Eralam
Character
I've been writing the Shard Network in one form or another for close to six or seven years now. Typically it's been more of a background element in my RP, but I'm bored enough to see if anyone else wants in on the fun, so here goes?
WHAT IS THE SHARD NETWORK?
The Shard Network is an intelligence gathering organization made up almost entirely of Shards posing as droids. Since droids are nearly ubiquitous and all but ignored throughout the galaxy, they make the perfect intelligence assets. No one pays attention to mouse droids, or maintenance units, or any one of a hundred different types of droids that make modern life possible. The Network takes advantage of this fact, and operates almost entirely in the shadows of society. They hear things. They see things. They know things.
WHY DOES THE SHARD NETWORK EXIST?
Between Palpatine and the Yuuzhan Vong, the Shards had a rough go of things in the leading up to and after the Battle of Yavin. Most of their publicly known brothers and sisters were killed, and the rest went underground. A few forward thinking individuals thought to organize them into an intelligence gathering network. These individuals knew that it was only a matter of time before some other event led to a purge of their species, if organics were left to their own devices, and decided that the easiest way to prevent another tragedy was to see it coming before it had a chance to happen. And so, they began organizing the Shard Network around 35 ABY, in the confusion of the Dark Nest uprising and the subsequent Second Galactic Civil War.
HOW DOES THE SHARD NETWORK OPERATE?
The majority of the Network is made up of self sufficient cells, usually containing no more than 5-20 members. These cells will spend years or even decades establishing sophisticated espionage apparatuses within their areas of responsibility. They collect information and transmit it to designated drop points in the darkest, most desolate corners of the Holonet, places that no one has paid attention to in centuries.
Cells operate independently of each other and largely free from interference from higher. Very rarely, a cell will be asked to procure a particular bit of information, but other than that, they're left to their own devices. Some planets may host only a single cell, others multiple cells working with little to no knowledge of their counterparts. Many are completely devoid of Shard influence, a problem that the Network would dearly like to rectify. There are protocols in place if two cells run into each other, but such instances are rare. As a result, discovery of a single cell poses minimal risk to the Network as a whole.
The Network also has a more active arm, dedicated to making use of the information gathered by the cells. Usually this comes in the form of subtle manipulation. A little blackmail here, a little bribery there, sometimes a snippet of intel put into the right hands at the right time. If someone stumbles across the Network, a decision is made on how to handle that person. Most of the time, if the person is potentially useful and doesn't pose excessive danger, the Network will attempt to work with them. This involves treating them like mushrooms (keeping them in the dark and feeding them BS), but a few trusted organics have been made something like partners, or maybe accomplices.
If things really go to hell, the Network has a select few wetwork operatives who are more than capable of handling a wide variety of problems. This could take the form of assassinations, or sabotage, or providing aid to a potentially sympathetic group.
WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER WORKING WITH THE NETWORK?
For starters, if you have a droid or a Shard character, you'd be a natural fit. There's oodles of potential for interesting storylines. If you have an organic character and would like to work with the Network, that could also be arranged. Or maybe you've stumbled across a cell and want to write a counterespionage story. Perhaps you'd like to work against a team of inhuman assassins. The possibilities are endless.
If there's enough interest, I'll throw together a minor faction for the purpose of organizing RP, but for now, I'm just trying to see who might be interested in firing up some threads.
WHAT IS THE SHARD NETWORK?
The Shard Network is an intelligence gathering organization made up almost entirely of Shards posing as droids. Since droids are nearly ubiquitous and all but ignored throughout the galaxy, they make the perfect intelligence assets. No one pays attention to mouse droids, or maintenance units, or any one of a hundred different types of droids that make modern life possible. The Network takes advantage of this fact, and operates almost entirely in the shadows of society. They hear things. They see things. They know things.
WHY DOES THE SHARD NETWORK EXIST?
Between Palpatine and the Yuuzhan Vong, the Shards had a rough go of things in the leading up to and after the Battle of Yavin. Most of their publicly known brothers and sisters were killed, and the rest went underground. A few forward thinking individuals thought to organize them into an intelligence gathering network. These individuals knew that it was only a matter of time before some other event led to a purge of their species, if organics were left to their own devices, and decided that the easiest way to prevent another tragedy was to see it coming before it had a chance to happen. And so, they began organizing the Shard Network around 35 ABY, in the confusion of the Dark Nest uprising and the subsequent Second Galactic Civil War.
HOW DOES THE SHARD NETWORK OPERATE?
The majority of the Network is made up of self sufficient cells, usually containing no more than 5-20 members. These cells will spend years or even decades establishing sophisticated espionage apparatuses within their areas of responsibility. They collect information and transmit it to designated drop points in the darkest, most desolate corners of the Holonet, places that no one has paid attention to in centuries.
Cells operate independently of each other and largely free from interference from higher. Very rarely, a cell will be asked to procure a particular bit of information, but other than that, they're left to their own devices. Some planets may host only a single cell, others multiple cells working with little to no knowledge of their counterparts. Many are completely devoid of Shard influence, a problem that the Network would dearly like to rectify. There are protocols in place if two cells run into each other, but such instances are rare. As a result, discovery of a single cell poses minimal risk to the Network as a whole.
The Network also has a more active arm, dedicated to making use of the information gathered by the cells. Usually this comes in the form of subtle manipulation. A little blackmail here, a little bribery there, sometimes a snippet of intel put into the right hands at the right time. If someone stumbles across the Network, a decision is made on how to handle that person. Most of the time, if the person is potentially useful and doesn't pose excessive danger, the Network will attempt to work with them. This involves treating them like mushrooms (keeping them in the dark and feeding them BS), but a few trusted organics have been made something like partners, or maybe accomplices.
If things really go to hell, the Network has a select few wetwork operatives who are more than capable of handling a wide variety of problems. This could take the form of assassinations, or sabotage, or providing aid to a potentially sympathetic group.
WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER WORKING WITH THE NETWORK?
For starters, if you have a droid or a Shard character, you'd be a natural fit. There's oodles of potential for interesting storylines. If you have an organic character and would like to work with the Network, that could also be arranged. Or maybe you've stumbled across a cell and want to write a counterespionage story. Perhaps you'd like to work against a team of inhuman assassins. The possibilities are endless.
If there's enough interest, I'll throw together a minor faction for the purpose of organizing RP, but for now, I'm just trying to see who might be interested in firing up some threads.
