Exofleet

The 1993-1995 sci-fi animated television series Exosquad featured an extensive number of memorable characters on all sides of the human-Neosapien conflict. All infos provided in this article are describing the situation immediately after the end of the war.

Exofleet

Exofleet was the commonly used title for all battle spaceships built by the humans of the Homeworlds. Before the war actually started, Phaeton lured Exofleet away from the Homeworlds to fight the Pirate Clans, but the latter later became a part of the Exofleet themselves. For some time, the Exofleet was the only safe harbor for the Terrans.

• Admiral Winfield was the commander of the entire Exofleet during the war with Phaeton's regime. A brilliant strategist and tactician, he was a man with an (nearly) unquestionable authority. Even though his decisions seemed too risky at times, his experience never failed him. The fact that he and J.T. Marsh were the only two people the Pirate Leader Simbacca truly respected as warriors speaks for itself. However, Admiral Winfield was an old man when the war started therefore when it was over, he retired from the Exofleet to build a horse ranch.

• Capt. Matthew Marcus (†) was the captain of the exocarrier and the Exofleet flagship Resolute I during the first years of the war. Infamous for his lack of strategic skills, he became one of the most negative figures of the war by nearly destroying Resolute I and the rest of the Exofleet in suicidal attacks on Earth held by Neosapiens, raising a mutiny against Admiral Winfield and finally, being destroyed along with his ship as a result of the previous events. One possible explanation of how he earned such a high rank at all was that it was in a peacetime, when the necessity of the Exofleet was disputed.

• Professor Algernon was the head of the Research & Development Laboratories of the Exofleet. At the beginning of the war, however, he has been captured by Neosapiens and forced to cooperate. Hiding under a disguise of the leading Neosapien scientist, Enleal's, lab assistant, he designed the so called GRAF Shield, an ultimate defensive weapon capable of wiping out entire fleets approaching the planet. Later, Algernon was kidnapped by the Able Squad and worked for the Exofleet ever since. It was primarily due to his inventions that Terrans often had the upper hand battling Neosapiens.

Able Squad

At the beginning of the war, the Able Squad was merely one of many exosquads (E-frame squads) stationed on Resolute I, an E-frame carrier ship under direct command of Admiral Winfield. However, towards the end of the conflict, the Able Squad has become an elite unit assigned only to the most difficult missions (much like Rogue Squadron of Star Wars). The main story arc of the series primarily tells about the adventures of the Able Squad.

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J.T. Marsh

• Lt. / Wing Cmdr. J.T. Marsh was the first leader of the Able Squad. In the third year of the war, he has been promoted to the rank of Wing Commander and henceforth had two squads under his command while Lt. Nara Burns became his successor. Over the years, J.T. Marsh has proven himself as a man whom people will follow - even being the most famous and successful exosquad leader of the Exofleet, he remained a modest, attentive and likable person. In fact, the only person who has ever truly hated him was Phaeton, the leader of Neo Sapiens, - as well as the only one who was equal to him in a hand-to-hand combat (except the Neo Lords), which unequivocally demonstrates Marsh's battle skills. Over the time, Marsh has developed a mutual tender relationship with Colleen O'Reilly, a Lieutenant of the Jumptroop Platoon.

• Lt. Nara Burns was, apparently, the youngest member and the second leader of the Able Squad. Her parents died in the Neosapien assault on Venus but her brother James survived to lead the Venus' resistance force. After her brother has been badly injured and killed during the liberation of the planet, the Able Squad became Nara's only remaining family. During a mission in the Amazon Rainforests she was injected with a unknown mutating agent by Dr. Ketzer, but its effects haven't fully manifested themselves until the war's end. Ironically enough, being the least experienced (albeit talented) exotrooper, Nara Burns was the one to fire the last shot in the war, at last, destroying Phaeton. Over the years, she developed a deep relationship with Marsala.

• Lt. Maggie Weston was the tech and repair specialist of the Able Squad. Her skills with machinery and weapons were comparable only with her resourcefulness - for example, she has been able to make any E-frame in any condition to fly again. In her personal affairs, however, Lt. Weston was not nearly as fortunate, in fact, she was often too shy and usually a loner. For a long time, she had a secret crush on Alec DeLeon, but before she could bring herself to admit it, DeLeon has been killed in action. It is suggested, that after his alleged resurrection by Professor Algernon, she has finally found some happiness.

• Kaz Takagi was the second youngest member of the Able Squad. He has often been regarded as a rookie and a troublemaker, which is only half-true: he did cause a lot of trouble to his teammates, but never let them down in combat or otherwise. Kaz's E-frame was the only one in the squad that was incapable of ground combat, therefore he usually stayed in the air to provide aerial support and to scout the surroundings. A brilliant space pilot, Kaz Takagi deeply respected all fellow Able Squad members and especially regarded Wolf Bronski as his teacher. After the end of the war, Wing Cmdr. Marsh sent him to the Exofleet Academy "to learn some discipline".

• Alec DeLeon was the intelligence and communication specialist of the Able Squad. Known for his ability to foresee every danger miles ahead and to escape even the severest firefights without a scratch on his E-frame, DeLeon has been J.T. Marsh's right-hand man all the way until the day he sacrificed himself to let Exofleet take control over the Moon. Much later, after the end of the war, Professor Algernon and Lt. Weston succeeded to create a physical body and implant DeLeon's personality into it. Whether he has been truly resurrected, remains open.

• Rita Torres was the second in the chain of command of the Able Squad. No much is known about her past, except for the fact that she hated the Pirate Clans. However, it has been gradually revealed that she hated one specific pirate, Jubail, rather than all of them. Overall, she was a perfect soldier - smart, skilled and always following the regulations to a word (as opposite to Wolf Bronski's unorthodox stunts). It is said, that if soldiers could've been produced just as the E-frames, Rita Torres would be a standard model.

• Wolf Bronski was the longest serving and therefore most experienced member of the Able Squad. His marksmanship and tactical skills are flawless, although his methods of achieving the goals have been questioned often enough. Never the less, he has a golden heart and often patronizes rookies in the squad like Kaz Takagi. On the other hand, he was a slob who couldn't care less for etiquette and common rules, although towards the end of the war he became a little more disciplined. During one of his missions on Earth, a he fell in love with Eve Hanley, which soon has become mutual.

• Marsala was the only Neosapien and the oldest individual in the Able Squad. In fact, he had been one of the Neosapien rebellion leaders 50 years prior to the war and a close friend of Phaeton once. However, he swore an oath to serve the Exofleet and didn't break it even when it was the best choice for him. After that, he was marked a traitor who is to be killed immediately if captured. Due to his origin, Marsala has been often mistreated by humans (although never - by members of his squad) but has always stayed calm and indifferent about it. He shared his two-pilot E-frame with Lt. Nara Burns to whom he developed a deep emotional attachment over the course of time.

• Alice Noretti (†) was the first member of the Able Squad to be killed in battle. Her pod was destroyed during the jump-landing in her first (and last) mission on Earth. Her death left a painful scar on J.T. Marsh's soul. Neo Megas used it to create a clone of Alice (the same technology that was later used to resurrect Alec DeLeon) and program it to get close to Lt. Marsh and kill Admiral Winfield thus reducing the morale of Exofleet. However, the programming didn't work as expected and the clone committed suicide.

Jumptroops

Jumptroop Platoon played a crucial role in liberating the Homeworlds but until that, it wasn't of much importance. The main purpose of the Platoon was securing the surface areas side by side with exosquads (e.g. the Able Squad), so it can be considered a sort of space infantry. All jumptroops had to use ultra light E-frames (much more agile than typical ones, but incapable of flying and much more vulnerable) and special jump-pods (hence the name) to reach the surface of the planets from space. In the series, the main focus is on the Charlie-Five Squadron commanded by Vince Pellegrino.

• Lance Corporal Vince Pellegrino (†) was the first leader of the Charlie-Five Squadron. He was an expert in everything regarding battle and morale - weapons, E-frames, communications, even war cries. A perfect soldier and a great leader, he was to the Jumptroops what J.T. Marsh was to the exotroopers. It is also known that the Jumptroop Platoon was founded by Pellegrino's grandfather. Unfortunately, Vince Pellegrino was killed in action during the liberation of Earth in the last days of the war.

• Lt. Colleen O'Reilly was Vince Pellegrino's right hand and the communications and tech specialist of the Charlie-Five Squadron. One of the best officers of the entire Exofleet, O'Reilly had a personal vendetta against Phaeton and his regime, since nearly all her friends from the Exofleet Academy were killed on the day Neosapiens attacked (since it also was the day of their graduation). Over the time, she developed a tender relationship with J.T. Marsh, but following Pellegrino's death she had to assume the command over the squadron and to put all relationships aside for a while.

• Ramon Longfeather was a weapons and demolition specialist of the Charlie-Five Squadron. Being of Native American descent, he played a big brother role to all in his squadron, especially Lt. Colleen O'Reilly.

Neosapien Commonwealth

Many wondered, how Phaeton was able to amass such huge fleet in such a short time, but in fact, the construction of the Neo Fleet began long before the war actually started. Much like Adolf Hitler in the Third Reich, Phaeton carefully rebuilt all factories on Mars (where he, as a Governor, had a carte blanche) to fulfill a double purpose - a peaceful and a war one. Therefore, as soon as Exofleet left the Homeworlds to chase the Pirate Clans, thousands of Neosapien E-frames and hundreds of ships were produced in a matter of days following Phaeton's order.

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Phaeton

• Phaeton was the leader of the Neosapien regime after the occupation of the Homeworlds. His rebellious nature goes way into the past when he was one of the leaders of the first Neosapien revolt 50 years prior to that. Back then, he was captured by the Terran forces and led them to the other leaders' hideouts, but that only made his lust for revenge stronger. In the fight against J.T. Marsh on Martian Mount Olympus, he was severely injured and contracted the automutation syndrome which later lead him to the lunatic idea of creating a doomsday device capable of destroying the Earth, should it ever be retaken by the Terrans.

Military

Note: It's difficult to figure just when exactly is a Neosapien dead, since provided a genes-matrix, they can be resurrected at any moment. Virtually all Neosapiens on the list (except Thrax and, may be, Livia) were killed at least once.

• General Livia was Phaeton's right hand and his most trusted advisor. After General Shiva has been accused of betrayal, Livia was appointed the new Commanding General of Earth Occupation. Most likely, she gained her high status because of her deep devotion to the "Neosapien Destiny" her leader proclaimed and her admiration of Phaeton himself. Only his suicidal plan to destroy the Earth could convince her to reconsider her loyalty at the very end of the war. Known for her despise of all human, it was Livia ultimate goal to destroy humanity and ascend Phaeton to the divine master of the Universe.

• General Shiva was the first Commanding General of Earth Occupation and the most feared and hated Neosapien of all times with the exception of Phaeton. Known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, his quest has always been the complete eradication of the human race. Because of his genetically enhanced intelligence and strength, Shiva had the upper hand in any combat - the reason, why Phaeton given him command over Earth, the cradle of the mankind. On the other hand, however, he always lacked spontaneity and unpredictability in battle and may be, that is why he never betrayed Phaeton (despite false accusations).

• General Draconis was the Commanding General of Venusian Force during the war. A "paranoid sociopathic megalomaniac", as some would call him, he used brutal methods to crush human resistance on his territory (e.g. starving them to death by systematically destroying all food supplies on the planet) simultaneously elaborating a plan to overthrow Phaeton and become the new Supreme Ruler. In fact, the chances of his success would've been very high without Exofleet and particularly, Able Squad's intervention.

• General Typhonus was the Minister of Battle Forces of the Neosapien regime and de facto the ruler of Mars after the relocation of Phaeton's capital to Phaeton City (formerly, Chicago). A cruel and merciless person, Typhonus has also cherished plans to overthrow Phaeton - with no apparent success.

• General Drusus was the Commanding General of Ceres during the war. His administration was responsible for maintaining the newest Neosapien invention - a colossal long-range energy cannon designed to wipe out the Exofleet.

• Commander Glycon was the Commander of Mercury Forces until its reconquest by the Exofleet. Little is known about him.

• Garrison Commander Thrax was a simple E-frame pilot at the beginning of the war, but because of his exceptional battle skills, he has been promoted multiple times, first to a squadron leader and then to the Garrison Commander of Amazon Region on Earth. Despite his excellent battle record, Thrax often displeased his superiors by showing insubordination and mercy to the defeated enemies. By the end of the war, Thrax realized that Phaeton's regime would fall and disbanded his unit. Captured by Neo Lords, he was transferred to Phaeton City for execution but saved by the human liberation force.

Civilian

• Enleal was the alleged inventor of the GRAF Shield. In fact, despite his obvious talent for physics and technology, he wasn't capable of creating something that ingenious. The real inventor was professor Algernon whom he hired as his lab assistant and after Algernon was kidnapped by the Able Squad and redirected the GRAF Shield back on the Neosapiens, Enleal was made guilty for that and, most likely, executed.

• Praetorius was the head of Neosapien Genetic Research and Development. He deeply admires humans for creating his race but believes that the future holds a place for Neosapiens only. Praetorius' quest is therefore the perfection and enhancement of his species. His studies resulted in creation of Neo Megas, Neo Warriors and Neo Lords.

• Galba was Praetorius' advisor and the sole remaining Neo Mega in the Universe after the purge by Phaeton, which wiped out his race entirely following an unsuccessful coup d'état. It was actually per chance that Galba wasn't executed with the others and later, he became a secret supporter of the Exofleet, eventually betraying to them the secrets of the doomsday device set up by Phaeton.

Pirate Clans

The Pirate Clans are the descendants of the human criminals who were exiled from the Homeworlds and forced to work as miners on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. However, after the invention of Neosapiens, the Pirates' ancestors were abandoned on their moons and had to find new ways to exist. They've learned to build their own spaceships and began attacking and looting transporters from the Homeworlds - constantly battling the Exofleet. This is the reason why many Pirates hate the Homeworlds and its inhabitants.

The Pirate Fleet is much smaller than the Exofleet or the Neo Fleet, but they possess a unique cloaking technology based on the s.c. dark matter, which allows them to navigate their ships undetected. In fact, they even have a secret spaceport hidden on Chaos, the tenth planet of the Solar System consisting entirely of the dark matter. Despite its advantages, however, the dark matter also has a negative effect on humans - those frequently exposed to it often show aggressive and violent tendencies, leading to constant fighting even among allies. This effect is called the dark matter syndrome.

The Pirate Clans were the third power in the conflict that tore the Solar System apart.

• Jonas Simbacca was the Leader of the Pirate Clans and after his alliance with the Exofleet, the captain of its new flagship Resolute II. His position as the leader of all pirates has frequently made him a target of internal conspiracies (e.g. an assassination attempt by Lt. Hallas inspired by Capt. Barca) but he maintained his firm grip during the entire war with Neosapiens. Simbacca's first military successes were against the Exofleet so his knowledge of fighting a superior enemy has been invaluable for fighting the Neosapiens. However, aware of the general dislike of Exofleet among the Pirates, it was only after a betrayal and an assassination attempt by General Typhonus that he chose to ally himself and the Clans with Admiral Winfield and the Exofleet.

• Jubail (†) was one of the Pirate Clan leaders when Simbacca declared an alliance with the Exofleet. He and his Clan were against this alliance but after he lost a ritual duel against J.T. Marsh, he had to back off. Even though he had numerous opportunities to get rid of Simbacca and succeed him as the Leader of all Clans, he didn't, following his own honor code. Even though he despised the Exofleet, Jubail was enraged when he discovered that Capt. Barca was spying for the Neosapiens but in the fight that ensued, he was killed and post mortem accused of treason by Barca.

• Capt. Barca (†) was the captain of a Pirate Destroyer Cobra and an undercover agent of Phaeton in the Exofleet. For his treachery, Barca was promised Venus for Pirates (instead of barren Mars offered by Winfield) and even though Phaeton would never fulfill his promise, Barca did a lot to ensure the Exofleet loses the war. His last diversion was sending a fire ship laden with explosives provided by Typhonus to destroy Resolute II with Admiral Winfield and Simbacca on board. The ship was intercepted by the Able Squad and exploded before Barca could leave it - far enough from the Exofleet flagship.

• Lt. Hallas was a young and promising Pirate Lieutenant assigned to various Pirate ships throughout the war. His exceptional battle skills were the reason he was one of the first Pirates to learn piloting an E-frame by J.T. Marsh. Even though his loyalty to Simbacca wavered once (when he attempted an assassination inspired by Capt. Barca), he has redeemed himself by saving both the Resolute II and the Able Squad despite suffering a major neural damage. His arrogance and lack of discipline are most likely consequences of the dark matter syndrome.

Homeworlds Resistance

Homeworlds Resistance was an undercover organization on Earth and Venus occupied by Neosapiens during the war. It was composed of people who could fit into Phaeton's regime and abandoned hope that the Exofleet will return some day (in the first years of the war, Neosapiens successfully held it away from the Homeworlds).

• Sean Napier was the first leader of Earth Resistance Force and later, the commander of the entire Homeworlds Resistance. Before the war, he was an Exotrooper but has been discharged, became a police officer in Chicago (later - Phaeton City) and has even saved Phaeton's life once. Despite that, he deeply mistrusted all Neosapiens (even Marsala) and did his best to "correct his mistake". During the liberation of Earth, he coordinated the "fifth column" - the Terrans who launched a simultaneous attack stabbing Neosapiens in their backs.

• Eve Hanley was Sean Napier's right hand and the second leader of Earth Resistance Force. She may have seemed pragmatic and emotionally cold, but in fact, she was a very romantic person with a special passion for art. Over the time, she has developed a romantic relationship with the most unlikely gentleman - Wolf Bronski.

• Nick Tyree was the leader of Australian Resistance Cell on Earth. His cowboy can-do attitude got him in serious trouble when he launched an uncoordinated attack on Neosapiens in his region - even though he has made some major successes, his Cell was the first to experience the wrath of Neo Warriors brood. Even though he and a few of his men were saved by the Able Squad, the Australian Cell was effectively in pieces after this attack.

• Dr. Ketzer ("Ketzer" means "heretic" in German) was a genetic engineering specialist stationed deep in the Amazon Rainforests during the entire war. Infamous for his unorthodox beliefs and a rather cynical attitude to normal humans (as well as Neosapiens), he was a genius of the same level as Professor Algernon and was actually capable of creating a new human race living in perfect symbiosis with the rainforests. His projects were pure eugenics but Algernon desperately needed his help in curing the automutation syndrome that Marsala contrapted, so Admiral Winfield sent the Able Squad to locate Ketzer and deliver him to Resolute II. The mission failed and Ketzer escaped after having infused Lt. Nara Burns with an unidentified mutating agent. Later he participated in expulsion of Neosapien remnants from the Amazon Basin.

• James Burns (†) was the leader of one of the Venusian Resistance Cells but has later been promoted to the head of the entire Venusian Resistance Force. He was also the older brother and the last remaining relative of Lt. Nara Burns. James has been a good leader despite his lack of military skills and he has succeeded in helping as many humans on Venus as he could to survive General Draconis' atrocities until the Exofleet arrived. During the liberation of Venus, James Burns was severely injured in a fight against Draconis but survived - only to be killed in attempt to save Marsala (whom, he knew, his sister admires) from the hands of human kidnappers demanding for all Neosapiens to be kicked out of the Exofleet.