Crimson Tide

Crimson Tide
General information
Founder(s):	Unknown
Leader(s):	Calliban Crimson
Headquarters:	Dathomir
Historical information
Founding:	42 BBY
Reorganization:	22 BBY 12 BBY 7 ABY 25 ABY
Fragmentation:	20 BBY 11 BBY 5 ABY 24 ABY
Other information
Notable members:	Alonzo Bodelle Jonah Kraul Ravian Pulastra Nemo Dupar Semyon Cain Fenson Ryburn
Affiliation:	Clan Plagueis
Era(s):	Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
[ Source ]

The Crimson Tide are a pirate organization that are currently the sworn enemies of Clan Plagueis. Founded nearly one hundred years ago, the group has gone through several reorganizations as the leader changes. Currently, it is a pirate group that's single goal is to destroy Clan Plagueis.

It is notable that while all leaders of the group claim their last name as Crimson, the true Crimson line died out almost fifty years before Juris.

History

Before the Tide

"Here at the Crimson Shipping Consortium we are driven to help intergalactic commerce and trade however we can and enrich the opportunities of businesses along the entire Perlemnian Trade Route."

―Juris Crimson, 37 BBY

In 42 BBY, a decade before the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo, a young entrepreneur by the name of Juris Crimson started the Crimson Shipping Consortium, based on the planet Corulag, conveniently located on the Perlemnian Trade Route. The CSC was a private organization, owned by Crimson, which transported goods from planet to planet throughout the galaxy, contracted with the Galactic Republic. The company expanded throughout the galaxy over the next two decades, creating branches throughout the Perlemnian Trade Route on planets like Coruscant, Brentaal, Carida, Taanab, Kulthis, and Rhen Var. Business also branched out to worlds like Corellia, Chandrila, Muunilinst, and distant Tatooine. With the weakening of the Trade Federation’s business after their failed siege of Naboo, Crimson’s business grew even more.

Rhen Var, Juris' new home

Then, in 22 BBY, only two decades after the founding of the CSC, the great onslaught of destruction known as the Clone Wars began when the Confederacy of Independent Systems executed scores of Jedi in a Geonosian arena. Juris saw his simple shipping company transform into more of a smuggling operation, working to transport Republic supplies onto war-torn planets, sometimes through Separatist blockades. However, after only a few months of war, Crimson’s business was collapsing around him. All business in the Outer Rim had been stopped when Separatist commander Sev’rance Tann destroyed the CSC outpost on Tatooine; the base on Corellia had accidentally been destroyed by Republic friendly fire; the InterGalactic Banking Clan had driven his company off of Muunilinst. Times were indeed difficult.

Juris decided to move his headquarters from the potential target Corulag to the seemingly unimportant Republic outpost of Rhen Var. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to the civilians of the Republic, the Separatist forces commenced a massive attack on Rhen Var. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Jedi Order oversaw the evacuation of most Republic presence on Rhen Var, but failed to reach Juris Crimson on time. Juris’ transport got caught in the middle of Separatist and Republic blaster fire and was destroyed. In his will, Juris left everything to his son, Adom Crimson.

A Tide Of Crimson Blood

"The blood of my father is flowing in the field of battle, turning crimson red the hands of those responsible for this war. Now no longer shall the name Crimson be associated with a merchant of commerce. No, Crimson will become synonymous with a merchant of death. We shall engulf this galaxy in a Crimson tide, and let all who are our enemies quiver in fear!"

―Adom Crimson, 22 BBY

Adom Crimson grew up in an increasingly unstable galaxy, witnessing the events surrounding the blockade of Naboo as a young man and watching his father die in the bloodbath of the Clone War. Inheriting the dying Crimson Shipping Consortium at the age of twenty-nine, the heir decided that the shipping industry was no longer profitable in this time of death and destruction. Before his father had died, Adom was in charge of the CSC Security Forces, specializing in warfare. Adom realized that the business of death was far more profitable than that of trade in the Clone War galaxy. Thus he reorganized the Crimson Shipping Consortium into an elite group of assassins, known only as the Crimson Tide. Adom personally financed the transformation of his trade ships into vessels of war, and hired some of the best freelancers in the galaxy to serve in this guild of assassins.

The Crimson Tide owed loyalty to no entity but itself. They worked simultaneously for both the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, fighting for whoever happened to pay more. Adom became so skilled at this business that in some battles the Crimson Tide was working for and being paid by both sides. The Tide attracted some skilled assassins such as the Anzati assassins Sajé Tasha and Rath Kelkko, a Wookiee warrior named Karphal, and a highly skilled, potentially Force-sensitive mercenary named Ajax Dupar.

Apart from helping carry out some high-level assassinations—like that of former Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum (who had coincidentally just written a book called Holding Back the Tide)—the Tide participated in several major battles, such as the Second Battle of Jabiim, where members of the Tide helped kill the Senior General Jedi Knight Leska. Adom also helped orchestrate the elimination of the Padawan Pack on Jabiim, hoping to kill Anakin Skywalker for the Jedi’s failure to save his father; unfortunately for Crimson, Skywalker survived while all the other Padawans died. The Crimson Tide next participated in the massive Battle of Muunilinst, working for the Republic; Adom, growing increasingly arrogant with his power, used this battle as a way to settle his vendetta with the Intergalactic Banking Clan, blaming them in part for destroying his father’s company. At the Battle of Bal’demnic, Adom Crimson managed to secure contracts with the Republic, Separatists, and native Kon’me, making a huge fortune.

Battle of Mygeeto

Then came the Battle of Mygeeto, part of the Outer Rim Sieges. High General Ki-Adi-Mundi led Republic forces against his former protégé, a fallen Jedi named Scorpius, who was leading Separatist forces on Mygeeto on behalf of the mysterious Dark Lord of the Sith. Adom had first approached Scorpius for work, hoping that the recent death of Count Dooku and a string of Separatist losses across the galaxy would push the Dark Jedi to pay a higher price for help. The Dark Jedi, however, seemed to have some preordained dislike for Adom and turned the offer down; Crimson and Scorpius deemed each other enemies, and it would not be the last time that the fallen Jedi interacted with the Crimson Tide.

Unable to secure a contract with the Separatists, Adom instead got a job with the Republic. It was at this battle that everything changed, with Executive Order 66 being issued and Jedi everywhere being massacred by their own troopers. Adom Crimson watched from afar as Ki-Adi-Mundi was killed, and saw via HoloNet Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declare himself emperor of the first Galactic Empire. Scorpius having mysteriously fled Mygeeto, the Crimson Tide helped mop up some high-level Separatists on the planet. When the droid armies of the Confederacy were all deactivated, the Crimson Tide picked up several to use for themselves. The Clone War was over, and Adom Crimson knew, thanks to the rumors of certain rebellious factions throughout the galaxy, that business as a merchant of death would continue to flourish.

Betrayal and Revenge

"Why bother with greedy, disloyal assassins when we can wield the power to destroy entire planets?"

―Imperial Officer, 12 BBY

With the rise of Palpatine as Emperor of the Galaxy and the merciless Darth Vader as his loyal second-in-command, a large group of senators and planetary governors began growing in dissent against the new Galactic Empire. Rumors of rebellion were rising from the shadows; the Imperials needed these would-be-rebels eliminated. The Crimson Tide was more than happy to take contracts from the Empire; Adom Crimson’s group assassinated several high-profile individuals who had been foolish enough to speak out against the Emperor. They had even aided in hunting down and killing Jedi who had managed to survive Order 66. Business was growing.

Then the Empire decided it no longer needed these private mercenaries; Darth Vader remembered them from the Clone Wars, and recalled their two-faced dealings. The Crimson Tide could easily switch sides depending on the cash flow. And so Darth Vader called Adom Crimson to a very secret location where the Empire was constructing a mammoth space station capable of destroying entire planets. Adom was, naturally, amazed at this power and further confused as to why he was being shown this super weapon. Darth Vader then informed Adom that the Empire no longer needed his kind. The Sith Lord executed Adom Crimson and many of the more powerful assassins in the Tide. Shattered and fugitive, the Crimson Tide retreated into hiding.

With the death of Adom Crimson, his son, Cuhan Crimson, took over leadership of the Tide in 11 BBY. Declared enemies of the Empire, Cuhan had the Tide go into hiding, maintaining a headquarters not on a planet but rather between two ships—a Crusader-class corvette and a Marauder-class corvette. Cuhan, like his predecessors, proved to be a very capable leader and warrior but, like his father, was blinded by revenge. He reorganized the Crimson Tide into a powerful mercenary group, divided into Assassins and Soldiers. He created two positions to help with leadership: the Chief Assassin and the Colonel; Crimson himself took the title High General. The Chief and Colonel were also given unofficial titles—the Right Hand and the Left Hand, respectively, meaning that they were Crimson’s two most trusted advisors. The size of the Tide increased to 82 members, with two corvettes and a small group of starfighters. The Crimson Tide had a good deal of competition in the galaxy with organizations like Black Sun, the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, and the Bothan SpyNet stealing a large part of the market. However, unlike the other organizations, the Tide was radically opposed to the Galactic Empire and only took jobs that would damage Palpatine’s government.

Destruction of Death Star II

When Mon Mothma of Chandrila declared the creation of a Rebel Alliance against the Empire, Cuhan Crimson immediately pledged the support of the Crimson Tide to the Rebels—for a price, of course. Ignoring warnings from several of the older, more experienced members of the Tide, Cuhan took every chance he could to hit the Empire. The Tide assassinated scores of Imperial politicians and military leaders, sabotaged Imperial property, and fought in major battles; at the Battle of Hoth, the Tide helped evacuate some Rebel forces from the planet They did not work exclusively for the Rebel Alliance, though, sometimes taking contracts from crime lords against the Empire.

As his father had died on the first Death Star, Cuhan Crimson died on the second. At the time of the Battle of Endor, Cuhan himself had taken a contract to execute a Force-wielding Imperial Grand Admiral named Nial Declann, who had learned how to use Battle Meditation and was aiding the Imperial fleet against the attacking Rebels. Before he could hit the Grand Admiral, Lando Calrissian and his fighters destroyed the space station, killing all aboard. Cuhan was not the only one to die at Endor—Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader did as well, effectively leading to the collapse of the Empire as the dominant power in the galaxy. The Rebel Alliance would go on to capture Coruscant and establish the New Republic, shifting the landscape of the Galactic Civil War.

Back to Business?

"Peace and order has again returned to the galaxy with the ascension of the New Republic. And now we shall return back to business, building an empire of trade and not of blood."

―Carena Crimson, 7 ABY

Calliban Crimson killed his own sister in order to gain control of the company

With the death of Cuhan, his oldest sibling—Carena Crimson—took power of the Crimson Tide, becoming the rogue group’s first female leader. Carena inherited many of the more peaceful virtues of his ancestor, Juris Crimson, and was generally against violence. She wanted the Crimson Tide to return to more of a business organization, and created the Crimson Tide Trading Company, which worked in contract with the New Republic. Many of the former rebels were mistrusting of the Tide at first, remembering them to be ruthless mercenaries during the war against the Empire, but their business was accepted anyways. Carena also created two new positions within the Tide: an Admiral to oversee the trading fleet and its fighter security, and a General to oversee security forces. Her brother was appointed General.

Calliban Crimson was a ruthless, savage man, more violent and cutthroat than his predecessors. He disagreed with the peaceful business ways of his sister, and sought to betray his sister. As Carena spent her time creating business contracts with the New Republic, Calliban slowly built up an army behind her back. He attracted some of the most ruthless individuals in the galaxy to his side, and in 14 ABY he murdered his own sister and seized control of the Crimson Tide for himself. Egotistical and arrogant, he executed anyone who even looked at him oddly for murdering his sister. With an iron fist he transformed the Crimson Tide into a neutral pirate organization, feared by all who would challenge them.

Calliban Crimson reorganized the Crimson Tide once more. He took the title of High General and named a new Left Hand—a doctor who had saved his life after a failed ship boarding—and a new Right Hand—a vile Devaronian mercenary named Alonzo Bodelle. He created four sub-positions: Admiral, General, Chief Assassin, and Lead Spy. The ranks of the Tide grew to 120 individuals and a decent-sized pirate fleet. Captain Calliban Crimson led them across the galaxy, raiding ships and trading posts and, as always, taking assassination contracts from whoever offered the most money. Apart from those contracts, certain individuals and groups also paid the Crimson Tide to act as mercenaries in war. One contract taken, however, would change the Crimson Tide forever and earn them new archenemies.

A War With the Dark Jedi Brotherhood

"I want our suppliers investigated and the membership scrutinized. Their attacks are too well planned for it to be an outside job. Once we have those responsible dealt with I want answers. Once we have details of their location, I want this Crimson Tide wiped out!"

―Unknown leader of Plagueis

The Crimson Tide had grown into a powerful force to be reckoned with over the years in the era of the New Republic. Its numbers swelled and operations expanded across the galaxy. Approximately two decades after the Battle of Yavin, the Crimson Tide waged war with a dying branch of a covert and powerful brotherhood of Dark Jedi…

The Crimson Tide was hired by a mysterious individual to wage war and destroy Clan Satal Keto of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Calliban Crimson, ruthless and bloodthirsty as ever, eagerly accepted. The Tide swept over the dying Clan Satal Keto with their armies and mercenaries, tearing the Dark Jedi apart. The Tide managed to force the Sons of Satal Keto onto a single planet, capturing all the rest, and moved in for the kill. Before the Tide could finish the job, however, the Ketoans sent a distress message to a rival clan—Clan Exar Kun, which was rather weak as well. Nevertheless, the Kunians came with Elders, Equites, and Journeymen of the Dark Side of the Force, waging war against the Crimson Tide. Calliban Crimson was caught off-guard by this onslaught of Force-wielding warriors, and the marauding Tide was defeated. Calliban Crimson and the Crimson Tide retreated to lick their wounds and plot revenge.

Clan Plagueis

Despite their loss, the Tide had successfully decimated Clan Exar Kun and Clan Satal Keto, the Consuls of each clan having fallen in battle. Thus the Star Chamber of the Dark Brotherhood issued the Dictum of Two Skies, merging both Exar Kun and Satal Keto as the new Clan Plagueis, based in the formerly-Kunian Acarr System. The economy of this new clan relatively weak, Calliban Crimson saw his chance to get revenge. Calliban Crimson managed to securely place a mole within Clan Plagueis, and used the information provided by this spy to attack shipping freighters bound for Byfrost. Their economic well-being in distress, the consul at that time, Lucien Isradia, ordered the battle teams of Plagueis together to hunt down and stop the Tide from attacking their shipping. Calliban had struck a deal with some members of the Imperial Remnant—the last shreds of the once powerful Galactic Empire—and set up a base on a moon near the Acarr System. It was this base that Clan Plagueis assaulted, and Calliban’s right-hand man, Alonzo Bodelle, led the Crimson forces. Much to their dismay, these Dark Jedi managed to force the Tide out of the base and also destroy a star cruiser. Demoralized and severely weakened, the Crimson Tide retreated to an abandoned base on Dantooine to plot revenge.

On Dantooine, Calliban Crimson made some new very powerful allies. He knew that he would need help to eliminate Clan Plagueis, and thus recruited individuals who could be of great help. Nemo Dupar was a fallen Jedi Knight who had been monitoring the actions of House Exar Kun for some time now; the Force-sensitive individual was placed in charge of espionage by Calliban. With Dupar came his apprentice, Semyon Cain, who had once been a member of the Brotherhood. The most powerful addition to the Crimson Tide was ex-Imperial Admiral Jonah Kraul, who came equipped with an Super Star Destroyer, The Nemesis. Kraul was named Admiral of the Crimson Tide. With Kraul came an ex-Republic soldier named Ravian Pulastra, who was placed in charge of the Tide’s ground forces. Preparing a large attack on the Acarr System, Calliban sent Alonzo Bodelle to the planet of Elysian to gather some information for the attack and to assassinate the Quaestor of House Exar Kun. Bodelle was captured by battle team Exar’s Shadow, where he had a run in with several individuals who had special connections to the tide—the Dupars, Gaidal and Aabsdu, had a connection to Nemo Dupar, and the Dark Jedi Scorpius, who knew Calliban’s ancestor and had fought against the Tide in the Clone Wars. His right-hand man captured, Calliban’s temper grew and he launched his attack.

Unbeknownst to the Crimson Tide, at the same time they were planning to attack, Clan Plagueis was planning to abandon the Acarr System. The star, Sigil, was getting close to going supernova, and the clan was moving to the nearby Jusadih System. Plagueis learned of the upcoming Tide attack when they captured Bodelle and prepared for it. Kraul, not wanting to reveal his full force to the Brotherhood yet, decided to only send an Imperial Star Destroyer and some TIE squadrons. Calliban, arrogantly thinking all the odds were in his favor, did not argue against this. The Tide swept upon Clan Plagueis as they evacuated the Acarr System. The leaders of Plagueis, however, fought them on land and in space. Against all odds, Clan Plagueis managed to evacuate most of its buildings. His computers sensing that the star was about to explode, Admiral Kraul ordered a full retreat. Calliban Crimson, having already lost a good portion of his fleet, reluctantly agreed. Clan Plagueis had defeated the Crimson Tide again.

The Tide returned to Dathomir, where Calliban solidified his ties with Jonah Kraul, Semyon Cain, Nemo Dupar, and Ravian Pulastra. Alonzo Bodelle managed to escape and return to the Tide with some pirate troops. With over five hundred troops, armor, a fleet of fighters, a fallen Jedi and his apprentice, and skilled generals leading his forces, Captain Calliban Crimson hoped that his inability to successfully lead in war would be countered. The Crimson Tide gathered all of its forces and prepared to attack and destroy Clan Plagueis in their new home, and wipe out Exar Kun once and for all in the process. But, for the time being, they had to heal and train. It would be a tough battle.

Structure

The Crimson Tide is ruled by one leader, often called the High General. This leader stays in office until dead, there is no retiring. After a new one is needed, the Council of Trustees votes on a new leader, who usually turns out to be the right-hand man. There have been cases, however, when leadership was taken over without a vote.

This leader is followed by a left and right hand, which is then followed by the Council of Trustees. The Council of Trustees is made up of those that the current leader trusts in the most, and each are in charge of their own unit. The units are espionage, fleet, ground forces, and assassins. Usually, the leader of each group is placed there due to their specialty. Under these commanders, lie the rest of the Crimson Tide forces.

The espionage group often nevers goes into the actual battle. Most of their action takes place before any of the real fighting takes place, deep in the shadows. The members of this group often spend time scouting out enemy territory to discover weaknesses, as well as cause any amount of damage they can without threatening the overall mission. It is thanks to this group that the Crimson Tide has been able to defeat many of its enemies, even though they may be supremely outnumbered. The group is commanded by a Lead Spy, a member of the Council of Trustees. Currently, this leader is Nemo Dupar.

The fleet group is just as it sounds, the fleet. The Crimson Tide's group of space bound ships and fighters has varied from small to large. Before the attack against Clan Plagueis, it was a fairly large fleet, though still not enough to defeat the dark jedi. Most of the time it is made of various pirate ships and fighters, although Jonah Kraul did bring a Super Star Destroyer when he joined the tide. The fleet is commanded by one Admiral, a member of the High General's Council of Trustees. Currently, this is Admiral Jonah Kraul. This group is often the first to come into battle, after the spies, and engages enemy forces in the air.

The ground forces group is third to come into battle. Once the battle in space is over, or sometimes while it is still occurring, this group will travel down to the planet surface and engage enemy forces there. Like the fleet, the size of this groups varies, but for the most part it is mainly made of soldiers. Rarely do vehicles make their way here, save for fighters and transports used as escorts and protection. A General commands this group, also a member of the Council of Trustees. Under him are various commanders, and then the rest of the force. Often, this group will guard the assassins until they reach planetside and split up from there. Currently, the group is led by General Ravian Pulastra.

The forth and final group to enter the battle in the assassins. This group is made of the Tide's four strongest and bravest fighters, along with a Chief Assassin, who is a member of the Counsil of Trustees. Each of the four members has their own speciality, which is used to take our their target. At times, this group will go in with the spies and take out the target then, but most of the time they sneak in while the enemy is busy fighting the Tide in space and on the ground. They are the Tide's best killers, and never fail their job. Members usually go through years and years of training in the ground forces unit before making it here. The current leader is Chief Assassin Alonzo Bodelle.