Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Flak Trooper

"Flak Trooper reporting!"

-Flak Trooper leaving the Conscription Center

The Flak Trooper is the standard anti-armor/air infantry of the Socialist Union of Voshkod. Planned to be voiced by Gwilym Lee, alongside Kitty Archer and Douglas Rye.

Overview
Flak Troopers are the main anti-armor/air infantry of the Voshkod armies. The position of Flak Trooper is one of the lowest in the Voshkod army, even compared to the Conscript and Regular divisions. Former convicts or the homeless were gathered in massive training camps to get crash courses on how to use their personal flak cannons, alongside anti-tank "mines" (in reality the model is so old that it works "better" as a grenade), and an anti-tank explosive vest that detonated in the event they are run over. Their 'payment' for service in the army is generally either housing and food or freedom after the war. Needless to say, not many men/women live long enough to see that payment.

Appearance
The attire of the Flak Troopers for men is a combination of the Red Alert 2 and 3 attire.

History
Though the exact figure is known only to the Voshkod government, it is known that the Voshkod has a great many incarcerated. From petty criminals and lazy workers who fail to meet their quotas to protesters who disagree with the Party government and capitalistic traitors who seek to consort with the West, countless people from all walks of life (including those in the upper echelons of the Party) have all been tried by the Voshkod judicial system and found guilty. While some people have committed crimes severe enough to warrant the death penalty, most are fortunate enough to get off with a prison sentence.

Of course, even when one is in prison, they are still expected to contribute to the greater good of the Voshkod. Thus, convicts are employed as forced labor, to perform tasks such as constructing a new factory, operating Smelters, or mining ores from the ground. Whatever the work, it is almost always highly unpleasant in nature, and conditions are almost always extremely poor or even life-threatening. Though nowhere near the level it was during the (insert character) era, there are still a shockingly high proportion (by Allied standards) of severe injuries and deaths, whether from malnourishment, overexertion, or suicide (though their rates are considered peanuts to the likes of the MLA and Collective).

There is a way out, though, for those who find themselves serving time in a Voshkod labor camp, or even those who have been sentenced to capital punishment, and this alternative comes in the form of military service in one of the Voshkod's convict battalions. The terms: one to three months of service, with a commutation of sentence should one accomplish extremely heroic deeds in combat or suffer an injury while fighting. Anyone who is physically fit can sign up, and indeed many do.

The conditions are no better than in the labor camps, of course, and are arguably even worse, though such sentiment decreased in modern times as new reforms mean that the Flak Trooper are treated as human beings to the point that convicts will gladly join the battalion if not for better conditions (as in three proper meals, showers, and a bed with a proper mattress). Convict battalions are assigned the most unpleasant, unwanted, and dangerous tasks in the entire Voshkod military; during (insert character) time, their duties included mine-clearing (by running through the minefield), reconnaissance by fire (into heavily defended enemy territory), serving as (sacrificial) rearguards, and even acting as decoys (with dark, visible clothing to draw attention). Fortunately, conditions are better now, but even then they are still highly unpleasant.

For example, take Flak Troopers, who have to carry heavy flak cannons and also have mine laying duties, though with how outdated and unreliable the trigger mechanism is the mines these soldiers are given are considered as extremely heavy anti-tank grenades by both the Flak Trooper and, secretly, the Voshkod Government (as they were simply too cheap of an anti-tank weapon to discard for proper anti-tank mines used by their other forces). Though nowhere near as bad as having to run through a minefield or act as a decoy for the enemy, being a Flak Trooper is still a highly undesirable job. The Misznay Flak Cannon is a monstrously heavy weapon, weighing close to 50 kilograms on its own. The tremendous weight of the cannon makes carrying it a backbreaking task, and the design makes it impossible to carry ergonomically. Worse still, the recoil of the weapon can dislocate one's shoulder (not having a dislocated shoulder is considered extremely unusual for a Flak Trooper or a sign that they're a Manta gunner). Because of this, most Flak Troopers consider running up to a tank to throw their magnetic mines at it to be a better alternative than having to use the Misznay, even though doing so exposes one to a great deal of enemy fire and the possibility of being crushed by the tank.

This is particularly galling with the introduction of the Igla Trooper who, unlike the Flak Trooper, had proper military training, education, and criminal-free background. Thus a heavy, bitter, resentment toward the Igla Trooper lies within every Flak Trooper, while the Igla, in turn, considers them second-class criminals deserving of death. Commanders are highly advised to never put both battalions together alone unless they want a report of one of the battalions suddenly dying in a freak "accident".

Even so, though the conditions are horrific and the chance of death on the battlefield is great, many people still volunteer for military service in a convict battalion; this goes to show just how many people are willing to do anything, to take any route, any course of action, that offers them a way out of the Voshkod penal system.

Trivia

 * The Gaiaterra of the Flak Trooper is a combination of their unit of the same name from Red Alert 2 and 3.



Guardians of the Tacitus

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 * Encantadia Conscript (Encantadia)