Infantry (Unit)

"“Someone once told me - ‘Leon, it is the 21st century! We have mechs! Infantry are a thing of the past.’ But if the technological progression from our allies in the Ares Corporation has taught us anything, it is that infantry are not a thing of the past - they are the vanguard of the future. Our brothers and sisters in arms want to fight for their freedom, and with mechanised exo-suits, they can fight alongside even the strongest mecha.” - Leon Truss"During the Farsight conflicts, the vast majority of infantry units wore ‘Ares’ type exosuits. Developed and built by the Ares Corporation before being sold on the international arms market, these suits enabled even physically unfit soldiers to survive rigorous combat exercises, withstand ballistic damage, and experience enhanced decision making through the use of AR information-feeds and neuro-stimulants.

Weaponry
Compared to previous world conflicts, the small arms used in the Farsight conflicts had a relatively low rate of fire. Due to the prevalence of armoured combatants and mechs, a high caliber was favoured, and due to the use of AR aim-assist many of the extraneous fittings found on previous rifles could be abandoned.

In addition to high caliber rifles, most battalions included specific infantry trained with shoulder-mounted ‘Vanguard’ rocket launchers. These launchers used drone-like targeting systems to fire accurately at weak or tactically important points of enemy mechs.

Exo-suits
The Ares suits used by infantry were comprised of three main parts: a hydraulic metal skeleton, an on-board computer, and the external armour plating.

The skeleton attached itself to the soldier’s limbs and assisted them in running, lifting, and firing their weapons. In addition to neurochems, the skeleton administered regular vitamins, minerals and suppressants to prevent soldiers’ bodies from rejecting the suit or being injured by its use.

The on-board computer fed soldiers information, both from a library of relevant data and from data gathered by the forward-operating base, often by Seers. In addition, the on-board computer was used to optimise the performance of the exoskeleton, collect targeting data from the soldier’s weapon, and monitor vitals to prevent overexertion or muscle exhaustion.