[Hider=Smiling Jack]
[b]Name:[/b] Jacob [i]“Smiling Jack”[/i] Hughes

[b]Age:[/b] 41

[b]Looks:[/b]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/mwvCOv4.jpg[/img]

[b]Personality:[/b] As his nickname implies, Hughes is almost always seen with a smile on his face. He is known to have a cheerful and jolly personality. When not engaged in combat he is known for being laid back and cordial. Even those that only met him could expect a warm greeting from the man, even though opposed to his ideology. 

However this genial attitude has been observed in situations where it would be considered bad taste. In fact Hughes has openly admitted to relishing combat. His joyful inclination is on full show when he is in a gunfight. Hughes cracks jokes and makes banters with his troops while exchanging gunfire. He is also known to savor inflicting acts of cruelty on his enemies, specially after combat. So much so that he had been accused several times of violating multiple laws in the NCR. It is only because of Greene’s financial and political capital that Hughes has not been convicted yet. 

[b]Faction:[/b] Black Falcon Group

[b]S.P.E.C.I.A.L[/b]
[b]Strength:[/b] 6
[b]Perception:[/b] 7
[b]Endurance:[/b] 5
[b]Charisma:[/b] 5
[b]Intelligence:[/b] 6
[b]Agility:[/b] 8
[b]Luck:[/b] 5

[b]Backstory:[/b] Following the assassination of Kimball and the victory at the Hoover dam, a vocal minority began to grow in the NCR. A group of people who felt that the Legion threat needed to be destroyed at its core. That Legion should have been eradicated while they were weak and scattered. That anyone in the Mojave and elsewhere that didn’t support the New Californian state was an existential enemy. That anyone who was not with the NCR should be shot. This wave of ultranationalism only seemed to grow stronger when the Chosen One enacted several reforms that seemed to curtail the bloated NCR armed forces. Many saw this as a betrayal of those who died at the dam. Specially since the NCR never pursued the Legion beyond the dam itself. 

Former Major Jacob Hughes was present during the second battle of the Hoover dam. Hughes and his company were tasked with holding the surface of the dam against waves against waves of legionaries. At the end of the day, the Republic held and won against the Legion. However the victory came at a very steep prize. Only Hughes and former Junior Lieutenant Kelly Winters were the only officers to survive. Only 14 troopers survived the battle all in all. Winters needed an amputation and Hughes was close to absolute exhaustion. Both were awarded for their bravery. Winters was discharged from the Army because of her injuries. Hughes officially retired following that. The pair did not stay idle though. Hughes managed to convince Winters to move to the Hub. There the two would form their own mercenary group. From that moment on, the Black Falcons group was formed. It was named after Hughes and Winters favorite bar in the Hub, the Maltese Falcon. Hughes was far from the first to offer such services. However many clients found themselves favoring him over other mercs because of Hughes’ disarming personality. 

It was also during this time that Hughes first flirted with ultranationalist ideology. Hughes found himself intermingling with the Patriot’s Club, a veteran’s organization that called for more militarization and the complete military occupation of the Mojave. The organization was headed by Rick Sanchez, a ghoul gentleman who spoke effectively to the angst and disappointment felt by NCR vets. Sanchez and Hughes would work together afterwards. With Sanchez bringing Hughes new recruits for his growing outfit and the charismatic Hughes speaking for the Patriot’s Club. Eventually Sanchez would introduce Hughes to one Gerry Greene. Greene was a very influential water baron who was close friends with the late Andrew Kimball. In fact Greene had a catering service that Kimball often used for both public and private functions. This earned Greene the nickname “Kimball’s Chef”. Greene contracted Hughes to protect his caravans going through and from the Mojave. Greene would also use the Black Falcons for less savory operations. Such as putting down worker’s strikes and sabotaging his rivals. 

The Black Falcons only continued to grow in size, bringing in more income for Hughes. However Hughes found himself more and more dissatisfied with his success. Hughes found himself having to deal with more and more paperwork. Often spending days inside his office. He enjoyed being outside and fighting. The bureaucratic workings of the mercenary company brought him no joy. That was when Greene offered him a proposal. Greene would become his business partner. Greene would handle the administrative operations of the company while Hughes would lead from the field. Hughes was only more than happy to accept. Following their partnership, Hughes now found himself more and more in the Mojave. At first he continued his job guarding caravans in the Mojave. Often against the Fiends. Sometimes they were Greene’s water caravans, other times they were Crimson Caravans. Then he found himself on security details again. Escorting prominent NCR politicians around the Mojave. However the job he favored the most was jobs that guaranteed combat. 

One engagement in particular brought the Black Falcons into the NCR’s public consciousness. The Talons were contracted to support the NCR Army in a raid against the Fiends. After a particularly bloody battle, only a few Fiends were left alive. Most were in critical condition. Hughes took a picture with one of the Fiends who lost an arm. He held her by her hair and raised her head for the camera. Like a hunter showing off their trophy catch. The pictures somehow found their way into the NCR media. Almost overnight, Smiling Jack and the Black Falcons became infamous back home in California. Specially after several journalists began to discover the brutal and near sadistic methods the Falcons use during and after a battle. Hughes didn’t mind all the extra attention. In fact Hughes would be the person responsible for inviting these journalists with him out on Black Falcon operations. Often he would display the sheer brutality of his group with a smile on his face. Ever since Hughes has been a polarizing figure back in California. To some people, he is seen as a rabid extremist. No better than the Legion in practice and ideology. To others he is seen as a hero. Doing necessary evils to protect the Republic from the Legion and other powers that threaten it. As for Hughes, he couldn't be bothered less with his image. He continues to do what he believes is right in the Mojave and enjoys the fact that he's getting paid handsomely for it.
[/hider]

[hider=Black Falcons]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] Black Falcons Security Group

[img]https://i.imgur.com/TpIea2T.png[/img]
Black Falcons Officer Uniform

[img]https://i.imgur.com/1f5tXG3.png[/img]
Black Falcons Private/Specialist Uniform
([url=https://www.deviantart.com/finerskydiver/art/Fallout-New-Vegas-NCR-Troopers-720610581]Original source[/url] for the uniforms.)

[b]Faction Leader:[/b] Functionally Jacob Hughes, though the company itself is a partnership between himself and Gerry Greene.

[b]Are they Canon?:[/b] No

[b]Numbers:[/b] 200, about 140 are field agents. The rest are bureaucratic staff. This is the maximum number allowed by the NCR government at the time. 

[b]Tech Level:[/b] The Black Falcons enjoy the same equipment and necessities as the NCR army. This equipment comes from those who sympathize with Hughes's ideology as well as Greene's political connections. However the Black Falcons also have the luxury of choosing from other suppliers, such as the Crimson Caravans and the Gun Runners. For example, a Black Falcons Squad employs a machine gunner who often uses a Saw Light Machine Gun. A weapon not openly available to the NCR military but is sold by the Gun Runners. 

[b]Location(s):[/b] The Black Falcon's Headquarter office and camp is in Freeside. In front of the King's School of Impersonation. Hughes had the building renovated in 2287, as the Black Falcons became more and more involved in the Mojave. Ever since the Falcons had become a common sight in Freeside, making the perilous situation between Freesiders and the NCR even more strained. 

[b]History:[/b] In 2283 at the Hub, former Major of the NCR Army Jacob Hughes and former Junior Lieutenant Kelly Winters founded a small mercenary group known as the Black Falcons. An organization named after Highes and Kelly’s favorite drinking spot, the Maltese Falcon. Hughes’ charming personality made his group stand out against their competition. Eventually through Hughes’ connections, The Black Falcons would come into contact with one Gerry Greene. Greene was an old guard oligarch who benefited greatly from his friendship with the late President Kimball. Greene began to rely more and more on the Black Falcons to protect his products because of the NCR’s increasing antagonism against his business interest. Greene would enter into a partnership with Hughes after many successful business dealings. This would then grow the mercenary group into the dominant security force in the Mojave. 

Following 2286, the group began to concentrate in the Mojave. The Black Falcons also began receiving training from former NCR rangers. In 2287, the organization’s headquarters was moved to Freeside in the Mojave. It was only in the same year that the group began to gain notoriety in the NCR after several journalist discovered the brutal methods that Hughes and his operatives utilized. In 2288, the NCR government enacted several laws that limited the operational capacity of the Black Falcons group. Including putting a hard limit on the number of field operatives that the group can employ and officially banning the group from purchasing equipment from the military. However, thanks to Greene’s political savvy and numerous connections, the Black Falcons haven’t been affected in any major capacity. Like its founder, the Black Falcons as an organization are often seen as a dividing figure within the NCR core territories. Specially as they continue to enact often inhumane tactics in their effort to fully secure the Mojave for the NCR.  
[/hider]