STRANNIK OUTER PATROL
Dawn is a frontier planet and the ethos of the Ariadnan army clearly mirrors this, but Kosmoflot must operate in space, the ultimate frontier, the vastest and most inhospitable setting these colonists have ever faced, and as problematic and coveted by foreign powers as the planet Dawn itself. It’s Kosmoflot’s mission to defend the Helios System, over which it has full, internationally-recognized jurisdiction. And to patrol this vast area and enforce the law where there is no other light than that of the most distant stars, it created the Strannik Outer Patrol. Howver this system is so immense that guaranteeing a minimum of security is extremely challenging. To carry out its duty—with limited resources—the Patrol was conceived as a permanently roving unit, hence its name: Strannik (Странник), meaning “Wanderer” in Russian. Patrolling the system alone in their armored skiffs, Strannik agents are highly skilled operatives who must be able to deal single-handedly with any situation and enemy they come across in the blackness of space. These men and women are the ones who respond to every emergency call, the ones who always step in when pirates and smugglers think they can roam free along the trade routes, or when corporate spacecraft are engaged in questionable operations on the outer edge of the Helios System.
MEKHANIKS, FLIGHT ENGINEER CORPS
Since the inception of cosmonautics, in every mission with several crew members, one of them is a flight engineer. In theory, the job of this specialist crew member is to monitor all complex onboard systems. But everyone knows that in practice they are there to repair anything that might malfunction. This is why, in the early days of aviation, these crew members were known as “air mechanics,” a name that Kosmoflot, the Ariadnan space force, has preserved in its jargon as a codename for these troops. This term, shortened to Mekhanik from its original Russian form, is so prevalent that few people outside Kosmoflot know that the actual name of this unit is the Flight Engineer Corps. But this isn’t a problem because they always keen to remind everyone: they are much more than grease monkeys doing repairs. They keep everything running, and if necessary they kick some ass if anyone tries to mess up their equipment. Given Kosmoflot’s typically smaller crews, everyone must perform many different tasks, and when the time comes to fight, everyone has to pitch in as well. This means that Mekhaniks are given tactical training like any other frontline troop, and they act as demolitions experts in boarding and counter-boarding actions.
ELEKTRONIK V-5 REMOTNIKBOT
Although the colonial vessel Ariadna did have four-legged drone technology, these were never mass-produced due to the colonists’ reluctance to rely on complex machinery that was difficult to maintain. Remote activity units with mobility systems using wheels or tracks were far more successful because they shared maintenance systems and parts with other vehicles and machinery. Thus, these types of units remained in use mainly in industrial and mining operations for auxiliary and support tasks. However, they were never a common sight within the Ariadnan military, given its hesitation to rely on overly complex units in an environment as logistically challenging as planet Dawn. This approach didn’t begin to change until the creation of Kosmoflot.
The Elektronik are now a regular element of any Kosmoflot deployment, and it’s common to see them dashing down the corridors of this space force’s stations, orbitals, and military spacecraft, as is the case with the civilian LAI-K versions in every Aricosmos facility. It’s an example of the progressive modernization of the Ariadnan military, which, despite still being far behind where the rest of the Human Sphere standards, is beginning to overcome its technological isolation and to look ahead to the future.
