The ASE Army is one of the most advanced armies in the galaxy. Well trained, well motivated, and bent on conquest.
—Gaius Demyus
The ASE Army was the ground and space based force of the Acrolian Star Empire. It was formed from the National Guard of the old Acrolian Republic, and was eventually divided into the National Guard, the National Guard Marine Commando Unit, the Imperial Guard, and the East Point Cadet Unit.
Origin[]
The ASE Army was formed from the old Acrolian Republic Military, which was primarily made up of the National Guard, the military police force of the planet. With the creation of the Acrolian Star Empire in 22 BBY, the ARM was reorganized into the ASE Army and ASE Navy, and expanded to include several main military branches. These were the National Guard Infantry, the National Guard Marine Corps, the National Guard Commando Unit, the Acrolian Military Police, and the Imperial Guard. These divisions worked together and had separate tasks for which they were suited.
National Guard Infantry[]
The National Guard Infantry was the central division of the ASE Army. Wearing black armor visibly based on the traditional Acrolian military style, they were armed with conventional blaster rifles like the AcroWorks AR-15 blaster rifle and were trained in many combat forms. They were the cornerstone of the ASE Army, deployed across the Empire on captured or contested planets. Their armor was equal in strength to that of the Republic's Clone Troopers and could withstand heavy damage.
A National Guardsman.
Basic training was fierce, as only the best were able to survive what was colloquially referred to as "Hell Camp," a two week boot camp that hardened volunteers up for the beginning of their training. Those who survived Hell Camp went on to participate in a three month training course on a military base on Acrolis, where they learned the basics of combat and mastered a melee course of their choice. After graduation, they were required to serve for four years, with the potential bonus and promotion if they remained in the service. Some promoted officers were sent to military academies like East Point if they showed promise as commissioned officers.
National Guard Marine Corps[]
The National Guard Marine Corps was officially part of the ASE Army, but tended to work more with the ASE Navy, specializing in shipboard combat. However, as marines, they were also able to fight successfully on land as well, often parachuting into battle from shuttles. They were not heavily armored like the National Guard Infantry, and only carried basic armor, instead wearing black berets and blaster-proof vests. However, they carried heavier weapons and grenades, enabling them to destroy most enemies singlehandedly, on ship or land.
The Marine Corps on graduation day
Like all National Guard personnel, they were required to undergo "Hell Camp," and those that were selected for the Marine Corps were sent to a secret training facility on Acrolis's moon, Magna Luna, where they would spend a year learning melee combat, sharpshooting, parachuting, basic piloting, and other such tasks. At the end of this course, they were required to undergo a torture by faculty to determine both physical and psychological strength. The torture was often very painful, and was controversial for its ability to break men who had seemed strong during the year of training. Only those who passed this final examination were given the title of "marine".
National Guard Commando Unit[]
Those in the National Guard Commando Unit were the hardest men in the ASE Army, capable of enduring great pain and able to not crack under interrogation. They were selected after Hell Camp and sent to a military base on the traditional military island of Agra, there to spend the next two years studying melee combat, espionage, assassination, interrogation, sharpshooting, sabotage, and other arts. They were forced to undergo torture on a monthly routine to make them less resistant to pain and to build up their resolve. Once deployed in the ASE Army, they were often sent on solo missions across the galaxy, killing enemy leaders and sabotaging military operations. However, for all the pain they had to endure for the ASE, they were paid handsomely, and were given a pension at retirement.
Commandos march during a parade
They wore minimal armor, instead relying on stealth and their black masks and uniforms to protect them. They carried DC-17m Rifles carried by Republic Commandos, in addition to sniper rifles and thermal detonators.