- "They appear as birds, fast and agile. Their attacks are devastating. Then they vanish. Never again in my life have I seen anything like them."
- ―Testimony from a gang member on Yridia IX
Black Phoenix was an elite battle team within House Reinthaler of Clan Tarentum. It was founded in 32 ABY by then Dark Jedi Knight Severon Vercingetorix. The team served as the premiere source of established Force scholars and practitioners in Reinthaler, and works diligently towards the betterment of Clan Tarentum. Unfortunately, the team was shut down in 33 ABY after suffering various casualties on Yridia IV while defending the clan against a coup attempt.
History
Founding
Severon Vercingetorix, founder of Black Phoenix.
Under the executive order issued by then Consul Maxamillian von Oberst-Tarentae and then Proconsul Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae, Houses Gladius, Tridens, and Cestus were closed and two new houses were opened. The new Quaestor of House Reinthaler, Saitou Tarentae, went to former Gladius Aedile Severon Vercingetorix and worked with him to create what is now known as Black Phoenix. Vercingetorix became Black Phoenix's first Sith Commander on the day of its creation.
Role
Black Phoenix was a powerful but secretive unit of House Reinthaler. Their main purpose was to train in the Force and to use it in action. Although the team would often see combat, members of Black Phoenix preferred to use the Force alongside Zurhidon and cause disruption on the battlefield, rather than attacking the enemy head on.
Admission and Training
Admission into Black Phoenix was an honor and a privilege. Members of House Reinthaler were closely supervised and monitored to see if they fit the pretenses needed to be included in the elite group. When they were selected, they were contacted by the Sith Commander and/or the Flight Leader.
Once accepted into the unit, members underwent tremendous and often exhausting exercises to prove their worth. Each initiate was instructed in basic hand-to-hand combat, elementary blaster maintenance and usage, manipulation of grenades and other projectile weapons, and the proper wielding of blunt or bladed weapons. Once taught basic combat skills, initiates were then placed under the tutelage of more brutal Force users, in order to unleash their potential and watch over them as they developed their Force defenses. All of these skills - especially skills in the Force - were necessary in order to carry out the rigorous assignments given to the team on a weekly to even daily basis. Basic training generally lasted about a month, depending on the progress of the newest initiates.
After passing basic training, the member was accepted into Black Phoenix as a recruit. The recruit was then given the basic armament of the Black Phoenix armory. When the recruit had been in Black Phoenix long enough to prove his or her worth as a member, he or she was named a veteran and was granted full access to all weapons in the Black Phoenix armory.
The Phoenix Ring
The Phoenix Ring
In addition to the standard weapons and armor, a member of Black Phoenix would receive the coveted Phoenix Ring. The Phoenix Ring was made of onyx and shaped to fit the wearer perfectly. In addition to having the sacred phoenix crest, the ring was endowed with an special power. If ever a member was injured or in distress, the ring automatically alerted the team commander and flight leader.
The ring was a symbol to all that the member had accepted the chance to be totally immersed in the Dark Side's power.
Equipment
While Black Phoenix was a scholastically based unit primarily focused on Force defense and manipulation, it also had a decently sized armory where they stored their weapons. In their armory, one could find all of the different types of weapons they would use. However, only a few of such weapons were standardly issued to the members once they joined the team. Each member, immediately after his or her initiation into Black Phoenix, was issued:
- E-11: This standard Blastech rifle was perfect for closer range combat, and an excellent addition to a new member's arsenal.
- Sonic detonators: Newer team members were normally allowed to carry two of these at a time in order to properly stun their proximal opponents.
- Frag grenades: Newer team members were normally allowed to carry three of these at a time, though they were cheap and not as efficient to use.
- Vibroknife: For use in hand to hand/maximum stealth situations, each member were obligated to have a bladed weapon on their person.
It was when a member had proven his or herself as a qualified member of the team that he or she was offered more efficient, Tarentum-influenced equipment. Similar to the armory of the former battle team Nightwraiths, full-fledged members of Black Phoenix were issued the following weapons:
- TAW-8GP Combat Rifle: A proprietary Tarentum IP, this rifle was excellently suited for most situations with variable rates of fire and recoil compensators to ensure accurate fire.
- TAW-6A Autopistol: Each member of the team had to carry one of these sidearms for use in the event of a primary weapon malfunction.
- Thermal detonators: As these detonators were more efficient and destructive than frag grenades, higher-ups on the team were allowed to carry two at a time.
- T-21 repeating rifle: Should the team have divided up into separate forces for a mission, a single repeater rifle would be employed per squadron to ensure adequate supply of cover fire should it have been needed.
Most members of Black Phoenix had the choice to wear a special type of armor. Using state-of-the-art TAW technology, the armor employed plasteel alloy on its chest plate, arm guards, knee guards, and boots to ensure efficient resistance against various melee and long-range weapons. Most of the armor was a polished ebony hue, the helmet being jet-black and equipped with a silver visual screen to ensure proper stealth techniques on night missions. When not on missions, members of Black Phoenix would wear robes and hoods over their armor, to add to a darker, more intimidating persona over their standard military garb.
Headquarters
The team had no specific headquarters or designated areas that pertained to Black Phoenix alone. The team made use of the various facilities under the direction of Reinthaler, in addition to the various facilities and resources available to its members, and to Sith Bloodfyre. Those included, but were not limited to, the former facilities of House Cestus, House Gladius, and House Tridens; the worlds within the Yridia system, the Mystics' Asylum, and the rarely-mentioned estate afforded to Sith Bloodfyre as a former Consul and Tarentae.