The Stewards
Founded on Verces millennia ago, the Stewards were originally a nongovernmental peacekeeping organization dedicated to defending that planet’s unified Ring of Nations and keeping individual countries loyal to the alliance. With the creation of the Absalom Pact binding the worlds of their solar system together, the Stewards found an even higher calling and pledged themselves to this new mission, relocating their headquarters to Absalom Station.
The Stewards operate as elite warrior-diplomats tasked with maintaining the tenuous alliance binding the Pact Worlds together. When new Stewards are sworn in, they renounce all allegiance to their former organizations or home worlds, dedicating their lives instead to protecting the Pact and its citizens. What exactly that protection entails is decided by the Director-General and the Conclave of Legates, but it ranges from policing neutral space lanes and facilitating trade negotiations to ending nascent wars with overwhelming force (and, some whisper, quiet assassinations). While not every group appreciates the Stewards’ meddling, in general their high-minded neutrality is seen as heroic, and even rank-and-file Stewards are admired for their skills and code of conduct. Though their headquarters, the stark citadel called Bastion, is located on Absalom Station, the organization remains totally separate from the government of Absalom Station itself and in fact is technically independent of even the Pact Worlds’ governing council. In practice, the Stewards defer to the council in all but the rarest circumstances, but should the elected officials ever take actions against the letter or spirit of the Pact, the Stewards’ leaders would have the freedom to refuse to serve.
Rank among the Stewards is quasi-military, but individual Stewards often operate independently or in small groups. Along these same lines, the organization maintains a sizable fleet but comparatively small garrisons in their installations on various planets. This is supposedly due to both the skill of individual Stewards and their status as advisors rather than occupiers, and most military actions in the system are carried out by the sovereign governments who hold jurisdiction over the territory in which problems arise. A more concrete reason is the Draws, a network of linked interplanetary wormhole gates in each Steward installation, whose top-secret technology allows ground forces to be transferred instantly to wherever they’re needed most. Violence is always a last resort for the Stewards, however, as to achieve peace through conquest would undermine the very principles they stand for. This refusal to step outside their mandate is both the Stewards’ pride and their weakness, as criminals can easily escape their jurisdiction by jumping out of the solar system or crossing into the territory of a planetary government, forcing the Stewards to work with independent bounty hunters and groups like the Knights of Golarion and the Skyfire Legion. Fortunately, they also aren’t above pushing the edges of the rules or orchestrating elaborate stings to lure the criminals back into Pact Worlds space. As Bastion’s drill sergeants often remind new recruits, while the Stewards must be iron-hard in their dedication to the Pact, there’s nothing that says they have to be stupid about it.
History
Structure
Members
The Stewards were founded on Verces millennia before the Gap, at the same time as the unification of the Ring of Nations, after a series of wars or societal upheavals. This theory is supported by the obelisks of Vimal, a nation of Verces, which bear the following inscription followed by different, undecipherable magical runes:
“ From strength unity, from unity strength. Thus do we stand against chaos, thus do we honor their sacrifice. ”
During ancient times, the Stewards remained neutral from all national or familial ties in order to fully commit to their job of policing nations at odds with each other. Their effectiveness as soldiers and diplomats were recorded in numerous accounts, ensuring all countries' loyalty to the Ring of Nations and defending them from the outside. The Stewards were credited with ensuring the peace on Verces that followed the end of the Gap.
When the Veskarium invaded the Golarion system, leading to the signature of the Absalom Pact, the Stewards saw the similarities to the upheaval that led to their foundation. They built a new headquarters in Absalom Station, and expanded their scope from Verces to the entire Pact Worlds. This event received a mixed reception: many people objected to soldiers from Verces considering themselves as protectors and enforcers of other planets, while others suspected that they were trying to undermine the authority of planetary governments, secretly because they were concerned that bribing or otherwise influencing the Stewards would be too difficult. In order to address these concerns, the Pact Council formally gave the Stewards the leeway and authority. In the ensuing centuries, the Stewards have diversified their membership and earned a reputation as neutral mediators or warriors.
The Stewards are divided into three branches: Overwatch, the starship fleet; Constabulary, the planetary police; and Ops, or special operations. Stewards begin as a neophyte and graduate into a deputy constable. In the Constabulary or Ops, they progress through the following ranks: constable, agent, staff agent (an administrative post) or special agent (with little administrative duty), inspector, chief inspector, deputy inspector, and director. Overwatch has different ranks: lieutenant (equivalent to inspector), captain (chief inspector), vice admiral (deputy inspector), and admiral (director). The title legate, which indicates distinguished service, may be awarded to members of any rank.
The Stewards collectively chose one of their own to act as a representative to the Directorate of the Pact Council. The officer, known as the Director-General, has no voting rights within the Council or Directorate, but serves only in an advisory capacity and to carry out the Council's decisions.
Since the Stewards are a flexible, modular, mobile force, and leaders usually have to work with agents available on location, any Steward can issue orders to lower-ranking ones, who are expected to follow. However, to avoid interbranch conflicts, Stewards usually avoid giving orders to lower-ranking members of different branches if a counterpart from that branch is available, and when orders conflict, agents are expected to speak up.
Overwatch
Overwatch is the Stewards' largest branch and enjoys the most freedom. Each starship is commanded by a captain, who reports to a vice admiral, who in turn reports to one of three admirals, currently Echo-7, Grovok Dorgoda and Noor Irular. Overwatch has three flagships: the Paramount, the Steadfast and the Touchstone.Constabulary
Constabulary, the branch most often associated with the Stewards, consists of police officers and ambassadors. Constabulary agents primarily support the local government, only acting with the government's approval. Each Constabulary post is led by an officer of at least chief inspector rank, depending on the station's size. Some high-ranking Stewards coordinate multiple installations. Constabulary is led by three directors: Deepadra Evosco, Kirnaxion and Veshak.Ops
Ops is loosely sructured within the Stewards. Ops teams are usually ad hoc and include Overwatch or Constabulary members with special, valuable skills, who are permanently assigned into Ops as special agents after proving themselves. Ops agents undertake unusual covert missions and operate outside of the Stewards hierarchy: each team is led by a ranking Ops agent, who can move into logistics positions after proving themselves. Many missions eschew red tape to quickly respond, only receiving approval after the operation has already begun. Ops is commanded by a group of deputy directors officially part of Constabulary, who collect intelligence and identify threats that need to be dealt with by Ops, with the help of an administrative force of other agents. These deputy directors report to Constabulary's directors, but some jobs also involve Overwatch. Ops agents are allowed to refuse orders from other branches without question by identifying themselves as an Ops agent, in order to prevent potential explications from compromising secret activities. Such refusals are logged and reviewed by Ops, who confirms whether a refusal was sanctioned or not.Stewards are both warriors who pursue criminals across the Pact Worlds, and diplomats who negotiate agreements to maintain the often complex and fraught relationships between member worlds.1 They prefer the use of soft power over military might, in an effort to maintain the fragile equilibrium of the Pact Worlds.
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