MDF Lore

= Masked Delta Force =
The Masked Delta Force, otherwise abbreviated as MDF, is a division that consists of some of the fiercest and most elite fighters AEGIS has to offer. Their history makes it clear, however, that this was not always the case, but despite their past failures and transgressions against AEGIS, today The Masked Delta Force performs their critical role as frontline soldiers with proficiency, earning them the motto they so proudly adorne: 
“The few, the worthy, the elite.”
== Origin ==
In the wake of the VRAXIS war, AEGIS had found itself in a situation where their armed forces were ineffective. Decades of neglect and stagnation following the collapse of society had formed a military that was only effective in holding off riots and policing. When the units of said military were thrusted into combat, even with better equipment than VRAXIS, they managed to lose terribly. As the conflicts with VRAXIS continued to escalate and the situation became out of control, The Board of Directors decided that something needed to be done. They decided on a plan to prepare a vast majority of The Last City's garrison forces into active combat while withholding a select few for training. The units selected for combat deployment were nothing more than cannon fodder to delay the enemy, which was in accordance with AEGIS' overall strategy in the VRAXIS war, as the enemies destruction was anticipated.
After a rigorous month-long training program, the Delta reserve outperformed the rest of the withheld units, although by a slim margin. The Delta reserve became the focus of the Board of Directors training program, and as such, were trained in increasingly advanced and complex exercises which lead to the formation of The Masked Delta Force. In order to command them in combat, surviving units from deployments to the wasteland were consolidated into another unit under the callsign 'Gamma'. The Gamma unit would be given command of the newly formed Masked Delta Forces, as they were acclimated to VRAXIS tactics and the harsh environment of the wasteland.
The Masked Delta Forces were provided with AEGIS' best armaments and equipment, which was short of DEW weapons and the armour they were provided with was more effective, as it covered more of their body and handled impacts better. Alongside that, their headgear also had a visor built into their helmet, that offered increased visibility in harsh conditions such as sandstorms, as well as thermal vision and night vision. Their uniforms were also specifically made for wasteland combat, protecting them better in the harsh environments. The Masked Delta Forces had been provided with most of the top of the line equipment that was available at the time, extensive training, and more competent leadership. All that was left was to deploy them in actual combat.
== VRAXIS War ==
The MDF's first deployment amidst the escalation of war with VRAXIS was to defend a strategic location within the wasteland, designated by AEGIS as "The Last Shield", or abbreviated as "TLS". The location was given the name due to its position atop a large hill, that overlooks the surrounding area, which is largely flat. From this position, AEGIS could prevent VRAXIS from directly advancing into the border, making it impossible for them to attack the border, even if VRAXIS was not yet aware of the border's existence. The location also provided an excellent position for reconnaissance, making it even more valuable. The MDF were airlifted by VTOLs and dug in to defend the position, as they had been informed that a VRAXIS legion would attack within 24 hours. This was proven to be a mistake, as VRAXIS troops that were marching towards the position had taken a longer route to get there, with many stops along the way, which resulted in the attack coming a full week after their attack was initially planned to happen.
With the MDF being dug in for a week at this point, over half of their numbers had succumbed to the HC-191-C disease and either died or had to receive a medevac. Logistically, the MDF were not receiving enough supplies, they were not being distributed accordingly, and even then, many of the supplies were amaged by the harsh conditions, leaving the MDF in a poor state. By the time the VRAXIS troops arrived, they made quick work of the MDF stationed at The Last Shield, managing to almost completely destroy the regiment. Although the MDF's surviving units managed to escape alive, it came at the cost of abandoning all of the equipment that had been transported there. Had it not been for the abandoned armaments, VRAXIS would have likely pursued the leftover MDF units and executed them on the spot. The MDF's debut was a total failure, as VRAXIS had made a complete mockery of them and the war with them had shifted further against AEGIS.
The Board of Directors quickly began work on rebuilding the MDF, recognizing that the failure of their first battle was due to numerous factors, not just plain incompetence. While AEGIS continued to mobilize its resources towards the VRAXIS war, the AEGIS Research Division had developed a temporary and cheap immunostimulant capable of fending off weaker and more common diseases, such as HC-191-C and its variants. This would help increase the combat effectiveness of the MDF units in the wasteland massively, as previously, the diseases would simply ravage the ranks of the MDF, and force them to be evacuated for treatment. 
In the MDF's second deployment, their forces were put on the offensive to try and halt a violent VRAXIS warlord, who was believed to be insane enough to go to the border and attack it while it was still mobilizing. The Gamma unit's plan was to attack the warlord, feint a loss, and retreat, then envelop the warlord's pursuing forces and destroy the entire VRAXIS legion. While the plan was ambitious, it may not have proven to be the most effective against such erratic opponents.
When the MDF and VRAXIS forces met, the fight was much more evenly matched, despite the MDF putting more effort into minimizing losses in the first phase of the battle, as opposed to fighting them. The battle seemed to be going well according to the plans, until the second phase of the battle, which was the attack phase. The line that the VRAXIS had been lured into was dug in and static, as the Gamma unit command had not accounted for the distance that VRAXIS forces would make while pursuing the retreating MDF. Since they were too stubborn to tell the remaining MDF forces to fall back in order to bleed off the enthusiasm that VRAXIS had built up, the MDF held their ground and their plan had failed when they could not handle the sustained charge by VRAXIS. The losses were comparable to their first deployment, with the only difference being that they were only able to survive due to the well executed envelopment, which angered the VRAXIS warlord, as they blindly fell for the deceit.
Following two defeats, a heated debate ensued among the Board of Directors, as they argued over the fate of the MDF. In the Chairman's first act of intervention in the VRAXIS wars, he formed an AEGIS general staff under the name of the "Table of Military Leadership" (abbreviated as ToML), a temporary organization that was meant to centralize command, control, and logistics. The Chairman also ordered the reconstruction of the Gamma unit's leadership by the ToML in order to ensure proper competent battlefield performance. It was stated that if the MDF were to fail again, the continued existence of the Gamma and Delta units alongside the Table of Military Leadership would not be sustainable, and therefore not guaranteed.
With a renewed vigor, the Delta unit was rebuilt, and this time there was more pressure to make sure they succeeded. Not only was the continued existence of the MDF dependant on them, but there was also a push from all parties involved to ensure the MDF was successful in their job. Before their final operation, the AEGIS Research Division and Roarkel (before its integration into ARD) had fixed an issue with the MDF's combat uniforms which had been present since their first deployment, that being that the harsh wasteland condition would break down the outer layer of the uniforms, revealing a bright orange layer of protective fabric. The new and rewened uniforms ere denied, however, as if they were to fail, it would be a waste of production capacity and resources. 
When it was time, the MDF began what was believed to be their last operation and despite extensive efforts by everyone involved, morale was still low. The operation in question was dubbed simply MDF-CDO-3, which stood for Masked Delta Forces Combat Deployment Operation 3. After the completion of the initial phases, which went exceedingly well, the MDF had received assistance from air support, reconnaissance units and units armed with high caliber sniper rifles. After a long and vigorous battle, the MDF managed to successfully kill the warlord in charge of the VRAXIS legion, which in turn allowed them to surround and pick off the remaining members of the legion, who either had the choice to desert their position and run away, or face death. Despite the soldiers originally being melancholic about the battle, by the time it was over, those same people were cheering and celebrating over their admittedly impressive victory. This battle marked the identity of the MDF for years to come, and the orange fabric that made them so clearly visible was no longer a liability to them, but a warning to anyone who saw it, as it was now their way of displaying their fearlessness, while striking fear into the minds of their opponents and shattering their morale before any shots had to be fired.
== MDF Coup ==
“War is a game of sacrifice. We are, in spreading our arms out so wide, sacrificing something that we are not even aware of. This is the worst kind of sacrifice. This is the sacrifice we must avoid.”
	Following their battle with VRAXIS, the border the MDF were positioned in, which was protecting the Last City, was now left in ruins. The desperate assault done by VRAXIS was held off, however, it had left much carnage and destruction behind. The ToML had authorized the use of destructive weapons such as armed VTOLs, knowing well that this would cause AEGIS' own soldier to be caught in the crossfire. These acts spread discontent amongst the soldiers of AEGIS like wildfire. The MDF, who were acting on the offense and suffered very little losses from the assault done by VRAXIS, left them in a great condition, however even they were unhappy with the aforementioned use of destructive weapons against their own soldiers, which sparked the idea of a coup. With only 2 days of planning by the Gamme unit of the MDF, they moved in to execute a bold plan.
Under the cover of clean-up and construction, the MDF moved in to take control over all of the essential border systems, with the Gamma unit even planning to take the Chairman and Board of Directors hostage, as they were expected to be supervising the construction in-person. They encountered no resistance as they occupied the border control tower and pacified the confused members of Site Control. The water, electrical, and communications wings as well as the train line connecting the border's fortress to the Last City were also hijacked, and any special personnel were detained. The plan to take The Chairman and the Board of Directors hostage had failed, as they were being treated to the AEGIS Research Division's latest innovation at the Last City, and as such, were unaware of the hastily constructed coup. 
Eventually, even though the MDF had full control of the border, they knew that without a subjugated HICOM, they would begin to face resistance - if not internally, then externally. The result of this realization was the now infamous sitewide broadcast which was used to attempt to gain control of the situation.
“Attention, AEGIS personnel, the site has now fallen under Masked Delta Forces jurisdiction. Please do not make any attempt to disrupt facility operations. Thank you for your cooperation.“
Despite the intention of the broadcast that was sent out, all that it accomplished was the confirmation of suspicions held by many of the detained personnel and the confusion of all standard AEGIS personnel within the border. Despite the communications wing being occupied, which prevented communication to and from the border, an emergency line, which was hidden for these scenarios, was left unoccupied, and soon the coup began to unravel. 
The MDF in the communications wing were quick to begin negotiations when they began receiving transmissions that demanded their surrender, which indicated that knowledge of the coup had gotten out. Two days of negotiations held place, and a few attempted exchanges using the non-specialized, AEGIS Research Division and Site Control personnel to try and have their demands fulfilled went nowhere, as no proper consensus was reached, and communication between the opposing sides broke off. As a threat, the Masked Delta Forces destroyed the central electrical infrastructure, with the goal of pressuring AEGIS into accepting their final demands. The border ceased all operations immediately thereafter, as it was now using its power reserves, leaving the facility with 2 hours of life support before a total electrical shutdown. With no choice left, it was decided that the best option was to do a surprise attack on them by pretending to surrender and give in to the demands set by the MDF. 
Under normal circumstances, this plan would not have worked, as AEGIS would be sending conscripts against elite, well-trained and battle-hardened soldiers, however, the MDF were in for an unwelcome surprise. The Chairman and the Board of Directors who had been treated to their first sight of the recently completed AEGIS Research Division's Peacekeeper Project saw a perfect excuse to test these new soldiers who they were confident would quickly overcome the rebellion.
The rail leading to the border station from the Last City was set up with a train that would supposedly be carrying supplies as part of the many demands by the MDF. The MDF, confident that it may be an attempted assault from the AEGIS eagerly waited at the train platform, as they were expecting it to be inexperienced conscripts that they were ready to shoot down. The shipment that had arrived turned out to be 100 hastily assembled Peacekeeper units, some still being calibrated on their way to the border. By the time they had arrived, they were greeted by bullets, even a DEW weapon, and some heavy ordnance. The disembarking Peacekeeper forces took 25 casualties before fully securing the platform. Despite initial losses, once they managed to establish a proper defensive position, their inhumane speed as well as their ability to see unhindered in any environment meant they made quick work of the remaining MDF. Because of their partially unfinished nature, many of the Peacekeeper Units had managed to damage their rifles during combat and ended up disabling their own weapons, forcing them to engage the MDF in hand-to-hand combat.
While any form of combat against a Peacekeeper unit is unfair, hand-to-hand combat is virtually impossible for any normal human to compete in due to the sheer strength of a Peacekeeper unit. Their immense strength, combined with their ability to perform fine motor movements without error lead to particularly bloody results when they engaged in combat. To the MDF, the sight of humanoid machines tearing their own forces apart was more than terrifying, and most of them surrendered after a short encounter, if they had the chance. After the border was secured, all that remained was the Gamma unit who had sealed themselves in the command tower since the start. The remaining Peacekeeper units converged on the command tower, where they gave the Gamma unit a final chance to surrender. This demand was met with denial, and their orders were to execute all but the highest leaders of the MDF. 
Short and gruesome work was made of the Gamma unit, and the individuals who were spared were said to have been imprisoned for the rest of their lives, although records of them among the AEGIS prisoner database is non-existent.
===   Consequences ===
The coup, which ended in disaster for the MDF, had a number of consequences and reforms made to them. The Gamma unit, which previously was in charge of the MDF was completely abolished. This caused them to be renamed to the "Masked Delta Force", as they were previously known as the "Masked Delta Forces". The division was also placed under strict BoD oversight, which saw the creation of a new position known as "Administrative Overwatch". The role consisted of a Board of Directors member that was meant to oversee divisional operations and prevent such disastrous situations from happening ever again. The MDF was also downsized when it was finally reformed after a thorough examination period. That same period also had the surviving sharpshooters of the MDF be acquitted of all charges if they agreed to a lifetime contract within the newly formed Specially Trained Hitman Division, which would take over all reconnaissance operations and handling of long-range weapons. The command chain was finally amended by The Chairman himself, giving the Masked Delta Force only slightly more authority than a standard AEGIS unit, making them subservient to all other division which included the newly formed Specially Trained Hitman Division and the Peacekeeper Special Forces. The coup also resulted in a heavy distrust of the MDF by HICOM, which is still present in AEGIS.
== Modern Day ==
Their reforms eventually saw them being rebuilt to the MDF it is today, that being an elite and loyal fighting force which commends respect. They are now on par with their Specially Trained Hitman Division counterpart in the chain of command, and any further attempts for them to gain more authority have been pushed back by HICOM. Despite the MDF's clear atonement for the wrongdoings of the Gamma unit, the HICOM still lacks trust in them.
The Masked Delta Force currently operates on the frontlines of many of the AEGIS wasteland operations, only performing garrison duty when it is absolutely necessary, which was another byproduct of the prejudice against the division. They often work together with standard personnel and the STHD (abbreviation for Specially Trained Hitman Division) in wasteland operations. Their great success has helped them hold a much cleaner track record since the embarrasing incidents of the VRAXIS war.
Category:Lore