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.
OOC Information:
Rebel groups have been tried before, so SAINT is taking on a different role. The “Looking for Group” and “Roleplay Discussion” boards are often full of smugglers (often smugglers with a heart of gold) looking for jobs. SAINT will actively recruit them for missions that suit its mandate. I hope to work closely with the One Sith to provide reasonable opposition and great storytelling. We’re not going to start rebellions, just use the Sith occupation to write engaging tales about life under the Empire’s iron fist.
In many ways, SAINT is more a jobs board or employment hub than an organized faction. It will never submit military tech, vehicles, or warships to the factory, never engage in raids, and never go major or hold territory. This is so that interested players can join SAINT and take jobs from the organization without feeling like it’s a demand on their time. We will definitely have faction threads, but no member should ever feel pressured or obligated to participate. We’re a loose voluntary association.
Of course, people who would like to take a more active role as full-time agents of SAINT are welcome.
Faction Ranks:
Independent Contractors: Smugglers hired for their first mission on behalf of SAINT are not allowed any access to information about the organization; they are not even directly told who they are working for. They are contacted at cantinas and given missions that are clearly illegal under Sith law but not extremely sensitive. This is their trial period.
Cresh-Level Clearance: Smugglers at this level of clearance have completed one successful mission on behalf of SAINT. They are told who their employer is, and given access to a list of cantinas where they can go to pick up missions. They are also allowed access to more sensitive missions, such as those involving the smuggling of sentient beings out of Sith space.
Besh-Level Clearance: Smugglers at this level of clearance have completed three successful missions on behalf of SAINT. They are allowed access to a SAINT safehouse, where they can lay low and pick up new missions without the risk of being observed. They are also given access to SAINT’s ship refits, such as stealth modules and clever smuggling holds.
Aurek-Level Clearance: Smugglers at this level of clearance have completed five successful missions on behalf of SAINT. They are considered fully trustworthy, and allowed access to all of SAINT’s safehouses. They are given the riskiest of the missions SAINT offers, and are given access to the organization’s personal stealth tools to help accomplish them.
Agent of SAINT: Full-time agents of SAINT are tasked with gathering intelligence on occupied planets in order to identify opportunities for smuggling missions. They also assist smugglers in successfully completing those missions, and have access to SAINT’s full arsenal to help them do so. Agents are given great autonomy in their missions, but ultimately report to the Director.
SAINT Officer: Officers of SAINT are in charge of safehouses, coordinating movements of supplies, personnel, and outgoing refugees while keeping the location secret. They are permitted to act on information reported by agents and set up their own nonviolent missions, but such missions are subject to the Director’s approval.
Director: The Director of SAINT is in charge of recruitment and logistics, working to provide purpose and momentum to the entire organization. He seeks out sources of funding for SAINT’s operations, openings for missions into Sith space, and promising smugglers to carry out each operation. He is by necessity extremely secretive, as his death would shatter the group.
Questions? Comments? Enthusiasm? Outraged diatribes? Feel free to post below or get in touch with me via PM.
