Hello everyone, sorry for the wait but you know how real life is, priorities, priorities and then there was Halo 5 Guardians whose ending pissed me off royally. Seems Microsoft can't help itself with its money greedy work method and had to fuck up one of my favorite games. But I disgress, here is another codex this time describing the Marines and their various branch in details. I have also decided that the story portion for this fic will be separate while Prophet's Legacy will act as a Codex both for the story and for those who wish to take it as a challenge fic.
Enjoy!
USFMC
The United Stars Federation Marine Corps is the premier response force in the event of a hostile event on a Federation world or to wage war against an enemy. It is also the first permanent multi-species military organization in history despite being primarily comprised of humans in majority; ironically the Batarians and Turians are the second majority followed by the Drell, Quarians and Asari, bringing all of their experience, skills and tradition to form a unique homogenous and terrifying force of nature. The Marine Corps does not make distinction between races, religion and genders, everyone in the Corps is considered as a brother and sister thus creating a wide but firm bond of unity.
USFMC is also considered to be the most skilled and technologically advanced infantry force in the galaxy. The Nano mods inside the body of every marine ensures perfect health and peak physical performance at all time, immunity to all known decease and harmful microbes as well as passive regeneration which can be boosted by Medigel.
The Marine Corps emphasize fast mobility and overwhelming firepower by using combine arm tactics and blitzkrieg strategies, the Marines exploits the weakest point and overwhelm it with massive amount of firepower while using surgical strikes on the enemy rear, crippling communications, supplies and moral thus sowing panic and confusion, the enemy core thus become wide open allowing the USFMC to deliver a final but devastating crippling blow. It is this shock and awe approach that is rarely seen coming that makes the USFMC such a terrifying force to challenge. Citadel military experts have described the USF Marines as possessing the brute strength of a Krogan with the discipline of a Turian and the cunning of an Asari while being led by a Salarian on the leash.
Star Wing Branch
The Star Wing is in charge of aerial combat, transportation and airborne assault they also drive and maintain the Marine Corps fleet of troop carriers and specialize in ship boarding operations.
There are three elite infantry class in the Star Wing Corps:
Airmen: The pilots of the Corps, Airmen often pilot the gunships or a variety of fighters for air to ground operations and also troop and cargo transports. Airmen are also the only ones to pilot aerial transformable Mechs outside of the Iron Fist Corps. Airmen use the Light class Exoskeleton Sparrow suit, increasing their reflexes and visual perception along with a hard light holo-shield for defense. The suit also enables flight and zero-g movement in vacuum. Airmen are also in charge of search and rescue on the battlefield or disaster affected areas thus many of them are professional medics, able to treat wounded on the field rapidly.
Gargoyle: Specialist in performing and repelling boarding assaults, Gargoyle personnel are always present onboard Federation warships, space-stations and space colonies. They use the Heavy class Scarab Exoskeleton Suit which provides protection against heavy weapons without sacrificing speed and mobility. The Scarab has built in shoulder jet packs and a dozen micro-pulse thrusters to allow full motion in zero-g environments, for additional protection the left arm has a collapsible carbon titanium riot shield enhanced with a kinetic barrier which can also be used to project a shockwave similar to the biotic attack of the same name. Gargoyles are very vicious in combat, using a mixture of leap frog and shock and awe tactics. Their armor has several built-in weapons consisting of micro grenade launchers, built in flamethrower, plasma cutter and mono-molecular claws. They always carry SMGs, shotguns and combat drones. The Gargoyles are extremely feared in the Terminus Systems and Batarian Hegemony due to their ruthlessness and viciousness that borders on terrorism but that attitude is only reserved to pirates and slavers for who the Gargoyles offer especially to the latter no pity or chance of surrendering. As a result piracy and slavery has dropped by 60 percent in the Traverse something unrecorded since the founding of the Citadel.
Hawks: They are the Airborne Infantry of the USFMC; their training is inspired from the airborne paratroopers of the former USA and the legendary US Rangers. Inserting discreetly behind enemy lines, securing strategic targets and ambushing enemies is their specialties. The Hawks use the Medium-class Icarus Exoskeleton suit for increase speed, strength and mobility as well as protection against light and medium fire. The Icarus like all exoskeleton has a built in Jetpack but unlike most it enables the user to hover above ground at a speed of 80 kilometers thus granting the Hawks with incredible mobility and wide range of tactics, especially in urban warfare. The Hawks generally employ a variety of light and medium weight weapons such as pistols, SMGs and sniper rifles, their trademark weapon however is M-96 Mattock, a deadly battle rifle. They also have access to light vehicles such as the Warthog and Puma IFV; they also make extensive use of recon attack drones, both light and heavy types.
Iron Fists
The Iron Fists are in charge of mechanized warfare, primarily using Mechs; they are generally assigned as shock troopers or heavy assault.
There are three classes of elite infantry:
Raven: They are combat pilots extensively trained to operate any type of vehicles. Ravens are highly mobile and adept to guerilla warfare. They use the Firefly Exoskeleton Suit which grants them superior agility and speed thanks to its mass effect core and twin jump jets allowing the user to bypass obstacles or even use them with a combination of Parcour skill and grappling hooks. The suit has photo reactive materials and can conceal body heat temperature thus granting the Raven passive stealth. The helmet has an integrated HUD, with night vision, thermal and magnetic sights all managed by an EVI which can also help into hacking computers and doors. Ravens generally carry light weaponry consisting of a pistol, SMG and a shotgun. Their Omni-tool also contains a large number of Tech attacks. They also carry a Nano-kit to manufacture tools, spare parts and explosives. Raven operatives often drop on the battlefield while piloting Mechs or infiltrate enemy lines by using Atmospheric Re-entry Shells (ARS) before calling for their vehicles via air or orbital drops.
Goblin: They are demolition specialists and experts in bomb disposal as well as masters of urban combat, especially in close doors. Goblin specialists use the Heavy class Wraith Exoskeleton Suit that is immune to small arm fire, flames and shrapnel. The Wraith has thick muscle fibers that increase the strength and reaction speed of the user, it doesn't have a jetpack due to its weight but it can enhance a person's jump significantly and has a grappling hook to climb obstacles. The Goblins preferred weapon of choice is the HCWS-17 Tam-Tam, a heavy drum fed action pump shotgun that can fire three types of ammunition: Tungsten incendiary flechettes; explosive plasma shells and sonic rounds. For suppression fire they can use HW-41 LMG Spitfire which is very deadly against light vehicles and it can also fire Disruptor and explosive rounds. Goblins also have built in grenade and mine fabricators in their armor allowing them to build a variety of explosives from high explosives to EMP or cryogenic charges.
Myrmidons: Named after the mythological warriors of ancient Greece, the Myrmidons are a very unique breed of soldiers for they employ battle suits; encased inside 4 meters tall suits of armor, Myrmidons are unstoppable shock troopers capable of destroying heavily defended positions and heavy vehicles by themselves with a wide arsenal of heavy weapons ranging from portable plasma mortars, missile launchers and Gauss canons. To deal with the infantry, Myrmidons generally carry heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and flamethrowers they also have a large variety of close combat weapons such as monomolecular machetes, heavy broadswords, shockwave hammers and even Plasma Axes depending on the pilot's taste. This is also the reason why they are one of the few units capable of fighting Krogans and Yagh in close combat or even Thresher Maws. Myrmidons are exceptionally feared by the denizen of the Terminus Systems, particularly the Batarian Hegemony due to their involvement in the Camala Massacre in September 2176 when the Hegemony used forty million slaves armed with explosives to terrorize the Federation forces, in retaliation fourteen thousand Myrmidons dropped from orbit and proceeded to methodically kill every Batarians on the planet with flamethrowers and plasma weapons, resulting in the death of sixteen millions Hegemony civilians and soldiers. After three days of rampage the Hegemony officials on the planet surrendered before they too were executed in public thus the Myrmidons earned the nickname of Scorchers.
The TechCom are the engineers, they specializes in building bases, setting up and defending supply and communication lines, demolishing enemy fortifications and are also in charge of electronic warfare.
Guardians: They specialize in defensive operations and are generally in charge of bases security or protecting supply convoys, outside of combat they participate in relief and humanitarian operations. Guardians use two types of Exoskeleton suit, the Medium-class Buckler suit and the Heavy-class Brontes suit. The Buckler is for frontline missions thus it offers a lot of mobility and descent protection. Its defensive features include the Hard Light Barrier or HLB system which creates a powerful semi spherical defensive field of hard light capable of withstanding large amount damage, the HLB can be used to protect the user or ally troops including vehicles but at the cost of staying stationary. The Brontes aside from being able to absorb more damage is slower than the Buckler thus it is often reserved for base personnel. The Brontes allows a Guardian to carry large amount of firepower and a larger Nano-Kit for building temporary structures or build combat drones. Also Brontes users have a large collapsible carbon titanium shield enhanced with kinetic and hard light barriers, the shield also has built in flamethrower and grenade launchers. Guardians often employ shotguns like the HCWS-17 Tam-Tam or M-59 Carnivore a rapid fire shotgun design to fire acidic plasma rounds that bypass barriers and melts armor, perfect against heavily armored targets and synthetics. They also use LMGs a lot like the HMG-88 Torrent which can fire 600 rounds a minute and has minimal recoil; the Torrent can also be deployed as a fixed automated turret. While not as infamous as other classes in the USFMC, the Guardians earned their reputation in 2173 when a Blood Pack mercenary group made of Krogan and Yagh Bloodletters hired by the Hegemony attempted to raid the colony of Ferris Field. Having discovered that the primary shelter was located outside the city, the Blood pack attacked it hoping for a quick slave grab with no opposition but instead they ran into a company of Guardian Marines who were protecting the shelters. Said company proceeded to single handedly wipe out two third of the raiding party with their Carnivore shotguns, resulting in the death of four hundred Yagh Blood Warriors and fifty Krogan Blood Pack, including twenty five Battlemaster. Since the battle, the Guardian company was given the privilege of forming an RCT around their specialties and took on the name of Bloody Mary due to the rumors of having made a pool of bright red blood from the corpses of their enemies next to a small chapel.
Gremlin: They specialize in infiltration, electronic warfare and sabotage. Gremlin specialists use the Black-Cloud Exoskeleton Suit which is optimized for speed, agility and stealth. It has built-in jetpacks and grappling hooks for bypassing obstacles and powerful kinetic barriers. The Gremlins carry formidable Tech attacks such as Overload to disable shields and electronics or Firaga a special Tech-App that creates a cloud of superheated air using electro-static waves and mass effect field that damages mass effect base weaponry due to excessive overheating across a wide area. Gremlins also have built in electro-static generators on their suit's arms, perfect for electrocuting enemies or destroying sensitive equipments. Their preferred weapons are heavy pistols like PWS-9 Smart Pistol which can target and fire on multiple targets using smart ammunition or the SMG Fire Scorpion that delivers tungsten plasma rounds.
Hecatonchires: The best combat engineers in the Federation, the Hecatonchires are the ones in charge of maintaining and defending the Federation supply lines as well constructing bases, bunkers and many other things. The Hecatonchires are unique due to the fact that they are able to control by themselves large numbers and variety of combat or engineering drones due to the neural nano-interface inside their brains. Hecatonchires use the Heavy class Vulcan Exoskeleton suit, a very unique piece of equipment that enables the user to interface and control various types of machineries. This is due to USF reverse engineering the Nanosuit 2.0 Remote Hacking ability and integrating the feature into the nano-neural interface thus granting the Hecatonchires with some limited technopathy. The Vulcan suit has also a built in Nano-manufacturing and fabrication system that enables the user to use materials to build parts, tools with nanomachines, with enough time and power a Hecatonchires can construct a weapon, a building and even a vehicle thus partially eliminating the need of bringing supplies on the field, the Hecatonchires creates it on the spot. With the Vulcan suit, a Hecatonchires can carry and use more weapons than anyone in the Marine Corps due to the four extra mechanical arm gimmicks. Hecatonchires are often deployed in squads of four or eight and supported by robotic combat and construction platforms; they also lead or assist Guardian Companies.
The Helldivers are the primary reconnaissance group and employed as shock troopers due to their habit of deploying on a planet via individual orbital drop pods and the use of jetpacks during combat. The Helldivers have the largest amount of biotics in their ranks.
Commando: Perhaps the most infamous class of Helldivers, Commandos are the deadliest soldiers in the galaxy. Trained in the harshest environments the galaxy has to offer, the death rate of a Commando in training is 60 percent. Commandos are trained in infiltration, subterfuge and guerilla warfare, they are also accomplished marksman and experts in CQC. Those with biotic potentials are trained to use their abilities to enhance their physical prowesses. Commandos often use the Medium class Midnight Exoskeleton suit which is optimized for stealth and guerilla warfare. The Midnight suit is also capable of atmospheric re-entry by deploying ablative gel cocoon and kinetic field to protect the user from the heat of re-entry and atmospheric pressure. Using a mixture of electrogravitics and mass effect fields a Commando can slow his/her descent safely at any altitude, making it perfect for HALO and orbital drops. The suit also has nano vision and a SECOND class AI to provide tactical options on the battlefield. For biotic commandos, the Midnight suit can be modified to have built in Element Zero nodules maintained inside a nano-layer fabric that boost the biotic reserves and capabilities of the user, there is also a cocktail of nutrients and drugs to feed the user in case of a lack of available food.
Havoc Trooper: Where a Commando is silent and deadly, the Havoc Trooper is just plain loud and brutal. Havoc Troopers have extensive Nano-modification to allow their body to survive massive amount of damages and trauma. This is because the Havoc Troopers are generally dropped from orbit via re-entry pods, often in the middle of a warzone or in heavily defended areas. Their job as per their namesake is to wreak havoc, to accomplish that job they wear the Titan Exoskeleton Suit, a heavy piece of armor yet grants superb speed and agility. Havoc Troopers carry a mixture of medium and heavy weaponry along with lots of explosives but they always carry close combat weapons such as machetes, monomolecular axes or neural maces due to their nature of fighting in close quarters. Some also tend to favor flamethrowers and grenade launchers. Biotics amongst Havoc Troopers are extremely brutal due to having a biotic neural amplifier in their suit thus boosting their combat abilities to a degree that they can rival an Asari Matriarch although that has yet to be fully proven. Havoc Troopers are also one of the few classes of soldiers capable of fighting a Krogan warrior in close combat although they often results in pyrrhic victories. Human, Batarians and Turians are the most prolific amongst the Havoc Troopers, although there are a few Asari and Drell that have proven their mettle, however the Havoc have the highest rate of casualties than any other group in the USFMC due to the nature of their deployment and the hazardous missions they perform. Nonetheless they are feared and respected across the galaxy for their lethality and unwavering determination in accomplishing the mission even in the face of suicidal odds. The motto of the Havoc Troopers is, Jump in hell but die on your feet.
Nova: The ultimate biotic soldier, Nova soldiers use the NXL5 Biotic implant along with nano neural layer under their skin that contains and manage powerful Eezo nodules within their bloodstream. The Nova uses the Quasar Exoskeleton Suit, design specifically for biotic users. The Quasar has a network of element zero nodules that act as an amplifier for the user and a spare energy reserves for biotic power. Nova Troopers are trained to fight and defeat numerically superior opponents in direct and indirect combat thus their abilities are on par with an Asari Matriarch or Krogan Battlemaster. Like the Havoc Trooper and Commando, Nova Troopers are deployed via orbital drop, however unlike the others; a Nova uses its onboard electrostatic and biotic fields to create an antigravity and protective barrier to land on the ground not before unleashing a massive shockwave around the LZ. Nova Troopers are expert in close combat, especially with the sword as many amongst their ranks favor the Katana, broadswords or Neural Maces. A new weapon that has become popular recently is the Chain blade a segmented sword, which uses element zero to allow biotics to control the length and direction of the weapon like a whip, in the hands of a master it is extremely deadly.
USFMC Equipment:
Exoskeleton Suit: The successor of the Nano-Armor, the Exoskeleton suit or Exo is a semi-organic electro-mechanical harness design to increase the strength, speed and agility of a soldier as well as providing protection against weapon's fire and environmental hazards. The semi-organic aspect of the Exo suit is the artificial muscle fiber reverse engineered from the Nanosuit technology along with a neural interface that connect into the user's nervous systems, the user's reaction time and sensorial perception are increased at super-sentient levels making them as deadly as a Nanosuit user. Exo-suits are powered by a plasma fusion cell battery that doesn't need recharge for up to a hundred years, along with a mass effect core to reduce the weight, the Exo-suit is very light by most equipment standards and very easy to customize thus offering a wide range of options. There are three types of Exo-Suits: Light, Medium and Heavy. All Marine personnel and in the Navy employ Exoskeleton Suits. Outside of the military, Exo-Suits are very popular especially in areas of construction works such as deep space engineering and mining operations in hazardous environment.
EVI: Extended Virtual Intelligence, EVI are the successors of traditional VIs, unlike Vis, EVIs process more information and faster, they can learn from experience and improve upon their parameters but not to the point where they can become fully sentient, although their ability to interact with organics is superior to common VI. In the event that an EVI becomes sentient it is immediately black box and quarantined until it is determined that it would not be a threat to organics.
Nano-Kit: A device which contains a pre-requisite amount of nanomachines; Nano-Kits are often used by engineers for building and repair projects. They are the closest thing to a universal constructor. Nano-Kits can create a variety of tools, parts ranging from electronic, mechanical and even explosives. Superconductive materials are also possible but require specific type of resources and large amount of energy. Nano-Kits also have safeguards in them to prevent the replication of certain products such as military grade explosives, or weapon parts unless being a member of a military, even then one requires a license and a background check to be allowed such possibilities. Only a license operated user can use a Nano-Kit, in the hands of an unlicensed member the device will remain inert, military version will self destruct…violently.
Weapons:
Bullets:
Most Federation weapons use ballistic bullets instead of pellet rounds. The reason for using this type of ammunition is for many reasons, the first one is because standard kinetic barriers for infantry and vehicles are design to stop object firing at hypervelocity, and thus the sensors won't be able to calibrate fast enough to stop the bullet. Second, a ballistic bullet packs ten times more kinetic strength than a standard mass effect round thus even if the barrier is properly calibrated it will lose effectiveness after a second or third shot. Third is the penetrating power of bullets. USF bullets are plasma forged and laser sharpened enabling them to easily shatter or pierce Citadel base armor which are commonly carbon ceramic base, as a side effect the armor becomes a danger for the wearer as the debris would lodge themselves into his/her flesh.
Firing technology: USFC military technology employs a mixture of electromagnetic; magnetic, gas propulsion to create versatile and deadly weapons. Unlike the other factions in the galaxy, those weapons are rarely dependent on mass effect fields except for an increase velocity or weight reduction. The advantages are that these weapons rarely suffer from overheating, are more durable than standard ME base weapons. Prior to the Skyllian War, the only drawback was limited ammunitions but with advancements made in micro-fabrication technology and the use of Omnigel such constraints are now removed.
Pistol:
PDW-8 Predator: The Predator uses a gas piston firing system with a magnetic coil enhanced barrel and a mass effect field at the end of said barrel to decrease the weight of the bullet and increase it speed to hypersonic levels thus it can easily shatter the most powerful of kinetic barriers and pierce armor but at the cost of a slow albeit descent firing rate. It ammunition system uses the mass effect field ammo sheering system coupled with a nano-fabricator to manufacture bullets instead of small slugs. Its modular systems allow for a large range of customization such as improved targeting systems, reduced recoil, increase magazine and customize ammunition. The Predator is considered as the main service weapon of the USFMC but several variants exists and is also in used by the Federation Navy and various law enforcement agencies. After several Citadel agents, including eight Specters were assassinated by civilian versions of the PDW-8, the Citadel Council has marked the Predator as illegal. Federation military and law enforcement personnel are excluded but must carry a class-9 weapon permit when in Citadel space.
PWS-9 Smart Pistol: Affection ally called the Smart Ass by Federation Marines; the Smart Pistol is a unique and dangerous firearm. As its name suggests the pistol fires smart guided ammunitions that can bypass cover or kill a specific target even if surrounded by multiple people. The pistol can also fire a single bullet that will split into several monomolecular shards and each target independently a variety of pre-selected targets making it the perfect tool for assassination. The Smart Pistol is used exclusively by the Gremlin Marines, Fenrir operatives and CIA field agents. Of course the pistol in question is considered highly illegal in Citadel space and anyone caught in possession of it is considered an enemy spy or assassin.
PDW-66 Siren: The Siren uses focus sonic waves to incapacitate or to kill its target. Since barriers and armor have no effect on it, it is a very popular weapon with law enforcement groups such as the FBI, E-SWAT and C-SEC. The only reason why it is not often favored by assassins and covert ops is because the Siren has a built in feature that emits a high pitch sound when fired thus making it recognizable. Nonetheless the pistol has acquired a solid reputation and fear in the galaxy, especially the criminal underworld as it is often the preferred weapon for executions. There are rumors of a Siren variant that doesn't emits any sound but so far no one has been able to confirm its existence.
PDW-25 Sunfire: Currently the only pistol capable of firing plasma shells, the Sunfire is very deadly but requires an expert touch due to its slow firing rate and use of rechargeable fuel cells. However it is very accurate and its range is exceptional for a pistol thus it is favored by many marksmen in the Federation military. The Sunfire comes with two types of plasma ammunitions, the first is called pyro ammo which like its name has an incendiary effect on upon contact will cover a target with a shell of viscous high temperature plasma liquid that will increase in temperature as it consumes the surrounding oxygen. The second type is Fleche, the French word for arrow; in this case the plasma will pierce armor and explode from the inside.
Shotgun:
HCWS-17 Tam-Tam: Heavy Combat Weapon Systems Type 17, the Tam-Tam is a very dangerous weapon in close quarters and urban combat. A Heavy drum fed action pump shotgun inspired from the action pump 12 gauge shotgun developed in the 20th century, the Tam-Tam can fire three types of ammunition: Tungsten Incendiary flechettes that pierces armor and burn their targets from the inside. Explosive plasma shells which are perfect against heavily armored targets and can also bypass kinetic barriers due to the plasma energy spilling out of the shells once they made contact with a target and finally sonic rounds which shatters eardrums and create internal damage in an organic body. The Tam-Tam following its introduction became very popular with the Marines, especially the Goblin specialists of the Iron Fists, the Gargoyles of the Star Wing and the Guardians of TechCom due to its versatility, light weight and sheer destructive power. A civilian version call the Drummer exists but is considered illegal in Citadel space despite being less powerful than the Tam-Tam.
M-55 Carnivore: A shotgun design to make full use of the Federation plasma technology, the Carnivore is a heavy shotgun that fires concentrated plasma rounds which upon contacts with a target have an acidic effect that dissolve any materials. This makes the Carnivore an extremely dangerous weapon. The inside of the weapon has a built in cryogenic module that produces super chilled air, in conjunction with advance superconductive materials, thus the Carnivore doesn't overheat and can fire almost indefinitely. It is also the only weapon Krogan and Yagh fear/respect above all else in the federation arsenal due to the acidic effect neutralizing Krogan regeneration and piercing the Yagh thick skin in one shot. The Salarian Union and many Terminus factions have tried repeatedly to acquire the weapon specs but the Carnivore anti fabrication system and biometric failsafe makes it a hopeless and costly endeavor. The Carnivore is produced by Akhenaton Gears Industry, a weapons manufacturer own and managed by retired USFMC veterans.
Assault Rifle:
ICR: The Integrated Combat Rifle, is the standard assault rifle of the USFMC, like the Predator pistol it uses a gas firing chamber, with magnetic enhanced rails and a mass effect field to fire hyper velocity bullet rounds. The ICR integrated ammo manufacturing system can easily produce a variety of bullets, from AP (Armored Piercing), EMP rounds to Armored Piercing Explosive Round. It also has hard points for target scope, laser sight, grenade launcher and even Omni-bayonet making it a very versatile weapon.
Mattock: One of the first firearms developed to make full use of mass effect technology, the Mattock is a battle rifle capable of firing semi round burst with lethal precision or full burst with a minimum of recoil. Despite its age, the Mattock is still in use and widespread across Federation territories as well as Citadel and Terminus space. The Hawk Troopers of the Sky Wing Branch use the Mattock extensively but theirs is different from the standard versions due to it being upgraded with integrated ammo manufacturing system and a cooling module.
AK-147: Successor of the venerable AK-47, the AK-147offers a good rate of fire, with minimal recoil but average precision it is also very customizable with a variety of Federation or Citadel parts. Like its predecessor the Ak-147 can survive the most hazards of environmental conditions and its cheap price makes it a favored weapon for many around the galaxy ranging from USF State world' PDFs to Mercenary groups.
SMG:
Locust: Developed by Kassa Fabrications, the Locust is a mixture of precision and firepower in a small package. It is one of the few SMGs that can be outfitted with a sound suppressor making it a favored weapon for assassinations and covert ops. The Locust is preferred by Gremlins, Ravens and Commandos. The weapon is available for export outside of Federation space and is greatly favored by Asari Commandos and Salarian STG.
Fire Scorpion: A rapid fire weapon, the Fire Scorpion fire plasma encased inside tungsten bullets, allowing bypassing armor and cooking the target inside. It is very useful against armored targets and Krogans. The only drawback is that it consumes ammo fast and the reload time is slow but in the hands of an expert it can be very lethal. The Fire Scorpion is the preferred weapon of the Gremlins, Gargoyles, Guardians, Havoc and Nova Troopers.
Sniper Rifle:
HLR 11 Marabou: Developed by Sykes Firearms, the Hyper Long range Rifle is considered as the most deadly sniper rifle in the galaxy. Advance targeting scanners that can calculate wind speed, temperature and analyze a target's weakness for optimal destruction. The barrel uses a mixture of magnetic coils and negative mass effect fields to fire a bullet at hypersonic velocity, enabling it to penetrate most obstacles, including armored vehicles. The drawback is that the Marabou can only fire three shots before the capacitors are empty until recharge cycle which lasts about five to ten seconds which is a lifetime on the battlefield. Expert marksman however have learned to do with that weakness by carefully timing each shot to the point that they can fire dozen rounds without fully draining the capacitors.
Heartbreaker: A powerful sniper rifle that uses smart guided ammunition to bypass obstacles or penetrate through them by finding their weakest points. Like the smart pistol, the bullet can split into segmented parts and lock on multiple targets (max 5). It can also fire a variety of warheads, making it a very versatile weapon on the battlefield. There are several variants of the Heartbreaker employed by the military and various law enforcements groups.
Vehicles: The Iron Fists are in charge of the mechanized divisions, but most vehicles aside from tanks are used by all branches of the USFMC.
MRV-55 Puma
The Puma is the USF Marine Corps premier Infantry Vehicle, mounted on a six wheel chassis, the Puma is well armored and has enough space to accommodate a single tactical squad (eight marines) along with their equipments. The Puma has also an onboard medical system to heal wounded personnel and Tac-Com system for battlefield management. The Puma is very fast and its advance suspension system and mass effect core allows it to carry a significant amount of firepower and armor without sacrificing speed and agility. The Puma primary weapon is 125mm Gauss canon mounted on a turret cupola placed on the forward body; secondary armaments consists of a multi-purpose rocket launcher that can target air and ground units; a plasma grenade launcher and two 45mm machine guns mounted on swivels. A Puma is generally used for reconnaissance missions or hit and run strikes thus its designation MRV stands for Mobile Reconnaissance Vehicle; they can be airlifted or dropped from orbit while using jump jets and mass effect fields to enter a planet's atmosphere. The Puma is used by every branch of the USFMC but it is heavily favored by the Star the Hawks.
MAV-59 Leo
Where the Puma is used for discretion, the Leo is made to provide a brutal statement. As a Mobile Assault Vehicle (MAV), the Leo uses an eight wheel chassis carrying thirty tons of carbon titanium armor, it can carry 4 Tactical Squads (32 Marines) and also act as a mobile command center. While slower than the Puma, the Leo is quite fast for its size but its lack of agility is compensated by its thick armor, kinetic barriers and heavy armament that can easily compete with most modern armored vehicles but its true role is to breach heavily defended areas and disgorge or retrieve friendly forces. The Leo primary weapons are 150mm Gauss Canon which can fire a variety of shells ranging from AP; HEAT or EMP, followed by a plasma mortar to dislodge fortified enemy infantry. Secondary armaments consist of a six tubes missile launcher pod, two 45mm machine gun turrets and four Piranhas Combat Drones. Like the Puma, the Leo is capable of orbital/atmospheric drop.
The Leo has a proud history, starting its combat debut during the battles of Rakana and Shanxi; it had originally been assumed by the Turians and Batarians that the vehicle was the USF main battle tank due to the fact that few enemies survived an encounter with it. The Leo is mostly used by the Iron Fist Corps but Tech-Com does employ a lot of them as well due to its cargo capacity. A variant of Leo known as the White Leo is used exclusively for Med-Evac and disaster relief operations thus it doesn't carry weapons except for a couple of machine guns and powerful kinetic barriers.
AMV-70 Python
The USF main battle tank, measuring 14 meters in length, 4 in heights covered in two inches of plasma forged titanium, reinforced with nano-carbon armor plating; weighting 150 tons mounted on two threads powered by a plasma electric engine and capable of maximum speed of 183 kilometers per hour, the Python is an intimidating sight. Its primary weapons are two 180mm Gauss canons mounted on a single turret; one plasma mortar, four six tubes missile launchers, four gun pods, two grenade launchers and two Barracuda Combat Reconnaissance Drones. The Python aside from its kinetic barriers is also equip with a plasma barrier but it can only be used while stationary and can only face on direction at a time, nonetheless the plasma barrier has proven to be extremely powerful in withstanding massive amount of firepower short of a nuclear attack or orbital strike, making it useful as a temporary static unit.
Introduced late during the Skyllian War, the Python proved devastating against Batarian and Turian armored forces even when outnumbered. Throughout the conflict only sixteen Pythons were lost and with no fatalities thus earning the title of the most powerful tank in the galaxy.
GTU-77 Taurus
The Ground Tactical Unit Model 77 Taurus is a bipedal mech that can transform into a battle tank. Its primary mode or Mech mode is a 12 meters humanoid shape with thick armor plating and threads underfoot for increase mobility. In this configuration the Taurus can function as an artillery unit with its twin railgun canon fixed behind the shoulders and missile pods on the legs. Its arms can be used for melee combat along with retractable monomolecular blades in the wrists and heavy machine guns on the chest. In tank mode the Taurus is very fast and more heavily armored, in this configuration it has a feature call siege mode that boost the range and power of its canons but at the cost of mobility, making it an artillery platform. Taurus is piloted mostly by Raven operatives and can be dropped from air or orbit but Guardian Marines do use them on occasions to defend bases or escort large convoys in hostile territories.
ATU-49 Cyclone
The aerial counterpart of the Taurus, the Cyclone is a Mech that can transform into a gunship and provide air support or engage aerial units. Often call the Flying Chicken or Bird on Legs by the Marines, the Cyclone is a fast and agile vehicle, it has two alternate configurations, Bird mode which is for aerial combat, in the air or vacuum, it can engage targets with its powerful plasma canons mounted under the nose and two six tubes micro missile pods under the wings. On Walker mode, the Cyclone can walk on solid surfaces but also has much greater mobility due to the hover pulse thrust vectoring nozzles under the legs, enabling it to dodge enemy fire and circle around targets. Under this configuration the Cyclone can unleash a massive amount of firepower with its micro-rocket pods hidden in the legs and wings, along with machine guns.
BAT-105 Atlas
The Bipedal Armored Trooper is the culmination of a century of engineering and studies to develop the perfect mech. While there exist a variety of B. , the Atlas is the most prolific and most versatile in the USF arsenal. Shape like a humanoid measuring 8 meters and heavily armored, the Atlas uses a slave motion control system that enables the pilot to move and articulate the mech like a real humanoid, meaning it can run, jump, crouch and even crawl. The Atlas is unique due to the fact that it has handheld weapons ranging from medium to long range and close range combat, this is because the Atlas was developed not only to act as a support for infantry but to also deal with potential enemy mechs as well as act as a psychological weapon. The Atlas has hard points to attach a number of external weapons and allow infantry to mount it. It has jump jets on its legs and back torso to jump across obstacles or slow its descent during orbital/air drops. In case of emergency the pilot can eject from the Atlas; it also has a self destruct feature that combines a mixture of explosive, shrapnel and EMP to inflict as much damage as possible. The Atlas also has a sophisticated EVI (Enhanced Virtual Intelligence) that assists the pilot and can even engage autonomously without a pilot or using voice command; however it lacks the instinctive edge and imagination to make complex maneuvers thus it is generally employed to prevent hostile boarding or perimeter watch while the pilot is away.
The Atlas was used extensively during the Skyllian War, one notable event was the Battle of Amaranthine in June 2177, a Turian fortress world where the Atlas was used in large numbers via orbital drop to destroy Hierarchy surface to orbit batteries and command centers. Since the end of the war the Turian Hierarchy and the Salarian Union have been working really hard to develop their own Mechs to counter the Atlas with some modicum of success. The USFMC 11th RCT aka Iron Men is one of the few groups to employ almost exclusively the Atlas Mech and its variants.
MOLC: Mobile Orbital Logistic Center
An army doesn't run on an empty stomach, a philosophy that humanity has learned the hard way in its long history of warfare. During the Second Ceph Incursion, the former UEA was faced with a massive problem of logistics and adequate operating base due to Mars hostile environment and the Ceph constant attrition. After the discovery of mass effect technology, military engineers came with the idea of developing a mobile base that would provide everything an army needed without the constant need of a supply chain. The results of that idea was the MOLC, in essence a giant flying box containing troop barracks, command and communication centers, medical facilities, hangar bays for ground and air vehicles, supply storage facilities and manufacturing of organic and non organic supplies to feed an entire regiment far away from home. In terms of defense, the MOLC is armed with a Guardian laser defense array, CIWS railguns, missile batteries and a plasma barrier. With its anti-gravity technology supplemented with mass effect fields, the MOLC could easily enter a planet atmosphere without assistance and leave when finished.
It wasn't until the Skyllian War that the MOLC proved its worth especially during the battles of Shanxi and the Turian colony of Amaranthine the latter where the USFC laid siege with hundreds of these airborne fortresses. Their only vulnerability is a dedicated air or orbital attack but even then, MOLCs barriers are powerful enough to withstand such damage until reinforcements arrive. Latest iterations are now capable of FTL jumps (albeit limited) and mount Disruptor Torpedoes along with powerful particle canons.
There are several variants of MOLC in use by USFMC; for starters the Chapel variant is used by the Marines to act as a garrison base for colonies that have yet to reach State world status. It has construction modules to build fix structures and defensive emplacements like bunkers and shelters.
The Pioneer variant is used for building outposts and even colonial settlements, thus it only carries defensive weapons and large amount of fighters, generally combat drones. The Teresa variant is used strictly as a hospital ship to treat wounded troops or assist in rescue operations of civilians in disaster areas.
The Turian Hierarchy being one of the few to have experienced the other end of such weapons has begun developing their own MOLC with assistance from the Salarian Union.
Locust Gunboat:
One of the few warships operated exclusively by the USFMC, the Locust Gunboat is an oddity and a tactical terror on the battlefield as it is the primary artillery platform of the Marines.
Measuring 120 meters in length, this ship is design to provide aerial and ground support to the Marines by deploying its complement of 658 EVI controlled combat drones codename UCD-77 Wasp. Each Wasp measures eight meters and resemble their insect namesake, it is armed with triple barrel Gatling machine gun turret fixed on the tail with 260 degree firing arc, side mounted eight tubes multipurpose missile launchers and a plasma canon mounted under the nose.
The Locust act as their carrier and provide maintenance and repairs, it also provides electronic warfare and fire support with eight plasma canons along with four Gauss artillery canons all located inside the ventral structure of the ship. For defense against aerial threats, the Locust has powerful kinetic barriers and missile batteries but it can't fight against warships thus requiring dedicated fighter or ship escorts. The presence of a Locust on the battlefield usually means that the enemy has virtually no chance winning as it can unleash enough firepower from extreme altitude without suffering retribution.
Chariot Troop ship:
Often considered the ugliest piece of junk in the Federation, the Chariot is the USFMC primary troop transport, shape like a maladjusted metal box with six large armored plasma thruster engine pods, measuring eighty eight meters in length and twenty in height, the Chariot can carry an entire company of troops along with their assorted gear and vehicles. Design for rapid deployment and recovery, the Chariot is heavily armored and has strong kinetic barriers. It is armed with eight Guardian laser turrets, six heavy machine guns, a six tubes missile launcher and two plasma turrets, giving it the firepower to land in hostile areas without much needed support. It also carries large number of drops for rapid orbital or aerial insertion in enemy territories. The Chariot can also be used as a fix defensive emplacement or even a bunker once it has ejected its engine pods.
CV-69 Pegasus Dropship:
A versatile aerospace craft, the Pegasus has been in service since the early days of the UEA and continues to the serve the Federation as it is constantly upgraded and maintained due to its low cost and versatility. An all weather transport with descent armament and protection, the Pegasus is considered the workhorse of the USFMC and it is employed in every kind of operations.
There are several variants of Pegasus being used in the Federation; the most common is the TS variant which stands for Troops and Support, in this configuration the Pegasus can transport two squads of Marines in its troop compartment located in the middle section and can carry one vehicle attach to the rear tail section. The TS version is armed with a nose mounted gatling pod, an automated turret on each side of the troop compartment and two four tubes missile pods fixed on each wing which makes it useful in providing fire support to friendly forces.
The GS variant stands for Ground Suppression and is used to provide heavy fire support against fortified enemy positions or armored vehicles, in this form, the Pegasus carries a large number of air to ground missiles and a plasma canon, the troop compartment is used as an ammo compartment and to house the generator for the plasma.
The SR version stands for Search and Rescue, as the name implies its purpose is to recover stranded or injured military personnel or assist injured civilians if needed. In this configuration, the SR has no weapons and relies entirely on its kinetic barriers and ECM for defense since it needs to conserve as much space and weight to carry rescue teams and injured patients. SRs are generally escorted by fighter drones for additional protection or even other gunships.
TV65 Vulture:
An attack gunship, the Vulture provides aerial and ground support to ground forces and act as an escort for aerial transports it can also operate in space but it is not a true space fighter due to its limited fuel and range. The Vulture is armed with an Electron laser turret mounted under the nose, six eight tubes missile launchers mounted on hard points under the wings and additional and 700 tons carrying capacity bomb bay in the ventral section.
As you can see the Marines are not pussy footing around and while they appear very OP, keep in mind that humanity's fight against the Ceph was extremely brutal, add the fact that the Ceph are extra galactic and can evolve their technology rapidly to match their foes, the USFMC needs to be as extremely aggressive as possible and unleash the motherload of all firepower to defeat such enemy. Currently there are only two factions capable of giving the USFMC a true challenge and that's not counting the Reapers, Ceph and Geth.
Most of the inspiration for the various Marine units came from Halo, Destiny, Titanfall, Battlefield 2149, Call of Duty Black Ops and Macross.