NationStates Jolt Archive


A Strange Military, Acolytes

Sybaritica
12-08-2005, 16:57
The Commonwealth of Sybaritica, like most nations, has its own specialized military, but they rarely use it in the conventional fashion. Indeed, the Government rarely has reason to wage war on any outside nation at all, preferring to concentrate on the protection and development of Sybaritica itself. The military is primarily used to combat threats from heretical cults, pirates, and sometimes terroists. Nevertheless, the military has the power and resources to counter any situation ranging from a national rebellion to a world war.

Children of the Sybaritican populace are taken from their parents at birth and are brought to the Cadre base of operations, the Euphoria. At the Euphoria, the newborns are immediately administered narcotics that will enhance all of their natural abilities as they grow. Those that cannot properly meet the size requirements of the Cadre are Removed and sent back to their parents as a warning to produce a better child. The children thereafter grow in a highly militarized atmosphere in which they are allowed to connect with each other and view their parents on screens connected to the cameras in their households. The Government does this deliberately as it creates a devotion to the friends and parents of the future soldiers and thus gives them something to fight for besides their own lives. The children are taught through sleep-therapy to be strong and train with every fiber of their being so as to please the Excelsior and be delivered from the oppressive and dark world in which they live and die. Because the Cadre is co-ed, those children entering puberty have the sexual instincts removed from their minds so as to remove any distractions from their purpose. At age 16, the children are promoted from Initiates to Acolytes.

The core of the Sybaritican Cadre is the Acolyte division. These soldiers are extremely versatile and are highly disciplined, obeying all orders without question. They possess strength, speed, and stamina more than double that of an average human being. Although they begin at age 16, they look and think like one ten years older. The basic Acolyte not only serves as a field expedient and shock trooper in combat, but also fulfills many duties unrelated to military such as the daily distribution of food, medical assistance, and public security. The basic Acolyte is issued a Guardian rifle intended for assault purpose that fires at a chosen rate either semi-auto or up to 200 rounds per minute. The projectile the Guardian delivers comes in a magazine of 55 and is composed of a 10mm platinum alloy laced with a radioactive seal that penetrates even inch-thick titanium and is devastating to all manners of body tissue. The Guardian rifle comes with an attached rocket-propelled grenade launcher called an Immolater by the unfortunate souls who witness its power. The projectile fired by the Immolater is a highly volatile explosive with a chemical mixture of heavy water laced with magnesium with a concussive radius of over seven meters. The round is highly effective against groups of infantry, all manner of vehicles, and even low-flying aircraft and so is feared by every enemy of the Cadre. It explodes with the extra atom of hydrogen in its "water" compound thereby igniting the magnesium, not only exploding, but also blinding and burning those in the radius. The armor a basic Acolyte wears is one of a full-head black helmet with a faceplate and black patterned camo with under-mesh capable of stopping 5.56mm rounds fired from the 20th century M249 SAW. Acolytes often operate in squads of four or five on the battlefield as opposed to whole waves of force so that they can undermine the enemy as well as combat them, employing a wide variety of guerilla tactics and basic open combat.

At age 23, Acolytes’ minds are all tampered with so that they feel the sexual and love instincts normally as they should. This is in anticipation of a match between two of them as after this age, an Acolyte can select another for a spouse as one would normally do so including preparation and the proposal. If both the male and female Acolyte agree and are ready, they can ask their Commander for permission to be married, which is almost always granted. Each newlywed is taken to a designated rehabilitation facility where all combat memories are wiped from their minds and the couple are given a dwelling and a series of documents specifying what is required of them at this point, namely four more children to add to the Cadre.

Acolyte Commanders, called Rectors, observe their Acolytes with utmost care not only to spot for heretics and substandard attributes, but also for opportunity. If an Acolyte shows outstanding battle qualities, he or she is selected to take the Tribulation. There are no restrictions on age, rank, or gender when it comes to selection. An average of one out of every 150,000 Acolytes is selected for the Tribulation and only 1 out of every 27 of them passes it. If one does succeed, he or she may become a Sybarite. Other than death or marriage, this is the only way to leave the Acolyte division.