| The Paladins of the Galactic Concordance
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Free citizens of the Galaxy
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Brother-Captain Joskian Aldsin
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Unknown
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Galaxy-wide
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10 ABY
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Detective Lurh,
Ranger Kailisa
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The Paladins of the Galactic Concordance are a loosely united faction of vigilante lawmen who travel the Galaxy's downtrodden slums and seek to bring justice and order where the New Republic has yet to reach.
History
The Paladins were organized in 10 ABY as part of renewed efforts to bring the rule of law onto worlds not even the Empire had managed to control. Unlike the brute force approach of the Empire, however, the Paladins were to uphold the law equally among all and especially crack down on the sort of criminal activity that threatened the general populace of the galactic backwaters. Often acting in support of local authorities, where available, the Paladins quickly grew to be both trusted and feared among the Outer Rim's fringes, some seeing them as a dangerous vanguard of the New Republic, while others welcomed them as bringers of peace and safety.
With ties to the more idealistic senators of the New Republic, special arrangements were made which allowed these willing individuals to operate under legal ambiguity and apprehend criminals with an expanded 'citizen's arrest' doctrine. With New Republic prison moons accepting individuals so apprehended, the Paladins could focus on dealing with criminals far from the New Republic's reach, without having to worry about setting up holding cells or operating their own prisons.
This arrangement is as idealistic as it is potentially inflamatory to the New Republic's image as an organization of law and order, and many suspicious inhabitants of the Outer Rim see the Paladins as little more than a gross overreach of the New Republic's power. They claim, often quite rightly, that the New Republic has not jurisdiction out in the Rim and that their so-called lawmen are in fact nothing more than kidnappers with lofty ideals.
Organization
The Paladins lack a central organization, but instead operate as independent groups ranging in size from a handful to a hundred. They seek to recruit new members as much as prosecute criminals, often training local militias to handle their settlements after they've broken down any indigeous criminal gangs and taken them into custody. Those found willing to repay the Paladins are allowed to join their ranks and leave to the stars in order to pay forward the help and service they render.
Usually each independent group is commanded by a Paladin-Marshall, the oldest or most seasoned of the group. They will offer guidance on how to conduct operations and are expected to memorize the New Republic's criminal code by heart. In matters requiring adjudication in the field, the Paladin-Marshall will have final say, though often the Paladins prefer to simply take perpetrators into custody and ship them over to New Republic prison worlds for processing.
Foreign Association and Affairs
House Qel-Droma
Arriving on Port Ol'val in late 39 ABY, the Paladins made a quick name for themselves in pacifying rampant petty crime within the Shadowport. The state of general safety had suffered an ironic degradation as the cartels' power dwindled in the wake of their failed coup and the reluctance of the Blind Man to enforce anything beyond minimum safety of life. The Paladins thus gained much approval among the inhabitants of Ol'val, but also earned the ire of the surviving cartel remnants—as well as the chief of Ol'val's Enforcers.
Acting swiftly to put an end to the meddling Paladins, the Mal Company and Fly on the Wall intercepted their communications and ambushed the Paladin agents, keeping Ranger Kailisa as a hostage while returning Detective Lurh (without his hands) to the Paladin outpost. Enraged, Brother-Captain Joskian Aldsin authorized a full-scale deployment of Paladins onto Ol'val to pacify the station and bring law and order to the Shadowport.