Ranger

A **Ranger** is a highly elite soldier who possesses highly sophisticated skills, equipment, and training compared to standard marines. Combined with various augmentations and physical enhancements, rangers are considered the most elite and fearsome soldiers of any battlefield. Due to their advanced skillsets and training, rangers are also the operators of mechs.

## History

### Origin

Ever since the beginning of interplanetary colonization - and even before - warfare had begun to trend away from heavily-armored infantryman, and more towards extremely lightweight and nimble infantry capable of high levels of maneuverability. Much of this was influenced by increasingly advanced and deadly innovations in weaponry and warfare, as well as an increasing number of alien environments encountered by soldiers.

### Project Achilles

During John Mann's time as chairman of the United Systems, the Systems would begin to look into various enhanced soldier concepts. This would spark Project Achilles, an attempt to make highly maneuverable soldiers through the use of exoskeletons and miniaturized jets. However, the project would ultimately go nowhere and was later shut down.

### Class-0

Eventually, in the early years of the Infestation Crisis, an emergency joint-council between the United Systems and Interplanetary Union would begin to reassess Project Achilles. The result of this new Project Achilles would be the birth of the rangers. This first generation of rangers, nicknamed class-0, would be equipped with full-body exoskeletons, as well as a heavy emphasis on experimental augmentation technologies. These augmentations included enhanced stem cell injections for increased muscle mass, various chemical injections in order to allow for heightened senses and reaction speeds, and injections of various hormones - most notably dopamine. The dopamine injections, combined with mental conditioning and some neural tampering, created a form of fear-suppression - and allowed rangers to be more relentless, aggressive, and less hesitant on the battlefield by making rangers enjoy combat. However, as time progressed and class-0 rangers were deployed in more and more battles, their somewhat unnatural enjoyment of combat progressed into an addiction. They became extremely aggressive, hostile, and insubordinate to their commanding officers - all while making increasingly reckless and brash actions in combat. Because of this, the join council would vote to restart the program. All class-0's would be given lethal injections in their sleep. As a coverup, it would be claimed in official records that they had all died in their sleep from unforeseen side affects of the augmentations. Development on the next class of rangers would commence almost instantly.

### Class-1

Taking into account the failures of the class-0 program, class-1 rangers were explicitly designed to avoid the mistakes of their predecessors. Many augmentation procedures, such as the dopamine injections, were completely scrapped. The full-body exoskeleton was also dropped, in favor of an advanced array of repositioning jets known as a jump-kit - which was worn on the lower back and calves. Many other enhancements, such as chemical rebalancing in order to produce heightened reactions and sense, were kept and improved upon. Ranger training was also refined and specialized, resulting in different classes of rangers with high levels of expertise in their combat roles.

### Class-2

Following the success of the class-1 program, development on class-2 rangers would be greenlit towards the de-escalation of the Infestation Crisis. This new class rangers would be equipped with a next-generation jump-kit, enhanced augmentation procedures, as well as a lightweight exoskeleton (which had been salvaged from class-0) worn on the legs in order to compensate for high levels of impact. The class-2's would prove to be an overwhelming success. However, before they could be deployed against the insurgents of the Resource Wars, the Leonis-II Incident would cause the United Systems and Interplanetary Union to cease all collaboration and turn to war. For the first time ever, rangers would be deployed against each other.

## Equipment And Training

Rangers are armed with the most sophisticated and advanced weaponry and equipment humanity has to offer. As previously mentioned, rangers possess a jump-kit - an array of stabilization jets, thrusters, and miniaturized rocket technology. The jump-kit allows rangers to double and triple jump, leap further and higher, run on walls, slide for extended distances, hover in midair, dash from side to side, and so on. The jump-kit is also assisted by a lightweight exoskeleton worn on the legs, and is designed to increase jumping power and compensate for high levels of shock from landing at such great heights and high speeds. In addition, rangers also have undergone a variety of augmentation procedures to enhance their reaction speed, senses, and strength.

Rangers possess the best, most in-depth training of any infantryman fielded in the interstellar era. They are taught the history of combat, the most optimal strategies for every possible scenario, the intricacies of each piece of equipment, the entire history and commonly employed strategies of their enemies, and much more. As of the introduction of class-2, rangers are also trained in highly-specialized certifications, giving them high levels of expertise in their roles on the battlefield.

Combat training and exercises are performed within active virtual reality simulations. These simulations are performed by attaching the user to an intricate harness which is connected to an array of robotic arms and instruments. Then user can run, jump, and maneuver around the simulation as if in the real world.

## Ranger Combat

### Operating A Mech

As well as engaging on foot, rangers also operate mechs on the battlefield. The mechs allow for rangers to easily engage bugs, vehicles, large groups of infantry, and even other mechs. Using an advanced set of controls, rangers are able to pilot mechs as if it is an extension of their own body.

### Ground Operations

Rangers are elite special forces among the marine corps. Because of this, they have access to a wide array of weaponry, assets, and equipment. Some equipment, besides the jump-kit, fielded by rangers include thermal sensors, night vision, integrated ammo trackers, and so on.