OOC Writer Account
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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: The Shadows are being authored to provide the Imperial Confederated Systems/Core Imperial Confederation with Supersoldiers with a narrative angle that I have not previously incorporated in that they are "Force Blanks" not just Force Dead as seen in the Vong but Voids that actively prevent the force from being manipulated by nearby Force Sensitives and whose thoughts and presence are indiscernible for said Force Wielders. Given the potential of this concept the CIC decides to create a Supersoldier Program around this genetic phenomenon despite the staggeringly limited recruitment pool.
- Image Credit: Source
- Canon: No
- Links: Agent Adaska Raythe, Control Chip, Contingency Orders for his Majesty's Royal Military: Order Initiation, Orders 1 Through 150, Flash Training, Force Blank, Memory Wipe.
- Affiliation: Imperial Confederated Systems of the Core Worlds
Imperial Security Bureau (Administrative & Operational) - Department of Defence
- Department of Foreign Affairs
[*]Classification:
- Government Paramilitary Organisation
Intelligence - Law Enforcement
[*]Organization Name: Special Forces High-Intensity Asymmetric Warfare Direct Action & Unconventional Weapons Program
- Abbreviation: SHADOW Program
- Denonym:
Shadows - Shadow Troopers
[*]Organization Symbol: Symbol for the SHADOW Program consists of a claret red field that is supposed to be symbolic of the unity in blood the Agents possesses through their shared physiology as Blanks with a white silhouette of a single-headed eagle upon the field with wings held out on both sides from body proudly as if it were prepared to take flight crowned above by a star. The implication is that the Shadows themselves soar for and watch from the Galaxy's innumerable stars.
[*]Description: Membership to the SHADOW Program is carefully restricted as a means to preserve its' secrecy, officially it doesn't exist and thus the volunteers and conscripts who have been inducted into the program have their memories wiped as part of their initial training. Due to the colossal cost of training, augmenting and equipped each Shadow their numbers are severely restricted as a matter of budget constraint as a practical consequence firstly and secondly to maintain strict supervision and legal accountability for each operative.
AGENCY OVERVIEW
Annual Budget: ~936 Million Galactic Credits
Employees:
- Actual Numbers:
21 Shadow Operatives - 4 Shadow Instructors
- 1,200 Support Personnel
[*]Authorised Numbers:
- 280 Shadow Operatives
- 8,000 Support Personnel
[*]Eligible Recruitment Population:
- 1~ in 10,000,000,000 (Shadow Operatives)
Formed: 856 ABY
Motto: Atrisian Basic: "Ex Astra Et Invigila"/Galactic Basic: "From the Stars, Ever Vigilant" (Semi-Official)
- "Knowledge is power, guard it well." (Unofficial)
- "One Shot, One Kill." (Unofficial)
- "You can't kill what you can't see." (Unofficial)
- Assassins
- Blank Assassins
- Coruscanti Shadows
- Ghosts
- Imperial Assassins
- Marshals
- Specters
- Wraiths
- Allowance(s):
Housing Allowance: 18,000 Galactic Credits Per Standard Year - Special-Operations Allowance: 9,600 Galactic Credits Per Standard Year
- Uniform Allowance: 1,200 Galactic Credits Per Standard Year
[*]Base Entry-Level Salary: 120,000 Galactic Credits Per Standard Year (Excluding Allowances)
[*]Pension Plan:
- Employer Contribution: 16% of Salary Per Standard Month.
~23,040 Galactic Credits Per Standard Year.
JURISDICTIONAL INFORMATION
Minister Responsible: Commissar-General, Foreign Affairs, Defence & Defence Industry.
Agency Executive: Director
General Nature: Special Operations-Capable Law Enforcement & Intelligence Organisation.
Governing Body: Parliament of the Imperial Confederated Systems.
Operations Jurisdiction: Imperial Confederated Systems of the Core Worlds
Population: ~1,000,000,000,000+
Units: 2
- Field Operations Unit (Shadow Operatives)
Political Action Group - Special Activities Group
[*]Support Unit (Support Personnel)
- Financial Services Section
- Information Security Section
- Health & Wellbeing Services Section
- Measurement & Signature Group
- Signals Intelligence Group
FACILITIES INFORMATION
Academies/Training Facilities: 1
Airbases/Spaceports: ~3
Airspeeders: ~1,200
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: ~180
Corvettes: ~12
Frigates: ~3
Starfighters: ~410
Stations (Covert): ~5
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
- Headquarters: Coruscant, Level 5127, Galactic City, Federal District, Imperial Security Bureau Academy.
- Domain: As a Paramilitary Law Enforcement Organisation the members of the SHADOW Program by extension of their affiliation with the Imperial Security Bureau possess legal jurisdiction to enforce "Federal" and Colonial laws throughout the entirety of the Imperial Confederated Systems of the Core Worlds. The SHADOW Program is highly accountable to the executive branch and their Operations are executed primarily from the Imperial Security Bureau Academy where they maintain a separate "SHADOW Academy" training facility on-site and a small numbers of other concealed stations and safe-houses all across Imperial Confederated Systems and Foreign space.
- Notable Assets:
SHADOW Academy: Attached to the Royal Military's Naval Academy on Utrost is a training facility commonly referred to as the "Shadow Academy" it's located on a properly approximately one-hundred square kilometers in size far away from any densely populated civil centers. The Shadow Academy is fully equipped and makes for an almost self-sustained facility complete with its' own Hospital, Commissary, Radars, Armouries, Starport, Classrooms, Hydroponics and medical laboratories. The Wilderness contains a valley commonly referred to as "Phantom Valley" Which is an almost twelve kilometer long valley used by the SHADOW Academy's trainee agents for war games and training exercises involving the Imperial Army's "Phantom Company" An opposition force of regular soldiers and ARC Troopers.
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SHADOW Program training facilities at the Utrost Naval Academy
Source (x)
SOCIAL INFORMATION- Hierarchy: As a Paramilitary Organisation the SHADOW Program features a chain of command and rank system similar to a professional military that reflects an operative's seniority within the organisation. Given the Program's Operational Control by the Imperial Security Bureau the SHADOW Program's personnel receive ranks identical to Imperial Security Bureau personnel to assist them in interacting and interfacing with ISB assets in the field which occurs regularly. Their Operational Imperial Security Bureau ranks grant them significant authority over the military's normal chain of command giving Shadows the ability to commandeer assets to the Chagrin of regular Military personnel, with regular entry-level Shadows having equivalent authority to a First Sergeant of the Stormtrooper Corps.
Field Operations Unit (Shadow Operatives)
Commissioned Ranks
OF-5: Inspector-General/Commissar
Rank Chevron Insignia: Double-Headed Eagle crowned above planet. - Warrant Card: Black
[*]OF-4: Chief Inspector
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Royal Crown above two stars.
- Warrant Card: White
[*]OF-3: Inspector
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Royal Crown.
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]OF-2: Superintendent
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Stars
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]OF-1: Assistant Superintendent
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Two Star
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]Non-Commissioned Ranks
- OR-8: Senior Agent/Senior Shadow
Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Chevrons crowned by horizontal bar - Warrant Card: Light Blue
[*]OR-7: Agent/Shadow
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Chevrons
- Warrant Card: Light Blue
[*]OR-5: Agent Trainee/Shadow Recruit
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Featureless
- Warrant Card: Light Blue
[*]Operational Support Unit (ISB Support Personnel)
- Commissioned Ranks
OF-5: Inspector-General/Commissar
Rank Chevron Insignia: Double-Headed Eagle crowned above planet - Warrant Card: Black
[*]OF-4: Chief Inspector
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Double-Headed Eagle
- Warrant Card: White
[*]OF-3: Inspector
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Stars
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]OF-2: Superintendent
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Two Stars
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]OF-1: Assistant Superintendent
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Single Star
- Warrant Card: Dark Blue
[*]Non-Commissioned Ranks
- OR-8: Senior Agent
Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Chevrons crowned by horizontal bar - Warrant Card: Light Blue
[*]OR-7: Agent
- Rank Chevron Insignia: Three Chevrons
- Warrant Card: Light Blue
[*]Membership: 100% Human Force Blanks (Shadow Operatives), 81.5% Human (ISB Support Personnel), 19.5% Near-Human (ISB Support Personnel)
- Age Requirement:
Between 16.5-55 standard years of age upon training commencement (Non-Clone Volunteers). - Waivers are available from the Chief Medical Officer Imperial Security Bureau for age restriction, an assessment is made on the merits of individual applicants.
[*]Citizenship Requirement:
- Imperial Confederated Systems Citizen.
- Imperial Confederated Systems Resident Alien.
[*]Education Requirement:
- Completion of Secondary Schooling.
[*]Misc Requirements:
- No body art or modifications are permissible as they may be used as unique identifying features.
[*]Physical Capacity Test (Selection Fitness Assessment):
- Agility Test: <17.0 Seconds
- Handgrip Strength Test: 40 Kilograms/88 .lbs
- Prone Bridge: 180 Seconds
- Push-Up/Press-Up Test (Toes Only): 50 Repetitions
- Vertical Jump: 60 Centimeters/2 Ft.
- Vo2 Max: 54.0 ml/kg/min
[*]Physical Requirements
- Human (Shadow Operatives)
- Human or Near-Human (ISB Support Staff)
[*]Training Requirement: Special Forces High-Intensity Asymmetric Warfare Direct Action & Unconventional Weapons Course
- Shadow Academy: ~18 Months Primary Training, ~36 Months Advanced Training.
[*]Climate: Within the SHADOW Program there is a distinct sense of camarederie given its' limited personnel numbers, most Shadows view one another as being apart of an extended family which could be seen as a coping mechanism for the mind wipe all trainees are required to undergo and thus their professional and personal lives generally become one and the same with their comrades the only individuals who they can foster and maintain meaningful relationships with as a rule, including the various other government employees they come into contact. On the flip side of this Shadows can appear as aloof and enigmatic loners who tend towards asocial behavior preferring to work alone and spend their off the field time in solitude.
[*]Reputation: The Reputation of the Shadows to those outside its' ranks is one of preternatural lethality against virtually any target, their mythos is reinforced by rank and file Imperial Soldiers who whisper rumours about the mysterious Imperial Security Bureau Assassins who can eliminate Sith Lords and Jedi Masters without either ever having the slightest inkling of their approaching doom or how Lightsabres themselves fail to ignite or function properly in their presence. Despite all of this the Imperial Government officially denies their existence to maintain the possibility of exploiting plausible deniability should a Shadow Operative be captured, yet their activities, existence and operation are common knowledge among the military and civilian population and suspected operations carried out by Shadows are even sometimes reported on news networks to the ISB's chagrin. Shadows have been noted as inspiring severe anxiety in friendly and hostile troops alike and are suspected to be responsible for a marked increase in the incidence of diagnosed anxiety disorders in non-shadow operatives who operate in close proximity to them and within the Imperial Security Bureau the increased prevalence of anxiety is believed to be linked to the phenomenon that renders Shadows as Force Blank.
[*]Curios:
- Holotags: Each Shadow Operative is issued with a pair of Holotags which are generally only worn outside of an Operational Environment and contains basic biographic identification about the Shadow, although information such as their name is obviously a fabricated assumed identity created by the Imperial Security Bureau for each individual agent.
- Inhibitor Chip: An organic bio-chip similar to those used in the original Fett Clones who served the Galactic Republic and then the Galactic Empire is implanted into the nervous system of each shadow operative, The Inhibitor Chips used within the Shadow Operatives are designed to regulate their aggression responses, makes them more susceptible to orders from lawful authority and make it difficult for rogue Operatives from to attack their own superiors.
- Neural Implant: Implanted at the base of their skull is a sub-dermal neural interface device which functions as an Identify-Friend-Foe system for Imperial Confederated Systems' Helmet Mounted Displays reducing the risk that Imperial Troops unfamiliar with Shadows will engage them due to being unable to identify them as friendly. The Neural Implant device also acts as a method for the Imperial Security Bureau to physically track Shadow Operatives for the purposes of recovery and surveillance although this feature can be surgically disabled by those with technical knowledge of the implant to prevent Agents from being identified when undercover. Though naturally its' signal can also be obscured by dense materials.
- Warrant Badge: Upon taking their Oath or Attestation at the SHADOW Academy on Coruscant recruits who have completed their primary training period receive their Durasteel and Quadanium Warrant Badges fashioned in Imperial Roundel's shape. Whenever a Security Force Officer uses their power and is challenged for identification or verification of their law enforcement power by a Resident or Citizen they are obligated to produce either their Warrant Badge or Warrant Card for examination by the challenging party. The Warrant Badge is equipped with a wireless micro-transmitter that allows the wielder to access secure Imperial Security Bureau facilities in proportion to the rank of the Wearer.
- Warrant Card: As "Federal" Law Enforcement Officers the members of the SHADOW Program are issued with warrant cards featuring their assumed identities for verification of the powers and responsibilities of such an officer which authorizes Shadow Operatives to exercise law enforcement power and force within a civil context when supporting Imperial Security Bureau Operations. The Warrant Card is issued to Shadow Operatives upon their completion of primary training at the SHADOW Academy on Coruscant. The Warrant Card is an official photographic identification card which features the Imperial Security Bureau's official coat of arms basic biographic information such as first and last name, role and "Warrant Number" an Alphanumeric serial number formatted as ##/####. The Warrant Card is equipped with a wireless micro-transmitter that allows the wielder to access secure Security Force facilities in proportion to the rank of the Wearer.
[*]Rules:
- Apolitical: Serving a one-party state that is home to Humans, Near-Humans, Humanoid Aliens and Aliens by Policy all Imperial Security Bureau Agents including Shadows are prohibited from identifying themselves in public or online life as Bureau Employees and publishing opinions on government social or economic policy while so identified, as such comments could be taken to represent an officially-endorsed view of the Bureau itself. They are required to remain utterly apolitical on-duty, so that the government can have faith in their execution of Orders and citizens can be assured they will be served with impartial integrity.
- Anonymous Online: As Governments employees all Shadow Operatives and support personnel are held to a higher standard of ethical and moral behaviour in public. As a matter of Operational Security and Officer Safety by policy all employees are prohibited from identifying themselves on any Holonet forums or websites as doing so would compromise their identity as Public Servants. Employees are not prohibited from maintaining a presence on the Holonet but must only comment in their capacity as private citizens. Comments made where an employee identifies themselves as an employee of the Imperial Security Bureau is considered public departmental comment and public comment can only be approved by the Director's media unit.
- Carriage of Departmental Identity: While on-duty within Imperial Confederated Systems' jurisdiction and performing official duties all Shadow Operatives and Agents are obligated to carry with them their photographic departmental identity i.e their warrant card and warrant badge both of which acts as proof of their employment with the Imperial Security Bureau and evidence of their powers and responsibilities as a law enforcement officer. An exception to the carriage of Departmental Identification is granted to Shadow Operatives and other personnel deployed into a foreign operational environment.
- Carriage and Use of Weapons: Shadows and Agents who work within the program are authorized to carry weapons by federal legislation in any Imperial Confederated Systems jurisdiction irregardless of local colonial law both on and off-duty in accordance with the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act 865 ABY in order to maintain Operator safety.
- Contact Recording: All Agents employed by the Imperial Security Bureau are obligated by policy to record their interactions with Civilians when on-duty whether this is done in the form of video recording or written testament is irreleveant, however all Agents are expected to adhere to the policy.
- Detention Restrictions: Agents are lawfully empowered use force in order to arrest and detain suspects for an investigation period upto six hours during which they may interview the suspect, at the end of this six hours the Bureau must have obtained a warrant from a court to extend the investigation period, release the suspect unconditionally, release the suspect on bail or bring them to court as soon as possible.
- Duty of Care: Imperial Security Bureau Agents possess a duty of care to prevent those in their custody from being harmed, injured or killed. Thus, if a suspect or offender is harmed in the process of making an arrest or operation and ends up in the custody of an Imperial Security Bureau Agent they must as is reasonably possible provide first aid to their prisoners and make arrangements for specialist assessment and treatment as is necessary.
- Memory Wipes: It is an obligation for every single Shadow Operative that they agree to have their minds memory wiped prior to undertaking employment training, this is done to sever the Shadow's professional career within the program from their personal lives preventing conflicts that might interfere with their ability to exhibit the cold calculating ruthlessness demanded from them on Operation, thus Shadows are not permitted to have any non-professional contact with their friends, family etc. Subsequent memory wipes are strongly encouraged to maintain emotional and psychological baseline following significant operations both to preserve operational and information security but also tend to the Shadow's well-being.
- Search Powers: As Federal Law Enforcement and Intelligence Officers, Shadows possess search powers and may search anyone within Imperial Jurisdiction without a warrant provided that the Agent forms a reasonable suspicion that an offence has been or is about to be committed. Agents are not required to articulate to suspects being detained for the purpose of a search the reason they are being searched.
- Tattoo Policy: The Department of Defence and Imperial Security Bureau stipulate that as a matter of Policy that Shadow Operatives and all support personnel must not possess any body art, body modification or ritual scarification on their bodies as these can be used as identifying features and potentially compromise the Operational Security of deployed assets. Any Tattoos acquired by an Operative or Agent after commencing employment within the program must have the tattoo first approved by the Director.
- Unauthorised Disclosures: Imperial Shadows are prohibited by legislation and policy from disclosing any operational or administrative details regarding the program or their employment etc to anybody not entitled to that information assessed on a "Need to know" basis in accordance with applicable law and Imperial Security Bureau policy. The potential penalty for breaching the Program's information security includes full-time incarceration.
- Use of Force Recording: Like many other law enforcement agencies in the Galaxy, the Imperial Security Bureau is guided by a use of force policy when performing their Law-Enforcement duties and making arrests. The standard for employing force is that it must according to the policy be "Reasonable" and "Necessary" in order to be justifiable. Naturally, depending on the type of Operation being undertaken this will change. Agents executing a Death Warrant must still use only reasonable and necessary force required to achieve the elimination of the subject individual. Whenever an Agent uses force some record of it must exist whether that be Written or Video and a notice of the use of force must be lodged with the individual's immediate commander.
[*]Goals:
- Maintain a capability to effectively carry out high-risk arrest, search, seizure, and death warrants on suspects and convicted criminals who have committed or who are suspected of planning or commissioning an indictable offence, an indictable offence being any offence which carries a maximum penalty of full-time imprisonment in excess of eighteen months.
- Provide a Special-Operations capable unit that is not readily identifiable in an operational setting as belonging to the Imperial Confederated Systems thus providing the Government plausible deniability in the context of clandestine operations or special activities so in the event an individual operative were to become compromised they can be disavowed by the Imperial Confederated Systems' Government.
- Support conventional and unconventional military assets in the field with precise delivery of strategic and tactical-level weaponry capable of mass destruction such as chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, perform delicate surveying and reconnaissance work pertinent to the employment of these weapons and Base-Delta-Zero where required by theater commanders.
MEMBERS
- Player-Characters:
SHADOW-Operators:
Agent Adaska Raythe
[*]Non-Player Characters:
- Instructors:
Inspector-General Fyodo Kruul - Assistant Superintendent Vindo Garnier
[*]SHADOW-Operators:
- Agent Anton Tresku
- Agent Aron Kyrne
- Agent Emile Dorin
- Agent Hyun-Shik Pak
- Agent Istvan Toth
- Agent Kehree Balosar
- Agent Laith Rankin
- Agent Leon Graumann
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Background
In the years succeeding the Imperial Confederated Systems founding, there was quickly a requirement identified by both the Royal Imperial Military and the Imperial Security Bureau for a unit of personnel who could adequately engage and destroy organisations of Violent Non-State Actors, Criminal Organisations and Rogue Paramilitaries where deployment of conventional military force might appear as disproportionate and who would more than likely be unable to engage in unconventional Operations. The Imperial Government's executive branch demanded of its' cabinet ministers that any such Program so initiated be done be under a Law Enforcement Organisation so as to permit it to carry out "Execution Warrants" lawfully on Non-Citizens suspected of committing or involved in the commission of serious indictable criminal offences. This directive to the cabinet from the High Chancellor's office settled early that the program would come under the Imperial Security Bureau's Operational and Administrative Control. As the requirement envisioned that personnel within such a program be capable of integrating with regular military forces in a deployed environment and additionally be capapble of performing foreign clandestine intelligence operations it was deemed necessary that the Imperial Security Bureau's "SHADOW Program" as it became called receive supervision from both the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence & Defence Industry and Commissar-General, the last of whom was broadly responsible for all Law Enforcement and Intelligence Organisations within the Imperial Confederated Systems.
The SHADOW Program itself was the brainchild of Imperial Security Bureau Agent Inspector-General Fyodo Kruul who had served on the training staff for the First Imperial Death Trooper Program and identified that the deficiencies with those surgically and chemically-enhanced supersoldiers was their ineffectiveness against skilled and talented Force Wielders, his initial proposal for the SHADOW program was changed and distinguished from the Death Trooper Programs quite significantly most of all among the controversial features was the Gene-Pool of the subjects which was related to an obscure nearly unheard of phenomena documented in a biological research paper published several hundred years ago that was procured and read by Inspector-General Fyodo Kruul. Kruul and the executive officer of his training cadre Assistant Superintendent Vindo Garnier resolved with Ministerial approval that they would recruit what became known within departmental nomenclature as "Blanks" Who had to be Human as per Program guidelines. Though left the physical and psychological requirements rather relaxed due to the sheer limited manpower available to be recruited with data modelling predicting that the occurrence of "Blank Phenomena" was approximately one in ten billion. A requirement of the SHADOW Program as envisioned by Kruul was the consentual application of a mandatory mind-wipe and implantation with a structural inhibitor chip, this increased the difficulty of finding suitable volunteers for the unit. Influenced by his long military background and special forces career as a Storm Commando, Kruul demanded that the mind-wiped volunteers be instilled with military values and an understanding of the art of war itself.
Given the sheer scarcity of recruitable population combined with their mission it was deemed prudent that the SHADOW Program's members be subjected to a Chemical-Surgical Physiological Enhancement procedure, given Fyodo Kruul's familiarity with the First Imperial Death Trooper program he recommended that the government approach the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation for a solution and the Imperial Security Bureau seconded the motion while beginning to lay the design foundations of such procedure themselves working in tandem with the IMC to fulfill all the requirements they set for a Physiological augmentation procedure created specifically for a Blank. Most of the Imperial Military and Imperial Security Bureau possessed access to sophisticated conventional armour, but this was deemed insufficient and inadequate for the extremely dangerous and demanding operations the Shadows would be ordered to perform especially given the Prey they would be hunting. The Imperial Security Bureau issued a requirement to the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation to integrate the purchased Physiological Enhancement procedure with a powered exoskeleton with design assistance from the ISB, the methodology behind the expensive purchase was a measure taken to protect the Shadow-user increasing operator safety and provide another powerful weapon to deployed Shadow Assets. Funding for the Program was originally astronomical although the parliament understood and acknowledged the historical threat and danger of domestic and foreign terrorism they were unwilling to commit to original funding targets limiting the Program to a maximum of approximately 280 personnel although real numbers were significantly lower. Due to the rarity of the "Blank Gene" it was quietly acknowledged that it was unlikely that the Program would ever come close to approaching fully-authorised strength.
Training
Overseen by Assistant Superintendent Vindo Garnier Class-I's successful SHADOW program applicants were taken to Utrost early in the year 857 ABY, Utrost is a world within the Coruscant Subsector where the Imperial Security Bureau erected a training facility on an Imperial Naval Academy's premises for the reason it was far away from any dense population of non-military personnel. Each Shadow Trainee is permitted one final chance to contact their families and other loved ones prior to beginning the mind-wipe procedure which involves medical staff taking a flash imprint of their memories for the purpose of reintroducing useful skills and education into the subjects post mind-wipe to prevent having to totally retrain their recruits and maintain the unique skill-sets each one possesses. The mind-wipe takes approximately five-minutes following which a trainee will receive surgery and be implanted with a structural inhibitor chip which reduces the likelihood a Shadow will go Rogue or otherwise become aggressively hostile to their own comrades or chain of command. The Trainees are expected to be placed into extreme hardship and challenged and the training staff led by Assistant Superintendent Vindo Garnier places his recruits in drills, situations and practice scenarios that tests the limits of their skills and talents with most failing as is his design with a desire to teach the trainees to constantly assess, learn and remain calm under extreme pressure by throwing them at impossible tasks and teaching them to learn from loss and failure. Vindo Garnier and Fyodo Kruul's training methodology was tough, even reaching into the brutal and cruel on occasions reserved for punishment.
In terms of Physical Training all Shadows are instructed in Unconventional Warfare Tactics and Techniques including but not limited to: Marksmanship Skills, Disarmed Fighting Combatives, Terrestrial and Spacecraft piloting with a massive emphasis on Camouflage and Concealment. Shadows are desensitized to violence and combat running through several scenarios where they are required to make judgement calls and shoot their instructors and sometimes even one-another with slughthrowers loaded with simulation ammunition, ensuring that if necessary they can comfortably engage and destroy any target even if that meant another Shadow or even a Superior if given lawful authority to do so, as proof they could execute military contingency orders if necessary. As men subscribed to Imperial ideology Garnier and Kruul's training program aims to instill the values of discipline, respect and a sense of honour into their trainees. Garnier possesses a black-and-white cut and dry sense of what is morally righteous and reprehensible and tries to provide some subtle moral guidance for the mind-wiped recruits with Fyodo Kruul's blessing. While having amoral killing machines was the training and psychological methodology used by the First Order to create their Death Troopers, Fyodo thought given the diverse roles shadows are expected to fulfill by virtue of being members to a Special Forces-Capable Law-Enforcement and Intelligence Unit it would be appropriate for them to possess a sense of morality and empathy. Towards the conclusion of their eighteen month primary training course, Shadows are required to undergo the Physiological Enhancement Procedure which transforms them from dangerous capable Special Forces Operators to something akin to the scions of a War God. Failure rates for the procedure are quite low but typically vary between 15-18% though rejection often results in necessary physical rehabilitation, such trainees who reject their enhanced physiological augmentations are expected to join Vindo Garnier's training staff until such a time they are successfully rehabilitated and fit for operational duty and if this cannot be accomplished they are transferred to the Operational Support for the Shadow Program.
Publicity
The Imperial Security Bureau in co-operation with the Department of Defence and Department of Foreign Affairs have kept all information regarding the SHADOW Program classified at the highest level of information security with dissemination of materials related to the Program made on a "Need to know" Basis. The Imperial Public, Parliament and Legislature are not considered to be privileged enough to receive that information and any parliamentary inquiries into the Imperial Security Bureau's SHADOW Program is done within closed doors with the contents of said inquiries subjected to an Official Secrets Act Making unauthorised disclosures of material relating to the SHADOW Program a criminal offence. Within the Royal Imperial Military, Shadows are a mysterious enigma although their exploits are reported on unofficially with keen interest, sometimes in direct contradiction to information dissemination policy by Soldiers, Stormtroopers and Sailors who work alongside Shadows in the course of Military Operations. While the existence of an "Imperial Security Bureau Supersoldier Project" Is not officially acknowledged, it is widely known by the Imperial Citizenry and Military Personnel that the Shadows are not regular Agents and neither are they "Normal" Men and women with rumours circulating around that they are mutant freaks not just because of their significant Physiological Enhancement but because of a detrimental psychological Phenomenon they allegedly exert upon other sentients in close proximity to themselves with several soldiers reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression and inexplicable terror or even hysteria after spending prolonged periods of time around the Shadows.
Most Imperial Citizens, Soldiers and Residents view Shadows with a mix of awe and revulsion due to their reputation as assassins and physical appearance, they're notorious for being wet-work operators without equal who alone can fell the likes of Sith Lords and Jedi as one might an ordinary man and tall sinewy with Speed, Grace, Precision, Strength and Endurance which under observation just shouldn't be possible for any Baseline Human even with Powered Armour. The majority of people who meet an on-duty Ghost clad in full TYRFING Powered Assault Armour are more often than not frightened or reluctant at the least to make physical contact with a Shadow, little alone speak to them for any period longer than what is necessary as demanded by duty.
Psychology
Most outsiders perceive Shadows to be stoic loners, usually quiet if not utterly silent among those not one of their own closely-knit fraternity. This is a result in-part of their unique impact on the Psychological well-being of those that come into close proximity with them but also due to the Mind-Wipe process each Shadow is subjected to prior to beginning Primary Training. The absence of memory and structural inhibitor chip makes Shadows easy to control for their chain of command and Imperial Security Bureau and makes it easier for them to fulfill the expectation of remaining apolitical. Despite their often quiet presentation and significant control mechanisms put in place Shadows still retain independent thinking, after receiving memory-wipes the Trainees are not brainwashed but rather persuaded to embrace the importance and significance of their existence to the continued security, stability and prosperity of the Core Imperial Confederation. Shadows are imbued with a distinct sense of purpose as Assassins and Law Enforcement & Intelligence Officers, with Vindo Garnier iterating that it is more noble and morally justifiable to kill a single or group of influential people to save the lives of the masses. Kruul and Garnier ensured that the training would give Shadows a sense of dutiful ruthlessness with most of them willing to use whatever practical means necessary so that a goal or objective can be fulfilled. Trained within a team environment, Shadows are instructed that their personal glories and triumphs mean nothing if their teammates cannot share it and thus are encouraged to keep fighting in-spite of sustained injuries with a disregard for their own personal health and safety. Due to their mind-wipes Shadows form an incredibly strong sense of camaraderie with many consider those within the Program as a sort of family, because they are instructed with steep discipline by Garnier. Shadows generally avoid overt emotional displays.
Shadows are remarkable as clannish and gregarious, with the Program's personnel developing a derivative of Galactic Sign Language mixed with Military Hand-Signals learnt during their training which they use to wordlessly communicate amongst one-another exclusively making their wordless conversations indecipherable to those outside the Program., given the sheer amount of armour they wear many Shadows become adept at reading each other's body language and the subtle physical queues given off by others which results in frightening silent wordless combat synergy between teams. The level of teamwork exhibited among Shadows has been likened to telepathy which results in ironic rumours that the Power-Armoured assassins are in-fact Dark Jedi. Many Shadows because of their mind-wipes and strict paramilitary training leaves it difficult for many of them to properly socialise with Baseline Humans outside of an Operational Context which is not aided by their noted preference for the company of other Shadows, often playing games and exercising with their program peers exclusively.
Organisation
Shadows are almost universaally organised into three-man "Teams" although larger teams of five or even Shadows operating alone are not unheard of, teamwork is a central tenant of their training. Operationally they are controlled by the Imperial Security Bureau when acting within Imperial Confederated Systems' space but when in foreign territory outside of their law enforcement jurisdiction Shadows are loaned as assets to Imperial Special Forces, hence why the Department of Defence and Foreign Affairs is responsible for them when acting in this capacity. To aid with their integration into regular military special forces units for the purpose of Operations the rank of Agent or "Shadow" Is equivalent to that of a Sergeant First Class within the Stormtrooper Corps giving them significant lawful authority to commandeer and lead teams of Commandos or ARC Troopers where necessary, Shadows possess a large degree of operational autonomy within the field environment and their teams are organised under a colour or atrisian-alphabet team system with composition being semi-permanent with notable exceptions.
Class 01/856
Class-I of the SHADOW program was recruited in approximately late 856 ABY and undertook their eighteen months primary training under the tutelage of Assistant Superintendent Vindo Garnier, of the some 560 individuals identified as meeting the genetic criteria its' recruiters were authorised to recruit half that number and in the end ended up with twenty-four candidates who were willing to volunteer to sacrifice all that they knew of their previous lives and family connections.
The following is a list of the known and named twenty-four Shadows who were recruited within Class 01/856 including their Null Rating:
Adaska Raythe (10)
Anton Tresku (5.5)
Aron Kyrne (7)
Emile Dorin (6)
Hyun-Shik Pak (6)
Istvan Toth (10)
Kehree Balosar (5)
Laith Rankin (10)
Leon Graumann (8.5)
Null Index
The "Null Index" Is a system used by the Imperial Security Bureau's SHADOW Program to measure the strength of an applicant's "Blank" abilities and characteristics and is determined through the collection of a wide variety of evidence including the procurement of tissue samples, and interview results to name a few. Early in the recruitment process a Null Index rating is provided to applicants and should their results be too low they are rejected from the SHADOW Program's recruitment process and placed in the talent pool for the Bureau's mainstream agents. The Index is used by the Program's operational and administrative leadership when deciding which personnel and teams will be appropriate for different operations given their objectives. The Null Index Scale is measured in floating point with the possibility for half-scores.
Null Index Scale:
- NU Rating
1-2: Tau Classification (Ineligible for Recruitment)
Description: No Blank characteristics or abilities, Most Humans.
[*]2-5: Upsilon Classification (Ineligible for Recruitment)
- Description: Limited Blank characteristics or abilities: "Midi-Chlorian/Force Dense Individuals" Varying resistance to Midi-Chlorian/Force-based powers. May be mildly difficult for individuals to recall through memory, May be mildly difficult for Force-Sensitives to perceive. Creates a Testable space of "Blankness" that occurs only in immediate proximity which is mildly uncomfortable for Force-Sensitives to inhabit.
[*]5-8: Sigma Classification (Eligible for Recruitment)
- Description: Occurs in approximately One in Ten-Billion Humans: Exhibit extreme levels of Blank characteristics and/or ability, May be extremely difficult for individuals to recall through memory, May be extremely difficult for Force-Sensitives to Perceive/Sense, May extremely inhibit the communication and behavior of Midi-Chlorian Cells and force-wielders ability to manipulate or channel the Midi-Chlorian's meta-physical behaviour, may inhibit, destabilize or weaken Midi-Chlorian based structures and/or materials such as Khyber Crystals. Creates a testable small space of "Blankness" surrounding the individual, it may be extremely difficult for Force-Sensitive individuals, materials or creatures to penetrate this space. May disrupt and interfere with nervous system' electrical functions of those not possessing the Blank genetic phenomenon, may induce irrational anxiety, fear and loathing of the individual from "Normals". May induce tangible physical pain and psychological distress for Force-Sensitives within the "Blank Space".
[*]8-10: Omega Classification (Eligible for Recruitment)
- Description: Uncertain incidence, occurs less than Alpha-Classification: Exhibit extrordinary levels of Blank characteristics and/or ability, May be extraordinarily difficult for individuals to recall through memory, May be extraordinarily difficult for Force-Sensitives to Perceive/Sense, May all but completely inhibit the communication and behavior of Midi-Chlorian Cells and force-wielders ability to manipulate or channel the Midi-Chlorian's meta-physical behavior, may severely inhibit, destabilize or weaken Midi-Chlorian based structures and/or materials such as Khyber Crystals. Creates a testable large space of "Blankness" surrounding the individual, it may be extraordinarily difficult for Force-Sensitive individuals, materials or creatures to penetrate this space. May severely disrupt and interfere with nervous system electrical functions of those not possessing the Blank genetic phenomenon, may induce severe irrational anxiety, fear and loathing of the individual from "Normals". May induce severe tangible pain and psychological distress for Force-Sensitives within the "Blank Space".
