Void Siege
The Council dwelled in the shadows of the lands they now rule over for centuries. They met and worked secretly, seeking out practices and experiments that would have them killed if discovered. Even before the great evacuation that saw the Coalition survivors retreat deep into their underground strongholds, most Coalition members were utterly abhorrent to the notions of Artificial Intelligence, genetic manipulation, and cybernetics. Indeed, the Coalition rose against these principles, and to even entertain the idea of these horrific and unnatural practices made you no better than their hated nemesis, the Guardians, who had no such reservations. Such was the hatred many harboured for these practices that anyone caught engaged in such studies was swiftly executed without trial. And so, for an age, the fear and hatred of these ideas held firm while the Council furthered their knowledge and lust for power behind the scenes.
It wasn't until conflict arose with the Drakkaran (The Dark Blade) that the Council became more daring in their pursuits. With the focus shifting from internal affairs to conquest, the Coalition and its rulers, the Primarshals, eased their hunt for members of this underground cult. Then, without warning, the Asylumists came. Tensions between the Coalition and the residents of the Asylum cities had already drawn focus from the Council. With the new threat imposed by the unending hordes, they gained the space they needed to set their ultimate plan into motion. On the front lines, soldiers were dying in their hundreds of thousands, an unsustainable rate compared to the limitless Asylumist creatures that poured over the lands. Even nuclear fire and other more destructive weapons could not slow the tide. The Council watched as all the Primarshal's plans unravelled, armies disintegrating and the enemy drawing closer to Magmanon, the capital and powerhouse of the entire Coalition.
At this point, with the enemy knocking at the door, the Council emerged from the darkness with a chilling proposition. They had created an autonomous soldier that could be mass-produced in limitless quantities using the matter fabricators within Magamanon. This soldier could replace the vast number of dead and push back against the Asylumists. As sickening as the prospect was, the Primarshals had little choice. They agreed to allow the production of the Mechanized soldiers in exchange for the Council's immunity to persecution and execution. This decision was all the Council needed. As the Aslylumists reached the inner sections of Magmanon, they met the new soldiers, and the tide of the Asylumists smashed against the barrier of the Tin-Men. Finally, the Coalition stopped the advance, and as evermore Tin-Men emerged from the factories, they even began to push back the sea. For now, the Council seemed content to be free of the threat of death, but this was not the end of their plan. Later, when the threat from their enemies had diminished, and the first of the great Asylum cities lay before the combined forces of the Coalition and the Drakkaran, the Council revealed its plan. An envoy of Tin-Men entered the hall of the Primarshals with an ultimatum: relinquish power to the Council and surrender to their will or die.
In the aftermath of the civil war, the Council quickly consolidated power. The Primarshals disappeared, thought killed or exiled, and those who fought against the Council forces were re-conditioned via various means. Those who had pledged themselves to the Council could remain in their former positions and enjoy a brief peace. Things would never be the same afterwards. The population of the Coalition lay decimated, and it would not recover for centuries, so the first implementation that the Council oversaw was that of the B.A.G.F. (Biological Auxiliary Growth Facility), a massive facility made to take the D.N.A. of all of the Coalition's remaining population and use it to grow new embryos at an accelerated speed. Although fearful of this new approach, the population was weary from the recent conflicts, so the integration of this new system went unopposed. The Council would also begin introducing other forbidden practices into their new Confederation, a name chosen to separate it from the Coalition that had hated and hunted them. Still, they did so slowly to reduce the chance of an uprising.
Over time, data analysts and intelligence personnel found it mandatory to receive cybernetic augmentation on their eyes and brains, soldiers found their limbs and organs replaced with mechanical copies, and soon, the entire population found that anyone in any position of power had to be augmented or face severe scrutiny and interrogation as to why these "gifts" were being denied. The armed forces became saturated with Mechanized units that bolstered their numbers and kept them in check. Even the walls and statues within the cities seemed to watch for any resistance to the changes. For the Council, it was simple. Anyone who rebelled would have parts of them shut down. Anyone seen acting in a way that was against their plans would quickly disappear, and legions of mechanized troops stood ready to wipe any traitorous generals and their followers from the planet.
Behind the scenes, the Council continued to work on experiments that, if found out, would send the population into disarray and open rebellion. They maintained their secret identities, each known only as a letter, as they appointed themselves to areas of government. C became the head of the civil structure, O of Information and espionage, U of war and the armed forces, N of industry and supply, C2 of drones and robotics, I of Law and Order and L of prosperity and health. L's position projected a caring image to those who heard it, but its resources were used in experiments with brainwashing and interrogation. For decades, the Council tightened their control, but even with their life-prolonging practices, their time was draawing to an end. Deep within the bowels of Magmanon, far beyond curious eyes, they set to work on a device that would solve the irritating problem of mortality. Once completed, the Soul Sphere would contain the minds of the Council and allow them to reign over the Confederation forever. One by one, they succumbed to age, their minds bound to the sphere where they now reside, watching from afar, able to reach out to any mechanized creation to enforce their will.