The Cryo Legionnaire


Designation: Advanced Anti-Ground Infantry
Training Headquarters: FutureTech Weather Control Centre, Vienna
Trained at: Allied Barracks
Motto: "When we say 'Nobody move', we mean it."

Equipment:

• Cryo-cannon
• Propulsion jetpack
• Tundralest leg guards
• X-1 personal armour
• Brookly sunglasses



Although the Allied Nations’ decision to deploy its Peacekeeper divisions to the front lines of their conflicts against both the Soviet Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun raised eyebrows at the time, in hindsight it can be argued that this was one of the bold and calculated risks that helped secure the Allies’ victory in the war. The Peacekeepers proved themselves to be resilient and disciplined as they attacked their unwary enemies, and the Peacekeepers – true to their name – ensured the relative safety of civilian populations whilst the conflict raged around them. As a result, the Allies became relatively popular amongst the war-torn nations. Despite all this, the Peacekeepers were ill-equipped to combat the most devastating weapons the Union and the Empire had to offer, although many of these brave men lost their lives trying to take them on. So, when the Allies partnered with the Amsterdam-based FutureTech Corporation to launch the Legionnaire Initiative, in a sense, no one was surprised. The surprise came only once the Allies’ Cryo Legionnaires were finally unveiled in all their cold, blue glory.

Years before they are fitted into their armoured suits, the men known as Cryo Legionnaires undergo an extremely intense training programme. These suits were designed to simulate the harshest combat conditions in the Soviet Union. Although the Cryo Legionnaires represent one per cent of the fittest and strongest men in Europe and the United States, only two per cent of these candidates successfully complete FutureTech’s confidential training programme. Those ultimately accepted into the ranks of the Cryo Legionnaires must demonstrate not only peak physical fitness and agility, but also a specific psychological profile which, according to FutureTech, is optimally suited to the rigours these men will face in defending the Allies and global freedoms. And although most aspects of the Legionnaire Initiative are closely guarded military secrets, initial reports of the Legionnaires’ astonishing victories on the battlefield and their low accident rates appear very promising.


The Cryo Legionnaires could have significantly altered the course of the last war had the Legionnaire Initiative been completed in time, although they now stand ready to maintain the hard-won peace.

The appeal of the Legionnaire Initiative lies in the non-violent nature of its approach to conflict resolution. The Cryo Legionnaires avoid conventional weapons in favour of a semi-portable ‘Cryo-cannon’, the technology of which has been incorporated into the design of FutureTech’s own Cryocopter. This device rapidly absorbs 99 per cent of all heat within a fixed, conical sector, effectively freezing the area very quickly. The effect is so rapid that living creatures enter a trance-like state, such that their frozen bodies can be retained, collected and revived later for a swift and just trial by combat.

Naturally, the enemies of the Cryo Legionnaires often refuse to engage them; for this reason, their body armour can withstand explosives and concussive fire better than any personal defence systems ever developed – including, as FutureTech’s spokesperson points out, the armour of the Soviet Union’s notoriously resilient Tesla Troopers. Furthermore, the X-1 Impulse Armour effectively enhances the wearer’s reflexes, paradoxically enabling them to move much faster than a normal person. At the same time, their jetpack not only absorbs and dissipates heat, but is also used for short-distance flight and various tactical manoeuvres. FutureTech has firmly denied allegations regarding a controversial incident in which a frozen Soviet combatant was shattered to pieces when struck by the Talon of a Cryo Legionnaire descending from flight, stating that such conditions on the battlefield are, by their very nature, unpredictable and that Cryo Legionnaires have already saved thousands of lives. Be that as it may, the widely publicised incident proves that all eyes are on the Legionnaire Initiative, and that FutureTech’s promises will shape the future of law enforcement.


Reconnaissance on the battlefield has at least revealed the following facts about the Cryo Legionnaires:

• The Cryo Cannon– Cryo Legionnaires can halt entire enemy squadrons using their Cryo Cannons, which rapidly freeze ground targets, ranging from unprotected infantry to fixed installations and armoured divisions. Frozen targets are rendered immobile and extremely vulnerable.

-Surprisingly amphibious- One might expect them to sink like a stone if they ventured onto water. However, Cryo Legionnaires are literally capable of skating across watery surfaces. By rapidly freezing the water beneath their feet (thanks to FutureTech’s innovative Tundralest leg guards), Cryo Legionnaires always have a firm footing, even at sea.

-Propulsion– The heat stored in the Cryo Legionnaire’s jetpack can be expelled to cover short distances and for other combat tactics. Due to the weight of their body armour, Cryo Legionnaires tend to fall heavily, and can use this to their advantage in close combat.

-No expense spared - The Legionnaire Initiative is one of many costly partnerships between the Allied army and FutureTech Corporation, and the bill is footed by battlefield commanders seeking to requisition this specialised elite force. Fortunately, just a few Cryo Legionnaires can effectively replace entire infantry platoons.