List of organizations in Xenosaga
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The following is a list of factions and organizations from the PS2 series Xenosaga.
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[edit] Galaxy Federation
The Galaxy Federation Government (GFG) is the body that, according to the U.M.N. database, governs nearly half a million planets throughout the known universe. The Federation's original capital was Earth (Lost Jerusalem). However, Earth was abandoned and the Federation was forced to relocate its capital four times. As of Episode II, its planetary capital is Fifth Jerusalem.
The Federation acts as an over-reaching government system, which allows each individual planet to retain its own government. The lower form of the Federation's ruling body is the Galaxy Federation assembly, which comprises of representatives from each planet in the government. Although the assembly is located on Fifth Jerusalem itself, many Representatives choose to participate via a U.M.N. connection. The higher level of the Federation's ruling body is referred to as the Executive Committee or Executive Committee assembly, which makes the final decision based on both their own discussions and those of the representatives. The highest position in the Galaxy Federation Government is the Executive Committee Director, who must be elected via a majority vote by the entire GFG. This position was held by the current Vector Industries CEO, Wilhelm, until several years prior to Episode I.
Additionally, there are several councils that regulate the various aspects of the government, such as the Subcommittee On Close Encounters (S.O.C.E.) and the financial group. The U-TIC Organization, a dummy group for Ormus, has planted several moles within the Federation (Representative) assembly, S.O.C.E., and the financial council. These spies disrupted the Federation during the latter half of Episode I, when the Kukai Foundation and the Second Miltian Government were charged with treason, thus giving U-TIC a distraction to commence with their plans. Since then, no other incidents have occurred from within the Federation's ranks.
Like Ormus and Vector Industries, the Galaxy Federation is interested in securing the Original Zohar, originally sealed away on Old Miltia. However, Ormus uses the Immigrant Fleet, U-TIC, and Albedo to obtain the Y-Data, which allowed them to locate Old Miltia and secure the Zohar before the Federation could. Although the Federation and Vector Industries team up to stop Ormus in Episode II, they always remain separate factions.
[edit] Hyams Group
The Hyams Group, AKA Hyams Heavy Industries is a massive corporation that is known as the rival of Vector Industries. Hyams Heavy Industries is one of the pre-eminent producers of military spec A.G.W.S. models. Hyams has funded multiple Ormus dummy organizations, including the Yuriev Institute, U-TIC, and many others. Heinlein, CEO of Hyams, is also a Cardinal in Ormus. After the death of the Patriarch in Episode II, Heinlein became the highest ranking member of Ormus. In addition to Heinlein, there are two known Hyams affiliates: Sellers and Margulis. Sellers, an eminent scientist who cooperated with Joachim Mizrahi on the Zohar research, was also his longtime rival, plagiarizing all of Mizrahi's research after his death. He is now both the leading scientist of Hyams and the middleman between Heinlein and Margulis.
According to information gathered by Jin Uzuki during the Miltian Conflict, Hyams has developed a Zohar Emulator. Moreover, Jin unlocked vital information about the corporation's role in both the Miltian Conflict and Ormus' numerous operations.
[edit] Immigrant Fleet
The Immigrant Fleet is an organization that wishes to control the Zohar. In Episode II, the Immigrant Fleet is led by a man called the Patriarch, who is also the leader of Ormus. It serves as the public persona of the highly secretive Ormus Society.
Highly religious and powerful, the Immigrant Fleet claims to have been the guardian of the Zohar "since time immemorial." The Immigrant Fleet was involved in the Miltian Conflict and the space-time anomaly that sealed off Old Miltia. The Immigrant Fleet's military arm, U-TIC, gained access to the Y-Data that Joachim Mizrahi left behind, employing both political maneuvers and outright brute force. Though they succeeded in unlocking the way to Old Miltia, the Immigrant Fleet suffered a major defeat when the Zohar and the Omega System were activated, which destroyed the Immigrant Fleet forces as well as the Federation and Miltian taskforces sent to stop them. The Patriarch himself was later eliminated by the Testament after being abandoned by his Ormus subordinates. On another interesting note, the Database in Episode III identifies the Gnosis under the related name, the Pilgrimage Fleet.
[edit] Kukai Foundation
The Kukai Foundation is a special organization established after the end of the Miltian Conflict, with the sole purpose of subjugating the remains of the U-TIC organization. Since then, most of its military forces have been decommissioned, and the other divisions branched off into sprawling, independent civilian corporations, thus forming the basis of the foundation's present structure. The unique concept has been proven to work, for the Foundation is in the top ten rising organizations in the galaxy as of Episode I. Its current leader is Gaignun Kukai (Nigredo). Other key members of the organization include Jr. (Rubedo) and his subordinates, Shelley and Mary. The fact that Vector Industries is one of its primany investors explains why most of the equipment installed onboard the Durandal is advanced Vector models. Gaignun himself has been seen in conversation with Wilhelm, CEO of Vector.
The Foundation is also the name of the mobile base of operations of the group, which in itself has developed into a small civilization. The Kukai Foundation can move throughout space due to its ability to link with the space ship Durandal, which in turn is commanded by Jr. Smaller ships like the Elsa have extended contracts with the Foundation. Captain Matthews owes ten million to the Foundation which you can help pay off as a side quest in Episode II.
There are several small towns, or sectors, within the Kukai Foundation. City Sectors 26 and 27 are the most popular, and received severe damage during the Gnosis attack prior to the Proto Merkabah incident. Nigredo and Rubedo's private beach resort is located due east of the city sectors, in the same lake that houses the Durandal when docked. Fishing is also a popular sport among Kukai residents, for there are dozens of docks lining the Foundation's manmade lakes. Professor's A.G.W.S. hangars are also located on the Foundation.
Second Miltia has an alliance with the Kukai Foundation, which forms the basis for the rocky situation where the Federation was manipulated in believing that both Miltia and the Foundation were involved with the Woglinde incident during Episode I. In Episode II, the Kukai Foundation and Second Miltia remain close allies and independent factions.
[edit] Ormus
Ormus is an ancient religious cult that originated on Lost Jerusalem as Christianity. Members of Ormus seem to follow a blend of Christianity and Zoroastrianism, yet they believe that the Zohar is an artifact of divine intervention. They were the first to leave Lost Jerusalem via the Immigrant Fleet shortly before its downfall. In the setting of the Xenosaga series (set four thousand years in the future), Ormus continues to lust for the original Zohar on Old Miltia. Ormus uses a series of dummy corporations to extend its influence across the known universe. It serves as the core of the Immigrant Fleet, and also seizes control over U-TIC as a secret military arm after the Miltian Conflict. (In Xenosaga: Pied Piper, it is revealed that the people of the Immigrant Fleet are all of a special bloodline, and were once known as the People of Zohar.)
In Episode II, the Patriarch, leader of Ormus and the Immigrant Fleet, spearheads the operation to recover the Original Zohar and summon Proto Omega and the Omega System from the ruins of Old Miltia. Everything that Ormus' fronts did during Episode I and early Episode II culminated in this mission. The Patriarch planned on destroying the Gnosis with Proto Omega and ultimately place the entire star cluster under the jurisdiction of Ormus. Ormus' military organization, U-TIC, designed Proto Omega and the Omega System. However, fourteen years prior to Episode I, the system was sealed away with Old Miltia before the Patriarch could use it. Although he is on the edge of re-establishing his plan, the Patriarch is betrayed by Margulis and Heinlein. They abandon him on the Omega System, where he is killed by Wilhelm's Testaments. Proto Omega and the Omega System are destroyed, and the Original Zohar is sucked into Abel's Ark at the end of Episode II. In reality, the entire plan to seize the Zohar was just to bring Abel's Ark (one of the eyes of God, or U-DO) into this dimension with the help of Albedo and the recovery of the Zohar.
When Margulis betrays the Patriarch while working under Heinlein's orders, it makes Heinlein the highest ranking Cardinal in Ormus. In reality, Heinlein had all the true power in Ormus. It is clear that Ormus and all of its fronts are involved in the web of deception surrounding the Original Zohar, as Jin Uzuki pointed out in Episode II. Hyams, led by Heinlein himself (later to be revealed as the series' manipulator, Wilhelm), is also revealed to be the military supplier and major financial supporter of Ormus and its arms. Furthermore, despite his hatred of the U-TIC front, Dimitri Yuriev and his institute have connections to Ormus based on the fact that Hyams, the same group that funds Ormus, established it.
Followers of Ormus claim that they have been the guardians of the Zohar since recorded history. In turn, they use it in any way they see fit. They say that Ormus has existed before the crucifixion of the messiah (Jesus). In Episode III, Wilhelm reveals his true purpose for founding Ormus was to protect Lemegeton, also known as the "Word of Yeshua", that was left behind by a man who died thousands of years ago. The database states that chaos was the man who left this "word." The public purpose of Ormus was to preserve and spread the teachings of that man. Although according to Wilhelm, the man Ormus worshipped did not understand Lemegeton, because only chaos could understand it. Ormus were also the guardians of the Relics of God left behind in ancient times, such as Zarathustra and Merkabah.
Followers of Ormus claim that Planet Michtam is Ormus's birthplace. Since Ormus originated as Christianity about six thousand years prior to the game's storyline and Wilhelm claims he founded Ormus, Wilhelm may have altered Christianity to form Ormus on Planet Michtam. Of course, followers of Ormus also believed that their true purpose was to return to Lost Jerusalem (a lie that Wilhelm wanted them to believe), so the belief of Ormus being founded on Michtam may have also been another of Wilhelm's deceits.
Ormus is one of the names given to the supreme Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda, who represents truth and goodness. The physical world was created by Ahura Mazda as a place to battle against Ahriman, the spirit of evil. Ormus was also the name of a former kingdom that spanned the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and this kingdom was also named after Ahura Mazda.
According to Holy Blood, Holy Grail , Ormus is a subtitle used by the Prieuré de Sion (Priory of Sion), the group that is supposedly responsible for the creation of the Knights Templar.
[edit] Salvator Faction
The Salvator Faction is a large, politically motivated group within the Galaxy Federation Government. Its members include a number of important political representatives, like Pierre Ruryk, and at one time Dr. Dimitri Yuriev, who secretly controlled it. Its influence over the government is still quite strong, even in the years since Yuriev's apparent death. In the Xenosaga storyline, the word Salvator means "Child of the Savior." Specifically it refers to "Designer Children", children who were genetically enhanced very early in life.
[edit] Scientia
Scientia is an underground anti-Vector organization founded more than 100 years ago on Michtam by Meris Orthas at the end of Pied Piper. In Xenosaga Episode III, Shion joins Scientia after discovering some of Vector's darker secrets involving some sort of supercorporation that may link Hyams with Vector Industries.
[edit] S.O.C.E.
S.O.C.E., short for Subcommittee On Close Encounters, is a panel of researchers convened by the Galaxy Federation Government in T.C. 4752 to counter the Gnosis phenomenon. S.O.C.E. is based on Fifth Jerusalem. While it is called a "sub"committee, it has over 2000 members representing government agencies, corporations, and various scientific fields. Its operational core consists of seven members, each of whom holds high positions in the Federation. Juli Mizrahi is one of the seven members. The U-TIC Organization has an operative within the S.O.C.E., which gave U-TIC an early warning when Ziggy infilrated the Pleroma base to rescue MOMO as per S.O.C.E. command.
S.O.C.E. itself does not play a role in the plot of Episode II and III instead, Juli Mizrahi acts on its behalf for most of the games.
[edit] U-TIC Organization
U-TIC, short for Unknown Territory Intervention and Creation Agency, is made one of the military organization of Ormus, a multi-fronted society behind the events of the first two episodes of Xenosaga, after the Miltian Conflict. It was buried in obscurity for decades, but reappeared in T.C. 4767. U-TIC is not affiliated with the Galaxy Federation; however, it boasts a level of technology and military force that far surpass those of the Federation government or military. U-TIC's current leader is the Margulis, who is also second in command of Ormus under Heinlein (Patriarch Sergius was, in reality, a figurehead). One of the shadiest characters in the series, Heinlein is never seen by anyone, not even Margulis, until he is revealed to be Wilhelm, the mastermind of the series.
U-TIC's origins can be traced back to the Mizrahi Neuro-science Institute, which means that Joachim Mizrahi is the agency's founder. Though Joachim Mizrahi can be considered the founder of the U-TIC organization, it is unlikely he had much control over what it turned into, including its transformation into a military front for Ormus. Additionally, his agenda was different than that of Ormus'. This is underscored by the fact that Mizrahi entrusted the information behind Ormus' plot, known as the Y-Data, to MOMO.
Politically, the U-TIC organization secretly holds influence over many members of the Federation, including a former member of the Contact Subcommittee (S.O.C.E.).
[edit] Vector Industries
Vector Industries is the largest business conglomerate in the Galaxy Federation and an integral part of modern civilization. It has facilities on nearly every planet in the Federation and is the chief manufacturer of Federation weapons, starships, medicine, entertainment and communications equipment. Vector is also involved in the production and distribution of almost every product, from food to computer hardware. It has a multitude of divisions, of which the core components are the First, Second and Third R&D Divisions.
Vector Industries has a very long history and its presence dates back to the Lost Jerusalem era. Vector even funded the Masuda expedition to Lake Turkana in Kenya which uncovered the Zohar. The founder and current CEO of Vector Industries is Wilhelm. Vector is also the employer of Shion Uzuki, who works in the First Division of Vector industries, who is also one of the main characters in the Xenosaga series. Although they have a front of being a legitimate business, Vector's apparent role in events involving the Gnosis and various other conspiracies indicates a grander motivation than profit. As Vector handles U.M.N. operations, and according to Xenosaga: A Missing Year, Gnosis use the U.M.N. to travel, as well as appear specifically in densely populated and public areas, strongly implies that someone is deliberately using the Gnosis, an act that is referred to in Episode III as Gnosis Terrorism and is one the primary factors in Shion Uzuki's resignation from the company.
In medical terms, a vector is an organism that transfers pathogens from one host to another, though if this has indications for Vector Industries as a carrier, specifically of the Gnosis attacks, remains to be clarified.
[edit] Yuriev Industries
The Yuriev Institute on the planet Vartas was the home and training center for the U.R.T.V. units, including Rubedo (Jr.), Albedo, Nigredo (Gaignun Kukai), and Citrine. Dmitri Yuriev created the U.R.T.V.s to counter the presence of U-DO. The Institute is funded by the Hyams group, and could have ties to the Ormus organization. Rubedo, Albedo, and Nigredo were kept at the institute, not allowed to leave. While there, the three frequently traveled into Sakura Mizrahi's mind via the Encephalon. These Encephalon tests were often extremely tedious; they often took a severe toll on the U.R.T.V. units. The Yuriev Institute was very much like a school for the gifted; many U.R.T.V. children would show off their sometimes gruesome talents such Albedo's regenerative power shown many times in Episodes I and II. Xenosaga I&II reveals that Yuriev Industries is being maintained by a group called the Salvator Faction in Dr. Yuriev's "absence." Its infrastructure is still operational; all of Yuriev's inner circle had been waiting for was Dr. Yuriev's reawakening in the body of his "son," Nigredo (aka Gaignun Kukai). In Episode III Yuriev returns to the head of his corporation, quickly using the Salvator Faction to gain considerable sway in the Federation Parliament. Under his orders, the company quickly sets to work on two new weapons based on the designs of Joachim Mizrahi, Ω Res Novae and the Tactical Warship Merkabah.
[edit] Ziggurat Industries
Ziggurat Industries is a corporation in the Xenosaga universe that specialized in cybernetic and bio-mechanical technology. It was this company that created the Life Recycling era Ziggurat series cyborgs, of which there were only eight. Ziggurat 8, also known as "Ziggy" and Jan Sauer was the corporation's last produced cyborg model. After the Species Preservation Act, which repealed the Life Recycling Act, passed in the Galaxy Federation Government, Ziggurat Industries could no longer legally produce cyborgs, or at the very least reanimated corpses for use as cyborgs like Ziggurat 8. With cyborg technology no longer profitable Ziggurat Industries shifted its focus to the up and coming field of nanotechnology.
"Ziggurat" is a reference to the ziggurats that once stood in Babylon, which is now a part of modern-day Iraq.
