The Sordid Vandals to not have a long history. They don’t even have an illustrious history. In fact, as far as Mercenary Units go; they barely have any history at all.
The Vandals are the brainchild of Johnny Vance. As a former hitman for an organized crime syndicate, as well as a former bounty hunter, he had little to no understanding of military culture. He felt that the rules were restrictive and pointless. Do people shoot better when their hair’s cut short? Do they run faster when their boots are all shiny and black? Do matching uniforms make them harder to hit? Not in his opinion.
He also felt that the organization was outdated and the chain of command was rigid. And if something is rigid, it can be easily broken.
He felt that each member of the team should be able to think for themselves, not needing to wait for orders before taking any kind of action. The ‘organization’ should be fluid and flexible, allowing the person most suited to the task to take the lead. And it shouldn’t matter what you look like, or how well you’re dressed as long as you’re effective, and get the job done.
So when he decided to start a Special Operations Mercenary unit, he wanted it to be anything but military.
The Vandals are made up of convicts, hit men, gang members, bounty hunters, slicers, ex-cops and yes, a few ex military types. But those are ex Special Forces personnel, and are used to working independently for extended periods of time, and haven’t developed a lot of the bad habits most soldiers do.
Even though individuals in the team have their own special skills, all have received extensive training since joining the Vandals, and all are skilled with blasters and fists, as well as stealth manuevers.
Vance styles himself the ‘Commander’ just because he thought it sounded cool. The two Coynites on the team refuse to call him anything other than Lieutenant, because the Vandals are no larger than a platoon. Most of the team has taken to calling him ‘Lt Commander’ as a joke, although he’s been known to answer to Boss, Chief, Johnny, Vance, even ‘Hey You’ and ‘Asshole’ on occasion.
When they split into teams, whoever is most able takes the lead. However, there are a few Vandals that have repeatedly been assigned as team leaders, and they have become the quasi-official ‘Seconds’ or ‘Lieutenants’, although the Coynites insist on calling them Sergeants.
The first few missions were for various criminal organizations. The only problem with working for crime bosses is that it tends to make you a criminal as well. On their very first mission, they were tasked with assaulting a rival crime lord’s base, and taking him out. They failed horribly, but managed to make a getaway on the crime lord’s personal yacht, the Lady Fortune. This ship, now dubbed the Miss Fortune, has gotten them into and out of more scrapes then they care to count. The Vandals believe it’s their lucky charm, although whether it’s good or bad luck depends on the day.
The Vandals didn’t want to work for criminals anymore, and wanted to do something more reputable. Once they got up to roughly platoon strength, they were forced to hire out as a regular infantry platoon to get work.
Despite a string of successful contracts, the Vandals had yet to make a name for themselves. It’s hard enough to get work as a mercenary, and it’s even harder when you’re relatively unknown.
The Vandals were pretty down on their luck, and credits were getting thin. One of the pilots heard about the Blackmoon Mercenary Guild, and the Vandals jumped at the idea. They packed up the Miss Fortune, and headed out... fame or imfamy awaited.
