Aeon Legion

The **Aeon Legion** was the formal military and police force of Saturn City, founded at the onset of the First Temporal War to enforce the laws of the Temporal Accords, which also serves as its founding charter. It is considered the most powerful post-time military force in existence, and maintains formal alliances with the Corporate Republic of Helcia and the Republic of Kavacha. It also cooperates closely with the Sybil Moirai for the purpose of policing time travel.

## History

### Origins

The Aeon Legion was created at the onset of the First Temporal War after the Kalian Military Council launched a preemptive military attack on Saturn City with the intent to shatter the city's will to fight. The conflict was sparked over jurisdictional conflicts between Saturn City and the Kalian Military Council, both of whom wished to be exclusively responsible for policing time travel.

The war continued for an uncertain amount of time, though it is heavily implied that, despite a huge numerical disparity, the Legion decisively defeated the Kalian forces in prolonged combat, in spite of early defeats. It was during this period that the Legendary Blades Cerberus and Alya Silverwind (nicknamed "Bloodstorm") rose to prominence within the Legion through their brutality and alleged war crimes. The war ended when Silverwind's first Squire, Tahir, secured an unconditional Kalian surrender through unknown means.

### Pre-Faceless War

#### Conflict with the Manticores

When the Manticores emerged from their evolutionary origin within the Biological Singularity, they began to spread throughout time. The Legion attempted to contain them with specialized hunters, but the Manticores overcame them and forced the Legion back.

It was during this time that Praetor Lycus Cerberus restructured the Aeon Legion with the assistance of Silverwind's squire Reivair, overhauling its recruitment and training methods to create a superior fighting force. (And one which committed fewer war crimes)

The conflict ended when Reivair sacrificed himself to be consumed by the Manticores, granting the time-traveling beasts sapience and a conscience that ended their rampage across time.

#### The Forgotten Guns

At some point during their history, the Legion came into conflict with a group called the Forgotten Guns. This group of thirteen nulls dedicated themselves to the assassination of dictators, serial killers, and other individuals viewed as evil or undesirable in history. Their status as nulls made it difficult for the Legion and their Sybil allies to track their activities, and their singularity-class null technology weaponry allowed them to penetrate the stasis shield of a Shieldwatch and cancel out other nearby singularity technology, making them formidable opponents for even experienced Legionnaires.

It was only after their actions resulted in a Temporal Crash that resulted in the collapse of an entire continuum that the Legion took notice, engaging in a large-scale manhunt to hunt the temporal criminals down. Most of its thirteen members were hunted down and killed by Silverwind's Unnamed Squire, although its leader, Samael, was taken prisoner and interned in Tartarus, while at least a few of its members remained at large.

### The Faceless War

The Faceless War was a massive and devastating conflict fought by the Aeon Legion and its allies against the force known as the Faceless, which emerged from the End of Time and began attacking the inhabitants of the Bleak. Growing disappearances led the Legion to investigate directly, and first contact between the two powers led to a prolonged conflict.

Most of the Major Bleak powers were destroyed by the Faceless early in the war, and the Bleak itself was quickly overrun, allowing the Faceless to spill into the Edge of Time and begin to attack history directly. The Legion suffered grievous casualties and was forced back, despite being the only post-time power capable of withstanding the Faceless's decaying effect.

The tide was turned when Kairos, Silverwind's latest Squire, rose through the ranks of the Legion and created the Legion's 10th Cohort, the "Mask Takers." The Legion eventually overcame the Faceless, sending them back into the End of Time, albeit at great cost.

### Post-Faceless War

The Legion has had little combat after the end of the Faceless War. Saturn City appears to have returned to relative normalcy, most likely due to its isolation from the direct effects of the war. The Legion has grown complacent, allowing embarrassing but relatively minor blunders like the Saturn City Incursion by Continuum Lambda's Zeitmacht. With Alya Silverwind's discovery of a new squire, Terra Mason, a new conflict seems imminent.

## Organization

The primary combat unit of the Aeon Legion is the single Legionnaire or the Strike Team, with larger forces being assembled only when facing large numerical disparity or in times of war.

### Structure

**Legionnaires** are the smallest operational unit of the Aeon Legion, composed of a single soldier.

A **Strike Team** is the most common operational unit of the Legion, comprised of 3 to 6 legionnaires, normally balanced for team cohesion.

A **Decennary** consists of 3 to 6 Strike Teams, or about 25 Legionnaires, and are normally deployed when a large area needs to be covered in a short time, or in operations of a greater scale.

A **Century** is composed of 3 to 6 decennaries, or about 100 Legionnaires. It seldom exists as an operational unit in peacetime, but during times of war they are common.

A **Cohort** consists of 6 to 12 centuries, or 1000 Legionnaires or more. They only appear as operational units during large-scale conflicts, and have their own distinctions and specializations, but tend to have rivalries with other Cohorts.

A **Legion** consists of two or more Cohorts, and only one currently exists, designated Aeon. Theoretically the foundation of additional legions is possible, but so far has been unnecessary.

### Current Operational Cohorts

#### First Cohort: The Ancients

The First Cohort is comprised mostly of veterans and native Saturn City residents, and usually only sees action in major engagement, serving as an elite task force. Their motto is "Hold!"

#### Second Cohort: The Shadows

The Second Cohort is the personal cohort of Strategos Orion, and is composed of the most skilled operatives in the Legion. It is smaller than most of the other cohorts, and is known for its operational secrecy and ability to operate discretely. Little is known of the exact details of its missions, so it is frequently referred to as the black ops of the Aeon Legion. Their motto is "We do what we must."

#### Third Cohort: The Guardians

The Third Cohort serves as the Saturn City garrison and honor guard for the important figures within the Legion like the Legendary Blades. (Despite the oft-repeated observation that the Legendary Blades are more than capable of defending themselves) This cohort is the most widely dispersed, guarding most of the Legion's important facilities and garrisons. Their motto is "Always vigilant."

#### Fourth Cohort: The Lancers

The Fourth Cohort acts as the Legion's specialized heavy assault and siege division, usually deployed *en masse* to attack fortified positions and shatter enemy redoubts. Their motto is "We scatter them!"

#### Fifth Cohort: The Keepers

The Fifth Cohort specializes in singularity artifact recovery, training for adaptability and preparation for anything that may arise in the process of such recovery. The Cohort makes extensive use of espionage assets and moles in the singularity black market to isolate artifacts for recovery and to quickly acquire information on new singularity artifacts circulating within the market. Their motto is "We are the keepers of the gates."

#### Sixth Cohort: The Phoenix

The Sixth Cohort specializes in ecological restoration, containment of cross-time ecological contamination, infrastructural repair, medical support, and time maintenance. The wide scale of their responsibilities, as well as the tremendous scope of their activities, which can encompass the restoration of ecosystems that range from cities to entire planets, have led this cohort to grow to one of the largest in the Legion. The Sixth possesses numerous technical experts, timeships, and support personnel to aid in their tasks. Their motto is "Be reborn."

#### Seventh Cohort: The Hunters

The Seventh Cohort specializes in tracking and hunting temporal criminals, as well as rogue or defecting Legionnaires, employing a number of Sybil to aid in its task. Many members of this cohort are also regarded as skilled duelists within the Legion. Their motto is "We see the hidden."

#### Eighth Cohort: The Seekers

The Eighth Cohort serves as the exploration force of the Aeon Legion, noted for its excellent performance in hostile environments. They are regarded adaptable and are critical sources of intelligence for the Legion, as they also perform most of the time cartography work. The Eighth possesses the second highest number of timeships in the Legion. Their motto is "Into the dark."

#### Ninth Cohort: The Slayers

The Ninth Cohort specializes in hunting and eliminating large targets like Manticores and some Faceless forms. It is a very small cohort, but it is well-equipped and experienced in its role. Their motto is "Strike true!"

#### Tenth Cohort: The Mask Takers

The Tenth Cohort was formed in the darkest years of the Faceless War as Kairos's personal unit, suffering the highest casualty rate of any unit in the history of the Aeon Legion in its term of service. After the disappearance of Kairos, the veterans of the Tenth were dispersed into the other cohorts, leaving only inexperienced recruits in the Tenth Cohort proper. This inexperienced Cohort was still responsible for the mop-up operation of the Faceless, and heavy casualties suffered during the operation lead to longstanding resentment between the Tenth and the other cohorts. Since no Faceless has been seen in decades, the Tenth Cohort is scheduled to be disbanded in 50 years. They have no official motto, but unofficially their motto is "Your sacrifice will be remembered and honored."

#### Eleventh Cohort: The Fleet

The Eleventh Cohort serves as the Legion's primary timeship force in the Edge, and they have the largest number and variety of timeships among all the cohorts. Despite being skilled pilots, its members have acquired a reputation as poor swordsmen among the Legion. The Eleventh is spends most of its time on patrol in the Edge and parts of the Bleak, only amassing to strike in force when needed.

#### The Twelfth Cohort: The Reserves

The Twelfth Cohort is composed of retired Legionnaires who live peacefully as noncombatants within Saturn City, gathering occasionally to keep their skills sharp and rejoin the Legion in times of crisis. Most such Legionnaires are those who earn their Saturn City citizenship, but wish to retire and earn a small pension. The Reserve Cohort has no official motto.

#### The Thirteenth Cohort

The Thirteenth Cohort is a cohort whose existence is vehemently denied by all high-ranking members of the Legion, but is rumored to exist nonetheless. Stories vary from serving as a black ops division even more secret than the Second Cohort, as an internal security force loyal only to Prometheus, or a suicide unit of condemned Legionnaires sent on missions too dangerous for regular legionnaires. No known official motto exists.

## Personnel

### Enlisted Personnel

The **Tiro** is the lowest rank in the Aeon Legion, equivalent to a recruit or cadet. They are not considered part of the Legion until they have completed their training and received their Aeon Edge.

A **Legionnaire** is a soldier who has completed the core training program of the Legion and received their Aeon Edge, but had advanced no further. Most of the legion holds this rank, and soldiers of this rank command no others, as the rank is equivalent to a Private.

A **Sipahi** is a soldier who has served as a Legionnaire for a few years and been promoted, with the rank serving as an equivalent to Private First Class. A soldier of this rank still commands no others.

An **Immunes** is a legionnaire that does not play a direct role in frontline fighting, like a technical expert, and the rank is equivalent to a specialist. Soldiers of this rank still command no others.

A **Tetrarch** is a soldier who has reached the non-commissioned officer ranks, and commands a single strike team. They are equivalent to corporals and are responsible for legionnaires assigned under their command.

An **Optio** is a soldier who used to lead small teams of legionnaires and commands one decennary. They are also responsible for maintaining discipline in larger units, and typically assist Centurions. The rank is equivalent to a Sergeant.

### Commissioned Officers

A **Centurion** is the first rank of the commissioned officer corps, and usually commands a Century in the field. They may also be put in charge of commanding smaller units in exceptionally dangerous or important missions as well. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant.

A **Serdar** nominally commands a Century, and serves as the Legion equivalent to a Major. It was an older rank in the armies of the Time Monarchs, and many old Legion officers refused to rejoin the Legion unless they kept their old rank after the fall of the Time Monarchs. This rank was made as a compromise, and is mostly used to command small garrisons or bases throughout the Edge.

A **Captain** nominally commands 3 Centuries, and tend to command garrisons or timeships in practice. It is equivalent to a Captain.

A **Praetor** commands a Cohort, and tend to focus on management duties unless in large-scale operations and/or major battles, where they will lead from the front. They command battlecruiser-sized timeships, and are equivalent in rank to a Colonel.

A **Strategos** commands several Cohorts, and normally commands either a fortress or a fleet of timeships. In large-scale battles they may genuinely lead several Cohorts into battle, and in peacetime they oversee operations over an entire Continuum. The rank is equivalent to a General.

A **Consul** commands one Legion, and is equivalent to a Five-Star General. It is the highest rank in the Legion and command it in its entirety. Prometheus currently holds this rank, and although the Saturn City Council can appoint a new council by majority vote, they have never needed to. There is only one Consul per Legion.

## Equipment

The Legion is the most powerful post-time polity in existence, and maintains a small but incredibly technologically advanced force.

### Weapons

The primary weapon of the Aeon Legion is the Aeon Edge, a weapon with a time-accelerated edge that possesses anti-infantry, anti-armor, and anti-building capability via its two methods of attack. Its edge, which accelerates the flow of time around it to 10^15 power, allows it to slice through any known material easily, and its burst mode (which releases the time containment field around its edge) gives it an area-of-effect mode that allows it to shred armored vehicles or fortified structures.

While not strictly a weapon, the Legion finds far more use in the Shieldwatch given to each Legionnaire, which turns them into a far more deadly combatant. The shieldwatch interfaces with the user's nervous system and allows them to control and manipulate time. Its Restore function grants its users biological immortality, further increasing the lethality of its veterans, and its four functions grant the wielder lightning-fast reflexes, superior mobility without the use of vehicles, incredible durability, and endure great injury. Its built in stasis shield can also protect the user from injury by freezing projectiles and/or energy blasts in midair, or cover the user's entire body to protect them from environmental hazards or radiation.

While these two weapons largely eliminate the need for the Legion to use more conventional weapons and tactics like artillery on the offense, it does not reduce the enemy's ability to use them. Most critical of these is the enemy's ability to use aircraft, to which the Legion offers the "Lightshow" Anti-Air Fragmentation Grenade. The grenade uses a fractal fragmentation pattern to splinter into shards with time-accelerated edges that can tear through smaller aircraft like fighter jets or gunships, but is not effective against heavily-armored timeships or ground vehicles that can avoid the airburst.

### Vehicles

The Aeon Legion seems to rarely use vehicles in the sphere of ground or air combat, as their Aeon Edges serve as powerful counters to most ground vehicles, and their AAF Grenades are death to any nearby aircraft. There is one exception to this.

The Legion uses and maintains a massive timeship fleet, largely for the purposes of patrolling the edge, and they correspond to traditional naval designations. (Presumably in the matter of frigate, destroyer, cruiser, battleship, etc.) Their exact size and disposition is unknown, but an entire cohort (The 11th) is dedicated *solely* to manning and maintaining what is only the largest fraction of this fleet, indicating a force of great size.