Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Order of Fire. This is a resubmission of this unit, which was approved under the old Codex rules.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Force infantry.
Permission: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. CD-X Cryptologic Key available for Firemane per this thread. Firemane obtained a supply contract that allows it to use Fire for Effect gear here.
Links: Zeison Sha.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Order of Fire Zeishon Sha Sentinels.
Affiliation: Firemane Industries, Order of Fire, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Siobhan.
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
- Zeison Sha Warrior Armour. Equipped with an Arbiter Combat Helmet. Commlink uses CD-X cryptologic key.
- Mark II Bolter
- Shatter Rifle
- Magnetic Repeater
- Outland Rifle (with scope and silencer)
Wrist and Underbarrel Weapons:
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun.
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-208 Wrist Tensor
- Discblade.
- Talon Vibrodagger.
- Multi Weapon.
- Vibroblade.
- Monomolecular Energy Chorded Combat Knife.
- Grenades
- U20 Field Wrist Link
- Paragon-class Personal Energy Shield
- Force Focusing Visor.
- APE Boltgun Ammunition.
- Ghostwave communicators.
- Grappling Hooks
- Whisper Jetpack (optional, mission-specific).
- Taozin Amulet
The core of the Sentinels have been recruited from the ranks of Zeison Sha who once served the Omega Protectorate during its glory days. This is not surprising since Siobhan Kerrigan and Tegaea Alcori were founding members of the Protectorate and ruled the nation for a while. In keeping with the skills and traditions of their parent order, the Sentinels are very self-sufficient and perfectly capable of surviving in inhospitable conditions. They treat the Force primarily as a means to defend themselves and their family, but also to aid others in need of it. The Sentinels' hierarchy is rather loose. Compared to normal Firemane military formations, there is very little saluting. The group functions more as a war band of irregulars than a regular military unit, though ranks exist. They also wear the traditional Zeison Sha armour.
The Sentinels specialise in telekinetic abilities and are able to perform great feats of power. Unsurprisingly, this is what attracted Siobhan to them, since she is a telekinesis master. Rather than use lightsabres, they favour a discblade and are trained in its use from early age. This also reflects their heritage. Within the framework of the Order of Fire and Firemane's armed forces, the Sentinels act as irregular light infantry. They are perfect for harassing or ambushing opponents. Use of their telekinetic powers can also make them a powerful force on the battlefield. They can also be deployed to particularly dangerous or inhospitable worlds. The Sentinels train extensively with ysalamiri to ensure they do not lose their combat prowess if deprived of the Force powers.
Moreover, they provide survival training to Firemane troops, especially special forces units. Indeed, they run a harsh training course special purpose operators and senior members of the Order of Fire have to go through. Here the trainees are deprived of the gadgets they take for granted and are left with the basics, forcing them to adapt. The Sentinels have a reputation for being harsh teachers, but their training methods serve a greater purpose. However, cooperation with more regular army units can be difficult because the Sentinels have a strong independent streak. The Zeison Sha have good relations with many of the Vashyada scouts in Firemane's armed forces. Both are used to making do with very little, have a communal spirit and an independent streak.
The Zeison Sha Sentinels are commanded by Meera Kost, an Icarii female. Her species can survive dismemberment and even decapitation. However, an Icarii can be killed by severing the brain in half. She is notoriously self-reliant, stubborn and a harsh, though not unkind teacher. Her species were the victims of a genocidal campaign by the Galactic Empire. Almost a thousand years have passed, but she was raised on stories of this atrocitiy. As a result, she feels strong hatred towards Sith and Imperialist régimes. The story has left its mark on her, and is another reason for why she emphasises constant readiness, fortitude and strength of mind and body. She runs survival courses for Firemane special forces operators.
She is particularly skilled in using telekinesis to accelerate small objects to lethal velocities and in surgical applications of Force Crush. Meera was an OP soldier and later joined Firemane. Her daughter Irina is Force-blind and a member of Reaper Squad, an elite shock unit commanded by Freya Solveig. While Irina lacks the ability to call upon the Force, Meera has trained her in Zeison Sha survival techniques and raised her on the principles of the order.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: They are crack unit whose members excel at telekinesis, marksmanship, unconventional warfare and survivalism. They are able to perform great feats of skill involving various application of telekinetic power, such as throwing, pulling, blasting, levitating, pushing, rending or crushing opponents. Thus they can bombard opponents with telekinetic poower. Use of telekinetic abilities is second nature to them. Due to this affinity, members possess the power to use telekinesis for defence. This allows quick and accurate use rocks and other loose objects to block shots from weapons or use the Force to create a physical shield around themselves. This is described as a Zeison Sha wrapping the Force around his or her body to resist damage. Of course, such a form of defence reaches its limitations when the adept in question is under continuous bombardment or being attacked with heavy weapons.
In addition to their defensive and offensive telekinetic abilities, they have a number of useful secondary Force powers that boost their survival skills. To be precise, they are skilled in the use of Force Stealth, Tapas, Hibernation Trance and Detoxify Poison. Moreover, several of their members have varying degrees of skill in Force Healing. Rather than carry lightsabres, Zeison Sha favour a discblade. Their adepts can hurl one with great accuracy before returning it to his or her hand. Their ability to use Force Weapon allows them to make it lightsabre-resistant, while ballistakinesis enables them to accelerate small objects to lethal velocities.
However, the unit is rather small, as bands of Force warriors tend to be. One cannot deploy skilled Force-Users en masse, after all, without their skills suffering in the process. Compared to more conventional military units, they are somewhat disorganised, fighting more like a war band of irregulars than professional soldiers. This can make integration and coordination in a more conventional force difficult. Their self-reliance is both a strength and a weakness. It is great because they can survive inhospitable conditions, but bad because they are not likely to seek aid from outside sources. In such a situation their independence becomes irrational stubbornness. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment, such as air and artillery strikes. To stay mobile they largely forego heavy weapons. This leaves them vulnerable to tanks, heavy walkers and so on.
Strengths:
- Telekinetic warriors. Zeison Sha have very powerful telekinetic abilities.
- They are very capable survivalists and irregulars.
- Equipped as light infantry. Lack heavy weapons or support forces. This can put them at a disadvantage in pitched frontline combat or if they are up against heavy armour such as tanks.
- Compared to a conventional military unit, they are somewhat disorganised. Extreme self-reliance can make cooperation with allied forces difficult.
The Zeison Sha have been an independent for thousands of years. The sect came into being near the beginning of the New Sith Wars, when many friends and families Jedi, numbering in the thousands, fled to form a refuge from Sith attacks. The refugees established a colony on the harsh Outer Rim world of Yanibar. The colonists believed that the Jedi would return to them once the wars ended. However, by a twist of fate, all Jedi with knowledge of the colony perished. Due to the extreme conditions on Yanibar, most of the original settlers followed them to the grave within a few years.
Forgotten, the colonists eked out a subsistence living. The harsh conditions on the planet forced them to be tough. The Force abilities of many of the colonists proved vital to their survival. Eventually they were able to establish contact with fringe traders, though the planet remained obscure. Eventually the Zeison Sha returned to the galaxy. However, the Jed Order's policy of conscripting Force-Sensitive children caused friction, as it also affected their own. This damned the Jedi in the fringe sect's eyes. The eventual attempt of Jedi Master Bodo Baas to convince the Zeison Sha to join forces with their estranged Jedi cousins failed. Yanibar was occupied by Imperial forces after the declaration of the Galactic Empire, though the local Force adepts resisted the occupation.
The sect managed to survive crises such as the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Four Hundred Year Darkness. When the Omega Protectorate was founded, its leaders tried to attract Force-Sensitives from fringe sects, offering them a home where they could live according their traditions as long as they did not contradict the government's principles. A number of Zeison Sha took up this offer, seeing it as a way to earn coin, further develop their powers and be free of Jedi or Sith interference. Inevitably, this brought these adepts into contact with Colonel Siobhan Kerrigan, a Telekinesis Master and a senior officer in the Protectorate's elite forces. Siobhan took a liking to the hardy survivalists and trained with them a lot. A small group of these adepts became part of her personal strike force, serving on battlefields such as Gehenna and Eriadu.
When the Order of Fire was founded to serve as Firemane's Force-using branch, it continued the now defunct Protectorate's policies. A number of Zeison Sha warriors who had served the Protectorate entered Firemane's ranks. Having seen their skill in battle, Lady Kerrigan organised them as an elite cadre that operated within the framework of the Order. Their strong sense of independence and self-reliance was a benefit, but also caused some issues, as the Order is run like a military organisation. In contrast, these Force warriors were more like a war band of irregulars.
The Zeison Sha irregulars fought in several conflicts their corporate masters had been involved in, such as the One Sith War, the Conquest of the Underealm and, more recently, the Krolis War. The latter was a conflict about the succession to the Saoshyant, the most important religious leader of the Qadiri elves. More pertinently, it was about the balance of power among the fractured Qadiri states, as Siobhan's ally Shahbânu Semiramis sought to achieve a position of supremacy. The Zeison Sha's skills as irregulars proved valuable, as the rebellious League of Krolis used asymmetrical tactics to try and wear down Firemane forces. The Force warriors worked closely with the Dahomian Rangers, often operating behind enemy lines.
They also proved their mettle when Firemane was finally able to force the League's forces into a pitched battle. The corporation prevailed, albeit at a cost, for the League's commander Sahali Jai Bysara made sure they paid their tribute of blood. They also spearheaded an expedition to the tropical planet of Raevana, where Firemane intended to set up a research facility. However, the planet turned out to be extremely dangerous. Not only was it inhabited by dangerous lizardmen, the environment itself seemed to conspire to cause any attempt at settlement to fail.
The Sentinels proved crucial to the survival of the members of the expedition after contact was lost with headquarters and their their ships being grounded by creepers. The Sentinels led search and rescue missions into the jungle to look for comrades who had gone missing. The dense foliage made scanners difficult to use. Moreover, they faced constant attacks from insects, including a swarm of vicious crawlers, and Korhili, a race of ferocious lizardmen. Working together with Vashyada rangers and druids, the Zeison Sha rallied the depleted survivors and were able to salvage the expedition.
Aside from their martial role, the Zeison Sha Sentinels also providde survival training for Firemane special forces, teaching them how to survive in extremely harsh conditions. Aside from Yanibar itself, popular places to train on included Raevana, Dahomey and Terax. Unsurprisingly the training was extremely rigorous. To reflect their heritage, the warriors still insisted on wearing traditional Zeison Sha armour. Firemane's Zeison Sha Sentinels still feel resentment towards Jedi, even though millennia have passed since their ancenstors were stranded on Yanibar. This can make cooperation difficult if they find themselves fighting alongside Jedi.
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