ENEMY CONTACT / 00000000

https://www.enemycontacts.com/

The History of Enemy Contact

Act 1
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.
General Norman Schwarzkopf

Enemy Contact is the current name, for a Private Military Corporation whose legacy can be traced back to 2654. They were known then as ‘The Rumbling Rioters’ 24th Rytif Homeland Garrison – as part of Alpha Company.

Their order was to guard a large industrial outpost “Falter Downs Refinement Facility”, which was responsible for the collection, processing and distribution of platinum, diamonds and iridium. The large force was stationed on a remote part of Rytif’s surface. Their Commander was a stooge, put into this undemanding role so that he could spend his time supporting his political allies – as such he had far-reaching influence in the system and the UEE. A good leader, he was not. His subordinates would follow his orders, but he was not respected.

Most members of the company were from outside of the system, many having been transferred for errant behaviour, disobedience and over-confidence. Meaning largely that this posting was something of a punishment, compared to many others in which one might actually glean some glory from the horrors of the actual fighting going on.

The Governor of Rytif was an immensely wealthy man, his family having established one of the largest companies in the empire following the completion of the terraforming effort some years ago. As generations passed this would only grow. This led the man to have a disdain for people around him. He was known to take advantage, using his position to seize homes and assets from his would be competition.

This disdain would grow alongside a movement that was growing across the galaxy against the Messer Regime, which sat at the zenith of its power and influence. This movement would eventually become known as ‘The People’s Alliance’. It didn’t take much for a group of second tier businessmen to become infatuated with the idea, and with their combined influence, resources and motivation, so began the formation of the Bremen Branch of the People’s Alliance.

In 2655 the retrospectively named Bremen Isolation Event occurred, whereby all the Jump Points in the system had a simultaneous anomaly – some speculated due to sabotage but with no proof or explanation of how that might be achieved. The anomaly prevented any ship from arriving in Bremen from another system, but allowed ships to escape the system. Rytif was a beautifully terraformed world, however it’s supply of farms and stores were not adequate to last longer than a few months. This once unlivable and barren system relied on imports afterall. As the months pressed on, the shortage of supplies, combined with the growing distaste for the UEE and it’s appointed governing body lead to the start of a mass exodus of the Bremen Branch of the People’s Alliance.

This was immediately declared treason, and not only was it a callous act of defiance, but it also crippled a large portion of the industrial sector upon which the system would need to trade for resources when the Jump Gates were repaired, but it also would severely impact the personal finances of the Governor.

As such the tyrannical ruler of the system ordered that the Bremen Garrison fleets position themselves on both sides of all outgoing jump points, and prevent any unauthorised civilian vessels from fleeing the system – and promptly began to sell authorisation passes to grant permission to leave for his own profit. The cost was prohibitive to all but the richest amongst the population. Many obeyed the order, but when the Peoples’ Alliance convoy arrived at the Nyx-Bremen Jump Gate, where the ‘The Rumbling Rioters’ 24th Company were stationed, the order was refused; even when threatened with disavowment from the UEE military by their commander, the 24th refused to attack. Instead, after some brief infighting that led to a change in leadership, they followed the civilians through to the Nyx system and protected them from UEE forces on the other side with similar orders – opening fire on the other garrison fleet stationed there, and securing their future as outlaws.

It is said that during this engagement, the 24th overheard a transmission sent on an open channel to the entire fleet from one of the ambushed UEE vessels, a transmission which eventually led to their namesake in years to come: “Enemy Contact! The navy vessels coming through the gate are NOT friendly! I repeat, Enemy Contact!”

Upon arrival in the Nyx system, the People’s Alliance had set up on a facility in Delamar. The 24th, realising the path that now lay before them, offered work and protection to any and all that wished to join them. But, unable to remain at full force without drawing attention, the remaining officers who had sided against their former commander split the force into 5 groups, each with their own skill-sets and specialties gleaned from what training they had available.

These groups would remain together, but at a distance, laying low and doing their best to survive independently. This would prove difficult however, and they would eventually need to seek work for their unique skill set. This would mark the nascent days of the 24th as a PMC, and signal the beginning of a long and muddy history of private military work. The luxury of choice is for those with much, and this group of deserters did not fit this description. A job was a job – the work was not good but the pay kept them, and the ships that they called home, alive.

Act 2 Difficult times disrupt your conventional ways of thinking and push you to forge better habits of thought, performance and being. Robin S. Sharma

“The Rumbling Rioters”, were now considered outlaws, following charges of dissidence, defection and mutiny, and had become known across the UEE as a private military company named Enemy Contact.

Over the decades that followed, the veterans fell or retired, and were replaced with new similarly motivated individuals. The kind of work they did was largely indiscriminate. If the pay was there, they would do the task without question – even occasionally taking contracts similar to the orders that the led to the original 24th‘s Mutiny. This practice earned them a reputation for being so fiercely effective. The first groups of new recruits were many disenchanted veterans of the UEE’s military from all fields of service, desperate for another chance at glory and certainly a much heavier paycheque. The veterans would pick and mentor promising individuals from job to job. New members found a new purpose and family. This formula is what took a small force with limited potential and galvanised it into a highly trained, skilled and effective team of men and women. The group fed off of their own success. The desire to be better and earn their keep was infectious.

The travels of the PMC took their toll on the group operating from a flotilla of old UEE vessels. Many of the original ships were sold or scuttled. Others that were too valuable or not valuable enough were spoofed – with varying degrees of success. On the rare occasion they needed to fight through to a jump gate, they did so with impunity. Even following the fall of the Messer Regime, the PMC’s history as deserters, mutineers and dissidents solidified their reputation as outlaws amongst UEE authorities. Anyone found to be working within the group, would be painted with the same brush.

As a result, spanning the centuries, the group once called The Rumbling Rioters, then Enemy Contact, went through dozens of changes of name, break ups, reformations, reorganisations, even disappearing for a few years once or twice before a resurgence would occur. But whenever it was at strength and at work, the PMC was known, whatever name it carried at the time, as a reliable, and ruthless fighting force. They participated in many battles, across many wars large and small. Operating often around the fringes of conflicts, always for whichever side would pay the most. These conflicts would glean moments of glory and moments of shattering defeat. All of these would ultimately lead to that fateful day that would reforge the Enemy Contact, in its current form.

Act 3 Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood. General George S. Patton

By the mid 2940s, the outlaw PMC was a large, and mostly disorganised, but highly trained collection of former pirates, mercenaries and soldiers. All loyal to credits and nothing more.

Many know of the events that transpired on the 5th of October 2945, but as for the PMC, they would find themselves in the Vega System after escorting an enormous smuggling cartel’s merchandise across 3 systems. The pay on this weeks-long mission was particularly good, so the decision was made to restock, repair and allow for some time planetside for the contractors. As the annals of history would eventually show this was a decisive stroke of bad luck. This was the last place in the galaxy any human would want to be on this day.

The soldiers and pilots of the PMC were given shore-leave within the city of New Corvo. Many had been enjoying themselves amongst the many dive bars, clubs and shopping facilities found in the city. The commanders and officers were spending their time planning their next movements as an organisation, and securing the contracts that would bring them their next payday. They were spread all across the city, their vessels were largely in a state of disrepair or, at best, unreadiness, and they were about to be in the worst fight of the organisation’s life.

Accounts speak of fire raining down upon the city, cracking the earth with the impact of heavy ion shells and bombs dropped from the Vanduul fleet above, the surprise attack catching the planet’s inhabitants totally off guard. Glaives and Scythes danced between the falling skyscrapers of New Corvo, in a fight to the death with the local UEE garrison and police forces. Over the following hours the death toll would stand in the millions. The local populace flooded to evacuating vessels, desperate to flee the wanton destruction inflicted upon the planet’s surface. The surviving members of the PMC scrambled back to their ships in an attempt to organise their escape. The commanders decided to follow on with the civilians being escorted by the UEE local forces, after getting assurances that they would not be arrested on the other side, provided they remained weapons down for the journey. Their old UEE comm channels, which had served them well in attempts to elude capture and detection in the past informed them of a coming fleet to repel the attack on Vega II.

Relieved with this information, the surviving men and women fell into their usual duties upon their ships and prepared for a safe exit out of the Vega System. This sense of security would not last however, as a massive Vanduul cannon would split one the of the escorting UEE Idris-M’s in two, followed shortly by the splintering of a UEE Javelin right beside the PMC’s own centuries-old flagship. Quickly it became evident that the escort to the evacuation effort would fail.

The PMC made a fateful decision, unanimously voting to lend their aid to the failing UEE fleet. The entire fleet’s weapons systems were fired up as they turned, heading to intercept the pursuing vanduul force. Over the comms channel they heard a flurry of panicked yelling amongst the UEE escorting fleet, who mistook the outlaws’ weapon powering and change of heading as turning to attack them – an opportunistic strike against weakened UEE forces. A transmission echoing that which had long soured the PMC’s reputation was recorded, blasted across UEE open comms. “ENEMY CONTACT!! HOSTILE VESSELS AMONG THE EVACUEES!! I REPEAT… ENEMY CONTACT!!”

UEE fighters that weren’t engaged with the Vanduul swarmed toward the outlaw fleet. The designated Fleet Commander responded across those same channels, unused for an outward message by the PMC to maintain their secrecy in hundreds of years, stating “UEE Escort Fleet, this is the Commander of the….. Enemy Contact fleet, we are intercepting the pursuing Vanduul ships, take the time we are buying you and RUN!” After a few moments, punctuated by the silence that preceded it, a crackled response would be heard. “Understood… Good luck.”

Peeling away from the evacuating flotilla, the once again dubbed Enemy Contact fleet were met with fire and blood. For every ship lost to the Vanduul they destroyed more, but the casualties were devastating. This effort did however, provide ample time for the evacuating vessels to escape the system to safety. The returning escort fleet would bolster the human forces in the battle, but this would not be enough to win and the brutal combat above Vega II lasted hours. Down to only a few capital vessels left, Enemy Contact’s fleet was devastated. They would not last much longer. As if by an act of god, the 2nd UEE Fleet arrived just in time, effectively crushing the remaining Vanduul Pursuant Fleet, before moving on to liberate Vega II. The rest of this battle is well known to the annals of history.

Following the battle. The broken remnants of Enemy Contact were escorted back to UEE space. For their assistance in the battle the remaining members of Enemy Contact were offered pardons providing all stolen UEE property was returned, and they disbanded as outlaws to operate legally. Some members left, the majority agreed. The leaders of Enemy Contact were given legal licensing rights to own and operate a private military company with the blessing of the UEE. The group was now legitimized, and the name made official. Enemy Contact. A tongue-in-cheek choice for a group of former outlaws.

Enemy Contact now operates wherever profitable, eager to forge a new future for themselves. Nobody knows exactly where our future will lead, but we understand it will be wherever there is conflict and profit.