PENUMBRA

PENUMBRA
PENUMBRA was a covert black ops military group controlled by the Omni-Tek corporation. It's mission was to do the dirty jobs for the company while leaving Omni-Tek's hands "clean."

Only members of the unit and top officials within Omni-Admin, Internal Operations, and the Armed Forces knew of PENUMBRA's existence, though some rumors of the black ops team did circulate, but nothing concrete ever betrayed its existence.

Assets
Primarily a mobile fighting force, PENUMBRA operated a small fleet including a command vessel, several destroyers, multiple drop ships, and a contingent of space and atmospheric fighters. Personnel were equipped with top of the line armor, including battle suits and armed with powerful, customized weaponry.

It's soldiers were handpicked at an early age and trained in the art of war and instilled with loyalty to the unit and to Omni-Tek. Members were enhanced with biological enhancements and implants, along with severe training, making PENUMBRA members superior to military personnel in other OT units.

Use of Force
PENUMBRA operated under a protocol of using any means necessary to complete the mission. This included using planetary bombardment, use of mass drivers, chemical warfare, and wholesale massacre. Operations typically were planned months ahead, and they executed in short time, often with operatives in and out of a target area before general alerts were acted upon.

Officially, PENUMBRA operations were credited to pirates, revolutionaries, and sometimes other corporations where it was deemed in Omni-Tek's best interest to do so.

Presence on Rubi-ka
PENUMBRA was dispatched to Rubi-ka in 29475 to put an absolute end to the Clan uprising. Omni-Tek was hesitant to deploy PENUMBRA at first as there was too much attention on Rubi-ka, including the intervention of the ICC, however, military command ultimately decided that it was time to unleash Omni-Tek's full might.

However, Philip Ross disagreed with PENUMBRA, and using all powers granted to him over Rubi-ka, mitigated PENUMBRA's efforts, effectively vetoing each PENUMBRA war plan presented.

First Operation Plan
PENUMBRA's first operation plan halted by Ross was the systematic planetary bombardment of the northern territories. Orbital bombardment was planned to annihilate the regions the Tir County and Athen Shire as well as selective targets of the Sentinel's base in Mort, Camelot, Newland City, and the ICC base in Andromeda. This strike would knock out most of the Clan infrastructure and command, as well as cause disruptions in the insurance and reclaim technologies in the north. Additionally, terraformers in the north would have been destoyed, making it unlikely that northern forces could rally for long term defense.

Powered armor units would follow the bombardment to neutralize or capture any member of the Council of Truth that survived the bombardment. Additional assignment was to pacify any remaining hold outs in the north.

During the attack, Omni-Pol would move into Borealis, Last Ditch, and other neutral holdings outside the blast zone, while Omni-AF would mobilize against the Unionists and take back 4 Holes. Omni-AF would later be charged to remove any remaining rabble.

Second Operation Plan
When Ross refused to allow the first plan, the second plan was already in preparation as a contingency. Under this plan a number of AI viruses would entered into non-OT insurance systems laying dormant until activated. Chemical agents would be deployed across Athen Shire while tailored biological agents would be dispensed by undercover operative in Tir and other cities (including Omni-1 and Rome). When the death toll began to mount, the AI would be activated, with the hope that in confusion, the Clan would seek the Council of Truth in Tir, allowing the biological agent to spread faster in Clan holdings.

An eventual cure would be developed by Omni-Tek, and graciously provided to Clan and Neutral citizens off planet.

Hints of this plan leaked, making execution problematic, and ultimately the operation was scuttled. Some believe that certain members of Omni-Admin discovered that OT personnel were to be targeted during the operation for removal, while others credit hackers for discovering the embedded AIs.

Third Operation Plan
Stripped of preferred methods using massive force, PENUMBRA executed the third plan without authorization. Unit members of PENUMBRA were embedded in Omni-AF and Omni-Pol and given specific mission parameters. Additionally, PENUMBRA was developing new perma-death weaponry that could be mass produced and used to outfit military and police units, using genetic markers to prevent enemies from using the weapons.

Testing was performed on Clan and Neutral prisoners. Philip Ross caught wind of the operation when certain Omni-Tek personnel were dispatched by PENUMBRA agents (personnel believed to be connected to stymieing PENUMBRA's effort).

Caught between local administration and Omni-HQ, PENUMBRA was waylaid on Rubi-ka, forced to devise a new operation plan to conduct the mission, but kept under close surveillance by Ross and those loyal to him in command.

Fourth Operation Plan
The only operation plan approved by Ross, and monitored by non-PENUMBRA command. The fourth plan was a staged plan Due to PENUMBRA's classification of operational results, it cannot be determined if agents were successful in any of these steps, but Clan-Neutral relationship did decay over the years, especially with the actions of the Sentinels Clan.
 * 1) Recognizance in Neutral territories to sow animosity toward the Clans and deteriorate Neutral-Clan operations
 * 2) Identify key technological and military assets to subvert for Omni-Tek's use
 * 3) Embed agents into the Clans to act as sleeper agents
 * 4) Tip Neutral and Clan citizens into armed engagements and push Neutrals to beseech the ICC for help
 * 5) Activate sleeper agents and make it appear to the ICC that the Clan is escalating the conflict against the Neutral citizens and employing reprehensible tactics
 * 6) Petition the ICC to allow OT to move in and "save" Neutral holdings from Clan terrorists

Fifth Operation Plan
The final mark against PENUMBRA happened a few years after Jobe disclosed the existence of the Shadowlands. Unlike other Operation Plans, this plan was devised and executed by rogue elements within PENUMBRA. Major General Endymion Carter and a large number of PENUMBRA operatives assaulted Jobe with the intent to capture the city and cut off any non-Omni-Tek access to the region.

Jobe and Unicorn forces put down Carter's insurrection, and Omni-Tek officially disavowed any knowledge of the plan. Jobe and OT worked together to cover up the incident. Carter was officially taken prisoner and held by Jobe.

Termination
Following Carter's failed attempt to take Jobe, Omni-Tek decided to officially disband PENUMBRA. In order to maintain the ablity to plausibly deny any connection to PENUMBRA, all PENUMBRA personnel were stripped of their standing and their service records sealed. Officially, they and the organization didn' exist.

The lucky members were able to find civilian careers in other departments inside Omni-Tek where managers were willing to create a record of their existence. Other members who managed to amass some assets and savings left offworld to retire. Some found work as mercenaries, but Omni-Pol is under orders to capture and confine these members.

For the less lucky, homelessness and destitution became the norm. Many opted to seek final death, scrounging what little funds they could for the means to get away from Rubi-ka to perform the deed.

A small number of ex-PENUMBRA defected to the Clans, feeling betrayed by Omni-Tek and want to exact some punishment on Omni-Tek for selling them out, while working with people who would appreciate their talents.