SCREAMING SKULL [SSKULL] - Organizations - Roberts Space Industries

History

In the smoldering chaos of the Pyro system, circa 2931, the Screaming Skull was born not from ambition, but from desperation. Its founders, a ragtag group of outcasts, ex-pirates, and disgraced miners, had been pushed to the fringes of society, eking out a living in the system’s lawless, volatile reaches.

The spark that ignited the gang was the catastrophic collapse of a mining colony on Pyro III. A corporate cut-and-run operation left thousands stranded with nothing but ruins and shattered hopes. Among them was Jax “Vegas” Havoc, a former mining foreman with a penchant for explosives, and Alara “Silvertongue” Dray, a smuggler and negotiator with ice in her veins. Together, they rallied the abandoned and bitter souls of the colony, vowing to claw their way to survival—by any means necessary.

At first, the Screaming Skull was little more than a loose alliance of scavengers, targeting derelict ships and corporate convoys in Pyro’s hazardous asteroid fields. Their first major coup came when they intercepted a heavily armed salvage vessel. Instead of scrapping it for parts, they recognized its potential and took it as their flagship, christened SCREAMING SKULL. Its ominous painted skull emblem became their calling card, a warning to anyone who dared venture too close.

As time passed, the Screaming Skull’s operations became more organized. They carved out a niche in mining and salvage, using their deep system knowledge and Havoc’s engineering prowess to extract resources from areas most deemed too dangerous. Word of their efficiency spread, and soon they were being hired to recover valuable wrecks—or eliminate rival claimants.

Around 2940, they ventured into bounty hunting. Dray saw the opportunity to turn the gang’s fearsome reputation into profit, taking high-risk contracts to hunt down pirates and fugitives who had wronged them—or who simply made for lucrative targets. It was a grim irony, hunting the same kind of lawbreakers many of them once were, but it solidified their power in the Pyro system.

By the mid-2940s, the Screaming Skull was no longer just a gang—it was an enterprise. They were miners, salvagers, and hunters, operating in the grey zones of morality and legality. Their emblem, a screaming skull wreathed in fire, became a symbol of both dread and respect. To some, they were villains. To others, they were survivors carving order from chaos.

And so, the Screaming Skull forged their legacy in the Pyro system—not just as a gang but as an enduring force born from the ashes of desperation.

Manifesto

The Pyro system, 2931: a volatile sector where danger is currency and chaos reigns. Amid this treacherous landscape, the Screaming Skull gang emerged—not just as scavengers or mercenaries, but as a force driven by a manifesto steeped in survival, rebellion, and audacious ambition.

The Screaming Skull’s manifesto was more than words; it was a creed, a challenge to the universe. They believed the stars were not the dominion of sprawling corporations or pristine government fleets, but of those fearless enough to seize them. Their motto, “The void favors the bold,” echoed across asteroid fields and abandoned stations, sending chills through anyone who dared cross their path.

Intentions and Motivations
The Screaming Skull saw themselves as liberators of the Pyro system’s resources—liberators with no regard for who claimed ownership. Mining wasn’t just business; it was their act of defiance against interstellar conglomerates that exploited the system’s riches while scorning its scrappy denizens. By extracting valuable minerals from unstable asteroid belts, they not only thrived but starved the corporations of their ill-gotten gains.

Salvage was their poetry in motion, a creative art. They combed the wreckage of space battles, piecing together ships and tools, breathing new life into scrap. To them, salvage symbolized survival, proving that even in ruin, there was value waiting to be reclaimed.

As for bounty hunting, the Screaming Skull saw targets not as criminals or fugitives, but as opportunities. They offered no illusions of morality—tracking and capturing bounties was a brutal, lucrative trade. Yet, they often skewed the line, protecting those who paid for their loyalty and pursuing enemies with a vengeance that was more personal than professional.

Views and Philosophy
For all their ruthlessness, the Screaming Skull operated on a twisted code of honor. They believed that the Pyro system was the land of the forgotten, the discarded—those who had no voice in the grand interstellar narrative. Their mining and salvage operations were built on the philosophy that every resource had value, every wreck told a story, and every ounce of profit struck a blow against the oppressors of the system.

They viewed themselves as pirates with purpose—not content with simple anarchy, but driven by a fierce desire to carve their place in history. To the Screaming Skull, the universe was a canvas of chaos, and their actions were strokes of defiance, rage, and brilliance.

Of course, their manifesto meant little to those caught in their crosshairs. For the corporations and governments who dared oppose them, the Screaming Skull was nothing more than a ruthless, unrelenting menace. But for the disenfranchised, they were whispers of rebellion, sparks in the void—proof that even in the darkest corners of space, freedom could be fought for, stolen, and screamed into existence.

Charter

Here’s a tale that roars from the lawless heart of the Pyro system in 2931:

The Screaming Skull ruled the Pyro system with fearsome tenacity. Their insignia—a screaming skull wreathed in cosmic flames—was a symbol of chaos and survival. Like most outlaws, they thrived on mining, salvage, and bounty hunting, but their dominance came from one thing above all: their rules. To outsiders, their code was cryptic, but to the gang, it was the foundation of their feral success.

Rule One: Blood Before Profit. The Screaming Skull had one unshakable principle—loyalty to the gang over personal gain. Members involved in mining operations were required to split any resource haul with ruthless precision to the Screaming Skull coffers, the rest went to the crew who dug it up. Anyone caught skimming off the top vanished into the void, their spacesuits conveniently “malfunctioning” during a routine EVA.

Rule Two: Claim or Be Claimed. Salvage missions had their own ruthless directive. Any wreck drifting into Screaming Skull territory was theirs by right. Members had to move fast to strip it clean before rival crews arrived. If two Skull crews clashed over a claim, priority went to the one with the larger haul. But disputes were often settled… kinetically. No crew left a fight without scars, but whoever survived would emerge as the new legends of the gang.

Rule Three: Bounties Are for the Bold. Bounty hunters for the Screaming Skull operated with a simple rule—never bring back a target alive unless ordered. Dead marks didn’t plead for mercy, and fewer complications meant higher pay. However, anyone foolish enough to fail their contract—whether due to incompetence or cowardice—was marked as the next target. The gang didn’t abide weakness among their own.

Rule Four: The Flame Burns Forever. At the end of every mission, each crew had to light a ceremonial flame on their ship to symbolize their allegiance. The flame was both a promise and a warning—those who extinguished it to defect or go rogue would burn for real.

By the time 2933 rolled around, the Screaming Skull’s reputation was the stuff of nightmares and whispered tavern tales. Many wondered how a gang with such a rigid and brutal code could continue to thrive in a system consumed by anarchy, but to those who bore the flame, the answer was simple: in chaos, rules were power.

Do you think you’d survive as a member of the Screaming Skull? Or perhaps start your own gang with an even more daring code?

SCREAMING SKULL / SSKULL

History

Manifesto

Charter