Acratean Armored Rangers

"Acrateans lead the way!"

- Warcry and motto of the Rangers

Background and History
On the Western Part of the Segmentum Pacificus lies the Ice World of Acratea. It was settled in late M39 and despite being somewhat rich in natural resource,s for some time was of little importance to the Imperium, barely able to produce food or sustain a large population. This was until some nobles and retired Rogue Traders began settling it choosing a peaceful existance. Acratea (and it's moon, Exria) were able to provide the said peaceful existance due to it's remote locaton in an unimportant part of the galaxy lying just outside the Halo Zone.

Remote and peaceful as it was, Acratea still offered some danger in the form of pirate raids and hostile lifeforms. The Nobles decided they needed adequate protection and looked towards the PDF. The PDF was small in size and lacking in serious equipment, but then the Nobles started meddling with it. They bolstered it's numbers with recruits from the local populace, brought in experienced Guardsmen who were to serve as instructors for the still fledgling PDF. And last but not least, they used their vast connections to bring in up-to-standard weaponry, gear and vehicles to arm the PDF

The PDF grew and expanded, together with the Dream Stalkers, being able to fend off anything that tried to attack Acratea or it's natural satellite. Eventually an Inquisitor in need of troops and close to Acratea, took a large number of the PDF to bolster his own force. The Inquisitor was impressed with the performance of the PDF and decided that the rest of the Imperium should too benefit from their skills. And so the PDF was reformed into an Imperial Guard Regiment called the Acratean Armored Rangers. However the Nobles used their connections to ensure that part of the Rangers always remained upon Acratea and Exria to effectively serve as it's defenders, together with the Dream Stalkers, the local Space Marine Chapter.

Current Status
The most recent and most dangerous engagement that the Acratean Rangers took part in was in Late M40 when the planet of Acratea fell under an invasion from a Chaos Warband and it's Cultist Army. Despite taking huge casulties, the Rangers and the Dream Stalkers eventually repulsed the invasion force, wiping out most of it in the process.

The Acratean Rangers are currently active and taking part in suppresion of the ongoing "Night of the Thousand Rebellions" that is currently plaguing the Pacificus Segmentum.

Combat Doctrine
Despite their initial start as "game wardens" that protected the Nobles from the dangerouns fauna, the Acratean Armored Rangers eventually expanded into a rapidly-deployable infantry formation supported by armored vehicles, gunships and artillery auxillery forces.

Their operations usually begin with gathering recon, sabotaging and eliminating key enemy assets and then deploying in force and purging the enemy force.

Similar to the Dream Stalkers, the Armored Rangers also function as a Fast Reaction Force able to deploy it's elements anywhere in the Segmentum in a short amount of time.

Recruitment and Training
Any citizen of Acratea or Exria is able to enlist and serve as a Ranger and conscriptions are very rare.

After passing an selection process, the candidate is sent to Basic Training which is supplemented by extra training if the candidate is going to fulfill a special role in the future.

Organization
The Rangers are around 20,000 in number, although that number fluctuates especially during major campaigns and deployments. They are spread out in 10 Divisions which are balanced in terms of infantry and auxillery forces to ensure that they can operate on their own if the need arises.

Equipment
Due to the fact that their homeworld is home to many wealthy Nobles and retired Rogue Traders who have established connections in various departments of the Imperium including the Munitorum, the Acratean Rangers are usually well equipped and supplied, especially the ones based on Acratea and Exria.

Armor
The Rangers are usually equipped with joint pieces of Carapace and Flak Armor, although a few distinguished officers get the honor of wearing power armor.

Weapons
The Acratean Guardsmen use a variety of weapons suited to different tactical situations. Unique are the Acratea Pattern Autogun and the Felix Pattern Lasgun.


 * Acratea Pattern Autogun
 * One of the standard firearms of the Rangers. It is a autogun capable of automatic and semi-automatic fire. It has decent firepower and accuracy, with different rounds (fragmentational, incendiery) provading the much-needed adaptability. It comes with an inbuilt recoil dampener and a rail that allows for attaching different sights.


 * Felix Pattern Lasgun
 * The Felix Pattern Lasgun is a supposedly modified version of the Triplex Pattern. What makes it stand out is that allows the user to select the power of the shot (with limitations ofcourse) allowing for really powerful shots that burn through the ammo cell really fast, or weak shots that compensate for shortage of ammo. It is the most widely used firearm amongst the units of the AAR.


 * Locke Pattern Bolter
 * The Locke Pattern Bolter is a modified bolter that allows it's use by unaugmented humans. It is extremely rare withing the ranks of the Rangers with the precious few bolters usually kept in armory unless the need for their use arises.