Fringe COG Party

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Fringe COG Party
Political information
Type of government	Oligarchical non-state actor
Societal information
Capital	Ephyra, Tyrus
Official language	Tyran
Historical information
Date of establishment	Circa 80 B.E.

"I represent a concerned party within Chairman Monroe's administration. We are uncolored by the messianic moralism our Chairman has consistently shown. Instead, we are pragmatists. In our view, the greatest kindness we can for Sera is bring the Pendulum Wars to a swift, decisive end [...] Unlike our Chairman, we are capable of imagination - of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, as it were. "

—A member of the Fringe COG Party contacting Dr. Niles Samson.

The Fringe COG Party was an anonymous syndicate of oligarchs within the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) that acted as a shadow government. It was comprised of politicians who believed in resolving issues facing the COG by disregarding ethical and moral intervention, deeming themselves to be pragmatists as a result. Because of their resources and connections to the COG, they were able to accomplish various tasks without the authorization of the Chairman. While having the COG in their best interests, they believed that moralism prohibited true progress and achievement.

Among their achievements was the continuation of Dr. Niles Samson's research from the New Hope Research Facility. Samson was shut down and indicted by Chairman Monroe following charges of unethical experimentation on children ill with Rustlung. The syndicate relocated Samson and his research to a hidden facility in the caverns of Mount Kadar where they could build genetically enhanced soldiers to aid the COG Army in the Pendulum Wars. Through further experimentation, the Locust were created and led to a genocidal war that nearly destroyed the human population.

It is unknown what happened to the group. However, the symbol of the party was later used by the Locust Horde.

History

Creation

It was unknown when the party was created, but was most likely organized in the early Pendulum Wars, when the Coalition of Ordered Governments first rose to prominence in both politics and economy due to having a majority of Imulsion reserves during the Gold Rush. The party was significantly involved with political matters during the Monroe administration.

Genetic Experimentation

During the Pendulum Wars, the miners of Imulsion and their families began suffering from a fatal condition known as Rustlung, which was caused by the overexposure to the Imulsion vapors. Fearing the political and economic ramifications if the public learned that Imulsion caused health effects, the Department of Health, under Chairman Monroe's orders, opened the New Hope Research Facility in an attempt to house, research and cure the children of the miners infected with Rustlung. The program was put under the management of geneticist Director Niles Samson. While routinely injecting doses of Imulsion in the children to study the progress of Rustlung, Dr. Niles Samson discovered that Imulsion caused point-mutations and the ability for possible genetic benefits. One of the subjects, named Myrrah, was revealed to be genetically immune to the ill-effects of Imulsion such as Rustlung, and also benefited from the Imulsion exposure, such as decelerated aging and an increased immune system. Dr. Samson attempted to replicate the results in the other children, but came to the conclusion that Myrrah was a scientific anomaly.

However, due to the possible point-mutations caused by Imulsion, Dr. Samson attempted to mutate the children with the DNA of the indigenous creatures of the Hollow. It resulted in genetically unstable, distempered, sterile, and highly aggressive mutants known as the Sires. Due to the attacks on the staff and disillusionment of the unethical experimentation, many scientists resigned and leaked information about New Hope to the public and political figures. Chairman Monroe uncovered the experiments at New Hope and ordered the facility to be shut down, with Dr. Samson and the other loyal scientists involved to be indicted. Before the facility was shut down and the scientists to report to the House of Sovereigns, the fringe party contacted Dr. Niles Samson and believed in his work. Employing the Nethercutt Mining to create another facility inside Mount Kadar, they offered to relocate Dr. Niles Samson, his subjects, and his remaining loyal employees to the facility where they could continue their work to cure Rustlung as well as to end the Pendulum Wars by supplying genetically enhanced soldiers who could obey command. Dr. Samson agreed and led a mass exodus on foot to Mount Kadar to the new facility.

At the new facility inside Mount Kadar, Dr. Samson used Myrrah's embryonic stem-cells and fertilized them with Sire DNA to create the first successful hybrid: the Matriarch, who was then able to produce the first Drone of the Locust Horde. It was discovered that Myrrah, the Matriarch, and the Locust shared a psychomagnetic consciousness called the Hivemind. Myrrah, being the creator of the Locust, was able to control and communicate with them telepathically. Through the Matriarch, her powers were amplified. Myrrah later had sexual relations with geneticist Doctor Torres and produced a human child named Reyna. It was discovered that Reyna had inherited Myrrah's decelerated aging, boosted immune system, and connection to the Hivemind. However, Dr. Torres feared the experimentation that would befall his own daughter and fled the facility with Reyna. Unable to recapture the two, Dr. Samson reported to Myrrah that Reyna had died in the escape attempt. In her grief, Myrrah became resentful of the human race and sympathetic with her Locust children. Using her abilities, she commanded the Locust to kill the scientists and guards. Dr. Samson, mortally wounded, froze the facility to keep it contained. Myrrah and her Locust then managed to escape and create their civilization, Nexus, in the caverns of Mount Kadar.

Current Fate

The current fate of the Fringe COG Party is unknown. It's possible they are still secretly active. It's also possible they had disbanded sometime before or during the dissolution of the COG in 15 A.E. The information held by the group was held a secret, as even the Chairmen of the COG weren't aware of where Samson and the Sires relocated to after New Hope, which resulted in searching in the Kadar Valley for years.

Goals & Agendas

While their overall objectives remain a mystery, the members of the party appear to believe in the COG and what it overall stands for. However they believe that morality holds back progress in scientific and political achievements that could potentially improve the COG and it's people for the better.

During the Pendulum Wars, the party's intentions were mostly unknown other than that they saw potential in Doctor Niles Samson's work in genetics and his creation of the Sires. When Chairman Monroe pulled the plug on the New Hope Research Facility, the party instead wished for Niles to continue his work and had him and his staff secretly relocated to a secret facility in the depths Mount Kadar.

Members

• Droak - Subject
• Myrrah - Subject/Geneticist
• Rev - Contracted Miner
• Niles Samson - Geneticist
• Sraak - Subject
• Torres - Geneticist
• Reyna Torres - Subject
• Ukkon - Subject/Geneticist
• Van Neil - Scientist
• Vrol - Subject

Locations

• House of Sovereigns (Ephyra, Tyrus) - Base of Operations
• Mount Kadar Laboratory (Mount Kadar, Tyrus) - Secret Laboratory

Behind the Scenes

Symbol in Fort Reval resembling the Locust Emblem.

• The symbol of the Locust Horde originated from the fringe group's symbol. But it's unknown what the true origin of the symbol comes from.
  • The symbol is featured on the amulets of its party members, printed on the scientist's lab coats, branded on the Locust subjects, and built into the floodlights and space-heaters in the Mount Kadar lab. While the Locust set the symbol diagonally, the original symbol is meant to be set as a square.
  • It's possible that the symbol, due to its similarity to real-world appearances and usage in particular areas, is a chemical hazard symbol for Imulsion.
  • Another possibility is the party could have a potential link to the COG's former monarchy, as the symbol can be detected within the architecture of Fort Reval.

Appearances

• Gears 5 (First appearance)