SLA Industries Personnel

Militia Infantry

The standard SLA infantryman serving on Dante. These are the most common type of troops SLA Industries have on planet and vast numbers are lost in engagements everyday despite their Karma enhanced bodies and state of the art weapons and powered suits. Proving that even with these advantages they are often not a match for Threshers vastly superior flight capable armour systems. Most begin service as company Militia and after minimal training are sent to serve on one of Dante's many front lines where they either learn how to fight or quickly become statistics on the KIC (killed in combat) lists. Those who survive their baptism of fire become tough experienced troops dedicated to the company and ready to fight for its ideals as well as reap the rewards it promises to give its loyal employees. Those who come through their initial tour will then be given further training and reassigned to more specialist roles. SLA has the pick of personnel from the Worlds Of Progress and with thousands signing up everyday to get themselves employment with the Company there is never any shortage of new recruits willing to fight for the cause.

Heavy Weapon Squads

More specialized and heavier armed than the standard Grunts, HW teams are issued with MAL Shock armor rather than Crackshot and represent SLA's main type of assault troops. Some older units in remote areas may be found using Dogeybone suits, although these have almost all been withdrawn from service on the major battle fronts due to their lack of protection value. Usually armed with Power Reapers, HAS Mini Guns or 17mm rifles these teams are used to mount rapid hard hitting raids against enemy positions along the front lines, a tactic modeled on that of the Thresher Strike Squads. They will also give fire support to the lighter armoured infantry sections when needed, usually in a ratio of one Heavy Weapons Squad to three regular infantry units. Unlike other specialist training, new recruits to the HW units are generally assigned to this duty while still serving their first tour on the line and after a two to three day crash course at a local Command Post are sent straight back in to receive the rest of their training on the job.

"Squad one move up, we've got incoming targets DarkNight Infantry in lightweight armour types estimated 30 warm bodies. Reapers to full automatic, lock n' load, five second burst only."
BBBBBBRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT
"Squad one to Yellow Dog 07 Command, any of those techs back there want some samples of DarkNight Powered armour? Slightly used.."

Commander - Renalt Tyson
Raptor 33rd Heavy Weapons Squad
Southern Wastelands

Dante Marines

SLA Industries crack troops on Dante, the Marine Corps gets the latest and the best in weapons and armor and comes under the direct command of Julia Van Braun. Heavily enhanced with numerous Karma implants Marines are highly trained in a variety of roles, making them a formidable force. Unfortunately due to its extremely high standards of recruitment the Marine Corps numbers remain small in comparison to those of Dante's standard infantry units, so for the moment they continue to act in a Special Forces role, with generally only one or two units stationed at a base. Marine Corps personnel are easy to recognize due to their unique Hellstorm blue and black camouflage powered armour suits, a design which is issued to no other unit in the Worlds Of Progress. These suits combine with their great physical strength and stamina make Marine troops virtually unstoppable when pitted against rival infantry. Most Marines are SCL rating 7 or higher and for this reason detachments are usually given high security assignments not trusted to ordinary troops. Loyalty and traditions are fierce among the Corps giving rise to numerous acts of heroism and self sacrifice in their history. Although many suspect that this allegiance is far stronger to Commander Van Braun herself than the company.
The Marine Corps operates its own specialist units such as medical, engineering, armoured vehicle and air force, although again these are much smaller than those of the regular SLA military. They also have their own highly trained reconnaissance division who are tasked with scouting, observation and tracking duties. These teams can also act as snipers when needed and specialize in destroying key rival company assets. In addition to regular units a large Marine rapid response unit is on standby at Archangel at all times and can be quickly deployed to trouble spots when the situation demands.

"Hey you want to try that again you Thresher puke, takes more than an 11mm DU round to put down a Marine. Now it's my turn....."

Unknown Marine Corps Sergeant
Dante Front-lines Sector 234-89

D.S.O Agents

Dante Special Operations Agents are the spies and saboteurs of SLA's forces. Working behind the lines or in 'no mans land' they attempt to gain intelligence about enemy strengths, movements and positions prior to either calling in SLA forces to destroy them or mounting raids and sabotaging equipment themselves. Most D.S.O agents work alone or in very small teams and in order to survive they must be highly skilled at all aspects of espionage including disguise, acting and have intimate knowledge about rival companies. All implant surgery is carefully concealed and kept to a minim while few if any agents carry finance chips as they are to easy to check for, giving away that the person once worked for SLA. Many take on the persona of deserters or minor Soft Company Mercs to help gain information from the vast network of non company personnel who live on the fringes of the war. The D.S.O is closely linked with the Marine Corps and many agents hold positions in both units. Marine D.S.O officers are usually assigned to combat missions rather than deep cover work and will commonly form raiding parties sent behind enemy lines.
Infiltration of enemy companies is also a primary objective of the D.S.O. In the confusion of the war it is sometimes possible for disguised agents to slip behind enemy lines pretending to have become separated from their original units and remain for a time gathering information on enemy strengths and fortifications before making their escape. For extreme deep cover, agents are extensively altered to resemble a captured Thresher or DN. trooper from a destroyed unit, then sent back behind the lines to infiltrate the rival company organization. These missions are seen as long term and the agent must be prepared to do many things including fight and kill their own company personnel to prevent discovery. This is an extremely hazardous occupation which only the elite of the D.S.O are suited for, since the possibility of discovery is always close, even when every possible precaution has been taken. If captured only the lucky get executed straight the way, with most compromised agents facing months or even years of interrogation before they die. Despite these risks several D.S.O Agents are known to have survived with Thresher or DarkNight identities intact for several years and provided valuable information on the rival companies activities.

"Good evening Mam, can I see your id please...Hey your not Thresh....."
PHUT
PHUT
PHUT
"This is Nighthawk one to Nighthawk command, sentries down, your clear to proceed."

Marine Captain - Yuri Deviling
D.S.O Combat Unit Baker 067

Armor Vehicle Crew

SLA operates a vast inventory of fighting vehicles on Dante including everything from Main Battle Tanks to armored motorbikes and quads. Each of these requires its own specialized crew units, which include drivers, gunners, Commanders etc. These AFV troops are trained to be proficient in both driving and gunnery, which allows them to fill any the positions in the crew if needed. They must also have good infantry and survival skills as many vehicles are operated in the remote areas of Dante such as the Wastelands or the Northern Pole, where long distance movement without transportation is almost impossible. Although some will be given assignments as base protection units, most will spend their time in assault or patrol companies or driving the massive armoured Land Trains that form the backbone of SLA's cargo convoys.

Fighter Jocks

Another elite group, Dante fighter pilots have enough trouble not being killed by the weather without adding in the threat of enemy fire, so unless your good you don't last long. Pilots usually specialize in one type of aircraft such as fighters, drop ships or transport helicopters, all of which have their own special problems and dangers. The ability to fly by the seat of your pants without help from instruments or electronic sensors is vital on Dante with pilots often forced to navigate in almost zero visibility without beacons or sat nav data because of the dire weather conditions and interference effecting their com gear. For this reason most pilots will be issued with additional Karma implants to boost their reaction times and harden them against the rigors of high G maneuvers. Air cover is vital to many of SLA's operations on Dante and many air crews find themselves stationed with mobile forces such as the Leviathan fleets or the sea going Dreadnoughts. A number of the better pilots will eventually find their way into SLA's space based forces, flying interceptors from the New Hope and Black Dawn satellites.

"Baker one to flight leader, I've got multiple targets, looks like a mix of MBTs and armoured personnel carriers. Request permission to engage."
"Permission granted, but this time Baker one try and leave something for the grunts, you know how they get peeved when there's nothing left to fight."

Lieutenant - Ellory Christoph
54th Warbeast Recon Squadron
White Heat Base

Dante Stormer - D-966

A recent development from the labs at Zodiac Nine and one of the first, none Artery, Stormer projects. The Dante Stormer, as it is known, is seen as the ultimate fighting machine, although its savagery and single minded attitude are though to make it unsuitable for use off planet. Because of this the D-966 is still undergoing trials in the various war zones, although limited production is now underway and numbers are steadily increasing. Its healing and regeneration capabilities are identical to those of the standard 313 Stormer models although by boosting the D-966s metabolism these repairs can be achieved much faster, allowing these Stormers to rapidly get back into action. Strength and ferocity are also greatly enhanced and all units come fitted with specially altered claws and teeth, these are sheathed in hardened ceramics then sharpened to greatly increase their damage and penetration. In contrast intelligence is currently much lower than other models and the units can only respond to simple straightforward commands, usually given by an individual they know and trust.

These Stormers are usually formed into small combat squads composed solely of their own type, with a human officer in command. This is because there have been some difficulties using D-966s in mixed units and even with other Stormer variants such as 313s. The D-966s tend to get carried away during intensive combat and will often not slow down or care if there are friendly troops between them and their targets leading to several regrettable incidents.
Outwardly the D-966 resembles a standard Stormer, although much larger and heavier muscled, standing at around three hundred and fifty centimeter meters tall. For this reason these units need to have suits of powered armour specially constructed for them and carry modified Power Reapers rather than conventional SMGs.

"Look I told you guys before, if there are SLA Industries troops between you and the target, just go round them and not through them. I'm sure there was no need to trample that infantry squad like you did, although I'll admit it was better than last time and there were only a couple of broken limbs this time."

Captain- Julius Cramer
Commander Experimental Dante Stormer Unit 'Fox-trot 07'
Sector 908 Dante

Game Notes

The model D-966 Stormer heals at twice the rate of the standard 313 models. The enhanced teeth and claws fitted to all units have the following properties.

Teeth
DAMAGE - 6 PENETRATION - 2 ARMOUR DAMAGE - 2
Claws
DAMAGE - 5 PENETRATION - 3 ARMOUR DAMAGE - 2

These Stormers should not ideally be allowed as Player Characters due to their low intelligence and great ferocity. It is also highly unlikely they would be found operating with a unit not of their own kind.

Naval Crew

Crew for the submarines and Dreadnoughts that operate on Dante's seas are drawn from the ranks of the normal grunts, techs etc. and then retrained in a variety of specialist tasks allowing them to operate in the unique environment of Dante's seas. On the large vessels that SLA operates personnel are needed for all aspects of combat duty including gun crews, repair technicians, pilots and infantry for vessel security and amphibious assaults. Some of these troops are given more advanced training in such areas as underwater operations including repair and demolition's, as well as use of specialized weaponry for anti shipping and submarine warfare

Combat Techs

If things break down on the battlefield someone's got to fix them no matter what the conditions, this is the job of the Dante Combat Tech and Engineer corps. Often operating under fire without proper parts or the right tools, combat tech are masters of improvisation and making do, allowing them to get weapons systems and vehicles working again however badly damaged. Schooled in the construction and repair of all equipment in the SLA inventory, situations have often been won or lost on the techs ability to keep a weapons system on-line and functioning rather than the skill of the operator. Combat Techs other duties include the construction and repair of strong points such as the fortifications that surround most SLA facilities on the planet and the defense grids that protect them. Some tech also operate in special 'Sapper' units who's job it is to undertake battlefield demolition's and bomb disposal duties. These teams are also skilled in deactivating security systems to gain entry to enemy fortifications and at salvaging data from captured computer installations.

"Get that 'Shark Hunter' running again? You've got to be kidding, the transmissions all shot to hell, the power systems full of sand, I ain't got the parts and those DarkNight snipers keep taking pot shots at my men. EERR lets say about an hour, but it's going to cost you a case of 'Slosh' when we get back."

Corporal- Nathaniel Scott
64th Dante Engineering Corps
Deep Deserts Patrol
Year 874

Medical Evac & MASH Units

Some troops on Dante don't die instantly and those that don't, if they're lucky, might get pulled out and patched up by a medical evacuation unit. Rival companies have little or no respect for personnel or vehicles carrying medical insignia and these are seen as just as legitimate targets as anything else. This means that Medevac crew can expect no protection from their profession. Each unit is heavily armed and armored and well prepared to fight their way to casualties if needed, and most units operate using either converted transport helicopters of APCs for speedy evacuation and added protection. Medevac personnel must be proficient in all types of medical work from paramedic skills to surgery, allowing them to deal with any sort of emergency in the field often without the proper supplies or equipment. The main objective with most casualties being to patch them up and keep them alive till they can reach a base offering LAD treatment. Most large assault units or patrols will be assigned their own medical officers who will have almost identical stats/skill to those of the Evac personnel.
MASH units are much larger mobile hospital units which are usually set up to receive casualties from areas of heavy fighting, such as the aftermath of an assault team raid. These consist of numerous personnel and vehicles and offer on the spot surgery and Karma implants. Three of SLA's Leviathan fleet have been turned over to MASH units recently for conversion into vast mobile hospitals in their own rights. MASH and Medevac teams have the highest proportion of Ebon personnel in the war on Dante, due to their Ebb healing abilities and are one of the few branches of the military that do.

BRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT
"Eat that you son of a bitch, Jeez these Thresher guys have just got no respect for a doctor when she's trying to work."

Field Surgeon - Klare Constences
12th Wolf Company Medevac
Copyright CMG

Military Police

It takes a special kind of Shiver to keep order on Dante's military bases and the MPs are as tough as they come, highly trained and as biologically enhanced as the troops they police. They also been granted more powers when dealing with high SCL level personnel than their Mort counterparts, as anyone who tries to order them about soon finds out. A bar room brawl among highly trained biologically enhanced troops can quickly get out of hand so MPs needed to be able to go in hard and fast with equal abilities if they stand any chance of breaking it up. The MPs job is also to investigate and deal with the low level crime that occurs on Dante's many military bases, this includes theft, drug abuse, desertions, illegal pharmaceutical dealing and AWOLs. Serious crimes are left to the Special Investigations Division, but as on Mort the MPs will often be co-opted to work with them when more manpower is needed. Like the Shivers on other worlds some MPs will be trained in specialist areas such as forensics and pathology and are normally formed into small squads covering a variety of specialist fields.
MPs are armed and armoured to the same degree as the troops and most carry KPS Mangler shotguns loaded with special, non lethal, riot rounds after it was found that standard GA Browbeaters were ineffective against enhanced personnel. These shells work in the same way as those used in the GA 994 only with a much greater area effect. The rounds pancake out to around 100mm from their original 20, delivering a huge kinetic shock intended to put even the most heavily enhanced trooper down. In addition to their riot rounds MP's will also carry several magazines of, full power, 10 gauge slugs for use in emergencies or when lethal force is called for. A heavy riot versions of this weapon fitted with a 300 round ammunition are also available. Base patrol units will usually be equipped with Domino biogenetic dogs and on large bases aerial units using SCAF bikes are common. If the complex, or base, where the MPs are stationed comes under attack, the police forces will also be expected to supplement the regular defense personnel and so large stocks of lethal ammunition for their weapons is always on hand, while all MPs are given training in basic infantry tactics.

Special Investigation Division

Staffed by highly trained Operatives, the S.I.D divisions are responsible for the more covert aspects of base security that fall outside the responsibility of the MPs. Their jobs including counter espionage, military intelligence, spy hunting and the security of SLA's more sensitive projects on the planet such as its R&D departments. They are also tasked with any more serious crimes that occur at the companies bases, such as murders and anti company activities, which are deemed too complex to be left to the MPs. S.I.D most commonly recruits Operatives who have good prior Investigations records and clean, high SCLs to join their ranks as they tend to display the type of skills needed for working in this elite agency.

This unit is granted a variety of unique powers for the investigation of top ranking personnel and in most matters is only answerable to the small Internal Affairs division that is present on the planet. They are also known to operate a number of undercover agents both in the field and at various bases to help gather information and clap down on possible security breaches. S.I.D tends to handle counter espionage duties while leaving more complex issues of loyalty and subversion to the non military Internal Affairs division based at Archangel. A certain degree of rivalry exists between the two organizations which seems to center on I.A's dislike of the military structure and S.I.D's close connections with it. S.I.D equally feel that SLA should allow them to take over Internal Affairs duties on Dante and let the military look after its own.

CMG Media Crew

The war on Dante is a prime media event and millions tune in every day to watch the wealth of footage shown by Third Eye News. Like the activities of the Operatives on Mort, SLA Industries are keen to promote its image through in depth looks at the troops fighting in the World Of Progresses biggest war. Of course this means that someone actually has to go out into the battlefields of Dante and record the stuff. This dubious honor falls to the specially formed Combat Media Group a joint venture between the military and Third Eye News.

Initially normal Third Eye reporters and camera crew were used to document the war, but the losses of personnel in the first few years of this practice were so horrific that the High Command demanded that it cease. Instead they set up a training unit with Third Eye's cooperation where gifted Operative and Militia members are taught a variety of media skills and formed into small, combat trained, news teams. Like medics, rival company forces have little respect for reporters and having a camera is no defense against being attacked, so CMG personnel have to be prepared to fight when they need to. For this reason they're issued with the same equipment and weapons as regular troops and get the same Karma implants. Generally CMG crews are also assigned a small protection unit of two to three men, which is intended to keep them safe while filming and provide added protection in combat situations.

"Look will you stop shooting those DarkNight guys so far away, it looks really boring on camera. Can't you let the next wave get a bit closer so I can some reaction shots as they get hit by the HEAPs. No one wants to see some guy fall over a couple of hundred yards away, this is news man, it need blood, guts and human interest.."

Corporal- Trenten Wilks
CMG Team- 032
Dante Front-lines