Blackguard Trading / BLACKTRAD

2940.08.03
The 36th Fighter Squadron’s most celebrated mission took place against the Vanduul on August
3, 2940. A force of twelve Gladius fighters was ordered to provide close escort for a civilian Hull
C transport ferrying survivors from a recent Vanduul strike. During the course of the planned
escort run, the group improbably wandered into the largely undefended rear of a Vanduul
supply fleet. By managing fire control through the Hull C and operating as a cohesive unit, the
lightly armed force of Gladius was able to quickly eliminate nine fully laden Mule transports and
their light escort screen. The incident, coming on the heels of several disastrous Vanduul raids,
was played up heavily in the media.

2941.01.09
A few handpicked individuals from the 36th Fighter Squadron and from the 65th Battle Group
are assigned to a new unit that is specialized in black ops for covert missions deep inside
Vanduul space for the purpose of sabotage and creating chaos in an attempt to demoralize the
Vanduul. The unit remained secret from the UEE Government for a long time so that it could
not be detected by the Vanduul’s spies.

2942.04.13
After long reconnaissance of the Oberon System the 36th Fighter Squadron destroyed multiple
Vanduul Kingships in a joint operation with the 65th Battle Group. The operation was led by
Admiral Bishop aboard his new flagship, UEES Retribution.

2946.05.12
On 12 May 2946, the UEE Government shut down the 36th Fighter Squadron and the covert unit
to create the PMC Corporation Blackguard. Command was given to Legatus Navium icE.
The first task given to Blackguard was to send out a small team of engineers to build a new
secret mobilization storage in Vanduul space.

2950.02.14
On 14 February 2950, Blackguard was sent for reconnaissance in the Orion system and all
nearby systems. The first weeks nothing more than occasional small patrols with Blades or
Scythes were discovered.

2950.05.12
After twelve weeks of reconnaissance the data collected suggested a pattern in the Vanduul
patrol movements. To test this Blackguard sent out an unmarked and undetectable merchandise
ship as a decoy and see if it could manage to fly through the surveillanced sector without being
detected. The mission was a success and now there was a way to get through the Orion system
undetected.

The planet Armitage had been laid to waste by the Vanduul antimatter bombardment of the
first recorded Vanduul attack against humanity. Prior to the attacks Armitage had a growing
population and pastures capable of agricultural development. Now the planet was a wasteland
with abandoned human settlements and plains pockmarked by blast craters. Blackguard was
contracted to re-establish a trade route to the once promising planet.

2950.06.20
After fourteen jumps and traveling 174.03 AU from Earth to Orion Blackguard had moved
their entire fleet into the system and could begin to fulfill thier contract. At the same time as
Blackguard were making a huge profit they had the time and opportunity to build thier own
mobilization storage.

2950.07.01
Blackguard had completed their contract by re-establishing a trade route between UEE space
and Orion.

2950.07.03
Blackguard was sent out to explore the Vanduul system Viking in hopes of finding jump points
to the systems Vesper or Vagabond. Intelligence collected from smugglers and rouge explorers
indicated that the Viking system could also have a jump point to the Vanguard system.

2950.10.14
After several months of reconnaissance Blackguard detected increased Vanduul movement into
the Viking system and continuing into the Orion system. The initial assessment was that the
Vanduul fleet needed supplies or had discovered Blackguards operations.

— INFORMATION REDACTED BY UEEN —

2951.02.14
In early 2951, XenoThreat forces attacked a corporate convoy in Stanton headed for the Terra
system, destroying all cargo and publicly executing the crew as “collaborators of corporate
greed”. In response, the United Empire of Earth Navy (UEEN) dispatched an armed contingent
to deal with the threat. Blackguard was a leading part of this contingent.

On 14 February 2951, XenoThreat was successfully pushed out of Stanton. The group made a
retreat back to their home system of Pyro following a decisive defeat..