The Arcona Army Corps (AAC) is the branch of the Arconan Armed Forces that is directly responsible for ground assault and defensive actions. As the largest part of the military, garrisons can be found on nearly every world in the Dajorra System. Normally led by a Major General, the service is currently headed by Dariik Dhaaci, who took control after Sashar Erinos Arconae perished in Operation: DARK HORSE. The Army, which was reformed in 38 ABY by Legorii, consists of twelve separate divisions. Additionally, there are four central commands based at the AAC headquarters, Torbai Garrison: the Infantry Command, the Cavalry Command, the Training Command, and the famous Special Operations Command.
Facilities
As the largest branch of the military, and the one that is stationed on the ground 99% of the time, the Army Corps has established bases and garrisons all over the Dajorra System. The most important facility is Central Command, located at the Torbai Garrison on Selen, but there are also important garrisons located on Eldar and Boral.
Central Command (Selen)
A group of junior officers being briefed by a general officer
Central Command, as its name might suggest, is the overall command of the Arcona Army Corps and has its own large facility just 15 miles from Estle City as part of Torbai Garrison. Major General Creeda, the AAC's commanding officer, maintains a suite of offices at the Arcona Citadel in order to be readily accessible to the Consul of Clan Arcona. Additionally, the Summit Guard of Arcona, a semi-autonomous unit headed by Captain Bly, is stationed at the Citadel to protect the Clan Summit.
CENTCOM is where all of the training for infantry and specialty units is conducted. Its campus houses more than 1,500 active troops at any time. Two additional garrisons, in Estle City and Giletta Spaceport, house Task Forces 1B and 1C of Division I.
Additional Dajorra Facilities
Army Corps Structure
The section below details the command structure of the Arcona Army Corps. The Army is divided into twelve divisions, varying in size but containing squadrons AAC rank insignia carries on the tradition set forth by the first Sith Empire, the Galactic Republic, and the Galactic Empire, in the form of horizontal rows of blue and red squares worn in the upper center of the tunic.
Grand Total: 15,234 Troops and 16 Droideka
First Division (I) - Selen
The First Division is headquartered at the Torbai Garrison on Selen, where all of the training for members of the AAC takes place. Additionally, the division staffs the Estle City Garrison and Giletta Spaceport Garrison.
The Citadel, also located on Selen and the headquarters of the Clan, includes a garrison of the semi-autonomous Summit Guard.
Total: 3,300 Troops
- 48 Infantry Squads - 480 Troops
- 49 Heavy Trooper Squads - 490 Troops
- 4 Scout Squads - 40 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 6 Engineer Squads - 60 Troops
Total: 1,100 Troops
Task Force 1B (Estle City Garrison)
- 48 Infantry Squads - 480 Troops
- 49 Heavy Trooper Squads - 490 Troops
- 4 Scout Squads - 40 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 6 Engineer Squads - 60 Troops
Total: 1,100 Troops
- 48 Infantry Squads - 480 Troops
- 49 Heavy Trooper Squads - 490 Troops
- 4 Scout Squads - 40 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 6 Engineer Squads - 60 Troops
Total: 1,100 Troops
Second Division (II) - Eldar
- 60 Infantry Squads - 600 Troops
- 60 Heavy Trooper Squads - 600 Troops
- 5 Scout Squads - 50 Troops
- 9 Medic Squads - 90 Troops
- 5 Engineer Squads - 50 Troops
Total: 1,390 Troops
Third Division (III) - Boral
Total: 2,420 Troops
- 54 Infantry Squads - 540 Troops
- 54 Heavy Trooper Squads - 540 Troops
- 4 Scout Squads - 40 Troops
- 5 Medic Squads - 50 Troops
- 4 Engineer Squads - 40 Troops
Total: 1,210 Troops
Task Force 3B (The Project)
- 54 Infantry Squads - 540 Troops
- 54 Heavy Trooper Squads - 540 Troops
- 4 Scout Squads - 40 Troops
- 5 Medic Squads - 50 Troops
- 4 Engineer Squads - 40 Troops
Total: 1,210
- Colonel: Garett Wayne - Arconae Primus, Krite Garrison
- Lieutenant Colonel: Fredrij Brankx - Arconae Secundus, Thanatos Garrison
- Lieutenant Colonel: Brisik Lorp- Gethsemane, Pandemonium Facility
Total: 1,560 Troops
Task Force 4A (Krite Garrison)
- 22 Infantry Squads - 220 Troops
- 22 Heavy Trooper Squads - 220 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 2 Engineer Squads - 20 Troops
Total: 520 Troops
- 22 Infantry Squads - 220 Troops
- 22 Heavy Trooper Squads - 220 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 2 Engineer Squads - 20 Troops
Total: 520 Troops
Task Force 4C (Pandemonium Facility)
- 22 Infantry Squads - 220 Troops
- 22 Heavy Trooper Squads - 220 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 2 Engineer Squads - 20 Troops
Total: 520 Troops
- 62 Infantry Squads - 620 Troops
- 62 Heavy Trooper Squads - 620 Troops
- 5 Scout Squads - 50 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Engineer Squads - 30 Troops
- 9 Wilderness Ranger Squads (Shadow Gate) - 90 Troops
Total: 1,440 Troops
- 62 Infantry Squads - 620 Troops
- 62 Heavy Trooper Squads - 620 Troops
- 5 Scout Squads - 50 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Engineer Squads - 30 Troops
- 9 Wilderness Ranger Squads (Prophecy Phyle) - 90 Troops
Total: 1,440 Troops
- 62 Infantry Squads - 620 Troops
- 62 Heavy Trooper Squads - 620 Troops
- 5 Scout Squads - 50 Troops
- 5 Medic Squads - 50 Troops
- 10 Engineer Squads - 100 Troops
- 5 Droideka Squads - 10 Units
- 12 Special Forces Squads - 48 Troops
- 3 Wilderness Fighter Squads - 30 Troops
Total: 1,518 Troops and 10 Droidekas
- 18 Infantry Squads - 180 Troops
- 18 Heavy Trooper Squads - 180 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 2 Engineer Squads - 20 Troops
Total: 480 Troops
- 18 Infantry Squads - 180 Troops
- 18 Heavy Trooper Squads - 180 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 2 Engineer Squads - 20 Troops
Total: 480 Troops
- 22 Infantry Squads - 220 Troops
- 22 Heavy Trooper Squads - 220 Troops
- 3 Scout Squads - 30 Troops
- 3 Medic Squads - 30 Troops
- 5 Engineer Squads - 50 Troops
- 3 Droideka Squads - 6 Units
- 11 Special Forces Squads - 44 Troops
- 3 Wilderness Fighters Squads - 30 Troops
- Erinos Clan - 142 Troops
Total: 766 Troops and 6 Droidekas
- 9 Infantry Squads - 90 Troops
- 9 Heavy Trooper Squads - 90 Troops
- 1 Scout Squad - 10 Troops
- 2 Medic Squads - 20 Troops
- 1 Engineer Squads - 10 Troops
Total: 220 Troops
- 9 Infantry Squads - 90 Troops
- 9 Heavy Trooper Squads - 90 Troops
- 1 Scout Squads - 10 Troops
- 2 Medic Squads - 20 Troops
- 1 Engineer Squads - 10 Troops
Total: 220 Troops
Arcona Summit Guard
- Summit Guard Captain: Captain Bly
Wolf Guard
Revenance Virtuom
- Revenance Virtuom Captain: TBA
Training
Standard Soldier Training (SST)
The first phase of training that a soldier goes through is Standard Soldier Training, which is a 10-week basics course that touches on every area a soldier needs to know to make a career out of, and survive, in the Army Corps. These areas include:
- Personal Training (Push-Ups, Crunches, 1 and 2-mile runs, etc.)
- Weapons Training (Ranged and Melee)
- Hand-to-Hand Combat Training
- Small Group Tactics (Breaching maneuvers, obstacle courses, etc.)
- Military History
- Chain-of-Command
- Uniform Wear
- Army Language (Military Time and Phonetic Alphabet)
SST is currently taught by a cadre of both Noncommissioned Officers and Commissioned Officers, handpicked by the Chiss General Jaco'be'lexo, the Army Chief of Staff and deputy commander of the Corps.
The Commanding Officer of Standard Soldier Training is Lieutenant Colonel Danyar Marison, a Humanoid who served with distinction in the Ninth Great Jedi War, fighting alongside the Dark Jedi of Clan Arcona and losing his left forearm in the process. Besides reporting to Consul Zandro Erinos Arconae and General Jaco'be'lexo, LTC Marison also works with Lieutenant Talos Erinos, who was selected by Proconsul Entar to assist in the training of the Army Corps, based on his previous experience with the Black Hammer Brigade.
Once a soldier graduates from Standard Soldier Training, they are promoted to the rank of Private (or Private First Class if their performance warrants) and made an official member of the Arconan Armed Forces. Before they can truly see action or receive their first station, they must go through “Tactic Integration Training”, which serves to teach new soldiers how to efficiently combine their tactics with that of their Foxtrot Uniform superiors. TIT lasts approximately 8 weeks.
Tactic Integration Training (TIT)
Lovingly referred to as TIT, Tactic Integration Training is no joke, despite what it's acronym might suggest. It is during TIT's 8 weeks of training that Army soldiers learn to work and fight alongside the Foxtrot Uniforms, or Force Users of Clan Arcona. Rather than have various subjects spread out over the 8 weeks of training, TIT concentrates on only one topic: altering, improving, and refining a soldier's combat training so that it can retain full efficiency when used alongside the awe-inspiring, and often unpredictable, powers of a Dark Jedi.
For 7 of the weeks, training is done with blaster rifles set to stun and the Dark Jedi cadre using cerulean Training Sabers and "Tier 2" Force powers (read: not inherently lethal). However, the last week of training before graduation is conducted in "Live-Fire" mode...literally. Stun settings are flipped to lethal and the Foxtrots are allowed to, and even encouraged to, use their actual lightsabers and any Force power they have under their command. Soldiers are forced to adapt and work in cohesion...or die. And while death is a regrettable result and a significant death toll has never been reached, there hasn't been a single TIT Class who have graduated with every soldier accounted for.
Army Commands
When the AAC was formed by Sashar Arconae and Mejas Doto, four "commands" were created with separate headquarters and objectives. More than a decade later, when the AAC was reformed by Legorii, the four separate commands were abolished and replaced by twelve distinct divisions. Each of those divisions is stationed in a different location -- Divisions I-VI are stationed within the Dajorra System, Divisions VI-IX with the DDF, and X-XII with the AEF. Additionally, the semi-autonomous Summit Guard of Arcona (SGA) falls beneath the purview of the AAC, and is stationed at the Arcona Citadel.
The four commands have since been folded into one central location -- the AAC headquarters at Torbai Garrison on Selen -- where their officers advise and support the colonels commanding each of the twelve divisions.
A squad of Army Troopers conducting a nighttime training operation on Eldar
Infantry Command (INFCOM)
Heavy Infantry
The “heavy hitters” of the Army Corp, the Heavy Infantry Brigades are the men and women responsible for paving the way for the rest of the Army, by utilizing assault vehicles (Canderous-class Assault Tanks), heavy weapons (RT-97C heavy blaster rifles, PLEX-2 missile systems, etc.) and heavy armor (Ballistic Combat Armor).
Heavy Infantry soldiers are always the vanguard of the Army, at the fore of any major engagement and despite the difference in name, often work in perfect tandem with the Light Infantry, giving their brethren covering fire so that they can advance upon the enemy without much harassment. Besides tank drivers and heavy weapon operators, the Heavy Infantry Regiments also consist of a myriad other, but integral, units; these include a Quartermaster Supply Unit, Joint-Fire Observers, Combat Engineers and the like.
Arguably the most famous unit of Heavy Infantry is the Black Hammer Brigade, armed as they are with their Canderous-class Assault Tanks and Ballistic Combat Armor v2.
Light Infantry
The men and women of the Light Infantry are the ones you see on Army Corps recruiting posters; standing tall and proud in their armored black fatigues, E-19 advanced blaster rifle slung over the shoulder. But the Light Infantry plays an absolutely vital role in the Army Corps other than being the poster boys and girls.
It is these men and women who advance on the enemy position on foot or in lightly armored vehicles, often in the wake of the Heavy Infantry’s artillery support and are usually tasked with being the first ones to secure an enemy outpost during an invasion or to clear a hostile building. Other than being the groundpounders of the Arcona Army Corps, the Light Infantry’s subordinate units are often given the more “combat-support” specialties such as Military Police, Scout and Reconnaissance Teams, Patrol Units, and Combat Medics.
Similar to the Heavy Infantry's Black Hammer Brigade, the Light Infantry boasts the renowned Sukhur's Legion sniper/scout unit.
Cavalry Command (CAVCOM)
Compared to INFCOM, the AAC's Cavalry Command is relatively small, consisting of only two battalions (at three companies a piece). This is because the Cavalry's overall mission of "providing swift combat support" often requires for smaller formations, such as Lancer Companies or Search-Evasion-Rescue-Extraction (SERE) Teams.
Lancer Companies comprise the Command's primary combat role, which they fulfill by wielding Force-Lances and riding Aratech speederbikes at the front of an offensive formation. On the other hand, SERE is more of a "peace-time" occupation and has Cavalrymen either manning gunships or speederbikes as they attempt to locate and extract lost/injured personnel, stolen equipment, or senior officers. Recently however, SERE teams have been called upon to aide the local populace of the Dajorra System when people go missing, such as hunting parties or children.
It's a rule that Cavalrymen are to be trained in, and remain proficient in, both areas of the Command. However as one advances in rank, he or she may choose to focus on one of the specilizations, leading senior Cavalrymen to hold positions such as Lancer Team Leader or SERE gunship pilot.
Jaco'be'lexo, former acting general.
Training Command (TRICOM)
The smallest of the four Commands, the Training Command is responsibly for exactly what it sounds like...providing the best training to the men and women of the Arcona Army Corps As the Corps is relatively new and therefore smaller in size compared to some other militaries, there are two "Educational Divisions" and each have nearly identical layouts.
EdDiv 1 is Standard Soldier Training, or SST, and is made up for five mock Companies. Each of these companies are built to reflect the real thing, so as to ease the soldier's tranisition from training life to Army life, and are comprised of two platoons each. What makes these mock Companies truly unique however, is that every leadership spot (Company Commander, Company XO, Platoon Leader, Platoon Sergeant, etc.) are filled by trainees and are rotated on a bi-weekly basis. There is overwatch for each Company however, in the form of an actual commissioned officer and noncommissioned officer.
Tactical Integration Training (TIT) is what TRICOM refers to as EdDiv 2. It's layout almost mirrors that of EdDiv 1's, except there are four Companies instead of five and these Companies are larger than their Division 1 counterparts. The chain-of-command being filled by trainees is also the same, with one caveat; trainees who held mock-leadership positions during SST are ineligible for a leadership position in TIT until the second rotation, which is one month into training.
While not a combat-arms division, the Army's Research and Development (A.R&D) is attached to TRICOM and it's commander, Major Y'saen, reports directly to LTC Marison.
Special Operations Command (ARSOC)
The “shadow-warriors” of the Arcona Army Corps, the Special Operations Group are the ones you never see on the front lines (or on recruitment posters for that matter). Hardened and grizzled by grueling training and the hardest missions and made arrogant because of their high success rate, the Special Forces Group are the “secret weapons” of the Army.
SpecForce soldiers are always deployed before a war really breaks out and, if everything goes right, are always gone by the first time a Heavy Infantry Brigade fires the first shell. Assassination, guerrilla warfare, infiltration, asymmetrical action, and other “unorthodox” assignments are the ARSOC’s bread-and-butter and while kit varies depending on the current assignment, an E-19b Carbine Rifle, SSK-7 heavy blaster pistol, and a Del’Abbot Designs Combat Knife have been reported as a popular choice among Special Forces operators.
Special Forces Qualification
ARSOC personnel aren’t into kidnapping soldiers from the dead of the night and converting them into elite operators, that's more the purview of the Dajorra Inteligenence Agency and her Black Operations Teams. Instead, a soldier interested in Special Forces training must ask for an application from their Battalion Commander and fill it out. This in itself is no easy task as a soldier must list personal, military, and medical history as well as detail why they want to be in Special Forces and then finally obtain three written recommendations from senior military personnel. Furthermore, by submitting a completed application, candidates are agreeing to a thorough background check, done by a joint-unit of DIA agents and Military Police investigators.
Once this is completed and if the Special Forces brass approves the application, the soldier recruit is excused from his current assignment/deployment (unless it’s a time of declared war) and taken to the Arconan Capital, Selen, and from there to a place called “Kurs'kranak". Once there, the recruits are knocked down to size by former commandos of the elite Soulfire Strike Team and subjected to 50-weeks of the most intense and grueling training imaginable.
If a recruit passes, and survives, they are an official Special Forces Operator and given 5 week leave. Once they return to active duty, the new Operators are sent out on a mandatory 6-month tour with a dedicated Special Forces unit before returning to their original unit.
The Army's Identity
Uniforms
The uniforms worn by the men and women of the Arcona Military are very reminiscent of those worn by the officers of the first Sith-Imperial Army. While uniform color varies amongst the service branches, all uniforms consist of a double-breasted tunic, cap, trousers, and boots.
Army Dress Uniform
The uniforms of the Army are simple, comfortable, and practical, due to them being sewn from lightweight fabrics and traces of armorweave. The uniform itself is made up of three "components", the tunic, trousers, and boots; the first component, the tunic, is of the double-breasted variant and offers the unique feature of having electromagnetic particles sewn into it, allowing soldiers to attach their rank, nameplates, or unit insignia without using materials such pins or velcro. The trousers, or slacks, don't offer anything as advanced to its wearers, other than maximum comfort and a resistance to wear-and-tear. Finally, the uniform's boots are made of a soft and pliable leather that is moulded around a durasteel toe and frame, accounting for comfort but while still making sure that the wearer's feet are protected.
In accordance with AAF/PUW Code 023, uniform accessories consist of the following; rank insignia, unit patches, qualification badges, and honor cords. Each accessory has its own place on the uniform and an order of importance, something that is drilled into soldiers from their earliest days in STS. For example, rank insignia, horizontal rows of blue and red squares, is worn in the upper center of the tunic, allowing for easy identification amongst soldiers.
Qualification badges, such as those from Sniper School or Jump School, are worn below the rank and to the left of the tunic. It deserves to be mentioned that only one (1) badge is worn and that badge is the highest one that the soldier has; for example, if a soldier has passed both Jump School and Special Forces Qualification, the SpecForce badge must be worn, as air jumps are included in Qualification.
The unit patch and honor cords are displayed on the "sides" of the uniform. In the case of the patch, it is the great seal of the Army Corps and is electromagnetically sealed on the left shoulder while in the case of the latter, the cord is looped under the right shoulder and hangs freely. Cords can be awarded for various things such as command positions, serving as an aide to a senior officer, notable deeds, or even elite unit affiliation.
Uniform Color
As laid out by the AAF/PUW (Arconan Armed Forces/Proper Uniform Wear) manual, the uniform color of the three Corps is laid out as follows; each Corps is to have three (3) separate colors for their uniforms, dependent on the "class" that the wearer belongs to. The classes are divided into "Enlisted", "Junior Officer" (or Naval equivalent of Sub-officer), and "Senior Officer". In accordance with this rule, the Arcona Army Corps has adopted the following three (3) colors for its uniforms:
*Enlisted wear Olive Green uniforms, with Corps insignia displayed on the cap
*Junior Officers wear Tan uniforms, with rank insignia displayed on the cap
*Senior Officers wear Gray uniforms, with choice of insignia displayed on the cap
Phase IV Combat Armor (Battle Dress)
Dating back to the times of Darth Revan, military forces have always been distinguishable by the armor they wore on the battlefield; while the former Dark Lord kit his ground forces in silver armor, the Army Corps have adopted the white plastoid look made iconic during the height of the the Clone Wars and later the the Galactic Empire; dubbed 'Phase IV' because of the numerous upgrades and advantages not found in the Clone Trooper's Phase I and II armor nor the Stormtrooper's own armor, the AAC's armor has the aesthetic look of a cross between Phase II clone armor and the later Stormtrooper variant, particularly in the helmet.
The rest of the armor's exterior varies very little from the older armors, although the entire suit appears much more streamlined and a new composite mix of durasteel and duraplast makes the armor much lighter while still offering exceptional protection. Similar to that of their Foxtrot-Alpha superiors a utility belt is worn around the waist, but unlike their mystic commanders, common items include bacta-patches, plasma-paks, grapnel lines, and rations rather than a lightsaber or esoteric items. Wired into the Phase IV's helmet is a broadband comlink that can be set to communicate with formations as large as a battalion or as small as a fireteam; other helmet features include a rebreather, extra oxygen for 45 minutes of vacuum-sustainment, and multiple vision modes including night-vision, thermal, and low-light.
Army Troopers in Phase IV Armor preparing for deployment
Believing in unit pride, the Army has reverted to the tradition of the Clone Trooper's Phase-I armor, in that they allow armor to be decorated with unit-denoting colors and sigils and if deemed appropriate, various decorations from campaigns and deployments. Despite what some call "leniency", it is understood by every Army Trooper that their armor must be clean and presentable whenever they are in garrison; this means that while their decorations can stay, large scratches, dings, and dents must be buffed out. Finally, the Great Seal of the Army Corps is displayed on the right shoulder plate and rank insignia is mag-sealed to the upper-left pectoral plate.
Equipment
The Arcona Army Corps, as the premier ground assault and defense force in the Dajorra System, has access to a wide array of weapons. While some of these weapons are new, prototypical models that are currently in field testing, others are more "iconic", having been used by the Armies of the Rebel Alliance, Galactic Empire, Imperial Remnant, and so on. A list of common weapons employed by the AAC, their role, and who they are issued to can be found below:
SSK-7 Heavy Blaster Pistol
Heavy blaster pistol made illegal in the Core due to its high power and easy modification. Allows for "stopping" power and a solid 60 bolt plasma-pak as well as easy concealment although its weight exceeds that of standard blaster pistols. Routine issue sidearm for all soldiers; the 7b variant, which sacrifices stopping power for a reduced recoil and easier concealibility, is available by request for officers and senior noncommissioned personnel.
WESTAR M-5c Assault Rifle
A renowned blaster/assault rifle, the M-5 was fielded in the waning years of the Clone Wars and featured a number of upgrades over the DC-15 blaster rifle that had been standard issues, the most prominent being the sheer level of customization available. While the M-5 could be considered an antique by now, the versatility and adaptability of the rifle was only compounded by Army R&D after Clan Diplomacy purchased a large number of these weapons at a very low price. Now dubbed the "M-5c", for customized, the rifle sports multiple firing modes and lethality settings, an extendable stock, optional sights, and more; as such, the WESTAR M-5c is the standard-issue rifle for all troopers.
AAC Conscript Carbine
Prototype blaster carbine, with a focus on precision and ammo capacity over stopping power; currently chambered for single-shot and three-round burst, the Carbine has yet to be fielded to any of the Army's units but rumor has it that ARSOC personnel have been "field testing" the weapon for A.R&D.
Del'Abbot Designs Combat Knife
11 inch (7in blade) durasteel combat knife, with serrated blade and blood tunnel. Standard issue melee/backup weapon for all soldiers.
Besides a large armory, the Corps also employs various "non-lethal" or "operation-required" devices. These commonly include grapnel lines, which can be attached to the underside of a blaster rifle, breaching charges, grenades of all types, shock-nets, E-Web emplacements, and many more.
Oftentimes, an Army Soldier will carry the following around his waist: grapnel hook/line, two flashbang grenades (fragmentation if deployed), three extra plasma-paks (one for pistol, two for rifle), two stimpaks, and a canteen of water. Due to the broad nature of the Army's mission, there can be no telling what exactly a deployed Soldier will be issued as no two situations are really the same.