Axe Gang Bandits

**Leader** | Shi-Er

> You have to remember that the Axe Bandit leader was a death obsessed psychopath.
>
> Indigo to Lyn, during the Che Wedding Massacre.

Originally a small, obscure faction in China at the time of the Great Hibernation, the Axe Gang Bandits suddenly grew in size and power after taking advantage of the chaos of the Che Wedding Massacre, and absorbing the entire of the Che faction into the ranks. It is now a roving band of disillusioned, seemingly brainwashed hordes of people seeking to tear down and absorb the other factions in its vicintiy.

At its core, the Bandits are much more sinister. Led by a mysterious figure called Shi-Er, the leadership of the Bandits does not control the bulk of their forces, instead choosing to cause chaos by reinforcing offenses with an elite group of suit users called the Revenants. Otherwise, they remain in the shadows, taking advantage of the happenings in China to spread their message of despair, nihilism, and anarchy. However, it seems that they have completely disappeared as of late according to Zau Yi, who has been pursuing them for a long time.

## History and Status

Before the Great Hibernation, there was once a Green Initiative cell that operated largely independently in China, somewhere located in the province of Sichuan. Led by the motherly Han Nu, this GI cell actively recruited from the population of China, especially ones disillusioned with the incompetence of the PLA. They also recruited very young pilots, such as Lenn Lee, in an effort to prevent them from being used in battle by the PLA. This GI cell was notably close due to its low numbers, becoming like a family that fought to save China.

However, this did not last. The cell was underequipped and underprepared to face the new emerging threats of Superforts, and quickly started losing members in battle, eventually being completely destroyed by a Superfort attack on their main camp in the year 2017. Only a few survivors such as Lenn Lee and Shi-Er remained, which immediately scattered all across the world.

When the Great Hibernation started, Shi-er, now mentally twisted beyond the point of conventional evil, has once again appeared with a small regiment of suit users, all brainwashed into believing that they are the comrades she lost during the Superfort attack. She renamed the "cell" into the Axe Gang Bandits, and they started to act, leaving their mark upon the world.

Starting off with skirmishes against the ill-prepared Che, the Bandits were able to strike fear into the population's heart, destabilising them enough that when the Che Wedding Massacre happened, they were able to rile the people into rebelling against Warlord Che. As the Che faction fell, they were absorbed into the Bandits, substantially increasing their numbers and territory. Using this newfound strength, the Bandits launched attacks on three fronts: the Luo, the Huang, and the NLA, becoming a constant and persistent problem.

During an offensive against the Luo, the Bandits found a nuclear silo, and rigged it up to fire at the Luo. However, after dispatching the bandits, the ACC pilot Jeanne instead fired the nuke at the Beng, instantly destroying the faction and causing further chaos and anarchy across China, eventually prompting the EuF and Japan to intervene.

While Jeanne attempted to place the blame on the Bandits, the entirety of the happenings in the bunker was recorded and sent via radio in the form of audio to the Bandits, which quickly distributed it among the entirety of China. As Jeanne herself is relatively unknown, most would come to see it as a plot by the Luo to destroy the Beng. This distrust eventually led to the dissolving of the Survivalist Coalition as well, putting the Luo in a highly vulnerable situation.

After a meeting between the ACC and the bandits, it has been revealed that the Bandits wish to rejoin with the ACC, and have agreed to ceasing their production of Revenants, the withholding of information pertaning to their creation from the public, the ceasing of attacks on the NLA, and the allowance of convoys to pass through their territory. The bandits agreed to this deal with a single compromise in the agreement. The head of An Gou, leader of the Iron Army.

A recording of this meeting was eventually leaked to An Guo after Operation: Hidden in the Forest, where the ACC destroyed key manufacturing facilities of the Bandits. This caused An Guo to fall to his paranoia, causing him to chase out all of the ACC from Taiwan.

After Task Force RETRY returned, it seems that the Revenants have largely disappeared, leaving the Bandits/civilians leaderless and vulnerable.

## Population, Industry, and Military

Boasting around 10 million originally from the Che, the Bandits are a sizable faction. However, these 10 million are not governed by Shi-Er at all, and are allowed to do whatever they please. Without the benefit of agricultural and manufacturing to provide for themselves, most have resorted to banditry, attacking the three neighbouring factions for resources and weaponry: the Luo, the Huang, and the NLA.

Loosely organized based on geographical clusters, the military of the Bandits are hordes of individuals who have equipped themselves with stolen equipment, and attack using raid tactics as they are less concerned about victory and more about causing anarchy and stealing supplies.

In the core of the faction, Shi-Er utilizes a large regiment of brainwashed suit pilots called Revenants. These Revenants are sculpted mentally via a combination of drugs, hypnosis, suggestion, and torture, and physically via Canvas nanites to resemble the long-dead pilots of the former GI cell. Most are basically "programmed" to repeat just a few lines, but some are given special attention to recreate Shi-Er's favourite pilots, such as Han Nu and Lenn Lee. These changes do not impede their combat effectiveness, however, and most do not fear death, which gave them a terrifying reputation amongst those within and outside the Axe Gang Bandits.

## Significant Members

### Shi-er (史儿)

 File:Shi-Er.png  A child who became a pilot at the extremely young age of eight, Shi-Er was originally a normal child who was recruited into the Chinese GI cell, despite her albino appearance. The cell's pilots all adored her, and kept her out of battles as their original intention was to prevent the PLA from using a young child in battle.

After witnessing the death of her entire cell barring a few survivors, her mental state was shattered and she became obssessed with death and despair. Going into hiding, she used the medical and technical knowledge granted to her by her cyberbrain to "recreate" her cell, kidnapping and modifying suit pilots into the allies that she once cherished.

Despite being the "leader" of the Axe Gang Bandits, she rarely reveals herself, and leaves appearances to Han Nu, preferring to stay and tinker with her "dolls" instead.

Her childlike mannerisms and appearance hides a sinister and corrupted being that rivals that of the legendary ex-Engineer Tommy Wilder but without the benefit of sane people to keep her in check. In battle, her suit is configured to isolate and take control of enemy suits, making her an extremely dangerous individual to face alone. Currently, she has been obsessed in trying to "hack" cyberbrains, after a failed attempt to brainwash Lenn Lee with her suit's wormport.

### "Han Nu" (韩努)

 File:Han Nu.png  The "face" of the Axe Gang Bandits, this pilot is an appearance and mental clone of the actual Han Nu, which perished in battle against a Superfort. Shi-Er's closeness with Han Nu caused her to spend more time on Han Nu, resulting in a clone that was capable of individual thought and actions instead of just being mentally crippled into repeating the same lines over and over.

She often appears in Shi-Er's stead when it comes to interacting with those within and outside of the Axe Gang Bandits, and more often is sortied as a leader of the Revenants when they deploy in large groups.

Usually, she lacks expressions and emotions in conversations, giving off an eerie uncanny impression. But her lack of expressiveness does not reflect on her combat style, which involves copious use of traps and explosives as well as fear tactics.

Curiously, Han Nu appears to carry a Norinco CQ 5.56 rather than a Type 56 or similar weapon as would be expected of the Axe Gang. The reason or significance to this, if there indeed is any, is known only to her.