http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp56/Harlequin2/EPOCHFreelancer.jpg
IC: What are E.P.O.C.H Freelancers?[]
Freelancers can come from any race or background. Their histories are often shrouded into even more mystery than typical Agents.
E.P.O.C.H Freelancers are a sub-sect of the Agency. They are perhaps the most shady due to the fact that their only real connections with the E.P.O.C.H are through coded transmissions to a shuttling company located in Azure Tower's 29th Floor which is just a front for Agency communications with the Freelancers.
Freelancers within the E.P.O.C.H[]
Freelancers have a loose relationship with the E.P.O.C.H as they don't work for them all the time, instead, they recieve the occasional contract where the E.P.O.C.H isn't in fact their primary contract provider. This long leash means that Freelancers usually work indepentantly from the Agency (although for larger contracts, they have been known to work with the more established Agents in the E.P.O.C.H) and can often be described as lone wolves, with no real responsibility to the organisation. This means that Freelancers have little to no loyalty to the Agency itself and so are kept at arms length as if they are only in the job for the credits then they may very well sell out the Falleen, or other members of the E.P.O.C.H, given the chance, so they often never learn about the Falleen, much less his possible location. Similarly, their risky nature means that they are given less access to Agency information and assets than other operatives, although they are given contact to Freelancer Administration, stationed at Azure Towers at the 29th Floor.
Relationships with the Agents inside the E.P.O.C.H are varied to say the least. Many see them as a necessary evil as they bring a great wealth of skill and experteese along with them, and although actual Agents are true jack of all trades, Freelancers can still bring to the table information and knowledge that few possess. Others believe that it is wrong that people they have connections with should be able to carry out Agency work, much less get anywhere close to the Agents themselves lest they turn traitor and sell anyone out. There have been Agents, however, have formed friendly bonds with some of the Freelancers as some of them are a regular occurance with the larger contracts, or appear in the halls of the Azure Towers at times. These Freelancers are the more trusted and are often ex-Agents. What the Falleen thinks of Freelancers is unknown to all but perhaps his closest staff, although their place in Agency operations is well established, to the point where they sometimes wear a skull symbol on their armour or clothing which links them closer with the Agency and ensures that they do not cross swords.
There are various types of Freelancers found working alongside the E.P.O.C.H Agency. Many of them are Ex-Agents who may have left for a number of reasons although they do not want to give up the oppurtunities for credits that the Agency provides. Due to the close ties that Agents form with each other they are remembered within the organisation and though they are not given nearly enough access or assets as before, they are still respected. There are then those who recognise the E.P.O.C.H for the contractual powerhouse that it is and have themselves become recognised as capable individuals to take on the contracts that the Agency provides. These people are mostly in only for the credits and find out very little if anything about the organisation they liase with.
Freelancers with the Outside[]
Freelancers are only part time workers within the E.P.O.C.H Agency and so many of them hold closer ties with other contractual hire groups, such as the Black Sun or the Syndicate. In these instances, Freelancers are given less trust in case they are moles sent by other agencies, looking out for information and weak spots that would rid them of competition. In the past, moles have found this extremely difficult due to the mystery surrounding the E.P.O.C.H and it's close-knit organisation and are often found out. Mostly, their fate is unknown but some are bought out and turned into double-agents, becoming moles for the Agency.
Due to the E.P.O.C.H's secretive nature, contracts with them prohibit Freelancers from mentioning the specifics of their missions and contracts with them to the outside Galaxy. Those that do often vanish and so it is rare to find someone that has definately worked with them, the flexibility of a Freelancer allowing it to take up contracts without the employers knowning that they were once in contact with their rivals. Generally, Freelancers still very much keep contact with the rest of the Galaxy and are not tied down as much as fully fledged Agents, perhaps moving with less purpose than those in the E.P.O.C.H. Free spirits and thrillseekers are just some of the many nouns used to describe the E.P.O.C.H Freelancers in the wide Galaxy.
Agent Skursir. The first and present Freelancer Commander.
Freelancer Commander[]
At some point, the Falleen deemed it right that one of the E.P.O.C.H Agency's fully fledged Agents should always keep an eye on the Freelancers themselves, as these lone wolves were very hard to track and having them go rogue was not an option. Much like the Keeper, the Freelancer Commander is not important him/herself, only the jobs he or she performs, enabling him or her to be replaced easily if not performing to standards. The Freelancer Commander co-ordinates the efforts of the Freelancers and also acts as a point of the Agency that Freelancers can report to on completion of their missions. It is the Freelancer Commander that controls the 29th floor of the Agency's Azure Towers and it's team of administrators.
A Freelancer scopes out his target, sporting the distinctive Skull Symbol worn by Freelancers linked with the E.P.O.C.H.
Ord Mantell Incident[]
++Incoming Transmission++ ++Decrypting...++
General,
I regret to inform you that the intelligence network operational at Command Post 16-FB has been neutralised. Contact with that sector dropped yesterday and all information regarding it and the nearby Seperatist Stronghold has been lost. We sent a task force to investigate. It is to our knowledge that an individual was able to infiltrate that post at an unconfirmed time and destroyed the mainframe computers and arrays present there, along with a stationed battalion of soldiers and a squad of Troopers. A recovered holo-reel revealed only that the saboteur was a Kaleesh. As fortune would have it, the Kaleesh left no trails for us to pick up on, apart from a transmission that one of our smaller crafts in orbit was able to intercept. However, it was coded and too fragmented to be analysed properly. We know the Seperatists were involved, recent intelligence revealed that they had been setting their sights on that Command Post for a while, yet our last report showed that they were very static. It is a mystery, although one that can be prevented from occuring again if you agree to bolster our stationed forces, General. A mistake like this is too costly to make again.
Commander Keilsh
OOC: What are E.P.O.C.H Freelancers?[]
Freelancers can be veterans in anything, from infiltration to military enforcements.
The Freelancer Scheme came about just before the E.P.O.C.H's first Birthday by the Agent Harlequin2, though it took a while to be implemented. The basic idea was that it would let people who didn't want to take on the responsibility of the Guild, and be tied down to compulsory events and gatherings, to still be able to enjoy the quality of roleplaying and fun in a group that the E.P.O.C.H Agency offered.
Responsibility[]
One of the main points of the Freelancer Scheme is that Freelancers generally have less responsibility than true members. There are many events which are compulsory. In-game, these can take the form of gatherings and meetings, whilst on the forum, they can be play-by-post roleplays or chat-box discussions. Freelancers need not take part in any of these, but they can so long as they aren't Agent-only. Similarly, guild duties such as posting on the recruitment post is not necessary for Freelancers, though as before, they may do them and are thanked for doing it. Activity is another key issue that the Freelancer scheme revolves around. Where as Agents are only allowed a week or two before getting a post reminder (unless stated absent), Freelancers are allowed to go unchecked for two whole months, before they recieve a personal message asking if they want to continue with the scheme. If another month goes by without a reply, they are removed, though are welcome to come back if they wish with no penalty. Freelancers are also not subject to Guild Rules, but still must abide by Forum Rules when posting on the Forum.
Access[]
Since Freelancers do not follow Guild Rules as with normal Agents, applicants for the scheme can be of any age and are not tied down by the class and member caps that apply to other members. However, since E.P.O.C.H is a European Sith Guild, Freelancer characters must still be Sith Empire Classes and it is recommended that the applicant is in the European Time Zone. These perks have their down-side though. Since they are not true members, Freelancers do not have access to Agent-only sub-forms, such as Guild News. But, Freelancers do have access to their own Freelancer forum, in which they are able to talk about matters concerning themselves and the rank of Freelancers, and so on. Freelancers are not however, allowed to become Special Agents or Ambassadors. Again, this is because they are not true members and these roles are reserved for those who have taken a greater interest in Guild Responsibilities (and/or are old enough). In terms of rank, they are about akin to Initiates, yet treated with the same respect as any other member. As said before, Freelancers have access to many Guild activities, be they roleplays, discussions, raids and so on, and there is even a prospect for Freelancer centralised roleplay events both in-game and out-of-game.
List of Freelancers[]
Brayllis
The mark of a Freelancer. It was first worn so Freelancers would not cross swords.
Commander Nord
IOn
Koro Dun
Mistress
NikkVarr
nosyd
Randomfest
Scrivener