Codex-Imperial Federation

Legionnaires

The iconic super-soldiers of the Federation, who vowed their bodies and souls in service of the State, the Project actually started in 1951, and it was a coordinated effort between the Federation and the United States as they were looking to create a new kind of soldier that would be able to hinder any possible soviet offensive in Europe despite the numerical disparity. It would later grow to include Japan, but the first results would come out only in the new millennia, with the Federation being the main contributor.

When humanity joined the Galactic Community, the Legionnaires actually became a diplomatic hindrance, as their existence violated several galactic laws regarding genetic modifications. When the Federation offered to share all of the discoveries made in this field, proving that there were many benefits that could improve the quality of life of the other species, once adapted to their biology, the Council allowed their continued existence, on the condition that the Legion would be limited in number and could never be used without the express consent of the Council, or for the Federation to defend its own territory.

However, seeing the imminent arrival of the Reapers, for many years Emperor Lorenzo cheated on the reports of the Legionnaires in service with the Imperial-Federal Army in order to have as many as possible when the threat manifested, and they became a major factor to turn the tide of the war.

After the War, the Legionnaire Project had been expanded to other species as well, though only recently it became possible to train alien recruits.

Biology and Training

The Legionnaires are divided into two sub-categories: the Aquilae and the Evocatii.

The Aquilae are the soldiers who are trained since the age of 6. They are mostly orphans selected after a brief screening, but sometimes there are families who give the child to the Legion in exchange for a subside. Those who have a family are allowed to see it with a regular frequency, but orphans are preferred because it's more likely that they will decide to stay in the Army once they reach the age of 18.

During these 12 years, the children go through a steady physical and mental training, and they also receive a top-tier instruction, which is the reason why poor families decide to enlist their children, other than money. The children also receive all the genetic enhancements, some of which must be absorbed when the body is still growing to minimize the risk of mortal side effects.

The Aquilae are the original conception of the Legionnaire: a human who will become stronger, with an immune system capable of fighting mortal diseases with minimal consequences, and capable of using a bigger percentage of the human brain. They can also reproduce and their prole will inherit the modifications, as they affect the genetic material directly.

On the other hand, the Evocatii are regular soldiers who are selected for their peak condition and skills to receive some genetic enhancements that still make them dangerous fighters. This category was introduced after the Reaper War, given that almost 70% of the Legionnaires died in the bloody battles against the hordes of the Reapers, and it was decided that the Aquilae had become too costly to raise and then put them into heavy combat.

The Evocatii are basically the troopers that are put at the front of a regular offensive, while the Aquilae have become more like commando units to be deployed behind enemy lines for risky but quick operations. Because they were regular soldiers, the Evocatii have a much better understanding of the regular troops and work well together, while the Aquilae usually fight on their own terms, but are still revered by the regulars.

Armor

The full body armors are, without a doubt, the most iconic piece of equipment of the Legionnaires. For many of them, much like the Mandalorians, this protective gear is almost a sacred object and a source of pride. They have multiple components that a Legionnaire can mix at their own pleasure to seek the configuration they are comfortable with, however there are a few differences.

Sicata Armor

The armor of the Evocatii it's relatively cheaper (compared to that of the Aquilae) as they're not as strong as their counterparts. The Sicata-class is nonetheless a grand piece of military tech, with personal shields, resistant plates and the helmets have many useful instruments to navigate among the chaos of the battlefield.

Lorica Armor

The Lorica has been enshrined as the armor that protected the Aquilae during the Reaper War, though its design has now become obsolete. While production had gone out in 2217, many new Aquilae are still issued with one of these. The Lorica improves the physical strength of the user by 1.5 times and is equipped with personal shields with a very short recharge time. It also has micro-conduits in the plates that help cooling down the weapons and the efficiency of omni-tools, biotic amplifiers and even the psionic powers.

In Andromeda, the Lorica has become famous as the two Jedi siblings, Ezra and Jaral Bridger, wear two armors of this kind, left to them by their father.

Hamata Armor

Introduced in 2215, the Hamata doubles not just the strength of the user, but their reflexes thanks to some special stimulants that the body of an Aquila can easily absorb. The instruments in the helmets are more precise, the micro-conduits can absorb even more heat and use it to repair small fractures on the plates. The Hamata is now being issued to all the Legionnaires going at the front in Andromeda and new versions are being built for the non-Human Legionnaires.