Amaris Security Services: The Terror
Well folks I’ve been gathering all the Star League era information up that I can this year and its been quite the mother load. One topic I wanted to discuss with you all is the Terror as all of Amaris Security Services were dubbed in Historical Liberation I (page 54). It appears multiple organizations, at least three established in canon sources, were responsible for a web of intelligence operations. To say this is a tangled affair is something of an understatement but appropriate if you consider the Byzantine nature of the Rim Republic. Leaders of this Periphery nation tended to be undone by coups and plots more times then I can count. The fear and chaos they sowed was unquestionably massive. Kerensky so despised these organizations and had the Star League survived he would have mercilessly hunted down every single one of their members. So lets take a look at four organizations responsible for state security – Kryteia, AsRoc, OPD/Section 9, and the Makos. Yes the Makos are a fanfic but one with a niche that fits and well they are one of my favorites. Maybe we will even throw in the quisling Hegemony Security Force and the dissident Rim Republican Army (RRA) organizations as well. Please comment as you see fit!
Krypteia
Introduced just last year (2012) in the first Historical Operation Liberation was this pervasive secret society of the Rim Worlds. To quote page 54 directly “One part secret police hunting the RRA and undesirables, one part old boys club; no one rose to power or authority in the Republic without membership in and approval by the Krypteia. Rumors that every fifth member of the population was a member of or reported to the Krypteia are highly exaggerated, but peopled feared that this was the case.†This unseen octopus with tentacles throughout the Rim was clearly dreaded throughout the Republic.
Presumably the last head of the organization was Samir Njari who destroyed his rectangular plastic ID badge during the last days of the Battle for Earth according to one of the intro stories (Historical LoT II page 7). It is Njari who gives us the most insight into this mysterious organization. Njari became one of Krypteia’s governing council in 2752 indicating some kind of established hierarchy. While listed as Head of the Krypteia (2767-2777) his official title was apparently Chairman, Krypteia Operations. Samir was raised to the leadership of Krypteia six weeks prior to the League’s first strike on Apollo.
I’m really not sure if he replaced Jericho Jaycox (Era Reports 2750 page 93-94) or someone else in this capacity but he did expand the society’s role as Amaris’ secret police in the Hegemony, something his predecessor objected to. Did this mark the separation of AsRoc and the Republic from the new center of the Amaris Empire? Njari did become the Usurper’s chief enforcer bringing terror and forcing obedience among the populace. He also encouraged obedience through his media organizations and youth volunteer groups.
During the Star League Civil War it exploited wide scale resistance growth to place agents within partisan cells compromising and annihilating a quite a few. Krypteia and the Imperial Army also worked hand in hand to carry out cleansing operations as well as employing suspect populations as human shields. While Commanding General Scoffins and the RWA worked with the Rim Worlds Krypteia both seemed to detest the growing importance of OPD and the HSF. Tensions grew during the war as these organizations supplanted Krypteia with greater manpower. This growing split reflected a cultural split within the Empire of Rim Worlders and Terrans.
To me the introduction of the Krypteia is a clever alternative for TPTB that avoids mentioning AsRoc and its greatest operation that never happened. You see for me Krypteia creates a massive umbrella organization that can encompass everything Rim Worlds. As a secret society it is more then just an intelligence organization which AsRoc can continue to be. Permeating all levels of the Republic includes AsRoc as well as the government and society at large. So rather than saying AsRoc you can just go over their heads as Krypteia is present everywhere. It is the boogeyman under your bed waiting until you go to sleep even if you checked – he is still there.
Was the Krypteia founded in the first days of Rowe’s Republic which was built upon on ancient Greek principles? Was a member of the Krypteia required to kill a member of the Helot class secretly in order to complete their initiation as Sparta warriors once did? Was the Krypteia akin to the Sons of the Dragons and the Draconis Combine but on a much larger scale? Given its possible age it could have guided the Republic through many years. Did it survive the fall of the Rim Worlds Republic? Is it still somewhat functional? Striving for a restoration of the Rim Republic?
Could be Mutt, great post Minerva! Perhaps mercenary is the wrong term to apply to AsRoc but you got to admit the RWR was a pretty chaotic place. I'll have to document how many of their rulers were ousted. I think you got their operational scheme and merc recruitment right on as well. And yeah those get to know the new guys office parties could get awkward. Talk about great story oppurtunities!!! ;)
Office of Policy and Doctrine
Along with the ubiquitous Rim Worlds Krypteia the Historical Liberation of Terra books introduced us to the Office of Policy and Doctrine or OPD. Essentially they are Commissars of the Republic ensuring proper loyalty with thousands of political officers stationed throughout the Amaris Empire. While this security apparatus was fairly uniform it had at least three or four different manifestations. Another creation of the Amaris’ this bureaucratic organ ensured absolute loyalty to the rulers of the Rim. Likely founded by Gregory Amaris in the lead up to the Reunification War this truth police reached into two key sectors. One was the government of the Republic which kept a careful eye on the various administrators and civilians of the Rim Worlds.
The second dubbed Section 9, of the OPD, was a distinct group of political officers stationed throughout the Rim Worlds Armed Forces. In the Republic they were referred to as commissioners or commissars but Kerensky and the SLDF applied the Russian term Zamapolit. These keepers of the military were typically seen at the battalion or regimental level although on occasion they also appeared at the company level. Depending on the officer and the circumstance they could be friendly associates or terrifying autocrats. Their constant presence was a clear message to the rank and file – obey the President or suffer the consequences.
While this constant scrutiny fostered near universal compliance with orders from above it did not guarantee loyalty as intended. Troopers and civilians under continuous surveillance soon learned to keep quiet rather than voice concerns. This had several negative side affects like the widespread infiltration by dissident Rim Republican Army (RRA) into the growing Amaris military. These secretive rebels exploited Amaris’ build ups to enhance their own strength without authorities ever becoming the wiser. They had something to hide just like everyone else and fit right in. There are also colossal blunders in communication thanks to this silent fear instilled throughout the RWA leading to spectacular failures like the withdrawal from Asta. One can easily imagine innovation and tactical improvisation suffering throughout the Amaris Empire.
OPD bolstered its ranks during the run up to the Coup carefully recruiting entire squads of enforcers to maintain operational secrecy. It is a testament to their brutal efficiency that absolutely no word escaped the Rim World garrisons throughout the Hegemony. These new thugs would also help the Terran OPD once the takeover was complete. Established during Richard Cameron’s reign the Director-General’s Office of Policy and Doctrine was a carbon copy of its Rim World forerunner. Following the conquest of the Hegemony the Usurper formalized their place in the new order.
With the exception of the RWA Section 9 the make up of this Hegemony Office was mostly Terran. As the collaborators strength grew the original Rim Worlders found themselves displaced and tensions naturally grew. Of course the Terran OPD wasn’t exactly loved within the Hegemony either an attitude that gradually increased. You see a pattern developing here. As the war wore on Rim Worlds troops and Krypteia were less and less willing to cooperate with them. The populace as you can imagine was thrilled and by the time Kerensky took Earth they were despised.
Ironically Terran OPD members might have been the most motivated of Amaris supporters. What were they gonna be treated like if they lost? Would you rather have been a Patriot fighter in the Amaris Hegemony military or an informer for the Usurper? I guess neither choice is good but you wouldn’t have much to live for afterwards. They likely were complete fanatics at the end just hoping to die rather than face the consequences of their choices. What happened to the Rim OPD? Sounds like there were still some die hards out on the Rim. Were they such a group that survived out there?