User talk:Chovynz/Sandbox

Thoughts:

So... the template needs

• |server =

The banner will be automatically placed based on the server field.

• Need banners for each server. Mark on To Do
• [[Category:<server> Player Factions]]

This will be set by server field too. [3:20:35 p.m.] Nathaniel (Hyung Soong) says: maybe even

• |official=
• |official_affiliation=

[3:21:10 p.m.] Nathaniel (Hyung Soong) says: if yes then put that official at top, if not then put player group at top.

NO - Discovery UK

This is an unofficial player group. For the affiliated NPC faction, see Outcasts.

NO Outcast Splinter Cell
Origin
Alignment	OUTCASTS
Profile
Date of founding	800 A.S.
Founder(s)	Pedro Portillo
Current leader(s)	Miguel Perez (Dual Katanas)
Base of operations	Planet Malta, Omicron Alpha
Primary role
Defend Malta from Corsairs
Secondary role
Cardamine Research

The No. Outcast splinter faction was founded in 800 AS, and it has had an illustrious past. It was the brainchild of Pedro Portillo, a gifted scientist involved in cardamine research. He was annoyed at the restrictions on research caused by the corruption in the Council of Dons, which divided efforts and prevented effective research. Portillo collected a group of like-minded scientists and the No. was formed.

The original name of the No. was actually the Independent Cardamine Research Division (ICRD), which, under Portillo, began making significant progress in the field of modifying cardamine. However, the scientists found that in order to collect source material and vital resources, they had to venture out of the safety of Galicia Research Station. The ICRD found Omicron-81 very safe, as no enemy could penetrate multiple Outcast systems to get there. However, when venturing into neighbouring Omicron-80’s far reaches to conduct research, they found a few bounty hunters patrolling, looking to snap up random patrols. Portillo’s Sabre, named No.Rest, and the defensive Maltese Navy contingent was barely enough to repulse the attack, and Portillo returned to Galicia needing more power in order to further his research.

Portillo approached a well-known Outcast on Seguro Refugio, Guerra Diaz, and asked him for help. Guerra was more willing than Portillo had expected, and offered to join the No. as his second in command. Portillo, seeing that Guerra was an able scientist as well as a fearsome warrior, agreed. Guerra immediately set to work organising Navy aid and recommended various Outcasts to Portillo for recruitment. He renamed his Sabre No.Regret.

One such Outcast was the unlikely choice of Rodrigo Valdez. Valdez, having just spent five years in a Maltese jail for cowardice, hated the thought of cardamine, going as far as denouncing his parents for their cardamine plantation. However, Valdez did happen to be one of the best defensive destroyer commanders in the Maltese Navy, a fact proven time and time again by his successful defences of Omicron Alpha by marauding bounty hunters. Portillo approached him and, using his powers of persuasion, managed to convince Valdez that he could loosen the genetic shackles that tied the Outcast nation. Valdez agreed, and Portillo pulled strings and got him and his command into the No., whereupon Valdez renamed his destroyer to the No.Remembrance.

Portillo, on Guerra’s advice, approached one of the leading gunboat tacticians in the Maltese Navy, Miguel Perez. Guerra deemed him invaluable for offensive operations and anti fighter/anti bomber defence. He also respected Miguel as an effective fleet commander, despite having limited experience on capital ships. Miguel, who was at times frustrated with the strict discipline of the Navy, agreed immediately. He and his crew resigned their commissions, and, since Miguel’s old Tridente gunship was being decommissioned, he received a brand new, more modern one. He named it the No.Rebirth and started service immediately.

The No. grew, conducting numerous research experiments. As the ships names became more widely known, the group started to become more widely known, and eventually the ICRD title was dropped in favour of the simple No.. The small fleet grew in size, and though it was small, it was high quality due to vigorous training beforehand. Also, the modified cardamine that was produced with aid of No. fertilisers unquestionably helped the No. warriors in space. Money was always a problem, with the No. being a fairly low priority on the Council of Dons allocation of funds.

The No. continued to grow slowly from 800 AS onwards. Several minor breakthroughs were accomplished by No. scientists, which were responsible for a slight increase in longevity for the Outcasts population. Apart from a few occasional raids, the fleet was mostly confined to defending research operations. However, the fleet sometimes seized an opportunity to obtain other resources or research that could help the No. in any way. This was demonstrated in the Atka Raid in 807 AS, where a task force of No. warriors, led by Miguel, captured a large part of Cryer cardamine research on Atka Research station, and also destroyed a large part of the station itself. The captured research aided a major fertilizer breakthrough by No. scientists, and it also won the No. public acclaim, firmly cementing their reputation as excellent warriors as well as researchers.

In the years following the Atka Raid, the No. fleet slowly moved away from protecting research operations. The No. scientists had a lot of material, so they needed to make fewer trips. Also, the Maltese Navy had greatly increased its patrols, making remote systems safer, meaning there were less requirements for No. protection. The No. ranged further afield, some going as far as Liberty, their combat prowess making them feared pirates. Their harsh life and intense training in the Edge Worlds meant that the House Navies were inferior in skill, and the No. started to become feared among traders and some parts of House navies, though not as well known as other pirate groups.

The No. also gained recognition on the Outcast battlefronts. Once the Omicron Eta system was discovered and turned into a warzone, No. ships were often seen in the system, raiding corsair supply lines, attacking the corsair bases and helping defend Outcast bases. Some No. even went as far as raiding Gamma, though these raids were small, rare, and highly dangerous, though normally well-executed.

This battlefield recognition, along with several important advances in cardamine research, brought about the attentions of one of the most powerful factions in the Maltese Empire. The Catholic Church of Malta, always suspicious of research with cardamine, forced Cardinal Raphael Fernandez into the No. ranks in 814 AS. The zealous Fernandez, who had played a part in the Hispanic Inquisitions, reported his observations directly to the Papacy, eager to uncover some anti-Catholic plot within the ranks of the No.. Fernandez’s ship, the Sarissa class battleship No.Recusance, was the most powerful ship in the No. fleet, although it was nearly a hundred years old and was growing increasingly obsolete. However, it loaned him enough authority to be able to keep an eye on No. operations in and around Outcast space. The other No. were resentful of this, but any stand would risk sparking a war which the No. would not survive.

Despite the tensions, the No. continued to be successful, and their fertilizer was considered the best on Malta. It was used extensively by Miguel on his own plantation, and the result was that Perez Plantation cardamine was the best available on the planet. In early 816 AS, Miguel and Valdez were involved in what became known as the Cape Wrath Incident, where the population of near-feral Outcasts on that base were killed and the base brought back under the command of Malta. However, slightly later in 816 AS, news arrived that shocked the No.

Pedro Portillo died at the age of 98, of cancer caused by radiation exposure during experiments. His health had deteriorated for the last year, and was not entirely unexpected. The No. command was changed smoothly to Portillo’s second in command, Guerra Diaz. Guerra, while remaining interested in science, was a lot more warlike than Portillo. He ordered the Rearmament, a huge upgrading of the No. fleet, including overhauls to all ships (excluding the No.Recusance), bringing them all up to date, and at the same time, expanded the fleet. Cardamine research continued on Galicia, but without any of the No. leadership involved. Guerra appointed Miguel as his second in command.

A main problem with the Rearmament was the lack of funds available to the No., as it had little monetary support from the Council of Dons, and had to rely on sympathetic Don’s donations. This money problem was solved, when, two months after Portillo’s death, a rich Don, Enrico Villa, joined the No.. As well as giving the No. a representative on the Council of Dons, this gave Guerra the money he needed. The No.Reconciliation, a mighty Ransuer class dreadnought, was commissioned, and the remaining fleet further expanded.

Tensions rose alarmingly between the No. and Fernandez as a result of the Rearmament, until, one day, fate altered matters. Fernandez, whilst covering a remote experiment in out Omicron-81, overheard details of the corruption that ran through the church, to the highest levels. He felt that he could serve God better by joining the No., and stepped down as Cardinal immediately. Both Portillo and Guerra were surprised and delighted by this sudden turn of events, and the No.Recusance was sent to Valetta, where an extensive overhaul brought it up to date, and it was a match for modern ships once more.

The No. now had significant power. The fleet contained a Sarissa and a Ransuer, with two Storta destroyers, backed up by a handful of Tridentes, a bomber wing and a fighter wing. This was reflected in numerous successful battles with the bounty hunters Guild, which led to decreased Guild presence near Outcast space. With Enrico’s financial support, the No. were now a well-disciplined, well-trained, and elite force to be reckoned with.

Early in 817 AS, Guerra Diaz, for undisclosed reasons, resigned from the No., leaving Miguel Perez in charge. Miguel appointed Valdez and Fernandez to be joint seconds in command. Being Commander didn’t chain Miguel in any way, and he was still seen in places as far as Dublin and New York, fighting and pirating. The No. continues to grow to this day.

Whilst they are pirates and warriors, it is important to note that the No. is honourable. Various traders have spoken of being treated fairly by No., pirates after paying the agreed sum, not the stereotypical, disrespectful, arrogant, and intimidating pirates they’d expected. Any lawful with a preconception of pirates is soon disabused by the No., who find it easier to get credits out of fat traders with persuasion and subtle intimidation rather than rabid, terror-inducing tactics used by most pirate groups.

With the high level of training provided for them, and with their high levels of discipline, No. warriors can always be relied apon in battle, even when the odds are against them. However, the No. is not the rigid hierarchy of the Maltese Navy. There are only two ranks; Commander and Second in Command. All other No. must obey orders set by their superiors, but there is little military discipline. Miguel himself is especially hard on anyone calling him ‘sir’. He has a problem with restrictive authority, so everyone in the No. is on first-name terms with each other. However, if an order is not obeyed, and if any No warrior displays cowardice, Miguel has little tolerance for them and punishments can be severe. However, as restrictive authority is nonexistent, there is a cordial atmosphere within the ranks of the No.

Today, the No. exist as they always have done, recruiting, pirating, protecting and attacking. They have a firmly cemented reputation as excellent cardamine researchers, and their fleet as one of the highest quality in the Maltese Empire.

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