A-C can be found here,
D-M
N-Z can be found here.
Contains...
Doctor Gayle Simmonds, Drones, Eddak P'mera, Enforcers, Enforcer Assault Marine, Enforcer Engineer, Enforcer Peacekeepers, Enforcer with Incinerator/Burst Laser, Forge Fathers - Don't call them short; they hate that - A Deadzone Story, Forge Father Brokkrs, Forge Father Brokkr with Muspell-pattern Rifle, Forge Father Inferno Drill, Fortified Defence Line BattleZone, Freya, Forge Father Smuggler, Grogun, Harsh Lessons - A Deadzone Story, The Helfather, Kish - Plague Named Character, Marauders, Marauder Commandos, Marauder Hulk, Marauder Mawbeast Bombers, Marauder Ripper Suits, Marauder Ripper Suits with close combat weaponry, Marauder Ripper Suits with long ranged weaponry, Marauder Sniper, Marauder Stuntbot.
Doctor Gayle Simmonds.
Doctor Simmonds was one of the genius minds on Nexus Psi, stationed as both an archaeologist and biotechnician.
By the time the Containment Protocol was ordered and the Enforcers landed, Simmonds had already lost her team to the mutant beasts roaming the streets. Having received basic training by the security teams on board her ship during spaceflight, Gayle managed to preserve her life a little better than the others – but it was only a matter of time before the Plague caught up with her.
Defiant in the clutches of a rabid second generation, her body succumbed to the mutant virus, warping far faster than any other victim previous. She eventually awoke from the turmoil, her need for knowledge greatly exaggerated, a base desire to cause pain greatly inflamed.
With vengeance on her mind, Simmonds vowed to destroy those that had left her to this fate.
Drones.
Survey Drones are used for a variety of military and civilian purposes across the GCPS, allowing a single operator to watch over a large area from a safe location. They are manufactured by various corporations in a multitude of designs; the Jetari One-Shot, for example, is a simple camera drone that is often used by exploration and retrieval teams because of its disposable design. Rebel forces often use survey drones to scout battlefield locations and gather intel before putting them to use in engagements to scope out enemy positions.
Eddak P'mera.
The twin moons were both full, casting stark shadows across the quiet remains of what had once been a busy loading bay at the Nexus Psi spaceport. A year ago this would have been bustling all 26 hours a local day. Now all was quiet. A lone sentry shifted his weight from foot to foot, scanning his assigned sector and trying to stay awake while his comrades snatched some well-earned rest.
Silently, unnoticed, one of the shadows slowly changed shape and merged into its neighbour. A gust of wind blew some loose papers across the open space in front of the sentry and for a moment he was awake, but only for a moment. It was rubbish in the wind. Nothing to worry about.
The sentry relaxed again and once more the shadow moved, always slightly outside his field of vision. It was as if the darkness itself was stalking its prey.
This darkness was the Rebel scout, Eddak P’mera. The sentry hadn’t spotted him yet. Probably never would. Humans were so inattentive. Without turning, P’mera signalled to the rest of his squad who slid silently out of the shadows and began to make their final approach. He would use his crossbow to take care of the sentry…
Enforcers.
The Enforcers are the Council of Seven’s elite peacekeepers, dispatched to tackle threats that are beyond the scope of regular military units. Each Enforcer is a superior soldier, trained in countless forms of combat and equipped with the best technology available. As a unit they are disciplined and fearless, ready to lay down their lives to carry out the orders of their captain. When a Containment Protocol is decreed, multiple Enforcers patrols are sent to the planet’s surface to retrieve important tech, repel raiders and terminate priority targets. Although they may be outnumbered, they will never be outgunned.
Enforcer Assault Marine.
A warrior should never be without his weapon, and the Dionetik Assault Blade was designed with this in mind. The blade is made of a bi-mimetic shape-memory alloy, meaning it can be deployed from its wrist-mounted sheath at a single command from the bearer. The Dionetik Corporation initially produced these with bodyguards and undercover mercenaries in mind, but they were soon adopted by Enforcer assault units. Several changes were made to the original design, taking into account the added benefits of powered armour, making Assault Blades a lethal addition to the Enforcer arsenal.
Enforcer Engineer.
Enforcer Engineers are integral to operations during a containment protocol, capable of laying deadly traps and automated sentry turrets.
Enforcer Peacekeepers.
Enforcers are tough agile troops. They get great equipment and excellent weaponry. With their training and discipline they are capable of fighting in all but the most difficult conditions.
However sometimes conditions are too hard even for an Enforcer detachment. Sometimes they need more.
The council equip the Enforcers with kit bought from the Forge Fathers. No expense is spared - they get the very best money can buy. Sometimes the Forge Fathers limit what they will sell, however. Sometimes the price is so high even the council blanches.
When a deal can be done the council purchase Peacekeeper armour. These suits are based on the Forge Father Orbital Drop Armour and have full-life support systems - capable of maintaining life for several days in even the most hostile environments - and they are armed with ordnance most armies can only dream of…
Enforcer with Incinerator/Burst Laser.
When the first artefacts were discovered, it didn’t take long for Enforcers to realise that fire is an excellent anti-Plague weapon – after all, infection can’t spread if the host is reduced to ash and cinders. The Recoil Industries MPFU-04 Incinerator became standard kit before long. Although short-ranged compared to some alternative units, its reliability and adaptability to multiple fuel sources makes it ideal for the claustrophobic skirmishes that usually occur in a Deadzone.
Forge Fathers - Don't call them short; they hate that - A Deadzone Story.
Another missile impacted against the habtainer wall, but miraculously it held. Fillon didn’t know how many more it could take, but her options were limited. They were surrounded on three sides leaving only an open kill-zone to fall back into. Of the Rebs under her command, only four were still capable of anything like a fighting retreat, and Joruk’s Desolator had to run dry sooner or later.
Belwin darted around the refrigeration unit he’d been using for cover and let loose a burst from his rifle. His only reward was the bark of return fire from the enemy position, shots chewing more fist-sized holes through the wall. Fillon barked at him to get down and stop wasting ammo. Not that she blamed him. If they didn't do something soon, none of it would matter anyway.
She replayed the past ten minutes in her head – her compad’s clock showed it was only ten minutes, but how was that possible? – and tried to work out how OTR-9 had been backed into the scant cover of a blown-out diner unit. It had been a routine sweep-and-keep, picking the area clean of resources for the good of the cause. Drone visuals had shown no enemy forces, so they hadn’t suspected a thing until the Forge Fathers opened fire. She knew it was nothing political or personal; the Rebellion had fought alongside them on a number of occasions. She guessed they just wanted what was on Nexus Psi enough to put aside common courtesy in favour of a “shoot first, talk later” policy.
The east wall exploded inwards and she was snapped back to the present. Three Brokkr were already charging through the gap as she began to raise her rifle. Radner looked up from treating Nolan’s chest wound in time to take a heat hammer to the side of the head. Ryla sprang from cover, drawing his long-bladed skinning knife. The Sorak, an expert close-quarters fighter, had been waiting for the chance to set aside his rifle ever since the Forge Fathers had revealed themselves. He wasted no time dipping his blade past the lead Brokkr’s defences and into its exposed throat, but the dwarf still managed to unleash three point-blank headshots in return.
Fillon’s gun beeped empty as she pulled the trigger. She slung it and drew her sidearm, yelling at Joruk and Belwin to fall back. The Grogan wasn’t listening, too intent on keeping any more dwarves from making their way through the blast-hole with bursts from his cannon. Belwin stood to run and was pitched over by a heavy-calibre round that vaporized his shoulder and half of his ribcage.
The enemy were all around. Time seemed to move at a fraction of its normal speed as a missile streaked through the smashed front window and took Joruk apart from the waist up. In the tinny aftermath of the explosion Fillon could hear the enemy fire slowing as they realized their targets were running out.
She dropped her weapon and raised her arms, hoping that the little she knew of their language would be enough to convince them to take her alive. The battle was lost, but as long as one member of OTR-9 was standing, the war wasn’t over.
The Forge Fathers are in the Deadzone for a very simple reason: resources. They are, at heart, miners and artisans, and the fact that the Corporation controls any resource-rich planets is like fingernails down a blackboard to the Forge Fathers. They want it all.
The moment that a Deadzone is declared, Forge Father ships are ready to move in and scour the area for the rich pickings they imagine must have attracted the Corporation in the first place. Often they are right, and their strike teams will be able to pinpoint likely sources of ores and other minerals that can be exploited by follow-up units. However, even the most avaricious of Forge Fathers knows that they must be wary of the original cause of the Containment Protocol, and so their forces arrive encased in the best armour money can buy, armed to the teeth and prepared for anything.
Forge Father Brokkrs.
Brokkrs are the metal scrap merchants of Forge Father society. They aggressively excavate an area for whatever materials they can find with the aim of putting them to good use back in the Star Realm – whether that’s raw minerals or concrete foundations. They are protected on their mission by the Forge Guard, though they aren’t bad in combat themselves. Each carries a Hailstorm Pistol to defend themselves with, and their heat hammers are perfect for swatting aside pesky Plague or irritating Asterians.
Forge Father Brokkr with Muspell-pattern Rifle.
Forge Fathers know better than to be left wanting in a fight and, in addition to the Forge Guard entourage a ship may carry, the armoury is stocked with heavy duty weapons. Too powerful for a Brokkr to use without power-assisted Aesir armour, a modified version of the Heat Cannon called the Muspell is used instead.
When the Brokkrs are forced into a fight, they do so with devastating fire power at their fingertips.
Forge Father Inferno Drill.
Brokkr Engineers have harnessed the power of one of their hull-mounted Inferno Drills – an industrial mining laser – and have bolted it onto a tracked base. On the battlefield it is difficult to manoeuver, often leaving the operator at risk from oncoming fire, but can cut through all but the toughest armour.
Fortified Defence Line BattleZone.
Citizen Jael had read all of the reports – colossal abominations, mutated aliens and rumours of supersoldiers executing civilians. He had hoped that the Enforcers would quarantine the area in Nicorasi on the south coast but the disease was virulent and intel was coming in suggesting the outbreak was more widespread than first thought. Jael looked up at the Laser Cannon Engineer Talbot had installed and over to the defence lines being erected. He hoped it would be enough.
Freya, Forge Father Smuggler.
With a crash the door smashed open and the Rebel trooper almost fell into the bunker. “There’s a… a… ” he gasped between gulps of air.
“Sanders!” barked the sergeant. “Report!”
The panting Rebel snapped to the best impression of attention he could muster, still gasping for air.
“Sorry sarge” he managed between breaths.
“Now lad, take your time” said the sergeant rather more gently. “What did you see then?”
“Private Sanders begs to report an enemy sighting, sir.” “Yes, well that is why we’re here son. Who’d you see?” This simple question seemed to confuse the trooper for a moment.
“A Forge… Father.”
“With the Orx? Hmmm, that’s unusual. Still, mercs turn up all over and you’ve seen them before. What’s got you so spooked about this one Sanders? Is he Forge Guard?”
“Not exactly, sir. He’s a she – a female Forge Father… er… mother... sister…” he trailed off into silence.
After a moment he continued “But they don’t exist.”
Grogun.
Groguns are often looked down on by “civilised” society as brainless thugs. However, their straightforward demeanour and thick-set frame belies a keen mind and a knack for technology. Many of them have found their way to the ranks of the Rebellion, where they often act as both heavy-support troopers and engineers.
Harsh Lessons - A Deadzone Story.
What was taking them so long?
Fillon peered through her scope yet again, playing it around the moonlit plaza. The area was still clear. Reports had come through on long-range comms that they might not be the only ones moving for the med-station, and the longer Zek and Uro took retrieving the package the more chance they had of enemy contact. If a secure line was even remotely possible she would have pinged her team by now, but on Nexus Psi that was a laughable notion. Comms were grakked planetwide.
She sighed and shifted her weight, rolling her shoulders. Yes, she’d seen some awful missions in her time, from the massacre at Uraxia City to the Cerno uprising, but this one was a new low. No backup, no heavy support, and no comms. It was a sweep-and-keep, cutting in under the Corp’s noses and picking their well-stocked facilities clean under cover of a global panic, and it should have been easy. Okay, there was the Plague to contend with, but they’d found what had looked like an isolated continent far away from the action. They just hadn’t realised how fast it could spread.
And it wasn’t like the Infected were their only problem. Sure, the Enforcers generally had bigger game to chase, but they still took a dim view of looters, especially ones on the payroll of the Rebellion. They were terrifying to stand up against. Fast, deadly, almost impossible to kill. And jet packs! Belwin’s standard topic of conversation when he’d been drinking had always been easy life would be with one of those suits; now he’d dealt with Enforcers face to face, she doubted he’d have the stomach to bring it up again.
OTR-9 had already fallen foul of the Orx once since coming planetside. They’d walked into an ambush that had turned into a fighting retreat against overwhelming odds. She’d lost five of her squad that day; Rhodd and Brel had been the first, cut down in the crossfire that sprang the trap, and Radna and Nolan had died in the furious close-quarters battle at the end of the engagement. Gonak had died like a true hero, fighting a trio of battlesuits. She fought with the cunning of a seasoned brawler, spinning to let blows clatter off her armoured shell before turning back to smash armour open with wide swings of her ceremonial blades. Fillon suspected the Teraton had known it was a losing battle, but had held on long enough for the remaining members of the squad to break away.
They’d learned a lot that day. The Orx were neither savage not stupid, and they’d paid the price for thinking they were. That’s why they were taking no chances. If someone else was making a run on the Mazon Labs station, it was likely to be a Marauder team. If it had been another Rebs unit they would have known about it, and it was unlikely the Enforcers or Plague would be interested in black-market medical supplies. That’s why she was watching from up here, with H’ryk waiting on a nearby rooftop to get the drop on any would-be attackers, and Ryla was waiting just inside the med-station door. The Sorak was a vicious blade fighter, deadly in confined spaces, and he was ready to jump on anything that got inside. Belwin was watching the Zees as they searched crates for their objective.
Fillon raised her scope and made another sweep of the plaza. Her heart jumped as she caught a flash of movement in the shadows. It took her a moment to focus, but then she saw the running figure and her heart leapt. She felt a mixture of tension and vindication as she recognised the long arms, loping stride and crocodilian jaw. If it hadn’t been for the twin rifles, he would have looked for all the world like a DreadBall player making a sprint for the endzone. Still, the creature was stealthy; if she hadn’t looked at that precise moment she would have missed him. Once again she found herself questioning what she thought she knew about these alien raiders.
The running Orx came to the watchtower behind the med-station and slung his rifles, swinging up onto the ladder with a grace that looked out of place on such a muscular creature. She nodded absently; when they’d arrived here, that was the first place she’d checked, too. It was an obvious location for a sniper, which is why she’d left it clear and plumped for the first-storey window instead. The warrior made it to the top of the tower, looking almost disappointed at the lack of enemies. Fillon watched as he took a small device from a pouch at his belt and lifted it. It flashed three times; a signalling device. He wasn’t alone.
She swung the rifle back in the direction he’d come from, searching for targets. It took her two passes before she spotted them: three Orx and one of their malformed hunting dogs, crouched in the cover of a burnt-out Habtainer. There could have been more of them waiting in cover. Radio silence suddenly became less important than warning her troops, and she opened a broad-burst channel.
“Fillon here. We’ve got incoming. One in the watchtower, four to the south, maybe more. Things are gonna get messy.”
The first acknowledgement to snap back was H’ryk. The Kraaw had probably already seen them, just hadn’t thought to let the others know. Typical lone wolf. Before she could give an order, she heard his ear-splitting screech and knew that the element of surprise was gone.
She lifted her rifle, feeling the cool of the stock against her cheek as she slowed her breathing, and picked a target…
The Helfather.
Many of the mercenary warriors who ply their trade on the fringes of Corporation space have blood-curdling nicknames and impressive ranks. Few are as well-deserved as that of Shadrek Mal-Raz.
The assumption is that he is a Forge Father by race as his armour and weaponry are all made by that most secretive and closed culture. However, it is clearly a customised or at least extremely rare form of equipment as no other examples have been reported on other battlefields.
In combat, the roar of his double-barrelled heat cannon is as distinctive as the clank of his massively armoured exo-suit. He is to be found at the forefront of the attack, destroying everything within reach. Vehicles are reduced to semi-molten smouldering heaps of slag, habtainers are shattered and their contents set ablaze, even the concrete foundations are cracked and blackened by the searing heat.
The survivors of this assault emerge into an inferno of destruction and it is these tragic few who have dubbed him Helfather.
Kish, Plague Named Character.
The exotic and sensual Sphyr have graced the pleasure planets and entertainment centres of Corporation worlds for generations. Nexus Psi was no different.
Kish was only unusual in that she had dreams of a better time, a distant and long-lost time, when her people had been their own masters and their rituals and traditions were still intact. She had avoided the most degrading of duties and merely stood in her traditional garb as an exotic curiosity to greet visitors to the convention hall and casinos of Lower Tiberia. Still, she had her ancestral shu-lith-nu and she had her pride – a pride that got her into a great deal of trouble, though never as much trouble as the Plague.
The fight against the mutant hordes had been fierce, but there were too many of them to resist for long. At first she assumed that she had died, then it seemed more as if she had been transported to some other realm. Perhaps she had been chosen – yes, that was it. Her faith in the old ways was to be tested. She was to face a trial by combat that would risk not only her life, but also her immortal soul itself. She could not fail.
At least, that’s what the unfortunate Plague victim Kish thinks is happening. The damaged and mutant remains of her once-proud mind muddle her proud dreams and her bleak reality into a strange mix of fantasy and fact. Her battles against the ancient foes of her race play out once more in her crazed mind as she slaughters the few surviving citizens of the shattered planet and fights with unbridled fury against anyone who crosses her path in an effort to cleanse her spirit and be at one with her gods.
Marauders.
The Orx were not always mercenaries and brigands. For a good time their considerable martial skill was put to good use by the Corporation; they were equipped and trained to act as shock troops and guards by decree of the Council itself. Once the Orx realised that they could use their new skills to their own benefit, they rebelled on a scale that demonstrated their cunning. The Marauders, as they became known after the Mandrake Rebellion, are now a terror of the shipping lanes, known for attacking cargo haulers and pillaging spaceports. They see a Deadzone as an opportunity too great to pass up, even if they have to fight their way through a fleet blockade to reach one.
Marauder Commandos.
The Orx were not always mercenaries and brigands. For a good time their considerable martial skill was put to good use by the Corporation; they were equipped and trained to act as shock troops by decree of the Council itself. Within the regime the Corporation secretly introduced the Green Watch Enhancement Programme, training the biggest of the Orx as elite Commandos. This need breed of soldier was faster, stronger and more intelligent than regular Grunts, trained in the art of subterfuge and sabotage.
Even after the rebellion the brutal elitist regime still exists within Marauder Society, the Dreadnaught-Class starship Supremacy, stolen in a legendary raid by General Gruik’s “Lucky Fives,” housing the Green Watch Training Academy. It is here where the Commandos learn their trade.
The Commandos are bigger, elite troops rather than regular Grunts and have been sculpted with the design of the Marauder Warlord and DreadBall Marauder Guard in mind.
Marauder Hulk.
It’s often mooted that the Lu-Fan Corporation’s decision to bring Hulks into the Orx training programmes was one of the key factors leading to the Mandrake Rebellion. While their destructive potential and stubborn refusal to die made them a terrifying prospect for the Corporation’s enemies, it didn’t take long for the Orx to realise that their dim-witted kin had been turned into deadly warriors. Hulks are now often found leading the charge during Marauder raids, delighting in the explosive destruction they sow with their Slam Cannons.
Marauder Mawbeast Bombers.
Mawbeasts are a common sight in Marauder camps. Bred to be intimidating and obedient and enhanced with mechanical “upgrades”, they are used primary as guard-dogs, but occasionally they find a place on the battlefield. In fact, it’s a surprisingly common occurrence for an enterprising Goblin to strap a Mawbeast with explosives and drive it towards the enemy. If the teeth don’t get ‘em, they say, the big bang will.
Marauder Ripper Suits.
The Gorsch Corporation shot to fame when its Heavy Load Exo-Suit was adapted for combat use by Marauder units. With the addition of dense armour plating and support-level weaponry, the Exo-Suits became a common sight on battlefields across the galaxy. Although the Marauders no longer work for the Corporation, there are rumours that Gorsch still provides them with suit upgrades – for a price, of course.
Marauder Ripper Suits with close combat weaponry.
Orx believe that the most prestigious kills are the ones made at close range, so it’s no surprise that it’s become common practice to refit Exo-Suits for this purpose. Countless Orx have replaced their suits’ ranged weapons with heavy-duty combat weaponry, usually repurposed from industrial machinery. It might seem crude, but no one who’s been on the receiving end of a HammerJack can doubt its efficiency.
Marauder Ripper Suits with long ranged weaponry.
The Gorsch Corporation shot to fame when its Heavy Load Exo-Suit was adapted for combat use by Orc units. With the addition of dense armour plating and support-level weaponry, the Exo-Suits became a common sight on battlefields across the galaxy. Although the Orx no longer work for the Corporation, there are rumours that Gorsch still provides them with suit upgrades – for a price, of course.
Marauder Sniper.
Although Goblins are as much a part of Marauder fleets as any of the other greenskins are, their lack of obvious battlefield potential often goes against then. However, their keen eyes and penchant for stealth leads many of them to become marksmen, carrying long-ranged rifles that let them stay out of harm’s way while sowing chaos in the enemy’s ranks.
Marauder Stuntbot.
An older generation Strider combat suit, the Stuntbot is piloted by a single dexterous Goblin who, with a fully enclosed set of armour and a big gun, suddenly isn't’t that frightened of getting into a scrap.
That is a great idea bringing all that fluff together in one place. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought it might be useful. I'll add to it as other information becomes available.
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