THE ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA

The symbol of the Weatherman Cult

THE WEATHERMEN CULT

The Weathermen are an illegal organisation dedicated to the destruction of weather control facilities. Because of the underground nature of the cult, not much is known about its origins and methods.

The cult is believed to have originated on Earth in the early atomic age, and the first recorded references to it concern a shadowy figure known as 'MetNet' who operated on the legendary Compunet network.

Later on the cult fused with a militant splinter group from the Union of Weather Forecasters, Abacus Operatives and Inflight Window Cleaners (UWFAOIWC - more usually known as UWOp). The weather forecasters were, understandably, very annoyed that they were no longer able to make inaccurate predictions, and this lead to a number of very public (and embarrassing) protests on public holo channels. UWOp split over the issue and the tactics, and the militant wing became part of the Weathermen.

Leaders of the cult are believed to have always been direct male descendants of the original MetNet, although there is some disagreement by those who ask how anyone so boring could attract a member of the opposite sex for procreation. Supporters of the descendant hypothesis point to the fact that the press releases are as boring and interminable now as they ever were. Recently, the two sides seem to be moving closer together as what is known as the 'clone theory' gains traction.

Unusually, Nightwatch seem to be having trouble infiltrating the cult. This is rumoured to be caused by surveillance operatives falling asleep while listening to suspected cult members' conversations. A recently declassified Nightwatch internal study speculates that there might be a 'boredom gene' which is common to cult members, giving them powers to put their opponents to sleep by talking to them.

Regardless of how they do it, the Weathermen have proved remarkably adept both at sabotaging weather control facilities, and at avoiding capture.