Gallic IFF infocards - Printable Version

Quote:The Gallic Brigands, otherwise known as the Free Brigands of Gallia, is a loosely affiliated union of experienced criminals and other antisocial elements that first appeared in criminal chronicles circa 290 AGS. Most of the Brigands initially came from miserable urban centers located on economically struggling planets like Amiens and Berry where they had underpaid jobs or no job at all. Others were space construction workers, former police officers, convicts, or simply criminals who wished to try their luck in space. While many new people still join the Brigands nowadays, the bulk of the faction's current members are brought up Brigands from their childhood in the families living within numerous asteroid bases that belong to the Brigands, and on Planet Marne. It is unknown how many people in Gallia consider themselves part of the Gallic Brigands, but estimates show that the number could be as high as 300,000 or more.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the huge member count, the Brigands rarely act as an organized force. Rather, each community, or each base, of Brigands has its own leadership and agenda. The Elder Summit, the supposed highest ruling body of the Brigands, is rarely convened and is hardly ever attended by each and every station leader. Yet, all Brigands have a number of common traits: they consider themselves to be free people living without the restraints of Royal law and conservative morals, and most of their income originates from smuggling and piracy. The Brigands currently control a major part of the black market of Gallia, despite the efforts of Unione Corse to change the situation. Their activities in space are usually related to smuggling, escorting ships that pay for protection through pirate-controlled areas, and outright piracy against civilian ships and convoys. The Brigands promote themselves with romantic notions of middle-aged highway bandits who rob the rich and give to the poor, but they customarily do the opposite, preferring to rob smaller companies and freelancing shippers, since large corporations mostly have capable escorts and pay the Police for protection. Many Brigands also receive money from corrupt Police pilots who wish to blackmail certain civilian ships and pay the Brigands to choose their targets with discretion.

The Second Gallic War showed that the Brigands are a military force to be reckoned with. In huge numbers, the Brigands assisted the Council and the Maquis in some of the crucial operations of the war, notably the battles in the Dauphine system in 726-727 AGS. While they usually served as support and rearguard units and did not actively engage the Navy if they were not engaged themselves, their presence alone changed the course of a number of battles. Elder Summits were assembled three times during the war, once on Marne, once at Salbris, and the last time in 732 AGS at Frejus. At those meetings, Brigands chose to support the Council actively, for the war within the Gallic Border Worlds provided extensive economic opportunities and a decline of Police attention. The Brigands also agreed that expanding into Sirius should be a high priority on the faction's agenda. Many Brigands escaped from Languedoc along with the Council in 733 AGS, and established a base of operations in the Roussillon system.

Brigands have no base that serves as their headquarters, and the Elder Council assembles in various locations. Among the leaders of the Brigands, those originating from Marne, Frejus and Boulogne are currently considered the most influental.