Magma Guard

The Magma Guard is the Martian branch of the Feather Corps. Tasked with maintaining the Martian Sphere of the Inner System, essentially the front lines, the Magma Guard's authority supersedes all other Corps-derived authority other than the Six Hands itself.
The regiment, headquartered within Olympus Mons itself, is widely considered one of the most secure facilities in the system, protected by over a hundred Battle Suits, five Orbital Defense Platforms (ODPs), two Lunar bases, and a standing naval detachment. However, this does not prevent Camelot from probing the planetary defenses through skirmishes and blitzed assaults. Though a full-scale invasion has never been mounted, Camelot teams have managed to infiltrate the surface more than once in recent history, resulting in a complete overhaul in Orbital Defensive Procedures and commercial travel to Mars each time.
While its primary purpose is the defense of Mars, the Magma Guard has often used its extensive naval power to enable extended operations within the Asteroid Belt. Such operations have cemented the Magma Guard as the Corps' spearhead in the Third Solar War, leading to inter-branch operations such as the 299 Ceres Operation and the Aznable Engagement.

Composition

Manpower

Resident Armada: With a battleship, three carriers, and eight cruisers, Mars also receives many ships and task forces from across the Corps, possessing some of the most remote transit points and resupply depots within reach of the Asteroid Belt. Generally, the carriers and three cruisers will stay in drydock at a Lunar base, ODB (Orbital Defense Platform), or the Tharsis Spaceport and launch during military exercises or in defense of the planet.

• 1 x Battleship: 12 Suit Capacity, 3 Catapult
• 3 x Carriers: 18 Suit Capacity, 3 Catapults
• 8 x Cruiser: 6 Suit Capacity, 1 Catapult
• 35 Space Frame Battle Suits (Patrol Fleet force)

Martian Reserves: Considered the garrisoned force of Mars, the Magma Guard hold twelve terrestrial bases scattered across the planet with two lunar bases on the surface of Phobos and Deimos with five ODPs. Atmospheric units apportioned to terrestrial bases are forbidden from leaving the Martian Sphere and a minimum effective fighting force of 15 battle suits must be maintained by lunar and ODP garrisons.

• 12 x Terrestrial Base: 5 Atmospheric Frames
• 2 x Lunar Base: 10 Space Frames
• Orbital Defense Platforms: 6 Space Frames

Olympus Mons: Named for its location buried within the largest mountain of the Solar System, Olympus mons boasts one of the most robust fighting forces in the Corps. The six Olympic squads, named after six children of Zeus, are considered Diplobius units (DIPs), meaning they can function both in-atmosphere and in space.

• Red Team: 2 Feathermen
• Ground Team: 3 Atmospheric Specialists
• Space Team: 3 Orbital Specialists
• Rank & File: 6 squads, 5 Suits each (30 total)

Weaponry

Battle Suits

• Anvil - mass-produced ground frame
• Obelisk - mass-produced space frame
• Hastati - mass-produced diplobius frame
• Crimson Hawk - FEATHER frame
• Scarlet Falcon - FEATHER frame

Orbital Defenses

• 5 ODPs
• 2 Lunar Defense Systems
• 14 Surface-to-Orbit Batteries (2 Olympic, 12 terrestrial)
• Magma Guard Fleet

Vehicles

Interplanetary

• 1 Glaive-class Battleship (flagship)
• 8 Starcutter-class Cruisers
• 3 Humpback-class Carriers
• 16 Fulcrum boosters (Battle Suit boosters)
• 5 Orbital Defense Platforms

Diplobius

• LATC2-class Transport (Light Atmospheric Troop Carrier gen 2)
• Severn-class Armor Carrier
• Sabre-class Gunship
• Pugio-class Ascent/Descent Module (Battle Suit use)

Logistics

Recruitment

Due to the chronic economic issues of Mars, the Magma Guard have no issue finding new recruits. With the promise of a fair salary and benefits after retirement, thousands of daily applications pour in from across the planet. This allows the Corps to maintain a vastly superior pool of pilots and soldiers in contrast to branches in financially well-off spheres like Earth or Venus. However, graduating cadets of the Academy are still given officer postings over experienced NCO's, resulting in an often tense command structure within squads.

Type

Mechanized

Vehicles Used

• Crimson Hawk
• Feather Frame
• Glaive-class Battleship
• Scarlet Falcon

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Veteran

Used by

• Feather Corps