Section 3 Update 4/7/16 news - WINTER CONTINGENCY mod for Call to Arms

Welcome back Troopers, once again, Section 3 has authorized us to provide you with an intelligence briefing on the forces you can expect to encounter during The Winter Contingency.

Please note that all information is subject to revision, as we gather more intel from the field and newer files become declassified.

Today’s briefing will cover the forces of the Insurrectionists and our front line against them, The Colonial Militia.

For most of us, it is hard to imagine a time of greater peril for Humanity than our war with the Covenant. And yet, it was not long ago that the greatest threat to the UNSC came not from beyond our solar systems, but from within our very own homes.

The formation of the United Earth Government was a tremendous step towards unity for our species, but to this day there are individuals and movements that have violently opposed a united human government. We have loosely referred to these persons as the “Insurrectionist Movements”.

There are as many insurrectionist organizations as there are reasons for insurrection. Some are political hardliners from the bygone 21st century, disgruntled colonists, or are from the far flung outer-colonies seeking secession from the UEG.

The political nuances of each insurrectionist movement and their underlying socio-economic implications are the concerns of the UEG’s diplomats and sociologists.

Do they have legitimate grievances? Could the UEG change how it addresses colonial needs? Is our government imperfect?

Who the hell knows.

As soldiers of the UNSC, charged with humanity’s safety, you only need to know one thing:
There exist violent groups dedicated to overthrowing Earth’s government. They are not afraid to murder innocents or distinguish between military and civilian targets. And the war with the Covenant has not changed this.

Like many guerillas from human history, the insurrectionists will often blend in with the populace. We’ve seen them infiltrate UNSC dockyards as ship workers, before hijacking freighters.

Other times they will take to the wilderness, and hide among the vast expanses of undeveloped colonial land.

Insurrectionists are opportunistic, they can often be found carrying a plethora of weapons and gear, bought illegally or stolen from the UNSC. Insurrectionists are particularly fond of using homemade and customized explosives. Grenade launchers are popular, even covenant explosives.

In the hours between the declaration of a Winter Contingency and the arrival of Covenant invasion ships, the greatest threat to security comes not from the aliens, but from Insurrectionist raids.

When the Covenant are spotted in human space, most soldiers will be scanning the sky for alien invaders; noone is looking around them for unfamiliar faces.

Insurrectionists will often use the chaos and confusion of a Covenant invasion to infiltrate UNSC forces, and steal ordnance, supplies, and valuable intelligence. By the time a security breach is detected, the innies are long gone; hidden among the thousands of evacuation ships fleeing an invaded planet.

During the Winter Contingency, it is essential that you maintain security protocols at all times. Expect innies to attempt heists on UNSC depots before and during Covenant invasions. You will want to station your forces close to any objectives you must defend, and cover all approaches.

When in combat with insurrectionists, remember that innies travel light, seldom carrying more than a few small arms, explosives, and typically little body armor. Charge the innies with your marines or heavy infantry, and engage them at close range. Heavy body armor will give your soldiers an edge, and few innies will be able to go hand to hand with a UNSC marine.

Watch out for boobytraps and IED’s. Innies have perfected the art of turning almost anything into a bomb. Be mindful of tires, and trip wires.

In the early days of human interstellar colonization, the UNSC lacked the man-power and logistics to maintain a presence at every colony. To compensate, the Colonial Charter allowed colonists to form homegrown militias to protect their homes.

By the time of the insurrection, the UNSC was strong enough to police the frontier, and the militias (officially) were gradually being replaced by UN security forces.

In truth however, the Colonial Militias were expanding rapidly, supported in secret by the ONI.

Colonial Militias were considered a valuable asset by the ONI; their low profile, familiarity with their communities and “extra-legal” status, made them ideal for covert ops and counter-insurgency.

It is rumored that in the years between the insurrection and perhaps even until today, the ONI flies hundreds of Colonial Militia to “black sites” on Reach and Earth.

There, they undergo training to fight in an ongoing shadow war against the insurrection, and perhaps other missions too.

This rumor sprouted from the prevailing story that the first humans to engage covenant forces were the Harvest Colonial Militia, lead by ONI operatives.

When commanding Colonial militia, you can expect them to be providing internal security for municipal facilities (city halls, etc) or patroling rural towns.

Other times you may be commanding them on raids against insurrectionist strongholds, or reconnaissance missions deep into hostile territory. Morbid as it is, there are some missions so dangerous, that even the ODST’s are too expensive to waste on them.

The arsenal of the Colonial militia is varied. Some of it is surplus equipment purchased locally. Others may be lucky enough to receive newer arms from ONI. Their armor protection is light, and whatever weapons they possess, they travel lightly too.

While they may not hold their own against a full covenant onslaught, they are well trained, and with cautious, tactical leadership, you can guide them successfully on any op they will be sent on. More so with any other soldiers, the missions of the colonial militia will test your skills in infantry tactics.

This concludes our update on the Insurrectionists and the Colonial Militia!

As always, please read our other articles and FAQ before asking your questions, we will be happy to address any thoughts you might have, that haven’t been answered already.