The Jedi were dead. Extinguished by Palpatine during his reign of darkness, these protectors of justice and saviors of the galaxy had been all but eliminated. Years before Skywalker established his Jedi Academy, they were a scattered lot. A force sensitive here, an old Jedi hermit there, not really a force to be reckoned with and certainly not a challenge to a practitioner of the dark side of the force.
It fell to common sentients to protect the galaxy. Creatures, humanoids, all manner of species and race would be the deciding factor between peace and darkness, good and evil, ultimately...life and death.
A thankless job. Certain death. And little to no fanfare. The type of protector that was needed would have the honor of a Jedi and the cunning mind of a Sith Lord. In the end, they would make all of the difference in the galaxy.
You wont find a listing for SithHunter in your local holodirectory. Established in the early days of the New Republic, SithHunter technically doesn't even exist.
The brainchild of Nex Sall, a New Republic officer serving under Arien Cracken, the SithHunter concept blossomed in Sall's mind when he began witnessing the number of reports the began to cross his desk regarding the force and those practitioners of it.
Sall began to chart the number of occurances involving "unusual circumstances" and "weapons made of light" and resulted in death, violence and the destruction of public/private property. The results were disturbing.
Since the death of the Emporer, Sall noticed a marked increase in these "force-related" events. The most numerous reports were generating from the outer rim..a disturbing fact since news of the Emporers death had not reached those areas of the galaxy yet.
With his proof in one hand and a determined spring in his step, Sall went to Cracken and revealed his findings.Saal argued that the reports were proof enough that a team needed to be assembled to track down and deal with the perpetrators of these crimes. Initially, Cracken wasn't moved by this evidence, dismissing it as "random coincidence" and something that fell in to the jurisdiction of local Sector Rangers rather than the New Republic. But Cracken was true to his officers and promised Sall he would delve further into the matter.
It was a short time later that Sall was promoted to another department and the SithHunter idea was forgotten. This couldn't have been farther from the truth. The SithHunter concept was alive and well, wrapped in the highest level of secrecy the New Republic has ever known.
The first obstacle to overcome was assembling the team. Due to the secrecy of the organization, New Republic Intelligence was apprehensive about recruiting for the team. Data files were poured over and dossiers were picked apart with a fine tooth comb. It wouldn't be a good idea to pull high profile officers from the field-too many questions would be asked. Officers with tarnished records were also officers with tarnished souls and oftentimes more trouble than they were worth.
The brains behind the SithHunter project were careful. Whoever was chosen for the project would be erased from all New Republic military records and listed as "deceased". This would eliminate the potential for a security leak involving the team members anywhere down the line.Ultimately, they needed an officer they could trust, but one who was just innovative enough to "grab the Bantha by the horns" when the situation called for it. Their answer came in one of the last files to cross their desk, and would prove to be the defining decision in the formation of SithHunter.
Eighteen months before the Battle of Endor, Jazal Cravan was the leader of a Urban Assault Unit operating out of the Kodi Sector. The team had much success under Cravan, completing missions that solidified the Rebellion's position on many planets.
This all came crashing down when the team met up with a Dark Jedi on the planet of Balfron. the Dark Jedi took great pleasure in completely decimating the team when they stumbled onto his nefarious plans.
Cravan just barely escaped with her life and was able to rescue 2 of her team members, who, unfortunately, died later from injuries. Cravan slipped into deep depression and was put on medical leave for a month. Upon returning she was reassigned to Base Relocation Duty-essentially given a ship and told to scout uninhabited planets for locations to house rebel bases or supply depots.
This position she maintained until New Republic Intelligence tapped her for the
position of SithHunter Commander. Cravan was apprehensive at first; after all, the last team she had was wiped out by just one dark jedi.And now they wanted to HUNT these things? But NRI assured her that wouldn't be the case this time. Cutting edge technology, an unlimited amount of credits, and the most up-to-date intel that could be provided would be made available to her and her team. Cravan took the job, knowing that something that sounded too good to be true usually was.
Click here for Jazal Cravan's New Republic Dossier
When Cravan signed on Board, she did not come without some stipulations. In addition to what was already offered, she wanted to ability to pick and choose the members of her team. In addition, she wanted the ability to bring in outside "consultants" who would also be added to her team. NRI agreed, citing the original specification: "whoever is on this team, is dead to the rest of the galaxy". A high price to pay, but Jazal knew who she wanted and would stop at nothing to get the best.
Chan Follor is an enigma. Whereas most Gotals are somewhat standoffish and morose, Chan is easy going and some would say downright jovial. As the leader of a moderately sized smuggling organization, Chan is the last person NRI expected Cravan to pick for the team. But there was more going on than even they knew about. Jazal had saved Chan's life year before, and he owed her a debt that he carried around on his conscious. When she approached him about being her Second-in-Command, he jumped at the chance.
"Sitting around my penthouse nibbling on firefruit has gotten stale" he told her. The addition of Chan to the team was a boon. In addition to acting as a liaison between the sometimes ornery Cravan, Chan is also the teams primary information specialist. While NR intel for the team is often reliable, given SithHunter's line of work, surprises can often prove fatal. Chan is also the underworld contact and the provider of any black market items, should the team require such equipment. While Jazal may lead the team, it is Chan who holds it together.
Click here for Chan's New Republic Dossier
Risking your life. Giving up what life you had built for yourself. Putting it all on the line. Living hard and fast because tomorrow is more of a hope than a reality. This is the life of a SithHunter. While each team is made up of anywhere from 15-25 hunters, below you will find some of the more "prolific" SithHunters. With a 83% team mortality rate, this means that these are either the Best of the Best, or the luckiest sentients in the entire galaxy.
Graf Fel'Dralla:
Sniper. A twi'lek with a mean streak eight kilometers long. Graf is nonetheless one of the best snipers in the New Republic. He and his brother Tunnd worked as hired muscle in the Tapani sector for several years. When a Dark Jedi came looking for a sith artifact their baron had in his possession, the Dark Jedi cut the royalty down and fled. Graf and his brother joined up with the New Republic shortly after and has been with them ever since. When the SithHunter team was formed, both were tapped due to their personal vendetta they still carry for the man that cut down their leige.
Click here for Graf's New Republic Dossier
Tunnd Fel'Dralla:
Sniper. Graf's younger brother. Tunnd is the one who apparently wound up with the compassionate side, as he is also the teams first aid guru. Both were trained by their uncle on Ryloth in the art of the rifle, a passion that both have kept throughout their lives. But dont let his background in medicine fool you, if you aren't on his team he will take immense joy in watching you die like a womprat.
Click here for Tunnd's New Republic Dossier
Runddrall:
Hand to Hand specialist. Runddrall and his mate escaped Kashyykk and made their way to Celanon over a decade ago. Once there they established a family, but his wife and children were killed during an imperial raid of their home. During the massacre, Runddrall went berserk and carved up the Imperials using his claws and teeth. Word got back to Kashyykk and Runddreall was dishonored.
Runddreall then roamed the Outer Rim, avoiding his fellow wookiees at all costs. Cravan found him drunk in a tapcafe on Ord Mantell. After pulling lots of strings and calling in several favors,she had the dishonor charge lifted and the hunt called off. After meeting with a wookiee tribunal, Cravan convinced them to raise one rule: While fighting the sith, Runddrall is fully allowed to use his claws for combat. This decision is kept secret and it is fully understood that all other wookiees are to avoid Runddrall at all costs.
Click here for Runddrall's New Republic Dossier
Tella Locrel:
Force Detector/masker. SithHunter's ace in the hole.While not a lightsaber swinging jedi, Tella is still very proficient in some aspects of the force.In the past she has been able to use her innate ability to cover the team's movements, catching even seasoned Dark Jedi off balance.
Tella was born on Bespin and spent much of her life there. She left to work as a travel agent on Adarlon when she inadvertently got wrapped up an a rebel cell operation on the cruise liner.
After aiding the rebels, she was taken to Home One and offered a spot in New Republic Intelligence. This is where she stayed until she mentioned her special ability to Arien Cracken. The rest, as they say, is history.
Click here for Tella's New Republic Dossier
Sc'cla'duk'tenn:
Armorer. A verpine that didnt quite fit in as what New Republic considered to be a "team player" . Sc'cla'duk'tenn previously worked for the New Republic as a tech. However, he occupied his time constructing weapons deemed to "vicious", and received numerous reprimands. Cravan heard about him through the grapevine and snatched him up on the spot. When it comes to making weapons of incredible destruction and carnage, or tweaking existing weapons so that the perform beyond expectations, this is your sentient. He works on board the "Fabulous Bastard" with a small army of pit and mouse droids, maintaining and upgrading the teams weaponry.
Click here for Sc'cla'duk'tenn's New Republic Dossier
Grall Duzz:
Night Fighter. When Cravan insisted on this defel being brought into the team, everyone was leary. He made no qualms about his reason for fighting. It wasn't to purge the galaxy of evil, or make it a safer place. it was for credits. Pure and simple. In many ways that makes Grall one of the most trustworthy team members out of the entire group.Ideals can change but credits stay credits. Grall works on a bonus system, receiving bonuses when:
Nadda Dafou:
Scout/Survivalist. Another recommendation by Jazal.This Gungan scout was previously working for the New Republic in the outer rim. He transferred based on her request and has been serving with the team ever since. Hard working, easy going and totally loyal, Nadda is the one you want leading your team through rough terrain, no matter where you may be.
Click here for Nadda's New Republic Dossier
To bankroll a project like SithHunter, the New Republic had to pull many strings. During the startup phase, things were rather tight. It wasn't until the New Republic began tapping corporations and well-to-do individuals that things began to look up.
With the assistance of Chan Follor, who invested a large sum himself, the brains behind SithHunter were able to play the Intergalactic market, and, through dummy corporations and slush funds, built up a sizeable bank account for the SithHunter team. This would prove to be very important, for the cost of upkeep in such a unit is rather high.
To get from place to place, the SithHunter team needed transportation. This came in the form of a heavily modified Tannhauser Shipyards RS-NX6. This heavy freighter has the cargo capacity of a capital class ship, but needs only a fraction of the crew to operate. Initially, Chan Follor won the ship from a high stakes Gambler and had it docked at one of his associates space stations. When he joined the SithHunter team he retrieved it and allowed the New Republic to outfit it with additional hull plating and weaponry. The entire ship is crewed by droids; however at any given time you can find Cravan or Follor manning the helm.
The Fabulous Bastard is much more than just transportation though. Since the team is constantly on the move, with little opportunity to dock and rest, this ship acts as their own personal luxury liner. A squad of droids wait on the team hand and foot, constantly feeding and pampering every member of the team. Facilities are available for training, recreation and pleasure.
The Fabulous Bastard may not be the most attractive ship in space, and while on the outside many may believe it to look like a piece of junk, this is done by design. A junky looking freighter is less likely to get hassled by pirates and the like than a brand spanking new one.
The remainder of the SithHunter team is made up of green recruits and seasoned veterans of the rebellion. These individuals are first tapped by the rebellion and then given an extensive battery of tests to determine if they could endure the trials a SithHunter are put through. This "election" process occurs about once every 4 standard months and candidates are only pulled when the SithHunter team drops below 30 members. Normally the field consists of 4000 applicants. The battery of physical and psychiatric tests generally eliminate about 92% of the candidates.
Of the remaining candidates many are asked if they would give up their families and way of life to work on classified projects. This eliminates another 3%. The remaining 5% are then put on a list, for review by the parties behind the project. Candidates are then eliminated or accepted based on extensive background checks and thorough review of their files. This generally will leave around 75-100 applicants.
Of those applicants left, Cravan and Follor review the files and pick 50 that seem best suited for the team. They then hold one on one interviews (never revealing of course who they are or what they are interviewing for) to get a better feel for the individual. This generally eliminates about half of the remaining candidates. The remaining 25 are then put through more mission-specific training for 2 weeks. This includes hand to hand combat competency tests and mental and physical endurance tests, pushing the candidates farther than any other military readiness tests that exist in the New Republic.
Finally, a group of 20 individuals are left. They are once again given a chance to turn away from what is essentially a "suicide" assignment. By this time however, only die hard soldiers are left...the best of the best.And at this point no one has ever turned back. The candidates are given 2 weeks to wrap up their loose ends and say goodbye to whoever they will be leaving. These brave few are then issued orders to report to classified location where they will be transported to the Fabulous Bastard (wherever it is docked at).
This team of new recruits are then briefed by Cravan and integrated into the existing SithHunter team.
Being a SithHunter is much like being a infantry soldier. Long periods of inactivity broken up by short periods of intense combat. Given the high mortality rate, these long periods of downtime provide ample opportunity for these beings to contemplate just how dangerous their job is. Long periods of time to consider just how long they have before a stray blaster bolt or glowing lightsaber cuts them down.
Cravan encourages the team to utilize the Fabulous Bastards facilities. While she demands that the team be stone cold sober during missions, when they are off duty alcohol and hobbies become the most popular means of passing the time. Since everything they require is provided, and they rarely have time to set down and shop at most locations, money becomes nothing more than an abstract concept.
Sabbacc games played for ten of thousands of credits are common, with many of the older team members sitting on personal net worths of hundreds of thousands of credits.
Training however never takes a back seat. Cravan and Follor are unflinching when it comes to this aspect of the team. Members are always expected to put in their training time and complete scheduled aptitude tests. The results from the tests are strictly monitored and any slippage in scores result in immediate evaluation and one on one counselling. In the rare occurance that a mental breakdown occurs the team member is "retired" to a New Republic world and kept institutionalized.
It is a lonely life and one filled with depression, anger and the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness sometimes. Several 21-B medical droids programmed exclusively for psychiatric evaluation and counselling attend to each team member after every mission. Detailed records are kept from all of these sessions and cross matched with debriefing notes to check for potential problems. While some team members do voluntarily consult with the 21-B droids, after a while they fall back on other members of the team for support.
SithHunting is a violent job. When in the field the last thing a SithHunter should have to worry about is his equipment. The SithHunters have compiled a sizeable arsenal that puts many small armies to shame.
Blasters, rifles, slugthrowers, grenades, vibroweapons...anything you can imagine can likely be found in the lower levels of the Fabulous Bastard. In addition Sc'cla'duk'tenn spends every waking moment improving on existing weapon designs and modifying the team's weaponry.
In the rare instance where the team requires something "special" that Sc'Cla cannot manufacture, Chan Follor goes to his vast underground black market resources. This has proven useful in many circumstances, especially when the team needs to acquire an item that only a dark jedi would be interested in...such as a double bladed lightsaber.
There are many items that are standard issue to each SithHunter, but given the mission specifics absolutely any item/weapon could come into play at any time. In past instances the team has used a walker-scale rocket launcher to annihilate a speeder the dark jedi was using as a getaway vehicle. While the blast didn't kill the powerful creature, he was so occupied with protecting himself from the damage of the blast that he could not stop the numerous slugs that riddled him to death from a nearby chaingun.
Recently the SithHunters have developed a black market contact that has access to some much sought after Bordega System Weaponry. These items are of particular usefulness to the SithHunters. The irony of using the equipment developed by the Emporer to eliminate jedi in their exploits is not lost on the team either.
While it is impossible to outline every tactic the team uses, there are some loose guidelines in regards to how they handle Darksiders. Below are a few tactics that have worked in the past (Work as in only 20% of the team was lost).
There are of course hundreds of tactics that can be used..but the SithHunter motto is simple: "Dont get close and hit them with everything short of a Death Star."
They are the unsung heroes of the New Republic. While Solo and Skywalker gain accolades and show up on recruitment posters throughout the galaxy, these are the beings who live in the shadows, giving their life so that others may live.
No heroes welcome awaits them at the end of their mission. They have no parades or state dinners to look forward to, only a bottle of whiskey, the comfort of one's comrades and the lingering memory of that days battle .
While others wear medals and badges of distinction upon their uniforms denoting experience and rank, one need only look into the hardened stare of a SithHunter. Few have walked where they have walked, and fewer have lived to tell the tale. And if you were to ask a SithHunter,they would tell you: They wouldn't have it any other way.
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