Kratch

Katch
Category:	Mercenary
Origins	Created by the Daruk at the request of Barkley Barrett
Source	Rota System in the Tarduk Sector
Purpose	Monetary gain
First Mentioned	Battleflight

Overview

The Katch are a mercenary group almost mythical in their abilities and expensive to hire. There is very little known about them in Federation space. From the few remains analyzed by the Lone Wolf Squadron (group) they are clones derived from a single donor of Mediterranean Earth stock.

The only name they have for the race/group that runs the cloning program is the Creators. In Interstellar Justice it is revealed they are being created by the Daruk species in the Rota System, Tadarak Sector at the behest of Barkley Barrett. The clones are created in batches. Some clones fail when they are moved to the growth-medium. Others when the cybernetic implant is installed. The Daruk had recently improved the survival rate from 3 in 9 to 4 in 9 under ideal growth conditions,

At least Teefer had a Skaine overseer and was raised light-years away on the hidden Kratch growth and training station. They do not dream, Doctor. They experience regular training during our sleep cycles when connected to the collective. They have such control over their bodies they can simply instruct Their brain to rest and fall asleep.

Teefer is an example of a defective Kratch. He is unable to connect to the group brain. However, they allow him to live and perform non-combat roles such as guarding prisoners. Normally the Kratch need the collective mind connection to remain functional. Without it, they’re being told to die by their implant. His defect allows him to continue to live.

The contract with the Kratch is unusual in its terms. The client must pay reparations for every Kratch fighter or individual lost, as well as pay for the replacements sent to reinforce the unit. Payment is due only after they succeed in accomplishing their overall mission.

Their assault strategy is simplistic. If they lose any, they increase their numbers for the next battle. It’s one of the reasons their expenses increase each time. You should expect two or three to replace one lost.

At the end of Interstellar Justice the Kratch have been somewhat released from a collective. They are struggling with how to be productive without constant monitoring. There will probably never be another batch of Kratch from the Daruk. Since the Kratch are fundamentally human they should be able to have children with human women (Kratch are all male) but essentially the Kratch are probably a dying offshoot of humanity. However, in Frontier Law B-397 is identified as female. This may be explained in future books.

Characteristics

• They are 2 meters tall
• Half their faces are cybernetic with a cybernetic eye that can focus down as far as a microscopic viewer,
• They have a group, linked mind.
• Their battle armor is black except for a mirrored face plate.
• Their orders came in through his cybernetic cranial implant,

Resources

The Kratch fighters are small, fast and maneuverable with dual engines. The fighters have shields and both missiles, missile countermeasures and plasma cannons. Even with multiple Kratch fighters on one of the armored Lone Star Fighters, the Lone Star Fighter usually prevails.

They are transported on spindle carrier ships. The carriers have shields and defensive capabilities.

Other than fueling and rearming, only Kratch are allowed to support their ships. If a Kratch ship is too damaged to be repaired it is destroyed and a replacement ship sent.

Activities

Lone Wolf Squadron

Battleflight

The Kratch are hired by the Skaine Consortium to support Over-Captain Iglon to fight the Lone Wolf Squadron.

Attack Wing

The Kratch presence, funded by the Skaine Consortium increases. They have more fighters and have sent guards to Uuru to secure the Skaine prison facility.

Interstellar Justice

Barkley Barrett visits the Daruk to press them to increase the speed of the growth of the clones as the Lone Wolf Squadron has killed many of those already delivered. They impress on him it will increase the rate of failure from 5 in 9 to 6 in.

At the Telex Outpost One station Amina has been able to use the Pod-doc to repair the damaged Kratch parameters and separate them from the collective. Unfortunately they do not have individualist experience Teefer and find it difficult to function beyond rudimentary tasks with direct supervision. While it creates an immediate challenge, it also shows them the opportunity to end the Kratch threat/slavery if they can find a means to neutralize the signal from the collective.

For the final assault in the Zubic Four, Remi takes Teefer, Emmer and Gander to assault one of the Spindle ships. The goal is to tap into the collective's communication node and disrupt the signal so the Kratch stop following the orders to assault the Squadron. When Teefer, Emmer and Gander get to the communications node they find it is not conventional Kratch technology. Teefer enters the communications stream and confronts the call to conform. Other Kratch would not be able to resist, but Teefer has always been one step away from the collective. He always could hear it but was able to decide for himself what to do. He finally breaks through the collective voice's defenses and convinces the Kratch to lay down their arms and surrender.

After the battle Teefer takes over as the voice of the collective. Slowly the Kratch are being cycled through the Pod-doc to have their bodies repaired and the cybernetic implement neutralized.

Frontier Law

The Kratch are recruited to help rebuild the Tortu in what could become a new venture for them. With their cybernetic implants they are able assimilate technical specifications and repair requirements extremely fast. There is a need for a repair facility in the Tardex for the freighters going through the system. About half of Kratch from the mining effort join the ship repair effort although some of them are killed during the attack by the raiders.

Cluster Command

A core Kratch team training in the art of distilling alcohol. Growler thinks they can do things he can’t to manipulate the batches. Their ability to coordinate with each other is helping them pick up the process fast.