A/N: not much changed except cleanup here and there. Additional stuff in chapters after appendix.
Updated March 2020
Chapter 6: Weapons, Armor, Equipment
THE SYSTEMS ALLIANCE ORDER OF BATTLE
With Addenda Regarding Citizenship Tiers and Your Government
Prepared by the Systems Alliance Commissariat
Distribution limited by the Manswell State Security Act
OFFICER EDITION : DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OR ENLISTED PERSONNEL
Section E: The weapons, armor, equipment, and accessories used by the Corps.
"Guns do not kill people, recruit! Marines kill people! That gun you carry will not help you against the batarian who would blow your head off and turn your kids into slaves if you don't have the training to use it properly! You are a weapon of the Systems Alliance against that batarian slaver! You are a weapon. Your armor is nothing if you cannot fight well in it. Your rifle is nothing if you cannot aim and fire under pressure.
"A Marine will fuck up every other form of life in this galaxy – not because our guns are the best, or our armor, or our tanks or ships – but because when we have finished training you, you will be the baddest sonsofbitches to wear the Blue since Preston Kyle himself slaughtered an entire invading force of over four thousand pirates with only his good looks and the pride he has in the Systems Alliance while holding an orphanage on his back!" -unknown recruit training master chief, Quantico, Earth
The Systems Alliance military equips its brave Marines with the best gear that we can. As an officer, you will be expected to have deep familiarity with all weapons systems, armor systems, and support equipment used by the soldiers under your command. Your knowledge of this aspect of the military logistics chain could save your life.
Small Arms: The basic weapons of the Corps, all small arms are broken down into three tiers. Tier Alpha is general weapons used by most marines. Tier Delta is used by heavier or more elite forces. Tier Omega is restricted to the Commissariat, N7 level soldiers, or by special authorization.
While officers have the authority to substitute captured or local weapons in their armory, remember that cost savings must be maintained and that at least 75% of the armory must be of sources originating in the Corporate Court. Failure to adhere to these regulations could result in courts martial.
TIER ALPHA: The weapons suite in Tier Alpha is battle tested and sourced from Hahne-Kedar. Dependable, rugged, and using interchangeable parts, Tier Alpha weapons are the mainstay of SA marines everywhere.
AVENGER Battle Rifle: The Avenger is a common, versatile, military-grade assault rifle manufactured by a joint effort of the volus Elkoss Combine and Hanhe-Kadar. Accurate when fired in short bursts, and deadly when fired on full auto. The modular design and inexpensive components of the Avenger make it a favorite of military groups and mercenaries alike. The rifle has a reputation for being tough, reliable, easy to use, and easy to upgrade.
PREDATOR Pistol: Manufactured by Elanus Risk Control and upgraded for SA use by Hahne-Kadar, the Predator is valued as a powerful, deadly, and relatively inexpensive weapon. While it is not generally deployed in the military, where kinetic barriers are common, it's still very popular in the Terminus Systems where these defenses are less common. The SA version packs a greater punch than the civilian variant.
PERSEUS Combat Shotgun : a semi-automatic shotgun that loads slowly but fires rapidly, with tremendous force. Short-range even for a shotgun, the Perseus has a large pellet spread. Rather than eliminating recoil, its integral compensator instead makes it predictable and vertical.
HARPOON Sniper Rifle: Rosenkov Materials developed this deadly weapon in response to the rising prevalence of kinetic barriers. While kinetic barriers still offer some protection from this weapon, its sheer power and rapid rate of fire make it capable of quickly killing almost any target, regardless of its defenses.
TIER DELTA: More expensive and requiring dedicated armory support to deal with jams and repairs, Tier Delta weapons are used by the AIS, the Solguard, and most NCT, RRU and RIU teams. While these weapons are typically more powerful than Tier Alpha weapons, they have sharply limited heat endurance and often require special training. Most are designed for heavy, quick firefights rather than extended combat.
CROSSFIRE Battle Rifle: The Crossfire (also known as the Argus) is a high-powered rifle favored by senior C-sec officers. An excellent close-range weapon, its bursts of fire ensure ammunition conservation during lengthy conflicts. Other military groups and law-enforcement agencies across the galaxy are adopting it as their standard rifle, as much for its intimidation factor as its suppression power.
EAGLE Machine Pistol: the first product of the Alliance's Offensive Handgun Project, this is a close-in weapon to be used on armored or shielded targets with no loss of stopping power in comparison to the soldier's assault rifle. It enjoys a ballistics advantage even over most "hand cannons" and features an integral laser sight which is highly visible even in bright lighting conditions.
CARNIFEX Heavy Pistol: The Carnifex is a favored sidearm of special forces types, elite mercenary leaders and salarian tech specialists. An expensive but powerful weapon. Its marketing materials feature a charging krogan with the slogan, "Don't you wish Carnifex was at your side?
EVISCERATOR Heavy Shotgun : The Lieberschaft 2180 shotgun has a unique ammunition generator. Where most modern firearms shave off chips or pellets from an ammunition block, the M-22 shaves off serrated metal wedges designed to fly aerodynamically. This dramatically improves its armor-piercing capabilities, and its tight grouping helps wound ballistics at longer ranges than standard shotguns.
INCISOR Designated Marksman Rifle: The Incisor is one of a new wave of military and police sniper rifles designed to overload active defenses such as shields. Firing three shots with each pull of the trigger, the Incisor's burst is so fast that all three rounds will be in the target by the time the barrel has moved a millimeter, increasing its stopping power without sacrificing accuracy. As an added benefit, the noise of the burst is comparable to a single rifle shot in duration, making it no easier to locate the sniper by sound.
TIER OMEGA: All of the weapons on this list are heavily restricted. Both Commissariat and Council approval is required to utilize any weapon on this list. These weapons require a weapons master for calibration and maintenance, dedicated repair parts that cannot be fabricated with omni-gel, DRM-reader packages for dissemblance or reassembly, and specific licenses.
ONLY Commissars, Commissariat Legionaries with permission, and N7 soldiers can use these weapons. NO exceptions will be approved.
SABRE Assault Battle Rifle: Made famous by Major Preston Kyle, the Sabre is a heavy-duty, double-barreled semi-automatic rifle favored by only the most elite marksman. Jokingly referred to as "The Big Iron" for its sheer stopping power. Each Saber is designed specifically for its owner, making it one of the Alliance's more expensive weapons.
ZEUS Machine Heavy Pistol: Originally created for use in battlesuits, the ZEUS fires a triple-burst of kinetic slugs from it's foot-long barrel. Only usable by those with cybernetic enhancement, the black blocky shape and inch wide bore of the gun is incredibly frightening to those it is pointed at.
ODIN Assault Shotgun: Designed by Oracal Demolitions by the famous Commander Shepard, this assault shotgun can go from semi-automatic fire to fully automatic burst fire. Using an upgraded version of the firing chamber found in Evisorator shotguns, but with superheated armor piercing wedges made of polonium, this is a restricted weapon. Only a handful of prototypes exist but the plans belong to the SA and can be manufactured.
THUNDERBOLT Anti-Material Sniper Rifle: A modification of the WIDOW, and still heavy at 20 kilos, the THUNDERBOLT Anti-Material Rifle is primarily used by sniper teams in assault missions against armored vehicles or krogan. While kinetic barriers offer effective protection on vehicles, the kind generated by conventional military field generators are far too weak against this rifle. Much like the Widow, the Thunderbolt was never designed to be carried and fired by a regular human. Either biotic lightening and bracing, light powered armor or cybernetic limbs are required to use it properly.
Heavy Weapons: Issued to heavy weapons troopers and battlesuits, heavy weapons are designed to equalize the odds when facing heavy armor, fixed defenses, or angry krogan. Unlike small arms, all heavy weapons are distributable to the appropriately trained marine.
ML-77 Missile Launcher: A common missile launcher. Each projectile features a friend-or-foe recognition system, ensuring it will find a hostile target - though not necessarily the one in the crosshairs. In urban situations, it is useful for taking out snipers and other entrenched enemies, so it is popular with the troops. It is nearly impossible to duplicate, as it uses Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology.
NOVA Missile Launcher: Using a small eezo charge and plasma magnetic containment, this is an upgraded version of the ML-77 for heavy anti-armor and anti-gunship tasks. Capable of GTS fire as well against gunships, frigates and some lightly armored destroyers.
REVENANT Light Machine Gun : This custom-made machine gun features technology not widely available, including haptic autotargeting, VI-assisted recoil management, and adaptive ammo selection. Protected against replication by sophisticated Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology, each Revenant is ruinously expensive and should be safeguarded against loss or theft.
TYPHOON Squad Combat Machine Gun: a much cheaper variant to the Revenant, the Typhoon has heavier recoil and slower reload times.
M-J8008 Heavy Coaxial Machine Gun: the primary weapon of the THERMOPYLAE battlesuit, this minigun fires explosive slugs at two-hundred rounds per minute. Suitable for anti-armor and light GTS tasks.
PERDITION Plasma Flamethrower: Utilizing a slurry of magnetically charged omni-gel with accelerants and white phosphorus, this horrific weapon incinerates anything in its cone of fire. Short range and limited ammo result in it being put to the best use in clearing urban environments or dealing with vorcha, krogan, and anything else that has to die as soon as possible. This is the primary weapon of the Commissariat Legions.
TSUNAMI Cyclical Assault Cannon: rarely used by anything but JOTUN mechs, the TSUNAMI is a six barrel minigun firing 2mm flechette rounds at blistering rates of fire. Called the "stormcloud" by those who have seen it in action, this is the heaviest weapon in the Marine arsenal, capable of carving even a tank in half with repeated hits. Carried by some DACT troopers.
Omni-generated Melee Weapons: The Marine Corps understands that there will not always be time to bring a gun to bear on a target, or that heat saturation can shut down your entire armament. As such, EVERY marine is issued an omni-tool capable of , at the very least, the generation of an omni-blade.
Omni-blade (Omni-tool mount) : the most basic omni-blade available. It has three strengths : rapier, saber, and claymore. The strengths indicate the blade length , TEV power, and damage resistance. Remember that biotic warp attacks will shatter an omniblade with repeated strikes if the TEV rating is insufficient. Rapier TEV: 200 Saber TEV : 250 Claymore TEV: 350
Omni-blade (Hilted) : Issued rarely and mostly to the Guard of Iron, this is an electronic hilt with a dedicated omni-blade generator. Suitable for combat against almost any armor surface. TEV 550.
Omni-spear: Mounted on JOTUN mechs and THERMOPYLAE battlesuits, this long weapon does incredible piercing damage. TEV 400.
Omni-shield: A recent innovation, the omnishield is a nearly unbreakable deployed omni-device that can stop most small arms fire. The personnel version can withstand strikes of up to 300 TEV, while the mech version (also on the THERMOPYLAE) can withstand up to 800 TEV. The shield drains power rapidly, and omni-tools can only generate a shield for a total time of 60 seconds.
Grenades: The primary weapon of grenadiers, and used by all marines for additional punch. All marine grenades are flat-pack magnetic adhesive 'disk' variants.
BACKBLAST Hi-Ex Grenade: standard grenade, high explosive with minor fragmentation.
LINIUS Polonium Infused Area Denial Grenade: used to contaminate an area to cover retreat, this dirty grenade can inflict radiation damage in a small area.
DEL-4 Dark Energy Expulsion Anti-biotic Grenade: a scaled up pulse disruptor, the DEL-4 will knock down biotic barriers and disrupt enemy biotic abilities for a second or two.
Armor: The Systems Alliance spends almost thirty billion credits a year to outfit and maintain the armor suits worn by our Marines. While we continue to try to upgrade and improve the armor suits you are issued, the SA is aware our armor ratings are much lighter than the armor worn by other alien military units, and even some elite mercenary units. That being said, Marine training emphasizes mobility defenses, agile offensive tactics, and proper use of cover that should mitigate any issues.
ONYX Standard Battle Armor: Developed by Ariake Technologies, the wearer exchanges full protective coverage for visibility, unencumbered mobility, and increased accuracy. This is full environmental armor, with a built-in biofeedback system regulating wearer's adrenaline surges and monitoring medical conditions. Standard issue for all marines.
CRISIS Light Combat Armor: Issued to combat engineers and grenadiers, the CRISIS suit is for those soldiers who need to be prepared for a wide variety of threats. Its capacitors give modest boosts to shields and shield regeneration time. Many small improvements increase the performance of VI targeting systems, with additional power for omni-tools. The suit also has full environmental sealing, heat management and kinetic coils for ranged weapons, and synthetic muscle assistors for melee capability.
COBALT Assault Armor: Built specifically for biotic Vanguards, the COBALT armor has a VI dedicated to recognizing signs of stress and medical trauma. This application helps assess soldiers, but can be useful in any high risk situations. The onboard microframe computer also manages biotic amp and omni-tool power, and microservos help the wearer's movements to counteract the armor's weight.
DEVASTATOR Articulated Support Armor: Heavy armored hydraulic assistance frames worn by heavy weapons troopers. Like all marine armor, it is environmentally sealed with an independent air supply for use in space and extreme planetary conditions, with an onboard "micro-frame" computer capable of running a suite of battle management software. To prevent detection by passive thermal sensors, body heat is channeled to the base of the feet, where it can be dispersed into the ground.
RAPTOR Jump Assault Armor: Raptor Jump Assault armor is the pinnacle of SA armor technology. Equipped with auto-targeting missile launchers, smoke grenades, auto-kinetic emergency barriers, and the heaviest weapons this side of vehicle armament, the DACT armor suits allow for orbital drop deployment. Navigating an atmosphere requires the suit to dispense fields of omni-gel ablative shielding, onboard mass effect jets, and a series of breakaway parachutes to stop their fall. Upon landing, the ablative shields detonate due to a pulse coming from the armor's shield generator to clear an area around the landing site.
ONYX-N N-Series Heavy Battle Armor: Standard issue for N-series special forces. Built to protect soldiers in long-running engagements where reinforcements may be sparse. When the wearer fires a weapon, the suit's computers divert energy from the main power cell to the gun's kinetic coils, offering an extra punch. The N-Series storage compartments are designed to hold spare grenades, while capacitors throughout the armor provide extra power to shields during critical moments in battle. The armor also comes with an injection system built into the suit and neural-linked bio-monitors that help adjust the wearer's breathing rate and adrenaline levels.
SALVATION Naval Survival Armor: armored survival suits worn by naval personnel.
Omni-tools: Omni-tools are multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tools as well as computers used for a variety of civilian and battlefield tasks. They combine a computer microframe, sensor analysis pack, and minifacturing fabricator. Versatile and reliable, an omni-tool can be used to analyze and adjust the functionality of most standard equipment, including weapons and armor, from a distance.
The fabrication module can rapidly assemble small three-dimensional objects from common, reusable industrial plastics, ceramics, and light alloys. This allows for field repairs and modifications to most standard items, as well as the reuse of salvaged equipment.
POLARIS Series Generalist Omni-tool: Issued to marines, this basic omni contains an omni-blade, basic comms system, the Galactic Codex, this guide, and a variety of other useful documents, tools, and systems.
NEXUS Augmented Info-War Omni-tool: Issued to scout-snipers and AIS personnel. Contains upgraded info-war and decryption tools, encrypted comms packages, and basic ECM / ECCM software.
SAVANT Medical Omni-tool : Issued to corpsman and medical personnel, this tool includes a medical sensor suite, medical documentation, VI-driven diagnostic packages, and medi-gel generation capability.