Terran Alliance Army

The Army of the Terran Alliance composes nearly all of the interstellar nation's ground soldiers, everyone designed to make planetfall. This includes both the legions and the planetary defense garrisons. It does not include the soldiers who defend spaceships and space stations, as they fall under the purview of the navy. The two work together closely, as the army is entirely reliant upon the navy to make planetfall on other worlds.

## History

The Alliance army got its start as the bulk of the fighting force of the Alliance during the Unification Wars. Comprised of soldiers from all across the world, this fighting force was known as the United Terran Armed Forces. It was not a very uniform fighting force, with each soldier still largely looking, acting, and strategizing like a soldier of the military of their homeland. As time went on and the smoke of war cleared, the Alliance stood victorious and could set about healing mother Terra and all Terran-kind. This large rebranding campaign led to the adoption of the term "Terran" over "Human", and also led to the increased uniformity of the UTAF into a more cohesive fighting force, albeit considerably reduced in size as there were no more large-scale wars to be fought.

The UTAF remained what it was until the Alliance encountered the Murrcioun Syndicates and it was revealed that they were not alone in the galaxy. It was at this point that the Alliance opened its doors to aliens, and the United Terran Armed Forces was reconstituted into simply the Terran Alliance Army, both to distinguish it from the navy and to make it less specific to one single species. This was later followed by a massive organizational rejiggering following the War for Sol, the Alliance's first engagement with a real interstellar power.

Throughout the history of the Alliance, the army has been of vital importance. The army and the navy are two sides of the same coin, for without either, war cannot be waged. Without the army, a planet could not be captured, and seizing the enemy's colonies is, under Alliance combat doctrine, the key to winning any interstellar war. The industry and population is concentrated on planets, in every interstellar nation. Thus, the army remains of vital import. The Terran Alliance Army has made a good showing of itself in many different wars, but arguably the most significant was the Ravasect Wars. Due to the neture of the Ravasect, their hive-cities were hardened locations, difficult to assault and harder still to bombard orbitally. Time and time again, Alliance legions waded into hell and came out again splattered with bug guts.

## Organization

The Alliance Army is widely lauded as a well-trained, disciplined, and highly effective volunteer fighting force. Like many things in the Alliance, it is open to any citizen, though Terrans make up the majority. There are technically two halves to the Alliance army. The first half is the Planetary Defense Force, or PDF, and the second half is the Legions. The unofficial third half would be the auxiliary forces.

### Planetary Defense Forces

The PDF, as they are more commonly known, refers to the garrison and military emplacements guarding various worlds. A PDF's size and level of equipment generally depends upon how big a world is or how close to dangerous or unstable areas it is. Terra's PDF, for instance, is the mightiest in the Alliance, more than a match for any of the Legions.

The term PDF encompasses all atmospheric defenses. As a result of this, while there are the soldiers and tanks and anti-aircraft emplacements and everything you would expect them to manage, they also manage surface-to-space gun emplacements, and hangars of the Alliance's famed aerospace fighters.

The PDFs do not get the glory, by and large. While the Legions are off seeing exciting places, meeting new and interesting people and then killing them, the PDFs are doing what their name implies: defending planets. It's only when a planet actually gets invaded that the PDF gets to show off, as they become the primary defense against the enemy which has made planetfall. In cases like these, they are hailed as heroes. PDFs also take care of serious local problems, things like riots or gang wars or similar.

Apart from being notably more sedentary, PDFs are indistinguishable from the Legions in doctrine, equipment, and training.

### The Legions

The Legions are the primary offensive arm of the Alliance army. Each legion is given a number and is stationed somewhere, then further divided up into brigades, battalions, platoons, and squadrons. Each legion consists of millions of armed and deadly Alliance soldiers.

#### Colonial Legionnaires

The **Colonial Legionnaires** form the bedrock of any Alliance legion. A full legion is comprised of no less than thirty thousand of these hard-fighting troopers, not including their support elements: a hundred companies is the bare minimum, and usually there are far more.

#### Centurions

**Centurions** are heavily armed and armoured shock troops, the symbol of Alliance might.

##### Valkyries

**Valkyries** are a specialized type of Centurion meant for zero-gravity combat scenarios.

#### Praetorians

**Praetorians** are a unit of elite Alliance specialists: targeted towards infiltration and assassination, they operate in hostile environments and situations on a routine basis and are far more deadly than their counterparts. Placed at the disposal of Alliance Naval Intelligence, they are regarded as half myth by most Alliance personnel.

## Technology

### Small Arms

#### DER-117

The **Directed Energy Rifle, Model 117**, also known simply as a **laser rifle**, is an Alliance trooper's most trusted weapon. At three and a half kilos and about one metre in length, it is a light and practical weapon for the average Terran infantryman to wield, offering good maneuverability in enclosed spaces while still being easily used for outdoor fighting, as well as a select-fire toggle for semiautomatic, burst, or full-auto patterns. With excessive power drain leading to a depleted laser rifle in moments after prolonged firing, however, semiautomatic or burst fire is the recommended setting for all situations other than point-blank: moreover, overheating can be a problem in extended engagements.

#### DPR-1 'Blazer'

The **Blazer rifle** is the upgraded variant of the standard laser rifle, adapted for Centurion use. Thanks to a Centurion's built-in power supplies and generators, it is capable of sustained full-auto fire for longer periods.

#### DTR-12

The **DTR-12** or **pulse rifle** is a specialized weapon deployed with 'Breacher' teams. A short-barreled weapon with considerable anti-armour qualities, it is used by Alliance troops against defensive fortifications or enemy vehicles and heavy infantry.

### Anti-Personnel Weapons

#### DEW-11 'Phoenix'

The **Phoenix rifle** or **Phoenix laser** is a rotating three-barrel shoulder-mounted heavy laser cannon designed for infantry suppression. Requiring two legionnaires to move - one to carry the rifle, the other to carry its power apparatus - it is an effective weapon, if somewhat cumbersome.

#### HDE-66 'Fenghuang'

The **Fenghuang rifle** is a tripod-mounted rotating six-barrel heavy laser autocannon. Answering the Alliance's need for a sustained-fire heavy support weapon, it is the equivalent of a modern army's heavy machine gun and requires a crew of three to service and move it.

#### ASC-89

The **ASC-89 sonic disruptor** is a crowd-control weapon favored by the Planetary Defense Forces where lethal force is inadvisable.