White Flame and Black Rose

White Flame

In their side of the Expanse, the White Flame act as guardians of trade, science and humanity. At the centre of their philosophy is a powerful humanism. The White Flame believe that while the human body and mind should be augmented, it should not be fundamentally changed. Alien beings should not be integrated into human society, and humans should be separate from aliens, biologically and socially. Alien species may inspire humans but human societies and human beings should remain human creations.

The fundamental conflict within the White Flame has been over the creation of non-human intelligences. Is it acceptable to integrate animal traits into a human? Is it acceptable to build artificial intelligences with non-human bodies.

The central White Flame organization has gradually softened its attitude to these questions. On the question of biology allowing some integration of terran animal DNA into humans but flatly rejecting the integration of anything sourced from alien beings. For AIs they have gradually allowed the creation of non-human devices, even ones as smart as human. They are insistent however that inhuman intelligences are worthy of more limited rights than human ones, and truly sapient AIs should be as human as possible.

This latter has led to the creation of numerous humanoid gynoids and mental links which can allow even powerful AI intelligences a human perspective. It has also split the organization, with the powerful purist faction believing that these steps go too far and their creations are abominations or at least, aliens.

The White Flame originally became powerful by its control over space travel and trade routes. White Flame orbital structures and enclaves provided bases for early expanse space craft, almost all of which were under White Flame control. It also acted as a way to spread knowledge through the Expanse, providing specialists to those colonies that needed them, and to spread knowledge between various universities and institution.

Over time the White Flame has lost its trade monopoly but parleyed it into a series of other resources, population, armies and fleets. These resources including enclaves often the size of whole cities on most worlds. There are few civilized systems in the Expanse that don't have some level of white flame presence. They also remain deeply imbedded in the Expanse's knowledge base, with most large universities having some level of White Flame funding and involvement. Many scientists also follow the White Flame ethos, and there's a continual brain drain of direct recruitment.

This widespread presence has allowed them to serve as international mediator and organizer. White Flame diplomacy has pulled together coalitions against several alien invasions and other emergencies. They also offer fair justice for other organizations over interstellar distances and when sovereignty is in dispute, as it often is in the Expanse.

A final source of power are the ancient covenants allow the White Flame to collect a security tax from vessels plying most trade routes. In return they maintain patrols and keep pirates at bay.

Subgroups

Purists

Purists believe that the creation of any form of inhuman minds by humans, or the inclusion of any form of non-human (as in, sourced from another life form) biological material into a human is an abomination. This creed gained population among several expanse nations who wished to gain freedom from the White Flame's central organizational power. The split remains to this day, with the main White Flame organization being profoundly hostile to its extremists.

Spinward

Due to the expansion of White Flame territory, the organization has developed a geographical dimension as well as a philosophical one. In general Spinward White Flame tend to be more independent of the centre, but also more deeply monopolistic and maintaining their ancient rights more assiduously. This is partly due to different traditions, but also due to their lack of the massive power of the central organization.

Black Rose

The Black Rose are a far more religious group than the White Flame, their power based as much on faith as on utility. The organization seeks to emulate the angels, ancient, shape shifting beings who's existence first showed humanity the heights which it is possible for the arts of the sapient mind to scale. The organization is named after the great rose fields of Garden, where the organizations capital is built. It is said that any who visit will be inspired with the glory of the angels and know that they are truly the hope for humanity.

Only by emulating the angels can humanity truly reach its potential, or so the Black Rose believe. To this end much of their effort is spent on in the investigation of the ruins of angels and other ancient alien life forms in search of clues to how humanity may better advance. Other parts of the organization look for new ways to enhance themselves to better become like the Angels in mind and body.

As well as this spiritual power, the Black Rose maintain their prestige through extensive knowledge control. As the guardians of the Angels law, the church is the primary source of new science and technology for its side of Paradise. More than that it is the best source of investigators for ancient ruins, an effort that has given much success to those who pursue it. Indeed most states in Paradise have laws that allow only Dark Roseagents to enter such ruins. These laws are enforced not just by the threat of loss of access to the church's knowledge base but by extensive temporal power as well. The Black Rose maintains numerous orders of full time warriors called paladins who protect ruins, seekers and Black Rose installations.

Unlike the White Flame the Black Rose have no problem with aliens or with augmenting the human body in ways that make it less human. Many experimental augmentations and transhuman and transalien designs have been created to become closer in form or mind to the Angels.

This has created some concerns in the organization and there is a split between those who would prefer to seek more knowledge as humans, and those who wish to transform themselves now. The former, called Seekers, argue that too much augmentation may risk taking them further from the Angels. On the other side, the second factions, the transformists, believe that only by changing their perspective from a flawed human one can they truly understand the Angels thoughts.

The geographical nature of colonization has also led to many smaller sects in distant places, though most still pay heed to directives from garden when they arrive, and pay attention to keeping the secrets and expertise of the church. The specific territory owned by the Black Rose is less extensive than that owned by the White Flame. However they tend to be much more integrated into local power structure. In paradise, even many officials of other states join the Black Rose.

A final part of the Dark Rose program is widespread use of uplift. It is thought by many transformists that the more alien species are integrated into the Black Rose fold the better their perspective on the Angels will become. Some even believe that non-sapient creatures should be uplifted, though this view is controversial and rejected by the central church on the grounds that it goes against the apparent Angel doctrine of terraforming and the preservation of the natural world.

The uplift doctrine has proven problematic in some cases, as not every alien species encountered wants to be uplifted to the Black Rose's design. None so far have resisted with force, but in time the doctrine may lead the church to a war against those they'd help.

Subgroups

Seekers

Transformers

Upliftists.