Phoenix Front

**Dev. Status** | Conceptual

*And back through the glen I rode again/My heart with grief was sore*

*For I parted then with valiant men/Whom I shall see never more*

*But too and fro in my dreams I go/And I kneel and pray for you*

*For slavery fled, O glorious dead/When you fell in the foggy dew*

- *Foggy Dew*, Canon Charles O’Neill
The Phoenix Front are a minor faction created by Flyboy254. Irish nationalists from every belief - political and religious - uniting under a comon cause of Irish unification, the Phoenix Front specialize in anti-infantry and base razing tactics, though they suffer against vehicles until they gain protocol units.

## At a Glance

 **Motives** | Independence, National Unity, Socialism, Faith

## Background

### Erin go Bragh

Irish republicanism, in one form or another, has existed in Ireland since 1780, when the Society of United Irishmen was formed. While Ireland lost the war for their independence in 1921 (to say nothing of the countless rebellions beforehand), the Irish themselves were elated that they finally had a country of their own, but chafed at the fact that the six northern counties remained under British control. This led to a bloody civil war lasting another year, ending with the remaining rebels defeated and Pro-Treaty forces leading a new era of Irish nationalism, though sporadic troubles continued on the border of Northern Ireland and the south.

Through WWII and WWIII, remaining rebels made sporadic attacks on the north, supported by Soviet special operatives funneling money and weapons into the cause. These rebels felt that anyone giving the British a black eye was a possible ally, and though not officially Communist some Republicans, most famously James Connolly, believed in Marxist ideas on a free workers state. Unfortunately for their cause, the actual Republic of Ireland didn’t want to risk war with Great Britain; they’d already tried that once during a world war, and were soundly smacked down with barely and trouble. With Britain on fully military footing, it would be political suicide to let these forces run free. Members were arrested almost daily, but still the rebels enjoyed some measure of support from Catholics inside the borders, who felt oppressed by the Protestant majority.

Until Straylight Electronics moved in and setup the Satellite Sprawl. At first, the people of Northern Ireland, Belfast in particular, were thrilled. Not only had the economy of the area seen a massive jump, but the new owners and the Allies had succeeded in removing the troublesome Catholic and Protestant militias in the area. For a time, peace was within Ireland’s grasp. Then came the day that the Syndicate pulled out their “free protection”. The people were left defenseless, their jobs were lost almost instantly, and the constant failure of Straylight One meant at any time the city’s remaining infrastructure could collapse in seconds.

Though many of the Irish rebels left for America to become the next generation of Wild Geese, there were still enough members in the Republic of Ireland to reform. Calling themselves the Phoenix Front and embarking on a new campaign, this new form has started calling for an overtly leftist overthrow of the Allied rule of Ireland, centering around the northern six and what they still call the city of Belfast. Rebel murals are popping up with alarming frequency, and Legion Security is constantly on the lookout for Phoenix snipers and bombers.

What the Allies have seen so far is another terrorist group, albeit one much closer to their own doorsteps than they feel comfortable with. Not only does the Front already have clearly overt ties to the Soviets, they also have made overtures to the GLA, seeing kindred spirits under Allied oppression, and the Confederacy, who support the Front with money and continued contact with the Wild Geese. The overtly Christian overtones of the organization don’t help, as the Allies again look like a massive supranational group oppressing a smaller nation into doing what it wants. Massive numbers of riot agents and ARVs are being ordered into Northern Ireland, the Allies desperate to quell this new rebellion before it spirals out of control.

This has turned all of Northern Ireland, and the area around Satellite City particularly, into a potential powder keg. The Allies are no fans of the Syndicate's practices, but the fact that the Phoenix Front is essentially the same terrorists with a new name does little to calm them, and the ties to the Soviets and Continentals make things even worse. The Syndicate are angry from the cut in profits, and the fact that their own corporate culture is turned against them in one of their own cities. They've debated requiring all stores to only accept orders in Latin, but the various companies and businesses inside the sprawl vehemently oppose such a measure.

### Urban Guerrillas

A city is a nightmare battlefield for an attacker. The defenders can hold them at multiple choke points, can receive supplies even if all land routes are cut off thanks to airports or simple airdrops, and even if the city can be taken the new owners need to rebuild to get any benefit from the region at all.

But to fight inside a city with a loose confederation of cells, that is altogether different. Now the defender is often on the wrong side of the equation, since every sewer, warehouse, even private home is a hiding place for the enemy. The crowds could harbor any number of opponents, and the markets dealing in any one of dozens of black market deals. It can be as simple as blowing an opponent's brains out on the street and running, or as complex as multiple strikes across the city.

The Phoenix Front specialize in this type of warfare, primarily due to the nature of the cities they find themselves fighting in. The tightly packed sprawl streets of Belfast (Satellite City is the Syndicate name for it) make for prime areas of conflict, and the growing numbers of poor and desperate Irish are fertile recruiting grounds. Trained in makeshift urban camps in abandoned buildings or taken outside the sprawl to be taught more advanced skills away from prying eyes.
The fact that the Front prefers to fight in a sprawl makes things a bureaucratic nightmare for the Allies and Syndicate. The Syndicate is used to rebels, but the growing insurgencies against them in spreading Legion Security's forces incredibly thin. The Allies are also leary of the situation, and have set constant patrols around the Sprawl's borders, trying to stop both the Front and the criminal actions in the sprawl itself.

## Units & Buildings

"*You can't beat the Irish. Our lands, the lands of our fathers, our brothers, has simply been traded from one hated ruler to another. The city of Belfast is now occupied by two foes, and the imprisoned Northern Counties still are cut from the nation they belong to. The Phoenix Front will continue this fight, until the day arrives when the whole of Ireland is free of all who would oppress her.*"

- "P. O'Neill", on a flyer distributed on the streets of Satellite City.

### Deathmatch Reinforcements

**Éire Aontaithe**

These forces can be called on during minor faction deathmatch. Éire Aontaithe is the Front's political wing, bringing together a variety of players in common cause against the Allies and Syndicate.

### Behind the Scenes

The Front is inspired by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which started at the same time of Paradox's story. Most of their units are lifted from various famous incidents and media of the time.