Black Talon
History and Background
After the War of the Alliance, the Terra Novans had turned their attention away from Earth and had degenerated once more into parochial squabbles. The threat of mutual destruction loomed as Terra Nova fell into the Interpolar War. While the Interpolar War was incredibly taxing to all of Terra Nova, they were not willing to yield the fighting, despite the tireless efforts of peacemakers.
That was until Colonial Expeditionary Force (CEF) commandos infiltrated the city of Peace River and detonated an anti-matter device on 2 Summer TN 1939. In an instant, the jewel of the Badlands was vaporized. The unprecedented scale of destruction of the city horrified many. The idea that an attack would come from enemies thought to have been vanquished seemed like a bad dream. Yet the Terra Novans were forced to face the evidence: Earth was not finished with them.
Faced with the prospect of battling an enemy that had previously proved both devious and unpredictable, several Terra Novan politicians and military leaders reacted by forming a secret cross-league organization, which would later become public as the Westphalia Cabinet. One of their first acts was the formation of an elite force that specialized in countering strategies and tactics employed by the CEF. This elite force, code-named Black Talon, was initially kept completely secret as a safeguard from enemy spies finding out about it and reporting it to the CEF.
As a baptism of fire, their first targets would be on Terra Nova in TN 1940. One of the most notorious leagueless forces to ever exist on Terra Nova was led by a GREL revolutionary named Soldier Proust. Proust held Earth and Terra Nova in equal contempt and was bent on revenge for how humans treated GREL. However, he was not a match for the Black Talons as they picked his forces apart one by one.
Caprice was their next target. As the world that lies between Terra Nova and Earth via the Tannhauser Gate system, it was the most likely candidate for a base of operations for the CEF. The Talons were dispatched there to gather more information about the CEF. As a secondary objective, they were also tasked with conducting operations that may delay any preparations for a second CEF invasion of Terra Nova. The Talons were once again successful in all aspects of their mission, despite casualties and adversities.
The intelligence gathered by Talon 1 revealed the CEF’s buildup for a new invasion and new technology in use by the CEF. This spurred further funding and support for the organization from across Terra Nova, resulting in new personnel and new equipment for the coming operations. Black Talon teams are now present across Terra Nova, the Helios System, and on all colony worlds. On foreign planets, some operate as open allies to local resistance while other teams stay hidden to the planet’s inhabitants.
Talon 1
Talon 1 began training in TN 1940 as the first Black Talon team. All current Talon teams are task built for their mission and Talon 1 was no exception, with handpicked operators and support personnel. The first team consisted of three squads of gears, commanders, a platoon of infantry, support assets, maintenance staff, and the crew of the Fury class shuttle.
Members were recruited from all over Terra Nova, and some found themselves suddenly in the same room with bitter enemies. While this did cause some friction, the greatest point of contention was the team’s leader, Ernesto Jaxon. Jaxon was the former head of the Badlands Revolutionary Front, a group considered by many to be terrorists. Despite this, Jaxon’s professional composure, mission centric focus and strong work ethic did manage to finally unify the team members.
The Talons first operation was on Terra Nova in TN 1940 against a leagueless force. This particular force, led by Soldier Proust, an ex-CEF Jan class GREL with megalomania, was suspected of having ties to the Peace River bombing. After naming himself Colonel of an upstart Badland’s force, this GREL supremacist was already deemed highly unstable and dangerous. When it was found that he was in possession of additional antimatter bombs, the Westphalia Cabinet was unanimous in making Proust the Black Talon’s first target. In a series of missions, the fledgling Talons, using a mix of customized and prototype gears, tracked down and eliminated Proust’s forces one by one, culminating with the capture of a hidden CEF base in the Arctic where they found the remaining anti-matter bombs. Colonel Proust escaped capture, but his forces were entirely obliterated.
In early Spring of TN 1941 the team deployed to Caprice, entering the system on 1 Summer of TN 1941. Weeks of cat and mouse games with CEF patrols and Talon 1’s Fury Shuttle eventually saw the team land on Caprice by 10 Winter of that same cycle.
In Autumn of TN 1942, the Talons began launching raids on CEF bases and supply assets alongside Liberati resistance elements from Caprice. Talon operations began prioritizing anything referencing “Project Grail”, the details of which are still unknown. Even the Liberati were previously unaware of it.
Within a season the CEF had stepped up patrols and security, increasing the risk of the entire Talon operation. However, double agents in the CEF helped the raids continue. Eventually, the primary agent feeding intel to the Talons was captured and sentenced to life in a prison called Bastille-Alpha.
Supposedly impregnable, Bastille-Alpha housed an assortment of enemies to the CEF. Everything from traitors, sympathizers, and even GREL who had become unstable were kept at this prison. Many would be possible allies to the Talons and the Liberati.
Talon forces launched a successful assault on the prison and freed its inmates. An ex-CEF logistics specialist named Carlie Pinter even joined the Talon team as a provisional member. Despite this success, victory was marred by the destruction of their Fury Shuttle and with it, their primary means of communication with Terra Nova.
While some suggested “going native”, others pressed to return to Terra Nova. They had valuable intelligence on new CEF equipment and evidence that the CEF was indeed planning another invasion of Terra Nova. However, they were also empowering the Liberati forces on Caprice. Eventually the decision was made to return to Terra Nova. They just needed a plan.
With few options, the Talons decided to execute an extremely daring mission. They hijacked a CEF landing craft, used it to ferry them to a CEF destroyer, and then captured the vessel. While the plan succeeded, it came at a great cost in casualties, and there was no turning back. They also still needed to fight their way through CEF forces protecting the Tannhauser Gate which would get them back to Terra Nova.
Using a hidden Talon comms buoy along the way, they made a desperate call for help while they prepared for their final suicide run towards the gate. Luckily, just as the Talons were about to be overrun, the gate opened and a Terra Novan assault fleet came through, clearing the way for their miraculous escape. Their desperate call for help had been heard.
The operation on Caprice changed much for Terra Nova. It highlighted the fact that Terra Nova needed to be ready for another invasion. It showed that the CEF’s technology and tactics were improving significantly. But it also proved that there were those on other colony worlds that were willing to fight with Terra Nova. Talon 1 had brought a message of war, but also a message of hope.
Weapons of War
The Black Talons originally started with purchased and modified polar equipment, often using the same mass-produced variants that were available to others at the time. Hand selected personnel were individually recruited from all over Terra Nova, a fact that disturbed many as this brought bitter enemies into positions where they had to rely on each other. At first, all their facilities were hand-me-downs that most had forgotten about. Over time this changed, and as they completed missions and demonstrated results, they were able to acquire more support from across all of Terra Nova. The organization has grown exponentially from those early days.
The final cycles before the second CEF invasion saw a large influx of operators from the former Legion Noire personnel that backed the wrong side of the Southern Republic’s civil war. When offered a chance to join the Talons or face trial, virtually all these disgraced operatives opted to join the Talons. This influx of already trained special operations personnel was highly appreciated by Talon command. However, their loyalty and methods are something of a concern. Rumors of Talon teams firing on civilians and using other underhanded tactics on distant colonies have begun to spread.
Black Talon Werks, a key ingredient of this special warfare community, is a top-secret team composed of some of the best minds in the field of weapons design. They have been gathered at discreet locations, such as the Paxton Arms Research and Development’s (PARD) secret facility deep in the Karaq Wastes. They are tasked with crafting the tools used by the Talons. This includes the infamous Fury Assault Shuttles, which are just one of many logistical components used for transporting teams of Talons and their high-tech gears.
The Karaq Waste’s PARD facility itself is considered the beating heart of the Talons. While this is not the only facility, it is where most of the upper chain of Black Talon command can be found, along with a large portion of their manufacturing capabilities. One other notable facility is on Charity, one of Terra Nova’s moons, which the Black Talons use to launch forces against the CEF space assets.
Their main underground command base, hidden within a particularly inhospitable section of the Karaq Wastes, is located in a region that is subject to severe local weather patterns which impose frequent and vicious sandstorms. This, of course, provides just the type of cover required to discreetly conduct tests and move large shipments of materials and supplies in and out unnoticed.
Thick hydraulicly actuated hatches allow access to the facility below the surface. There are dozens of small, discrete access hatches that lead to elevators for personnel to use and a hand full of larger access hatches that open to reveal gear-sized ramps. There is also one massive hatch that slides open to allow Fury Shuttles to enter and exit the facility. These access hatches have been custom designed to look like the environment, which is mostly sand and rock. Powerful air jets regularly pop out of concealed locations and clear hatches of bulk deposits of sand, which quickly returns due to the nearly constant sandstorms. Engineering gears are maintained for when the air jets are not enough to keep the hatches clear.
The facility’s inner walls are built from high strength composites designed to reduce the risk of being detected by sub-surface imaging techniques. Pumps move coolant fluid to heatsinks located hundreds of meters away to regulate the inner temperature. Electricity is provided by two geothermal power plants.
The full range of Black Talon members and thousands of support personnel, from cooks to mechanics, are housed on site in spartan but adequate quarters. Manufacturing capabilities are top of the line and highly automated. The extensive subterranean facilities even feature gear testing zones that are built to withstand most gear sized munitions.
Black Talon command is convinced that no matter how well hidden their facilities are, it is only a matter of time before one or more are found. Larger combat assets such as Visigoth main battle tanks and scores of other equipment which would not normally be appropriate for Talon operations are maintained here, patiently awaiting the day the enemy comes knocking.
The garrison forces that act as security for these installations generally pray for the day that the CEF finds their facility. This is due to the fact that, after the initial shock and awe of being stationed at such an amazing facility, they eventually find that they are ultimately at one of the most boring posts to guard on all of Terra Nova. They get to watch special forces teams train and go off to do glorious things while they continue to watch a hazy landscape that only the occasional lunatic attempts to travel through.
Talon Teams operating on other planets are limited by the capacity of their Fury Shuttles, small gate-capable insertion crafts that the teams deploy from. They typically select gears, light vehicles, aircraft, and some of the faster striders that can be used for run and gun tactics. The Talons are also backed up by special forces infantry, engineering, and significant support assets.
Talon gears and strider are divided into two categories: Dark series and Claw series. Dark series machines are developed from existing units that have been refitted by Talon technicians. Examples include the Dark Cobra and the Dark Warrior. The origins of these machines come from Talon members who were authorized to bring their own personal machines into the organization. While not all of these saw much use, as newer models were produced by Black Talon Werks, many were eventually added to the Talon’s standard arsenal. The Claw series, on the other hand, are purely the result of Black Talon Werks, which receives significant support from Peace River and Paxton Arms. The Claw series are advanced gears that Paxton research and development teams produced. The Owl was designed from the Stalker. The Eagle was originally called the Warrior Elite. The Raven is based on the Perseus Gear, although the Black Talons dropped the hover Secondary Movement System (SMS) in favor of the wheeled SMS design more Terra Novan gear pilots are familiar with. The Raptor was originally called the Myrmidon. The Vulture was originally called the Agamemnon.