Ishpeming has a standing army of about 36,000 personnel. Of these, 12,000 are Ishpeming citizens and employees of Northern Gun. These loyal employees serve as the city garrison and police force, as well as making up the naval forces and air corps. Like all good company men, these soldiers exclusively use Northern Gun products.
The remaining 24,000 troops are mercenaries of various backgrounds, many of whom have been under contract with Northern Gun for years. These mercenaries are used to defend the many smaller communities that surround the city of Ishpeming and to escort outbound cargo. Mercenaries are responsible for their own weapons and armor, but they do receive a discount on Northern Gun products. As a result NG gear is widespread but not in exclusive use.
4,620 Infantry (IDF Soldier O.C.C.)
620 Headhunters (All types except Mamano)
620 Full Conversion Cyborgs
140 Special Forces
Made up of 6,000 citizen soldiers, this garrison acts in the dual function of military defense and law enforcement. Stationed at fortified positions throughout the city, these troops conduct regular patrols in vehicles and on foot. Since they are also citizens of the city, and not contracted mercenaries, the garrison troops have a fondness for their fellow citizens and most have a genuine concern for their well-being. Since Ishpeming is almost always full of strangers and non-citizens, the garrison keeps a closer eye on them then on the regular working stiffs.
Garrison troops are equipped with the NG-A15 Peacekeeper Environmental Body Armor (emblazoned with IDF logo, the Northern Gun logo, and personal ID number on the chest plate), NG-T6 Taser and a NG-33 Laser Pistol. S.W.A.T. units also use the NG-LP25 Laser Pulse Sub-machine Gun and NG-SSL20 Super Sniper Rifle or NG-SR3 Marksmen Sniper. Additional heavy infantry weapons are also available. Patrol vehicles include Highway Man motorcycles, various Northern Gun hovercycles, and Black Bear ATVs. The IDF also uses modified civilian hover cars for patrols, particularly souped-up versions of the Dove and Stork vehicles. In special circumstances, power armor and robot vehicles may be issued.
The garrison has a high percentage (20%) of augmented soldiers who provide heavy back-up to the regular patrollers. The average visitor to Ishpeming is usually a well armed mercenary, and as a result the law enforcement officials feel the need to be able to respond in force if they are to be taken seriously. The heavy units are used in riot control or during extremely violent outbreaks. Additionally they are an integral part of the city’s defenses. The dual-role of policing and defense means these soldiers are drilled in street-fighting, urban combat and close quarters combat.
In addition to standard peacekeeping troops the City Garrison has ten S.W.A.T. teams consisting of twelve special Operators, a commanding officer, and a senior NCO (14 personnel total). These loyal soldiers have been trained in Special Operations at the Ishpeming Staff College and can compete with some of the best units in the business. Their primary role is counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and high-risk arrests within city-limits.
The Garrison is commanded by General Leo Abraham, a long-time member of the Ishpeming Defense Force who started out as a mercenary before joining the city garrison ten years ago. Since then he has ascended the ranks quickly, proving to be a fair and intelligent commander. He is a firm believer in training, and he has increased the level of training given to each garrison member by twenty five percent since his promotion to General, which has earned him a great deal of respect from the troops under his command. The General also petitioned for, and received, a specialty S.W.A.T. Training Center that is used not only by his men, but to train law-enforcement types from all over North America, for a fee. Funds received from the SWAT Training Center are used to purchase more vehicles and equipment, something everyone likes.
General Leo Abraham
Commanding Officer of the City Garrison
Alignment: Unprincipled
Age: 52
Brief History: The General started out as a mercenary in the city of Marquette; he distinguished himself against a vicious gang of robbers who were ripping off NG warehouses and selling the products to the Black Market. His heroics and superb urban combat tactics earned his mercenary outfit a long-term contract to protect the city. After years of quality protection of Marquette, the City of Ishpeming offered Abraham a hefty pay raise and a chance to work as commander of the City Garrison at Ishpeming. Leo quickly accepted the money and title and has proven to be a capable commander ever since. He is due to retire soon, and Northern Gun is looking for candidates to replace him from within and outside the ranks.
Behavior: A bit of a politician and mercenary. Leo did not come from the ranks of the IDF and has a knack for doing things differently. Although his savvy negotiating skills have seen an increase in training funding for the City Garrison, the Ishpeming City Council finds him somewhat abrasive and pushy.
Appearance: Your typical grizzled Headhunter, General Abraham has bionic systems equal to partial conversion including a multi-optic eye and two bionic arms. His face is not scarred or marred from battle, but he does have heavy lines from worry and combat stress.
2,000 Infantry (IDF Soldier O.C.C.)
250 Headhunters (all types except Mamano)
250 Full Conversion Cyborgs
125 Super-Spies (All specialties, including magic)
125 Master and major psychics (Mostly Mind Melter, Psi-Ghosts, Psi-Stalkers and Zappers)
Another 3,000 of the non-mercenary citizen soldiers employed by Northern Gun specialize in the physical protection of Northern Gun factories and research facilities. These military types are not the same as the Northern Gun’s Security Division, who mainly provide for internal security, although the two groups work very closely together. Instead, they are the armed guards one encounters when attempting to enter Northern Gun’s most sensitive facilities and restricted areas.
MAPS troops conduct vehicle searches, security patrols, intrusion detection operations, stand guard, check identification, and otherwise put themselves in harms way to prevent access to restricted areas. Because industrial espionage and theft of weapons material are so common, these troopers are no-nonsense Operators who are authorized and ready to use deadly force. Anyone caught in a restricted area by one of these men or women is most likely going to exit the facility in a body bag.
Standard equipment is a little beefed up compared to a city-garrison trooper: NG-A15 Peacekeeper Environmental Body Armor (emblazoned with IDF logo, the Northern Gun logo, and personal ID number on the chest plate), NG-T6 Taser, NG-45LP Particle Beam Pistol and NG-IP7 Ion Pulse Rifle. Depending on the nature of the facility, security patrols may also be conducted using hovercycles, combat hover cars (particularly the Boll Weevel, Longhorn, and Stag models) armored personnel carriers, and even power armor and robot vehicles.
300 Sailors (IDF Soldier O.C.C.)
200 Merchant Marine (See Sourcebook 4 : Coalition Navy)
200 Engineers (Operator O.C.C.)
150 Pilots (IDF Soldier O.C.C.)
50 River Pirate O.C.C. (See Sourcebook 4 : Coalition Navy)
50 Special Forces O.C.C.
Despite their use of the Great Lakes for trade, Northern Gun was a little late in getting into the construction of a navy. To catch-up quickly, the leadership purchased several ships from the now-defunct Iron Heart Armaments, and now produce those ships themselves (see IHA Treaty section of this Netbook for more information). The resultant Navy is relatively small (950 personnel), especially when compared to the other Great Lakes powers such as Free Quebec and the Coalition. The trouble caused by Free Quebec has really forced Northern Gun and CS Naval Commanders to work in unison to protect cargo headed for the Coalition States. To beef up their naval capacity, Northern Gun relies heavily on mercenaries and even issues the occasional privateers license to help keep Free Quebec off their backs.
Naval Vessels
2 Sea King Missile Cruisers (With an even mix of the new Beach-Stormer and RedHawk PA suits)
8 Triton Patrol Boats
14 Black Eel Torpedo Boats (3 are produced under the redesigned Bullhead Torpedo Boat line)
10 UB-300 Submersible
Naval Aircraft
24 Dragonfly Combat Hover-Chopper
12 NG Wildcat (Black Lightning Knock-off)
12 NG Viper (Demon Locust Knock-off)
6 Iron Trident Attack Helicopter (All 6 are produced under the redesigned Seabird line)
1,230 Pilots (IDF Soldier O.C.C.)
500 Maintenance Engineers (Operator O.C.C.)
320 Paratrooper O.C.C.
Ishpeming keeps a very impressive air force relative to its size. At 2,050 personnel, this is the third largest concentration of citizen soldiers. The powers that be have determined that airpower is a serious force, allowing the small Ishpeming Defense Force to project more firepower than it really has.
Northern Gun Air Corps Aircraft
24 GAW F-16C Improved Fighting Falcons
24 GAW A-10 Improved Thunderbolt II's
24 IHA Grey Falcon Attack Jet's (8 are produced under the redesigned Northern Harrier line)
8 IHA Air Castle Bomber's (4 are prototypes of the new NG line modified to serve as missile planes)
48 NG Wildcat (Black Lightning Knock-off)
48 NG Viper (Demon Locust Knock-off)
96 Dragon Fly's
192 Sky King's
36 GAW Improved C-130's
48 NG Sky Bunker's
Ishpeming is one of the few nations to have a dedicated Paratrooper unit. These brave men and women are one of the very few offensive minded units in the IDF (most are concerned with protection and defense). When Ishpeming is having trouble with a neighbor, squatters, or even just a debt collection too big for the STING unit, these highly-trained paratroopers are often called to the task. Although Northern Gun has no plans for a war, if they did, these paratroopers would no doubt be on the leading edge of any conflict.
The regiment is made up of two companies of 160 paratroopers, supported by a 40-man power armored platoon using Red Hawk Power Armor and a 16-man Squadron of Sky King and Dragon Fly aircraft that support airborne operations. The regiment is constantly in training and is often rented-out to neighboring kingdoms for special operations. Because Ishpeming and Northern Gun have few enemies with whom they engage in open warfare, they use the Sky Hawks as a mercenary force in order to gain valuable combat experience. Of course, it also allows Ishpeming to pay its paratroopers some of the best rates in the business.
While acting as the personal mercenary force of Northern Gun and Ishpeming, the Sky Hawks are also an excellent advertisement for Northern Gun equipment. These soldiers make exclusive use of Northern Gun products from their jumpsuits to their energy rifles. The Sky Hawks will often use mercenary operations as an out of sight way to field test new Northern Gun weapon designs. For example, the power armor company was the first to use the Red Hawk design in actual combat before it rolled onto the open market.
Standard equipment for the Sky Hawks is NG-A12 Anti-Ballistic Armor, which helps reduce impact injuries from airborne landings, and the NG-56 Light Ion Blaster as a side arm. Each ten person squad has six troopers armed with the NG-IP7 Ion Pulse Rifle, two with the heavier NG-L6 Laser Rifle, one heavy weapon (with either the NG-ML6 Mini-Missile Cannon or NG-303 Infantry Mini-Rail Gun) and one sharpshooter (with either the NG-SSL20 Super Sniper Rifle or NG-SR3 Marksmen Sniper). Any other Northern Gun weapons may be used depending on the assignment.
Commanding this professional unit is Colonel Jason Quigley, an experienced Paratrooper in his own right. The Colonel is known as a front-line commander and often accompanies the troops on their missions. Although he is getting up there in age, a few bionics and bio-systems keep the Colonel healthy and up to the rigors of combat.
Colonel Jason Quigley
Commanding Officer of the Sky Hawks
Alignment: Scrupulous
Age: 45
Brief History: An Ishpeming-man through and through. Jason Quigley comes from one of the oldest families in Ishpeming. He is a loyal company man and has been entrusted with command of Ishpeming’s premiere fighting unit, not only because of his heritage and loyalty, but also his ability.
Behavior: More than a bit eccentric, the Colonel believes in drilling hard, and he is also a bit of a showman. He makes big statements with lots of bravado and colorful language. While his men find it motivating, some people find it annoying. Nonetheless, the Colonel has become a celebrity and is useful for endorsing NG products.
Appearance: He wears his paratrooper jump boots where ever he goes, smokes cheap cigars (with little ill effect thanks to his bionic lung), and sports a wide-brimmed American Cavalry-style hat.
The loyal citizen soldiers of the IDF are trained in Ishpeming by the professionals at the Ishpeming Staff College (ISC). As a result, their training is some of the best in North America. Each recruit, and Ishpeming has no shortage of recruits, completes a twelve week basic military training program designed to build up all new soldiers to the same standard. Basic training is currently taught by a number of combat veterans from the Ishpeming Defense Force and talented mercenaries. Since the IDF is so small, the basic training classes are filled out by mercenary types who wish to train as a man-at-arms; many headhunters and other professional men-at-arms get their start at the ISC. The classes also include recruits from the Manistique Imperium. All non-IDF members pay a fee for basic training, making this training a lucrative business.
Once recruits complete basic training, they begin another twelve week advanced infantry course intended to produce a highly trained and motivated combat soldiers, able to meet any challenge. Completion of this course allows recruits to go on and become the various men-at-arms O.C.C.s, such as Headhunters, Paratroopers, Special Forces, Bounty Hunters, Juicers, Military Cyborgs, Crazies, etc. IDF recruits can choose any men-at-arms O.C.C. or one of the exclusive IDF Military Occupational Specialties (MOS).
IDF Soldier O.C.C. Abilities and Bonuses:
1. Culture of the Gun: Northern Gun/Ishpeming has its roots in the militia movements of the American Empire. One of the fundamental positions of these movements was a citizens right to bear arms, something Northern Gun promotes wherever it does business (a policy that is also good for business). As a result, all Ishpeming citizens are comfortable with all types of Northern Gun personal firearms. IDF Soldiers are volunteers from the citizenry and possess uncanny familiarity with Northern Gun weapons.
+10% to Recognize Weapon Quality when dealing with Northern Gun Weapons and technology.
+10% to Field Armorer when dealing with Northern Gun Weapons and technology.
+1 to strike on aimed shots and bursts when using NG products (and having the appropriate weapon proficiency)
2. Initiative bonus: Superior training from the Ishpeming Staff College helps instill quick thinking and situational awareness, adding +1 on Initiative at levels 1, 4, 7, 10 and 13
In addition to the 12,000 loyal citizen soldiers, Northern Gun employs 24,000 mercenaries on a long term basis. These mercenaries provide the bulk of Northern Guns defenses outside the city of Ishpeming and some have served so long for the company that they considered themselves part of the nation. In times of war or when threatened, Northern Gun could likely double or triple the number of mercenaries it employs within a few weeks.
Getting a mercenary gig with Northern Gun, especially in their defense program, is considered one of the best contracts in the business. Not only do mercenaries get paid good money, but they also get deep discounts on Northern Gun hardware. Plus, since no one has ever attacked Ishpeming, combat is limited to fighting off the occasional bandit group, demon, Xiticix, or other menace.
Northern Gun employed mercenary companies come in all shapes and sizes, from veritable mercenary armies responsible for defending entire cities to single squads hired to protect convoys and guard warehouses. Mercenaries are also Northern Gun’s first choice for offensive operations. The Upper Peninsula is often faced with high-tech bandits looking to capture some Northern Gun equipment, as well as monsters preying on citizens and outlying towns. Existing and new mercenary companies are often employed on seek and destroy missions to hunt down these bandits and monsters. When monster attacks really increase, Northern Gun will often put out a bounty on a particular type of creature and pay any mercenary or adventurer per head.
The easiest way for a new small-time company to find work with Northern Gun is through convoy escort. Northern Transport employs mercenaries from all over North America to escort their products through hostile territory. A history of credible performance at these and other sundry tasks will usually garner an invitation to join the standing mercenary army. Contracts are handled by Northern Gun’s Support & Service Division, who regularly post jobs through Merc Ops. They also employ a few of their own independent fixers who set up jobs which require more delicacy and discretion, such as RAID operations or actions against competitors.
As mentioned earlier, Northern Gun and Ishpeming have their roots in the militia movements of the American Empire, especially focusing on the right to bear arms. This means not only do most citizens own and know how to operate military grade firearms, but that they maintain a volunteer army for times of emergency. The Citizen’s Militia is a voluntary group of Ishpeming citizens who are available to help defend the cities during heavy attacks or lend a hand during disasters. Most cities and towns surrounding Ishpeming have a small chapter of the Citizen’s Militia. However, some are more active then others. In the more remote and wilderness communities of Ishpeming, these militias conduct seek and destroy patrols hunting monsters and bandits on their own (sometimes using a bounty or mercenary contract to fund their chapter); others are more like social clubs who like to romp around in the wilderness and fire off their guns.
Regardless of their activity level, all of these volunteer militias are very loyal and feel strongly about Ishpeming and Northern Gun maintaining their independence. Often these members will become vocal against decisions that might jeopardize the nation’s independence, including the trade deal with the Coalition States. A few groups even sponsor candidates in local politics, or have politicians as a part of their membership.
Overall the militias form an additional layer of defense for Ishpeming and Northern Gun and epitomize the perfect customer: someone who feels the need to own the latest model of Northern Gun assault rifle. In an attempt to keep some control over the militias and to organize them when needed, each chapter registers with Northern Gun’s Support and Service Division. In exchange for registering as a militia, Northern Gun offers discounts to members for personal body armor and firearms and will ask local militias if they wish to take up any mercenary contracts that are coming up. If all militias were activated they would make up approximately three volunteer battalions (3,000 troops) and fall under the command of the General of the City Garrison.
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