Janissary
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- "You will be trained, and you will be forged into weapons to be wielded by many masters. You will serve until your family’s debt is repaid. Each job you take, each contract you sign, will stipulate a percentage of your profits that will go towards repayment, and what that percentage is will depend upon your conduct within these halls. Successes is expected; transgressions and failures will accrue interest."
- — M'raad explaining how the program will work to new recuits.[1]
A janissary (plural janissaries)[2] is a term used by the Office of Naval Intelligence to refer to a variety of non-UNSC supersoldier programs active throughout human space. The term was originally coined explicitly to refer to programs run by Insurrectionist-affiliated power brokers, though over time has expanded to incorporate a variety of private augmentation programs run by criminal, corporate and colonial groups.[3]
Overview[edit]
Named after a similar program undertaken by the Ottoman Empire's military during the Middle Ages of humanity's history, the term "janissary" was initially used to describe super-soldier programs such as the Venezian mercenary super-soldiers,[1] but later expanded to encompass a variety of human augmentation programs by criminal, corporate, power brokers, and colonial groups. Janissaries are often considered commodities, created to be a profitable weapon system.[3] According to James Solomon, the janissary forces were far from leveling the playing field against Spartans, but they still posed a notable threat.[4]
Known programs[edit]
While the term was originally coined to refer to insurrectionist-affiliated supersoldier programs, the term "janissary" has come to cover many of the non-UNSC human supersoldier programs in existence throughout the postwar world, particularly in the Created uprising era of 2559-2560.[3]
Venezian janissaries[edit]
On Venezia, janissaries are funded by cartel leaders; they create and hire out super-soldier mercenaries to a variety of groups in exchange for raw materials and access to stolen technology.[3] One such effort is lead by the Yonhet power broker M'raad, whose recruits were conscripted as collateral for the debts of their parents. Dozens were recruited to the program including Callie Calder who was only 15 years old; the others were varying ages relative to hers.[1]
Rumors stated that various corporations -- many of which had been used as military contractors to develop the ever evolving MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor -- along with power brokers on worlds like Venezia and Karava, were looking to upgrade their private security forces, leveraging all of the stolen information and technology they could get to develop their own super-soldiers.[4]
Optican efforts[edit]
As a result of the Created uprising, Optican CEO Adam Andrews believed that the Spartans and United Nations Space Command were unable to protect its people.[1][3] Subsequently, Andrews has directed Optican's resources towards research on stabilizing rumbledrugs.[5][3]
History[edit]
The origins of worries about private supersoldier programs originate in the Insurrection. In that conflict, human rebel organisations attempted to create equivalents to the Orion and Spartan-IIs used by the UNSC, culminating in the development of rumbledrugs. As the war progressed, Catherine Halsey noted her fears of supersoldier proliferation in her journal after seeing NOBLE Team for the first time, and noting that they were not "her" Spartans. [3]
However, these worries did not escalate until the end of the Human-Covenant War, with the explosion of human military industry firms seeking to develop MJOLNIR power armor and equivalents.[6] These included the Buccaneer suit developed using off-the-shelf components,[7] alongside the Raijin,[8] Shinobi and Teishin suits developed for use by commercial and paramilitary clients,[9][10] and Dianthus VISR discovered in the arms markets of Venezia.[11] Indeed, Venezia later in the post-war era became a hotbed for janissary activity, becoming home to a number of other non-MJOLNIR power armor designs alongside a supersoldier program run by M'raad - a Yonhet power broker operating in New Tyne. M'Raad's program, active around September, 2559, involved the conscription of children as collateral for the debts of their parents. These recruits were then taken to New Tyne for their training. During Operation: SONATA, on September 22, UNSC Captain Veronica Dare discovered the existence of the Venezian program.[1] At some point between September, 2559, and March 3, 2560, an operation on Venezia resulted in the UNSC's acquisition of a set of ASSAILER-class armor. This armor would be transferred to Anvil Station for study.[12]
At least four janissaries served as security for a group of slavers operating six stolen Paris-class heavy frigates on Terceira. When ONI sent private military contractor James Solomon to destroy the ships on November 5, 2559, the janissaries attacked, but were killed by James with help from his AI Lola.[13] Afterwards, Lola told James that information on Venezian janissaries was extremely limited as ONI was still in the process of a full threat review.[4]
Personnel[edit]
Roles[edit]
Banished leaders must first enter a formal contract in order to enlist janissaries.[3] While janissaries allied with the Banished are rarely given with front-line roles, some of them take those roles as the quickest way to gain access to even more augmentation procedures.[14] Janissaries are also enlisted for patrolling or defending key strategic sites; in one instance, Marley and Callie Calder were hired to prevent warlords from encroaching upon a mining facility on Oth Kattral.[15] On another occasion, janissaries acted as security for a group of slavers operating six stolen Paris-class heavy frigates on Terceira.[13]
Equipment[edit]
Janissaries are known to use the ASSAILER-class armor,[12] BOGGART-class armor,[16] CONQUEROR-class helmet[17] with the Banished Red Cornet Command Network Module,[2] and TASKMASTER-class armor.[18]
Gallery[edit]
The ASSAILER-class armor, commonly worn by janissaries.
