By VinceHoffman
Jan 31, 2016
Nightshade is a Spec-Ops assault unit expanded from the original Spartan Black Team by pulling additional mission specialists from other branches of the UNSC services. It was created shortly after Spartan Black was declared MIA and it became completely clear how serious a threat the Covenant were proving to be. Unsurprisingly, the core of the team continues to be Spartans but six of the more plentiful Spartan 3s have taken the place of the four original Spartan IIs. However, in order to increase the unit's combat effectiveness without impacting upon the limited number of Spartan IIs and IIIs presently in the field, a command decision was made by HIGHCOM to expand several Spartan SpecWar teams with additional hand picked non-Spartan operators from the UNSC Marines and ODSTs along with spooks from ONI. The expanded team augments the Spartan assault fireteam with a three man ODST sniper overwatch unit along with a pair of Marine grenadiers and a pair of ODSTs manning the assault buggies. Nightshade also has a dedicated armored support unit for when the need arises. the support unit consists of a contingent of UNSC Marine Scorpion and Wolverine operators, sniper/spotter teams, drone and covert communications specialists, and an ONI Section III captain serving as unit commander. Nightshade specializes in night time hit and run operations behind enemy lines. This is reflected in the units' gear which is decidedly stealth oriented.
Vehicles directly attached to the unit include a pair of the upgraded single operator M808 Scorpion MBT variant, a MAAT-9 Wolverine AA halftrack. an M34-6 Command & Control "Radio" Van, a pair of XM-19 Cheetah fast attack buggies, and a compliment of M274 Mongoose ULATVs. All feature low-vis paint jobs and various mechanical mods to reduce exhaust and mechanical noise in addition to the vehicle's thermal signatures. The team is typically inserted from orbit via a D96 Albatross or more rarely an ONI Prowler.
The Spartan 3s and ODST sniper specialists with the Mongooses are the assault team- the pointy end of the spear. The armor and Marine Sniper/Spotter teams in the back row are the contingency plan. They are there If the intelligence was bad or the element of surprise is lost and things go loud. The Scorpions can provide accurate indirect fire from several kilometers out using the Radio Van's compliment of Super Argus drones to pinpoint targets. The Wolverine ensures that the enemy's attempts to call in air support are rapidly curtailed. Finally, the Cheetah assault buggies are the unit's QRF force. They run interference with their mounted grenade launcher and heavy machine gun while the assault team exfiltrates.
Almost all of the figures are customized with ammo pouches, UA helmet upgrades, custom paint hits, and in some case custom sculpted detailing. There are lots of custom weapons here too. All the assault teams primary weapons have custom suppressors. With the exception of the Mongooses, all vehicles are either MOCs or rebuilds that are so thorough that they should be considered custom builds.
Vehicles directly attached to the unit include a pair of the upgraded single operator M808 Scorpion MBT variant, a MAAT-9 Wolverine AA halftrack. an M34-6 Command & Control "Radio" Van, a pair of XM-19 Cheetah fast attack buggies, and a compliment of M274 Mongoose ULATVs. All feature low-vis paint jobs and various mechanical mods to reduce exhaust and mechanical noise in addition to the vehicle's thermal signatures. The team is typically inserted from orbit via a D96 Albatross or more rarely an ONI Prowler.
The Spartan 3s and ODST sniper specialists with the Mongooses are the assault team- the pointy end of the spear. The armor and Marine Sniper/Spotter teams in the back row are the contingency plan. They are there If the intelligence was bad or the element of surprise is lost and things go loud. The Scorpions can provide accurate indirect fire from several kilometers out using the Radio Van's compliment of Super Argus drones to pinpoint targets. The Wolverine ensures that the enemy's attempts to call in air support are rapidly curtailed. Finally, the Cheetah assault buggies are the unit's QRF force. They run interference with their mounted grenade launcher and heavy machine gun while the assault team exfiltrates.
Almost all of the figures are customized with ammo pouches, UA helmet upgrades, custom paint hits, and in some case custom sculpted detailing. There are lots of custom weapons here too. All the assault teams primary weapons have custom suppressors. With the exception of the Mongooses, all vehicles are either MOCs or rebuilds that are so thorough that they should be considered custom builds.