OOC notes:
Hello, I roleplay CMDR Korinne Eichwald, the "Autarch" of an RP intensive player faction called the Noirceur Syndicate. We're planning on heading in a new direction soon and thus a series of events will unfold for which I am creating this thread. Due to BGS concerns I had previously not shared our content on this forum, however, as the title of this thread implies, that will soon be irrelvant. So I will use this first post to provide some background and subsequent posts to advance the plot for all to see
The story began in March 3303 with an RP blog created for a CMDR Korinne Eichwald. Most events leading up to this point and a number of spin-off stories involving the same organization and people are currently on the blog across 93 posts. All future events in this story, and later more, will show up on it too, here:
https://cmdr-korinne-eichwald.tumblr.com/
Furthermore, for right now, explicit background lore on the Noirceur Syndicate can be found here:
https://inara.cz/wing/3515/
If the large amount of RP content at those links is too much however, I will now just start with a canon news article about the organization which will set the stage and give enough background to hopefully be able to follow the meat of events to be detailed in this thread:
Chronicling Noirceur: The rising shadow of the fire
~ A socio-political commentary from the Cuchua Interstellar Gazette ~
In the span of a year that saw the regular news cycle dominated largely by the Thargoid Crisis, a series of events which might otherwise be considered especially shocking have occurred on the immediate periphery of the Imperial core systems. The intrigue surrounding these events is ongoing and as yet its pace has shown no signs of slowing.
Many if asked would be aware of the stories surrounding Lubbock in the decidedly less excitingly named HIP 118311 system. The dubiously “habitable” world is locked sharply at the elbow and in extremely close quarters with it’s more oceanic binary twin but is, in fact, more famously known for its especially dangerous wildlife and the overall state of lawlessness. After all, it is one of humanity’s largest pirate-havens—much to the determent of the would-be tourist industry. While it would be fascinating to recount how it came to be so, that is actually not the subject of this article. Indeed, rather Lubbock is the origin-point of a much newer story, and, if current trends continue, stands poised to be the latest flashpoint in that story’s development.
In the latter half of 3303, when “all eyes were on the Pleiades” as the Thargoids began their reappearance, a little-known system called Pyemmairre mainly comprised of an overcrowded Coriolis turned-industrial sweatshop saw its corporate oligarchs overthrown in the span of a week. Tales were told of a Lubbock-based, legendary “demon-ship” backed by an armada of pirates erasing everything the controlling corporation and its imperial patrons could throw at them. As the galaxy watched on in horror at the mass exodus from the Pleiades, an ancient Coriolis descended into complete chaos much closer to home—and no one batted an eye. It started and then it settled, hardly noticed.
When the dust cleared, the pirates from Lubbock had seized the system and made their own fledgling pirate haven 25ly from Lubbock. There, in the shadow of a molten planet as menacing in its appearance as the system’s new masters, the commander of the aforementioned “demon-ship” billed herself “Autarch” and formally a new organization was born calling itself the Noirceur Syndicate. The system’s existing resident pirate group, the “Raiders of Pyemmairre” were absorbed into the new organization also and all otherwise legitimate assets of the large imperial corporation formally headquartered there were seized. This corporation, Pyemmairre Jet Bridge Partners, appeared in the subsequent months to more or less continue its operations as normal elsewhere but rumors circulated that it was itself under new masters. By January 3304 it became clear to the few paying attention that the corporation and its assets were indeed now merely the same beast under a different name across imperial space. This, especially so at their other hubs in Belenja, HIP 296, Votatini, and Yun Puggera, where today it appears they have grown much stronger with the support of other Noirceur assets.
As Pyemmairre Jet Bridge Partners was consumed, its parent conglomerate—the Noirceur Syndicate—was not complacent. In the year since all of this began that organization has formed itself into a pseudo mafia/interstellar autocracy with Julung, HIP 1885, Dilga, and Khruvandji all being rapidly absorbed into their sphere of control following an unprecedented expansion of force and corrupt politics. The case of Khruvandji was particularly shocking as the Coriolis starport Consolmagno Enterprise is also the site of a sizeable imperial military installation. When Noirceur vessels showed up to seize the Coriolis, the installation went quiet and remained so until the fighting with the patrons who refused to fall in line ceased. Records show that unlike the system at large, the installation itself did not change hands and has carried on Imperial Navy support tasks the same as always ever since. Thus, it’s believed the so-called “Autarch” of Noirceur and or many within the ranks of this organization may have fairly serious ties to the powers that be in the sector and in Achernar 65ly away.
By this point the question begging to be answered is “how?” and indeed this is what has by now caught the attention of a number of independent analysts. That the human bubble at large has been preoccupied is a given and certainly heavy political connections are implied as well. However, the ability of the organization to expand and even consolidate its gains as fast as it has is something which is relatively new to human interstellar politics and the organization has tended to rely on brute force as often as not. I have said, “relatively new” because one answer may lie in a small number of similar cases which have sprouted up in recent years since the reclusive “Engineers” entered the public consciousness. It is widely believed there is a correlation here. To clarify, it is known that the rare few who have access to these individuals tend to be in possession of potentially hyper-modified spacecraft with dramatically increased combat-effectiveness as compared to anything close to what is on the standard market. Some of these individuals then are suspected in helping to facilitate similar power-swings during these last few years and the prevailing theory is that with Noirceur we may be seeing the same thing happening again on a sizeable scale.
All evidence shows that in most instances being brought under the wing of the Noirceur dominion of space is not really something likely to be collectively desired so diplomacy or popular rebellion cannot have been the answer after the case of Pyemmairre and indeed there is no good evidence to support that. Political maneuvering and brute force/fear seem to be the leading culprits then and this would line up with the engineer hypothesis. The actual combat records and footage that have been reviewed so far as well as a number of first-hand accounts appears to suggest the same. Additionally, in Noirceur controlled areas it has been reported that a kind of specific reverence for the pilots and spacecraft that form the backbone of the organization has developed and this might itself reflect this element as being the point where Noirceur really stands out as compared to its would-be adversaries in the area. Thus enabling the recent proliferation of chaos.
Whatever the precise truth may be, the story is a long one and the reality is that there is now a burgeoning empire of darkness rising right here on the periphery of the imperial core systems. Whatever its methods, the Noirceur Syndicate has adopted the industries of the systems its goons have seized. At the same time, it has grown to become a sizeable private security contractor with its vessels apparently involved in innumerable operations across human space and beyond. Indeed, the organization’s “Autarch” herself appears to have a storied history to this end both before and even since this all began—though, this is something to be covered in a future article.
Perhaps the most interesting results of the rise of this new power, however, are the newer industries which have sprouted around their presence. Where Lubbock in the HIP 118311 system was already an oasis of illegal industry and activity, the nearby systems which Noirceur has assumed control of were not. Indeed, standard galactic law prevailed in all of them just the same as it does here in Cuchua. This is no longer the case and in the new Noirceur bubble, the prevailing predictions are that this absence of regulating law is here to stay and much of the amoral economic activity seen in Lubbock can now increasingly be found not just in Pyemmairre but across Noirceur space amidst a new wave of nefarious investment. The systems are quickly becoming a hotbed of unsanctioned human trafficking and the production of illegal arms and narcotics. Lubbock itself is known in part for the deadly weaponized insects known as “The Swarm” and an industry of similar experimental weapons and illegal research is now blossoming in the Noirceur systems around it too. If things continue as they are, the area could become an unparalleled hub for otherwise illegal or immoral activity and commerce within imperial space.
All of this has sprouted from Lubbock certainly, but unlike what might be naturally assumed, it cannot be considered simply a case of spillover from one large uncontrolled system to smaller ones. Those in control of Lubbock might have originally seen this as a way to expand their operations with a number of the best from their space leading the way. However, the latest news is actually of increasing tensions between the ruling faction in HIP 118311 and the splinter group—Noirceur—which has enabled all of this change. Clearly, a shift in relations has occurred and those in Lubbock may even be feeling threatened by the extent what has transpired in their immediate vicinity. In the event of a direct conflict the numbers are easily on the side of the old guard in Lubbock but what has transpired thus far suggests that things will not be as simple as that. As can be expected, in the last few weeks prior to the writing of this article, a significant increase in speculation has been observed among those keeping tabs on the local politics. More and more the signs seem to suggest that trouble may be imminent between the two rouge groups.
Meanwhile, ever-increasing fear and conspiracy theories abound. Some say for instance, that the Noirceur Autarch is secretly an agent of the Imperial Internal Security Services (IISS) and that all of this is a long-term bid to bring Lubbock back into the fold of Her Majesty’s Empire. It would be very difficult to know anything like that for sure, but if a direct conflict were to arise and Lubbock were turned on its head, and if indeed there is a connection at all between the Noirceur top-brass and any number of weighty individuals in Achernar, a variation of this where Noirceur was at least receiving support is not at all hard to imagine. HIP 118311 may be a system impossible to ever fully tame without drastic action at this stage, but there is plenty of gain for Achernar if it were at least made to have more agreeable masters. Perhaps it is no wonder then that those in Lubbock are concerned.
At the pace things are moving, it’s ultimately anyone’s guess what happens next. Maybe nothing happens with HIP 118311 and there is a very real concern for those of us nearby in Cuchua—an increase in pirate activity is the last thing we need but the situation seems to be more or less the same all around. Maybe it is all an IISS plot, maybe this is a sign of better times to come, though I for one am not holding my breath. Maybe the best and most realistic thing to hope for is that if a conflict between Noirceur and those in Lubbock happens, both sides lose. It’s clear that if they don’t, no one on this side of things has either the will or the means to do anything about these people. Of course, even in the worst-case scenario it’s hard to imagine anything dramatic happening here or in any other major system like HIP 787, Shinigami, Sherones, or even HIP 296—something big in places like this would surely never be allowed even if it was possible and the economics don’t appear right now to work out so well for Noirceur even if it were anyway. So there is solace in that, all we can do then for the moment is watch and hope that the shadow doesn’t grow too much larger than it already has.
Hello, I roleplay CMDR Korinne Eichwald, the "Autarch" of an RP intensive player faction called the Noirceur Syndicate. We're planning on heading in a new direction soon and thus a series of events will unfold for which I am creating this thread. Due to BGS concerns I had previously not shared our content on this forum, however, as the title of this thread implies, that will soon be irrelvant. So I will use this first post to provide some background and subsequent posts to advance the plot for all to see
The story began in March 3303 with an RP blog created for a CMDR Korinne Eichwald. Most events leading up to this point and a number of spin-off stories involving the same organization and people are currently on the blog across 93 posts. All future events in this story, and later more, will show up on it too, here:
https://cmdr-korinne-eichwald.tumblr.com/
Furthermore, for right now, explicit background lore on the Noirceur Syndicate can be found here:
https://inara.cz/wing/3515/
If the large amount of RP content at those links is too much however, I will now just start with a canon news article about the organization which will set the stage and give enough background to hopefully be able to follow the meat of events to be detailed in this thread:
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Chronicling Noirceur: The rising shadow of the fire
~ A socio-political commentary from the Cuchua Interstellar Gazette ~
In the span of a year that saw the regular news cycle dominated largely by the Thargoid Crisis, a series of events which might otherwise be considered especially shocking have occurred on the immediate periphery of the Imperial core systems. The intrigue surrounding these events is ongoing and as yet its pace has shown no signs of slowing.
Many if asked would be aware of the stories surrounding Lubbock in the decidedly less excitingly named HIP 118311 system. The dubiously “habitable” world is locked sharply at the elbow and in extremely close quarters with it’s more oceanic binary twin but is, in fact, more famously known for its especially dangerous wildlife and the overall state of lawlessness. After all, it is one of humanity’s largest pirate-havens—much to the determent of the would-be tourist industry. While it would be fascinating to recount how it came to be so, that is actually not the subject of this article. Indeed, rather Lubbock is the origin-point of a much newer story, and, if current trends continue, stands poised to be the latest flashpoint in that story’s development.
In the latter half of 3303, when “all eyes were on the Pleiades” as the Thargoids began their reappearance, a little-known system called Pyemmairre mainly comprised of an overcrowded Coriolis turned-industrial sweatshop saw its corporate oligarchs overthrown in the span of a week. Tales were told of a Lubbock-based, legendary “demon-ship” backed by an armada of pirates erasing everything the controlling corporation and its imperial patrons could throw at them. As the galaxy watched on in horror at the mass exodus from the Pleiades, an ancient Coriolis descended into complete chaos much closer to home—and no one batted an eye. It started and then it settled, hardly noticed.
When the dust cleared, the pirates from Lubbock had seized the system and made their own fledgling pirate haven 25ly from Lubbock. There, in the shadow of a molten planet as menacing in its appearance as the system’s new masters, the commander of the aforementioned “demon-ship” billed herself “Autarch” and formally a new organization was born calling itself the Noirceur Syndicate. The system’s existing resident pirate group, the “Raiders of Pyemmairre” were absorbed into the new organization also and all otherwise legitimate assets of the large imperial corporation formally headquartered there were seized. This corporation, Pyemmairre Jet Bridge Partners, appeared in the subsequent months to more or less continue its operations as normal elsewhere but rumors circulated that it was itself under new masters. By January 3304 it became clear to the few paying attention that the corporation and its assets were indeed now merely the same beast under a different name across imperial space. This, especially so at their other hubs in Belenja, HIP 296, Votatini, and Yun Puggera, where today it appears they have grown much stronger with the support of other Noirceur assets.
As Pyemmairre Jet Bridge Partners was consumed, its parent conglomerate—the Noirceur Syndicate—was not complacent. In the year since all of this began that organization has formed itself into a pseudo mafia/interstellar autocracy with Julung, HIP 1885, Dilga, and Khruvandji all being rapidly absorbed into their sphere of control following an unprecedented expansion of force and corrupt politics. The case of Khruvandji was particularly shocking as the Coriolis starport Consolmagno Enterprise is also the site of a sizeable imperial military installation. When Noirceur vessels showed up to seize the Coriolis, the installation went quiet and remained so until the fighting with the patrons who refused to fall in line ceased. Records show that unlike the system at large, the installation itself did not change hands and has carried on Imperial Navy support tasks the same as always ever since. Thus, it’s believed the so-called “Autarch” of Noirceur and or many within the ranks of this organization may have fairly serious ties to the powers that be in the sector and in Achernar 65ly away.
By this point the question begging to be answered is “how?” and indeed this is what has by now caught the attention of a number of independent analysts. That the human bubble at large has been preoccupied is a given and certainly heavy political connections are implied as well. However, the ability of the organization to expand and even consolidate its gains as fast as it has is something which is relatively new to human interstellar politics and the organization has tended to rely on brute force as often as not. I have said, “relatively new” because one answer may lie in a small number of similar cases which have sprouted up in recent years since the reclusive “Engineers” entered the public consciousness. It is widely believed there is a correlation here. To clarify, it is known that the rare few who have access to these individuals tend to be in possession of potentially hyper-modified spacecraft with dramatically increased combat-effectiveness as compared to anything close to what is on the standard market. Some of these individuals then are suspected in helping to facilitate similar power-swings during these last few years and the prevailing theory is that with Noirceur we may be seeing the same thing happening again on a sizeable scale.
All evidence shows that in most instances being brought under the wing of the Noirceur dominion of space is not really something likely to be collectively desired so diplomacy or popular rebellion cannot have been the answer after the case of Pyemmairre and indeed there is no good evidence to support that. Political maneuvering and brute force/fear seem to be the leading culprits then and this would line up with the engineer hypothesis. The actual combat records and footage that have been reviewed so far as well as a number of first-hand accounts appears to suggest the same. Additionally, in Noirceur controlled areas it has been reported that a kind of specific reverence for the pilots and spacecraft that form the backbone of the organization has developed and this might itself reflect this element as being the point where Noirceur really stands out as compared to its would-be adversaries in the area. Thus enabling the recent proliferation of chaos.
Whatever the precise truth may be, the story is a long one and the reality is that there is now a burgeoning empire of darkness rising right here on the periphery of the imperial core systems. Whatever its methods, the Noirceur Syndicate has adopted the industries of the systems its goons have seized. At the same time, it has grown to become a sizeable private security contractor with its vessels apparently involved in innumerable operations across human space and beyond. Indeed, the organization’s “Autarch” herself appears to have a storied history to this end both before and even since this all began—though, this is something to be covered in a future article.
Perhaps the most interesting results of the rise of this new power, however, are the newer industries which have sprouted around their presence. Where Lubbock in the HIP 118311 system was already an oasis of illegal industry and activity, the nearby systems which Noirceur has assumed control of were not. Indeed, standard galactic law prevailed in all of them just the same as it does here in Cuchua. This is no longer the case and in the new Noirceur bubble, the prevailing predictions are that this absence of regulating law is here to stay and much of the amoral economic activity seen in Lubbock can now increasingly be found not just in Pyemmairre but across Noirceur space amidst a new wave of nefarious investment. The systems are quickly becoming a hotbed of unsanctioned human trafficking and the production of illegal arms and narcotics. Lubbock itself is known in part for the deadly weaponized insects known as “The Swarm” and an industry of similar experimental weapons and illegal research is now blossoming in the Noirceur systems around it too. If things continue as they are, the area could become an unparalleled hub for otherwise illegal or immoral activity and commerce within imperial space.
All of this has sprouted from Lubbock certainly, but unlike what might be naturally assumed, it cannot be considered simply a case of spillover from one large uncontrolled system to smaller ones. Those in control of Lubbock might have originally seen this as a way to expand their operations with a number of the best from their space leading the way. However, the latest news is actually of increasing tensions between the ruling faction in HIP 118311 and the splinter group—Noirceur—which has enabled all of this change. Clearly, a shift in relations has occurred and those in Lubbock may even be feeling threatened by the extent what has transpired in their immediate vicinity. In the event of a direct conflict the numbers are easily on the side of the old guard in Lubbock but what has transpired thus far suggests that things will not be as simple as that. As can be expected, in the last few weeks prior to the writing of this article, a significant increase in speculation has been observed among those keeping tabs on the local politics. More and more the signs seem to suggest that trouble may be imminent between the two rouge groups.
Meanwhile, ever-increasing fear and conspiracy theories abound. Some say for instance, that the Noirceur Autarch is secretly an agent of the Imperial Internal Security Services (IISS) and that all of this is a long-term bid to bring Lubbock back into the fold of Her Majesty’s Empire. It would be very difficult to know anything like that for sure, but if a direct conflict were to arise and Lubbock were turned on its head, and if indeed there is a connection at all between the Noirceur top-brass and any number of weighty individuals in Achernar, a variation of this where Noirceur was at least receiving support is not at all hard to imagine. HIP 118311 may be a system impossible to ever fully tame without drastic action at this stage, but there is plenty of gain for Achernar if it were at least made to have more agreeable masters. Perhaps it is no wonder then that those in Lubbock are concerned.
At the pace things are moving, it’s ultimately anyone’s guess what happens next. Maybe nothing happens with HIP 118311 and there is a very real concern for those of us nearby in Cuchua—an increase in pirate activity is the last thing we need but the situation seems to be more or less the same all around. Maybe it is all an IISS plot, maybe this is a sign of better times to come, though I for one am not holding my breath. Maybe the best and most realistic thing to hope for is that if a conflict between Noirceur and those in Lubbock happens, both sides lose. It’s clear that if they don’t, no one on this side of things has either the will or the means to do anything about these people. Of course, even in the worst-case scenario it’s hard to imagine anything dramatic happening here or in any other major system like HIP 787, Shinigami, Sherones, or even HIP 296—something big in places like this would surely never be allowed even if it was possible and the economics don’t appear right now to work out so well for Noirceur even if it were anyway. So there is solace in that, all we can do then for the moment is watch and hope that the shadow doesn’t grow too much larger than it already has.
