Template:COUHistoric
The Shadow Company have been an active asset in Clan Odan-Urr since 34 ABY. Their primary job is to gather valuable intelligence, and report back to the House Summit. The team have a near-perfect record, with no major problems on any of their missions. They go to great lengths to accomplish their missions, doing so without putting any members in danger. Even when the mission seems like it is impossible, they somehow find a way to accomplish it, and bring their people home along with the valuable data.
The house has the utmost respect for this team; they are described as being dedicated and efficient. This team has been called on many occasions to perform missions that the House gives them without question. After the Liberation, the Network had gained enough members to reorganize themselves into two coherent sub-division: the Operatives and the Analysts. They each have unique roles, and this structure means that it is easier and more efficient.
History
Since the end of the Tenth Great Jedi War, Clan Odan-Urr has felt the need for a team that can get in and gather information and get out without a trace. The Shadow Company is that team.
In their early years, the Shadow Company was made up of artists and bar tenders, hailing from backwater worlds like Naboo, Onderon and Nar Shadaa. They were pulled into service by Odan-Urr, who sorely needed their assistance in the looming Great Jedi War.
The Company was hand-picked by the Summit, as they displayed the right skills and mindset. They all had exposure to large quantities of people, and they had the potential to gather a plethora of information. Like any normal person, these people didn’t want to be dragged into a war. However, like many good heroes, they decided to face adversity and injustice. They grew sympathetic to Odan-Urr’s cause, and after a truly charismatic speech from the Quaestor, Ji, they started their training. In the War, they aided the House greatly, providing brilliant information which helped the House hold their own.
When the Dark Crusade had started to rage, the Company seemingly disbanded. They went underground, operating in secret, their existence only known to a few. For a time, there were a number of vigilantes who fought the crime and injustice on the streets. The Company kept an eye on them, but generally didn't worry about them; they didn't usually kill, just incapacitate. One of these vigilantes, a Wookiee, did approach the Company, asking for the Jedi's location so that his partner could search them out and join them. The Company obliged, but didn't hear from any other vigilantes in a long time. During this time of oppression, the Company didn't participate on official matters, but instead took on an integral part in organising and dealing with rebel cells throughout the planet. They had ties with The Ratchets Maintenance Department, with whom they made plans for the Jedi’s return, effectively weakening the Thuron Monarchy from within. It was these plans that greatly aided the Jedi’s conquest.
When the Jedi returned in Liberation, they recognised the chance to help their planet’s welfare. They sent the Jedi information like floor plans and troop movements, which proved critical in a number of operations. At this point, Seridan Brehevik, a member of the Jedi intelligence team, Strike Team Ooroo, got in touch with the Company. Seridan and Ooroo worked closely with them throughout the rest of the Liberation campaign, and forged a strong bond with the team, knowing that they fought for the same goal. The team continued to work alongside Ooroo, protecting the freedom and integrity of the innocent.
In the aftermath of the fall of the False King, the Shadow Company were recognised as heroes. They grew quickly, eventually gaining enough members to form a coherent intelligence network, reshuffling themselves into two sub-divisions. This proved very effective; their results improved massively. At this time they ran intelligence missions to check that the criminal networks on New Tython didn’t take any opportunities. During this period of peacetime, they consolidated their forces and trained their new forces. Seridan Brehevik was named their militia captain, and he became good friends with the Company. Seridan would help both the Analysts and the Operatives, and sometimes provided intelligence of his own.
This was the point that the Shadow Company grew exponentially. They gained considerable support from the newly formed government, and were highly respected by the Jedi. At the request of the Jedi, and the agreement of the government, the Sentinel Network was created. Under one banner, the Network was the Company and a vast array of connections throughout the galaxy, controlled by spymasters. They reached out to people in key locations, infiltrated political places and contacted rebel cells in oppressed sectors. These sentinels watch, listen, and only occasionally act. They gather intel and wait to call in the Company or Ooroo.
- Further information: Sentinel Network
Before long, tensions were building between the Houses and Clans, leading to the outbreak of another Great Jedi War. The Network worked arduously to gain intel about the enemies, but there was little to be done. There were few informants on Korriban, and the Company would not be much use in a fight with Jedi. However, they continued to gain information about their enemies.
The Company are now fairly busy, with their important role within the Network. The Jedi, usually in the form of Seridan, show support. Gaelin once asked for Seridan's history, and Seridan revealed that he'd once been a vigilante, and his Wookiee partner had sent him to Haven. Gaelin found this amusing, and somewhat coincidental.
The Role of the Company
The location of the Company HQ is kept on a need-to-know basis
- "People always think that darkness is the absence of light. But it isn’t. Light is the absence of shadow. That is why we aim to rid the galaxy of darkness; so we can have light."
- ― Gaelin Al Sorra, instructing new recruits.
The Shadow Company have gained government support. The New Tython government now give the Company equipment and provide both political and militaristic targets for them to ‘investigate’. They are to be thorough, and very stealthy. They need to be undetectable. They need to avoid detection whilst on the job, and also they need to leave no trace of their activities. If the targets do not know that their data has been stolen, then there is no chance of a retaliation attack.
The Role of the Operatives
- "We are a team. We work together to make things good. We learn each others foibles and learn to react in any situation. Together. We can only be perfect when working together. So don’t split up, ever."
- ― Durzo Es-Piera pep-talking the Operatives before a mission.
The Operatives are the field agents of the Network. They are the infiltrators, sometimes working undercover to get to their designated mission area. They usually slice into terminals and, as a rule of thumb, extract all the information that they can. Others of the team look in particular for the information they have been sent to gather. There are also lookouts, and people are ready to be getaway drivers if need be. Each mission is unique, and the team is picked on their skills and potential.
The Role of the Analysts
The government makes sure that the Analysts are kept with top-of-the-range technology to use.
- "Once asked to find out a piece of information, a good researcher would find it out quickly and efficiently. What makes us Analysts the best is that we find out everything there is to know about it, and we do it just as quickly."
- ―Hail Gollins, advising his comrades
The Analysts, well, analyse the data that the Operatives get. They interpret any ambiguous information, decrypt codes and draw conclusions. They are often the members that aren’t recognised for their contributions. The Analysts do the hard work of analysing the intel for enemy weaknesses, potential dangers. They operate their own missions, following leads and doing further recon on intriguing bits of information.
The Analysts have a strong technical ability and are smart enough to crack ciphers, and have the critical thinking to be the detectives. They are able to go into the field as specialists, but lack the training of the Operatives, and so usually assist the Operatives by being nearby and using an encrypted calming to communicate with the recon team.
Equipment
This team mainly uses Speeder Bikes to get in and out of their target site as quickly as possible.
Each team of Operatives carried two types of Sniper Rifle. The most common rifle used was the QuietSnipe, as this was both stealthy and helpful if their team got in a tricky situation. The snipers cover the advancement of the recon team, and they report any enemy troop movement that they can see. The other rifle is the DC-15x, which is more useful over longer ranges, if the team is in a vulnerable position.
Holo-Recorders so that they can record all information that is vital to the accomplishment of their mission, and be able to download all information and transmit it back to the House Leadership. Once the information is downloaded and sent, it is set up to automatically deleted, in the event of capture there is nothing that can be linked to espionage.
Macro-Binoculars for looking at the target from several miles away, and have bearing, and distance to the target. Their binoculars have adjustable filters, allowing for night vision. This is to observe the movement of troops during the night and avoid them, especially night patrols. It is also possible for them to see in infra-red using these binoculars.
Training
They were trained by Bothans who are well known for their ability to get into an area and gather critical intelligence. They excelled quickly and rapidly in their training. Soon enough they were able to be given assignments, and sent out into the field and begin their fine work in observation and recon. During the training they were exposed to several different training missions, to which they were exposed to how they would deal with capture and interrogation. They also had to learn how to escape capture, and get back to their side and report of their findings.
As the Network has now grown larger and has become more organised, so has its training of new recruits. Every three months, a batch of new recruits are sent on an intensive training course which prepares them for their assignments. Twice a year, the Network undertakes in large-scale training activities with Strike Team Ooroo. This helps the new and older members to adapt under new circumstances. In terms of covert intelligence gathering skills, the two groups are as good as each other.
Division Leaders
Gaelin Al Sorra, Leader of the Network
Gaelin’s ID pass
- Species: Human
- Role: Gaelin leads the Network. He spends a lot of time meeting with the New Tython Government, and also collaborating with Strike Team Ooroo’s leader, Revak Kur. He has to authorise every mission, and know all the important intel so as to inform and advise the government and the Jedi.
- Motto: “Drink relaxes; drink persuades men to tell their secrets. Drink can save a world.”
Gaelin was born in a slum on Nar Shadaa. When he was just a few years old, an old debt collector quickly orphaned him. He wandered the streets, crying and begging for food, but no-one gave anything. Gaelin decided to give up. He curled up outside a tavern and waited for death. The tavern’s owner came out and tried to shoo him away, but relented, giving the boy a place to rest and a job as the cleaner. Gaelin worked for this kind barkeep for years, going through the paces and eventually taking up bartending roles and earning a decent salary. One night, the barkeeper tried to stop a drunken bar fight that had gotten out of hand, and ended up getting fatally wounded. In his last words, the bartender left the tavern and all his savings to Gaelin. After a few frivolous nights flashing his cash, Gaelin learned the hard way that he should’t play with money. A local mobster had mugged Gaelin as he was trying to buy three speedsters, and Gaelin lost a third of the barkeeper’s savings. So Gaelin vowed to be sensible with the old man’s gift. He became a major stakeholder in two another taverns, and these bars eventually became regional hotspots. Gaelin started to make quite a bit of money. He still tended to his own bar, employing only the number of people that was needed. He built strong rapports with his regulars and his staff, and was respected. He met a woman, Fion’a and they fell in love. They had a daughter, Oliv’ya and Gaelin was happy.
One day, his bar was attacked by a gang of miscreants. Gaelin had a blaster behind the bar, as every sensible bartender did, so he did what he could against them, but quite a few of his customers were hit in the crossfire. He then got a call that one of his other taverns was being attacked. Gaelin went there, hoping to surround the gang. However, by the time he got there, the gang had killed the bartender and were robbing it for every credit. Gaelin hid behind a doorstep division and slowly but surely took them all out. After checking that his other tavern was unharmed, he returned to his own bar. However when he got there, he realised that there were no customer alive. The remaining customers had been slaughtered in his absence. Sensing the danger, Gaelin thought first of his family. He vaulted the counter and made his way to find his wife. He found her with a gun to her head, held by a crazed Duros who made Gaelin put down his gun. Pleased to see that Gaelin was cooperating, the Duros shot Fion’a and then struck Oliv’ya hard to the temple. Gaelin then charged the Duros, knocking him to the ground and punching him over and over again, until the Duros was surely dead. He wasn’t found until the next day; he was silently weeping over the corpses of his family.
It took Gaelin a long time to get over the deaths of his loved ones. But when he did, he had a passion. A passion for vengeance. He rebuilt his tavern empire, staffing it with reliable and good-natured people. He started to chat with his regulars about their lives. He realised that his regulars knew state secrets and black market dealerships. He started telling his staff to listen out for anything evil or unjust that their regulars said. He collaborated with them and built a huge amount of intel. After a few years, he was contacted by Odan-Urr
Gaelin is an Human that’s getting old. He’s been there and done that, but he still has a fierce desire to provide intel to good people. After his wife and son died, he has gained many secrets, in order to do the justice that was never done for him. He is cool and calculating. He is relaxed in almost every situation, and is able to constantly emit an aura of confidence. His brow is often in a frown, giving the impression that he is constantly going through options. He is often described as detective. The Network see him as cool, calculated, and emotionless, but his close friends know him to be good-hearted and funny.
Durzo Es-Piera, Commander of the Operatives
Durzo, sitting in on a mission briefing
- Species: Zabrak
- Role: Es-Piera coordinates the Operatives and usually is the one to hand-pick a team for a mission. He is a consultant on every mission, and is a trusted advisor to Gaelin.
- Equipment: A pair of modified Macrobinoculars
- Motto: “Get in fast, get it done, get out. Simple.”
Much of Durzo’s past is unknown. He declines to share any of it with anyone, even Gaelin. It is known that before New Tython, Durzo lived on Naboo, and that he had army training by the Naboo government, as well as covert training from the Intelligence minister. When Odan-Urr found him, he was working as a bodyguard to the queen, although he has hinted at doing many different jobs for the Naboo people, although the details of these assignments are unknown.
Durzo is effective and efficient. His Operatives perform near-perfectly and Durzo doesn’t forget that. He can come across as rather arrogant about the reputation of his men, particularly when challenged by Humans. He does have a dislike towards Humans. Durzo talks rather bluntly to Gaelin, a Human, but this sometimes-brutal honesty is a quality that Al Sorra likes from his commander. Gaelin’s respect for Durzo has made Gaelin the only Human that Durzo likes. He can appear cold and arrogant sometimes, but he has a profound concept of justice, and does everything accurately and well. He can come across as strict, but he is just drilling his Operatives to within perfect espionage parameters.
Hail Gollins, Chief Analyst
A portrait of Hail, commissioned by his family before he left.
- Species: Sullustan
- Role: Gollins coordinates the Analysts. He’s a very talented slicer, and has an eye for patterns. He is a senior consultant on all Analyst activities and reports to Gaelin Al Sorra personally.
- Motto: “There is always more to something, no matter how hard you look.”
Hail was born into an upper-class family on Bothawui, but as he grew up, Hail showed a talent for crime-calving and pattern-spotting. His intellect didn't lend itself to the political diplomacy of upper-class life. His parents tried to hide him from their meetings, and eventually, he confronted them. Many similar arguments followed, ending up with Hail leaving the planet to find a place where he was valued. He found a home on Onderon, and a secure job as a intelligence analyst for the government. He was very successful, however on his last mission, when he was undercover, they were found out. Their safe house was attacked, and it ended up with Hail was taken as a hostage. After several failed attempts to ransom him back to the government,the gang of criminals decided that they didn't want him back. So they beat him badly, then threw him on the street. After laying low for a few weeks, Hail started as a small-scale private detective. He also learned to sing, and performed for money. This gave him a wide circle of acquaintances, and one day, one of the acquaintances directed him to Odan-Urr, who hired him into their Shadow Company.
Hail Gollins is a hard worker. He is an avid puzzle-doer, and he has challenged his men several times to find a puzzle that he can’t crack. He has won all of the challenges so far. His brain seems to be able to adapt to most situations, and analyse any encryption or situation from multiple viewpoints is a matter of seconds. He seems able to make connections and find the answers in record time, a real feat of brainpower. His detective skills are legendary among the Company. His intellect is vast, though as he has had to absorb so much intel, he has begun to rely upon data pads for the storage of intel and information, no longer trusting himself with valuable information. He works hard to complete a task, then goes beyond it to find the seemingly insignificant details.
Planets Visited
Onderon
Establishing the location for House Odan-Urr and reporting back to Ji and the rest of the leadership.
Observation and Recon missions during the recent Great Jedi War.
Begeren
They aided the Jedi in Grand Master Muz Ashen’s quest for Sith relics.
Current Location
The team is now located on New Tython as the primary branch of the New Tythonian government.
Their HQ is covert. It is a forgettable cantina, which has hidden security and a secret doorway which leads into an underground facility.