The Dragon is the main battle tank of the Obsidian Army, and has served in the ranks of the military for the last eight thousand years, well in line with the Mikaeans perfectionist, long-term requirements for their military equipment.
The Cobra IFV is the primary infantry fighting vehicle of the Obsidian Army. It is a versatile combat vehicle, serving as both a transport, fire support, anti-tank, medivac, and flamethrower vehicle. The Cobra can carry up to ten personnel in total, one of whom is the driver, another serving as the gunner, and the rest made up of combat personnel, though the driver and gunner may also be members of the soldiers being transported. Because of the Cobra's versatility, it can be found in nearly all formations of the Obsidian Army, carrying a single fully-equipped ternary into battle.
Askaris (Infantry): Askaris are the primary combatants of the Mikaeans, accounting for the bulk of any major military formation sent into the field. They are by far the most diverse and numerous members of the Obsidian Army, and play a decisive role in almost every ground operation undertaken by the military. List below are the primary askari unit types.
Line Infantry (Regular): Line infantry are the rank-in-file troopers fielded by the Mikaeans, sent to die on the battlefield by the tens of millions on worlds far from any known to the average soldier. Born into the warrior caste of the Mikaeans, line infantry are made up primarily of females, as is the case with the majority of Mikaean military units and the species as a whole. Born with a natural capacity for killing, but within their ability to control, line infantry are trained to the fullest extent possible without killing them. About twice as strong as the average Mikaean, warriors of the empire are trained from the time they are able to walk how to fight with any weapon they are given, and how to follow orders properly. Despite this training, the average warrior is still disposable, and they knew that very well. Found on every battlefield the Mikaeans are on, Mikaean line infantry are a vital part to the empire's war efforts throughout the universe.
Arctic Infantry (Tundra Combat): Arctic infantry are the same as line infantry and desert infantry, but instead trained to partake in cold-weather combat operation. Enough tundra worlds exist within Mikaean space for the empire to effectively mass produce arctic infantry units for the purpose of fighting over said worlds. Given thermal units to stay warm, as well as uniforms suiting the environment, arctic combat units can be organized into any number of formations from blade to hammer and beyond, especially if a household is based on such as world.
Desert Infantry (Desert Combat): Desert infantry are line infantry who have been trained for desert combat. Like line infantry, desert infantry can be built into any number of combat formations, and mass-produced like their arctic counterparts. Given that desert worlds are very common in Mikaean space, desert infantry can find themselves deployed to any number of planets that the Mikaeans seek to keep under their control. Equipped with cooling units and uniforms befitting the planetary climate, desert infantry are well-trained and equipped to perform their jobs well and with great professionalism.
Sirens (Armored Infantry): Sirens are Mikaean armored infantry units who are trained in the use of light exoskeleton armor and heavy weapons, providing the fire support that most small Mikaean formations rely on to accomplish their combat objectives. Unlike their heavier counterparts in the exosuits, which totally encompass the user, serving more as a light walker than a suit of armor, the sirens are individual suits of combat armor that increase the survivability and lethality of infantry. Serving as boarding parties, stormtroopers, special operations, and recon personnel, sirens are the second-most common type of infantry fielded by the Mikaeans. Often attached to units as the fire support soldier, sirens sometimes get their own combat formations in much larger units, serving as the added punch in combat.
Furies (Aerial Combat): Furies are the jump trooper units train for hyper-mobile combat operations. Equipped with jet packs allowing for sustained low-level flight and battlefield "hops" of up to 150 meters or more, furies play an important role in strafing enemy forces as well as hunting heavy armored vehicle units on the field. Expensive to train and equip, jet infantry are rarely formed into units larger than that of a cohort, which is the largest independent jet infantry unit capable of performing in junction with other combat formations. Because of the manner of their transportation and their role in combat, furies carry little heavy equipment with them outside of their mission-specific gear, and mostly move over large distances via dropships, though once in the field, furies have no attached fire support, and must rely on nearly combat units equipped with heavy firepower, greatly limiting the flexibility of furies.
Iron Maidens (Powered Infantry): Iron Maidens are the heavy exoskeleton suits worn by Mikaean warriors who serve as the tip of the spear in military assaults. The armored battle suits they wear have integrated, modular weapons system, heavy shielding, a life-support system, jet-packs, and a completely self-sustaining energy source to power the entire exosuit. Considerably taller than their fellow warriors, iron maidens are physically-imposing, heavily-armed and armored giants on the battlefield who won't stop advancing until their objective has either been taken or destroyed. Because of their size, iron maidens do not require cumbersome manipulators to handle weapons or devices. What sets iron maidens apart from their armored infantry cousins, the sirens, is that their exosuits are more akin to light mechanized walkers, in which other models, would require a pilot, not a wearer, giving some sense of the scale difference between the two units. The heavier, fixed-weaponry within the exosuits also set it apart from the sirens, who do not have fixed-weapons, but use a variety of heavy weapons an unarmored soldier would struggle to carry. However, the sheer size and strength of an iron maiden, even unarmored, allows one to carry a heavy weapon without mechanical assistance.
Chimera (Hostile Environment): Chimera are the premier hostile environment warriors deployed by the warmasters of the Mikaeans. Trained to endure practically every imaginable kind of environment, from the acidic chemical baths of toxic worlds to the unforgiving thermal bombardment from volcanic worlds, chimera are virtually indestructible. Because of their training, chimera are typically assigned to handle area of effect weapons similar to human flamethrowers and napalm. Though about the same size as the average Mikaean warrior, furies possess the same muscle definition an iron maiden would have, and are far stronger than the average warrior, though no where near that of an iron maiden. Though trained for fighting on hostile, death worlds, chimera can sometimes find themselves as bodyguards and stormtroopers thanks to their combat training, and it is not unknown for them to even take part in planetary genocides as well.
Janissaries (Naval Infantry): Janissaries serve as the foot soldiers of Obsidian Army naval combat vessels, protecting the ships from boarders and disembarking at worlds and stations where infantry are required, but where the army itself is not present. Serving as power projection forces during planet-side operations, ship boarding assaults, and on-ship security forces, marines have many important roles in the navy that keep them busy when not in combat. Janissaries are never formed into anything larger than a shield, mostly because they are largely confined to the protection of their ship, and the fact that most ships cannot carry any janissary force larger than a shield. Trained in boarding operations, zero-g environments, and beachhead assaults, a posting in with the janissaries is a highly sought after position in the military, and the prestige attached to it is enough for many Mikaeans to brave the dangers that come with serving as a janissary.
Valkyries (Honor Guard): Valkyries are the elite honor guard personnel trained and equipped for the duty of protecting the most powerful men and women in the military. Valkyries are not formed into any unit larger than a blade, and even then, no more than one or two lances of that blade are attached to any given military formation. Found exclusively under the command of a major combat unit's command formation, valkyries are the elite of the elite, and are picked from only the most tried and true members of the most battle-hardened units in the Obsidian Army. Because of their importance, no single combat group has every member of a valkyrie unit. Instead, guardian blades are divided into smaller groups, and then spread out across multiple combat formations to make the best use of each and every individual valkyrie formation.
Enforcers (Military Police): Enforcers have the dubious honor as serving as the peacekeeper of the peacekeepers, policing the internal affairs of the largest military force of the Mikaeans. Though not as heavily armed as the average soldier, enforcers are tasked with meting out justice within the ranks of the Obsidian Army, and have postings in virtually all branches of the military. Though an important part of the military's structure, the enforcers are not found as independent formations, instead attached to other units, often in blade-size or smaller, and usually under the direct control of the parent formation's headquarters unit. Found as security personnel in military installations, enforcers and their vehicles are lightly-armed and often carry stun weaponry with them for the apprehension of disobedient personnel.
Sojourners (Scouts): Sojourners are Mikaean reconnaissance personnel trained to move quickly and gather as much information about the enemy and their surroundings to the best of their ability. Never organized in any formation larger than a lance, sojourners are often attached to larger combat formations to serve as the eyes and ears of Mikaean military units on the battlefield. A sojourner is expected to perform all of her duties without the expectation of resupply or reinforcements, and to live off of the land for as long as is necessary before the mission is completed or her recon mission has been compromised. Operating in groups of two, four, or six, sojourners serve as point-men when communication with commanders break down and orbital satellite intelligence becomes unavailable, though this is rarely the case thanks to the general superiority of Mikaean technology.
Shadow Banshees (Terror Troopers): Shadow Banshees are Mikaean infantry who specialize in special operations and psychological warfare, conducting terror assaults to taking part in full-scale genocides depending on the mission they are given. Because of their combat role, shadow banshee formations rarely exceed shield-level strength. Typically, portions of a shadow banshee legion will be attached to other units who are tasked with occupying worlds or taking part planetary invasions, before or during which the shadow banshees execute a series of planet-wide terror missions geared toward sowing public fear and confusion in the government. The shadow banshees are made up of Mikaean females who are borderline feral, or have had their mental state purposefully distorted before they hatched, causing them to be born inherently violent and insane, without harming their intellectual capacity, a useful set of traits in the art of psychological warfare.
Nova Banshees (Suicide Bombers): Nova Banshees are the fanatical Mikaean infantry units tasked with laying down their lives destroying huge chunks of an enemy combatant's forces and materials. Because of the nature of their mission, Nova Banshees are rarely placed into units larger than an arrow, and generally work independently of both their unit and their main combat force. They are equipped with personal stealth fields, monoblades, and enough anti-matter explosives to level a city block. As with their shadow banshee counterparts, nova banshees are borderline feral and typically assigned to carrying out terror missions, ready and willing to kill themselves on behalf of their people to further their fight against the enemy.
Scions (Commandos): Scions serve as the spear of Mikaean combat operations, clearing the path of troublesome military units on the opposing side of the battlefield. Often dropped into battle from dropships or drop-pods, scions typically lead other Mikaean units into battle, though in some cases, scion will link up other scion units, usually the size of a quinary, or more rarely a senary, and spearhead the attack into an enemy formation, clearing the way for the rest of the force. Heavily armed and equipped, scions are issued a suit of powered armor, heavy weaponry, and a void melee weapons as a sign of their rank and position. Furthermore, scions are the only all-male combat units in the Obsidian Guard as a whole, the only role males are allowed to take despite their rarity within the Mikaean species.
Battlemasters (Field Commanders): Battlemasters are the single most deadly individuals of the Mikaean military forces, having proven themselves unstoppable in the field of combat on numerous occasions, earning them their current name. Battlemasters hold a military rank equivalent to that of a general, and often the main force of a Mikaean attack or defense is commanded by a battlemaster. They are responsible for leading all Mikaean military forces within their field of operations, both in the rear and in person on the frontlines. Thus, in light of their duties, battlemasters are heavily equipped with the best combat armor and weaponry avaliable within all of Mikaean space. Sporting void battle axes as a badge of their authority, battlemasters are physically imposing, more so than their iron maiden soldiers, and all almost always male, one of the only two army combat positions they are permitted in.
