BlackEagle/BlackEagle is a commercial organization originally set up as a private investigation firm. Founded in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia with just a handful of employees by Clifton and Sheppard BlackEagle (hence the double name), BlackEagle/BlackEagle grew in size to become the largest organization of its kind in the world. Paramilitary, espionage and security operations have expanded the list of services. In fact, with a few exceptions, B/E (as it is often abbreviated) will perform virtually any sort of service, for virtually anyone. The company has a respected reputation for accomplishing the objectives of its operations. Its fees are high, and its operatives, whose work is often dangerous, are well paid. Much of the company's success in the early years was due the brothers’ involvement in the company's operations. In later years, the founders’ commitment to employing only the most skilled and professional personnel and the esprit within the company's ranks have been the major factors in the continued success of the company, even now in the Sixth World.

BlackEagle/BlackEagle has grown from a tiny firm employing just a few investigators to a large multi-national corporation with not only thousands of operatives, but a large logistical and legal support system, a full hermetic order and a shaman lodge. Assignments are handled by a small group of operatives who work together in what is called a cell. A cell generally contains three to six people and is headed by a cell leader. Cells are more or less autonomous, handling their assignments with some support from the company, but with little outside interference. B/E is a company that believes strongly in the qualifications of its personnel, and for this reason, it has only a minimal centralized command system.

BlackEagle has thirty-two regional offices in fifteen different countries around the world. A Senior Cell Leader who is always of Veteran 3 or higher operative status heads up each BlackEagle office. From each office operate a number of cells, generally no less than two or more than eight or ten. Each office has a legal advisor, who assists in the preparation of contracts and in any legal difficulties and, depending on the size of the office, one or more representatives from the Administrative and Logistics branches of the company.

Operation cells are simply organized. They contain several operatives, one of whom acts as the cell leader. The cell leader is responsible for the success of the mission and the safety of the operatives. The cell leader is paid much more that the other operatives. The cell leaders’ authority, however, is not definitive. Cells are encouraged to be democratic in nature and to work well as a single organism. Those that do work well together are kept together indefinitely. Those that are disharmonious are usually broken up, with their members distributed into other cells. Individuals that are consistently unable to work with others have no place in BlackEagle.

Each cell elects its own leader. To be eligible, the leader must be of operative 1 status (having completed six or more assignments). Each member of the cell who is of operative 0 status (having completed three to five assignments) or higher get one vote, although Rookie operatives (those that have completed two or fewer assignments) can not participate. The office's Senior Cell Leader has veto power and changes in cell leadership can not be made during the course of an assignment, except under emergency conditions. Outside of these restrictions, each cell can handle its leadership as it sees it.

The company is organized into four Branches: Operations, Administration, Legal and Logistics and Procurement. All operatives are, of course, part of the Operations Branch.

As mentioned before, the Operations Branch handles all B/E assignments and it is in fact the entire company's reason for existence. All operatives are members of the Operations Branch and the other branches exist to support it.

Most BlackEagle offices have between ten and fifty operatives in cells of three to six personnel each. Additionally, every office except for the corporate headquarters in Atlanta and the Logistics facilities in Atlanta and London are headed by a veteran 3+ operative and a member of the Administrative Branch.

BlackEagle/BlackEagle uses an informal ranking system to recognize experienced operatives. Status is not a big issue within the company and most operatives don't really think about rank. But is can be important when L&P assistance and other resources are spread thin and seniority becomes an issue.

Status promotions are awarded by the Senior Cell Leader based on the number of assignments a given operative participates in. In general, every assignment counts toward promotion, although sometimes exceptionally short or easy assignments, or those assignments that a given operative did not really participate, might not be counted. Likewise, a particularly long, dangerous, or difficult assignment can be counted as two or more assignments.

Status promotions are awarded according to the following table:

The Administrative Branch is responsible for the day to day running of the company and handles such items as clerical support, office management (although the office head is always a member of the Operations Branch), payroll, medical and other benefits. The Administrative Branch is also the backbone of the corporate structure, providing communications between offices and branches and handling corporate affairs.

Every B/E office has an administrative staff, generally two or three people in smaller offices and six to eight in the larger ones.

Just as BlackEagle/BlackEagle has a reputation for hiring only the best and most able personnel as operatives, the company is also known for its powerful legal support. This is critical in a business that frequently brings its operatives into potential conflict with the law. B/E provides unconditional legal support for its operatives who get into trouble in the line of duty and this support has occasionally blossomed into well publicized and precedent setting court cases. One of the most important occurred in 1996 when BlackEagle lawyers established in Illinois State Supreme Court that the content of B/E contracts constituted client privilege (normally reserved for doctors and lawyers) and that a B/E operative could not be jailed for failing to divulge contract information.

More frequently, B/E lawyers are called upon to assist in the writing of contracts for assignments, or advising operatives on the legal issues involved in an assignment. Every BlackEagle office has at least one legal counsel on staff.

Perhaps the most important branch for the field operative is the Logistics and Procurement Branch. The L&P Branch provide equipment and forensics supplies for operations. L&P is capable of obtaining almost any piece of equipment an operative might need, usually quickly (commonly needed items are kept in stock in Atlanta and London and can be shipped to any office within two to three hours after notification) and at below retail cost. Although operatives are encouraged to purchase their equipment, L&P sometimes lends expensive or unusual equipment to operative cells.

From its facilities in Atlanta and London, the L&P Branch also provides forensic support, including photographic, ballistic, material analysis, fingerprint and genetic identification, criminal files and databases and worldwide intelligence bulletins. Both forensic and equipment support is limited and is given according to availability, need and seniority (in that order).

Most medium and large offices have one or two L&P coordinators to handle equipment and forensic requests. Most offices have limited forensic resources of their own. Smaller offices must deal directly with the Branch facilities in Atlanta or London.
 

(This is not original material. It has been borrowed from the Millennium's End RPG by Chameleon Eclectic)