- "The Shadow Knows"
- ―Shadow Gate Motto
Shadow Gate is a Battleteam within House Qel-Droma of Clan Arcona. It comprises the elite agents operating to secure the interests of the Shadow Clan, through espionage, intelligence gathering, subversion, political machinations, and assassinations.
Battleteam History
First Run
Originally founded in early 31 ABY, Shadow Gate was an oddity as it broke the stereotype of other Battleteams; while Shadow Gate members were all combat-trained and capable Dark Jedi, their methods of operation revolved not in the realm of commando tactics and overt assault, nor was it a covert operations unit. Instead, they dealt in the world of passive intelligence gathering and special ventures, which included striking deals with the seedier elements of the galaxy and securing items of interest through bartering, haggling, and occasionally, thievery.
Shadow Gate's first leader was the then-Guardian Driftan Housan, an up-and-coming Arconan prodigy who, from the very earliest stages of his training, displayed the levelheadedness and intellect to lead this unorthodox unit.
Decommissioning
Shadow Gate was shut down at the same time that Arcona lost its clan status, but the members of the team at that time archived all of the information in their databases, counting on a future date when it would be needed again.
Revival
Once the Shadow Clan was reformed, then there was once again a need for the Battleteam and the gatekeepers were recalled to active duty. The first of the new Gate Keepers was Talos Erinos, but duties in other parts of the Brotherhood quickly claimed him. Solus Gar was the next to hold the mantle, but soon he too was needed elsewhere. Sanguinus was the next to lead the team, followed by Socorra, Zakath and Deimos d'Tana. The Battleteam was then once again shut down, until 38 ABY, where it was determined that Arete no longer fulfilled the needs of Clan Arcona, and in its place, Shadow Gate was once again brought back to life through the help of Rrogon Skar. With its new leader the battle team was commissioned to form a unit of mercenaries, and grow this company large enough to take over Port Ol'Val.
Inside the Gates (Methods of Operation)
Deep-Cover Aliases (DCA)
First and foremost, each Shadow Gatekeeper, including the Gatewarden, has the opportunity to create one or more in-depth, cover identities for use while active on Port Ol’val. Known as a Deep-Cover Alias, or DCA, these faux identities are created for the dual purposes of making intelligence gathering easier while also protecting the Gatekeeper’s true identity, thereby protecting House Qel-Droma and Clan Arcona as a whole.
Given the importance of the DCA to the work of the battle team, every possible effort is put into the creation of a new cover. Each possible aspect of the personality that is to be assumed is filled in, such as birthdate, home planet, family status, social background. Even the minute data of what brand their first speeder was, or where they worked their first job is covered. The idea is to make the identity airtight--able to hold up against the most dedicated scrutiny and attempts to reveal it to be a fake. In fact, the last step in the process before any DCA can be considered complete is that all of the other members of Shadow Gate use all of their skills to attempt to crack the facade of the cover. Only when they all fail is the seal of approval given for field use. A testament to the success and skill of the team in the creation of these covers came about 2 years ago when one of the cover identities received a summons for jury duty!
Commonly, the Gatekeepers use their Deep-Cover Aliases to infiltrate one of Port Ol’val’s pre-established and already known organizations, as House Qel-Droma does not sponsor a front company or have a “public” face on Ol’val; indeed, the only people who actually know of Shadow Gate’s presence in the Port are the Arconae and the Clan Summit along with the House Summit. Due to the free reign that the team is given to operate, day to day details of specific operations are kept classified, and not reported higher up the chain.
As such, each Deep-Cover Alias is kept in the utmost secrecy by the House and there are no hardcopy records of the DCAs and their creators/users anywhere in the Dajorra System, from the High Summit to the Dajorra Intelligence Agency, as the compromising of even one DCA could throw Qel-Droma's position on Port Ol’val into chaos. Because of this ever looming risk, only the Gatewarden and the benefactor known as “Blindman” are privy to the knowledge of exactly who is who.
Not every member of Shadow Gate resorts to a single DCA, however. For example, known Arconan Ronovi Tavisaen resorted to multiple impromptu identities for each separate mission she undertook while on Ol'val. In fact most of the operatives have a bevy of different personas in their repertoire that they can use as covers at any given moment, although it is true that each agent tends to pick a favorite that is their most fleshed out and back-stopped cover.
DCA examples
Some examples of known DCAs are:
- Jocjo Blueen--Managing Director of Olex Corporation is the known DCA of Gatewarden Andrelious J. Inahj
- Tyros Rhal--Conman, gambler, jack of all criminal trades is the DCA of Gatekeeper Scelestus
Safehouses
The Gilded Credit
Upsilon 3
In addition to setting up their DCAs, all gatekeepers have the task of finding and establishing various safehouses around the port. This practice gives the agents safe places to rest, relax, and lay low when necessary and it also allows for the expansion of the team’s area of influence. The location of a safehouse should be in a such a place that people coming and going at any hour of the day won’t arouse suspicion. Ideally it would be a location with multiple entrance and exit points. It should also be nondescript, and unlikely to attract attention from either the authorities or criminal elements. A known crack house, for example, makes a poor safehouse. The current safehouses listed below both meet all of the aforementioned requirements.
Current Safehouses
- The Gilded Credit, a casino.
- Upsilon 3, a grounded naval vessel.
Adaptive Reconnaissance Intelligence Agents (ARIA)
Adaptive Reconnaissance Intelligence Agent is the “occupational code” associated with Shadow Gate’s more “combative” side, for as well-versed as each Gatekeeper is in spying, each is also a trained tactical operator, supposedly working out of the Adaptive Reconnaissance Intelligence Division of the Dajorra Intelligence Agency.
This is a widespread misconception, as neither the DIA, nor any of the Arconan Military Corps., have a division known as the ARIA. However, neither side has gone to any great lengths to stop the circulation of the misconception, as it has served both Shadow Gate and the DIA well; for Shadow Gate, it provides the Battleteam with another organization to hide behind, while it allows the DIA to bask in the glory and praise of Shadow Gate’s accomplishments, as all “ARIA” operations, both successes and failures, are attributed to the DIA.
As for the exact role of the Adaptive Reconnaissance Intelligence Agents, it varies very little from the role that the Deep-Cover Aliases play, except for one major difference. Whereas “covert” and “clandestine” are the watchwords with the Deep-Cover Aliases, “aggressive ” is a more fitting description of the ARIAs; they are tasked with the covert, but aggressive, gathering of intelligence as there are always situations, especially on Port Ol’val, where intelligence cannot be gathered through “clandestine” means, no matter how proficient the spy is. The only way to that intelligence is through bloodshed.
File:Balaclava.jpgBalaclavas
Thus, ARIA operations are handled very professionally and tactically and despite the agents being the same people as their DCAs, there is no resemblance between the two divisions of Shadow Gate. During ARIA operations, Gatekeepers wear a hood and balaclava as part of their Fortea Operations Armor to conceal their faces and outward communication is kept at a minimum (though agents are free to speak via the encrypted throat-mics they wear).
However, as total silence is impossible during any sort of operation, Shadow Gate has taken a few precautions. Callsigns are used in the place of names and are randomly assigned before each mission, and no agent uses the same one more than once adding to the layers of secrecy that keep them safe. For communication, simple sign language commands have been drilled into each Gatekeeper’s head.
Additionally, it is almost always the duty of Shadow Gate to act on the intelligence gathered by both of the Battleteam’s divisions.. Acting on intelligence includes actions such as ambushing arms deals and drug shipments, destroying or sabotaging property, and assassinating key targets, both political and criminal.
Therefore, acting on intelligence usually requires Gatekeepers to use their ARIA training but there is always the occasional need for Gatekeepers to step back into their DCAs and go even deeper undercover.
Training
Shadow Gate personnel receive double the training of most Battleteams, as both of Shadow Gate’s roles must be catered to. However, the doubled time and difficulty of the training results in double the benefits received at the end, as by the time Gatekeepers are activated, they are probably bi-lingual and can withstand a wide array of interrogation techniques, while also being able to conduct a tactical assault operation with maximum efficiency and lethality.
Training Regimen Alpha
Subjects Covered:
- Criminal behavior/mannerisms
The training for Deep Cover operations, codenamed Training Regimen Alpha, is a “passive-intensive” training program designed to teach Shadow Gate personnel how to be effective in deep-cover scenarios and create natural, believable cover identities. In addition to that, instruction in how to withstand interrogation, how to blend in with society and how to analyze the various types of criminal behaviors and mannerisms is also provided.
Regimen Alpha is taught by employees of the Dajorra Intelligence Agency, from both the Bureau of Analysis and the Bureau of Operations, and lasts roughly 8 weeks. Weeks 1-4 have recruits creating, fine-tuning, and learning to use their Deep-Cover Aliases, while Week 5 is dedicated solely to society integration. Weeks 6 and 7 are often referred to as "Torture Week", due to the fact that it is during these 14 days that potential Gatekeepers are taught how to resist interrogation...first hand. Finally, Week 8 instructs the near-graduates on the various types of criminal behaviors and mannerisms that they may encounter while operating in Port Ol'val.
Despite "Torture Week", the Regimen itself is classified as “passive-intensive” due to the fact that no “hot” instruction, such as live-fire exercises, takes place. This is not to say, however, that the Regimen is an easy course; indeed, Regimen Alpha taxes its students just as hard mentally and emotionally as Regimen Bravo does physically.
Training Regimen Bravo
Subjects Covered:
- Slicing
- Bypassing security measures
- Demolitions
- General Physical Conditioning
This part of the training is much more physically challenging and is geared toward honing the body to become the weapon it will need to be to allow the gatekeeper to survive in the field. Weeks of intense physical training, involving sleep deprivation and reduced caloric intake are interspersed with training in slicing, lockpicking, demolitions, and a variety of other skills that could be called upon out on the job. The regimen changes frequently with recruits running 6 miles one day, wearing a heavy pack, to picking complex locks underwater the next day. The extreme conditions and constant guessing about what tomorrow holds is intentional and designed to teach the trainees to perform under pressure and maintain their mental toughness, even as they build the physical strength needed to complete their variety of missions. Weapons training is also a critical part of this step, ensuring that each agent that graduates the course is a crack shot and a master with the blade. The 8 weeks are undoubtedly brutal and a number of candidates have either quit or had to be removed for medical reasons, but the success of the members of Shadow Gate is a glowing testament to the efficacy of the training program and the quality of recruits that are able to make it through.
Standard Loadout
Weapons
While the operatives of Shadow Gate can and do use a variety of weapon types to accomplish their missions, there are a couple of items that tend to show up frequently in the personal inventories of the members of the team. Silence and subterfuge are obviously the traits of choice and their weapons reflect this.
Czerka Arms SH-9 Silenced Slugthrower
This primitive pistol has long been a mainstay for those who want to be neither seen nor heard when they need to kill. The weapon can easily be concealed and the ten round magazine that can fire a number of different types of rounds make it versatile enough to get the job done. The screw in suppressor makes it almost impossible to detect the report of the shot.
Cred-knife
The original creator of this item has been lost to the ravages of time, but the idea has been used for decades. A basic, innocent looking cred stick has been hollowed out to conceal a knife blade. The stick is separated into two halves with one forming the handle and the other the 'sheath'. It is well balanced for throwing and razor sharp. A couple of years back a way was discovered to coat it with a sensor baffle allowing it to bypass most weapon scanners. It is often the only weapon that may be left to a Gatekeeper, but it is enough.
Armor
Spectre Armor
Gatekeeper Spectre Armor:
Based on the Oblivion Spectre Armor, the Gatekeeper Spectre Armor has been updated from Marick Arconae's original design. When designing the Armor that would be worn by all of his agents, Marick factored in the various situational needs of the types of missions his operatives would be undertaking. As such, he wanted something that was lightweight yet helped give agents an extra edge in their field. It is an extremely lightweight full body suit designed for light combat. It was not intended to be worn by itself on any conventional battlefield, and will not hold up against more than a few blaster bolts or bladed weaponry.
The suit consists of two different layers. The first is an all-black body suit made of an elastic, flexible material that is lined with nano-processing servos as well as tiny little needles that just barely puncture the epidermis. Once linked with the wearer's body, the suit can monitor every vital statistic of the organic body (such as temperature, hydration levels, and heart rate). Not only does it monitor these stats, but it also factors in data from its sensors to analyze and then counteract the environment around the user and adjusts accordingly.
Also along the suit are scattered packets of different types of chemicals. Depending on the situation, the suit would automatically inject the body with the appropriate chemical. On a typical operation, this could mean injecting the body with a chemical that could cool the body off when in a hot environment. This would allow an agent to stand in an interrogation room with the heat turned all the way up and not so much as breaking a sweat.
It can also release a chemical to give agents an unnerving sense of calm in what could normally be perceived as a highly stressful situation. The chemicals have all been diluted and balanced out so that the body will naturally flush out the chemicals. The suit is NOT a substitute for the training Shadow Gate Agents go through, and the more experienced the agent is the more efficient the suit is. Each suite is custom tailored to the agent. One agent's suit would not work with another body, as it is specific to the user’s specifications. There is also room for modification on the second layer.
The second layer, by default on Marick's prototype, is a matte-black armor-weave padding that covers the legs, forearms, and chest. There is room in the design for personal modifications, such as adding plates or other forms of heavier materials. Doing so would affect the suit’s mobility, though.
The final piece of the Spectre Armor is the wrist-comm that attaches to the wrist. The suit can be monitored from this panel, which also has a multi-tool function that involves an LED/UV light, slicing tool, tazer, fiber optic cable w/ camera, and an optional eye-piece set for field missions that brings up the same information on the wrist-comm to a HUD.
Roster
The current roster of Shadow Gate is as follows, listed in hierarchical order: