Scouts

History
The Galaxy Scouts are an old organization. According to the documents that the GS keeps, they started out as elite troops protecting powerful Celeste during an interstellar conflict, whose nature has been lost to antiquity. These original Scouts, as the name implies, would move in advance of the Celeste, clearing the route for them to reach critical objectives. Each Scout was the best their planet had to offer, and they served as a symbol of unity - as well as kept an eye on each other.

Ideology
The GS are an organization publicly dedicated to six principles (Self-sufficiency, Justice, Compassion, Wisdom, Practicality, and Peace), and supports efforts to see that hese ideals are available to everyone. The GS are well known, and until recently, much beloved for their heroic stance in the face of injustice and tyranny. Privately, they are the biggest spy organization in the universe, with immense numbers of people gathering terabytes of data daily - all for the purpose of preventing war, finding criminals, and making sure the organization stays financially solvent.

Organization
Scouts have several unofficial ranks and 2 unofficial sections. The lowest level are the High School Scouts, individuals picked to just before adulthood, and trained to watch and assist in the communities in which they live. Most HS scouts never actually retire, though the "official" title is given to a new individual every 4 to 6 years. The highest are the Planetary Scouts, who are the saviors and banes of interstellar diplomacy, and the most public face of a planet's intergalactic media presence.

Between these two extremes lie several levels, who do the job of analyzing and distributing intelligence to where it will do the most good. It is common to have 5 levels in total, though more are not unusual.

The two sections, often called Emmissari and Justicar, may be thought of as the civilian and military arms, as the major difference is that Justicar are expected to be well-versed in combat, and may be called to arms. There are other differences, but they are somewhat subtle. In general, the Justicar make up the "top" section of a Planetary Scout's organization.

50% of the Scout's standing in the universe is based on the good work of the HS Scouts, who are always outstanding members of the community, and are depended upon both in stability and disaster. This trust is critical, because it makes them some of the best collective spies on the face of a Scout-controlled world, and while they rarely understand all they report, it is these reports, properly analyzed, that let the higher levels of scouts literally change their respective worlds, and the galaxy at large. It is a lesson that all Scouts know, and honoring community and the Scouts who serve it directly is drummed into all of the higher ranks, as often and as hard as needed.

Another 30-40% of the galactic view is based on the actions of the Planetary Scouts. There are no "dumb" Planetary Scouts. Nor are there any incompetent ones. Each woman is as exceptional individual, able to grasp diplomatic nuances as easily as most people breath, make incredible leaps of intuition and logic at the drop of a hat, and bring destruction like the angry fist of a titan. Where they lead, their planets almost always follow, and thus the friendship and good will of the Scouts have kept the universe at relative peace for several centuries...until the Year of Fear.

Year Of Fear
25 years ago, the Scouts' best assets turned upon each other with a hideous rage. Planets were wrecked, economies destroyed, and Scouts died. And most troubling for the organization, the Scouts were shown to have feet of clay. Their justice was questioned, and this uncertainty proved the ideal time for the twin organizations, Star Org and the Endless, to rise as an alternative. Without the good will engendered by the HS Scouts, the organization would not have survived the year - it was that near a thing. The conflict, at least on the surface, appears to have been between Scout Areal and Scout Fenris, with complications as Ziligo (whose Scout was a close friend of Fenris) was wracked by a civil war that resulted in the formation of Celigo, a new, central basis for Celesti power and belief backing the Star Org. Why the two came into conflict is unknown, though most agree that Scout Fenris' mental stability was questionable at the time the conflict started, and played a role in much of the resulting carnage.

Similarly, it is unclear exactly how or why the battle grew to encompass so much of the galaxy, or how, exactly, the war ended. Scout Fenris is believed to have died, and Scout Areal vanished. And things

What is known is that 65% of the galaxy was effected in some way, and more Planetary Scouts died or retired in that year than in the past 100. The next generation was ill-equipped to stand against the dominant style of the Star Org, and most could do little but shore up what little faith the galaxy had in their organization.

Current Situation
However, in the past 25 years, the Star Org has shown the difference between thier "justice" and the one that the Scouts uphold, and the special charisma and shine of the Planetary Scouts have begun to heal the wounds and mistrust held by the universe; it is now a matter of whether the Scouts can rally, and if it isn't already too late. Until the YoF, Planetary Scouts were regularly called upon to mediate and judge interstellar crimes, contracts, and disputes. Since then, it is a toss up about whether the Galaxy Scouts will be called, or whether the Star Org will claim the right (Often, the Star Org will try to force a court to offer them the right if the Galaxy Scouts can't mobilize someone fast enough).

The biggest reasons for what return they've managed are three-fold - Star Org, on average, has the Charisma of cheese, while the Galaxy Scouts have spent centuries mastering public presence; Star Org is snobbish, and insulting to those of other beliefs, mostly; while the GS has had respect for community, and the legal system, literally beaten into them, if need be, from the first day of training; lastly, Star Org has shown some very clear biases in their judgements, which GS strives very hard to avoid (for example, Star Org has executed plaintiffs who were Dead Inside, regardless of evidence - if they even choose to hearing any to start with).

Also a factor, Star Org's commercial interests have made it a danger to many worlds where trade is critical to the economy (or existance) - a fact that Star Org weilds with all the finesse of a sledge hammer. This situation leads to a great deal of resentment, both among populos of such worlds, and the governments leading them. The Scouts might occasionally seem capricious, and their powers in the diplomatic and legal realms problematic, but there was never any doubt about their intentions (until the YoF), or that the actions they took were as fair as possible. Star Org lives to make others subsurviant and bind them to the Org's philosophy, and rarely try to hide that intent. Unfortunately, the Org does hold a financial dagger over too many planetary throats right now, and thus, there is no way to dislodge them at this particular point.

Information about basic Scout legal powers

More information about the Scout Organization

Important Scouts in today's galaxy