R-DARK
| R-DARK | |
|---|---|
| File:R-DARKlogo.png R-DARK logo | |
| Founded | ???? |
| Current form | 1903AD |
| Headquarters | CLASSIFIED |
| Leadership | |
| R-DARK Commissar | Arminius |
| Personnel | |
| Reaching military age annually | (2014 est.) |
| Active personnel | 6,500 |
| Deployed personnel | CLASSIFIED |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | CLASSIFIED |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | CLASSIFIED |
R-DARK is the secret service division of Brytene, providing special forces and acting as the military and domestic intelligence network of the country as part of the Confederate Brytisc Fleet. R-DARK is believed to employ just short of 6,500 personnel, though exact information is practically impossible to obtain. The location of R-DARK headquarters is classified, although they are known to have public offices in Eoferwic and a training facility high in the Nortymban Highlands. R-DARK is one of the most well-funded special operations divisions in Atlas.
History
The composition, structure, and even mission statement of R-DARK is highly confidential and is known to very few outside of the R-DARK command structure, but historians and analyists have kept track of their activities and the organisation is widely accepted to have been founded in the 19th Century during the Roman Insurrection.
In the mid-19th Century Brytene was not overly tolerant of evangelical practices, and several Catholic and Mormon missionaries had already been arrested or, in extreme cases, lynched. Unrest was at an all-time high, with almost-daily incidents of violence on the streets as the Christian minorities fought back against what they perceived as persecution.
On the morning of the 11th June, 1861, a series of raids across the country timed almost to within the minute saw the sudden death or disappearance of a slew of important figures from the Christian community. Witnesses reported seeing "men and women wearing curious black garments" involved in the violence, none of whom were ever identified by the authorities.
What was discovered, however, was evidence in many of the raided locations that the deceased had been part of a wide-reaching plot to assassinate several leading Brytisc politicians including the royal family, funded by larger churches abroad. The dark figures quickly became a national talking point, with explanations ranging from secret government agents to vengeful apparitions sent forth by the god Woden.
R-DARK first appeared as an official department almost a century later during the Great War, where it acted as a military intelligence bureau and was responsible for a variety of operational and technical advances, as well as a range of successful missions in the field.
Mission
The precise mission statement of R-DARK is not publicly known, a fact which is regularly brought up at Witenagmot meetings or Thegn Rede sessions to no particular effect.
Their remit is believed to primarily lie in providing homeland security and military intelligence to the Fleet, although it has been speculated that they also engage in R&D, clandestine operations, and other unsavoury activities.
Divisions
The only public faces of R-DARK are the Rangers, whose operations are mostly classified, and the Brytisc Department of Security. The Rangers are believed to be a tier-one combat force, whilst the BDS is more frequently referenced in the news as an intelligence and security agency. The BDS is the only section of R-DARK to offer statements to the press. These are rarely illuminating.
Equipment
Little is known about the equipment available to R-DARK, although their inflated budget suggests that they have more than enough funding for a comprehensive and independent R&D department. R-DARK is believed to operate a training facility in the area of Valhol Mount to the far north, but the recruitment process and training practices of the department are again a mystery to outsiders. The only known public offices registered to R-DARK are in Eoferwic, although this appears to be little more than a front.