Squadron Twelve / SQN12

After being orphaned during the fall of Caliban in 2871, and then losing his family in the Waltzer Massacre of 2935, advanced colony-hab engineer and later this company’s founder, Rendar Langford, decided it was time to better protect the regular citizens of the UEE.

After the Massacre, having survived both tragedies, Rendar quickly attracted the attention of the media, using his newfound fame to bring attention to the increasing lack of security for citizens. Although his cries were heard by many, he quickly realized that the issue he was championing had been festering for many years and was now so politically complex that it was almost impossible to solve.

During this time Rendar found that local government security forces were incredibly underfunded, outmanned, and outclassed, and the UEE Navy was stretched thin with the impending threat of xeno-incursions and the rise of significant organized crime factions. While well-funded corporate security divisions flourished, they were becoming less involved in developed space, instead placing an ever-increasing focus on expanding and securing new, lucrative territory. Private security companies were beginning to grow, replacing the waning government and corporate presence, but only wealthy corporations could afford their services, and only for the specific security of corporate assets owned by their wealthy benefactors.

Enraged and ultimately alone, Rendar came up with a long-term plan to try to solve this problem on his own. His first step was to spend the next several years of his life becoming an accomplished soldier, and later, fighter pilot in the UEE Navy aboard the Frigate ‘Stanton’, as part of the 87th Battle Group. Retiring from the Navy in 2944, Rendar began lobbying all manner of community-oriented organizations to secure funding to start his own ‘public security company’. Meeting with limited success, he was only able to raise enough money to purchase an old ex-Navy Avenger Titan, retired after many years of hard service. He began with this as the first ship of his future fleet to secure peace for the citizens of the UEE.

It was around this time that Redar was reunited with his son, Halstrom, thought lost in the Waltzer Massacre. Unknown to Rendar, Halstrom had been injured in a grenade explosion but was evacuated by the UEE Navy defenders. Recovering from most of his wounds, Halstrom remained afflicted by amnesia for many years. Without memories from before his injury, he clung to an overwhelming sense of gratitude to his UEE Navy saviours, and so, decided to join their ranks, also becoming an accomplished pilot and spec-ops soldier.

In early 2945 Halstrom was again injured on a classified mission amongst the outer colonies. While recovering from this new trauma, Halstrom’s memories began to return, and during a medical leave of absence he found and reconnected with his lost father, Rendar. Taking an extended leave, Halstrom worked alongside and helped Rendar during the early days of his privateer venture, but ultimately, the two struggled to build beyond the beginnings of Rendar’s vision before Halstrom returned to service in the Navy that September.

Life changed for everyone on November 10th, 2945, with beginning of the Vanduul War. In the wake of the initial tragedy, suddenly investors that would not take Rendar’s earlier calls were throwing money at him, along with pleas for help to cover security gaps created by the rapid deployment to war. Squadron Twelve was formally founded and put to work.

With war raging and security companies being highly sought after, Squadron Twelve struck a busy balance protecting regular citizens under small government contracts, as well as taking selective corporate contracts to help with its continued growth. In 2946 the hit movie Lost Squad was released, which was a story set in the middle of the fall of Calliban. Rendar quickly used the opportunity and his connection to that event to highlight Squadron Twelve’s building credibility. Fresh investment came and the organization went from strength to strength.

In 2947 Halstrom finished his third tour of duty. His official records have been heavily redacted, however it is believed that most of his time in the Navy was spent as part of a special warfare unit, and unofficial sources have suggested that this unit was disbanded almost immediately upon him leaving. Whatever other circumstances surrounded his departure from the Navy, Halstrom returned to his father’s side to help run the burgeoning security company.

In February 2948 questions about Squadron Twelve began to surface through media outlets, with Parker Terell of the Plain Truth running an article focussing on the perceived power now held by the company, which, in under two years had become three times larger than any rival security company and significantly more powerful than most law enforcement agencies. Squadron Twelve began drawing political attention and rumours began circulating about an Imperial commission to investigate corrupt elements sponsoring its formation for shady purposes. It was recently also suggested that at the time, inside the company, a suspicion of a political plot was under investigation by senior members, who were concerned with actions being planned by ‘a shadow government group’.

Ultimately, none of this would play out to affect the fate of Squadron Twelve. In early 2949 amid rumours that they would be ordered by the Imperial government under threat of unknown penalties, Squadron Twelve agreed to a request from the UEE Navy for direct assistance on the front lines. By April, all previous contracts were placed on hold and all available personnel and assets had been deployed to an unknown system as part of a UEE Navy ‘special detachment force’. While the details are classified top-secret, by November of that year 96% of Squadron Twelve had been decimated and the company was released from service. By this time Rendar Langford was dead, killed in action, and Halstrom Langford was returned to a UEE Navy facility where he spent the next 12 months in a medically induced coma. All private records of Squadron Twelves tasking and activities during its time with the UEE Navy were destroyed and all government and Navy records were sealed ‘Above Top Secret’.

Without leadership or many remaining personnel, Squadron Twelve was placed into administration, with its few remaining assets held.
Recovering from his injuries, Halstrom Langford, has resumed his position at the head of a radically different Squadron Twelve. He is on record, stating that his sole purpose for now is to strive to rebuild and re-establish the company following his father’s original vision. There are many questions that have yet to be answered, but whether Squadron Twelve has been a force for good in the UEE has never been one of them. The only important one left is what Squadron Twelve will become now?