Serpent Tail

Serpent Tail is a famous mercenary group that utilizes a variety of equipment from the Earth Alliance and People Liberation Acting Nation of Technology. They take on various jobs by the highest bidder and almost always gotten the job done.

Serpent Tail was formed in response to growing hostilities between PLANT and Earth Alliance as an opportunistic mercenary group. They would take on jobs by the highest bidder and focused on nothing else but the completion of the said jobs. They would do a range of tasks such as reconnaissance, escorts, raids, and other tasks. They utilize whatever equipment is available, regardless of whether it is Earth Alliance or PLANT technologies.

Their reputation grew quickly, especially after the onset of the First Bloody Valentine War. Their exploits made the mercenary group quite famous, and in some cases, feared. Serpent Tail also began to work closely with the Junk Guild by the end of the first war in which they collaborated on certain non-military related jobs as well. This loose alliance was beneficial to both organizations and to their clientèle as they supplemented each other during the reconstruction after the first war and into the second.

Serpent Tail's organization is set up similarly to the Junk Guild, in which it is a loose collaboration of multiple teams. Each team tends to be permanent, which allows members to develop their own styles and approaches to completing jobs. This setup doesn’t require any sort of command structure though sometimes teams may join together to complete certain assignments. Because of this, most teams have to use their own intelligence gathering sources to obtain jobs. While this may seem somewhat inefficient, these teams are able to procure jobs based on their reputation and allows them to spread out to deal with a variety of tasks.

But it was apparent by the late C.E. 70s that the close-knit teams and decentralized system began to backfire on the Serpent Tail as another mercenary organization, the Soldiers of Fire, began to emerge in power and influence. As the Soldiers' success began to outpace that of Serpent Tail, the mercenary organization began to create their own central command structure in order to coordinate jobs with every team. They still retained their informal policies of teams comprised of individuals that learn to work well with each other, rather than as temporary personnel. As the pressure of competition sets in, Serpent Tail will continue to complete their jobs and maintain their reputation.

Serpent Tail pilots are able to refurbish and upgrade their mobile weapons through acquisitions obtained from the Junk Guild, due to their long established relations. Teams also obtain some equipment through a limited number of salvage operations and black market deals. Because of this, it is more cost-effective and easier to them to maintain their machines.

Serpent Tail did not have a central command base initially during the early C.E. 70s, but after the need to coordinate information and equipment between teams, a site was set up at the refurbished Shesha Colony near Lagrange Point 4. A section of the colony is meant for purely Serpent Tail use. Other sections of the colony house the slowly growing civilian population as well as Junk Guild members passing through. Each team tends to centralize their own command with refurbished frigates, freighters, or any other large cargo-vessel.

Because Serpent Tail has a looser organizational structure, they aren’t set up in a standard military style. Ranks are awarded based on seniority, ability, and occupation.

Commander - The leader of the Serpent Tail. He communicates and coordinates with the various teams at his disposal in order to carry various jobs. He is also the leader of one of the teams, so the leader isn’t exactly idle.

Captain - The commander of each team's vessel. Captains tend not to take any direct part of any jobs, but when getting to the site, he or she is in command.

Veteran Pilots - The most senior MW pilots in the team, this title is given after a number of successful assignments. One of these pilots tends to be the team leader. However, it is recognized that piloting ability does not necessarily equate to leadership ability, so potential candidates have to be carefully scrutinized by other team leaders before being approved or rejected to the position. These pilots also tend to use more advanced mobile weapons.

Regular Pilots - The rank-and-file pilots that have established themselves into the team, these men and women work under the veterans to accomplish their objectives.

Recruit Pilots - New recruits, regardless of their piloting ability, are initially give menial duties such as patrols and rearguard actions as a test of their competency and their ability to follow orders. After a few weeks, if these recruits have proven themselves, they will rise up to join the regular pilots.

Specialists - Every team has several individuals with special skills that do not relate to piloting, but nonetheless are still necessary to achieve success. Infiltration, assassination, hacking, sabotage, mechanics, electronics, and other skills are but a range of their abilities.

Liaison - Probably the most important non-combatant on the team, the Liaison is the main negotiator between the team and the client. He or she also provides all of the relevant information to other team members before starting the mission.