Devil Pups
Pirate organisation founded by Imperial military deserters in Koan subsector/Beyond Sector after the Third Frontier War. Most of these deserters were officers deposed by political infighting within the Imperial military bureaucracy, or military units disgraced in the wake of the Third War debacle. These units made a home on the Stern and Defiant diad, and channeled their military skills into racketeering, piracy and mercenary work. A number of its members became legitimate businessmen, with strong ties to the main organisation through a network of shadowy economic connections.
The Devil Pups were fairly typical in size and organisation, and their main distinction remained was their continuing attraction as a sanctuary to disgraced Imperial nobles and military personnel. The Imperial Civil War and the Ihatei invasions changed that. The quality, organisation and equipment of Imperial deserters improved dramatically, and its leadership became dominated by men and women tested and sharpened by their adversity in war and subsequent flight. The Ihatei invasion of Koan subsector drove out the Devil Pup's competition, and gave the pirates a unique oppurtunity. Through carefully arranged alliances, duels and daring military raids, they managed to tie up the invading clans, and forced the Lakht Aorlakht to recognise Stern and Defiant's independence.
Protected by their alliance with the Aslan Hierate, the Pups ruthlessly eliminated their opposition, and created a vast network of economic and political connections across Beyond, Trojan Reach and Vanguard Reaches sectors, from the Aslan border to the "Zhodani Shadow." A covert network of agents extended into the shattered Imperium, rescuing sympathetic people, and recovering military and industrial equipment to build up SD against future aggression. In the wake of the Collapse, they increased their reach into legitimate industry, turning the organisation into a "crime-conglomerate" of linked legitimate and illegal activites. The Pups continue to be the main power in SD, but also have huge sway on Prewitt and in the Avalar Consulate.