hail MARU

Mentions of MARU first appear in the late 20th century, with followers keeping her ideals and teachings alive in small, niche communities on the internet for centuries. It would not be until 2788, near the end of the Messer Era that MARU would find her first true Prophet, OLD SAMUEL.

THE FIRST PROPHET

Deep within the heart of DELAMAR in the depths of LEVSKI, Samuel joined a sort of ritual involving the ingesting of Maze, and it was shortly after this time that he became lost within the collapsed mine for four days. It is there that he experienced a REVELATION. It was in the heart of Delamar that he conversed with the SKY QUEEN and learned her ways. With the assistance of the WORLD MOTHER, he objectively examined the depths of the soul and the psyche. When he EMERGED, people recall feeling as though a light shone from within him.

Within weeks, OLD SAMUEL had CONVERTED an impressive number of the inhabitants and travelers passing through LEVSKI. For centuries the followers of MARU had numbered in the very few. Apart from a few pieces of brightly colored literature and an outdated manifesto available on Spectrum, there was very little information. At the end of the 28th century, everything was about to change.

THE ORANGE SUNSHINE FELLOWSHIP

With the Messer Era crashing down around the Empire, the rebellious inhabitants of Levski embraced the ideals proposed by OLD SAMUEL; encouraging responsible scientific exploration and consciousness expansion, as well as preaching the potential evils of capitalism on a galactic scale. Soon, the ORANGE SUNSHINE FELLOWSHIP was born. By the start of the 29th century, the teachings of MARU had spread far beyond Levski to a number of different systems, and soon thereafter they were registered with the UEE as an official faith-based organization.

Converts continued pouring in as the Empire seemed to right itself with the Tribunal back in place. The Fellowship remained popular with blue collar civilians and citizens. It was not until 2821 when a trio of MARU Evangelists known as the ORANGE TRINITY began taking the teachings of OLD SAMUEL and making it truly appealing to the masses by re-writing the organization’s outdated manifesto and converting celebrities and other affluent members, allowing their Faith to reach an even wider audience. A notable member of the Fellowship was 4827-28 Murray Cup winner Jayne “Frenzy” Fujihara. It was exposure like this that allowed the OSF to build a small temple on Goss I near a pristine lake.

MARU IN THE 30th CENTURY

As the 30th century rolls in, UEE makes the questionable decision to sell Stanton I-IV to a number of corporate entities. Though the followers of MARU had now evolved considerably from the rabble that emerged from Levski over a century ago, and in spite of the fact that the church itself depended on things like mining and cargo hauling in addition to donations from members to keep their coffers full? The OSF considered this sale egregious.

“if corporations can own planets, what’s next? A system? A star? A species?”
-Santos, High Council Evangelist, 2916

The followers of MARU rushed to Stanton to set up a small settlement on the surface of Hurston. Their intention was ostensibly to monitor the goings on in a system completely run by some of the largest and most powerful corporations in the Verse. For reasons unknown to the public, the recruitment strategy for the OSF changed rapidly upon their arrival on Hurston. Suddenly, the Fellowship was focused on recruiting combat veterans, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and even the occasional pirate. They purchased a series of decommissioned Aegis ships, some dating back to the Tevarin War, and began retrofitting them. On Feb. 9, 2929, the Fellowship officially established their martial branch, the QUEENSGUARD.

The OSF backed Laylani Addison in the 2950 Imperator Election, and were overjoyed when their candidate won. To this day, members of the Faith live in Stanton, ever-watchful over the corporations there that own every rock, every strut, and every bolt on the beautiful rocks that orbit that star. You might even see them on the comms faithfully trying to spread the word of the WORLD MOTHER, the SKY QUEEN, MARU.

The Stanton System was uncharted territory for the entirety of the Empire, and the Orange Sunshine Fellowship is intent on spreading the word of MARU to the corrupt capitalist monstrosities at any cost. Hail MARU!