Dark Orb is a recently closed Phyle in House Qel-Droma of Clan Arcona. It was once one of the most well-known battleteams in the Brotherhood, the elite team in Arcona, but was disbanded after at least four years of maintaining elite status. It was reborn in 29 ABY under the administration of Consul Mejas Doto, with Legorii Kryotek as Tetrarch. It was closed later, in 30 ABY under Consul Sashar Arconae.
Mission Statement
Dark Orb was brought back to activity to act as a group of Dark Jedi who would then lead their own small teams of Tactical Marines into battle. The small teams would each specialise in certain areas which, if all of the groups were brought together, would form a extremely deadly force. However, the teams are usually tasked with working on their own or with only a single other team, and it is under these circumstances that the Phyle usually operates.
Dark Lore
Dark Orb Code
To stand atop a mountain, and peer down through the clouds
See the storm yet unabated
Join hands, my brothers, and feel our unity
Turn back the rending claws of Chaos
And throw our enemies to the bloody sea
When you lay a hand upon the Orb
Feel our honor flare within your heart
When that hand parts from the Orb, an itch you will never scratch
Not a defeat at all, a fresh victory
And time for a new plan to hatch
In each hand, a weapon that will not be stilled
In each eye, an energy that will not be dampered
In each mind, an awe-inspiring keenness that will not be dulled
In each heart, loyalty and courage that will not falter
In each warrior, a true member of the Orb that will not fall
Faith in ourselves, faith in our Clan
Skill to overwhelm, skill to show the path, skill to save
When one stumbles, there is always three more to help him stand
When one exclaims triumphantly, there are always a dozen more to cheer
Lay a hand upon the Orb, and banish away all fear
All around us, the doubters lay stunned
All around us, the haters await redemption
All around us, the fearful hide their eyes
All around us, the challengers lie solemnly in their loam
All around us, the imperfect
Who can claim to be better?
Who can claim to be stronger?
Who can claim to be faster?
Who can claim to be smarter?
None.
Dark Orb, raise your fists and raise your cry
Join hands once more and feel our pride
Never fallen, never to fall
Forever triumphant
Forever...Dark Orb.
~Legorii
Early History of Dark Orb
The Dark Orb phyle is the older of the two phyles in House Qel-Droma and the first known Tetrarch was KP Hearn. The phyle grew rapidly and it held the core of Qel-Droma's most active members. Hearn eventually became Aedile of House Qel-Droma before going Rogue. However, he is still credited with being the first Tetrarch of the Dark Orb phyle.
After Hearn, KAP Frost and KAP D'hak were the next two Tetrarchs. Both of them further strengthened the phyle and helped increase activity. Both Frost and D'hak would ultimately reach the position of Quaestor of Qel-Droma, continuing the trend that Hearn had begun. After some time, Frost went Rogue, but D'hak remained in House Qel-Droma. DJK Krona took over the phyle for a brief time (he eventually chose to become a Sith). However, troubled times for the phyle were approaching.
A decree from the House Summit declared that the Dark Orb phyle would be reserved for those members who ranked Dark Jedi Knight or higher. The Prophecy phyle was reserved for those members under the rank of Dark Jedi Knight. KP Kahn took over as Tetrarch shortly after this decree. The affects of this decree were soon recognized by Kahn as the activity level of the Dark Orb phyle decreased. After many attempts to stimulate activity, Kahn petitioned the House Summit to change the phyle organization. When a new Quaestor, Enahropes Entar (the former Aedile), was appointed, he appointed Kahn as his Aedile. With Enahropes approval, Kahn banished the ranked phyle system and appointed a new tetrarch. Kahn would later go on to be Quaestor of Qel-Droma, continuing the trend.
KAP Timeros (then a Jedi Hunter) was appointed to fill the empty Tetrarch position and he held the position for one of the longest tenures in the history of the phyle. Eventually, Timeros chose to return to Prophecy phyle and Quaestor Kahn appointed former Tetrarch KAP D'hak to fill the position. D'hak's tenure surpassed Timeros' in time and it was also duirng one of the more prosperous times in the House. D'hak stepped down as tetrarch shortly after Kahn stepped down as Quaestor. Both remained in House Qel-Droma.
JH Karan Callidus Entar became the next Tetrarch of the Dark Orb, and was the first ever to be under the rank of Dark Jedi Knight. At first, Karan created an atmosphere of activity, but when he suddenly disappeared for two weeks, Quaestor Mejas Doto appointed former Quaestor Kahn (now using his full name, Anshar Kahn) as the new Tetrarch. He had served for barely two months when the Exodus occurred.
Exodus/Post Exodus Leaders
The Exodus time period was as difficult a time for the Dark Orb phyle as it was for everyone else in the Brotherhood. Many records and artifacts were lost, and huge chunks of the magnificent phyle history vanished forever. Anshar did his best to save as much of the team's history as he could, and did a better job of it than many battleteam leaders did at that time.
Dark Orb rebounded quickly as the Clan Summit was sorting out the new move to the Dajorra System and began to thrive once more without the overbearing hand of the Imperial remnant. After the split, Anshar was really only serving as interim Tetrarch under Consul Mav Cantor, and a new Tetrarch was appointed less than a month after the Exodus. Arcturus Gadeskin Xyler served for four months, leading the team well before turning it over to a new leader, Leara.
Leara's tenure as leader of the team was not marked by many meaningful events, but she did well with the team before it was given to the longest serving of all the Tetrarchs, Vassan Rokir. Rokir served for nearly two years as Tetrarch, bringing about many changes and leading the team to even further heights. Dark Orb had become the epitome of battleteam strength in Clan Arcona and the Brotherhood as a whole.
Eventually it became time for Vassan to move on, becoming Aedile of House Qel-Droma before moving ever further upwards in the Clan, eventually to the coveted slot of Consul. The new Tetrarch was former BTL Frost, who had done well with the team and returned to active duty. After him came another former BTL, Karan Callidus Entar, who changed his name but served for only two short months. After the brief struggles of the team after Vassan Rokir, the activity levels dropped to null and the team was shut down.
Rebirth
Three years later, with activity levels in Arcona swelling under the leadership of Consul Mejas Doto and Proconsul Sashar Arconae, it was decided that the House was once again strong enough to host two active teams, Prophecy and Dark Orb. DJK Legorii, who had been serving as Prodigy and Corporal of Blue Mist team in House Galeres, was appointed the new Tetrarch, and tasked with getting the team up on its feet.
In a very short time, he rewrote the history annals and recruited a powerful team to wield for the greater glory of Arcona. Shortly after the rebirth of the team, an operation was held to determine the strongest of Arcona's battleteams. With little time to prepare, Dark Orb came up short, but took second of four teams. Legorii's former team, Blue Mist, ended up the victors.
Roll of Leaders
| Roll of Leaders
|
| Leader Name
|
Started Term
|
Finished Term
|
| Hearn
|
???
|
???
|
| Frost
|
???
|
???
|
| D'hak
|
???
|
???
|
| Krona
|
???
|
???
|
| Timeros
|
??? (17 ABY)
|
02.26.2002 (18 ABY)
|
| D'hak
|
02.27.2002 (18 ABY)
|
09.22.2002 (18 ABY)
|
| ^CyberGuy^ Entar
|
09.23.2002 (18 ABY)
|
01.11.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Karan Callidus Entar
|
01.12.2003 (19 ABY)
|
01.24.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Anshar (Kahn)
|
01.25.2003 (19 ABY)
|
04.12.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| --
|
Exodus under Anshar, many records lost
|
--
|
| Anshar (Kahn)
|
04.12.2003 (19 ABY)
|
04.30.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Arcturus Gadeskin Xyler
|
05.01.2003 (19 ABY)
|
05.27.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Karan Callidus Entar
|
05.28.2003 (19 ABY)
|
06.04.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Arcturus Gadeskin Xyler
|
06.05.2003 (19 ABY)
|
09.07.2003 (19 ABY)
|
| Leara
|
09.08.2003 (19 ABY)
|
10.28.2003 (20 ABY)
|
| Vassan Rokir
|
11.10.2003 (20 ABY)
|
02.16.2004 (20 ABY)
|
| Laethan Ciarus (D'hak)
|
06.19.2004 (21 ABY)
|
09.07.2004 (21 ABY)
|
| Vassan Rokir
|
09.08.2004 (21 ABY)
|
12.01.2004 (22 ABY)
|
| Frost
|
12.02.2004 (22 ABY)
|
03.23.2005 (22 ABY)
|
| Laethan Ciarus (D'hak)
|
03.24.2005 (22 ABY)
|
05.16.2005 (23 ABY)
|
| Karan Callidus Entar
|
06.14.2005 (23 ABY)
|
08.30.2005 (23 ABY)
|
| --
|
Decommissioned for nearly three years
|
--
|
| Legorii Kryotek Entar
|
06.08.2008 (29 ABY)
|
10.01.2008 (29 ABY)
|
| Arador
|
10.05.2008 (29 ABY)
|
11.27.2008 (30 ABY)
|
|
|
Notable Roles
Fourth Great Jedi War
The Fourth Great Jedi War found the Brotherhood scrambling to find the Skin of Fire, an artifact that bore a promise of great power. Clan Arcona was relentless in its search, but it needed direction on the quest to recover that ancient power spoken of by the Grand Master, Chi-Long. The driving force behind Clan Arcona's search was the endless research by the Krath team of Dark Orb, as the scholars worked around the clock to find any and all information concerning the Skin of Fire. Without Dark Orb's research and direction, Arcona would never have come so close to discovering that ultimate power.
Invasion of Antares
Dark Orb also played a crucial role in the invasion of the Antares system, helping to plan Clan Arcona's strategic strikes on the government facilities on the planet Antares, as well as crippling the shipyards that proved instrumental in the surrender of the planet and system. The Krath team designed many of the maneuvers and battleplans carried out by the rest of the Clan, and provided support roles with their mastery of the Dark Side. Battle meditation made the difference between a long struggle in the streets and a sweeping victory for the Brotherhood.
Sixth Great Jedi War
The Sixth Great Jedi War was a difficult time for the Brotherhood, with the infection of the Sith Lord Okemi spreading through the Brotherhood like a plague. For a long time, the Dark Jedi did not know what was going on, and Dark Orb worked nearly 24/7 on finding the answer to that frightening question. As the number of high ranking officials was dropping to the infection, Dark Orb was pressed for time. After working on the mystery for day after day, the team thought they had the answer.
Immediately the Tetrarch took the results of their research and study to the Sith High Warrior, one of the only ones still not infected, and he took those results to Grand Master Firefox. Firefox returned with the Sith High Warrior, Xanos, and united the Clans of the Brotherhood that remained untouched to rally and defeat the corrupted, ending Okemi's insidious infection forever.
K'hamar'an Crisis
The K'hamar'an Crisis occurred when the members of that strange cult came and stole back artifacts the Brotherhood had claimed. The Krath Order was enraged, and the Krath High Priestess, Alanna, decided to invade their homeworld and take back the items, ending the cultists threat along the way. Dark Orb was instrumental in this mission, as they served the main role in hunting down the artifacts. If they hadn't been the cunning Krath that they were, the cultists would have hidden the artifacts away so well that they would never have been uncovered again.
There are many artifacts now under Arconan possession due to the actions of the Dark Orb team during the invasion, and those artifacts have become symbols of the Clan's strength, the pride of all of its members. However, this was the last major war that Dark Orb participated in, as it was shut down before the Seventh Great Jedi War and reborn after the Eighth Great War.
Battleteam Structure
A Covert Squad member
The Dark Orb Phyle is basically a team of squad leaders. It is made up of twelve specialized squads, each led by a squad commander. These commanders are led by the Tetrarch of the Phyle. There are five commandos and a squad leader in each of those twelve, with their own designated roles and responsibilities to carry out in the service of their Clan. Covert Squad Delta began serving as the guard for Aedile Legorii just after Arador became the Tetrarch.
There are six types of squads within the Phyle. The make-up of these teams is as follows:
- Deep Strike - The purpose of the Deep Strike team specialization is to infiltrate enemy territory over an extended period of time, and attack specified targets otherwise unreachable by the Dark Orb teams. There are two Deep Strike teams in Dark Orb.
- Tech Specialist
- Sharpshooter
- Scout
- Heavy weapons
- Sharpshooter
- Rapid Response - The rapid response team(s) is designed to be quick and mobile, getting to the exact location needed faster than the enemy, and still being able to pack quite the punch upon arriving at their destination. There are two rapid response squads in Dark Orb.
- Tech Specialist
- Pilot (2)
- Heavy weapons
- Scout
- Demolitions - The demolitions squad is a highly specified team of five commandos and a squad leader who are deployed on operations for the sole purpose of eliminating targets through the use of extensive force, often involving explosives. Dark Orb has two demolitions squads.
- Heavy weapons (2)
- Pilot (2)
- Tech Specialist
- Covert - This branch of squad specialization inside the Dark Orb Phyle is absolutely essential to the success of every operation. These men are trained to move silently and secretly, good at infiltration and assassination, masters of chaos and discord. Dark Orb has three covert squads.
- Scout (2)
- Sharpshooter
- Sniper
- Tech Specialist
- Assault - This is the basic squad make-up in the Arconan military, essential to the success of the Dark Orb Phyle as a whole. The assault squad(s) generally carry out the main roles in battle. There are four assault squads in Dark Orb.
- Tech Specialist
- Sharpshooter
- Scout
- Heavy weapons
- Pilot
Role Details
Commanders - The squad commanders (12 of them) each command five commandos. They can choose to fill a role on their own team as well, such as sniper.
Tech Specialist/Slicer - Expert in all things electronic, expert at hacking into enemy (and friendly) systems and also handles comm duties for the squad.
Heavy Weapons - Hits hard, armed with heavier weapons than the rest of the squad it is this person who will generally be laying down fire to cover a squad member. Is the explosives expert for the team.
Scout - Usually goes in ahead of a squad to see what awaits them. Silent and deadly, usually prefers close combat weapons so as to keep noise to a minimum when performing silent kills, although not afraid to jump into a fire fight.
Sharpshooter - Specialist in blaster weapons, differs to a sniper because he generally doesn't hide from his enemies and pick them off from far away, but prefers to be in the thick of the action, using the skills they possess with blasters to inflict as many casualties as they can.
Sniper - Expert at long-range killing. Good for covering a friendly, better at picking off important enemy targets from far away so as to avoid detection. Not very strong in close combat, however.
Pilot (General) - Expert at flying ships, capable of flying ground craft as well but not as proficient as a Vehicular pilot.
Pilot (Vehicular) - Almost the opposite to the general pilot insofar as they are extremely skilled with land-based vehicles and can operate spacecraft, but nowhere near as proficient as a general pilot is.
Arms and Armor
Dark Orb has a fairly large and well-equipped armory to draw from before its missions, and it is advised that each soldier, especially the commanders, familiarize themselves with all their weapon options. For each role, there are a few different choices to make. Choose wisely before each mission.
Sniper rifles (available for snipers, sharpshooters, and scouts):
A Dark Orb PLX-1.
BlasTech E-17D Sniper Rifle
SoroSuub X-45 Sniper Rifle
BlasTech T-28 Sniper Rifle
Rifles (available for sharpshooters, scouts, and tech specialists):
BlasTech A280 Blaster Rifle
MerrSonn Munitions SG-4
BlasTech E-19 Blaster Rifle
Carbines (available for pilots, tech specialists, and snipers):
Dark Orb Proton Carbine
N'Gant-Zarvel 9118 Carbine
DXR6 Carbine
Proton Carbine
Heavy Weapons (available for pilots and heavy weapons specialists):
MerrSonn PLX-1 Rocket Launcher
Golan Arms FC-1 Flechette Launcher
Pistols (available to all):
Westar 34 Blaster Pistol
BlasTech DL-18 Blaster Pistol
BlasTech DH-17 Heavy Blaster Pistol
Grenades (available to all):
MerrSonn WW-41 CryoBan Grenade
MerrSonn G20 Glop Grenade
MerrSonn C-22 Fragmentation Grenade
MerrSonn C-10 Stun Grenade
Greff-Timms 0033X Grenade
Helmets
The Dark Orb helmets were meticulously designed and created for optimum protection and use by the TAMs as well as the Dark Jedi assigned to the battleteam. Standard color schemes such as matte black, camouflage, and urban styles are available for the different units depending on the mission, but the technology and features are the same in all the models.
The viewscreen is polarized, and inside the helmet there is an advanced air filtration system, along with a small oxygen supply. There is also a comlink based on the inside of the helmet, with activation buttons and controls on the left wrist. Also on this control panel are optic options for the helmet, including night vision and scopes with varying magnitudes. Heat sensors will be included for some specified marines, such as the snipers and scouts.
Helmets also include anti-flash coatings on the visors, to prevent troopers from being blinded by sudden flashes. Holographic Vision Processors (HVP) sensors will be included to aid the troopers when their view is obstructed by smoke, fire, or darkness. In regards to external audio, small speakers will be built into the inner rim of the helmet to project the voice to non-personnel.
Boots
The boots were created, first and foremost, to be comfortable and practical. There are reinforced soles, to provide stronger support for the entire foot while marching or running long distances. There are small filtration vents to keep the feet cool. At the tip of the boot and at the heel, magnets are used for aid in scaling buildings.
Utility Belts
Each marine has his/her own utility belt. This belt includes ten meters of tightly coiled durability wire, a grappling hook, four spare power packs for chosen blasters, two ion flares, five days of rations, a spare comlink, three water packs, and two medpacks. On the back of the armor are two power packs to power the suit, and a half hour of oxygen.
Body armor
The body suits also come with color variations (white, black, camouflage, urban, ceremonial). The only difference is that with ceremonial suits, they will be stripped of nearly all capabilities except protection and cooling systems. Comes without helmet and utility belt. All versions of the armor come with a tight-fitting black body glove, worn under the armor for additional comfort and protection.
The suit material is actually be based off a former design by Mandalorians, commissioned for the Soulfire team. On the torso, helmet, arms and shoulders, boots, and legs a light plasteel alloy (the same used on stormtrooper armor) is used. On the right pectoral plate the individual callsign (for example, “Fox”) is printed along with the squad callsign (for example, “Alpha”). Nowhere on the regular combat armor is either the Arcona, Qel-Droma, or Dark Orb logos be shown. This is largely due to the fact that the TAMs often carry out missions that cannot be identified with Arcona. However, on the ceremonial variation, the trio of logos will be on the left pectoral plate.
Roster
- Tetrarch - Protector Arador Commander of Rapid Response Squad Epsilon and acting scout.
- Tyro - Dark Adept Strategos Thanatos Entar Arconae Commander of Assault Squad Alpha and acting sniper.
- Tyro - Templar Etah d'Tana Commander of Covert Squad Delta.
- Tyro - Jedi Hunter Voden Commander of Demolitions Squad Gamma.
- Tyro - Protector Haruun Orontes Commander of Deep Strike Squad Omega.
- Tyro - Acolyte Oriana Winters Commander of Deep Strike Squad Beta and acting sharpshooter.
- Tyro - Novice Aeron Commander of Assault Squad Theta and acting pilot.
- Tyro - Novice Kaido Kan Commander of Covert Squad Sigma and acting scout.
- Tyro - NPC Hackr Commander of Rapid Response Squad Omicron and acting tech specialist.
- Tyro - NPC Envizion Commander of Demolitions Squad Zeta and acting tech specialist.
- Tyro - NPC Prestige Commander of Assault Squad Phi and acting sharpshooter.
- Tyro - NPC Malediction Commander of Assault Squad Iota and acting pilot.
^Tetrarch reserves the right to modify roster assignments. This was the roster at the time of decommission.^