Rust: IVUS Researcher

SANCTUARY Databanks Entry #120004: IVUS

Entity Designation: Faction
Threat Level: Extremely High (Read Below)
Technological Level: Extremely High
Territories: Fringes, System CE42D ("Attrius")

Description: Well before the Collapse, IVUS existed as a corporation dealing in high end upgrades to anything from weaponry to vehicles to everyday, civilian devices. Though often very pricey, anything upgraded by IVUS could hardly be topped by any of their competitors, including Visor Electronics and Solari-6. Their custom technology found their way into the households of the richest and most powerful in the galaxy, in the hands of private armies, and in the hoards of high-end collectors.

Near the Collapse, IVUS was given an extremely advanced Labori to upgrade, a prototype for a new line of "ARTs" (Automated Research Tool). While ARTs existed as simple drones in the years prior, providing something little more than a tireless lab assistant, 'Workov,' as this ART was nicknamed, was to be able to generate its own scientific knowledge at speeds unheard of. The Labori was to bring in a new age of scientific expansion.

But only a week after receiving the Labori, IVUS researchers were interrupted by the massive PSA warning everyone to stop consuming USR products due to the presence of the highly addictive drug 'Arquestine.' Of course, the Collapse occurred only seven hours afterward, killing many of the IVUS researchers before a small group realized everyone was dying due to withdrawal symptoms. Immediately putting themselves in stasis, they set Workov to eliminate the threat of the addiction.

In the ghostly shell of IVUS' mobile research facility, Workov worked for many years, researching Arquestine and its mechanism that causes such strong and deadly addiction. Finding the mechanism to be largely a mutagen, the Labori developed a complex gene therapy to make the remaining researchers immune to the addiction, but due to his incompleteness, was not able to make the fix perfect. When the researchers were released from their stasis, Workov informed them they were cured, but almost completely infertile.

This all occurred nearly four centuries ago. IVUS exists as one of the only factions in the galaxy that is immune to the addiction. However, due to their near infertility, the faction is growing smaller each generation. IVUS also exists as one of the only factions with able researchers and pristine-grade technology, making their personnel and equipment (especially Workov) very desirable to SANCTUARY.

Despite their technological superiority, IVUS is largely a pacifist faction, content to stay within their well hidden research facility located somewhere in an asteroid belt in the Attrius System. Their threat rating comes from their sister faction, dubbed 'Corporation.' While they still call themselves IVUS, Corporation is a distinct faction that shares the powerful technology of IVUS, but none of the pacifism. Compelled by their mission to collect high-end Labori in order to adequately upgrade Workov, Corporation will stop at nothing. Ruthlessly effective, they remove all opposition either by intimidation or by force. All SANCTUARY officers are recommended to stand down in the face of Corporation aggression, as all confrontations with the faction have ended in failures for SANCTUARY. The most notable incident is the attempted raid of Attrius. Even with three fleets, all headed by Citadel warships, the SANCTUARY force was no match for the laser-equipped Corporation ships that immediately FRSTed in in response.

Granted all of this, the end remark on IVUS is that they're an extremely valuable target, but as it stands, SANCTUARY has no means to attack them due to Corporation's presence.