Legion of the Dead (Type 007)

Legion of the Dead

Legion of the Dead
Role: Suicide Infantry
Weaponry: Axes, flamethrowers, and shotguns
Armor: Cybernetic N.S.S. alloy armor
Reactor: Type 007 CR/Fuel Cell
Systems: Cybernetic limbs, oxygen injectors, Neural modulators

Firepower
Agility
Speed
Defense
Utility
Cost

Overview

Volunteer soldiers sworn to death in battle, the Legion of the Dead have a grim reputation. They are always the first soldiers on the front lines, laying down their life in heroic exploits to draw fire away from other, less doomed comrades. What compels one to join the Legion varies; Some join to redeem themselves of dishonor, others to join fallen comrades in death, and still others out of an insane lust for vengeance.

One way or the other, upon Induction into the Legion, they swear to lay down their life upon the field of battle, and from that point on are considered entirely expendable; In essence, they are already dead. Their armor and helmets bear grim symbols of death and finality, and are painted in the traditional colors of the Legion; Black, red, and white. To face a Legionnaire is to stare death itself in the face.

With the advent of advanced cybernetics and bioaugmentation, the moniker has become increasingly true to life; Legionnaires are stripped of humanity, their fear and self-preservation instinct chemically suppressed, while combat stims keep them in a state of hyper-alertness when on the battlefield. Such augmentation reaps a terrible toll, one which would be deemed unacceptable for any other soldier; But Legionnaires, sworn to die in battle, have no intention of returning home alive.

Legends spoke in hushed whispers suggest Legionnaires are nigh-unkillable, that they will continue on until their entire body is utterly pulverized, leading to enemy combatants often hacking dead Legionnaires into tiny pieces to ensure they don't get up again. In reality, a Legionnaire cannot survive any more than any other man, but their augmentation can ensure that their deaths are delayed for the precious few minutes it takes them to butcher their foes.

Legionnaires have a grim reputation- partially the result of natural horror at their macabre, inhuman appearance, and partially the result of deliberate propaganda campaigns by the Phantoms aimed at instilling terror in enemy combatants. Tales spoken in hushed tones speak of Legionnaires engaging in cannibalism and human sacrifice. While these tales may be exaggerations, this reputation is not entirely without merit; Because of their expendable nature and extreme propensity for bloodshed, Legionnaires are used for tasks which are deemed 'distasteful' or dishonorable by their comrades, such as targetted demolition and usage as death squads. So it is that even by other Cytaari, Legionnaires are often shunned, even as their sacrifices are honored.

This reputation has resulted in many enemy forces surrendering rather than facing the Legion in battle, for once they have entered the fray, they will not stop until every opponent has been hacked to ribbons.

Abilities and skills

Legionnaires are extraordinarily disciplined soldiers, partially because of the same level of military training typical of most Cytaari infantry but more because of their augmentation doing away with selfish desires and self-preservation instinct. With the benefit of their cybernetic augmentation, Legionnaires are incredibly strong and fast, as well as durable.

They are well trained combatants, the equal of any Citadel Regiment; Despite their preference for melee combat, they are quite capable of utilizing firearms effectively. The one major disadvantage of their augmentation is it makes stealth a difficult proposition, due to the noise the metallic cybernetics make when walking.

Because of these characteristics, Legionnaires are regarded as universally unbreakable; even after having suffered massively debilitating damage such as massive cranial trauma or limb amputation, they continue fighting to the best of their ability until the absolute point of death.

Equipment

Legionnaires of the Dead are extensively cybernetically modified; their limbs are entirely removed and replaced with mechanical analogues, capable of higher strength and faster movement than their biological equivalent. Oxygen injectors are wired directly into their skulls, ensuring that even should their vital organs be destroyed their brains will continue to function just long enough to finish their whirlwind of death. The helmets which interface with their cybernetics are fashioned into the appearance of a skull, their hollow eyes staring out from behind the sockets, while a ribcage motif is visible on their cuirass.

Though quite durable, Legionnaires are not well armored; their survivability is owed rather to the redundancy of their systems and ability to continue functioning even after being riddled full of bullets. Only a powerful bullet or shell through their brain can be relied upon to stop a Legionnaire in their tracks, and as such their helmets are the thickest part of their body armor. The cybernetic limbs are tough and redundant, but not heavily plated in armor.

When going into battle, Legionnaires bodies are pumped full of combat stims, increasing alertness and aggression to unheard of levels; As a result they are typically not deployed where collateral damage is a major concern, as they are prone to go berserk should they run out of enemies. The toll these drugs take on their biology is immense, and should a Legionnaire avoid death in battle it is likely their bodies would give out within a matter of years regardless.

For weaponry, Legionnaires favor brutal, close-ranged tactics, utilizing shotguns, flamethrowers, and melee weapons. The most archetypical Legionnaire is armed with dual hand axes, which they wield with devastating effectiveness in a frenzy of inhuman bloodlust, moving faster and with more strength than any unaugmented human possibly could, animalistic howls emanating from their vocal chords as they throw themselves into the foe with suicidal abandon. Despite this barbaric style, they are well trained and skilled fighters, perfectly capable of accurately aiming traditional firearms; They are often equipped with automatic shotguns or storm carbines for clearing enemy infantry, as well as grenades.

One other weapon is typical of Legionnaires; the flamethrower. Because of enemy soldiers tendency to focus on those armed with flamethrowers, and as thus the inherent danger of being equipped with such a weapon, Legionnaires are the only soldiers permitted to use such weapons. The type 007 LD/Flamethrower is the most advanced variant of such a weapon ever created, with superior range, heat, fuel capacity, and flame longevity to any prior examples.

Of course, given their nature, suicide bombers are also utilized by the Legion, strapped with explosive payloads instead of proper weapons. These are typically not as favored as the other types; they are regarded as wasteful of military assets, since grenadiers have similar impact, but are still sometimes fielded for the intimidation factor.