Hoplite

Background

ὁπλίτης, or "hoplites" (pronounced But "hope-lee-tehs / hoplitɛs in Ancient Greek, or hop-lytes alternatively) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the soldiers from acting alone, for this would compromise the formation and minimize its strengths.

Hoplites are a heavy infantry unit created by the SSS at the end of the Second Paradiso Offensive, when it was found that the approach of using light assault units wasn't effective when exposed to heavy enemy fire. Hoplites are a selected team conceived as a support troop for the main force, being thus integrated into lighter units to provide them with greater firepower and endurance. Its members are handpicked one by one, and they stand out for their experience in combat and for being seasoned warriors, in many cases coming from the ranks of the Thorakitai and thus providing the kind of invaluable tactical insight that makes the difference between life and death, victory and defeat.

Although Hoplites stand out among other Phalanx troops due to their size and bulkiness, they invariably surprise both their allies and their opponents with their agility, which they require to keep the pace imposed by the lighter units in which they are integrated. The truth is that the Hoplites' servopowered armor isn't actually characterized by its thickness, but rather it tends to be quite light and feature intelligent systems for absorbing impacts and nullifying special and exotic ammunition. The Hoplites' gear has been designed to keep them fighting in the thick of battle for as long as possible. But all that hardware is nothing more than a booster for their particular ethos, which is what makes them true warriors. War has shown that a stubborn fellow can bleed for a long time before he dies, and even more so the men and women of this unit. Hoplites tend to recruit those hardened veterans who are big, strong, and, above all, as stubborn as mules. Their fate is sealed once they utter their battle cry, for no matter what comes their way, no matter what they are up against, they won't relent until the fight is over and they are victorious. For they all know that there is no greater pleasure than that of triumph. Victory makes you forget your wounds, the pain, and the blood, and it turns the grayest sky blue. It's a feeling that Hoplites are addicted to: for them, victory is such a potent drug that they have made it their tradition, much to the dismay of their enemies.

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A relatively recent strike force, the Steel Phalanx, a redevelopment and expansion of the Assault Subsection, are perhaps the most famous of ALEPH's troops, thanks in most part to the wild success of the Maya series, Myrmidon Wars. The iconic Hoplite series of power armour, developed by Apex Sykarikat, is regarded as one of the most advanced and sophisticated forms of personal armour in the Human Sphere.The Hoplite series is so advanced that many of the novel technologies and new materials developed for it by Apex Sykarikat are held under military top-secret/Alpha-Grade classified patents. So heavily protected is the technology, that suits lost to soldiers killed in combat are often the basis of recovery missions. Sandwiched between layers of nanomaterial armour weaves is a layer of conduits covering the entire suit. These act as relays and a signal booster, significantly increasing the range and bandwidth of communication with and from the suit. With microdot-processors scattered in a tight configuration throughout this layer, even a small piece can emit a beacon if that suit of armour’s coded and encrypted trigger is detected. This makes the theft or wrongful recovery of a suit or even a part of suit next to impossible to achieve without raising alarms

Many of the new materials that make the Hoplite series such a bleeding-edge piece of military hardware were developed in zero-g manufacturing laboratories through a partnership between Apex Sykarikat and ALEPH. ALEPH is the sole purchaser of the armour, and it is only issued to soldiers of the Steel Phalanx. Possession, even of scraps taken from a battlefield, is a punishable offence, and will surely result in a visit from the SSS.

Known Hoplites

• Akron, guard on Concilium Prima
• Eteokles, best friend to Akron, KIA on Concilium Prima during the Durgama Crisis

Profile

N4

ISC: Hoplites Heavy Regiment			Veteran Troops			Heavy Infantry
Fury: Non-Impetuous			Training: Regular			Back-Up: Cube 2.0
MOV	CC	BS	PH	WIP	ARM	BTS	W/STR	S
6-2	20	13	13	13	3	3	2	2
Skills and Equipment: ECM: Hacker (-3), CC Attack (+2 Dam), Dodge (+1"), Natural Born Warrior, Immunity (Total), Religious Troop

Loadout

Special Skills

Weapons and Equipment

Melee Weapons

Points

SWC

1

Heavy Machine Gun

Pistol, Shock CC Weapon

41

1.5

2

Red Fury, Pulzar

Pistol, Shock CC Weapon

38

1

3

Specialist Operative

MULTI Rifle, Pulzar, Drop Bears

Pistol, Shock CC Weapon

36

0

4

Engineer, Gizmokit

MULTI Rifle, Pulzar, Drop Bears

Pistol, Shock CC Weapon

39

0

5

Lieutenant

Heavy Machine Gun

Pistol, Shock CC Weapon

41

1.5

Introduced in N4

Unit Logo

Dossiers

Current Miniatures

Unboxed
Photo Credit: Azaries