GX-1 Kola

Unknown Coordinates

The former Senator sat in the co-pilot's chair of the diplomatic hauler. Emotionally beaten from his home system, he was constantly searching for renewed purpose in his life. Every contact, every person, every piece of leverage or resource he had in the system was now gone. All the work and advancement the Clan had done for his system had gone to waste, and he would never see the fields and oceans of Judecca again, unless it waste bathed in husks of biomatter and lava.

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A communication came through to the hauler...masked. Dek peered at the communication panel near the co-pilot's seat. The pilot droid instinctively went to press the communications open line. It followed the protocol exactly. No one was on the ship, save for Dek and the droids he attempted to maintain. Some of the Clan's last resources from the Cocytus System lay in his storage compartment. It made temporary company.

"Hold..." Dek paused his droid's movement. "Place it into the computer lounge. I can't stand the sight of the stars any longer."

Moving out of the cockpit an into the common room, the Commander walked past 9T9, his personal combat droid. 9T9 was powered down in a chair sitting near a wall, while his repair droid, 9TR, repaired a small node of the combat droid's foot. Robes flowing into the hallway, and turning into the computer lounge, Dek closed the door and locked it.

Pressing a button to mask sensors, he played the message. The head of the Grand Admiral appeared.

"This is a message intended for Dek Ironius II. If you are not him and you are reading this message, it will be considered an act of treason for which the penalty is swift death."

Dek drummed on the desk, knowing that he wouldn't hear about the deaths of those who read the message otherwise. They would simply cease to exist, as if they never had in the first place.

A few seconds passed, to give the potential intruders a chance to stop the reading, "The Imperator and the head of Shadow Guard have both been killed in battle."

Eyes widening in complete shock, Dek placed his hand towards his mouth in utter disbelief.

"What matters not is who did it, that will be revealed in due time. What matters is that the leadership of both units are in need of structure. We have already chosen a capable leader to take on the role of Imperator."

Dek could predict the next words, as he heard a low growl separate and under Mune's own voice.

"Shadow Guard...or at least what you both decide to do with it...will be yours. Congratulations, you have been promoted. You will report to your new commander, Yorzhul, immediately."

The message turned off. Dek immediately deleted it and lowered the sensor mask on his ship. He manually activated the electronic suite and sent a message in response. He looked in the reflective surface wall, licking his hand and fixing his slightly disheveled hair. He smiled, looking proud and receptive. Turning back to the computer screen, he spoke.

"I serve at the will of the Emperor and our Empire."

Bowing out, he sent the message. He looked into the still activated screen, smiling at his own face. The smile cracked a bit. His eyes grew angry. He growled through his teeth, smashed the console off, and attempted to weakly punch the wall.

Those who killed Lexiconus and Jurdan will pay.

---

Introduction

Greetings Shadow Guard,

I am your new Battleteam Leader. My name is Dek Ironius II. I have gone by other names in the past including Dek Rott (whose remains lay burnt under piles of rubble on some Cocytus System planet) and Luciferus "Scyrone" Leviathan (also probably dead).

I joined the DJB back in 2006, eventually took a break, and rejoined Clan Scholae Palatinae back in 2015. Since then, I've been in Imperium and have helped to shape the fictional backdrop for Imperium.

Yorzhul (formerly Lexiconus Qor) and I have worked up a plan and future for Shadow Guard. It was decided and approved that Shadow Guard should be taken into a new direction. House Excidium and Tacitus Athanasius both serve as hidden protectors of the Clan. Ultimately, we don't need to compete with them for that role. Although we will still serve in mostly combat/tactical roles, with some skill based operations on the side, we have changed our tune up a bit. I will discuss more below.

Our Future

On Sunday, I created a quick and simple plan for the Clan Summit to digest. I wanted and need their approval before I went and wrote this introductory report. Basically, I want you to know the plans. I also want your input, especially for the long run. Much of this stuff was done, but I want to reemphasize it going forward:

1. We don't want Shadow Guard to be exclusive. One purpose of a battleteam is to have fun and to allow members to do things in shorter and simpler times that they may not be able to do outside of their usual schedules and work functions. This means being open and allowing the members to flourish in Shadow Guard.

2. By opening up, we will be doing competitions with less strenuous requirements in the future. House-level and Clan-level comps tend be have higher rewards for more work. I don't want to detract from those competitions. Thusly, Shadow Guard will definitely have competitions, but ones you can do and not lose a lot of your time on. This allows you to still compete in other competitions, OR if you have trouble being active it allows you to compete in things that can still earn you rewards, promotions, credits and the like without feeling like you're taking up space on a roster.

3. Shadow Guard is becoming (insert new incoming name here). That's right! New name, new motto, and transformative future. Shadow Guard is evolving fictionally, and if you have any ideas, please let the House summit know (Yorzhul and myself). More on this below.

What Have We Become?

Seeing as though we are not striking from the shadows anymore, we have a different purpose. We are a force for the Imperator and the Emperor out in the public. We are constables, crusaders, and tacticians who police the bureaucracy, and deliver the will of the Emperor to the public. If anything we are similar to street judges who act on our own or in groups under a central command structure.

But delivering justice is not all that we do. We are currently planetless. And we solve this by making contacts, searching for new planets and new people to trade or conquer. We occasionally gather intelligence, but not covertly. We are scouts and explorers who are skilled in combat and can deliver the message of our masters to all the people who do not fear or strengthen us.

The image of us being covert and stealthy should be destroyed. We are no longer a shadowy organization, but an internal force of protection along with an external influence creator. We protect the law by allowing ourselves to go above it. However, we are not above the highest law (the words and wills of the Emperor).

I look forward to working with all of you, and I can't wait to hear your inputs.

Competitions

Now that we got that introductory stuff out of the way, there are still some competitions you can participate in.

Clan

Abstract Art Emotion Series - Graphics - Abstract art in the form of four emotions: Euphoria, Rage, Sorrow, Fear (Euphoria and Rage end tomorrow night!)

Prophecies of the Force - Fiction - Character development fictions that focus on specific moments in your character's life

House

Lie to Me - Graphics - Create an image of your character's face upon seeing the destruction of the Cocytus System

Behind Door Number One! - Graphics - Draw your temporary dorm room on the Tipoca II

Judecca's Last Stand - Flash - Obtain the highest score (and give Jurdan a taste of the competition he left behind :P)

Z-Rox - Flash - Obtain the highest score/beat the game

Sudden Stop - Fiction - Fight your way out of a sudden stop in your mission and aid the fleet

Bunk Rights! - Fiction - Another member is looking through your personal stuff and you catch them...

Battlefront Brawl! - Gaming - Playing Battlefront

JA Brawl! - Gaming - Playing Jedi Academy

Conclusion

We have a long road ahead of us. But that road is filled with change and excitement. I cannot wait to work with you all and to make our BT, House, Clan, and club a lot better in the long run.

I also want to thank Jurdan/Delak for his work in Shadow Guard. He did things no other BTL had attempted to do and he worked his butt off to make this team the best throughout the years. He deserves Aedile of Shar Dakhan and he will do well in that position. Also, the temp report graphic above is his as well. It will be changing, but it has to be said that Jurdan is an artist that continually improves his work.

My email is always open for you all (as you all may have seen already), as is [Telegram - Log in to view join link]. I am also on Steam. If I do not get your message immediately, no worries. I am UTC +1 (for now).

Glory to the Empire!

Dek Ironius II