RP Aid (Antarian Rangers)

[Jerrel]

From the pages of Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Hero's Guide

Antarian Rangers
The Antarian Raners are a unique paramillitary organization of non-Force-users who, unlike many citizens of the galaxy, do not fear the power of the Jedi and actively assist them whenever possible. The Antarian Rangers dedicated their lives to acting as support troops for the Jedi, and are deployed in reconnaissance and covert opperations to make the work of the Jedi easier. Often tasked with doing what some would consider the "dirty work," the Rangers are treated by the Jedi Council with indifference. The opinions of individual Jedi vary, however, and many work closely with them and truly value their service.
An organization with just over a thousand total members, the Antarian Rangers are as diverse as the Jedi they serve. Typically, those Jedi who choose to make use of the organization deal with a small group of Rangers with whom they are familiar, and rely on the same Rangers repeatedly. Some Jedi actually have semipermanent Antarian Ranger companions who travel the stars with them and assist them in a fashion similar to the Padawan-Master relationship. Whenever a Jedi wants a traveling companion or aide, typically one to three Rangers accompany him on his journeys. Otherwise, the varrious branches of the Antarian Rangers train, hone their skills, and prepare for a time when they will be needed to assistthe Jedi in whatever way they can.
The Antarian Rangers were found some 600 years before the Clone Wars and continued to flourish up until the rise of the Empire. On the planet Antar 4, home of the Gotal species, a Coruscant-born Human Jedi Knight named Marus Timpel was preforming routine duties that brought him into contact with a being who was turned down for Jedi trainning. Kaskutal, a Gotal with limited Force sensitivity, had been turned away as a child by Timpel himself and had gone to become a very sucessful and wealthy business man specializing in trade negotiations and intercessions. The two became fast friends, and durring their discussions Timpel expressed his frustrations with the limitations his Jedi lifestyle put on his travels and available resources. Kaskutal, still harboring admiration for the Jedi despite being turned away, offered to help and raise funds and resources from donners and investors to create an organization to help allevate those problems. This organization came to be known as the Antarian Rangers, and it soon spread beyond Antar 4 into the rest of the galaxy.
In the early years, the organization was small but ambitious. Kaskutal, the first true Antarian Ranger, used his minnor force sensitivity, Gotal senses, and business acumen to assist Timpel throughout the rest of his carrer. Upon Timpel's death, Kaskutal relegated himself to a more administrative role, seeing to it that the organization formed branches throughout the galaxy. With in 50 years, the Antarian Rangers had divisions in several well-populated systems, including Corellia, Brentaal, Ruan, and Coruscant.
One time, the expansion throughout the Core Worlds caused the organization to become Human-dominant, but other species did join the cause and sometimes rose into positions of leadership. The Jedi, being more loosely organized at the time, did not discourage the growth of the organization, as the Rangers proved their usefulness without drawing upon the Jedi resources. Thanks to good investment dicisions and some savvy business deals, Kashutal ensured that the Rangers were financially stable, if not overly wealthy.
As the Clone Wars approached and the Jedi Council took a more traditionalist stance in policy, the Rangers found fewer and fewer Jedi calling upon them for help. Some branches disbanded due to inactivity, while others used their combat trainning and entrepreneurial skills to become freelance mercenaries or sector defense forces.
The organization, reduced to less than half its former size, found a breif revitalization with the onset of the Clone Wars. The Rangers found themselves suddenly in demand; the Jedi, outnumbered and unable to sufficiently defend the galaxy against the threat of the Seperatists, once again called upon the Rangers for aid. As Jedi-Ranger pairings became more commonplace once more, the group saw a breif surge in membership before the rise of the Empire.
As the Sith Lord Darth Vader and the Emperor eradicated the Jedi, the Antarian Rangers found themselves hunted in a similar fassion. With a bounty on the heads of the known Rangers and the threat of Inquisitors looming over them, the remaining branches of the Antarian Rangers went into hidding. One group of Antarian Rangers, led by a Feeorinnamed Solm, openly opposed the tryanny of the Empire, but for the most part the Rangers became secluded or disbannded entirely in order to avoid captureThe hidden enclave at Toprawa, home of Wraith Squadron member Tyria Sarkin, was eliminated by the Empire in a case that became typical of the eventual distruction of the Rangers.
Note: the entry goes on to say that a small surviving group goes on to try to re-establish the Rangers after the Empire's fall, so they still do exists in a very limited fassion.

Joining
Very few members of the Antarian Rangers actually choose to join the organization without prompting from an existing member. The Rangers continually keep tabs on recruits turned down for Jedi trainning, especially those old enough to make the decision to join the organization. Any being that admires the Jedi Order and wishes to uphold its ideals can join the Antarian Rangers, though the ones that go the furthest in the organization are those with physical and mental prowess to match their dedication.
When first encountering the group, all members are evaluated for their pertinent skills and potential contributions to the organization. While most applicants eventually go on to become support personel--technicians, transport pilots, communications experts--some do enterthe trainning required to become a full-fledged Ranger.
Before becomming Rangers, trainees are called Explorers; at this rank, the accompany Rangers on dangerous missions and get feild trainning but are not yet given independant duties. Eventually they become full-fledged Rangers and earn all the rights and responcibilities fitting of the rank.

Leaving the Antarian Rangers
The Antarian Rangers can ill afford losses, even at the height of the organizations membership. Never a large faction, the Rangers value the services of each and every member, and go out of their way to keep members in the fold. Though retirement and discharges as a result of injury are both acceptable, simply leaving with no good reason is viewed as desertion.
Despite this, the Antarian Rangers will not stop a member from leaving if he persists on parting ways. Like any other paramillitary organization, the Rangers are concered about the organization's secrets, and they take steps to eliminate the problem if an ex-member is revealing more than she should.
Any Antarian Ranger who commits overtly evil or cruel acts can be expelled from the group much as the Jedi expel those who dabble with the dark side. A Ranger may also be court-martialed for improper conduct or violating the rules of the organization, recevieng a dishonorable discharge from the group before being cast out.

Jerrel's Personal Notes
All though any profession can fit into this organization, I see Rangers easily fitting into this. I do however think that if someone chooses to be a member of the Rangers they should consider their age and how they got into it. The older players can eaisly follow the Joining section but the younger characters need to be more creative with how they found a member that would bring them into the organization.