"When the Black Marker was first discovered on Earth so long ago, the government at the time hid all evidence of it from us. When our prophet Michael Altman spoke out against them, he was silenced. Now EarthGov continues that legacy. They tamper with the Markers – making blasphemous copies as part of their secret research programs. They have taken our sacred relic and turned it into a disease. But nature has ways of correcting itself. By liberating the Markers we can end this cycle of death and begin the cycle of rebirth. Join me as we take back our future - the future the Marker promises to us all."

—Jacob Arthur Danik's speech to the members of the Circle.^[2]

The Unitologist Uprising is a conflict between EarthGov and extremist Unitologist groups such as the Circle. The conflict escalated to violence in 2514 after a year-long campaign by the Church of Unitology against EarthGov,^[3] which took advantage of the general population's increasingly anti-EarthGov sentiments following the Titan Station disaster.^[4]

Prelude

"We, the children of the Marker, grow tired of the oppressive, thinly-veiled attacks from EarthGov on our rights to worship as we please. Reduced hours of operation for the Church. Fire marshal restrictions on the size of revival events, permits needed to distribute literature. These are all poorly concealed attempts to quash the truth. OUR TRUTH. And they will not succeed. The blasphemous, short-sighted, reckless, destructive and hopeless path that EarthGov has us on is a dead end. One that only Unitology has the answer to. Altman has foreseen it, and we are blessed to execute it. Prepare yourselves brothers and sisters. Convergence is nigh."

—"Altman's Footsteps: A publication for the followers of Michael Altman"^[5]

The Markers, the pillars of the Unitologist religion, were being tested in labs by EarthGov to generate endless energy and to be the objects of "disrespectful" experiments, something considered sacrilegious. The Necromorphs were considered by the Unitologists to be proof that the Marker could bring about eternal life, and the horrific nature of their outbreaks was dismissed by Unitologist leaders such as Jacob Danik as being the necessary consequences for EarthGov's disrespectful tampering with their captive Marker copies.^[6]

The prelude to this full-scale uprising against EarthGov was the Titan Station incident in 2511, in which Unitologist forces sabotaged EarthGov's Project Telomere and unleashed the power of the Site 12 Marker on the station. At the same time, a team led by Daina Le Guin attempted to capture Isaac Clarke for the Church due to his status as a "maker" and knowledge for building Markers. While this attempt failed and Titan Station was ultimately destroyed before a Convergence Event could occur, the incident led to increasing anti-EarthGov sentiments in the general population,^[4] which the Church took advantage of in the following years.

By 2513, led by the militant faction known as the Circle, the Unitologists properly began their campaign to free all the Markers from EarthGov control in an attempt to bring about Convergence.^[7][8]

The War

"EarthGov officials yesterday denied rumors that the government was no longer able to contain the widespread violence that has gripped the colonies in recent weeks. The violence began 16 days ago on Uxor following a year-long campaign by the Church of Unitology. Five colonies have gone dark since the Unitology riots began. There have been rumors of bombings at government laboratories and eyewitness accounts of brutal killings following shortly after."

—Excerpt from "An End to EarthGov?" in 2514.^[3]

In the aftermath of the Titan Station incident in 2511, EarthGov experienced significant turmoil within its infrastructure. In the following three years, the efforts of the followers of Unitology to weaken EarthGov's military and favor among the public doubled. The Circle, a Unitologist group led by Jacob Arthur Danik, played a significant part in the insurrectionist campaign against EarthGov.

The Circle's belief was that EarthGov's experiments on Markers were sacrilegious; with the apparent end of human existence at hand, the Unitologists began to attack EarthGov Marker test sites to free the artifacts from the government's control. EarthGov's inability to curb the Unitologist efforts became apparent to the public, and at least five colonies, including Uxor, fell dark over a period of sixteen days. However, EarthGov refused to admit the severity of the situation. The next colony attacked was New Horizons on Luna.

By the year 2514, EarthGov's structure was failing; their status among the public had fallen. Even though there were a few hold outs, including the Earth itself, that continued to support the government establishment, the general interstellar population had become extremely opposed to EarthGov rule.^[4]

Following Jacob Danik's death on Tau Volantis, the Circle supposedly dissolved, removing a powerful and influential faction from the conflict.

Gallery

A New Horizons Security officer executed by Unitologists.

Vandalized EarthGov posters found on Luna.

Sources