Authors Note: This is just the quantification of some thoughts and notes I made on a recent holiday. I figured that the Valklears have tonnes of story potential so just began making some mock scenarios in my head and combined it with the new terminology introduced in retribution. Ofc, purely brainstorming, not pf at all. Enjoy!
Origins:
The unit known widely as "The Valklears" (Officially: 11th Fedayeen, Battlegroup 5, of the Republic Fleet) was formed as a tool of neccessity during the initial struggle for Minmatar liberation. Lacking warriors, ships and supplies to match the overwhelming Imperial Navy on any front, the leaders of the liberation movement and the ramshackle but determined Matari Liberation Navy (MLN) were forced to think creatively. They were all acutely aware that it was only a matter of time before the Empire recovered from it's shell shock from Vak'Atioth and brought their fury upon the Minmatar in a bloodbath of reckoning. As is common in times of brutal war, almost anyone capable of holding a weapon was put on the frontline, and as is common of a society under duress, criminals were given the toughest deal. Originally, the unit was a dangerous rabble of the Minmatar's troublemakers, only kept in check by the promise of freedom and a highly regimented lifestyle administered by some of the toughest officers in history.
Typically, survival rates were abysmally low, and the unit was consitently used as cheap cannon fodder in the worst engagements of the war. However during one such battle on Hek Prime a young Krusal medical officer called Kai Karpinnek made the crucial step in the formation of the Valklears. After one particularly brutal attempt to take ground back from the Imperial Army he noticed that the regular soldiers who survived, some barely over 15 years old, were completely broken by the experience and thus innefective soldiers. The older, more seasonned criminals who survived however, seemed to be unfazed by their experience and carried on as normal. Now technically the commanding officer of the remaining troops, Karpinnek realised that he was going to have to hold his ground or the planet would fall before the advancing Imperial armoured division. In what is still a folklore-worthy tale in contemporary Matari society, he gathered all the soldiers who could still fight and began a long day of hit-and-run attacks, delaying the Amarr long enough for the bulk of reinforcements to arrive and push them back. The momentum was maintained and the Amarr were given one of their first major defeats of the war.
At this point in the war, victories great or small were few and far between, and Karpinnek was immediately summoned before the MLN High Kelkoon (military council) so they could discern just how he had accomplised the impossible. A slave to an Amarrian psychologist prior to the war, he offered an ad lib (but accurate) psychoanalysis of the conscripted criminals. When pressed to surmise without the technical terminology, Karpinnek simply shrugged and said "Nothing to loose, everything to gain. What would be the point in giving up?" The High Kelkoon promoted Karpinnek and gave him permission to poach as many criminals as possible from anywhere he could find them and form a new fighting unit codenamed "Valklear". Today, Karpinnek is considered the spiritual father of The Valklears.
With the end of the war, and conscription ended early on during Midular's government, the modern Valklears cherry pick from the bustling Republic Justice Department's prisoners, offering them a simple choice: Years of service for a clean slate, or risk the Republic's brutal prisons.
Task:
Today, the Valklears have moved from a conventional battlegroup, to a unit of elite troops, with expertise in sabotage, counter-terrorism, espionage, inetlligence, counter-intelligence and other trade hallmarks of clandestine warfare, as well as being arguably the most formidable infantry unit in the cluster
Their expertise reflects the wide range of situations the Valklears are brought in to resolve. Typically, they require either covert secrecy, or brutal efficiency.
Structure:
Though officially a secret, military and intelligence organisations all over the cluster have made educated guesses as to the current strength and structure of the unit. Estimates of manpower range from Gallente FIO's chest-thumping guess of 1 million approximate, to the Amarr MIO's conservative 250 thousand.
In terms of structure, however no-one has a coherent guess. The Valklears embody the Minmatar military philosophy of adaptability, units are constantly formed and replaced depending on what is needed.
One of the few known details of the internal structure is that exectuive command rests with a 3-person Kelkoon: A commanding officer (CO), a second in command (2IC), and a senior non-comissioned officer (NCO). Appointed for life (in theory) by the Commander of the Fleet, the commanding officer is the only figure publicly named.
Recruitment:
To the Matari, the key to victory is adaptability. This is reflected in the recruits roped into service. Of the few Valklears who are known, professions range from leaders of criminal underworlds, serial killers, heisters and arsonists, to money launderers, counterfeiters and even at least one disgraced investment banker.
This intake means that for any given task, the Valklears are likely to have at least one expert on hand.
Equipment:
Though it has been a long time since the rebellion, military procurement in the Republic is still patchy. Theoretically, The Valklears have the same equipment as any other Republic mechanized infantry unit. The reality however is far from the theory.
Though the officers keep a tight grip of on or off duty Valklears, it is still true that it is a band of criminals, and among them a high number of safecrackers, hackers, pickpockets, protection racketeers and outright kleptomaniacs. Because of this, and the fact that if something proves useful the commanders generally turn a bind eye to it anyway, approximately 50-90% of items carried by Valklears on operations are non-issue kit. Most are stolen from other unfortunate units in close proximity to Valklears; there are numerous incidents of missing weapons and mysteriously vanishing supplies, particularly the "best" parts of ration packs. Though in a testament to their discipline (and the sheer brutality of their discplinary procedures) the rate of violent crime and sexual assault involving Valklears is among the lowest of any Republic military unit.
The Valklears do have a dress uniform, though it is a popular saying that you only get one "if you do something very good, or something seriously f***ing wrong" This refers to the fact that dress uniforms are only issued to Valklears if they are being commended by high-level officials like the Sanmatar, or being court-martialed.
"D6"
6th Division, Republic Military Police (RMP) is one of the few named units of the Valklears. Although, the unit is not technically a part of it, rather an attachment from the RMP. It's commonly called "D6" for short.
D6 is the unit officially tasked with any and all disciplinary procedures within the Valklears. Valklears are never tried in civilian courts of any kind, thus it all falls to the officers and soldiers of D6, who are selected from high level NCOs and officers, intelligence officers, Valklears themselves, and hardened veterans of the Republic's various law enforcement agencies. Some experts regard them as the most capable police in the cluster, even though they are not civilian by definition.
Some of thier tasks are straightfoward, they maintain order amonst The Valklears, dealing with incidents and making sure troops on shore-leave don't do anything stupid. Other tasks are more heavy duty; they track down deserters, and administer disciplinary procedure. They also have a particular penchant for tracking down traitors, mutineers and conspirators, as it is not unheard of for people outside the Valklears to make "a better offer" to anyone found out to be a Valklear or to those who are captured.
Importantly, they are also charged with keeping the identity of each and every Valklear, current or veteran, a closely guarded secret until death or until the soldier in question chooses to reveal it. Although, they never confirm or deny anyone as a former Valklear.
Due to their efficiency and brutality,their notoriety is second only to that of the Valklears themselves.
Author
Topic: World Building: The Valklears (Read 1277 times)