| From: | TopCat <topcat@******.net> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Submission: The Organizatsiya |
| Date: | Sun, 21 Apr 1996 19:22:41 -0500 |
for NERPS Underworld
by Bob Ooton <topcat@******.net>
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History and Basic Information
-----------------------------
In the mid-late 1970's, US immigration laws changed slightly. In the wake
of these changes, officials in the former Soviet Union began to allow the
emigration of Russian Jews to the US. Seeing an opportunity in this, the
KGB and penal system of Russia sent over many hardened criminals as
immigrants. This was the beginning of the formation of what is currently
one of the most feared criminal organizations around: The Organizatsiya, or
Russian Mafia.
Quickly, these groups entrenched themselves in Russian ethnic communities
across the US. As the Soviet Union began to collapse, many (now-jobless)
military men and KGB agents found their way to the US and joined with the
Organizatsiya. Whereas in their start, the Organizatsiya had only criminal
influence, they gained military and intelligence assets. By the mid-1990's
they had gone from being a moderately successful criminal group (reminiscent
of the Italian Mafia a century before) to a black market source of
everything from drugs to nuclear devices.
Unlike many other criminal organizations, the Organizatsiya is not very
territorial. They don't stake out an area and claim it as theirs. They
also do not follow one specific leader, many times different groups will be
working in the same area. This lack of territoriality makes them far more
deadly than their many counterparts as they don't kill themselves off regularly.
Also, the Organizatsiya has endeared itself to many other criminal
organizations. Their ties with the Triads and Tongs of China go back far
before they ever set foot in the US. Once they reached US soil, they set up
connections with Mexican and Columbian drug cartels. The chief export of
the Organizatsiya in exchange for the drugs of the Cartels and Triads is
weapons. The "guns for drugs" trade is lucrative indeed for both sides and
cements the ties between these organizations.
The list of criminal activities that the Organizatsiya is involved in is
nearly as deep as the list of criminal acts commitable. If there is money
and power to be had in a particular area, the Organizatsiya will get it,
whatever it takes. As mentioned before, their chief activity is gun
smuggling and they have a foothold in the drug trade as well. Other
activities include (but are not limited to) fraud, extortion, blackmail,
theft, murder, and kidnapping.
Of interest to many is the zeal with which members of the Organizatsiya
approach their work. Unlike many other criminal organizations, they don't
seem to care what they do or even if they get caught and go to jail. Many
of the orginal members of the Organizatsiya were criminals in the worst of
Russian jails and they find life in US prisons easy, almost a vacation,
compared to life in Russian prisons. The most dangerous enemy is the one
who has no cares of what will happen to him.
Another note of interest is that, due to mandatory secondary schooling, the
Russian immigrant members of the Organizatsya are often more intelligent
than their counterparts in other cultures.
The Organizatsiya has found itself having to adapt to the changes the world
has faced over the past 60 years just like everything else has. The NAN
uprising, the Awakening, VITAS, and hundreds of other events sent the world
into chaos. A chaos which has proved profitable to the highly adaptable and
well-entrenched Organizatsiya. Though the territory they once worked is
much smaller, the needs are much greater and their influence too strong in
all the right places.
Though they have influence UCAS-wide in the 2050's, they have concentrated
in major metropolitan areas like Seattle, New York, and Chicago. The only
group with which the Organizatsiya has not formed at least a token alliance
with is the Yakuza, but this is rarely an issue as the Yakuza have more of a
tendency towards white-collar crimes.
In the shadows, the Organizatsiya is a force to be reckoned with. With
their ability to get military surplus, they've got an almost single-handed
lock on a market that only gets hungrier. Their connections to other groups
make them a prime source of information as well.
The structure of the Organizatsiya hasn't changed much since its earliest
days in 1970's US. They still operate in cells and follow no single leader
in the UCAS or anywhere else in the world. These cells are flexible and it
is not at all uncommon for members to leave one and join another. They also
tend to stay in ethnic areas where the populace (through terror or loyalty)
will not betray their existence.
-------------
Personalities
-------------
A few of the leaders in the Seattle area are mentioned below, as well as
their areas of influence.
David (Davidoff) Pelko:
Born into the Organizatsiya sometime after the turn of the century, he spent
most of his days being groomed to take over his father's interests in
Seattle. He has taken to holding the reigns of a criminal organization like
few before him. His major interests are weapons trafficking, drug
purchasing and sales, and fraud.
Vitali Koschienko:
A recent immigrant from the CIS, Vitali has brought with him some very
interesting friends, the rest of his hit team. Formerly shadowrunners of a
sort (though almost exlusively with the KGB), these men handled countless
assassinations and terrorist acts that could not be dealt with by the
government itself. After a few years together, the team decided to head to
Seattle where real money could be made and life would be easier. They
haven't been disappointed. Vitali and his team handle contract murders,
thefts, and many other terrorist acts.
Mikael Kozlov:
Mikael acts as a landlord or sorts for the Russian community in Seattle. He
and his group take care of many of the local disputes and do what they can
to make life better for those people, operating almost like the Tongs. He
works with many other cells to obtain needed items for their people, from
food and medicine to chips and guns. He also works as a fixer and a Johnson
in the shadows.
-----------------------------
How to play the Organizatsiya
-----------------------------
Organizatsiya members are intelligent, ruthless, and unlike most other
criminal figures that the UCAS has seen. They don't kill each other over
territory, they've made allies of rival organizations, and they've
entrenched themselves deep in the shadows. They follow no single leader and
are extremely adaptable to change. They also could care less if they go to
a UCAS jail and everything they do will reflect this.
Organizatsiya cells can provide characters with information and items that
they might need as well (or better) than any other group they may encounter.
Pricing on such things is no longer as low as it was 60 years ago (they
realize that they can get a lot more money than they were back then for what
they do) but it is still fair in most cases.
They can also provide runners with work. A cell may need some extra muscle
for a meet, may want to work through the runners' connections, or may need a
scapegoat for an operation they are planning. Use them in this area as you
would use any other criminal group or corporation.
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* Bob Ooton -- <topcat@******.net> *
* Golden Tiger Association -- Submission Fighting Team *
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* The problem with this country today is that we're *
* getting almost as much government as we pay for. *
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