SAINT – Smugglers’ Association to Impede and Negate Tyranny
The brutal, ever-expanding empire of the One Sith is among the greatest threats the galaxy has ever known. Star by star they have spread across known space, massacring and enslaving entire species to feed their war machine and satisfy their dark whims. Though a few among their number have sought to reign in the madness, their overlords remain obsessed with blood, chains, and dark experiments. The Republic and the Jedi have only been able to slow them, not stop them, and have paid a heavy cost.Yet governments and militaries are not the only factions opposed to this reign of atrocity. In the occupied Core Worlds, numerous resistance groups have sprung up, seeking to emulate the success of the ancient Alliance to Restore the Republic. These civilians risk everything to return some light to the darkness, and often pay the ultimate price. Some resist violently, inciting riots and destroying military property in gestures of defiance. Others choose a different path.
SAINT is the latter kind of group. A secret association of freighter captains, it opposes the Sith and their methods, but chooses to do so nonviolently. Their risks, however, are no less great; they blatantly and seriously subvert Imperial law, and know well that they will suffer slow torture and lingering death if caught. Knowing that they cannot overthrow the Empire, they instead work to lessen its horrific impact on innocent beings, enlisting smugglers from across the galaxy to help.
Founded by Yusanis Myrishi, a refugee from the Sith conquest of Coruscant, SAINT boasts very few full-time members. Instead it uses donations from sympathetic individuals to hire trustworthy captains for jobs on a case-by-case basis, with repeat hires trusted with more sensitive, dangerous, and lucrative missions. Smugglers are ranked on an alphabetical scale, cresh through aurek, with each new rank providing increased access to missions, safehouses, and gear.
SAINT’s main armor against the Sith is secrecy. The group doesn’t have warships, special forces squads, or high-tech weapons; it survives by tightly controlling information about its operations. Two captains hired by SAINT to make smuggling runs in the same region of space have likely never met. If they have, neither is aware that the other is working for SAINT. What unique gear the organization has is focused on helping both starships and personnel to avoid detection.
SAINT operates on a five-part nonviolent mandate:
- Smuggle members of persecuted species, governments, and religious groups to the Outer Rim
- Provide runaway slaves with transportation out of Sith space and the means to begin new lives
- Deliver foodstuffs, medical supplies, and other essentials to oppressed peoples in Sith space
- Protect artworks, languages, histories, and cultural artifacts at risk from One Sith oppression
- Restore hope to occupied worlds through performances, festivals, and non-essential supplies
Through this mandate, the organization hopes to help restore freedom to the galaxy.