Holotree Sniper

**Key Features** | »» MXS Type-14 sniper rifle w/ silencer»» Sniper perch nanocore»» *"Sayan"* body armour»» Type-36 submachine gun»» Sizeable collection of manga (to read while waiting)

*"Corporal! What does the scanner say about its power level?"*

- Shogun Kamina to a Holotree Sniper scouting a Soviet Super Reactor.
## Tactical Analysis

* **It's just a tree**: The Holotree Sniper can deploy a sniper perch using a quick assembling Nanocore. The sniper perch is equipped with a holographic projection device, which makes the perch resemble an unassuming object. Thanks to this, Holotree Snipers are nearly undetectable.

* **Don't make a single sound**: From their disguised perches, Holotree Snipers can kill enemy soldiers noiselessly. Thanks to their silenced sniper rifles, they don't expose themselves even when firing, although their rifles don't have the same range as other sniper rifles.

* **Suppress and dash**: When they are on the move, Holotree Snipers swap their sniper rifle for a more compact kinetic burst submachine gun; with an extremely high rate of fire, their submachine guns can easily suppress enemy soldiers. Since they aren't aiming a long and heavy sniper rifle, Holotree Snipers can engage in running gun battles, and are very nimble, unlike other snipers.

* **Death God**: The type-X03 *Shinigami* rifle is much more powerful than the standard type-14, capable of reaping not only infantry but also lightly armoured vehicles. However weapon is much more expensive and complex restricting their usage to only most accomplished snipers.

## Operational History

Since the Second World War, one of the most impressive advances in military technology has been in armour technology. Both personal and vehicle protection have increased considerably in the last fifteen years. The Allies have specialized in composites, layering steel, carbon fibre, and ceramic plates with particular emphasis on crew protection, while the Soviets use excessively thick steel armour with a great deal of compartmentalization, meaning that even a killing blow on a tank or ship might leave much of the crew unharmed. Even infantry benefit from this armour technology; Peacekeepers and elite Soviet infantry units wear armour that can withstand attacks that would almost certainly have killed them otherwise. There are probably thousands of cases of Allied or Soviet soldiers taken out of action in battle only to stagger away afterward with just minor wounds.

By contrast, Japanese war doctrine relies on extreme mobility, both tactically and strategically. Rather than having a concept of "front lines", the Japanese strike swiftly at critical points, withdraw against serious resistance, and buy time by giving up ground before regrouping for another strike. Japan hasn't got the population for any sort of attrition warfare against the real superpowers. Thus, Imperial vehicles were built for speed, first strike capabilities and strategic range, sacrificing a lot of armour in the process. However, as the war turned against the Japanese, they were forced to engage on their enemy's terms, to stand and fight.

Japanese casualty figures reflect this all too well.

After the war, the Japanese government was staring at a very grim situation; over a half a million veterans with crippling injuries, a gutted military in desperate need of experienced soldiers to support the influx of reserves, and substantial war debt to pay off. Fortunately for the Japanese, a solution for all three problems was at hand; there had been substantial advances in mechanical prosthetics, similar to the cybernetics one might find in a Sprawl. The new government quickly commissioned Hanka Precision Instruments, a leading designer of prosthetics, and began to set up mass manufacturing plants and clincs both in the Home Islands and overseas in Allied affiliated countries, paying for the prosthetic treatments as a way of repaying their debt. These cybernetics are so good that they can return soldiers that would otherwise have to retire due to their wounds back to service, which goes a long way to stablising the Imperial Army.

During trials of these cybernetic veterans to see if they were still fit for service, it was noted that many of the prosthetic replacements lent themselves to particularly good snipers. Mechanical, tireless arms would stay on a target without flinching, electronic eyes could focus on small targets from kilometers away, and mechanical lungs allowed stable breathing without disrupting aim. As the statistics started coming back, Imperial Command began to offer substantial benefits for veterans with the right prosthetics to volunteer for sniper duty.

These cybernetically enhanced snipers dash about the battlefield, their kinetic-burst SMGs ideal for suppressing any infantry they encounter while moving into position. In order to enhance their stealthy properties, they possess a small nanocore specially designed to create sniper perches that will blend into the surroundings. The perch generates a holographic projection that resembles an unassuming object. All this makes Imperial Snipers incredibly dangerous; once in position, they are almost impossible to root out, even when directly engaging enemies with inhuman accuracy.

## Behind The Scenes

Visual inspiration is Sayan armour from Dragonball Z, including a power level scouter.