| “ | A non-governmental military organization formed by persecuted Oripathy victims. They rebel against the non-Infected and their oppressive societies. | ” |
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The Reunion Movement, commonly known as Reunion, is the main antagonistic faction of the first part of the Arknights' Main Theme. It is a paramilitary social movement of the Infected which seeks to end all forms of discrimination and oppression by Terran society against them.
Description
A radical
Infected organization, Reunion rallies around the cause of Infected nationalism, rejecting racial and national identities. They aggressively push for acquisition and exploitation of Infected power. Reunion uses violence in their push for justice, having gone so far as to destroy an entire city. This led to the intervention of a pharmaceutical company called "
Rhodes Island," the outcome of which is not yet clear.
[1]Background[edit]
Foundation[edit]
The Infected's plight is one of the factors which led to Reunion's rise
The origins of the Reunion Movement can be traced to the advent of Catastrophes in Terra, which lead to the proliferation of Originium and the Oripathy pandemic. Those who became Infected by Oripathy became marginalized members of society, as due to a widespread misconception exaggerated over the years and despite recent studies proving otherwise, the non-Infected fears that the Infected can spread Oripathy towards others. While some Infected attempted to find a peaceful solution, most notably Rhodes Island who sought to support the Infected through humanitarian and medical aid, not all Infected thinks the same; some believed that such is not enough and peaceful means have failed to completely end the Infected's misery. Instead, the Infected should form a solidarity between each other and resort to violent means so they could force the non-Infected to end the oppression they face.
Reunion fighters camping in an Ursine village
Reunion was founded by Talulah around Terran year 1089, on the third year of living as a political fugitive after she murdered the Duke of Kashchey, whom she "lived" with after being kidnapped.[2] During that time, Talulah has been hiding in a backwater Ursine village in company of Alina, an Infected woman who was also blacklisted by the patrol units, as well as her adoptive parents, Ivan Iziaslav and his wife. The same year, the village was targeted by the authorities realizing their routine inspection for any Infected individuals, only for them to be repelled by Talulah.[3] Talulah attempted to surrender herself upon the next inspection routine, only for Ivan to sacrifice himself by exposing his infection to the soldiers. After burning down the patrol unit, Talulah and Alina proposed the idea of creating an organization that could serve as a shelter for the Infected, thus the Reunion Movement was born.[4]
A group photo from Reunion's early days, featuring (from left to right): FrostNova, Talulah, Alina, Patriot, Sasha, Eno, and a Shieldguard
Talulah originally intended the newborn Reunion to be a shelter for the persecuted Ursine Infected in the Northern Tundra, helping them in exchange of absorbing them into her ragtag group. Alina on the other hand acted as a caretaker and mother figure to the Infected, due to her inability to use her Originium Arts for combat. After months of guerilla warfare and escape, Talulah and Reunion became a headache for the patrol units as they occupied an increasing, alarming amount of space on their reports. Their concerns grew further as Reunion rapidly grew in a short span of time, especially after Talulah struck an alliance with Patriot's Guerrillas, who adopted a combat strategy of fighting the patrol units and mine guards without leaving any survivors in the majority of cases. Furthermore, Talulah also incorporated FrostNova's Yeti Squadron, in addition to former Ursus soldiers and miners, into her ranks, leaving the patrol units unable to wipe them out.[5][6] At first, Reunion waged an armed insurgency primarily against the Ursus Empire for its poor treatment of the Infected, but it later became more active around Terra as a whole through pro-Infected protests and other forms of non-violent civil resistance.
The Chernobog Uprising[edit]
The Reunion Movement assembled
The current Reunion was born after Talulah burned an Ursine village to the ground in retaliation for their killing of the Infected, as well as Alina's death —presumably at the hands of the patrol units. This chain of tragic events left a significant, negative impact on Talulah, and led her to guide Reunion towards a more militant route by propagating hatred towards non-Infected advocating for violent, radical methods of protest, such as riots, sabotage, and even acts of terror for the "Infected cause." As a consequence, the movement has been designated a terrorist organization by all Terran nations.[5] In December of 1096, after advancing southward, Talulah finally pointed her sword against her next target; Chernobog, a nomadic city that rose in prominence in the last few decades. The aftermath of the Great Rebellion further complicated Ursus' political stability for a long time, which allowed Reunion to move between the major armies' buffer zones undetected. The Third Army on the other hand watched with indifference how their pickets fell like flies at the hands of Talulah and her group.[5]
On December 23, the coldest day ever recorded in Chernobog, Reunion's forces instigated a mass-scale uprising in the city, catching the local authorities and citizens alike by surprise.[7] Coincidentally, not only a Catastrophe was forecasted near Chernobog, but Rhodes Island, under Amiya's lead, infiltrated in the city to retrieve the Doctor from the core city's Sarcophagus, eventually getting caught in the crossfire.[8] The estimated death toll of victims from the Catastrophe that day boards tens of thousands, with many more losing their lives during the following two weeks. After Reunion took over most of the city plates with the aid of the local Infected, less than one-third of the troops maintained their military training, nor did they take revenge against the non-Infected. Meanwhile, Talulah set up her main base of operations in Chernobog's control tower.[9]
In truth, Talulah was under the influence of Duke Kashchey of Ursus, who used her position as the leader of Reunion to steer them towards a "self-destructive path," seeing Reunion as the "perfect sacrifice" to further his grand scheme of "making Ursus great again." As a matter of fact, Kashchey used Talulah to set her sights to Lungmen. The intentions were clear; Set a course of collision towards Lungmen and instigate a war with Yan, further damaging its integrity.[2][10] In order to carry out this plan, Talulah sent her main forces to infiltrate and seize Lungmen's slums, where the L.G.D.'s control was albeit weak. Unlike Chernobog, Lungmen didn't underestimate Reunion's strength, and Wei Yenwu, Lungmen's chief executive, already arranged cooperation terms with Rhodes Island.[9] However, Reunion's unrest on Lungmen caused serious damages, including the seizing of the L.G.D. Headquarters, a symbol of Lungmen's security. Luckily, the L.G.D. managed to turn the tides of the conflict in the following nine days, starting from their direct confrontation with Reunion on December 29. The turning point came with R.I.'s infiltration of the Chernobog core city on January 6, 1097. After Patriot's death, the Guerillas accepted to assist R.I.'s on their mission to stop the core city, as a way to honor his deeds, even helping them to repel the Ursus Third Army soldiers who infiltrated Chernobog, disguised as Reunion footsoldiers. At 5:42 PM on that day, after an arduous day of fighting, Rhodes Island managed to foil Kashchey's plan and stop the core city, which slowed down just outside the firing range of Lungmen's defense canons.[9][11][12]
While Reunion had become a puppet to fulfill Ursus' imperialistic ambitions, it was also used as a tool by Regent Theresis of the Military Commission of Kazdel to distract other nations from their mission of unifying the Sarkaz and restoring the genuine "Teekaz" through his sponsorship of mercenaries in the later half of 1096.[13] These mercenaries further strengthened Reunion's power as their leaders reformulated their combat strategies, even killing any Messenger who hysterically requested help from the Ursus Army.[5]
Present days[edit]
After Kashchey's defeat at the climax of the Chernobog Crisis and Talulah's incarceration at R.I., Reunion was weakened to a point that they are no longer a major threat, though the atrocities they committed continued to cast a shadow over Terra. However, Nine managed to reunite the scattered remnants of Reunion and reforms the organization with a new goal: rallying the Infected everywhere they could find so they could forge their own path. Currently, their eyes are set on Victoria as they intend to answer the call for help from the Infected workers in Londinium.
Notable members[edit]
| Character
|
Information
|
Status
|
| Currently the only living founding member of Reunion, formerly acting as the leader until Reunion's defeat in the crisis in Chernobog and her imprisonment in Rhodes Island. Returned to Reunion after being rescued by Nine and the others. | Alive |
| Defected from Lungmen Guard Department during the Reunion attack on Lungmen; currently acts as Reunion's leader following their defeat in the crisis in Chernobog. | Alive |
| One of Reunion's founding members, Talulah's companion, and a mentor for young Reunion members. Died after being attacked by either Ursine Infected Patrolmen or Reunion deserters; her death is the catalyst of Reunion's descent into violence. | Deceased |
| Real name Yelena, Patriot's adoptive daughter and the leader of Yeti Squadron. Died in the aftermath of her last stand against Rhodes Island during the Reunion retreat from Lungmen; later made into a posthumous member of R.I. | Deceased |
| Real name Buldrokkas'tee, the last pureblood Wendigo, leader of Patriot's Guerrillas, and FrostNova's adoptive father. Succumbed to Oripathy in the aftermath of his stand against R.I. during the their infiltration of Chernobog. | Deceased |
| Real name Eno, a Reunion commander and medic, and Faust's companion. Transformed into an avian monster after entering the Chernobog Sarcophagus; status remains unknown as of Episode 14. | Unknown |
| Real name Sasha, a Reunion sharpshooter, leader of Phantom Crossbowmen, and Mephisto's companion. Killed during a battle against the joint R.I.-L.G.D. forces while covering Reunion's retreat from Lungmen. | K.I.A. |
| Formerly an R.I. operator; defected to Reunion after being left behind amidst the destruction of Chernobog. Died in a fire sometime after Reunion's arrival to Victoria. | Deceased |
| Real name Alex, a Reunion squad leader and Misha's younger twin brother. Killed by Amiya during a battle against the joint R.I.-L.G.D. forces after his squad took Misha. | K.I.A. |
| Skullshatterer's older twin sister. Taken by Reunion under Skullshatterer during Reunion's infiltration of Lungmen; killed in a battle against the joint R.I.-L.G.D. forces following Skullshatterer's death after assuming his identity. | K.I.A. |
| An ex-Ursus Imperial Guard swordsman. | Alive |
| A Victorian Infected informant. | Alive |
| Dijkstra | A Columbian hacker and Closure's friend; joined Reunion after an encounter with his Infected friend. Notably paved the way for Reunion's rescue of Talulah by disabling Rhodes Island's systems through a viral e-mail to Closure. | Alive |
| Elba | A Columbian Messenger and survivor of the "Black Hornet" Catastrophe that struck Tkaronto. One of the main characters of A1 Operations Preparation Detachment. | Alive |
| Character
|
Information
|
Status
|
| Employed by Reunion until she cut her ties sometime prior to Rhodes Island's infiltration of Chernobog. | Alive |
| Sent by the Military Commission of Kazdel to fight alongside Reunion during the early stages of the crisis in Chernobog. | Alive |
| Sent by the Military Commission of Kazdel to fight alongside Reunion during the early stages of the crisis in Chernobog. | Alive |
| Real name Lyudmila Ilinichna, a Reunion infiltrator and assassin. Leaves Reunion after their defeat in the crisis in Chernobog; joined R.I. in the aftermath of the Nuova Volsinii Carnevale. | Alive |
| Left Reunion at some point after the crisis in Chernobog alongside his brothers; emigrated to Columbia after the trouble in Dewville and currently running BigBo's Farm. | Alive |
| Left Reunion along with her squad at some point after Big Bob's departure. Briefly opposed R.I. during the crisis in Wolumonde; joined R.I. after being rescued from the Echoes of Herkunftshorn by Logos. | Alive |
| Left Reunion at some point after their attack on Lungmen; brought into R.I. under the recommendation from Lungmen Guard Department. | Alive |
| Left Reunion after suffering an accident during their attack on Lungmen; currently resided in Lungmen as a soda seller. | Alive |
| An Ageless who fights alongside Reunion; temporarily left sometime after their arrival in Victoria. | Active |
Enemies[edit]
Gallery[edit]
A Reunion soldier with a white mask
Ditto, but without the Reunion markings
A Reunion soldier with a black mask
Ditto, but without the Reunion markings
Ditto, channeling their
Arts
Ditto, but without the Reunion markings
Concept art[edit]
In-detail concept art of the
Rioter
- Prior to the release of Episode 08, the Reunion logo is used as the icon of the enemy counter in the HUD.
- Reunion bears some resemblance to the "Outcasts" from Tom Clancy's The Division 2, as both are terrorist groups composed by civilians other people who are infected with a terminal, incurable disease (In the Outcasts' case, the "Dollar Flu.") and seek revenge against society for their suffering and mistreatment.
References[edit]
