The core of VASA’s armed forces is made up of the Suppressor security nits, policing VASA operations throughout Pan-Humanic space. Many of these Suppressors are drawn from the ranks of Colonial Marines for permanent VASA service, though many more are born into VASA military dynasties. From basic Suppressor service, troops can be promoted to other VASA units such as Black Legion, Archangel, Viper Wing and so on. The exceptions to this are the Void Knights, who are chosen for their meta-abilities from the population at large, and the Colonial Marines and Militia serve VASA under the provisions of the Treaty of Vacillus. Because VASA levies the majority of its troops from governments signed up to its treaties it boasts the largest army and fleet in human space.
Lieutenant Kaneda
Lieutenant Kaneda is from a dynasty of VASA Suppressors. Kaneda’s sister, his father, and his grandfather and grandmother are or were all Suppressors. With this sort of background, it is little wonder that young Kaneda also got behind the shield. Under fire he is a particularly level-headed and calm individual, performing as well as if it were just a sim. He has seen active service in the mutant uprising on Praxis 9 and won a Distinguished Service Medal for bravery during an exchange of gunfire with smugglers at the Hando Customs and Excise Zone.
Suppressors
Suppressor units make up the core of VASA’s military ground forces throughout Pan-Humanic Space. They are trained in crowd control and urban pacification techniques with armed response security units, and as well as supporting Colonial Marines they’re often used as a de facto police force, battling pirates, rioters and other threats to the VASA infrastructure. In this role, they are sometimes equipped with special, non-lethal ordnance designed to incapacitate enemies rather than kill or maim them. For many though, they are faceless figures of grim authority and oppression.
Stun Batons are “non-lethal” weapons carried by the Suppressors for close in crowd control. The weapon is basically a large nightstick, coated in highly conductive alloys and wired up to a battery carried on the officer’s belt. It delivers a withering dose of volts when it hits, which can knock out anything with a nervous system, including SPOMMs and Slugs. Of course, being hit with a big stick is also a factor to be considered when victims are dispatched.
Gauss Rifles are the favourite standard-issue weapons of most armies across the galaxy. Effective up to the medium range, they are hardhitting and reasonably accurate. Gauss technology was an offshoot of VASA magnetic field research and uses a socalled ‘Gauss Field’ to fire projectiles. The barrel of a gauss rifle contains a powerful magnetic rail, activated when the trigger is pulled. This lifts steel flechettes out of the magazine and accelerates them towards the target at hypersonic speed.
Grenade Launchers are indirect fire squad support weapons. They fire a spinstabilised, 40mm high explosive fragmentation round in a parabolic arc. Grenade Launchers require a certain amount of specialist training to use since skill and judgement is needed to calculate the angle of trajectory, adjustments for wind, local gravity and the like. Onboard computers go some way towards alleviating this problem on certain models, but their information is no substitute for an experienced heavy weapons specialist.
Sniper rifles are highly specialised longrange weapons that are lethal in the hands of a trained user. They fire selfpropelled ammunition that requires the gun to have special shielding. Each round has a heat resistant steel tip with a solid fuel base that is activated by the powder, giving the weapon its massive effective range. Sniper rifles usually come with advanced scopes and imaging systems that require specialist knowledge to use to their full potential.