Pyronauts

Basic Information

 * Unit Name: Ultranaut Corps Combat Engineers - Pyrotechnics Specialization
 * Affiliation: Eternal Empire
 * Classification: Specialized Combat Engineers

Equipment

 * Sk-UL Mk2 Armor
 * Military Comlink
 * KC-451 Flamethrower
 * KC-77N Hybrid Pistol
 * Lucius-pattern Bayonet
 * M-322 Standard Issue Ration Packs

Description
The regiments of the Eternal Army's Ultranaut Corps have a number of highly specialized combat engineers assigned into special companies attached to regimental command that they can call upon in situations which require a certain approach to a problem.

Amongst these combat engineer units are those who have graduated from the highly difficult course required to obtain the Pyrotechnics qualification and receive certification to operate the KC-451 flamethrower. Possessing a higher than usual ability to maintain their calm in tense situations, a trait required in order to operate the difficult and dangerous equipment they are issued, these 'Pyronauts', as they are often called are a breed apart, even amongst the Eternal Empire's highly disciplined army.

Their training instills in them the habit to religiously observe proper procedure even in the heat of hectic battles, as any mishaps may result in potentially disastrous consequences because of the highly flammable materials they are required to carry around and handle.

Pyrotechnics Engineers are the apex predators of close quarters combat, equipped and trained to clear out enemy buildings, bunkers, trenches, corridors and even vehicles, if an open access hatch exists, with brutal efficiency. The deployment of these units often has a major psychological impact on enemy forces, as even the injuries their weapons inflict, are horrific in nature.

Despite their fearsome reputation, the fact is that Pyrotechnics Engineers have some glaring weaknesses inferred from the nature of their assignment and the equipment they use. Lugging around heavy, unwieldy flamethrowers and the large tanks which contain the fuel for their weapons, they are neither very fast, or agile. Also, as is almost universally the case with flamethrowers, a well-placed enemy shot can have disastrous consequences, causing their equipment to explode, killing them, potentially along with any other soldiers that happen to be too close.

Also, the weight and size of their equipment have the drawback that they can not carry around spare cannisters for their flamethrowers, forcing them to commute back towards the rear lines in order to reload their flamethrowers, a slow, difficult process which requires assistance from specialized Logistics Corps personnel. Additionally, they can not carry much in the way of support weapons, only being equipped with a sidearm and combat utility knife.

Even with these drawbacks, Pyronauts can devastate enemy defenses and turn the tide of battle if they are properly employed by a skilled commander.

Combat Information

 * Unit Size: Small - Squads of Ten
 * Unit Availability: Rare - Five Squads per Ultranaut regiment (One for each Battalion)
 * Unit Experience: Veteran - Candidates for the Pyrotechnics Specialist qualification are drawn from battle hardened Combat Engineers who have the experience necessary to handle complex equipment even in the heat of battle. These candidates then undergo a six months specialized course which has a high drop-out rate, only one in every four succeeding in earning the certification.
 * Combat Function: Pyronauts are Combat Engineers specialized in close quarter combat utilizing pyrotechnics equipment. They are frontline support units deployed to clear out enclosed spaces and neutralize entrenched infantry positions such as bunkers, barricades and buildings and must be supported with the appropriate suppressing fire. They are often deployed to the front line by IFV or dropship, which deliver them as close to the enemy as safely possible.

Strengths

 * Hellraisers: Equipped with flamethrowers, Pyronauts are very effective at clearing out enemy trenches, bunkers and vehicles who's access hatches have been left opened. They can be devastating close-range troops when properly employed against infantry units and exposed vehicle crews
 * Nerves of Steel: Pyrotechnics Engineers are drawn from amongst veteran Combat Engineers and have a high degree of discipline, as is required of them due to the nature of their equipment
 * Terror of the Battlefield: Equipped with flamethrowers, Pyronauts are capable of sowing fear amongst the ranks of the enemy because of the devastation their weapons can unleash

Weaknesses

 * Slow and Steady wins the Race: Outfitted with heavy, unwieldy equipment which is difficult to operate, Pyrotechnics Engineers are slow and lack agility, making them easy targets if they are not properly supported
 * Big Fat Target: Flamethrowers are very large and unwieldy weapons who's tanks are carried on the operators' backs, which makes them easy to spot and to target, with potentially disastrous consequences
 * Logistics Intensive: The reloading process for the KC-451 is a slow, elaborate process, as the flamethrower's tanks must be swapped out entirely, once spent, which requires assistance from logistics crew and also makes the operator unable to carry any spares
 * Boom: The large, easy-to-hit tanks carried on the back contain highly flammable fuel. If an enemy weapon scores a direct hit, the results can be explosive and could, quite easily, inflict severe damage to friendly units
 * Stealth: Due to their heavy equipment and the glowing optics of their armor, Ultranauts are ill-suited for stealthy missions and will usually be detected quickly. This is even more true of Pyrotechnics Engineers, who's bulky equipment makes them easy to spot

History
The Pyrotechnics certification, along with the Combat Engineers which receive it, came into being following the conclusion of the Battle of Copero. Even though the siege was ultimately a resounding victory for the Confederacy of Independent Systems in its campaign against the Jen'ari Empire, the battle was certainly not without difficulty.

Enemy units had entrenched themselves amongst the buildings of the planetary capital, forcing the Confederate invasion to sweep the entire city street by street, building by building, drastically slowing their advance and increasing their casualties as soldiers had to clear one room at a time, intense firefights often ensuing whenever contact with the enemy was made.

Following the battle, it became clear that a more efficient solution was required to neutralize entrenched enemy positions and the Eternal Empire, one of the Confederacy's member systems at the time, created the Pyrotechnics Specialization program as an answer to that challenge. Candidates were drawn from amongst the army's veteran Combat Engineers, then put through a difficult training program concurrent with the development of their new equipment, which ironed out the inevitable issues and produced the final, optimized program and the first units of Pyrotechnics Engineers to be deployed amongst the forces of the Eternal Empire.

Ultranaut regiments were then reorganized, along with the necessary logistics, in order to accommodate the new units. It was decided that each regiment would receive five squads of Pyrotechnics Engineers, one squad per each battalion, in order to distribute these specialists in the most efficient manner possible.

Pyrotechnics Engineers, or Pyronauts, as they are sometimes referred, quickly earned a reputation for discipline and levelheadedness, even amongst the highly disciplined and well-organized Imperial military.