Bisonus Aeternus / BISONS

“The following account summarizes my investigation of Bisonus Aeternus, a religious order founded during the Vanduul invasion of the Tiber System. They believe the Bison, a cosmic entity, saved them and communicated its message through their leader, the Magnus. In their faith, the verse’ constantly experiences four cyclical ages: Cataclysm, Deliverance, Ascendancy, and Triumph. For my research, I interviewed numerous Bisonus Aeternus members.”

-Dr. Richard Marlow, PhD., Dunlow College of Anthropology, Crusader.

Cataclysm:

“Tiber’s sky raged like a wrathful god, spewing hellish fire and pummeling the planet’s surface with the shattered carcasses of warships.”

-Excerpt from “An Elegy for Tomb”, unknown author, Siege of Tiber II, 2736

When the United Empire of Earth’s Fleet (UEE) retreated from Tiber II, the Tiberians had already endured four unrelenting years of Vanduul invasion. The grueling siege cost millions of lives and transformed the once-thriving pit-stop between the Virgil and Orion systems into a graveyard. Vanduul Clans ravaged Tiber II’s resources with their destructive war machines, the harvesters. The harvesters consumed all matter, including the remains of the fallen, and turned them into a biological substance to fuel their conquest. The UEE Imperator, Galor Messer IX, ordered massive bombing campaigns to render Tiber II lifeless, sacrificing even more lives in a fruitless attempt to salvage his reputation. Tiber II was so thoroughly destroyed that it became known as Tomb, where only the boldest scavengers dare venture today. On the apocalyptic Tomb, Bisonus Aeternus was born.

Deliverance:

“The Bison first appeared in my dreams. At first, I didn’t recognize it, but somehow I knew it was trying to tell me something. Then I heard a voice… an incomprehensible voice…a calming voice…I knew I had to find him…the Magnus.”

-Tiberian account on discovering the Magnus, Tomb, 2737

While hiding from roving Vanduul warbands, the Tiberians dreamt of the Bison and a voice. Hundreds heard the voice’s call and traveled across the dangerous wasteland to find it. Many pilgrims succumbed to starvation, the elements, or Vanduul attacks, and their remains are solemn markers of the Tiberians’ sacrifice. Their pilgrimage ended at the Final Refuge, an expansive cavern deep within an uncharted mountain range. Inside, the Magnus patiently awaited the pilgrims’ arrival. He tended to their wounds and helped them recover. On the fourth day, he led the pilgrims through the gloom to a partially collapsed hangar entrance and began to speak.

Ascendancy:

“You have endured unimaginable sacrifices to reach our Final Refuge, but your suffering shall not be in vain. Our cosmic protector has bestowed upon us the means to reach our salvation, and we shall not let it slip from our grasp!”

-Excerpt from the Magnus’ first sermon, Final Refuge, Tomb, 2737

The pilgrims worked tirelessly to unbury the hangar while they repaired the Zeus MK I and the three Gladius fighters trapped inside. Other pilgrims scoured the desolate wasteland for supplies, but a Vanduul warband spotted a returning expedition and attacked the Final Refuge. The Vanduul assault quickly overwhelmed their defenses, forcing them to evacuate on the damaged ships. Only the Zeus, piloted by the Magnus, and nineteen survivors reached open space. The other pilgrims and Gladius fighters sacrificed themselves in a ferocious final stand. The Magnus quantum jumped towards the Virgil system, but the Vanduul pursued. In an act of desperation, the Magnus exited mid-quantum jump and irrevocably changed their future.

Triumph:

“Their eyes were almost lifeless but burned with the intensity of a dying star. They were ghostly…just as haunted as the world they fled.”

-Hurston resident’s first encounter with a Tiberian, Hurston, 2908

In 2908, the Zeus appeared at Hurston. The Tiberians abroad were seemingly unharmed by their impossible journey, but their hair turned chalk-white, and their eyes were pale blue. Bisonus Aeternus was aimless until they witnessed Hurston Dynamics (HD) behavior on Stanton I, an affront to the Bison’s message. The Magnus undermined HD’s authority by organizing striking workers and allegedly supplying weapons to insurgent groups. In 2924, twelve people were killed by HD security during a march on Hurston Dynamics Headquarters. The Order went underground for three decades and formed four denominations: Tiberian, Promethean, Samaritan, and Empyrean. In 2954, Bisonus Aeternus reemerged at the Intergalactic Space Expo with the funding to purchase two Polaris Class corvettes and unknown ambitions for the verse’.