The brownshirts were part of an ancient alliance that assisted [[The First World]] in building the structures and machinery used to generate the [[Inner Shield]], [[Outer Shield]] and [[Branch World]] shields. As a result they were thought to be the only known entities who could rebuild the [[Outer Shield]] and help stop [[The Crushing Fist]], which resulted in their being hunted by [[Cristina Thompson]] and [[The Black-eyed Army]]. The unique abilities of the brownshirts also drew the attention of the [[Dreamer On High]], who utilized them to generate a unique variety of [[Portal]].
The brownshirts have since reaffirmed their alliance with [[Danny]], and have chosen to stick with humanity for protection, assisting in rebuilding the old technology and systems that generated the shields, as well as the portal generation mechanisms present in the [[Portal hub facilities]].