ID : 9901-104 TITLE : A Brief History of S4 AUTHOR: Seven Swords Special Service, Division of Official History DATE : 306/2350 CLASS.: Top Secret ZULU INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS CURRENT AND SENSITIVE.
The Seven Swords Special Service (S4) is known throughout space as the premier covert operations group. Despite several centuries of active hunting by the combined might of the Starguild, the organization not only survives, but thrives. This document is a brief overview of the history and notable operations of S4 from its founding to the present. More information is available from the Division of Official History; submit a complete application (Form 7-600A) with proof of security clearance to the Administration Office.
The document is ordered chronologically, with some additional notes on particular operations of note at the end. The early history of S4 is nebuluous and uncertain. This is due partly to the orginal structure of the small organization, and partly to the loss incurred when the Starguild captured most of the early operatives. With the founding of the Seven Worlds, and the creation of a full-blown covert ops organization, the historical record becomes far more complete and reliable.
S4 is organized along the lines of ancient resistance groups; cells of one or more operatives form a chain from the central authority to the agents in place. Cells are aware only of those directly above or below them on the chain. Hence, even if the Starguild cracks one cell, the others remain intact. The chains are protected by elaborate authentication and encryption protocols; attempts to use one cell to track an entire chain fail at the first link.
The central authority, S4's headquarters, is a group of dedicated individuals who keep tabs on all the chains of cells. They have no single physical location, and are in constant motion among various bases and hideouts. Throughout it's history, S4 has never had its HQ in the Seven Worlds itself. Originally, this was due to the difficulties of long-range FTL communication, and more recently due to the fall of the Seven Worlds system. Control is maintained through the use of encrypted FTL-communication channels (known as FLASH) with the various links in the chains.
The organization that would become the S4 of today was founded in the early 22nd century, just after Hyrken left to find the Seven Worlds. Eldan Abon-Kar, the head of Hyrken's personal intelligence network, began aggresively expanding the network throughout the Starguild corporations. He realized that the Starguild would almost certainly take the Seven Worlds as a threat, and that the Starguild deals with threats through war. Abon-Kar's intelligence apparatus began with nothing in 2110, but became capable of misleading and disrupting Starguild attempts to locate Hyrken by 2120. The Starguild became aware of the intelligence network around 2120. Attempts to neutralize it were largely unsuccessful until 2132. Abon-Kar was captured by the Starguild, along with many of his top agents. Fortunately, Abon-Kar died before revealing any of the undiscovered agents, or the enormity of the deceptions perpetrated against the Starguild. Enormous numbers o Starguild forces were deployed to remote regions of space, only to find absolutely nothing. Abon-Kar's final deception, leading Starguild forces to Seven Worlds warships rather than refugee transports, was costly to both the Seven Worlds and the Starguild.
The remnants of Abon-Kar's original intelligence network quickly recovered and learned from their mistakes. Abon-Kar was captured through interceptions of communications; not by treason among the organization. Moreover, the intercepts occured on the local networks, not the FTL backbone. This fact was the driving force behind the development of the FLASH system, which has been in use since 2139. Contact with the Seven Worlds resulted in the official naming of the network to the Seven Swords Special Service. Despite requests from the Seven Worlds, S4 control elements remained in the Starguild to coordinate activities.
During the period 2139-2160, S4 continues aggresive expansion. Agents are placed into every possible location throughout the Starguild, using the cellular organizational structure and FLASH transceivers. Recruitment of military and analysis operatives from the Seven Worlds begins in earnest. With the increasing pressure on the Seven Worlds from the Starguild, S4 expands from an intelligence network into a covert operations organization. The first structured sabotage campaigns are undertaken to hamper Starguild efforts. In many ways, these are the precursors to the Dragonstar raids, and many of the infiltration tehniques developed here are used to great effect to obtain Dragonstar coordinates. S4 reaches a size of approximately 3,000 operatives throughout the Starguild.
In 2161, S4 begins using its network of agents to obtain and catalogue Dragonstar coordinates in addition to standard intelligence. This paves the way for the Dragonstar raids, and allows S4 to reduce its own covert operations. Starguild intelligence groups suspect the existance of S4, but none realize the extent or abilities of the organization.
In late 2161, the leaders of S4 hold a meeting to determine their future goals. After much debate about specific areas to intensify intelligence gathering or sabotage, one of the leaders stands up and declares that all this is pointless. She goes on to argue that regardless of the actions of the Seven Worlds, S4, or the Dragoncrests, the Seven Worlds is doomed. The civilization is to small and concentrated to withstand the unlimited forces of the Starguild and Dragoncrests. What must be done is to save the warriors and civilians that form the core of the society, and find a way to resurrect the Dream across dozens or hundreds of worlds when the Starguild is distracted by another threat, i.e. the Dragoncrests. After a moment of stunned silence, the other leaders begin to argue. Three days later, S4 begins the opening stages of Operation: Phoenix.
From 2162 on, the majority of S4 resources are devoted to the task of creating and maintaing Operation: Pheonix. Intelligence gathering and covert operations are continued as required, but the bulk of new expansion and development is directed towards Operation: Pheonix. It should be noted that S4, used to working completely alone, does not inform the Seven Worlds of their plans; when the Seven Worlds falls, there can be no knowledge of Pheonix to fall into Starguild control.
To implement Pheonix, it is necessary to have a secure place to store and care for the members of the Seven Worlds who will be preserved for the resurrection. While S4 originally planned to build and maintain these facilities itself, an enterprising operative realized that there was a better way: RQ Services.
RQ Services, a medical subcon from the earliest days of the Starguild, was and is known for providing battlefield medical care to anyone, regardless of affiliation. Moreover, the corporation charges reasonable fees for their services, and prides itself on advancing medical technology as fast as anyone. This corporation seemed tailor-made to the needs of S4. To use RQ Services, S4 would need to infiltrate the corporation and assume control. This is something S4 is excellent at doing.
In 2162, the first operatives were placed in RQ Services to provide initial intelligence and lay the groundwork for future operations. These agents succeeded brilliantly, and the infiltration and takeover of RQ Services had begun. Over 30 years, RQ Services was transformed from a morally-upstanding Starguild corporation to a front for S4. Note that infiltration did not exceed 20% during this time. It is mostly due to the S4 influence that RQ Services was so ready to help the planet of Alpha after the Starguild bombardment in 2185. Conversion of Rq Services continued until 2289, when the corporation became fully saturated with operatives. It should be noted that after 2170, the infiltration and conversion was done from within the company, and in the guise of moral obligations for the employees. Contact with S4 itself is limited to a few members of the upper management. By 2289, RQ Services is essentially autonomous, with limited FLASH contact between S4 and the Board of Directors.
The fall of the Seven Worlds did little to hamper the activities of S4; by this time, S4 is self-sufficient from the infiltration of RQ Services and other Starguild corporations. Selected dealings with Neemis Enterprises, coupled with the extensive colonization equipment developed by the Seven Worlds, has allowed the creation of a self-sufficient base just at border of Starguild space. The loss of the Seven Worlds does remove the source of battle-trained paramilitary forces, forcing more recruitment from the Starguild itself.
Operation: Pheonix becomes the sole activity of S4 after the fall of the Seven Worlds. Assests tasked to procure Dragonstar coordinates and hamper military assaults on the Seven Worlds are reassigned to procuring material for the Pheonix worlds and hampering Imperial Intelligence efforts to infiltrate the secret areas of RQ Services.
When Trident is given control of the Seven Worlds systems, and begins to recover what little is left after the Imperial bombardment, S3 begins infiltration of the corporation. This culminates in the creation of the RMBK division (at the suggestion of a mole) and the moce to Rhand. With this, S4 has the first world for Operation: Pheonix, and it begins a quiet takeover of RMBK and Rhand. This is accomplished over several decades through recruitment of the members of RMBK, rather than through placing S4 agents.
During this time, S4 becomes aware (through occasional contact with the Seven Worlds remnants and intelligence from within the Starguild) of the Spectral threat, and what it might mean. While recognizing that the Spectrals are a greater threat than even the Starguild, S4 also sees them as the distraction to the Starguild that could allow Pheonix to succeed. RMBK is quickly mobilized to begin work on anti-Spectral measures, even though Trident is prohibited from weapon research.
Agents in Trident's exploration divisions provide information on other planets likely to be in the path of the Spectral invasion, and the most promising worlds are also chosen for Pheonix. Assets are moved into position mere months before predicted Spectral contact in the systems. Neemis Enterprises is used as an intermediary to acquire warships that are refitted with examples of the new Weapons of Mass Destruction for use against the Spectral invasion fleets. These craft are transferred to returning elements of the former Seven Worlds military.
By late 2348, all the assets are in place for Operation: Pheonix, and S4 waits for the Spectrals to invade the various systems. With the burgeoning conflict on Rhand, S4 is forced to deploy agents to cripple the long-range radar to allow the Spectral invasion craft to trigger a devastating space battle. A Seven Worlds warship then destroys the Spectral craft with relativistic missiles, although unfortunately not before the orbital bombardment. Recent history on Rhand is well documented elsewhere, as is the progress of Pheonix on the other worlds.
As noted above, Trident was infilitrated almost from the moment it arrived in the Seven Worlds system. An agent within Trident first proposed the creation of RMBK as Trident's basic research arm, and also noted the preferred way to setup such divisions: take a physically isolated location, stuff the most brilliant researchers to be found into the location, and given them support to "play" while maintaining records of their innovations. As Trident had recently discovered Rhand, the planet seemed perfectly suited to the task. The tourist business provided a revenue stream from the planet without interfering with the basic research being pursued. As Rhand is on the fringes of Starguild space, and RMBK was self-sufficient, it was also very vulnerable to infiltration and takeover by S4.
With the discovery of the Spectrals, and their way of conquest, RMBK began working on countermeasures even without S4 encouragement. Using the recovered knowledge of the Seven Worlds, some developments of RQ Services, and some ancient scientific research that had been suppressed (mostly in the automation and genetics fields), RMBK was able to begin making breakthroughs that would have astounded the Starguild.
For example, the DRGN combat suit, and particularly the energy barrier that makes the suit so revolutionary, was developed using ideas from the Dragonstar teleporter (field theories) and Divine Lightning stardrive (field generators and power systems). Avatar owes much to the advances of RQ Services and some of the original work in genetics done in the 21st century. The self-repair and scheduling capabilities of the ORCA system were developed from some of the automation advances made by the Seven Worlds in colonization equipment.
With several questionable or mysterious research topics, and the flaunting of the caste system, Imperial intervention on Rhand was inevitable. Despite the efforts of S4, Imperial troops and intelligence assets were diverted to Rhand to deal with the rogue corporate division. The rest followed from there.
As noted before, Operation: Pheonix has its roots in the mid-22nd century, with the realization by S4 that the Seven Worlds cannot hope to win the war against the Starguild. With the infiltration of RQ Services, S4 found a way to make Pheonix possible. Seven Worlds soldiers, civilians, and leaders who were wounded or dead were taken by RQ Services (which provides battlefield medical service to all Starguild forces) and reported as dead. In actuality, they were placed into stasis (developed in the latter half of 2153) and moved to one of several facilities in remote parts of known space. These installations, officially classified as medical research facilities, are the stockpiles of talent from which Pheonix would eventually draw.
It should be noted that RQ Services has always been under Starguild scrutiny - it has a very different moral agenda than most corporations, and this troubles the senior Guild members. Hence, RQ Services is always the subject of attempted Imperial and Guild infiltration. The fact that RQ Services has some of the most advanced medical knowledge in the world (helped by Seven Worlds innovations) only makes it more enticing as a target for industrial espionage. RQ Services therefore maintains one of the most effecient industrial security divisions in the Starguild; it is helped by the techniques and experience of S4.
With this constant scrutiny, it is impossible for RQ Services to hide anything forever. Rather than try to keep the details of Pheonix secret through standard security (i.e. controlled access, etc.), RQ Services takes the opposite approach. Everything done for Pheonix is justified in a reasonable way for something very different. The medical facilities used to house the Seven Worlds personnel were built as medical research facilities, and indeed much research occurs at these installations. They were placed in remote parts of space to reduce the risk of accidental contamination of population centers; RQ Services contracts with exploration firms to provide medical analysis and support of deep recon missions, which may encounter new virulent diseases and conditions.
Imperial intelligence discovered the practice of declaring wounded Seven Worlds soldiers dead in early 2295. The agent that reported this fact also reported the reason for it: "These people are declared dead so they can be used for medical experimentation. They form a group of otherwise healthy individuals who will not be missed. Many of the mdeical advances of RQ Services have come from being able to test new techniques and treatments on these wounded soldiers. Since they would be left to die on the battlefield otherwise, there is no loss to the Starguild, only gain." This sort of "hide in plain sight" deception is the core reason why RQ Services has remained in good standing to the present day.
Considering the number of ships RQ Services maintains, and the contracts that span the whole of known space, it is relatively easy to ship material and personnel for Pheonix from place to place. The personnel that form Operation: Pheonix on Rhand, in 2349, all arrived in the cargo holds of RQ Services corvettes and transports.
It should be noted that Rhand, while the new homeworld for the Dream, is not the only world involved in Operation: Pheonix. Dozens of worlds across known space are being used. All are in regions threatened or invaded by the Spectrals, to prevent immediate Imperial retaliation. In every case, the invading Spectral force was virtually annihilated by the warships of Operation: Phoenix; the development of relativistic missiles made this relatively easy (see the most recent document on Weapons of Mass Destruction).
With RQ Services as a legitimate front, S4 has been able to implement the grand strategy of Operation: Pheonix, despite the fall of the Seven Worlds or the appearance of the Spectrals. As the Spectral threat grows, and the worlds of Operation: Pheonix are activated, RQ Services (and hence S4) are preparing to become the saviour of Humanity against the Spectrals.
S4 has managed to implement Operation: Pheonix, which should insure the survival of the Dream against the Starguild. The challenge now is to save Humanity from the Spectrals. RMBK began work on ways to combat the Spectral threat, and made great progress in the realm of personal armor and weapons. However, the real research is being done by RQ Services in their remote medical research installations. Spectrals, like all other known life, are biological. Although possessed of a bizzare body chemistry, Spectrals are still a biochemical engine built out of simple molecules. RQ Services, using captured Spectral remains and field observations, have been developing a biological weapon for use against Spectral worlds. Basically, the weapon (SVP-634q) is a simple viral agent that uses the Spectral metabolism to reproduce, causing extensive disruption of the body biochemistry in the process. The virus is airborne, robust, and happy in a Spectral environment. Tests on isolated Spectral lairs has shown it to be devastatingly effective; 98%+ mortality within 48 hours. The few Spectrals who survived were eradicated by a second dosage. Work is currently under way to develop a more lethal variant and an airborne deployment system suitable for orbital drop. As the Spectrals have shown no evidence of quick genetic adapability, SVP-634q may be their undoing.
Once RQ Services succeeds, and the worlds of Operation: Pheonix are stable, wholesale biological warfare will be unleashed against the Spectrals. Current plans call for deployment only on fully transformed worlds, and include the use of planetary-scale kinetic weapons as a prepatory step. Of course, should the Starguild begin losing the war against the Spectrals in a spectacular way, SVP-634q will be used as necessary.