Running along, Alan felt surprised at how in-shape he was. Jogging along felt almost as easy as walking; his stamina meter was slowly depleting at around 3 energy/min, but that meant he could run at this pace for over an hour. He was getting used to always wearing the Revenant Power Armor too, it felt lightweight, like he was wearing leather padding or a light Kevlar suit. It was nowhere near as cumbersome as the full on power armor many players wore in the Game. Alan tried to get a better look at the gear other players were wearing as well.

According to Eve, items ranged from traditional sci-fi gadgetry, such as space marines in power armor with plasma or laser weapons and almost every variation thereof, to the more fantastical, almost magical items empowered or enchanted by psionic powers. A number of items combined scientific materials with psionic energy as well, although most forms of science and psionic ability were strangely incompatible. A large number of players wore masks or helmets, often as a part of their power armor, hiding their faces. Additionally, most players had an emblem of some sort, similar to Red Death’s. Looking at a particularly elaborate green swirl, Eve finally answered Alan.

Error. Too many variables. Re-analyzing surroundings.

Alan felt Eve try to take in all the information again. She froze, hanging just like the last time.

Stop. Give me a basic overview of the factions on Khersath, Alan sent.

The Imperial Realms, or the Empire as it is commonly referred to, are an empire of around 30 life-sustaining worlds ruled by a single, enigmatic emperor. The Empire is predominantly humanoid and is constantly at war in attempts at expansion. They are currently rumored to be gearing up for another large scale war; it is unknown who their target is, but has resulted in something of an arms race.

Most of the Democratic Realms, or the Republic, are a series of approximately 100 planets with semi-interconnected governments, similar to the European Union. The ins and outs of Republic politics are even more complicated, and allegiances are constantly shifting. For example, should one planet be invaded, it is not guaranteed that other planets will even be required to respond, depending upon too many variables to list. There are chunks of 10-50 planets which do have collective defense treaties in place within the Republic, as well as a 20 planet collective not in the Republic which are known as the Pirate States.

And the Revenants? Alan asked.

The Revenants are a faction that worships an ancient machine race, the Architects. Little is known about the Architects other than they are the basis for the majority of the technology the Revenants use. The Revenants come from many species, like a guild, yet all are at least part machine. Their home planet, or planets, is in unknown space, and they are often seen at the far reaches of space searching for ancient artifacts or technology. Their technology is generally the most advanced in the Game.