A closer look at the no-nonsense, anti-terraforming clan: the Sons of Hephaestus.
The Sons of Hephaestus are here to get things done. These guys would be able to thrive on a desert island with their practical skills and natural instinct for survival. What sets the faction apart from the rest is their focus on planetary purity — the belief that every planet has inherent rights. This philosophy has made the group engineers by necessity, making The Sons of Hephaestus and their revolutionary characteristics a tough and resourceful team well-equipped for intergalactic survival.
No-frills craftsmanship
The Sons of Hephaestus are practical people. They survey their surroundings and make use of the resources available to them. Predominately coming from working class backgrounds, they have the trades and problem-solving skills that enable them to adapt to the new and interesting planets they inhabit. Although part of this engineering background stems from their tradition of being hired by corporations to build and maintain systems across the solar system, another is due to their belief that humanity has no business majorly altering another world. This means living in spacefaring metal mobile homes, and their lives depend on the facilities working properly.
Practicality trumps aesthetics
With expertise in construction and fabrication, the Sons of Hephaestus are industrious folk. They are focused on practicality and use-value rather than aesthetic appeal. One might consider them to be totally in contrast to The Daughters of Gaia in this regard, as the Sons prefer function over form while the Gaians are quite the opposite. While their developments have a no-frills design, they are made for ease of use – which is again necessary, since children must learn engineering as soon as they are old enough to hold a wrench. They are planet-loving people and respect each world for its individual and unique characteristics that can be used to support homonization. They do not feel that every planet should have the characteristics of planet Earth.
The irony of the group
Because of their direct, blunt, and no-nonsense approach, The Sons of Hephaestus are thought of by some as brutish and unintelligent who are ignorant to the views of those outside their circle. People also regard them to be extremist hicks due to their working-class roots. Ironically, the opposite is quite true! They are an incredibly well-educated group who depend on their deep engineering knowledge to survive in the desolate vastness of space. With a belief that intelligence allows them to be better prepared for survival, The Sons of Hephaestus possess both academic and practical knowledge in order to help them build and sustain habitats on other planets.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
The Sons of Hephaestus have a brash and rugged appearance, fitting of a typical blue-collar worker. With muscular physiques and rugged, utility-focused clothing they are able to build and retain habitability on new planets. They even have members in nearly every known off-world society. They are collectivist in nature, preferring the objectives of the group rather than those of an individual. This demonstrates their compassion when exploring beyond their tough exterior.
This anti-terraforming splinter group are concerned with preventing contamination in the quest for planet homonization. They have the practical and resourceful skills to achieve planetary purity and will fight hard to obtain independence — judge them at your own risk!