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Conspiracy of Shadows
(a.k.a. Bureau Thirteen, the Star Chamber)

"Nothing in this act or any other law... shall be construed to require the disclosure of the organization or any function of the Alliance Security Agency, of any information with respect to the activities thereof, or of the names, titles, salaries, or number of the persons employed by such agency." - Section 6 of Public Law 86-36 (2152 C.E.). The only law ever passed pertaining to the ASA

History | Knights of Earth | CyberZombies | Control Initiative

History

“Shadow” governments operating within legitimate governments have been with humanity for as long as civilization has existed. From the Melbourne Incident in 2067 to the capture and coverup of a downed Vree saucer in the 1950's, governments have been suspected of (correctly or erroneously) of secret projects utilizing vast amounts of public resources without consent of the people they serve. The most powerful  faction within the Earth Alliance today is the Conspiracy of Shadows (COS) -- also known as Bureau Thirteen, the Star Chamber, and many other names. It is the nature of such organizations to change their titles often to help maintain secrecy. In the case of the COS, several diverse groups have banded together to achieve several goals. The COS is quite possibly a cancerous outgrowth of the Alliance Security Agency (ASA); however, as with most organizations of this nature, there is little to no paper trail to trace an origin.

 The COS consists of high level Psi Corps officials, key Alliance Senators and the Office of the President. This black government group came in contact with the Shadows in 2253 C.E. What deals were struck is unknown, however it seems that the whatever prior goals the group had were abandoned or modified in light of their new allies. What the Shadows hope to gain from helping the humans become a closed, fascist society is unknown -- save that a government with extreme anti-alien sentiments would enter more conflicts with other governments readily. The popularity of then-President Santiago and a peaceful solution to the Mars Independence issue were the primary thorns in the COS' side. Through various means, these were eliminated. By 2260, President Clark enjoyed Santiago's former position and Earth, Mars, and several colonies were firmly under the Alliance's thumb.

 One point in the COS/Shadow alliance allows the Shadows to recover Shadow Battlecruisers in exchange for unknown boons. As with many treaties, the COS and the Shadows do not trust or confide in each other. Prior to the declaration of martial law in 2260, the COS tried and failed to recover a Shadow Battlecruiser buried on Europa. Unlike other finds of this nature, the COS did not report this to  the Shadows and allow them to recover it. The COS hopes to be "more like to Shadows," but not

dependent upon them.

 The COS has partial or direct control of several agencies, organizations, and corporations: Homeguard, Interplanetary Expeditions (IPX), Nightwatch and other agencies and ministries under the direct control of the president, and Psi Corps. The COS appears to be divided into several sects, each with a specific purpose. One of its many bases is located in the San Diego wastelands. The head of the San Diego sect is known only by the codenames "Control" and "Thirteen." Many COS operatives are composed of "deceased" Psi Corps members; a practice long suspected of the ASA. Aside from the usual cloak and dagger, goals are also achieved using advanced technology. Most of which is centered on the scientific application of advanced telepathic techniques. The COS' main research and development facility is located on Syria Planum, Mars. While the Psi Corps operates a "legitimate," yet secret, science facility here, only COS Psi Corps members have access to COS projects.

The Knights of Earth

 In 2258, Knights One and Two were dispatched to Babylon 5 to interrogate Commander Sinclair. They suspected him of collaborating with the Minbari in creating a "fifth column" on Earth to corrupt and destroy the Alliance from within and being a major agent in that organization. While the Knights may have believed this, it is possible that their masters hoped to discern the extent that the Minbari are meddling in human affairs -- an unwanted event since the Minbari are  known enemies of the Shadows.

Once aboard Babylon 5, Knights One and Two kidnapped Sinclair and placed him in a Virtual Reality Cybernet. From there, Knight Two could "enter" Sinclair's mind and observe his memories. He focused on Sinclair's missing 24 hours during the Battle of the Line in 2247. After discovering he met with the Grey Council, Sinclair broke free of the VRC causing a neural feedback. Sinclair killed Knight One in self-defense, and escaped. His brain fried, Knight Two returned to Earth in a prison shuttle under EarthGov jurisdiction, telling the Commander, "There's something in my head. It says: 'Maybe you're still inside. Maybe we're both still inside.'". The extensive brain damage of Knight Two gave the government proper no provable information about their agency, Bureau Thirteen

CyberZombies

 One of COS' more insidious programs was Project: Lazarus. It was once a dead-end Earth Force project. All attempts at melding a computer with a healthy human brain had failed. It was thought that melding a computer with humans close to death would be more successful. Accident victims, wounded soldiers, and comatose individuals were operated on to no avail. In the late 2230's the project was  closed. Several years later, Bureau Thirteen made the

breakthrough that made Project: Lazarus viable. With the addition of deep telepathic therapy that fixated the conscious mind on the moment of death, the cybernetic computer was able to almost completely control the body. Should the subject lose her fixation on death and gain some semblance of though, the computer looses control, but constantly tries to reboot and take over.

 During the Mars Rebellion of 2258, the Bureau acquired a very valuable piece of property, the body of Abel Horn, a radical Free Mars revolutionary. Moderately intact after being in the vacuum of space, he instantly enrolled in Project: Lazarus at the Syria Planum facility on Mars. Several body parts were unsalvageable, but the addition of cybernetic limbs only increased his usefulness. High voltage shock pads, and a high density data link were added to his arms. Delivery of this tool would be easily accomplished though regular cargo haulers since most life functions could be reduced drastically until reactivation.

 In 2259, the Bureau sent Abel Horn to Babylon 5 to kill Taro Isogi, president of FutureCorp. Should Isogi's plan with the Mars Provisional Council go through, Mars would have a peaceful, and profitable, way to sever ties with Earth within ten years. After Isogi's first meeting with committee member Sandra Carter, Horn killed Isogi, yelling, "Free Mars!" However, the station's telepath, Talia Winters, was present and partially broke Horn's fixation on his death. This confused him and he awaited new orders from Control on Earth. Despite his orders, Horn gained some degree of self-awareness and called for help from his former friend Sandra Carter and from the telepath he was to kill. In the end, Horn provoked Babylon 5 security into killing him. His body self-destructed soon after, leaving no evidence.

Control Initiative

 For locating a Shadow Battlecruiser on Mars, and allowing its recovery, the Shadows gave the COS advanced psionic surgical knowledge and technology. Several telepaths of various P-ratings were taken and processed by the machines. The most useful project became the Control Initiative. The Control program consisted of planting fully fleshed artificial personalities (APs) into the minds of unsuspecting telepaths. These personalities are programmed to be completely loyal to the Corps, and are not known for their kindness. These APs are buried deep in the subconscious, undetectable by most deep telepathic scans. They lie dormant, but aware, and are able to control the body when the original personality is asleep. The AP is programmed for self-preservation and will act on any perceived threat, subtly manipulating the conscious mind of its "host." They are placed within organizations like Earth Dome, Babylon 5, and Mini-Pax, completely unaware of their shadow personality. When the time is judged to be right, a telepathic password is broadcast to the sleeper, irrevocably destroying the original personality and allowing the AP full control and access to the body. All such agents were codenamed "Control." Unfortunately, two unknown individuals destroyed the secret Control research lab on Mars. The number of subjects that did survive is unknown.

 Apparently, not all high officials in the Corps are aware of this project, since the uncovering of the mole on Babylon 5 (2259 C.E.) led to her debriefing, dissection, and the termination of the program.

With the cose of the Earth Civil War at the end of 2261, the Conspiracy lost its entire powerbase.  Some elements of the organization have already been captured, and others are being tracked down.  No one knows the true extent of this group’s power, and not all conspirators will be caught.

IRL: Notes on the Entries

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