A.O.

The **A.O.** is a party belonging to the Cult comprised of elites who will stop at nothing until all that is left of enemies of the Cult is dead.

## About

The A.O. is a subfaction within the Cult of Destruction comprised of Elite soldiers who bring fear and death to all who stand in their way. They are highly elusive, but if encountered, will cause mayhem to their adversaries. Being a subfaction, they report directly to the High Command of the Cult, though every A.O. unit holds authority over their conscript counterparts, except officers. Their uniforms are a polar opposite to that of their lesser soldiers, with their uniforms being mostly black with red highlights as opposed to mostly red with black highlights.

The A.O. is primarily used by the cult to punch through the most dangerous areas as well as driving backline forces forward. They gained the name "Advanced Operations" due to the fact that most of the assassinations and dangerous assaults against high priority targets were carried out by the party. It is also suspected that an A.O. agent carried out the poisoning of Kolman Leberecht, thus weakening the Krux for a proper assault. A.O. units like to make their guns look fancy by gold plating them and making the wood finish on their rifles pitch black. This is to encourage them to take better care of their weapons and keep them shiny.

The A.O. is not considered their own faction because while they operate mostly independently of primary Cult forces, they are often seen mixed in with their ranks, and grey-coated Officers have jurisdiction over AO soldiers.

### Important Battles

* The Battle at Mount Erebus - A.O. Defeat
* Mount Erebus Stalker Prison Break - A.O. Victory
* Skirmish for the Earthsplitter Cannon - A.O. Victory
* Riley Church v Francis Maxwell duel - A.O. Victory
* Research Facility Assault - A.O. Defeat
* Nuclear Train Hijacking - A.O. Victory
* Assault at General Joey's home - A.O. Defeat
* Ramses Hive City Assault - A.O. Victory

## History

The A.O. was established when the Cult was founded, as a means of a fallback force in case the primary forces are incapable of completing their task. They are specifically chosen from elite soldiers or after a conscript goes through an extensive training program. Their uniforms were specifically created as an intimidation factor, as a means to scare enemies with the sight of their black coats.

The A.O. has gained a reputation amongst conscripts across the world for their extreme ruthlessness and aggression, as well as the atrocities they commit to anyone unfortunate enough to be captured by them. They also solidified their extreme aggression when they slaughtered hundreds, maybe thousands of Zerg during a prison break to free a captured Stalker, with a much smaller force. With the recent Krux/Cult alliance, many Krux conscripts are in relief that these soldiers are now on their side.

## Characters

* The Grand Monarch
* Francis Maxwell
* General Jean Moreau
* Eugen Holland
* Harbinger of the Creator's Wrath
* Spectra
* Johann Robatille

## Objectives

The A.O.'s main objective is to unite the world under Destructionism, and kill off the ones who reject their philosophies, though they are primarily for high-priority missions.

## Custom Machinery

* OGS-374 Gas
* CA-54 Airships
* Ratel IFV
* Ratel IFV recovery vehicle
* Opel Blitz trucks

## Custom Units

The AO define their units by first putting AO, and then a two letter classification that should make it clear what unit it is.

* AO-RF: Rifle units. Superior to conscripts when it comes to aim and speed. These units like to load their rifles with Plus P ammo so that they hit harder.
* AO-AS: Assault units. Armed with many different kinds of assault rifles. These units also like to load their weapons with Plus P ammo.
* AO-EN: Enforcer units. Armed with semi auto rifles and act as "riot control" in cities, even though they prefer more lethal options. They also load their weapons with Plus P, and since they have very similar equipment to that of a frontline AO troop can sometimes be seen on the frontlines.
* AO-MN: Minigun units. These are one of the only AO units without golden guns or Plus P, but they make up for this with Miniguns that are perfect for suppressing enemies or gunning down large groups. MN units are naturally tankier than their comrades so it takes a lot more to bring one down.
* AO-SN: Sniper units. They have exceptional aim when compared to their comrades, but are notably more fragile. They are also one of the only AO soldiers who do not wear a helmet, rather a large hood that covers their head.
* AO-PO: Police units. They occupy cities occupied by the cult, making life hell for the civilians kept alive. Any suspected plotting against the regime is met with swift beatdowns. They are also notorious for overcharging their tasers to inflict even more pain.
* AO-FL: Flamethrower units. Never seen in open battles, and much tankier than the rest of their comrades.
* AO-GS: Gasser units. Armed with modified flamethrower, they excel in flushing out enemies, since they know that non-cultists fear the gas and try to avoid it at all costs.
* AO-PR: Protector units. Only 100 exist at all times and only exist to protect Cult High Command from threats. If any are killed, they are immediately replaced.
* AO-RE: Researcher units. Totally garbage at combat, but instead use their smarts to help develop new weapons for the cult, as well as researching unknown objects and working with captured cult Zerg.
* AO-RM: Ransom officers. They are responsible for the taking and monitoring of cult-captured villages. They notably use older weapons, because it makes them feel better when they kill their enemies with something inferior.
* AO-PI: Pilots. The Cult's response to Chimera air superiority, by converting Chimera pilots, they successfully created their own air force.

## Trivia

* A.O. encounters were much more common before they got nerfed due to many complaints that they were too common
* The A.O. have caused the death of a notable named character, being Terran Voyager William, who was gunned down by an M2 Browning at the Skirmish for the Earthsplitter Cannon.
* A.O. soldiers have committed the brunt of the warcrimes that the cult is being accused of.
* A.O. soldiers are most responsible for pushing the ideologies of the Cult onto newly gassed victims.
* The method to become an A.O. soldier relies heavily on "Oracles", priests of destructionism who not only hold rituals but also evaluate whether or not someone is capable of becoming an A.O. unit.

An AO-RF unit.