You spend the weekend enjoying yourself in the Commons area and taking a peak at the Strategy Center.  On Monday, you are brought before the Council.

Several members of the Council you recognize right away:  the Philosopher (considered the wisest of all), Gaia (a loving woman with the interests of humankind at heart), and Paradigm (the most controversial of them all).  For pictures, go here: http://www.fortunecity.com/riv.../693/matrix/id19.htm

They sit at a large table overlooking stadium-like seating.  Sitting in the front row of the benches are about 10 captains of various ships, including Locke.  The healthy members of your crew are present, and X scoots over to let you sit next to him.

The Council spokesman, Bastion, stands and addresses you all.

"Although we are still undertaking the decoding process for the various data brought back by the Hyperion, what we have found is nothing less than fascinating.  Not only codes to help us understand the workings of the Matrix, but also details about the internal political structure.  It is this that we want to share with all of you.

"It appears that the Machine World is not exactly like a queen bee and all her worker bees.  There are rogue elements.  There are AI's that have been cut off from the Machine World.  They are sentient.  Many of them returned to the Matrix, taking on different roles depending on what their primary functions were.  They call themselves 'The Exiles.'  It seems that these 'Agents' we discovered not only keep peace among the humans, but also try to hunt down and weed out these rogue AI elements.

"Some of these Exiles have banded together into a cohesive and powerful group under a leader whom they call 'The Merovingian.'  Although the Merovingian is not the only Exile leader, he certainly carries the most leverage and is the most active in politics against Zero-One.  We do not know if the enemy of our enemy is our friend or not, so we advise caution if you encounter anyone from his group, the Merotechs.  We understand that the Merovingian has spies and operatives everywhere in the Matrix.

"We also understand that there is a kind and peaceloving group of Exiles.  They call themselves 'The Awakened.'  We know little about them, but be cautious, as always.

"You will find that Exiles are unpredictable, both in what level we may be able to trust them and in their ability to manipulate the Matrix.  Most of them are locked into their primary Matrix format and cannot manipulate the code at all.  Nevertheless, they still have finely tuned their skills to near superhuman levels based on their AI capacity and subconscious sentience.  And, of course, some of them can manipulate the Matrix.  The Merovingian, for example, is as powerful as any Agent.

"One Exile, not a member of any organized group, escaped, and we have reason to trust that she is on our side in protecting humankind.  Her name is Cala, and we have assigned her to the Hyperion under Captain Locke."

He shifts some papers and then starts with a new subject.

"The database and the recent mission of the Hyperion also showed us another cell to be careful of.  It is the Shadow Regime.  They are humans in the Matrix -- not AI's.  Their agenda is to bring the Matrix world under human control and take control of the Matrix away from Zero-One.  In so doing, they have made many alliances and are currently in a truce with Zero-One.  They are not to be trusted and will surely destroy us if they see us as a threat.  Nevertheless, if they believe the scales will tip in their favor over Zero-One, we are sure they will betray the truce.  The Shadow Regime lurks everywhere and has significant control in Matrix world politics, military, corporate governance, and the entertainment industry.

"As you may know, members of this Shadow Regime are, like our own people, studying and learning how to manipulate the Matrix.  Therefore, although human, they also can manipulate the Matrix.  We may actually be able to learn new tricks about Matrix manipulation from them."

He looks around at the audience.  "Any questions so far?  I am sure you will have more active dealings with these groups in the near future."

We can assume that all new PC's are also present, so anyone can chime in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:01, Fri 15 July 2005.

 The sentinel rests awkwardly on its mass of legs, completely motionless except for the shifting of its eyes. "These 'Awakened,' do we know anything of their numbers?"

Rabbit hides half her thin face behind a tangle of reddish brown hair that scatters once it hits her shoulders. Off to the side halfway back in the room, she prefers to stand rather than sit or lean against the wall. The woman wears a tank top, jeans, and off brand joggers shoes. The sleeves of her jacket are tied about the waist. Standing 5'9" tall, she appears casual and unmemorable being neither a beauty nor a freak.

"If the rogue elements have been cut off from Zero-One, how are they able to regenerate their code like the Agents, which do not seem to fear destruction? Or if they are not able to replicate themselves, do they suffer from the same individual mortality constraints that we do?"

General Bastion says, "We know very little about the Awakened.  They're numbers change as they recruit more.  Frankly, I was hoping you would know more than we do."

He addresses Rabbit.  "To our knowledge, every AI program is a bit unique in the constraints it has.  Some, if erased off the Matrix, would probably disappear forever.  Some may be able to pull back into their hardware and reenter.  We are not aware of any ability to replicate in the sense of making self copies, but the extent of that knowledge remains to be determined...perhaps by you.  Their abilities are based on their programming, which means that each one is quite individual, some weak and some strong.  Some fearing 'death,' as we may call it, others merely transitioning in and out.  We can only guess, but there may be very powerful AI Exiles out there.  Most, however, we believe to be not much stronger than your average human...we hope."

He shifts from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable that he does not have more definite knowledge to share.

"We have also recovered other data and knowledge which will be shared to you at the Strategy Center.  This includes maps of tactical importance and the locations of key figures within the Matrix.  Any other questions for now?"

Rabbit takes in a breath as though to ask another question. But instead she looks down at the floor, lets it out slowly, and remains silent like the rest of the crowd.

Jade says, "So if we see one of these Exiles or Shadow Regime, should we shoot them or shake hands?"