The Haches du Roi are a squadron of particularly dangerous Maquis terrorists originally founded by a deserting Council Colonel dissatisfied with what he saw as the glacial pace of the proceedings in Champagne. Believed to be amongst the first of the loosely organized Maquis cells, the anonymous Colonel desired a group of intrepid men and women willing to do whatever necessary to achieve the goals of The Council's revolution; pit frequently against the overwhelming might of the Royal Navy, the Haches were present even at the Battle of Marne, flying headlong into a blazing sea of Tachyon bolts with their rickety J-class leftover snubcraft.
Moments before the Colonel accelerated his engines to crash into a deshielded Obstinate-class cruiser's bridge, he spoke his final words to the squadron: "I expect results."
Those words have since served as the Haches' unofficial motto, and perhaps a reminder of the sheer carnage so few munitions, ships, and personnel have managed to sow amongst the whole of Gallia. As The Crown continues to wage a war of conquest against the Taus and Bretonia, the Haches gather and prepare; their intent, to cleave the crown from the King's head, one explosion at a time.
Basic Information: Tag:HdR| ID/IFF:Maquis
Goals: Primary:Kill the Royal Family, Sow as much terror amongst The Crown as possible. Secondary:Aid The Council in creating a post-Monarchy government; keep the Brigands and Corse focused against The Crown. Tertiary:Bring as many Gallic Fugitives to safety outside Gallia as possible.
Diplomacy:
Allied- Show them how it's done. Council
Friendly- All for one, one for all. Gallic Brigands
Unione Corse
Undecided- Keep a very close eye on them. Crayter Republic
Imperial Navy (Exiles)
Blood Dragons
Bretonia Privateers
Planetform
Cryer Pharmaceuticals
Sirius Coalition Revolutionary Army
Zoners
The Order
Suspicious- Even a single transgression will not be tolerated. Independent Miners Guild
Gas Miners Guild
Farmers Alliance
Hogosha
Bounty Hunters Guild
Bretonia Armed Forces
Bretonia Police Authority
Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing
Bowex Shipping
Gateway Shipping
Sirian Junkers
Gaians
Golden Chrysanthemums
Freelancers
Unfriendly- Give them a warning shot, nothing more. Gallic Mining Service
ALG Waste Disposal
Samura Industries
Pirates
Mollies
Hostile- Let terror reign. Solar Engineering
Kusari State Police
Kusari Naval Forces
Kempetai
Outcasts
Nomads
Wilde
Hatred- Kill them all, one by one. Gallic Royal Navy
Gallic Royal Police
Gallic Junkers
Ile-de-France Shipping
EFL Oil & Machinery
Zone of Influence:
Champagne:The Haches operate entirely openly within Champagne, tempering their habitual tradelane-camping by reminding themselves that every asset within the system is on their side. Typically the system is a place for meeting, debriefing, or transit rather than one where operations are carried out.
Lorraine:A system where the Maquis have long been able to have full reign over their mischief, due to Champagne cutting off nearly all access to it. While the vast majority of the Haches’ interest in the system tends to gravitate towards the destruction of Metz Station’s Biospheres, a rare harrying strike might be attempted at Maltese assets in the Toul Nebula on occasion.
Burgundy:Practically the most contested system in Gallia proper, the lanes are almost constantly harried and raided by all composing members of the Gallic revolution as the opposing Royal forces scramble an endless stream of patrols and reinforcements. A place of limitless excitement for the foolhardily fearless Haches du Roi.
Ile-de-France:Conversely, even the reckless Maquis know better than to cause too much noise within House Gallia’s capitol system. Unless there is a specific target to conduct a hit-and-fade strike upon, Ile-de-France remains a point of transit or a resting place at relatively secure Avon Hideout for the squadron.
Berry and Orleanais:The metaphorical factories and breadbaskets of the Gallic Crown respectively, the Maquis launch constant harrying attacks upon mining vessels, corporate convoys, and smuggle almost anything to, from, and between the systems. Almost anything; even the Maquis have some standards.
Lyonnais:The Haches consider the Rhone Nebula to be a prime stomping ground for interdiction of Crown-aligned convoys to and from Kusari. Thanks to the position of certain stable jump holes within the nebula, they can reach a position along the lanes from Champagne within mere minutes.
Rishiri:Similarly, the Haches will routinely risk entering the relatively unknown territory of the Gallic-Kusari border in order to cause as much havoc as possible in the Rebun Nebula.
Picardy and Maine:The Maquis of the far edges of the Gallic Core see at least sporadic traffic due to the influx of fugitives from Amiens and even further abroad, many of whom ironically jostle and fight among themselves for the opportunity to be shepherded out of Gallia by Maquis. In such cases, the Haches will often masquerade as Council-members if only to (for once) calm down the often terrified refuge “cargo” and expedite the journey to the Taus.
Gallic Border Worlds and further afield:Taking full advantage of their allies’ bases in the region, the Haches occasionally muster up the foolhardy courage to follow in the Royal Navy’s wake and strike at their flanks, before vanishing back into the black.
Ranks:
Corporal:Leader of the Haches Cell, responsible for most of what passes for Maquis as "diplomacy". He/She directs the Squadron's current objectives and operations.
Gardien (Warden):A proven, dedicated killer. Responsible for managing enlisted pilots, Wardens also in part choose a single Maquis base to administrate, and are free to reply to transmissions sent to the Squadron.
Chasseur (Hunter):A qualified member of the Squadron, expected to carry their own weight even under the most overwhelming of situations. Permitted to fly Freighters and captain Transports.
Debutant (Rookie):A possible probationary member of the Haches Squadron. To be qualified for full membership, they have one week to impress the Corporal and Gardien(s) enough to consider allowing entry. The higher-ranked members are very eager to exile or even kill those who arouse suspicion of being a spy for the Crown.
// Information listed here is subject to minor tweaking/editing over the course of the faction's infancy.