The Libra
An original secret society that I created for Classic Reich Star
“Maintain the balance … “
ln the dawn of the Cold War, a group of corporations and entrepreneurs secretly gathered in Rome, Italy and saw the future … or at least they thought they did. Post-War profits were tapering, and if there was going to be another, it would devastate the world. In the short term, they would profit big, but in the long term, only the cockroaches would care. Their only choice .. . maintain the balance. The Cold War proved to be very profitable as it perpetuated. As it did, the coalition of corporations and organizations grew. During a very tense period of Erde’s history, when tensions between the Empire and the Third Reich grew to new heights, and Italy ‘s mere existence hung in the balance, the secret organization came to it’s final stage in growth and formation. They called themselves Libra, and they approached the Italian government for their support. The covert meeting was held in Rome, like the original meeting of the minds was, so many years ago. This finalized it formation, and gave it unprecedented power.
Libra thrives secretly in the shadows, watching both sides of the Cold War with a keen eye. The resistance had never been a issue until recently. With in the last few decades, the resistance has proven to be a thorn in their side, and Libra has rushed to try and get it manipulative handles on it. The resistance is the new wild card in their plan, but Libra is in the process of using the resistance to it’s own means. The Resistance has proven to be a useful as a tool and a scapegoat. Of all the powers that Libra has had contact with, the resistance is least aware of Libra’s presence. This being convenient, since they are virtually working against each other.
Libra acts in the interests of all its members, and all it members are only interested in one thing; perpetuating the Cold War. In doing this, they are insuring that (1) a world devastating war does not happen, (2) no side will get the upper hand, and (3) this perpetuation remains profitable. Now, Libra agents are virtually everywhere. Their primary weapon is information. Of those that know of Libra, which aren’t many, they know one thing; their information is always accurate. They never tell you anything false, but they do withhold anything they feel is in their interests to do so. Libra brokers information to every side, playing all sides onto themselves, and reap the profits of the results. Innocent lives are a concern, but not a priority. If they are at risk, the situation is manipulated to blame their deaths on someone else.
No agent is ever to reveal himself as a Libra agent to any outsider without written orders to do so. They are to follow their orders unquestioningly, however, they are given the freedom to decide what information to use. They have a complex network of hackers and info-coders on the ReichsNet and the NipNet, constantly gathering and conveying information. They have a complex system of secret codes that no one has broken. All agents are hooked into the LibraNet, a secret info-net that hides in the cloud of infosystems on Erde. They are patched in via a cyber-irnplant that feed them information upon request. This channel that feeds the information to these implants is one of the most guarded secrets of Libra. The transmission of this information is heavily encoded, and only sent out in random spurts to keep any hackers confused. To an outside hacker, it looks like just meaning corporate information.
Libra agents are recruited internally, for the most part, from the corporations that support it. Occasionally, they will spot a maverick freelancer that interests them, and so they put the prospective agent through tests, to see his motivations. If it turns out he is not a good candidate, depending how far along he is in the process, he may be removed . .. permanently. No risk to Libra or the balance will be allowed to exist. Part of their success is their secrecy. They have been able to maintain an unprecedented level of secrecy. They have friends in high places on both sides, and these friends know nothing of Libra’s true nature. Libra maintains the trust of its allies by telling the truth, and never allowing any information that would compromise their integrity. And in the end, it’s only about profit and maintaining the balance.
Libra’s command structure is very secret and very simple. Libra has worked hard to avoid the , inevitabilities of a bureaucracy. There is the Elder Council, a group of corporate heads and Italian government officials that make all the major decisions. The Info-Net division handles all information. The Field Agent Division is the largest division. Their are others, less important or less prominent divisions, but these are the primary divisions.
To say that an agent’s primary weapons is information is not to say it’s the only. Agents are expert manipulators, but they are also well trained in combat techniques, and security. They can be assassins, soldiers, or desk clerks, but they are always lethal.
Libra has existed since the end of the War, and since then, has grown to be an integrated part of Erde society, as well as the other colonized worlds. They seek one thing, profit and this is only accomplished by maintaining the balance.