated machines receive the information they need to get started right away.

The Collective uses advanced algorithms to create grid cities for maximum efficiency, dividing them into various areas for living, production, and entertainment. But there are a few places that have sewer systems and other basic organic needs; these are the Bio Zones, where organics live in the collective. Defense and security systems are also set up around the settlements in case of an attack, along with checkpoints to maintain order and control.