S.T.R.A.F.E.

The House Crux Operations Unit STRAFE is a dedicated counter-terrorism and special ops organization of the Order of Operations, alternatively titled S.T.R.A.F.E., though the meaning behind the acronym is unknown. It is of the primary special operations units of House Crux, headquartered on Camp Fallthorne, Hiera.

House Crux Operations Unit STRAFE

Origins

Where the concept of specialized fireteams has been a part of House Crux tactics since its founding as a law enforcement organization, STRAFE in its first iterations was not fully devised until the early 2950s. Officially, it was not until late 3159 that STRAFE came into being as a formal branch of House Crux’s special forces.

After the conclusion of the Second Imperial Civil War, STRAFE in its earliest form largely consisted of highly specialized House Guard personnel who participated in high-risk operations against The Blood Eagle. However, the conclusion of these conflicts, along with the rapid return to peacetime policing within House Crux and the rise of The Deathless mercenaries, resulted in a lack of clear purpose for these operatives.

It wasn’t until 3178 when the War Against the Artificials and House Cygnus came into action that STRAFE re-emerged in any major combat action. Due to the previously unique and intimate relationship between the two Imperial Houses, conventional tactics used against Cygnus often failed during the early war, owing to Cygnus’ own awareness of Crux strategic and organizational approaches. As most of Crux’s approaches to warfare had not changed from the war with the Blood Eagle, the House found themselves in a desperate need for innovation. One such change brought ahead was the re-formation of specialist fireteams.

Under the official title of Operations Unit STRAFE, former House Guard personnel and various House Crux agents from across departments, such as the Cathars and the Judicial Enforcement Services, were drafted to pursue high-risk operations against Cygnus targets. Using tactics from various other Houses, and their House Guard predecessors as exemplary models, these early STRAFE Units managed to achieve a number of great victories in a matter of months, assisting the bulk of Crux’s forces in achieving strategic victories that led towards the Cygnus retreat to Imperial Prime. By the time of House Cynus’ defeat, STRAFE had transformed from a hurriedly put together task force to a highly organized, fully restored organization.

Present Day

Under the Order of Operations, today’s STRAFE is organized as a multi-functional special operations branch, consisting of an unknown number of teams engaged in an unknown number of locations, performing highly specialized, small scale, high-risk operations that are deemed beyond the scope of House Crux’s other departments. 

Unlike the Cathars, the Inquisitors or other special branches of Crux, STRAFE Kommandos do not undertake investigative cases, but rather perform direct action and counterinsurgency, and are not considered to be Law Enforcement in the traditional sense.

Organization

STRAFE Units, unlike the rest of House Crux, are unique in the sense that they are both temporary and specific to individual missions, as opposed to having larger mandates. The purpose for each STRAFE Unit is fairly simple: finish the objective they have been issued, then prepare for deactivation. 

This way of operation means that individual STRAFE Units are often short-lived, but fairly easy to replace. Instead of having a number of Kommandos employed within the branch itself, STRAFE monopolises the diverse nature of House Crux’s complete task force by conscripting personnel straight from the other departments. While there are members of STRAFE that are considered semi-permanent, most of the STRAFE Kommandos are temporary agents from other areas of Crux.

Establishing a Team

STRAFE Units are generally designed to complete single, limited or short-scope objectives. Typically, they are deployed when a situation involving the other departments of House Crux becomes either too dangerous for standard personnel and it’s involved civilians, noble or otherwise; too prolonged and/or complicated to be solved without dire consequences; or has escalated beyond a time-frame that can be handled in an appropriate fashion. Typically, when one of these teams engages in a mission, the situation is considered to have escalated to a point of no return and Kommandos are usually ordered to finish their objective by any means necessary.

Kommandos themselves are selected from the various departments of House Crux. Candidates are pre-selected and then ranked according to their select abilities, their previous conduct, prior experience, their current duties and their current location. While accepting the draft is optional, no Crux has ever turned down the call for reassignment to STRAFE.

If a candidate is found to be appropriate across the board, and they accept the mission put forward, they will be cleared of their previous duties and attached to a STRAFE Unit effective immediately, where they will be expected to serve until deemed fit for release.

Once achieving the goal of their directive (or, as sometimes is the case, dying in action) the STRAFE Unit is dissolved and the Kommandos attached are seen fit to return to their regular duties.

Ranks within STRAFE

STRAFE do not have ranks in the traditional sense; as they are often temporary and short-lived, the concept of having full-time occupational ranks is deemed pointless at best. Instead, STRAFE has a hierarchical system that is minimal and designed to work on an operational level as opposed to a symbolic one.

STRAFE Operatives are known Kommandos. When active, individual STRAFE Units are then led by a Leading Kommando.

The Director of Special Operations commands STRAFE and reports to Order of Operations.

Marked Personnel // Full-Time Kommandos

Occasionally, certain members of House Crux are marked for “Special Consideration for Conscription”, and as a result, are held under the Order of Operations and swapped between STRAFE Units indefinitely for the duration of their service, rather than returning to their previous duties. These personnel are often officers who no longer fit into their previous roles, have skills that are in high demand, or have spent so much time with STRAFE previously that they have become redundant or otherwise replaced from their former role.

Marked Personnel, also known simply as Kommandos when working amongst the other departments of House Crux, can be loaned to other areas of Crux when not in an active STRAFE Unit. This is often to provide security, undertake special duties, act as officers, or generally provide miscellaneous support.

Current and Former STRAFE Teams

As STRAFE Units are temporary and occasionally numerous, they often go by unique callsigns and monkieers and are often named after their operations, historical interests or notable characteristics.

STRAFE Team: Silent Night - [KIA,Teutham]

STRAFE Team: Fighternaught_II - [KIA]

STRAFE Team: Blackbear - [Terminated]

STRAFE Team: Bojovnik - [Terminated, War Against Cygnus]

The Nature of STRAFE IC

STRAFE itself is a highly classified organization that is more often than not the product of myth rather than actual official information. According to House Crux, STRAFE is simply a task force of a vague and uncertain nature. On the rare instance that their involvement is published in a statement, they are referred to by different names depending on their task at hand.

Some individuals in the Empire are more likely to know about STRAFE on a general level. House Aquila and The Deathless, in particular, have operated with or around STRAFE units in the past.

To most people in the Empire and across the Sector, however, STRAFE is something you see in a PRISM movie.