The Advance Infiltration and Reconnaissance (AIR) division of the People's Galactic Alliance Forces is an independent, specialized division within the PGAF, dedicated to missions that the PGAF Marines and Naval Fleet are untrained or unable to commit to. It serves in multiple military and paramilitary roles, and though it received little attention, the division as a whole has a nearly one hundred per cent mission success rate and has counted among its members some of the most decorated service men and women of the PGAF.
Hierarchy[]
The A.I.R. division, while a division of the military, does not use military ranks, with the blanket title of "agent" given to all members, and assigning leadership roles as mission profiles demand. The director of A.I.R. is generally in charge of overseeing the division and assigning missions, though any member of A.I.R. may be assigned to plan, equip, and execute a mission independently. Though true ranks do not exist, specific roles do, and A.I.R. agents may qualify for and be employed in more than one. The known roles follow, and are listed below by their unofficial names,
Commando[]
The A.I.R. commandos are the covert (and occasionally overt) supplement to the PGAF Marines, specializing in both ground and naval combat, and applied to nonstandard operations, including reconnaissance, infiltration, hostage rescue, guerrilla warfare, and counter-terrorism. All A.I.R. commandos are required to have several years of combat and leadership experience in an organization recognized by the PGAF if not from among other divisions of the navy.
Intelligence[]
The A.I.R. intelligence agents include recon pilots committed entirely to flying the Xesh 2 fighters to provide intelligence data on worlds and fleets in advance of the greater PGAF naval forces. It also includes the larger PGAF intelligence gathering community, including employment in espionage and external investigation. Intelligence pilots must pass advanced Xesh 2 qualification tests, while agents are usually culled from defectors and other divisions within the PGAF who show aptitude for undercover and intelligence work. Typically agents are required to pass a practical examination to prove their qualifications.
Internal Affairs[]
The A.I.R. Internal Affairs agents investigate legal matters within PGA and PGA occupied territory, primarily to submit their conclusions to the Chancellor and Senate. They typically work closely with Intelligence agents to develop cases and gather information, and have policing authority as determined by the PGA constitution within the PGAF, and as such may function as military police when the need arises. They must qualify for policing authority through written examinations, security clearance tests, and are typically required to have pristine police records.
Medical[]
The A.I.R. medical agents are highly experienced combat medics deployed to difficult areas or behind enemy lines to grant emergency medical care to sensitive targets or hostages, and as such typically work alongside A.I.R. Commandos. It is common for A.I.R. medics to be embedded in PGAF Marine units in combat missions.
History[]
A.I.R. Division Patch
The A.I.R. as a division was created by Chancellor Horten soon after the PGAF Marines as a deliberate mockery of the Revenant Armada's A.I.U., but was actually a reorganization of the decorated Crimson Squadron. Zaedrac Rexen, commander of Crimson Squadron, was assigned to direct A.I.R. once the squadron was fully integrated into the new division. As a result, the division at first had the same blanket requirements of the squadron, and all members were required to be combat qualied on the Xesh 2 fighter regardless of role. Gradually the fighter qualifications became more lenient over time.
A.I.R. largely succeeded in staying under the public radar, and was typically referenced only in passing by those aware of its existence. They were, however, integral to several significant operations conducted by the PGAF, including multiple successful infiltrations of and extractions from the Tetan palace on Cinnagar, conducting firsthand reconnaissance and rescuing a PGA senator who was abducted and tortured.
A.I.R. personnel on Cinnagar gathering intelligence during a diversionary strike by the Fel Empire
The division also conducted surveillance on Revenant activity on Nar Shaddaa and in the Empress Teta system, and it was A.I.R. who provided the earliest warning of the Revenant Assault on Coruscant.
A.I.R. operations became more passive after the PGA's counter-attack on the planet and major operations fell to the PGAF Marines, and ultimately Rexen retired from the PGAf and his position as Director of A.I.R. after several years of service to both the PGA and the RLF that preceded it.
Chancellor Vandergraffe hired former CorSec officer Vaniva to revive A.I.R. operations after Rexen's departure, and he oversaw a string of A.I.R. operations directed primarily against the Revenant forces on Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa, including Operation Skyjacker, the joint venture regarded as the final major combat operation against the Revenant before they withdrew from Coruscant. A.I.R. was also behind investigations of key members of GAR and the criminal former Senator Vix of Bakura, uncovering evidence and conducting arrests and interrogations.
As the military began to demobilize with the Revenant's departure from a major presence in PGA affairs, A.I.R. was once again relegated to a passive role in support of PGAF peacetime operations.
Notable Members[]
Zadrac Rexen, former commander of Crimson Squadron was the first official Director of A.I.R. and lead a successful hostage rescue operation deep behind enemy lines on Cinnagar.
Adien Arun was an A.I.R. commando and medic, decorated for his leadership during Operation Skyjacker, and responsible for countless lives saved through his medical work, typically under combat conditions.
PGAF Marines and A.I.R. shortly before a joint rescue operation on Nar Shaddaa.
Operational Deployment[]
A.I.R. is currently deployed in their more traditional covert roles of passive intelligence gathering and internal investigations in support of PGA law enforcement.