Intel Troopers

### Abilities

Fire Blasts, Fire Whips, Fire beams, Rocket Propulsion (only for enhanced leaps across the battlefield), Fire Wrist Shields, Fire Daggers, Kickboxing)

### Build

Moderately muscular, high endurance, and tall

Intelligence Troopers also known as Intelligence Enforcers were elite Fire Nation soldiers who were members of the Fire Nation Reconnaissance & Enforcement Department (FNRED). During the Hundred Year War, the FNRED was made during the later stage of Firelord Solzin's rule. The branch was made to keep Fire Nation units in line and make sure no one deviated off track. They specialized at tracking down or hunting deserters, traitors, deviant units, and even keeping other Fire Nation special forces in line.

The work and actions of the Fire Nation Recon & Enforcement Department were classified and most Fire Nation military forces had no idea what they did. The only ones who knew about the FNRED's actions were a few select Generals/Admirals, the FNRED members, the Firelord, and Firelord's cabinet (any members the Firelord deemed worthy of working him with him/her on top secret matters). Occasionally, Intel Troopers would be tasked with taking down enemy units during recon missions however those tasks were usually left up to other units or departments. The only time the Intel Troopers dealt with other units is when they needed to in order to handle deviant Fire Nation forces.

Some Intel Trooper missions included taking down teams of Earth Kingdom, terrorist, pirate, or Water Tribe forces in order to capture a wanted Fire Nation defector. Other times Intel Troopers destroyed hostile forces who stood in their way in order to find their enemies or to extract essential information from them about a target. The Firelord also had the authority to give the FNRED a special mission of any sort. There were a few times when the Intel Director Kolawni had disputes with Firelord Azulon, however Kolawni stepped down from power before Ozai became the Firelord.

Director Goshal took his position as the new leader of the Intel division. Goshal was known for being particularly brutal. Unlike Kolawni, Goshal rarely questioned the Firelord's orders. Goshal also didn't offer much mercy to deviants or traitors. Goshal rarely split deals with his enemies unless he was using those to ensnare his enemies. Kolawni was a man of his word, but Goshal was not. Goshal would do whatever necessary to achieve victory.

The FNRED also had a role to interrogate important Fire Nation prisoners and traitors. They were known for breaking people and making them give up important information. During Ozai's reign, the FNRED members conducted several gruesome experiments on traitors and prisoners. FNRED members committed several assassinations that they performed against Fire Nation soldiers, leaders, and even public figures who "compromised" national security. FNRED forces were known for swiftly tracking down their enemies.

## Navy

FRNED ships were faster and more advanced than standard Fire Nation ships. Their guns tended to have a further range and their armor was usually newer and a bit more durable than that of most Fire Nation ships. Most of their ships were lighter variants, but they also had several heavy ships that would move in to reinforce the lighter ships during engagements. The heavier variants also may show up to discourage captured or cornered enemies from engaging with them and to convince them to surrender.

## Armor & Appearance

Intel troopers had black armor with several white stripes. Because of this, they were nicknamed "Skeleton Troopers" by other Fire Nation forces. Sometimes they were called "Skeleton Enforcers". The Intel Trooper armor was designed to instill fear in other Fire Nation members and make their members seem mysterious. Intel troopers were conditioned to socialize less than other Fire Nation forces, this made them less unified and easier to brainwash. This also made Intel Troopers more likely to turn on any members who deviated from their objective.

Intel troopers usually had a cold and calculating demeanor. They were completely obedient to their leaders and did not hesitate to carry out their orders. They were fearless and usually had high pain tolerances.

## Training

Intel Troopers underwent rigorous training in terms of hand-to-hand combat, firebending, adapting to different scenarios, and stealth attacks. Intel Troopers were smarter, more adaptive, often faster, and had sharper reflexes than most Nation soldiers. Intel Troopers had abilities superior to even most Fire Nation marines, royal guards, and officers. The vast majority of Intel Troopers were master firebenders however, a few nonbenders were admitted into the agency mainly for analyst and investigative roles.

A few intel archers were also recruited, making up for some of the few nonbenders in the unit. Intel archers were known for remarkable accuracy, being able to quickly adjust in battle, and having remarkable reflexes. Intel Troopers were beaten badly in training to condition them and intel troopers were forced to fight each other by the end of the training. Deaths were acceptable during training and they compete in live drills where they fight deadly creatures, navigate hazardous mazes, and go on deadly races.

Only a few hundred recruits were selected to train each year and several trainees died every year in this program. Intel Troopers also fought against prisoners of war to the death during training drills. Anyone who died in training, was viewed as clearly being unworthy of the organization. Anyone who wasn't willing to accept the risk was also deemed unworthy and too mentally weak to be an Intel Trooper. There were rumors that Intel Trooper training was brutal, but the FNRED didn't want specific stories of the training spilled out among others.

People who quit were taken to medical centers where they were forced to drink strong potions that erased their memories from the last three months. They would then be told different stories about why they left and sent back to their hometowns.

## Intel Disciples

Intel Disciples was a program that took in children from ages five to ten and adopted them. These children were trained the Intel Doctrines and trained to fight during their schooling years. They also were not allowed to attend normal schools and instead attended Intel Education Centers. In these schools, they learned how analysis, research, military, combat, fitness, public speaking, and health skills. Anyone who failed the program had their memories wiped after graduation or during their expected graduation time and were sent back to their hometowns with new identities. Intel Disciples were allowed to participate in sports while in school.

After graduating, proficient students were sent to the military as base-level operatives for two years. If their scores were satisfactory, they would immediately be promoted to officers. Intel Disciples tended to progress more quickly as operatives but sometimes older and experienced members could get promoted faster than them. The Intel Disciples Program was initially created by Firelord Azulon. The branch initially only recruited men but allowed more women to join their branches over the years.

Members were not allowed to have alcohol addictions or to use dangerous or nonproductive recreational drugs. Anyone who did this could quickly be put on probation and executed if they continued their habits. The Intel leaders did this because they saw such habits as a "potentially compromising liability". Any members with addictions or history of deviation were deemed to be loose cannons. The Intel leaders often selected potential partners for Intel members and allowed them to choose the partners they desired.

The Intel Department offered different incentives to potential partners to get them to comply such as offering money, work references, and other giving gifts. Intel Troopers could only date approved partners or they would be deemed targets of execution. Occasionally, potential partners of Intel Troopers were mysteriously executed to keep the troopers in line.

## Lifestyles

Unlike Earthkingdom Commands, Dai Li, Fire Nation Shock Troopers, Water Nation Guardians, and other special forces, Intel Troopers were forced to follow specific diet regimens. They were not allowed to eat certain foods and their private lives were constantly monitored by other Intel Operatives. They were allowed to engage in entertainment activities when on R&R as long as at least one other Intel Operative accompanied them. There were different undercover or "retired" operatives who stayed throughout different Fire Nation cities to keep an eye on their own operatives and other Fire Nation forces.

These operatives occasionally had undercover members in target Earthkingdom and Water Tribe lands who stayed to keep an on the operations of other members or to track down deserters.

## Religion

Religious choices were limited within the FNRED unless it was the sponsored state religion. This new provision was mandated heavily by Firelord Ozai. Being atheists was allowed as the only alternative to Ozai's religion.

## Little Deviation

Despite the extreme measures of the organization, few of the members deviated from their course. A major reason for this is a lot of their members were brainwashed from childhood if they were Intel Disciples. Members who were not part of the Disciples group were researched and investigated for several months before allowing them to try out for the organization. Their military history, class comments, workforce experience, or anything else they did was looked at. If people showed any signs of potential deviation, they wouldn't be recruited.

The Department preferred to hire people who had families that were known for being fanatical to the Fire Nation. These members when still had to worry about officers or other members who were more obedient than him who would kill them if they got out of line. When there were defectors, the Department usually noticed the signs early on and killed the defectors expeditiously before they realized they were discovered. When the branch wasn't sure about a member, they often wiped their memories or killed them depending on the circumstances to avoid being compromised.

## After the Hundred Year War

After the Hundred Year War the use of Intel Troopers changed. Their training while still hardcore became less brutal, meaning less people died during sessions. Indoctrination procedures were removed from their sessions and the armor designs eventually were changed by Zuko to look less intimidating. Intel Troopers still focused on dealing with spies, recon, and carrying out important missions due to their high degree of skill.