In operation for over two centuries, the Naggotha are the Coalition’s private military; this group of highly-trained soldiers is tasked primarily with maintaining order in the Tchel system, but they are also called upon to execute sensitive missions anywhere the Coalition has need to send them. Though the group is of Ulthun origin and consists in large part of Ulthun members, its numbers include a fair amount of Haleians and Humans as well. The name ‘naggotha’ (meaning ‘sleepless watcher’) is borrowed from a peculiar species of vine found on the Ulthun home world of Olos; historically used by the Ulthun as a way to safeguard their homes or private belongings, the naggotha razor vine is sensitive to chemical changes in its proximity, its thorns becoming highly poisonous to the touch when it detects a threat. Like the plant that is their namesake, the Naggotha are silent observers with keen assessment skills; though their presence and reputation are typically suitable deterrents for most that would test them, those that choose to become targets are quick to feel the Naggotha’s bite.
The Coalition Speaker and councilmens’ personal guard are always Naggotha; when conducting business abroad, Coalition government officials are accompanied by Naggotha bodyguards.
The Naggotha wear easily-recognizable, sheen-less black armor that varies in composition depending on the individual soldier’s function. Models range from light impact suits to heavy combat armor. The Naggotha emblem – a grim face mask backed by a stylized, three-pointed caltrop – etched in red on the arm or shoulder serves to further identify the wearer’s allegiance. Rank is indicated below the emblem, appearing as a three-column matrix of symbols.
All Naggotha undergo a small number of mandatory biological enhancements that, like their equipment, vary based on function. Additional enhancements are available but regulated within the organization. Naturally, Ulthun physiology handles the enhancements more easily than that of other species; that said, healthy Humans and Haleians of strong constitution are by no means barred from it and, if testing proves favorable, are accepted for procedures as readily as any Ulthun postulant. This technology is available only to the Naggotha.
Naggotha headquarters is located on the perpetually cloudy planet Shosheen in the Tchel system; is it here, in high-security facilities and ship yards, that all custom spacecrafts and equipment used by the Naggotha are produced. Training and development are handled on Neigme, the sizable Naggotha way station in orbit above Shosheen. The organization has its own class of small transports and personal ships; the Haleian-made En’kat vessels, and the organic Aumnon fighters, operable only through a neural link between pilot and unit.
The current head of the Naggotha is Master-Commander Dagon Thuul (nicknamed ‘Blacktalon’); this large, heavily-enhanced and much respected Ulthun has lead the Coalition’s private military for over thirty years.
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