"Have you ever stared out into space during an voyage? Not given it a glance while floating toward some other section of the ship, but really looked out into it? That emptiness. It's interesting, really. Gives a man perspective. You know, when mankind was first reaching out into the stars, looking back on Earth from millions of miles away, the first astronauts could only say how small it made the differences on Earth look. How they felt this oneness with the rest of humanity, regardless of nation, ideology or religion and how they had this great burning passion to do something about the problems of the world. Space gave them hope. They were wrong, of course. They may have broken past the delusions of sociological division but they were still mired in the drunken haze of self-importance. Who knows what they would have written or said had they seen the sobering, unending blackness of the interstellar void? Perhaps their eyes would be open to the truth. Humanity is but an insignificant speck in the greater scheme of things. The machinations of civilization are but mere instants, never to be remembered. The galaxy, all galaxies, are but motes of dust floating in the inky black. The next time you take a voyage, look outside of your window. Trillions of years and miles stretch out before you, empty and uncaring. If you stare at it enough, it stares back into you.
The Children of Oblivion is considered one of the most violent and pervasive cults and terrorist organizations in the galaxy. Preaching that all of existence is meaningless and pointing to everyday events as proof, the Children of Oblivion seek nothing more than the complete destruction of life in the Milky Way for no other reason than it gives them a goal. Consequently, they are opposed and despised by almost every organization in the galaxy.
Beliefs[]
The Children of Oblivion's ideology is simple: nothing matters. In the end, every human and xeno will die and every major accomplishment by sapient life would be destroyed. At the very end, all matter and energy in the universe will decay and there will be nothing left. Most of mankind is going down the wrong path in trying to achieve some ultimate goal. To give themselves something to do, the Children of Oblivion have taken to opposing the naive and ignorant lifeforms of the galaxy, killing as many of them as possible because they can. Because they believe that everything is worthless, including their own lives, the Children of Oblivion sometimes conduct attacks that are suicidal and tactically foolish. One cult attempted to overwhelm a United Technocracies outpost by charging the gates; all were cut down by the guards. However, the Children of Oblivion are sneaky and fanatical, allowing them to infiltrate militaries in order to gain access to more powerful weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction. Unlike other terrorist organizations, the Children of Oblivion has a significant, but still tiny, following within the militaries of the galaxy, allowing for mutinies and suicide attacks within the ranks. The navies of the galaxy are a frequent target for Oblivion infiltration, as that gives access to large amounts of weapons of mass destruction.
History[]
The history of the secretive Children of Oblivion is largely unknown, but they were first mentioned in records during the Soviet Civil War as "nihilistic fanatics" that attempted to steal a cache of nuclear missiles to use against the local civilian populace. The factor that has allowed it to become so prolific is the universality of its message. Oblivion cults can spring up on a planet if it receives knowledge of the organization; the destitute state of the galaxy is a very effective conversion tool. Consequently, mentioning the Children of Oblivion is an offense punishable by execution in most of the galaxy. Attacks by the Children are blamed on other groups and governments officially deny their existence. This has mitigated Oblivion membership within the totalitarian powers, as far as intelligence agencies can tell, but the Children of Oblivion have taken root in the Republic of New Rome, feeding on the discontent with the rest of the galaxy's state.
New Rome is unique in that it is the only organization to not publicly oppose the Children of Oblivion; in fact, rumors abound that the Frumentarii, New Rome's intelligence agency, frequently collaborates with the Children of Oblivion to redirect them toward the superpowers. This has not stopped the Children of Oblivion from attacking New Romans, as they have no respect for agreements of any sort, but this alliance of convenience has had successes in redirecting attacks toward New Rome's many enemies.