nu-Eden: Sundered Skies
//nERF
nERF
The nu-Eden Resistance Force (nERF) is a decentralised insurgency opposing corporate control of nu-Eden. Organised into nine specialised combat cells, nERF conducts direct action, covert operations, and civilian liberation against the seven conglomerates and their enforcement arms.
▸Origins: The nESF Shadow
nERF was not always a resistance force. It began as nESF — the nu-Eden Special Forces — a classified black-ops unit formed after the Sundering to protect the city's crumbling infrastructure.
The organization was born from a temporary bond between two architects of the new world: Brendan Matsuno (then a decorated commander in the old guard) and Aoi Matsuno (then a research intern at Maboroshi Technologies). Aoi's tenure at MabTech provided the technical blueprints for nESF's encryption protocols, while Brendan provided the military spine.
The transition from nESF to nERF occurred when the "Special Forces" were ordered to execute operations that cost innocent lives. Brendan, the Founder, chose to defect; Aoi, the Leader, turned the system's own protocols against it. The name change was an attempt to bury the guilt of what they once obeyed.
▸Recruitment: The Broken Contract
nERF's numbers swell not through propaganda, but through systemic failure. Most recruits are products of a Broken Contract — individuals whose Credisys social credit scores have plummeted below the threshold of "validity."
- ▪The Invalidated: When a citizen's Credisys score hits -XI, they are functionally dead in the eyes of corporate systems. Their bank accounts are frozen, their rations stopped, and their biometric identity is "ghosted."
- ▪Invisibility vs. Hostility: While "ghosting" makes them invisible to automated services, it makes them a priority target for C.I.D.E sweeps. nERF offers the only path for survival for those the system has rejected.
Defection Protocol (The Glass Door)
The resistance handles corporate defectors and "double agents" through the Glass Door Protocol.
- ▪The Deep Cover: High-level corporate employees who secretly funnel intel to nERF. They maintain their "Valid" status but live under constant threat of a Burn Notice.
- ▪The Burn Notice: Once a double agent is exposed, nERF executes a "Live Exit"—erasing their Credisys footprint entirely and extracting them to a safe-cell.
- ▪The Ghosting: High-level defectors are completely wiped from the grid. They become invisible to biometric scanners, but are physically hunted.
▸Internal Ideology: The Six Wings
nERF is a tense coalition of six ideological wings. While united against the Board, they often clash over the means of liberation:
| Wing | Philosophy | Operational Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Reformists | Political pressure and exposure | Diplomatic intel, whistleblowing |
| Hardliners | Direct combat and sabotage | High-intensity warfare |
| Pragmatists | Incremental gains and survival | Resource optimization |
| Isolationists | Defensive zone protection | Territory management |
| Radicals | "Fight fire with fire" (using mabtech) | Experimental tech theft |
| Pacifists | Info-war and non-violent hacking | Propaganda, social engineering |
▸Command Structure
| Role | Operative | Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| President / CEO | Brendan Matsuno | Orion |
| Chief of Staff | Aoi Matsuno | Aegis |
| Company Sergeant Major | Md Omar bin Abdul Hakim | Fraktur |
▸Combat Cells
Each team is tied to a season arc, a deadly sin, and an opposing Director.
| Team | Arc | Sin | Protagonist | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumicon | S1 — Avaritia | Greed | Conrad McGuire-Sun | Otis / Maboroshi |
| Retronyx | S2 — luxuria | Lust | Tristan Fourier | Vera / Eos |
| Metanoia | S3 — Acedia | Sloth | Madeline Ellis | Sumire / Syntera |
| Dynaxis | S4 — Invidia | Envy | Xenia Balan | Quincy / Qroma |
| Genesce | S5 — Exsicco | Gluttony | Genzo Kazetani | Qinyi / Tectra |
| Tesserae | S6 — Superbia | Pride | Ilya Asimov | Belinda / Ordo |
| Avanza | S7 — Tribula | Wrath | Alex Matsuno | Tariq / Arcanis |
| Spektra | — | — | Kizuna Moriuchi | — |
| Fenrir | — | — | Neville August Langley | — |
▸Rank System
nERF operates a formal rank hierarchy that governs resource access, operational authority, and squad composition. All operatives in the field must maintain Specialist/Enlistee rank (Sho–San/MSG) or equivalent warrant/cadet ranks. Officer ranks (Digamma and above) are restricted to command staff, except for Conrad who serves as the only Officer Cadet (Kappa) operative.
| Rank | Military Equivalent | Notable Members |
|---|---|---|
| Sho (ϸ) | Recruit (REC) | Brooke |
| Omega (ω) | Private (PTE) | Yumiko, Hitomi |
| Psi (ψ) | Lance Corporal (LCP) | Julia, Genzo |
| Chi (χ) | Corporal (CPL) | Renata, Karina |
| Phi (φ) | Corporal First Class (CFC) | Tristan, Quentin |
| Upsilon (υ) | Specialist Cadet (SCT) | Fabian, Jana |
| Tau (τ) | 3rd Sergeant (3SG) | Nicole, Fairuz |
| Sigma (σ) | 2nd Sergeant (2SG) | Debra, Madeline |
| Rho (ρ) | 1st Sergeant (1SG) | Scott, Yuichi |
| Qoppa (ϙ) | Staff Sergeant (SSG) | Ilya, Xenia, Zaidan |
| San (ϻ) | Master Sergeant (MSG) | Ezra, Lydia, Kizuna |
| Pi (π) | 3rd Warrant Officer (3WO) | Felix |
| Omicron (ο) | 2nd Warrant Officer (2WO) | Mitsuki, Ximena |
| Xi (ξ) | 1st Warrant Officer (1WO) | Hailey, Giselle |
| Nu (ν) | Master Warrant Officer (MWO) | Mitsuki, Westin |
| Mu (μ) | Senior Warrant Officer (SWO) | Imran |
| Lambda (λ) | Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) | Hiroyuki, Omar |
| Kappa (κ) | Officer Cadet (OCT) | Conrad |
| Iota (ι) | 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) | Alex, Uzuki, Dakota |
| Theta (θ) | 1st Lieutenant (1LT) | Rayner, Pierre |
| Eta (η) | Captain (CPT) | Cordelia, Winona, Malcolm |
| Zeta (ζ) | Major (MAJ) | Jaime, Damon, Takumi |
| Digamma (ϝ) | Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) | Lyndsey |
| Digamma II (ͷ) | Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) | Zachary, Gianluca |
| Epsilon (ε) | Colonel (COL) | Emiko, Venla, Lincoln |
| Delta (δ) | Brigadier General (BG) | Valentin, Yosef |
| Gamma (γ) | Major General (MG) | Clement, Iain |
| Beta (β) | Lieutenant General (LG) | Brendan |
| Alpha (α) | Director General (GEN) | Aoi |
▸The Old Guard
The founding generation — former super-soldiers who now form nERF's command layer. See The Old Guard for the full veteran roster.
▸Philosophy
nERF is both a company in the military and the business sense. It operates with guerrilla pragmatism: no standing army, no fixed base, no ideology beyond liberation. Each cell is autonomous in the field, answering to Brendan's strategic vision and Aoi's operational planning.
The resistance can oppose everyone — the conglomerates, C.I.D.E, even the Triads — but can't touch The Board directly. Ryutaro Shinoda is functionally Up-Wing-adjacent, but not actively exploiting them. That ambiguity is his shield.