Remaal al-Sahra

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Remaal al-Sahra
First Encountered	March 2009
Top Dog	Unknown
Size	Unknown
Affiliation	Burro Shipping
Alignment	Enemy
Status	Active
Location(s)	International
Link	Communication

Remaal al-Sahra is a multinational criminal organization bent on reshaping the world by any means necessary. They believe that the world is broken, and they intend to fix it. In pursuit of this goal, they have come into conflict with X-Factor several times.

Most notably, al-Sahra's Project Portal led to the abduction of several teenage mutants, and became X-Factor's first true case. Four of the rescued teens later became X-Factor agents: Tom Sikorski, Nadia al-Razi, Walter West, and Tobias Ryder.

Remaal al-Sahra is Arabic for 'desert sand.'

Goals & Interests

Remaal al-Sahra's goals are broad and shadowy and their interests are wide-spanning, international. Beyond that, X-Factor knows very little about their true purpose.

Organization Activities

• Training mutants to be capable and lethal soldiers in Project Portal (Pied Piper). After the portal was closed, there have been several attempts to get to the AU again. There was an attempt to re-open their rift, including the abduction of Simon Mosse and Scott Langley with confirmed experimentation on Mosse. They tried to build new portals as seen in Danish Run and again in Traveller after Sabri Aziz returned from the AU.
• Project Portal has since been presumably shut down after the return of the trained soldiers (Los Hojas) to this universe during Antique Lands. Many of Los Hojas went to work with al-Sahra while others escaped to do other things (Hunting Hojas (Mini), Carpenwhere, Razor's Edge).
• Project Allergen - An initiative dedicated to dealing with X-Factor. It's main goal is to co-opt XF for al-Sahra use. It is lead by Jessamyn West. First came to X-Factor's attention via Felicia Macke and the events of In Your Shoes. Project goals revealed by Hugh Ponting in Icy Arrivals (Mini).
• Project Green - Something in Kenya.
• Narrowing the illegal substance market (Tracking Debauer)
• Gaining information about work in the patent division on the subject of autonomic reflexes and somatic reflexes in reference to homo sapiens superior genetics (Tracking Debauer)
• Gaining information on X-Factor, its agents, their families, and its resources (Security Review, Michael Debauer, Red Flags)
• Acquiring information on Typhus as a biological weapon: either in its use or its prevention. (Ksar-el-Kbir (Mini))
• Attempting to induce mutation in non-mutants (Danish Run).
• Working to free their scientists captured as a result of Danish Run, Remaal al-Sahra was foiled by X-Factor in Scientific Method.
• Attempted to infiltrate X-Factor again through Jeanne-Marie, failed.
• Somehow associated with dastardly Catholic charity work in Africa.

Structure

Much of Remaal al-Sahra's structure is unknown. On the practical level, they seem to work in discrete cells with little knowledge of each other and only minimal cross-over, to prevent security breaches and informational leaks that might compromise the organization's integrity. This is speculation, however, based on what little was gleaned from the mind of the al-Sahra operative planted as a mole in X-Factor's ranks. There does seem to be some indication of hierarchy and organization, but the true reach and the scale is unclear.

People

Active

Major

• Silvio Constantini - A professional thief of high skill, Constantini has been sighted with Carmen and in conjunction with various al-Sahra smuggling operations. He is a handsome, Italian man in his 30s. Gained an artificially activated mutation of empathy during Danish Run. He is in a part of Project Allergen.
• Lu Bohai - Project lead for Project Green handling Kenyan logistics. Former contact for Burro Shipping. Former Chinese naval officer. Name gained from Dmitri Sergeyevich Alexeyev. Confirmed by Jacolina.
• Nathaniel Essex - Directs certain research endeavors within al-Sahra. Focused on mutation.
• Jessamyn West - She is in charge of Project Allergen and was Michael's handler. Presumed to be a woman: female voice. Has used the alias Jessamyn West.
• Jacolina Sanderson - Associate of Lu Bohai. Name gained from Dmitri Sergeyevich Alexeyev. Captured briefly in Traveller. Connected to Project Green.
• Los Hojas - The soldiers trained in Project Portal.

Minor

• Marcos - minor operative who was interrogated during The Lion's Den
• Nadine - minor operative whose name came up during Marcos's interrogation during The Lion's Den
• Felicia Macke - Mother to Tamara Macke, the power swapper who began In Your Shoes. Involved with Project Allergen.
• Anthony Macke - Father to Tamara Macke, the power swapper who began In Your Shoes.
• Mike - A name identified as an al-Sahra operative by Tamara Macke.
• Kelly - A name identified as an al-Sahra operative by Tamara Macke.
• Cheung - A name identified as an al-Sahra operative by Tamara Macke.
• Maria Mossman - Unknown. Used to arrange travel and expenses of Remaal al-Sahra operatives.
• Laura Tanbourn - Formerly employed as a bartender at Chuck's, she passed on the names of two X-Factor agents. It is unknown whether she still works for Remaal al-Sahra, and if so, in what capacity.
• Jeanne-Marie Beaubier - Recruited by a bishop of the Catholic church, Jeanne-Marie attempted to infiltrate X-Factor but was found out in the attempt. She was released, and now works with al-Sahra in unknown capacity.
• Bishop Henderson - A bishop of the Catholic church, Bishop Henderson is affiliated with the archdiocese of San Francisco. His focus is largely on overseas mission work, particularly in Africa, and he has extensive fund-raising and mission-work contacts.
• Carlo Castaldi - A UN commissioner and political activist, Judge Castaldi is principally interested in fighting corruption in the Kenyan government. He heads a commission against impunity. His al-Sahra connections are as yet unconfirmed.
• John Hunt - Man the TL of the al-S goons in Mississippi from Razor's Edge reported to through secured phone calls. He is reportedly super scary.

No Longer Active

For more information on al-Sahra agents who are no longer active, see Remaal al-Sahra/Inactive People.

Locations

For more information on locations in which al-Sahra has been active, see Remaal_al-Sahra/Locations.

Resources

Full extent unknown, but evidence suggests they are extensive.

Events

This lists only major events. For more information on full timeline of all events involving al-Sahra, see Remaal al-Sahra/Events.

Major Events

• Pied Piper (Feb 14-March 19, 2009)

Al-Sahra opens the Pied Piper AU by late 2007 or early 2008 at the latest. Agents Sikorski, West, al-Razi, and Rasputin, along with the Pied Piper Soldiers, are among those mutants abducted and trained to be soldiers.

• No Man's Land (Oct 23-27, 2009)

The reasons for al-Sahra's presence on this mission remain unknown. The result, however, was the capture of PPS Trieu Thang.

• Gravity Smugglers (Jan 4-17, 2010)

Silvio Constantini and Military Doe make an appearance on this mission to pick up a special package to help with Project Portal: Simon Mosse, a young mutant with a quantum mutation of some sort.

• The Lion's Den (Jan 16-26, 2010)

Again given warning by Michael Debauer, al-Sahra captures several X-Factor agents who have tracked Carmen to the Project Portal base in Algiers. They empty the base and move the prisoners to Ksar-el-Kbir, but they are tracked by the remaining agents and Pied Piper Soldiers. The team is rescued and Carmen is apprehended.

• Security Review (January 2010)

X-Factor starts putting together the puzzles of their ongoing security leak. They discover and apprehend undercover agent Michael Debauer, known to them as Nathaniel Drake.

• In Your Shoes (April 2010)

Remaal al-Sahra attacks X-Factor, scrambles their powers, and leaves them confused. XF fights back, rescues hostages, sweeps away with Tamara Macke. Assholes.

• Danish Run (September 2010)

In a quick strike using information provided by an X-Factor plant in the ranks of the scientists in Copenhagen, an X-Factor team manages to successfully capture all Remaal al-Sahra scientists at the lab. Kelsey is killed during the recon leading up to the raid.

• Traveller (October 2010)

Sabri Aziz returns from the Pied Piper AU to make contact with al-Sahra. X-Factor eventually tracks him to Tehran, where new efforts for Project Portal are being constructed. X-Factor captures Aziz and shuts down construction on the lab.

• Antique Lands (Jan 29-Feb 20, 2011)

X-Factor goes through the portal to the AU with the PPS to assess the threat on the other side, acquire the portal technology and distribute the medication. While one team is in the AU, another secures the portal the area on this side and apprehends Jessica Lowell. After weeks in the AU time, the team returns from the AU with the al-Sahra people and soldiers of Project Portal and captures most of them in the firefight that follows the portal crossing. The Nicaragua portal is no longer in al-Sahra's control and the solider training project in AU Nicaragua is finished.

• Icy Arrivals (Mini) (August 13 - August 14)

After an anomaly is detected that suggests a portal has opened in the High Arctic, a small team of X-Factor agents is dispatched to investigate, and discover Captain Steve Rogers as the sole survivor of a plane crash. When al-Sahra forces move in to retrieve him, a pitched battle results in the capture of Hugh Ponting.

• Carpenwhere (September 9 - September 17:)

During a leave of absence on the part of Carpenter to look into pressure coming down on X-Factor, Carpenter was captured by some of Los Hojas. X-Factor tracks her kidnapping team to the Lost Waters Ranch and rescues her from the cave system on the property. They capture all the hojas and Jacob Hendrickson.