The Azure Union
The Azure Union is a non-hierarchical umbrella of numerous different cells (“locals”) that grew out of a worker’s rights movement in the early years of the city. Once widely popular, decades of anti-Union propaganda, harsh crackdowns by the government, the increasing radicalization of some cells’ tactics, and the ultimate murder of a large portion of their membership forced the Union underground. Many people believe the Union no longer exists, but small bands of dedicated freedom fighters remain to continue the fight to liberate the people of Midnight City from their corporate oppressors.
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EARLY HISTORY
Founded in 2265 by workers in the Nexite industry, the Azure Union was the first group to stand up to the unified might of the Unseelie Court and Gordian-Allod to demand fair compensation, worker’s rights, and improved safety standards. The name Azure Union was taken from the distinct blue-stained hands common among workers in the Nexite mines and refineries. However, the Union opened itself to all workers willing to fight for a better life.
They soon grew from a labour rights movement into an overall political force, leading protests and strikes to demand better from the government - free elections, representation for the people, guaranteed rights in the face of authoritarian oppression. Though they suffered beatings and persecution from the authorities, the Azure Union showed solidarity and bravery in the face of reprisals and eventually won important victories culminating in the first independent human government elected in 2289.
POPULAR REVOLUTION
The election of the new government proved to be a smoke screen and little changed for the people of Midnight City. The Azure Union continued their fight. Through media campaigns, rallies in the Cortex and on the street, popular protest songs, and charismatic leadership, the Union tapped into the general unrest of the people and gained widespread support. Branches of the Union acted as aid organizations for the neglected poor of the city, providing food, shelter, and medical care. Meanwhile, Azurite representatives were shut out of elections, increasing the discontent among the people.
During this time, the Union began to splinter; while some Azurites believed in legitimizing themselves by working within the system, others argued that the system was so rigged the only path forward was to burn it all down. Different locals, following different leaders with differing levels of revolutionary fervour, began to split apart and work independently of each other. This infighting made the Union weak to Gordian-Allod infiltration and exploitation.
CRACKDOWN AND DECIMATION
Gordian-Allod and Unseelie operatives infiltrated the ranks of the Azure Union in order to stoke the fires of discontent and further splinter the locals. While they amplified the voices of the so-called ‘Baby Blues’ in public spaces and popularized their calls for moderation, compromise, and incremental progress they simultaneously agitated the extremist Navy Blues into harsher and more violent action. When the Navy Blues detonated a bomb - based on manipulated GA intelligence - that killed dozens of people, the authorities seized the opportunity to demonize the entire Union in the media and begin their brutal and efficient reprisals.
Hundreds of Union members and hundreds more of their associates were arrested and imprisoned for decades, while many of the Navy Blues fought to the bitter end and were killed by MCDF troops. When the dust settled and the blood was hosed off the streets, it seemed the Azure Union was broken and its name began to fade from public consciousness.
UNDERGROUND
The Union was not entirely defeated. Some key members survived, but went underground and sought to rebuild the movement in secret. The old divisions remained, however, and for the past several decades the anemic and bickering locals have barely survived in the shadows. The Azure Union now remains divided into three main locals: the Cobalts, who focus on mutual aid and community engagement, growing their numbers in the Zone by offering food/shelter/medical aid/education to the neediest; the Baby Blues, who have embraced their pejorative moniker and still believe they can make progress by playing within the system; and the Navy Blues, taking up the hardliner flag and seeking to disrupt Gordian-Allod and the Unseelie Court with direct violence.
Presently, the Union’s influence doesn’t stretch outside the Zone, where they are most active.
JOINING THE AZURE UNION
The Azure Union can be difficult to contact directly, and ever since GA’s infiltration decimated them they have been extremely careful about admitting outsiders into their ranks. Establishing a working relationship with the Union will take time, and requires the prospective member to prove themselves loyal over a series of meetings and assignments while the Union’s hackers run a background check.