RIFT

**RIFT (Research, Information gathering, Finances and Termination)** is a large multi-purpose criminal syndicate the main goal of which is immense monetary gain. The organisation is split into several branches, some of which are actually indistinguishable due to their close connection to each other. The main subgroups within RIFT are the Atlas Wing (mercenary work and assassination division), the Prometheus Wing (research division), the Hyperion Wing (information gathering division) and the Cronus Wing (finances division).

# Purpose & Goals

RIFT has the aim of granting its most important members vast riches and influence over the world. The organisation itself has no specific milestones and targets it strives to achieve, but it pursues any venture that might help with accomplishing the main goal. Currently, the Japanese branch of RIFT aims to establish a solid foothold and connections to the local criminal underworld in hopes of becoming the dominant force after the Inquisitors had been wiped out.

# Base

Favouring a more decentralised model, RIFT has multiple smaller "offices" spread throughout Tokyo instead of a single, specific base. The 3rd Ward RIFT Tokyo Bureau is the main administrative center of the organisation in Japan, but there's also other important buildings, such as the RIFT Logistics Office amongst others.

# Structure

RIFT hierarchy is somewhat complex, as there are multiple circles of command and leadership within the group. There are pre-defined, specific roles that are assigned to each member. Starting from the top down, there's several bodies that control the whole organisation at large.

**Board of Directors** - The Board of Directors are the absolute top of RIFT command, making major decisions about the future of the group on a global scale. The one with the most power within the board is the Executive Director. There are various types of Directors, with some of them specialising at tactics and finances, while others might offer their scientific expertise and head the research departments. Some of the Directors are even expert assassins that have proven themselves to be the absolute masters of their craft and have made their way to the board where they offer their sound advice and evaluate possible operations. All decisions of the board are final and carry absolute weight - they can not be overridden by any RIFT operative, no matter the rank.

**Overseers** - Overseers are seasoned professionals that have been selected to preside over a specific area. Sometimes, these areas are as small as a neighbourhood, while other times an Overseer may be in charge of handling an entire country. Usually these aren't mutually exclusive, as some Overseers may possess more authority than a colleague of the same rank that's in charge of a smaller area. The Overseers handle every matter within their territory, be it scientific, fiscal or mercenary related. They make the decisions about the local branches that they control.

**Nodes** - The Nodes are parts of the RIFT information network - they're information brokers that are scattered throughout the globe and sell knowledge about persons and items of interest to the highest bidder, or often times, the only bidder. They are also in charge of briefing RIFT operatives about their missions and targets, since they offer their services free of charge for their allies. Nodes possess lesser influence than Overseers and have nowhere near as much authority, although they're fairly autonomous and only obey the Links and Board of Directors.

**Links** - The Links are essentially an oversight body that ensures the efficiency of RIFT and its hierarchical structure. Usually they do performance check on the different branches and often time perform "refactoring" where they remove bad or low quality elements of the group. The Links only report to the Board and no one else, but even the board usually allows them to retain their autonomy and handle matters on their own. Rarely, a Link can install itself as a replacement for an Overseer and control a specific territory if they deem it to be a good course of action. Usually that's done with RIFT offices that are underperforming. Usually, much like Overseers, Links are highly skilled in various different fields, including strategy, finances and, naturally, combat. Their capabilities, however, tend to be considerably greater than those of Overseers due to a mix of incredible talent and years upon years of experience.

**Head Operatives** - The Head Operative is a position that revolves around conveying the Overseer's orders to other operatives. The Head Operative is subordinate to the Board, the Links, the Nodes, and, naturally, the Overseers. Head Operatives do not normally engage in combat, even if they may be skillful at it, as they are more important as low level management that relays orders and ensures everything is going as intended.

**Eliminators** - Eliminators are highly skilled operatives that specialise in assassination and high-tier mercenary work. This type of RIFT personnel are usually employed in order to target a specific person, or in groups when a death squad is being requested by an Overseer or the board. Eliminators have no formal training at anything else other than weapons and combat training, which is in exchange incredibly intensive.

**Agents** - Agents are RIFT personnel whose main skills revolve around deception, espionage, strategy, planning and analysis. This type of operatives are usually deployed as undercover spies in order to extract some form of information from a target. The agents also have extensive combat training, however it doesn't even get them close to the level of ability that Eliminators possess.

**Carriers** - Carriers are low-level RIFT employees that mostly deal with paperwork, menial matters and delivering important resources to other members of the group discreetly. Some Carriers that get to use high-tech hardware such as helicopters are considerably higher ranked than their low-level counterparts.

RIFT also tend to employ outsiders to work for them from time to time, as well as disposable local thugs and mercenaries whenever it's efficient to do so. Usually these types of people get little trust.

# Customs

The standard RIFT operative is raised from birth or at most, very early childhood. All aspiring recruits are raised together in well-concealed and isolated training camps where their abilities, be it physical or mental, are honed and sharpened to the highest possible extent. In these same camps, the instructors make sure to "educate" their students into the RIFT ideology and protocols - there is no individual, only the goal and the greater good of RIFT. Raised in an extremely competitive environment that suppresses their emotions as much as possible, the operatives grow up to be heartless or at the very least, extremely ruthless and cruel. At the age of 14, an aptitude test is conducted that allows the RIFT personnel to evaluate each recruit. Recruits are assigned an area to specialise in based on their results in deception, combat and academic ability. From there on, the trainees are separated in smaller groups and undergo even more intensive training and competition. At the age of 18, the top graduates that have successfully conformed to the RIFT mindset are installed in their positions as Agents, Eliminators or Researchers. Every low-scoring individual is given the rank of a Carrier. Both low and high scoring individuals that fail to adapt to the RIFT mindset are discarded.

From there on, Agents, as the most versatile members of RIFT, can progress into any position, be it Link, Overseer or Node. Eliminators are usually locked in into their speciality until they expire, given that most of them are only ever good at exterminating their opponents and statistically Eliminators have a weaker adoption rate to the RIFT mindset. Highly successful and loyal Eliminators with sharp thought, however, can be promoted into Links. Carriers can only ever progress into Nodes, which is more than enough motivation for what are essentially the worker drones of RIFT.

Operatives are required to follow the RIFT protocols, which come down to extreme efficiency and focus solely on the mission. All other *thoughts* are forbidden to the RIFT operative. Member of the organisation that show to be incompatible with this ideology can and will be regularly discarded whenever detected.

# Japanese Branch

The main RIFT center in Japan is Tokyo, with several offices continually persisting in the place. Unlike the European, Russian and Chinese branches, however, the Japanese branch has been consistently underperforming in recent years - or in essence - since its establishment. Due to issues with lack of connections with the local underworld, as well as general insufficiency in regards to resources, the Board of Directors have unanimously deemed that branch to be *failing* and have hence deployed Link 1 in order to resolve all problems plaguing the organisation and bring success to the local RIFT forces. Despite their status as underperforming, the Japanese Branch are still a formidable opponent, however, and their information trade is quite strong, with connections all around the world feeding data into the immense organisation.

# Known Members

* Link 1 - Having assumed leadership of the Japanese Branch at the expense of the local chief Overseer, Link 1 is a highly experienced and skillful RIFT operative, distinguished as the absolute commander of the Atlas Wing and all of its forces spread around the world. Link 1's job is to conduct improvements and reinforce the positions of RIFT on the Japanese coast.

* Andrei Fukov (Deceased) - An agent of considerable skill originating from the regions surrounding Bosnia, Andrei Fukov was a capable individual that graduated with mid-level success and although his field performance was nothing outstanding, it had always been solid and that had warranted him an important, even if rather simple and easy deployment. He promptly delivered results, even though he shortly lost his life in the line of duty due to a perplexing coincidence of circumstances that led to his death. As a result of accomplishing his mission, RIFT gained the ability to produce Quinques, with Bikaku and Koukaku pieces being of especially high quality due to the advanced samples that Fukov had delivered.