Shadow Squadron, an elite (some would say the elite) fighter squadron of the Imperial Navy, has been in commission in some form or another since the Clone Wars. Before the Battle of Yavin (0 ABY), the Shadows were tapped by ImpIntel for many missions, leading to it's members being 'hidden' on paper as parts of other fighter squadrons (Onyx and Storm). The Shadows lived up to their names, melting away into the Imperial war machine and doing what needed to be done. Still part of the Naval command structure, they were not Intelligence agents but almost all their missions were in coordination with ImpIntel. They lost good pilots and gained some more during the Battle of Endor, including half-breed Tannis V'larr who was transferred from the destroyed Timocracy and out of a decimated Watcher squadron where he served as Leader. The Shadows (their connection to ImpIntel lessened but not forgotten) continued to run missions out of the VSD (or ISD II depending on what we remembered at the time of the RP) Termagant for several years as a more traditional fighter squadron. Their 'high spirits' led to more than one bar fight, and their exasperated XO Captain Tal Kellison finally found the excuse he needed to rid himself of their 'stain.' Lieutenant Commander Bette Davis was put on report for insubordination and transferred out of the Shadows to the Strike-class cruiser Kalidor. She was put in charge of a rag tag group of beginner pilots in Hellfire Squadron as a flight instructor. Tannis V'larr managed to make a name for himself by R&Ding a prototype TIE fighter, the Wraith, that he and Bette had tested months previously. He was plucked from the starfighter ranks to work more closely in the Wraith's production, and the rest of the Shadows were simply scattered to other squadrons. The elite squad was no more! However, a push was made to reform the Shadows. After less than a year the group was brought back together on board the Admonisher. They would have picked new pilots, but the old ones were still the best in the Empire. And to Kellison's chagrin, the Termagant was also temporarily assigned to the same battle group as his nemesises. NOW: In the light of the current cold war scenario between the Alliance and Empire, ImpIntel has begun to utilize the Shadows once again as they used to, sending them in when a secretive mission needs a talented pilot or more to get the job done. Cross-training means that these top pilots are more than capable of taking care of themselves in a fight, even when that fight isn't in a TIE.
