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Hellfire Legion
- This is a player faction. For the affiliated NPC faction, see Lane Hackers For the server rules for this faction, see Hellfire Legion ID.
| Hellfire Legion | |
 | |
| Origin |  Liberty
|
| Affiliation | Lane Hackers |
| Alignment | Unlawful |
| Profile | |
| Date of founding | September 3rd, 800 A.S. |
| Founder(s) | Drake Thastus |
| Current leader(s) | Alan Markson |
| Base of operations | Fort Leniex, Vespucci |
| Primary role | |
| The destruction and replacement of the Liberty Navy | |
| Secondary role | |
| Replacement of the Libertonian government, independence from the Lane Hackers. | |
Description
| The Hellfire Legion is the last hope for Liberty. Burning bright through the corruption of the Liberty Navy like a torch in the dark, the Hellfire Legion uses its considerable assets for good, slowly chipping away at the institutionalized evil of Liberty. In order to free Liberty from this dark shroud of oppression, the Hellfire Legion uses only the most advanced technology, far above the pale copies made by the Lane Hackers. With everything ranging from fleets of advanced warships well-equipped for electronic warfare to their smaller but still terrifying scout drones, the Hellfire Legion is well-equipped going forward to handle the rampant corruption in Liberty and deal death to the murderers who initiated it.
Also, Fort Leniex does not exist.
-Propoganda databanks of the HLAR-AI-1 "Terkalahkan" Hellfire Legion Scout Drone |
The Hellfire Legion is an unusually large and well-organized group of Libertonian criminals dedicated to the total eradication of the Liberty Navy. While the Legion is primarily made up of recruited civilians of various space-based occupations (from dock workers to transport captains to even one or two antimatter physicists) and former Navy pilots, there are Legionnaires - as they are called - from almost every walk of life. The Hellfire Legion operates primarily in opposition to the Liberty Navy, and their running claims of political murder and framing within the Navy are well-known. While most people write them off as crazies, there are those among the Libertonian citizenry who support them. This minority of support is the Hellfire Legion's lifeblood, providing a steady stream of donation income that covers much of the Legion's basic needs and even some very limited portions of its military expenses. The Hellfire Legion is also known for keeping a tight leash on its pilots, and there are no known incidences of Legionnaires attacking civilians save when under direct fire from the same civilians.
History
The Beginning
Liberty. One of the four great Houses. A place of peace; of prosperity; of liberty.
A House divided.
The year: 800 A.S. Drake Thastus, newly promoted to Commodore, had been serving the Liberty Navy for years untold. Dedicated to a fault, Thastus believed in the original ideals of Liberty. Unlike most, it was his loyalty, not his political savvy, that got him his position and the command of a now-legendary prototype Navy warship: the LNS Ragnarok.
The new Spyglass-class battleship was considered an inferior vessel to its sister ship, the battleship Osiris. A scouting vessel, the Ragnarok would see little enough action under the Navy so much as reconnaissance and targeting duty for the Osiris. While Thastus was disappointed and believed it to be a direct snub from the high command, he made the best of the situation, and got to know his new crew as they went about orientation exercises for their new duties.
No one knows exactly what happened. According to official military reports, Thastus and his crew went rogue, killing anyone who would not come with them. The Legion, on the other hand, claims that they were attacked, and that Thastus and his entire crew were ordered to surrender to a farce of a trial and face death. Regardless, Commodore Thastus, the Ragnarok and its escort - consisting of the cruiser Antares, the gunboats Silverfire and Mentu, and numerous fighters - fled Liberty for the Independent Worlds.
The Ragnarok made it as far as Magellan before it was ambushed by a large battlegroup of Navy ships. For a time, the situation seemed hopeless. However, just in the metaphorical nick of time, several wings of Lane Hackers appeared, drawn to the large Navy presence so close to their home. With the help of these Lane Hackers, the exiles finally managed to make good their escape, and fled into the barren and inhospitable Vespucci system.
Transition
It took years for the Hellfire Legion - as the exiles now called themselves - to rebuild. However, driven by a sense of righteous anger, justice, and - whether or not they'd admit it - a lust for revenge, these tattered remnants eventually managed to build themselves up into a military force. The Legion soon began scrapping the Ragnarok, plotting its exact details on a blueprint and selling or trading the technology to other organizations in exchange for the ships or allegiance. For instance, in one case, the Legion their scanning technology to the Order - who later integrated it into their Resheph-class cruisers - in exchange for one of their Osiris-class battleships that Drake - now the self-styled "Supreme Commander" of the Hellfire Legion - had so long desired. Through other deals, the Legion eventually acquired the Ravager - a powerful piece of Outcast technology that guards Vespucci to this day.
Modern Day
Drake Thastus
After years of reconstruction, the Hellfire Legion was let loose upon Liberty like a thunderbolt. Quickly striking and engaging in such vital battles as the First Battle of California Minor, the Hellfire Legion nearly pushed the Navy out of California in the first few months. Vital victories were won against impossible odds, and morale was high. However, after a string of incompetent commanders, the Southern Alliance of the Liberty Navy was reintegrated with the rest of the Navy as Navy commanders began the return push. While there was violent fighting for nearly two years, the Navy eventually put this first push down by capturing and killing Drake Thastus. Stunned and in low morale, the Hellfire Legion pulled back into their secret home of Vespucci to begin rebuilding and recuperating.
Drake Thastus was the only Hellfire Legion leader to ever maintain the position for longer than a year.
| “What is the Liberty Navy’s position on the Hellfire Legion?”
“The Hellfire Legion are an unfortunate combination of men and women who unfortunately could not find their place within the Navy. For various reasons, legionnaires have decided to turn their backs on the force that provided them with food, shelter, purpose and above all, camaraderie with their peers. While we won’t comment specifically on individual cases of these defectors, we can disclose that they are either unfortunate, misunderstood or simply motivated by negative feelings such as loss or revenge. It is well known that being a part of the Liberty Navy is often considered a horizon-broadening experience, bringing people from many different walks of life under one banner, fighting for the same cause. Many servicemen and women comment that being a part of the Navy is an entertaining and enriching experience. At the end of the day however, when all is said and done, the Liberty Navy is still a fighting force. The Hellfire Legion is an organization of misfits and rejects, unfit for various reasons to serve the flag of Liberty. Some are responsible for the deaths of their peers or superior officers, others for sabotage or conspiring with the enemy. However, they are all united by the betrayal of the trust put in them by the government and people of Liberty. Their premise of existence, based on the supposed fact that the core of Liberty is rotten, is a simple lie, more to themselves than anyone else, to support their own existence. This is proved by the apparent lack of any evidence that our house is corrupt; evidence which is needed before preventative action can be taken. It is the duty of the Liberty Navy to suppress any and all threats to the sovereignty of our great nation. The Hellfire Legion falls under this category, and is treated as any other organization which also does.”
-Liberty Navy, Public Statement |
Denelo Mori
After the death of Thastus, the leadership of the Hellfire Legion passed to his lieutenant, then-Executive Commander Denelo Mori. A popular leader despite his unusual Kusarian heritage, Mori headed up the Legion through its darkest hour, recovering from the traumatizing death of Thastus. As a rapid-fire recruiter, Mori excelled. Mori's brother Tarlkor, was the CEO of a front company known as the Wren Corporation, and secretly headed the loosely-organized Hellfire Legion Information Division, and the two of them focused heavily on information warfare, spreading their propaganda to a vast portion of Liberty's population. It was during this era that the many of the Hellfire Legion's current civilian workers were recruited, and also that much of its civilian support network was formed.
Mori's military achievements were limited. Most of his energy was focused upon construction and information, and he instituted a policy of skirmish warfare. Most of the most successful skirmishes during this period were spearheaded by the 907th Gunboat Wing, an unusual group of Liberty Gunboats built based on the designs of the HFGB Mentu and the HFGB Silverfire. The Silverfire - captained by Mori himself - and Mentu - captained by one Major Aethelu - too, were part of this group, and each separately achieved more kills than the entire rest of the Hellfire Legion combined during the same time frame.
A nearly a year after Mori took command, Tarlkor was ratted out by a traitor and placed in prison by the Liberty Navy, where both he and Denelo Mori perished in apparent suicide in a low-grade nuclear explosion following a failed rescue attempt.
Aralie Phelps
Following the death of Denelo Mori, command passed directly to then-Captain Aethelu. Rather than take command himself, however, Aethelu passed his command to an old friend and protege of Denelo's known as Aralie Phelps. While not the celebrated leader that his predecessors were, Phelps did his job. Known to be heavily assisted by Aethelu, Phelps was seen as something of a figurehead by some, but was well-known and loved among the low ranks for personally overseeing combat training.
Phelps eventually retired, handing command over to a still-reluctant Aethelu.
Aethelu
Aethelu is largely seen as one of the last of the great leaders of the Hellfire Legion's heyday. While not the populist that some of his predecessors were, Aethelu was still very popular, and seen as the reason for the Legion's success. He was responsible for forming the Special Operations and Armed Reconnaissance Division - that is, the Hellfire Legion's highly successful Spec Ops division, also known as the SAD - and was close to its longtime leader, Star Colonel Grace Callahan. After months of highly successful hit-and-run strikes, however, Callahan was caught behind enemy lines in a deep recon mission. Despite a daring rescue mission culminating in the near-breaching of Zone-21 by the aging Osiris-class battleship HFB Incursus, Callahan was mortally wounded, and later died on Monterrey Base in Vespucci. While her last mission earned much valuable information for the Legion, it was hard-bought.
Most say that is was Callahan's death that did it, but Aethelu lost his will to fight shortly thereafter and retired to Fort Leniex. His largely unknown Executive Commander took his place as the head of the Hellfire Legion.
Atheus
Following Aethelu's retirement to a quiet life on Fort Leniex, Executive Commander Atheus took over the Hellfire Legion. Largely seen as incompetent by many Legionnaires, Atheus did successfully stave of destruction. However, many attribute this to the assistance of his Executive Commander.
He eventually left under mysterious circumstances, leaving much of the Hellfire Legion feeling bitter towards him. His Executive Commander, Tadao Mori, took over after his departure.
Tadao Mori
After Atheus' departure, Tadao Mori was given command of the Hellfire Legion. He was known for a very direct approach to both political and military issues, and made many deals with various groups to get what he wanted. His allegiances and direct leadership style were highly unpopular in some groups, and he and most of his loyal Guard were massacred in a bloody revolt led by Reynard Joyeuse.
Reynard Joyeuse
The most outspoken of Tadao's critics, Reynard Joyeuse was the man who headed the rebellion and the assault against the Fate's Hand. In the hours following the revolt, Joyeuse quickly asserted his control of the Legion, impressing upon all the surviving Legionnaires that the consequences for rejecting his new regime would be lethal.
Despite its bloody beginnings and harsh demands Joyeuse's new administration *garnered much real support. However, not all Legionnaires flocked to his banner. A small group of Tadao Loyalists led by a mysterious man named Grazinti eventually managed to force a court marshal through against Joyeuse for his actions against Tadao. This court marshal was never convened, however, as Joyeuse left the Legion shortly thereafter, appointing the little-known officer Alan Markson as Lord Commander in his place.
HGA-AI/X9815 "GRACE"
A highly advanced form of Artificial Intelligence, the HGA-AI/X9815, aka "GRACE", was appointed as temporary leader of the Hellfire Legion during a one-week transition period between Reynard Joyeuse and Alan Markson. GRACE ran the day-to-day activities of the Hellfire Legion during this time period, and also initiated diplomatic talks with the Xeno Alliance. After the week-long period, GRACE returned to its normal position as the ship's AI of the battleship Incursus.
Alan Markson
The current Lord Commander of the Hellfire Legion, Alan Markson has thus far taken a much less outspoken role in the Legion's development, allowing his officers much more leeway in how they go about business. However, Markson has been by no means neglecting the Legion; indeed, in an unprecedented change, he recently ordered the Legionnaires to crack down on the unlawful activities that they have tolerated for years. In particular, Markson does not tolerate smuggling of any kind, and has commanded his men to "shadow" civilian trade ships in order to protect them from the criminal groups that were, until recently, some of the Legion's only allies. How this style of leadership affects the Legion is yet to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Markson intends to lead the Legion forward into a new era of far greater morals.
Membership
The Hellfire Legion maintains a large force; however, its active-duty (as opposed to guard or escort duty) pilots and captains are far less numerous. Due to the volatility of their occupation and their high rate of recruitment, keeping an up-to-date list of Legionnaires remains next to impossible.
Ranking System
The Hellfire Legion maintains a strict, linear military ranking system. Only twice in the Legion's history have the ranks been changed.
Current Ranking System
Lord Commander
The head of the Hellfire Legion, this man is in charge of literally everything. The Hellfire Legion is not a democracy.
Executive Commander
Answering only to the Lord Commander, the Executive Commander is the go-to man for anything important, handling most minor diplomatic issues and almost all civilian governance, acting as judge in court marshals of enlisted pilots and civilians, and other matters not vital enough to require the Lord Commander's attention.
Grand Admirals
As the final two members of the High Command, the Grand Admirals are the primary military advisers of the Lord and Executive Commanders, and have the final say in all civilian matters deemed non-vital by the Commanders.
Fleet Admirals
The highest purely military rank, Fleet Admirals preform primarily command tasks. These are the men and women who have proved to be truly valuable military minds.
Fleet Commanders
Fleet Commanders are few and far between, the rank generally being a transitional rank between the more numerous Fleet Captains and the top-of-the-line Fleet Admirals. Most people who make it this far either keep going or are demoted back to Fleet Captain quickly.
Fleet Captain
By far the most populated command position, Fleet Captain is sometimes considered by members of high command to be the "limit" for most "normal" pilots.
Majors
The primary rank for both the new and promising and the old-and-loyal with less of a shine for command, Major is sometimes feared by the ambitious due to peoples' tendency to get "stuck" at the rank for months or even years at a time.
Lieutenants
If Major is a place for the new with a talent for command, Lieutenant is the rank for aces. Most Lieutenants are honored with the rank for their piloting ability, but are unable command effectively. Alternately, it's a transitory position between Major and Pilot, First Class.
Pilot, First Class
This is by far the most populated rank. This is where new faces, fresh from Initiation, go. As a matter of interest, this rank has nearly a sixty percent fatality rate. This may be due to the fact that most Pilots never exceed this rank, although the converse could also be true.
Rank Changes
Supreme Commander
The original name for the Lord Commander position.
Lieutenant
This rank did not originally exist. It was added by Acting Supreme Commander Mark Kaine during an absence of then-Supreme Commander Drake Thastus prior to Mark Kaine's dishonorable discharge by Thastus.
Pilots 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd Class
Removed by Lord Commander Aethelu, these were the original "low ranks". Pilot, 3rd class was the "starting rank", the equivalent of today's Initiates, with 2nd being a transitory rank. 4th and 5th Classes were exclusively reserved for demoted pilots, and were considered extremely undesirable.
Initiate
Created by Lord Commander Aethelu, this rank is used to verify the competence of new recruits.
Diplomacy
| Faction | Relationship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Xenos |
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| Reapers of Sirius |
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| Neo-Terran Front |
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| The Order |
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| Temporary Autonomous Zoners |
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| Vagrant Raiders |
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| Mollies |
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| Lane Hackers |
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| Nomads |
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| Mandalorian Mercenaries |
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| Liberty Rogues |
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| Gaians |
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| Corsairs |
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| Bretonian Armed Forces |
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| Kings of Freight |
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| Liberty Police Incorporated |
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| The Coalition |
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| Phantoms |
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| Bounty Hunters Guild |
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| Outcasts |
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| Liberty Security Force |
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| Liberty Navy |
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