Founded by Kessaku Irim, Black Spiral was a Star Army Intelligence secret project originally created to promote friendly Nekovalkyrja-Mishhuvurthyar relations before its eventual disbandment.
Although Black Spiral now works for the Star Army of Yamatai, it was formerly a splinter cell that fell under the influence of the elder Nekovalkyrja known as Eve. Eve, using the power of the captured former Empress Ketsurui Yuumi, gained access to various PANTHEON systems in order to further her agenda and pit Black Spiral against the Star Army of Yamatai. Black Spiral, during this period, was responsible for various acts of treason including sharing high-level technologies with the Mishhuvurthyar.
Taisa Hanako eventually managed to create an uprising within Black Spiral that resulted in it splitting into two factions. Part of Black Spiral rejoined the Star Army of Yamatai, while the other part merged into the Daughters of Eve. As part of a deal struck with Yamatai, the Black Spiral members who returned to Star Army service were granted immunity for their crimes.
Over time, Black Spiral's treachery was fully rooted out by both Intelligence Directors Tamahagane Mai and their successor, Nakaide Shida who also strove to eradicate the prideful nature of Nekovalkryja supremacists within their ranks. Mishhuvurthyar research was continued by the SAINT Mishhurvurthyar Activities Division, but successful friendly relations with the SMX and NMX were abandoned in full.
The mission of Black Spiral was to:
The Black Spiral flagship was the YSS Black Swan.
Members of Black Spiral consider Nekovalkyrja the superior race and their soldiers are created from within the organization rather than recruited. They tend to be cool, very efficient, and often quite forceful.
Black Spiral soldiers almost universally have pale white skin and long, straight black hair, while some captains have white hair instead.
Black Spiral uses the Black Mindy, Mindy armors which are painted gloss black and have spikes on their shoulders, blades on their knees, and wear a fireproof cloak (blue for SAINT-allied armors, previously red when Black Spiral was rogue).
| It was the first time Mizuno had seen anything a Mindy like it - she could swear no technical readouts she ever read had such a model: it was a Mindy, plated with ink-black zesuaium; bearing oversized kneepads, pauldrons and elbow guards - all bearing wickedly long spikes; they held aetheric saber-rifles similarly to them; had optional missile pods on their lower legs and a big sweeping black cape with some sort of spirallish pattern over it. The parting smoke also revealed three other of the 'Black Mindy' power armors, clinging to the walls and ceiling. Their enemies - still stubbornly refusing to register over sensors, leapt into action: they began firing their saber-rifle weapons in machine gun mode as their missile packs flared! Mizuno's drones immediately began firing to take out the hostile warheads… but even then, they were still twenty coming at them! |
| Then 'FWOOMPS' filled the air as a group of four of the Black Mindy power armors teleported into the room, hovering in mid-air. Missiles hissed out of their legpacks and struck over the Uriko, tearing at armor plates. One of the enemy suits literally pounced over the cockpit as the damaged craft rocked and drove her aetheric blade through the canopy to ruin the cockpit assembly (and like kill the sprite pilot inside). |
Team members have no ranks, instead following a hierarchy loosely based on class. Within each fireteam are at least four classes: team leader, heavy weapon, riflewoman and combat engineer. Specializations, considered by some to be alternate classes, include anti-armorer, automatic riflewoman, demolitions expert, grenadier, infiltrator, markswoman, medic and melee combatant.
The most basic trooper and the most vital, for without her there is no baseline for the team. She is a generalist, capable of adopting any other class on the team as required. She is the foundation of the hierarchy.
She typically is armed with a medium-range, medium-power, automatic-fire-capable weapon; a sidearm such as a pistol, machine pistol or a submachine gun; and hand grenades.
The heavy weapon has the most powerful direct-fire weapons on the team. She is a specialist, responsible for eliminating threats the riflewoman or combat engineer cannot neutralize.
She can be armed with any one (and possibly two) of a range of weapons, depending on the objectives; a sidearm and extra ammunition for her weapon.
The combat engineer is geared to remove obstacles the riflewoman and heavy weapon cannot. These obstacles include threats at times, but most often involve barriers. She is a specialist, carrying several pieces of equipment, each with a designed purpose.
Her armament is the most unpredictable. Commonly, she carries the riflewoman's main weapon, sometimes in shortened form; other times she might carry a sidearm of higher damage potential than the rest of the team, i.e. a submachine gun. She also might carry grenades, or even extra ammunition for the heavy weapon.
The team leader provides tactical leadership, of course, but also sets the example for her teammates to follow and assesses how best to use their skills to achieve objectives. She is a generalist like the riflewoman, but tends to have a certain specialization or range of specializations.
She typically is armed with the same compliment of weapons as a riflewoman, including a sidearm and grenades.
