Silk, is the name of a mysterious figure that appeared In North America around 102PA. Afterwards he made a name for himself as a vampire hunter, vengeful and liberating hero, but most significantly as a feared assassin - feared most by the people of the Coalition States. This article is an outline of Silk's known history in North America. While it can hardly be considered a complete and concise article on the topic as it is based on a mysterious figure that remains a living legend in many circles, and in some cases it is doubted that he even exists at all.

      In 102PA a mysterious individual appeared on the scene in Ft. Reid. He was a noteworthy martial artist, a skilled gunfighter, and a very deadly vampire slayer. He quickly fell into league with the then Reid's Ranger of low rank, Nyan Tamya. Side by side they quickly developed a name for themselves as great vampire hunters. Hundreds would fall before their' collective martial prowess - until even the most powerful Vampire Intelligence of Mexico, THE Intelligence of Mexico City fell before an attack led by these two hunters.

      After a torture and sex scandal in Ft. Reid regarding Doctor Reid and a teenage girl from Ciudad Juarez, in which Doc Reid was exonerated despite apparent guilt, Nyan and Silk left their ranks. From there they dropped out of the world's eye for a time - until they would turn up a few months later in Tolkeen for the Wells Conflict.

      The Wells Conflict was one of the first border skirmishes prior to the war with Tolkeen. Before the Wells Conflict the Chi-Town State Northern border commander, General Thorumar Todd, had grown bored with his assignment of watching the then quiet borders. After seeking council with General Cabbot, advisor to the Emperor, he was given the go ahead to invade the lower reaches of Minnesota. The first step in the march towards Grand Alamar was the Kingdom of Wells, a small independant Kingdom south of the southern borders of Tolkeen, and an ally to the magic kingdom. The Emperor was curious of the strength of Tolkeen and though he had no disillusions that General Todd would succeed at conquoring Tolkeen, he expected it to be a bold thrust into the sphere of Tolkeen - and would likely ferret out the strength of *Grand Alamar.

      The initial engagements with the defenses of Wells were a virtual walkthrough. Wells was weak - helpless against Chi-Town's 112th Mechanized Division, then assigned to General Todd. It was not until he had nearly encircled the walled capital city of the Kingdom that Nyan Tamya and the enigmatic warrior Silk appeared on the scene. With their appearance problems began.

      First a dozen soldiers watching the walls from a forward guard post were found dead one morning. Then two more posts were found that way. Then a quartet of SAMAS on patrol turned up missing. Then a mysterious explosion in the base camp's main mess killed two dozen of General Todd's officers, including his executive officer, and twice that number of enlisted men. Then General Thorumar Todd himself turned up dead in his tent - a CS issue vibro survival knife in both of his eyes. On his chest lay a perfectly cut two inch square of black silk.

      Though Wells was conquored a couple of weeks later, the entire division was demoralized and scared. What new attacks would take place? Who was doing this - and how? Then word broke out from the prisoners captured in Wells that the attacks were conducted by a lone man - an assassin called Silk. When a search of the captured city revealed that Silk had left the city a day prior to the official surrender, orders came straight down from the Emperor for the 112th to fall back to Chi-Town's northern border. While Wells was incapable of defeating the 112th Mechanized Division - the black shadow of the assassin called Silk apparently did, or so it appeared in the public eye.

      Afterwards Silk and Nyan apparently parted ways. Nyan began building on his career as a demon slayer and dimensional traveler, taking up company with dragons, supernatural heroes, cohorting with gods and kings alike, and himself becoming a great hero. Meanwhile Silk's reputation from the Wells Conflict catapulted his career as an assassin into high gear. He established relations with a representative and agent in the form of an eccentric underworld figure named Rob Zombie based out of Kingsdale. Within the first eight months of 103PA Silk took up a dozen different contracts, seven of which were high profile targets within the Coalition States government and military.

      Terror reigned throughout the empire who's symbol is the white skull on a black background. Now they were terrified of one who dealt out death with terrifying skill and proficiency - who's calling card was the same type of 2 inch black silk square found on General Todd's chest.

      The Emperor himself grew nervous and established a unheard of bounty of 50 million credits for the capture or proven death of Silk. The result was a series of well known Coalition bounty hunters turning up dead, flung on the doorsteps of paymasters offices throughout the Coalition States. Despite the bold gesture no witnesses were ever found. Several important businesses in the Coalition States, families of bounty hunters, and the families of Silk's past victims raised the bounty. By 107PA the bounty had climbed to a staggering figure of 75 million credits. The result of that increase was the death of several of the financers, their families, even their children. It was a vicious cycle that led to complete terror in the Coalition States. For a time, the name Silk was more feared in the Coalition States than the name Alistair Dunscon.

      Silk continued his trade as an assassin through to the summer of 108PA, conducting assassinations of more than 60 high profile targets, and more than twice this number of lesser targets. Then without explaination his number of assassinations dwindled. In late 110PA & throughout 111PA his assassinations began anew and ran for a terrifying eleven months throughout the Coalition States - then without warning stopped entirely disappearing off of the radar for several years. Rumor has it that Silk resumed traveling with Nyan Tamya during his period of dimension hopping and adventuring in far flung corners of the megaverse - yet he eventually returned to his profession of choice. His thirst for credit wealth apparently slaked, he began conducting business for magical items, artifacts, and information - far more frequently than for credit wealth. In January of 118PA a Tolkeenite operative, and agent of the Tolkeen M.M.I. (Mystic Military Intelligence) hired Silk to conduct assassinations for the Kingdom of Tolkeen. Payment agreed upon were archeological artifacts of the alleged First Race of the Three Galaxies. (Incredibly difficult to acquire artifacts for an Earth based power.) Silk's first targets are tactical commanders in theatre - afterwards is anyones guess. Of this fact the Coalition States are presently completely oblivious, as of February 2nd, 118PA.

      Silk's involvement with this Kingdom stretches back to the very founding of Desert Star in 104PA. Silk was Ace Ripley's alleged contact in Kingsdale, through which he gathered the mercenary army King Ripley coined The Royal Hired Army of Desert Star.

      Afterwards on several occasions, someone who appeared to be King Ace Ripley, called himself Silk. This was not only conducted in private with various individuals but also in public appearances. It quickly grew to be common "knowledge" that Ace Ripley was in fact the true name of the assassin with the codename Silk. Some were uncomfortable with the idea of living under the banner of such a notorious figure, others were comforted. Ironically those who were comforted by the knowledge would grow - even while this common "knowledge" became blurred and/or debunked.

      When the Coalition States special forces invaded Desert Star in 110PA, while King Ace Ripley was away, the entire community suffered. Large numbers of citizens were killed and business came to a complete hault. When King Ace Ripley discovered this tragedy he allegedly contacted two of his friends from times past - Nyan Tamya, then the Regent of Wa-Daisho, and Supreme General of the Tenzan Elite, and none other than the assassin Silk. Together, with the Tenzan Elite at their backs, they made their way into Desert Star and conducted a savage attack on the unsuspecting occupational forces liberating Desert Star in a single night of action. Witnesses reported seeing not only King Ace Ripley but an entirely different figure who identified himself as Silk.

      In the aftermath, King Ace Ripley made a public announcement that he was in fact NOT Silk. He alleged that the man who proclaimed to be Silk in his visage in times past was in fact a body double, who had hidden crazy implants, and had become delusional. He did admit however that he had traveled with, worked with, and hired Silk for various tasks in the past. He did not elaborate on what exactly their relationship was.

      Meanwhile rumor indicated that King Ace Ripley hired Silk to avenge the dead of Desert Star through his trade. Though never proven a flurry of assassinations within the Coalition States special forces community seems to back this claim, and stunned the North American juggernaut Coalition States. Within a year thirty individuals responsible or remotely affiliated with the invasion would perish, each found with a black silk square at the scene. What stunned the Emperor most was when **Colonel Antonio Pesh in command of CS Special Ops, and a personal friend of the Emperor, disappeared entirely. With Pesh out of the picture a complete restructuring of CS Special Forces took place, with the moderate Colonel David Underhill (Nephew of General Ross Underhill) being placed in command of Coalition Special Ops. Silk's bounty was raised yet again to a staggering 150 million credits, a sum that had every bounty hunter in North America salivating at the thought of a cheap shot at Silk. (Hundreds, perhaps thousands, would die in the pursuit of that bounty - before no bounty hunters remained that would dare to even attempt such a contract.)

      Meanwhile in Desert Star, King Ace Ripley launched his new business - one which he coined with the name S-Mart, named after his acquaintence and the bane of the Coalition states, Silk, calling it S-Mart.

      Despite King Ace Ripley's official pronouncement that he is in fact not Silk, the debate continues to rage in Desert Star. Evidence points in both directions in a confusing blur of details, so much so that there may never be a final determination in the matter.

      There are many rumors floating about concerning Silk and his origins and appearances.