Bounty Hunters Guild Core

Guild Core
Origin	Unknown
Affiliation	Bounty Hunters Guild Core
Alignment	Lawful
Profile
Date of founding	Unknown A.S.
Founder(s)	Unknown
Current leader(s)	Guildmaster Luther Varrus
Base of operations	Omega 56, Dabadoru Station
Primary role
The destruction of the Order, Nomad and Corsair presence in the Omicrons, the pacification of the Omicrons under the banner of the Core
Secondary role
Gathering Nomad and Order technology and conducting research to develop highly advanced technology

Synopsis

The Guild Core is a secretive and tightly knit military organisation within the Bounty Hunters Guild that utilises the Guild's nigh infinite funds and resources to campaign in the outer Omicrons. The Core has taken on the self-proclaimed title of "Defenders of Humanity" in order to justify some of the most terrible and horrific acts of extermination, torture and experimentation on live human prisoners ever seen in Sirius.

It is currently locked in a bloody war for control of the Omicron Delta system with the Corsairs and Nomads, and is pushing into the Omicron Minor system in the hope of destroying the Order before they can pose a threat to the Core. The Core's leadership does not care for human cost, and is utilising the immense wealth built up by the Bounty Hunters Guild over centuries to build fleets and recruit soldiers to send to their deaths in the hope of overcoming enemy forces.

History

The Guild Core was formed not long after the Bounty Hunters Guild began exploring the Omicron systems, the exact date is unknown, as all Core records have recently either been erased, or locked away in the Core’s archives under direct orders from Guildmaster Kyras. The Core was founded as an elite group of Bounty Hunters, tasked with hunting Corsair leaders in the Edge worlds, to collect some of the biggest bounties in Sirius. The creation of an elite wing was felt necessary by the Guild Council due to the fact that the Corsairs were widely famed as some of the best pilots in Sirius, and were at the leading edge of technological advancement when it came to ship and weapon systems. Regular Hunters simply couldn’t compete with foes such as these, and were losing the Guild far more money in lost ships and pilots than they were making in bounties. The Guild began recruiting the finest and most talented pilots under it’s command, along with a few outsiders, to form their new wing. The Core was given the finest ships and weapons the Guild had available, and sent first to the system of Omicron Theta, from where they were to base attacks upon high ranking Corsair officers, and scout the surrounding systems for potential staging points.

After a couple of years, it became evident that the the Core was not having the immediate success the Guild Council had hoped for, the Corsairs were far better equipped and far more skilled than they had at first assumed. However, with the increasing Corsair attacks on Rheinland and Bretonia, the profits only became larger, so the Guild Council decided to pour even more resources into the Core. Up until this point, the Core had been based on Freeport 9, but with the heavy Corsair presence on the station and in the system, it was felt that with all the new resources the Guild Council was willing to allocate to them , they should look to building their own station, to use as a more effective staging point.

Around this time, the Houses were in uproar, and on the verge of destroying each other, in events that would later become known as the ‘Nomad War’, this gave rise to another opportunity, as a dangerous, and immediately heavily bountied group known as the Order sprung up. Rumours had abounded about Order activity in the Omicrons, in systems as yet unexplored by the Guild, which instantly made exploring the surrounding systems the Guild’s first priority. As exploration parties began fanning out through the outer Omicron systems, inevitably, contact was made with the Order. This first contact was made in a system later dubbed Omicron Delta, between an Order wing in pursuit of unknown ships and a Core exploration wing, who immediately engaged the Order ships, in the hope of claiming the huge bounties they had on their heads. While they were routed by the vastly superior Order ships, within days, legions of Core ships, along with a newly built mobile command centre had moved into Omicron Delta, and it was decided then and there that a station must be constructed in one of the system’s nebulae.

By the time the base was complete and fully operational, the Nomad War had been over for several years, and the Order had had time to recuperate from their losses in the war, and present a harsh foe for the Core to face, along with the ever-expanding Corsair Empire. The new base, however, was heavily defended and hidden enough so that the Corsairs and Order couldn’t force the Core from their new home. The issue was still present of the Core facing Corsair fleets and Order battlegroups that generally had capital ship support, and were generally able to overcome the Core, who did not. This led to the construction of the very first Destroyer class ship, built under a contract with DSE in Baltimore Shipyard. The addition of capital ships to Core forces was a huge boost, and suddenly the Core began wining battles against the Order, and even some against the Corsairs, leading to a huge expansion of the fleets and the organisation in general.

The Core quickly became a force to be reckoned with, after learning the lessons of the early failures against the Corsairs and Order, and drawing in huge numbers of recruits, along with constructing a formidable fleet, the Core were left on almost even terms with the Order, and while still not able to match the Corsairs, they were able to win victories against them due to superior organisation and tactical maneuvering. During this expansion, and the subsequent battles with the Order, the Nomads resurfaced, leading to several crushing defeats for both the Core and the Order, who were unprepared for such an onslaught. However, given their new-found power and ambition, the Core decided that instead of trying to destroy the Nomads, which would be nigh impossible, they would begin staging attacks against them not to destroy them, but to try and capture as much information and materials as possible, in the hope of replicating the immensely advanced alien technology they wielded.

By this point, the Core had become a major part of the Guild as a whole, and had been restructured to resemble a House navy, making it much more organised and orderly, given the vast numbers of recruits joining it’s ranks. While the Core was now predominantly focused on capturing any and all Nomad materials, it still waged a slightly limited war on the Corsairs, and others who ended up with very large bounties on their heads.

This expansion also created a problem for the Core, the Liberty shipyards that had built the first few Destroyer class ships, were corporate shipyards, and as such could not facilitate the building of entire fleets, along with being ruinously expensive. As such, with the recent discovery and claiming of the Omega 56 system, AP Manufacturing, the company that had supplied all of the Guild’s ships and weapons, began construction of an entire military shipyard to supply the Core with the necessary capital ships.

However, with the Core’s attention now mainly focused on the Nomads, and the Order, whom the Core generally had to fight through to gain access to the Nomads as the Order didn’t want the Core, or anyone else, getting their hands on dangerous technology, the Core began to exert less pressure on the Corsairs. This proved a catastrophic mistake, as in 817 AS, the Corsairs decided to attempt to exterminate the Core before it could grow any further, and without the Core presenting a large opposing force, the Corsair fleets completely cut off the Core’s supply lines, and crushed huge swathes of Core ships in the Omicron Delta system. This gave the Order, who at the time were still in a military alliance with the Corsairs, a chance to push the Core back from their ever-advancing positions, causing heavy casualties, and the loss of most of the Core’s territorial gains. However, the Order and the Corsairs were not able to destroy the Core entirely, and were soon forced to abandon their combined campaign due to the breakdown of their alliance, and rising tensions between the groups.

With large parts of the Core’s fleet now in ruins, and their supply lines completely cut off by the piratical Corsairs, who regularly attacked supply ships, the Core were left isolated, and no longer able to match the Order as comprehensively as they had been previously able to.

The Core was now surrounded by exponentially expanding Nomad forces, as well as the constant Order foes, and with the Corsairs continuing to act more and more aggressively, they stood hugely outnumbered by alien, Order and pirate forces, facing a losing battle. The Core’s command structure began to break down, as commanders realised that they were trapped, incapable of victory, and prevented from large scale escape. This gave rise to a new movement within the Core, suddenly given a figurehead in the form of recently appointed Guildmaster Azariah Kyras, a movement that replaced the emphasis on discipline and strategy with an emphasis on sheer hatred and almost religious fanaticism for their new-found cause; The protection of Humanity from what they saw as the alien, terrorist and degenerate foes that filled the Edge Worlds. Many of the demoralised Core soldiers were voluntarily indoctrinated into this new order, training themselves to show no mercy, no fear, and no relent, they became zealous to the point of almost suicidal fervor. Eventually, the war began slowly to turn back into the Core’s favour, as they began a slow, grinding march through the Order positions, presenting an almost insane lust for the destruction of their enemies, that even some Corsairs were appalled by, and as the diminished Core forces gradually advanced, so the influence of the new order grew.

The rest of the Guild had had minimal contact with the Core since it was cut off from the rest of Sirius by the Corsairs and Order, as not many ships had ventured through Corsair territory and survived, so when a large, heavily guarded APM convoy reached Omicron Delta to re-open the supply and communication routes, they found the Core had radically changed. It had gone from something resembling a private army, to a force resembling a medieval military order, it had become extremely xenophobic, and with the legions of re-enforcements that poured into the re-assembled Core, an almighty purge was begun in Omicron Delta. The Core no longer wanted to merely capture and study Nomad materials, it wanted to utterly exterminate the aliens, and crush the Order and Corsairs, who it saw as vermin bent on destroying humanity.

This great purge has begun with the system of Omicron Delta, and is slowly advancing into Omicron Minor, and the home of the Order. The Core, in it’s newest incarnation is utterly determined in it’s mission and ignorant of the human cost, it is slowly grinding forward against the Order, with massive losses on both sides, however the Core is drawing more and more recruits from the Houses by the day, confident of ultimate victory though zeal and sheer numbers.

The Core’s true goals, however, are much greater and far less noble than protecting humanity. These are little more than rumours, rumours that the Guildkeepers forcefully suppress, they include notions such as the creation of the Core’s own empire, along with various tales about genetic engineering and biomechanical research conducted on live prisoners among others. None can say for sure what the Core’s true goals are, but they are marching ever closer to achieving them with every passing day.

The Core's war was momentarily slowed by the sudden disappearance of Guildmaster Kyras, whose short tenure as leader of the Core cause sweeping changes throughout it, and left it as a completely different organisation. However, a new figurehead quickly emerged in the form of the new Guildmaster Luther Varrus. All records of Kyras' disappearance and Varrus' past have since been hidden or destroyed.

Goals

• Destroying all presumed 'threats to humanity' in the Omicrons, namely the Order, the Nomads and the Corsairs.
• Collecting all available Nomad materials and information.
• Conducting research into various fields of application for Nomad based technology, such as advanced weaponry, advanced bio-mechanical engineering and the creation of so-called 'super-soldiers'.
• Instituting Core rule throughout the Omicrons, and the eventual creation of an empire spanning the entire eastern edge of Sirius, under complete, totalitarian control of the Core.

Ranks

The Core is, unlike the Order and almost every other military force in Sirius, not structured with an extensive and complex ranking system. Instead, the majority of Core forces are all of the same rank, that of 'Guardian', and are all treated as equals. This is the product of the simple fact that the Core's strategy when it comes to war is rather simple and causes high casualties, so a complex ranking system would be wasted when so many initiates do not survive more than a few months. the Core's ranks are as follows:

Guildmaster

The Guildmaster is the highest authority within the Core, he has authority over all units in the field, and his will is subject to enforcement by the Guildkeepers. He is humanity's greatest champion, and leader of the Core's forces both in battle and otherwise, and as such is expected to have an adept knowledge of warfare, and the vision to seek out humanities enemies wherever they may reside.

Guildkeeper

Guildkeepers are the hands of the Guildmaster, they must ensure that missions are completed correctly, that foes are dealt with with sufficient force, and that the members of the Core remain loyal and true to their mission, by force if necessary. While command on the battlefield is generally in the hands of the Paladins, a Guildkeeper may take command should he deem it necessary to ensure ultimate victory.

Paladin

Paladins are the champions of the Core, warriors who have proven themselves as skilled fighters and capable leaders. They are expected to provide leadership and combat prowess when on the battlefield.

Guardian

Guardians are fully initiated and confirmed members of the Core, they provide the main fighting force within the Core's armies, and are expected to be loyal and obedient, and to lay down their lives when commanded.

Roster

Ranks, Member Names & Callsigns of the Guild Core
Guildmaster
Luther Varrus BHG|Core-Varrus|GM (Montezuma)
Guildkeeper
Gabriel Nieblung BHG|Core-Decus|GK (Dashiell)		Alexi Laiho BHG|Core-Scorpio|GK (Jongleur)		Michelle Carter BHG|Core-Marcella|GK (Akka)
Paladin
Olaf Penn BHG|Core-Devona|P (SeaFalcon)		Estal Con Plandin BHG|Core-Ernestus|P (Estal)		Ivana Terra BHG|Core-Terra|P (Pacific)
Guardian
Eliah Decimus BHG|Core-Deleo|G (Phoenix.Alpha)	Anthony Cameron BHG|Core-Veritas|G (Klaw117)	Alex Daniels BHG|Core-Nox|G (Prysin)	Clive Hunt BHG|Core-Torqueo|G (Tommeh)	Reggie BHG|Core-Veritas|G (Quandry)

Diplomacy

The Guild Core looks down on anyone who would challenge their cause, and is suspicious of all who do not aid them in it, as such, their diplomacy is generally rather hostile in nature. The Core's views concerning other factions are as follows:

Faction	Relationship
Bounty Hunters Guild	Allied
All House lawful organisations	Neutral
Zoners	Neutral
All House unlawful organisations	Unfriendly
The Order	At War
Corsairs	At War
Nomads	At War
The Wild	At War
Aoi Iseijin	At War
The SCRA	At War
Red Hessians	At War
Anyone suspected of infestation or corruption	At War