Reckoners

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"Nobody escapes their day of Reckoning."

―Motto of the Reckoners

Those To Be Reckoned With - or the Reckoners, as they are commonly called - used to be affiliated with House Kaerner but now function as an independent battle team serving Tarentum. Based in Eden City on Yridia IX, they operate as an elite covert paramilitary force, specializing in black operations. Each individual member may be referred to as a Reckoner, and multiple members may be referred to as Reckoners. The current commander of the Reckoners is TBD.

History

When House Kaerner was established as a pirate group on the barren icy moon Joran, leaders recognized the need to have a force present in Eden City, the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the Yridia system. After a careful examination of members of the House, Teia Coran was selected to found the Reckoners.

Colonel Dralin Fortea later headed the outfit, with the Reckoners sometimes acting as a direct asset of YSC Intelligence, rather than as an independent unit. Following his departure, Nichos Rhade was selected to lead the Reckoners, while still maintaining a link with Fortea and Yridian Surface Command on a palpable basis.

Recently, individual Reckoners have acted as agents for the various other entities within Tarentum, including the Summit, due to their particular skills and comfort with pursuits of a sensitive nature. After the Rakghoul outbreak in 34 ABY, Rhade disappeared from Yridian space, and the Reckoners have been without a leader for some time though they still perform effectively as a police unit.

Role

Primarily, The Reckoners aid Tarentum in their "more delicate" interests - anything that might be considered to be "outside" of standard protocol. These endeavors range from the acquistion of credits, supplies, and information to the persuasion, extortion, or elimination of - whichever is most useful – persons of regard. Due to the politically unstable nature of the Eden City population, the Reckoners are at all times poised to back up the Civilian Police Force when situations grow beyond their control.

Under Rhade's leadership, the Reckoners have become a direct standby for Tarentum's military forces (especially the YSCI branch) in times of need.

Hierarchy

The Reckoners are led by a commander. The commander names a lieutenant as his or her second-in-command.

Due to the covert nature of the group, codewords are used instead of actual ranks in conversation outside of the headquarters. The commander is referred to as the Monsieur/Madam and the Lieutenant is referred to as the Bookie.

During operations, squads act as military special forces units. Teams perform under an assigned moniker (ex. Charlie, Blackjack, Alpha, etc.) with group members tending specific roles according to the objective.

Characteristics

There are never more than twelve Reckoners at a time. These individuals are among the most elite Dark Jedi of Tarentum. Every Reckoner is proficient in many forms of combat, including hand to hand fighting, use of firearms, and the art of the lightsaber. They are also adept in manipulation of beings weaker than themselves.

Reckoners are trained for covert and acute operations. Each are versed in espionage, surveillance, procurement of information (by interrogation or otherwise), survival, anti-insurgency and various forms of execution. Individual Reckoners may choose to specialize in a number of further skills useful to the team and to Tarentum. Such abilities might include fluency in multiple languages, knowledge of poisons, technological expertise, or other flavorful proficiencies that may define each operative as an individual asset.

The Reckoners are fully encouraged to achieve objectives using more "creative" circumstances when the use of direct force is not an option. The unofficial use of information brokers, double agents, and even mercenaries has been allowed (though not technically sanctioned) in the pursuit of accomplishing a mission. However, rarely are any witnesses (or third parties of any kind) left alive once the deed is done.

During conversation outside of the headquarters, Reckoners are forbidden to use traceable names. Aliases are commonly used and the use of last names is forbidden. The commander is referred to as the Madam and her Lieutenant is referred to as the Bookie. These codewords are not unusual in Eden City because of the rampant prostitution and gambling.

Rumor and urban legend of the Reckoners' existence is cautiously promoted among the population of Eden City, as fear is a very useful tool in the control of the masses.

Headquarters

The Mirage, as seen from the street.

In order to better blend in with the rest of Eden City, the House Summit decided that the Reckoners' headquarters would be inside a casino. The casino is situated in a crossroads between Districts I (the uptown district), IV (called "District Sin" by locals), and V (the slums), guaranteeing its success as a business. The Reckoners' founding lieutenant, Dralin Fortea, acts as proprietor of the casino under an alias, though the casino is actually an asset of House Tarentum.

The casino and luxury hotel, named The Mirage, is typical of most of the gambling halls of District IV, with one major exception: there is a hidden level at the very bottom of the casino. This level is the true headquarters of the Reckoners, and can be accessed via the main turbolift in the casino lobby, as well as secret entrances scattered throughout alleyways in the closest outskirts of the three surrounding districts. All of these entrances can only be accessed via a special code cylinder issued to every Reckoner, while the turbolift in the main lobby will only go down to the hidden level if the code cylinder is inserted into a hidden keyhole. These code cylinders appear identical to the room key cylinders issued to every hotel guest.

The Reckoners' headquarters retains much of the same look and feel as the hotel section of The Mirage, albeit with the amenities of a shared home. There are twelve bedrooms, a library, a large communications station, a training area, a comprehensive armory, a shared living area, and a hallway leading to an interrogation chamber, the hallway itself being lined with holding cells. The hallway, referred to as the Panic Room, is completely isolated from the rest of the level, designed to confuse one's sense of time.

A notable feature of the training area is the combat simulator, known among Reckoners as "The Black Box." The machine stores complex synthesized algorithms of various opponents and landscapes, resulting in "virtu-real" simulacrums well suited for training exercises based within headquarters. This technology allows for a fully efficient, though locally and internally based, training program and regimen for each Reckoners operative.

Equipment

While there is a standard-issue set of armor and weapons for every Reckoner, individual Reckoners are encouraged and even expected to customize their personal resources.

Standard Issue

The following armor and weaponry is considered the standard when assigning new Reckoners their equipment. Each Reckoner is expected to keep and maintain their standard issue arms and armor.

Armor:

• Shadowsuit: When a Reckoner must rely entirely on stealth, Ayelixe/Krongbing Textiles' shadowsuit is considered standard-issue. Made of shadowsilk, it naturally dampens sound and reflects light, making the Tarentum enforcer just another shadow in the night.
• Tuff1 combat jumpsuit: Another Ayelixe/Krongbing Textiles product, the Tuff1 is one of their most popular armor models, due to its flexibility, ability to go unnoticed under armor, and being comfortable to wear over long periods of time. A Reckoner is outfitted with the Tuff1 if they are expecting combat.

Weapons:

• AKraB vibrodagger: Considered standard issue among the New Republic Marines, the aKraB vibrodagger is put to good use as either a last-resort weapon or as a method of execution among the Reckoners.
• 22T4 holdout blaster: Given the ties that the Dark Jedi Brotherhood had to the old Empire, it comes as no surprise that the Reckoners obtained several 22T4 holdout blasters, as was preferred by the Imperial Security Bureau. The limited-run 22T4's each have a specific serial number, and every new Reckoner is given one, with the expectation of keeping it on their person at all times.
• SoroSuub X-45 sniper rifle: This long-range sporting blaster rifle is somewhat fragile compared to most rifles, but when single-target elimination is required, few back as lethal a punch. A popular choice among assassins.

Accessories:

• Subcutaneous comlink: Placed beneath the skin, this encrypted comlink elminates the need for independent long term comm devices, which might "out" an operative if discovered. Furthermore, the location of each agent is thoroughly traceable, enhancing the security of each mission and every Reckoner.

Variants

As a Reckoner becomes more experienced, they branch out into personalized equipment. In addition, some equipment is made available to the group for specific missions, but are not standard issue.

Armor

• Modified padded flight suit: While most missions occur planetside in Eden City, occasionally a mission does take a Reckoner into space. While piloting or serving as crew aboard a freighter, they are supplied with a modified padded flight suit, which varies from regular flight suits in that they are coated with shadowskin, to better amplify their skill with stealth and recon while spacebound.

Weapons

• DL-44 heavy blaster pistol: While discretion is the watchword for the Reckoners, some members prefer the feel of a reliable heavy blaster in their hands.
• KX-80 repeating blaster rifle: Given the Reckoners' occasional duty of assisting Yridian Civilian Defense Force raids, they are also issued one KX-80 repeating blaster rifle, only to be used when it is obvious that stealth cannot solve the problem.
• Needler: A favorite among assassination and extraction protocols, the needler is a simple, pneumatic-based pistol that shoots a small dart, usually laced with a powerful poison. The needler is a flexible weapon, as the wide range of poisons available can be used to knock out, cripple, or outright kill a target.
• Xerrol Nightstinger sporting blaster rifle: As an alternative to the X-45 supplied to every Reckoner, the Nightstinger is unique in that, due to its proprietary blaster canister system, its shots were rendered completely invisible. The drawback to this system is that each canister, costing 1,000 credits a piece, only contains three to five shots; however, it is expected of the Reckoners that this will be two to four shots more than are needed.
• Vibroblade: When anonymity is required, but melee breaks out, a Reckoner is not expected to use the iconic lightsaber, and is instead encouraged to use a vibroblade in its place.

Commanders

The current commander of the Reckoners is TBD. There is no current lieutenant.

Commanders Emeritus

1. Teia Coran
2. Dralin Fortea
3. Solus Gar
4. Nichos Rhade