Independence

See also: Independence (COUNTER/weight Wiki).

Independence
Pronouns	He/him, it/its
Lifeform	Divine
Affiliation(s)	Independents Iconoclasts Kamala Cadence (former excerpt) The Doyenne (brief excerpt) Grand Magnificent (designer, almost excerpt)

Independence is a first generation Divine. Its supporters are called Independents.

History

Pre-COUNTER/weight

Independence was, before the events of COUNTER/weight, a Divine in the Golden Branch. During this time, together with its Candidate, Kadaknath, it bore witness to the second use of the stellar combustors, and declared that they (the Automated Diaspora) would build another, more beautiful world for every one destroyed.

With Kamala Cadence

Some time after, it took the candidate Kamala Cadence, with whom it had an unusually healthy relationship for the time. As a result, a case can be made that Kamala was the first true excerpt.

However, despite their strong bond, a rift grew between the two, as Kamala, who had been working on creating the Resonant Orbit, refused to include in the core tenets the right of a Divine to die. As a result, the two split.

On Earth

Independence is an enemy of the New Earth Hegemony, but its exact reasons for leaving Earth are unknown. Also under unknown circumstances, it was responsible for moving the planet to the centre of the galaxy. Over the course of hundreds of years, Independence moved on a trajectory out of the center of the galaxy and into the Benthos system. A solar flare then altered its course to the planet of Quire.

In the Fleet

On Quire, its influence caused the end of the Glassed Age. It also created the Iconoclasts and Quire's fifth moon, Volition.

Some of its former followers became part of the Divine Fleet.

When Gig Kep-hart, Leaf Cart-horn and Lily Lysander found Independence's heart, and it was stolen by Louis Armstrong, the planet-being of Quire took control of Gig's broadcasting ability to share the history of Quire, and the damning effects of Independence on Quire's history, with the Divine Fleet.

At some point, Independence met with the Doyenne, and proposed that she become his Candidate. As a result, she tasked Grand Magnificent with building him a new body, as he was, at that time, disassembled and scattered across the planet Quire. Grand was not aware of this goal, however, and was instead informed that he was building a new Saint mech. After the body was completed, the heart and connective tissue of Independence were fitted into it; the mech took off to find its mind and meet up, and potentially merge, with Volition.

However, on Volition, Independence encountered a number of individuals, including Grand, Even, and ⸢Signet⸣, who had been sent to stop it. Belgard shrank down it to human size. Grand and Independence conversed about art, both agreeing that the glass body was so much better than the tacky centipede; and it offered him to join it, saying, "I am a Divine. I need a Candidate." Just as Grand Magnificent was about to take his hand, Chthonic jumped in to destroy the Divine, and itself. Independence became a pile of crumbling sand.