PHANTOM

''Underground sects rally in resistance to the tight control AER exerts over their digital world. The two most notable are Phantom and, to a lesser degree, the Black Market.''

PHANTOM is the organization Hackers secretly work for.

In-game you might hear whispers of them or spot propaganda, but you only meet one non-player character who is a member: the Phantom Trader in the Wilderness.

If Hackers successfully hack all Agents but one, PHANTOM wins the game.

PHANTOM's mascot is a white raven, genetic anomalies capable of traveling to and from the AERIE and real world at whim.

Philosophy & Opposition
PHANTOM is a renegade organization intent on "freeing" citizens of the AERIE from their dependence on the digital world, and return their attentions to rebuilding the real one. Many members reject AER's tight enforcement of a consumerist AERIE society. Some deride its conformist cyberculture.

The majority of AERIE citizens disagree with PHANTOM, seeing the AERIE as a blessing that pulled them from hardship and gave them a safe, luxurious alternative to the ravaged real world.

Hackers
Hackers are Phantom operatives, usually very tech savvy, who combat AER by hacking into AERIE's code. Many go undercover as Agents to get the opportunity to hack other Agents out of the AERIE mainframe.

Others
Some characters have expressed their support for PHANTOM, like the NPC Yeoc, but wouldn't necessarily get involved in that messy business themselves.

The Phantom Trader is a PHANTOM member stationed in the Wilderness. He or she requires anyone who wishes to return to AERIE to collect parts. The Trader can help recharge a player's HoloDev with ionized parts, and in the meantime can have their Hackerbird - a trained white raven - bring credits to Agent's friends still in the AERIE.

As he puts newly hacked Agents to work, the Phantom Trader also references PHANTOM's goals. As he explains before reionizing them for return to AERIE, he never intended to keep them from their world forever - he just hopes that after their experience, the player might begin to see things PHANTOM's way.

White Ravens
The white raven serves as P