7
Miscellaneous Organizations and Groups
Spec-Intel
Nyte's Spec-Intel is a combination of military intelligence and covert operations that focuses primarily on counterterrorism, info-sec, and conducting covert, para-military operations, not just within the borders of the Interstellar Empire, but also from within the borders of foreign powers as well. With a broad recruitment range that encompassed not only past and present military personnel, but also Arbitrators, various Assassins from the guild [back when the guild was still a thing at least], medical personnel, and even various civilian merchants and contractors, Spec-Intel is a diverse, versatile organization effective at handling a wide variety of situations. With several centuries of hard-earned experience and thousands of successful operations under their belt, Nyte's Spec-Intel has come to be a highly capable, versatile, and flexible organization that fulfills several vital functions for the Interstellar Empire...
In terms of actual organization, Spec-Intel forces generally operate in small groups referred to simply as "cells," which are generally made up of a diverse cast of personnel with a variety of useful skills, talents, and traits; all of whom answer to a single Spec-Intel "handler" that provides the operatives of the cell with the necessary mission details, needed supplies, transportation, weapons, and equipment needed to complete their missions. These handlers are the only individuals who are aware of exactly who makes up each individual cell, and as real names and other identifying information is never used, the capture of a single cell member; or even the entire cell will never lead back to the cell's handler; a safety feature that has proven its usefulness on a number of occasions in the past.
Furthermore, on the rarest of occasions, a larger, more excessive amount of force may be deemed necessary, and at such times, fighter squadrons, navy ships, and even entire armies can find themselves temporarily seconded to Spec-Intel service for indeterminate periods of time. While such occurrences are thankfully fairly rare in the broader scheme of things, it is a possibility that personnel in a number of different organizations within the Interstellar Empire are made aware of, and as such, as it should be expected, Spec-Intel maintains a fairly close working relationship with the different branches of the Interstellar Empire's military forces along with a number of other organizations within the Interstellar Empire such as the Daemonbane, Arbitrators, and even a number of the Empire's more prolific Facilitators as well.
The Daemonbane
The Daemonbane is a shadowy, paramilitary organization that was created amidst the confusion of the early years of the Daemon War. The original Daemonbane was a cobbled together mess of random Nyteborne and artificial intelligences from various walks of life and disparate backgrounds [some of which were highly questionable to say the least], and their early membership was bolstered through, what many Nyteborne would argue, to be questionable, and in several cases, highly illegal methods and means...along with a blatant disregard for any so called "red tape."
However, the Daemonbane quickly grew and evolved throughout the war as needs must...virtually developing everything the fledgling organization would need to function properly and effectively from the ground up and with little time for second guesses, ethics, or morality. This process that was made much more difficult due to a gross lack of information as to exactly what their needs would actually be in the end, but they learned to adapt quickly enough...
Agents of the Daemonbane frequently operate alone...though most of their operatives often select a number of hangers-on or followers throughout their career to assist them in their tasks, and their broad authority also allows them to requisition additional support directly from other organizations within the Interstellar Empire such as Arbitrators, Facilitators, and even entire armies and/or fleets of ships from the navy as well; despite being wholly removed from these organizations and their specific chains of command.
The Daemonbane has a singular, overarching mandate...to hunt down and eliminate any and all signs of the daemonic and eldritch, and their agents have been given the authority to do so by any and all means available and necessary, and questioning their agents, or refusing support or aid when it is requested is often a foolish and dangerous choice; one that can, and on more than one occasion, has led to interrogation [torture] and a violent death... Naturally, this has led to a terrifying reputation for the Daemonbane and their agents among the general populace; a reputation which suits the operatives of the Daemonbane just fine.
The Arbitrators
Originally created in the early years after the founding of the Interstellar Empire of Nyte, the Arbitrators were originally intended to be a stop-gap measure designed to enforce and maintain order among the populace while the new government worked to create a proper, long term judicial system and a unified code of laws. Unfortunately, this early government had very little information to base such a system on after centuries of control by various guilds who ruled under the belief that “might makes right.” Lacking any other workable options at the time, the Arbitrators, by default, became the de facto judiciary arm of the Interstellar Empire, and were eventually granted full authority in the maintenance and enforcement of the law throughout the Interstellar Empire's slowly growing sphere of influence.
While considered to be overly brutal; and at times excessively violent by even the majority of the Empire's somewhat jaded and violent populace, the Arbitrators are at least considered to be fair and generally unbiased in their enforcement of the rule-of-law, and most criminals are dealt with swiftly and efficiently. The limited number of punishments available for crimes under the Empire's still fairly basic legal system has led to a system that is largely unburdened by an overcrowded prison system, or a lengthy wait behind bars for court dates. Major crimes such as piracy, murder, rape, pedophilia, and acts of terrorism, treason, or extreme violence generally all fall under some variety of the death penalty if one is found to be guilty for example, and the Nyteborne have never gotten around to instituting a “death row.” Instead, Arbitrators are authorized to act as judge and jury, and as such the punishment for a crime can be, and often times is, enforced on the spot; depending on the situation of course. For lesser crimes, there is an appeals process available as the punishments for such usually consist of moderate to heavy fines, and/or a short stay in an Arbitrator precinct house [this is rare however]; usually up to a maximum of three years. Such a stay can be followed by a period of community and/or military service whereas the convicted individual can pay back into society for their crimes.
The Arbitrators are also required to maintain a comprehensive armory ranging from nonlethal, to fully military grade weaponry, as well as having access to military grade power armor as their standard kit. Generally, Arbitrators operate singly or in pairs; when paired, usually one Arbitrator, or an Arbitrator Captain is paired up with a fresh recruit, although at times entire squads' worth of Arbitrators can be dispatched to deal with extreme situations where a nearly military level of firepower and training is required to resolve a situation as quickly and cleanly as possible.
Each Arbitrator precinct house is run by an Arbitrator General, and they are generally designed to function as a mixture of military style barracks, courthouse, prison, and fortress all in one. Generally these precinct houses are large, heavily fortified compounds equipped with their own barracks, armory, primary and secondary power plants, hydroponics, and water recycling facilities so as to be as self-sufficient as possible; a practice which has enabled these compounds to withstand everything short of a full-on military siege or orbital bombardment on several occasions.
Facilitators
The Facilitators are a loosely organized para-military organization operating out of the Interstellar Empire of Nyte. However, while they operate from within the Empire, they are almost entirely unaffiliated with either the government or the military, and they generally work alone or in very small groups, basically as mercenaries for hire. As an organization, there is no guild, or centralized main office as such for the Facilitators, nor is there even a single specific set of rules or regulations that one needs to follow upon joining their ranks. There are, however, a few ways that one can actually go about becoming a Facilitator; at least if the prospective Facilitator wishes to survive for a while and have a successful time of it.
The most common way that a Nyteborne can become a Facilitator is by attaining, and completing, an apprenticeship with a current Facilitator; a dangerous process that can take many years but has the benefit of supplying the prospective Facilitator with reliable hands-on training, room-and-board, transportation, potential political, commercial, and military connections, and a well-maintained set of equipment and weaponry to get them started. While this is not the only way one can go about becoming a Facilitator, it is typically the preferred method by most of the Nyteborne who choose to walk the path of the Facilitator.
For the most part, only a few Facilitators can be found regularly operating outside the boundaries of the Empire. However, over the last several decades, more and more of these highly skilled and dangerous individuals have taken to broadening their scope of operations to territories outside of the Interstellar Empire and its sphere of influence. While their services are generally considered to be somewhat on the more expensive side, over the centuries the Facilitators have earned a reputation for themselves; first within the Interstellar Empire, and later beyond the Empire's borders for being very good at what they do, as well as for their discretion, making them a preferred choice among wealthier Nyteborne when a more "delicate" problem needs to be resolved; and the Facilitators are well known for handling such problems with the highest levels of professionalism; something that those outside of the Empire are beginning to learn as well.
The Assassins Guild [Excommunicate Traitorus]
The old Assassin Guilds of Nyte had a long, dark, and violent history that is still whispered about among many of the Nyteborne today; a history that could be traced back roughly nine hundred and fifty odd years. At one time there were some three or four dozen different Assassin Guilds that fought among themselves, and also with many of the other guilds of the pre-Interstellar Empire of Nyte for a mixture of power, standing, wealth, resources, or, more commonly than not, for their own demented amusement and the fulfillment of their base desires. This all changed a little over six hundred years ago however with the sudden and mysterious appearance of Conrad Curze - the first Emperor of the Interstellar Empire of Nyte, who waged a long, bloody war against the guilds and their excessive practices and abuses of the Nyteborne; a war that would eventually lead to his rise to power and prominence as Emperor.
Of the dozens of assassin guilds that once existed in what would eventually become the Interstellar Empire of Nyte, only five guilds managed to actually survive the purge of their ranks [and this only because they were allowed to survive by Curze himself] at least somewhat intact, and their roles and influence in society within Empire was drastically changed since their old glory days; a requirement mandated to them by Curze to allow for their continued survival, and up to their final purge, the threat of potential extermination loomed large over their collective heads. Waiting only for the tiniest misstep from so much as a single one of their number to bring the entire organization down and as such, finish what was started by Curze so many centuries ago. Those five guilds were The Blade Dancers, The Silent Brotherhood, The Far-Reaching Hand, The Shroud, and The Lost.
A little over three centuries ago, these guilds were combined into a single, all-encompassing Assassins Guild which functioned like a mixture of a special operations force, secret police, and lastly, as a back-up intelligence gathering service to the Empire's Spec-Intel. It was a surprisingly rare event however when the Assassins Guild needed to actively exercise their original purpose against the enemies of the Empire; although, let it not be said that it didn't actually happen. It simply was not talked about, reported to the public, or sensationalized by media outlets as it would have been in the past. It was certainly not gloried in as it would have been by some before the existence of the Interstellar Empire.
Recent events; particularly the recent daemonic incursion on Nyte, and interference in the events immediately after by several members of the guild, saw the proverbial blade finally come crashing down on the Assassins Guild, and resulted in Xaiah Morningstar; the second, and last Emperor of the Interstellar Empire officially ordering the disbanding of the guild as a legal entity, and ordering the immediate purge of its members. Carried out by a large, combined force of Nytelords, Ghosts, and combat drones, this purge has been considered to be 'complete' as of early 0498 A.G. though there have been consistent, if unconfirmed sightings of Assassins in the outer regions of the Empire's sphere of influence in the years since...
Gangs [Excommunicate Traitoris]
The Interstellar Empire of Nyte, even before it's very inception, always had something of a gang culture/problem. For hundreds of years, it has been ingrained into the masses that being a member of, or leader of a gang could bring one at least a semblance of status, wealth, and if lucky, even a modicum of power. Of course, this is not necessarily true with all gangs, or even with the vast majority of them; in fact, the opposite of this is far more likely more often than not. This was especially the case during the Interstellar Empire's earlier years. Typically, life in a gang is short and destined to end badly [violently], though it is also full of sex, drugs, alcohol, and a large amount of violence, which, sadly, are all things that are extremely appealing to so many of the Nyteborne... At least you'll go out with a bang. Right?
Over the centuries of the Interstellar Empire's existence, there have been several different attempts to bring about an end to the gang problem; especially among the Empire's youth. These attempts have, quite unfortunately, not been all that successful, and as such, it has basically fallen to the Arbitrators to attempt to find some kind of a solution to the gang problem running rampant throughout the Empire and its controlled territories. Generally, their solution of choice has been considered to be quite extreme and involves very public violence - with proven gang members typically being shot and killed on sight in the hopes that the final, and fatal, result of joining one of the many gangs being so visible to members of the general public might at least make some of them rethink joining a gang, and perhaps, choose a better, more productive path in life instead.
Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster. At Least Until You Die That Is.
Cults and Daemon Worshipers [Excommunicate Traitoris]
While they have never really been that common within the Empire in the first place, cults, and the worshipers of the eldritch or the daemonic have always been a significant part of the dark underbelly of the Empire. They were, however, a barely tolerated presence within the Empire, and truly, this was mainly because freedom of religion was the law within the Empire, and most of these groups had become very good at concealing the more vulgar practices that they partook in that would remove this thin veil of legal protection that they operated under. Even so, the government, the military, and the arbitrators always kept track of; and kept an extremely close eye on, such groups as best they could.
In practice, these groups were all quite secretive. Outsiders, for the most part, often weren't even aware of their existence within the Empire as typically they came to you, not the other way around. Obtaining membership in such a group could be done through various means, some more unpleasant; and more illegal for that matter, than others, and membership was permanent... Trying to back out commonly led to being made an example of.
Interestingly enough, depending on your point of view, most of these groups seemed to have little in common with each other. Their practices: such as ritualistic sex orgies, ritual murder, human and animal sacrifices, daemonic summoning [which, thankfully, usually failed to work], etc. were typically the only common ground most of these groups seemed to share, and more often than not, they were quite happy fighting among each other in the name of their chosen god. Their purpose...their goals as it were, were, for the most part, unknown; probably even to the majority of those that were involved in it, and it is believed that this air of mystery, and the inherent risk factor, was one of the major deciding factors determining whether or not an individual decided to join such a group if given the chance.
The recent successful massed daemonic summoning by one or more of these groups [the exact method still remains unknown] upon the Interstellar Empire's capitol has seen drastic, and far-reaching consequences however, including a massive crack down upon, and the extermination of, any and all such groups within the Interstellar Empire's borders. The death of the Emperor Conrad Curze at the hands of a daemon, and the overall death toll which is estimated to be in the mid eight figure range caused a whole new level of civil strife within the Empire at the time; culminating in military death squads hunting down cultists like animals through the bloodstained streets, as well as in the dark places that they once felt safe to practice their 'arts' unseen and undisturbed by the masses. The era of toleration for such things is now over.
