Ragnarok Republic / RAG

OVERVIEW :

The Ragnarok Republic is deemed an extremist terrorist organisation by the UEE Advocacy, founded by a former UEE Admiral, Aleksandr Kamilov. They are considered extremely dangerous and contact should be avoided by law-abiding citizens. If you have information about the whereabouts of the so-called Ragnarok Republic, or its members, please contact your local Advocacy office immediately.

ORIGINS :

Aleksandr Kamilov was a decorated flag officer in the UEE Navy, known for his ruthless efficiency while in command of the Bengal class Carrier “Red October”. During a serious Vanduul raid on Killian, Kamilov’s task force was ordered to withdraw. Faced with abandoning a considerable number of civilians present in the system, Kamilov defied the orders and continued to fiercely battle the raiders to buy time for the civilians. Unexpectedly, the Vanduul forces withdrew after sustaining heavy loses, leaving Kamilov’s damaged task force in control of the field.

Two days later, UEE forces arrived and branded Kamilov a traitor for defying orders and needlessly risking UEE military assets, ordering him to stand down and surrender into their custody. Kamilov and his loyalists declared the arrest orders invalid, citing the UEE’s willingness to sacrifice civilians as proof of the government’s illegitimacy, and demanded the arresting forces surrender to THEM. Tensions escalated quickly until the first shots were fired. Despite being outnumbered and damaged from fighting the Vanduul before, Kamilov’s forces held the government troops off for some time before a UEE Gladiator penetrated their fighter screen and crippled the Red October’s engines. As their battle lines collapsed, Kamilov ordered the Red October scuttled, and retreated in good order with his surviving soldiers.

They withdrew into lawless space and contact was lost for some time. Recently UEE intelligence units have reported that Kamilov is still very much alive and has declared himself to be a “Head-of-State-In-Exile”, working to build a force that will one day be able to overthrow what he considers a corrupt and uncaring government. He has since become known for impassioned speeches decrying the sins of the UEE government and its Emperor, sometimes recorded and then broadcast on pirated comm stations through the UEE border territories.

THREAT ASSESSMENT : EXTREME

Kamilov and those with him are extremely hostile toward those they consider to be propping up the decadent system, and frequently attack UEE military convoys, employees of the state, or those otherwise associated with the UEE government. They are considered terrorists and murderers by the state. *See footnote

Kamilov’s forces consist primarily of those soldiers who fled the UEE with him, though he has also drawn a small number of idealists, hired-guns, and miscellaneous other sorts. Due to the professional nature of this core group, their raids are known for being highly organised, often exploiting flaws in the UEE’s tactics (which they are naturally very familiar with).

Exact composition of the Ragnarok Republic force is unknown. Besides being nomadic and therefore difficult to track, they are also highly guarded. That said, several frigate class ships, presumably survivors from Kamilov’s original task force, have been sighted emblazoned with the insignia of the Ragnarok Republic. They are also known to have a number of non-combat support ships, and are sometimes sighted at trading posts in less “inquiring” territories.

*Footnote : Despite the harsh tones the government uses when describing Kamilov’s forces, verifiable attacks on non-military targets are few and far between. While there have been several noteworthy incidences, it seems Kamilov’s troops were trying to seize fuel or military supplies, presumably while in dire need. While any form of resistance was dealt with harshly, cooperative targets were quickly allowed to continue on their way unharmed.

INTERNAL SECURITY AND COHESION :

Reliable intelligence is extremely hard to come by regarding the Ragnarok Republic. The group is tightly knit, and very loyal to their commander. Two UEE operatives have successfully infiltrated Kamilov’s forces only to have their cover blown. The first was caught attempting to download navigational data from a Ragnarok warship and was shot and killed while escaping. The fate of the second operative, recorded for all to see, serves to underscore the violent fanaticism Kamilov and his people have come to embrace.

While the battered operative knelt in chains in the background, Kamilov raged about the decadence of the UEE and the hopelessness of those mindless drones who could not see the need, or lacked the courage, to fight the government. As his fiery speech crescendoed, the captive was drug forward. Kamilov drew his sidearm and shot the operative himself, declaring it to be a more merciful fate than deserved by those who would prop up such a decrepit system.

These unusual contrasts in Kamilov’s organisation, that is, the absence of piracy or attacks on civilians, and the ruthlessness with which UEE personnel are dealt with, are not as contradictory as first glance would indicate. Kamilov’s forces purportedly consider themselves a military government in-exile. They are soldiers, and as such, proper soldiers do not target civilians needlessly. All the same, the stunning brutality that is demonstrated when dealing with captured military personnel serves to illustrate one point very clearly : There is no room for dissent.

NOTABLE PERSONS :

While Kamilov himself is the undisputed leader of the Ragnarok Republic, several other individuals have also become key in his “government”. Details follow :

Björn Olgeirsson, subject codename “Erebus”, is one of the officers originally in Kamilov’s command who followed him out of UEE space. He is known to manage much of the Republic’s internal infrastructure, as well as providing him council.

Wotan Niflung, whose origins are unknown, arrived in Kamilov’s Republic and quickly ascended the ranks to become one of the inner council. He has since been appointed the head of the Republic’s recently founded military training school and chief of Kamilov’s bodyguard.

Rafnar Caldon is former UEE military, honorably discharged. Tiring of the civilian life, he took up smuggling as a way to utilise his skills properly. At some point, he came into contact with Kamilov’s idealogy and, reflecting on his past experience with the UEE’s corruption, decided to support his movement. Over time, he became a trusted individual whose smuggling skills are put to use “procuring” crucial supplies for the fleet.