Silver Team

Special Action Team 47 is a special operations unit in the Interstellar Criminal Police Commission, also called the Space Police. It is the ICPC's première counter-terrorist and special investigation group, with its primary focus being as a special response team for terrorist incidents that are of interstellar importance. It is simply referred to as Silver Team in most media reports.
The unit originated with the Sagittarian space police organization in the late 2660s, was subordinated to the Confederate public safety and state security apparatus in the middle of the 2670s, and became a component of the Interstellar Police in 2676. It operated largely clandestinely until its involvement in foiling the Keystone Incident in the summer of 2680. Its existence was made public and it has since seen an expansion in its membership. Nonetheless it remains highly selective, with less than a hundred and fifty sworn officers and just over five hundred support operatives and staff.
The unit retains much of its Sagittarian law enforcement traditions, focused on detective work and nonlethal capture of opposition forces during hostage or siege incidents. As such, the unit has been called into action in major hostage rescue situations, and to investigate complex criminal situations or the disappearances or assassinations of public officials. Its members are each assigned a codename, corresponding to an animal, and often wear highly idiosyncratic protective gear and field equipment suggestive of their namesake animal and involving the colors silver and black.
== History ==
The original Silver Team was formed as the 47th Action Group "Silver" of the Sagittarian Space Police Force, by three Sagittarian police officers: Mohamed Ibeji Sana'a, Ryo Toriyama, and Kurtis Amadeus Angel. They took the callsigns Silver Lion, Silver Dragon, and Silver Tiger. The group expanded in 2674 with the inclusion of another six officers, including a goliath EOD specialist. In 2675 the group was made part of the provisional Galactic Space Police at the foundation of the Republic. In the 2676 National Security Act, the GSP was reorganized as the Interstellar Criminal Police Commission. The unit operated clandestinely, accruing a few more members over the next several years. The team acquired its present system of organization during this period, being subdivided into initially two squads composed of around three pairs of officers each.
The Keystone Incident sparked in June 2680 as several political assassinations led to police crackdowns and reactionary terrorist action against police and government organizations on the colony world Keystone. It was considered a local matter until August, when the detonation of a nuclear weapon on the planet's capital killed several hundred thousand people. With the planet's coordinating police bureau effectively destroyed, the local State Security office took command and requested assistance. The Interstellar Police deployed its own special investigative unit in the form of the Silver Team based on suspicions that the bombings may be tied to colonial insurrectionist networks across the Outer Colonies and to pirate groups operating throughout Terran space. Silver Lion led the investigation himself, along with four officers from Operations Group Kaleidoscope: Tiger, Wolf, Snake, and Hawk. After failing to foil a second bombing in Hauberk, Silver Lion died. According to reports, he was attempting to defuse the nuclear device when the device detonated, while he ordered the other team members to flee the site. Two other members of Kaleidoscope were dispatched as support along with Silver Dragon and Silver Crane from Operations Group Cobra. The team participated in the raid on terrorist leader Constantine Bronstein's headquarters and aided the investigation of his terrorist network known on the planet as the Bandit Union.
In the aftermath, Silver Tiger held command until he voluntarily took a lower posting as Operations Officer in 2686, and Dragon was promoted to Commander. The group's fame due to the public reports on the incident led to the official recognition of their existence. Petitions for admittance into their organization increased, but the team remained very selective. Membership was and remains solely by selection by the Operations Staff under the Commander's discretion. The unit has since been deployed in various counter-terrorist operations, and utilized in several investigations of galactic importance. Only a small number of these operations have been made public.
== Structure ==
Due to being grandfathered in from the Sagittarian Space Police, their organization is unique within the wider Galactic police system. Public information on Silver Team's structure and methods are scant; however, some information has come to light due to criminal court records available to the public, and increased public scrutiny of clandestine agencies.
The Silver Team is divided into an Operations Staff, an administrative and logistics support unit, and several Squads composed of six officers each. Its officers all must be certified detectives, or undergo a training course to be certified such, and are selected on the recommendation of the Operations Staff. A prospective candidate is selected on the basis of their service record, unique skills, and the needs of the team's operations and planning. Police officers often petition for admission, but these are usually ignored unless they fit the exacting standards of the Silver Team operations staff. The evaluation of a prospective member is rigorous, and many prospective candidates washout. The selection process includes a written examination; a range test with the P4A police service pistol, the Mk. 9K personal defense weapon, and the Mk 28 precision rifle; a full physical and psychological examination; and a rigorous obstacle course. Following this, a candidate is subjected to a three-month training course in orbital drops, HALO jumps, air assault techniques, combat diver techniques, breaching techniques, close quarters combat, marksmanship, and negotiation tactics. This is followed by a one-month course in ballistics and forensics science and criminal psychology. The Silver Team has an operational force of 143 sworn officers, among the smallest units of action in the Interstellar Police, in part because of the exacting standards designed to craft its officers into "masters of many skills" and experts in all areas of police operations and detective work. Its commitment to excellence and expertise has occasionally led Silver Team to look beyond active police officers for its membership; it is rumored that the unit has recruited former "black hat" criminals, as well as skilled civilian prodigies, though their identities remain unknown to the public.
The Operations Staff is headed by the Commander, who has been Colonel Ryo Toriyama since January 2686. The Commander reports directly to the Chief of the ICPC, and is supported by the Operations Officer, who acts as the unit executive officer and planning officer, and two other staff officers who advise on direct action and on special investigations, respectively. In addition, each Squad commander has an advisory capacity on the Operations Staff.
The team is subdivided into the following "Silver Squads", each commanded by a police Captain. Each squad has an executive officer with the rank of a police Major and a deputy leader with the rank of Lieutenant. The other members are noted by their callsigns, as most are not publicly known by their legal names for security reasons:
* Kaleidoscope: Ape, Bear, Salamander, Dove, Penguin, Peacock.
* Cobra: Crab, Fox, Owl, Rat, Turtle.
* Limestone: Hog, Bull, Boar, Crow, Elk, Manta.
* Joy: Jaguar, Butterfly, Dolphin, Squirrel, Goat, Jackass.
* Quicksand: Barracuda, Hare, Mouse, Raven, Partridge, Moose.
* Aquamarine: Shark, Swan, Lobster, Crocodile, Kraken, Jellyfish.
* Thunderbolt: Hawk, Elephant, Falcon, Thrush, Ram, Spider.
* Olympus: Thunderbird, Wyvern, Mandrake, Basilisk, Phoenix, Griffin.
* Rockwell: Kodiak, Panther, Frog, Salmon, Hyena, Skink.
* Sand Castle: Orca, Gull, Snail, Seal, Sealion, Marlin.
* Cataphract: Stallion, Camel, Roebuck, Mule, Ostrich, Yak.
* Vexillum: Eagle, Leopard, Otter, Brock, Stoat, Scallop.
* House: Hound, Cat, Ferret, Gecko, Boa, Iguana.
* Ranch: Ox, Caribou, Mare, Gator, Hen, Goose.
* Bronze: Cougar
According to declassified mission records, as well as media reports on the subject, a typical investigation will involve two officers from the same Squad, sometimes three if the situation is expected to require backup. It is rare that an entire Squad is tasked to investigate a given case, or is deployed to action; if so, the situation is usually very dire or of extreme importance. The Keystone Incident, Sicron Incident, and Jericho Riots are examples of individual events that required the full attention of a single Squad. The Pirate War uniquely saw several Squads deployed in various hot zones to investigate, track, and confront Yellow Jacket gang leaders.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
The Silver Team uses a variety of standard police and military-grade weaponry. The Beretta P4A Police Pistol is the standard sidearm, issued to every officer along with OC sprays and a stun baton. Common weapons used for close quarters assault tasks include the Mk 9K sub-machinegun. Marksman and sniping rifles include the Springfield SR-38 marksman rifle, the Hellfocker M991 sniper weapon system, and the Enfield Mk 28 precision rifle. In situations requiring heavy firepower and rapid mobility, the Hellfocker FG-101 para rifle and Thay Corporation CS-5 caseless rifle are used. Breaching weapon is typically the Mk 23 combat shotgun. While Silver Team is rarely utilized to quell riots, they are prepared for riot control, and ranged support is facilitated through grenade-launching weapons like the Mk 77 revolver grenade launcher and the GW-86 single-shot grenade launcher, and tear-gas grenades.
=== Uniforms ===
In practice, Silver Team utilizes a black-and-silver pattern of field uniform, usually with black tee-shirts or tank-tops, silvery-gray cargo pants, and teal berets. In tactical situations, the team nominally uses standard special response combat gear; however, many members wear powered combat armor accented or patterned after their callsign animals. Silver Tiger, for instance, has often been reported as wearing a grotesque-style mask of a tiger's snarling face as a helmet during assault raids; this seems to be typical of team member customization. Official uniforms for formal settings are identical to Interstellar Police uniforms (khaki shirt with dark blue jackets and trousers), but with black berets. Face coverings are utilized for public appearances to maintain the security of each members' identity, usually balaclava masks or grotesque face masks. In court cases, their animal-themed callsigns are used instead of names.
=== Idiosyncrasies ===
In spite of standard weapons and uniforms, many members of Silver Team are reported to use idiosyncratic weaponry and equipment for direct action situations, and these idiosyncrasies sometimes carry over during plainclothes investigation, many of it based around their selected or assigned animal-themed callsign. As noted, armor and field uniforms are often greatly varied on this basis. Some members utilize customized personal weapons, surveillance equipment, and professional gear. The colors silver and black are frequently used, even in plainclothes sartorial choices, and especially in tactical situations.
== Casualties ==
Relatively few officers of Silver Team have died in the line of duty. Their names were disclosed to the public upon death, and their callsigns were retired from use. The list below contains their names, callsigns, dates of death, and other public details:
Watchmaster Pietro Barton (Silver Rook), died 3 September 2677.
Colonel Mohamed Ibeji Sana'a (Silver Lion), died 14 August 2680, commander and founder. Died on planet Keystone during the Keystone Incident.
Lieutenant Sasha Manikova (Silver Snake), died 3 June 2685 during the Battle of Kolossen.
Lieutenant James Oliver Smith (Silver Wolf), died 31 October 2685 during the Sicron Incident.
Senior Watchmaster Renee Oubliette (Silver Sparrow), died 25 March 2689.
Watchmaster Theobald Thyssen (Silver Pike), died 19 January 2693.
In addition, decorated Marines veteran, intelligence agent, and socialite Roy Wilkins (b. 2648) is now known to have served in Silver Team for eleven years, but retired from government service in March 2695. He has since starred in an autobiographical motion picture about his war service, though he has yet to publicly comment on his time in Silver Team other than acknowledging that it occurred.
Category:Counter-terrorist organizations
Category:Interstellar Police
Category:Specialist law enforcement agencies