Introduction
Radiation Zone Assault Troopers, also known as Radtroopers, are an elite group of stormtroopers who have been specially trained to operate in the harsh environment that radiation creates. Certain planets tend to have unusually large of radiation in the atmosphere and must still be dealt with. That is where Radtroopers come in. Due to the high amounts of radiation a standard stormtrooper would not last long even with their armor. They are not trained on how to fight in the radiation. The environment would quickly work its way into the several crevices that open up in a stormtroopers armor and kill the trooper while in the area.
Training
In a radiation zone,training is the most important thing to a Radtrooper. They must rely on this to survive. Unlike other troopers,Radtroopers receive a rather large amount of melee combat training. While the primary weapon would be a blaster weapon,in anything rating a class 4 radiation zone will most likely fail. That’s why Radtroopers are trained to use a vibroblade like a pro. Even unpowered,a good vibroblade can cut through even a stormtroopers body glove. There are four strike areas to make a kill,the throat,the gut,kidneys,and through the ribs to the lungs or heart. With the powered blade armor and bone can be cut through with little or no hindrance. Quick jabs with the tip of the blade are the best type of strikes when knife fighting. One would hold the blade in one hand while the empty one would be held out to catch or parry an attack by the enemy.
Because Radtroopers often work in closed spaces,such as bunkers,learning to work in tight 4 man units is essential to survival. Because all of you have taken your Standard Stormtrooper certification you know how to clear rooms and the like,but just as a reminder lets go over a few things. First,when clearing a room always use a small explosive device to blow the hinges or bypass locks via computer programs. Once the door is open one or two grenades are to be exploded and then move in. Two troopers to the left wall and two others to the right. Clear the room quickly and move on. Because bunkers move only downward you do not have to leave troopers in the rooms. Also the radiation levels will probably so high that the nausea and possibly death will be immediate. The only real threat are the beings that can live in that much radiation and the enemy in space suits or some other seal environment suit. Space suits do not make good fighting suits though. A simple cut or shot through the suit will immediately expose the wearer to the environment. They also hamper movement and therefore make them easier targets.
Secondly,if you must you precision entering techniques such as throwing a flashbang then moving quickly firing only at a determined target. Use this technique if hostages or other noncombatants are known to be in the area,though most of the time this will not be due to the environment.
Secondary weapons like pistols and knives often become primary weapons in the close quarters of a bunker corridor. Therefore Radtroopers are given high training on these weapons. Light explosives are carried by all troopers and heavy demo packs are given to the determined demolition soldier. The explosives are used to destroy bunkers or holes in the walls. Smaller plastique explosives are used few small things like blowing hinges off doors or possibly used to set off a chain reaction in enemy ammo caches.
Equipment
To a Radtrooper his equipment is life. Without their sophisticated equipment a radtrooper could not survive in a radiation zone. Therefore they are issued a special set of armor. The radtroopers armor is silver and black and worn over a modified standard stormtrooper body glove designed to protect against radiation. The helmet features a macrobinocular viewplate with a blast shield and UV vision sensors. It also has a small computer that maps out the area that a squad has been in and sends it to the troopers superiors and to the units headquarters. The computer monitors the suits sensors and alerts the user if there is a breach in the armor or if the radiation level raises.
The stomach armor has the controls to change the climate of the suit such as cooling and heating. Its also where most of the radiation gauges are stored. The armor itself is stressed reinforced with heat and radiation reflective coating. It is equipped with an atmosphere and moisture filtration system. A leadpolymer substrate is added into the armor,this material is what shields the trooper completely from radiation.
Troopers carry the standard stormtrooper utility belt which holds high-tension wire, grappling hooks, ion flares, concentrated rations, water, spare comlink, spare breathing filters, emergency power cells,and extra ammo. A specialized survival kit is uncluded that contains anti-radiation pills, two extra detoxification hyposprays (in case a "hot" area is unexpectedly encountered), a radiation tent, water purifier and a radiation meter.
The primary weapon of a Radtrooper would be a Sorosuub Stormtrooper Two Carbine. Since most of the time Radtroopers work in enclosed areas such as bunkers and buildings the carbine is the better choice over the E-11 due to its higher rate of fire and shorter construction. Though in areas that are known to be over a level four a slugthrower is issued. It is a carbine that holds 100 explosive rounds that are powerful enough to blow through a stormtroopers armor. The weapon fires in a semi-auto and full auto fashion. Short controlled bursts are best to be used. A 40mm,pump action underslung grenade launcher is integrated into the body of the weapon. The grenade launcher holds 6 grenades before needing to be reloaded. A silencer may be added as can a scope,flashlight,laser sight,and a small flame unit.
One secondary weapon is the MerrSonn Munitions 434 DeathHammer blaster pistol. Ammo per power pack is slightly lower than the DL-44 but has the range and power of a full sized rifle. Its reliable underwater,in pure vacuum, and has 75% reliability is a level 4 zone.
Other weapons issued are 2 concussion grenades,a six inch vibroblade,a vibroknucklers,a forcepike,and often a 12-round slugthrower pistol with explosive rounds. Satchel charges and proton grenades are issued for demolition jobs. Flame throwers,heavy repeating blasters,flechette launchers,and missile launchers are issued depending on mission circumstances. Personal weaponry is allowed as long is it does not cause a large danger to others in the units. Such weapons would include thermal detonators.
Environment
When Radtroopers are called in its because the planet surface has a high radiation concentration that would be dangerous to more conventional units. Other reasons they would be deployed is if the Empire had flooded an enemy bunker with radiation to kill most if not all of the troops. Radtroopers are also used as ‘mop up’ crews after a nuclear assault. To fight in such conditions one must know about the environment.
Radiation Types
There are three major types of radiation that is dangerous to the human body. Gamma,Alpha and Beta radiation.
Gamma rays are emitted as a result of changes in the energy within the nucleus of the atom. This radiation is mainly emitted during radioactive decay. Gamma rays are also created during the annihilation of matter by antimatter. They can penetrate through standard stormtrooper armor and even AT-PT armor. They travel at the speed of light and only radiation absorbent material like those used Radtrooper armor can protect it.
Alpha rays are a particle ray consisting of two protons and two neutrons (namely, a nucleus of helium). Alpha rays are produced following spontaneous decay of certain radioactive atoms, such as radium, plutonium, uranium, and radon. Because of its large mass and positive charge, an alpha ray can usually pass only a short distance--less than 1 mm--in water. A single piece of paper can stop an alpha ray effectively. Therefore, health effects of alpha-ray exposures appear only when alpha-emitting materials are ingested (ie, internal exposure).
Beta rays are a particle ray consisting of a fast electron whose mass is nearly 1/2000 of the mass of a proton or neutron. Beta rays are produced following spontaneous decay of certain radioactive materials, such as tritium (an isotope of hydrogen), carbon-14, phosphorus-32, and strontium-90. Depending on its energy (ie, speed), a beta ray can traverse different distances in water--less than 1 mm for tritium to nearly 1 cm for phosphorus-32. As with alpha rays, the major concern for health effects is after their ingestion (ie, internal exposure).
How Radiation Affects Cells
Ionizing radiation is energy transmitted via X rays, gamma rays, beta particles (high-speed electrons), alpha particles (the nucleus of the helium atom), neutrons, protons, and other heavy ions such as the nuclei of argon, nitrogen, carbon, and other elements. X rays and gamma rays are electromagnetic waves like light, but their energy is much higher than that of light (their wavelengths are much shorter). Ultraviolet (UV) light is a radiation of intermediate energy that can damage cells (the well known sunburn), but UV light differs from the forms of electromagnetic radiation mentioned above in that it does not cause ionization (loss of an electron) in atoms or molecules, but rather excitation (change in energy level of an electron). The other forms of radiation--particles--are either negatively charged (electrons), positively charged (protons, alpha rays, and other heavy ions), or electrically neutral (neutrons).
As an example of ionization, beta rays are fast electrons that lose energy as they pass through cells and interact with molecules. The transferred energy is high enough to disrupt chemical bonds, which results in radical formation (or ionization). Ionization differs from the ion formation that occurs in ordinary chemical reactions. The process that takes place when salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is dissolved in water is a good example of an ordinary reaction. Sodium and chloride bind together because, separately, each atom is unstable. The sodium (Na) atom has only one electron in its outermost orbit, and loss of that electron makes it more stable. In contrast, the chloride (Cl) atom has seven electrons in its outermost orbit and gaining one electron to have a full complement of eight outer electrons makes it more stable. When the two atoms bind to form NaCl, sodium shares its single outer electron with chloride, and so, both are stable. In ordinary chemical reactions, such as the binding of Na to Cl, electrons that are lost or gained are always those on the outermost orbit. When NaCl is dissolved in water, the two atoms separate, with chloride keeping the extra outer electron; thus, the sodium has a net positive charge (hence Na+) and the chloride has a net negative charge (hence Cl-), but the net charge (balance between positive and negative) remains neutral. These charged atoms are called ions, and they are stable in water despite their electrical charges.
In contrast, when an electron passes through a cell, it releases its energy along its path (called a track) by interacting with the electrons of nearby molecules. The released energy is absorbed by atoms near the track, resulting in either excitation (a shift in the orbit of an electron to a higher energy level) or ionization (release of an electron from the atom). What differs from an ordinary chemical reaction is that when radiation donates energy to atoms or molecules, electrons other than those on the most outer orbit can be released, which makes the atoms very unstable. Such unstable atoms are called radicals and are chemically very reactive. Some radicals are so reactive that they exist only for as short a time as a microsecond.
X and gamma rays differ from beta particles in that they release high-speed electrons from atoms first. Positively charged particles transfer energy to molecules in cells by essentially the same mechanisms. Neutrons are somewhat different since they are electrically uncharged, and their main effect is to impact the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, namely protons. Since the masses of a neutron and a proton are similar, the impact results in an elastic scattering process like in billiards. The ejected protons behave as charged particles.
Radiation-induced ionizations may act directly on the cellular component molecules or indirectly on water molecules, causing water-derived radicals. Radicals react with nearby molecules in a very short time, resulting in breakage of chemical bonds or oxidation (addition of oxygen atoms) of the affected molecules. The major effect in cells is DNA breaks. Since DNA consists of a pair of complementary double strands, breaks of either a single strand or both strands can occur. However, the latter is believed to be much more important biologically. Most single-strand breaks can be repaired normally thanks to the double-stranded nature of the DNA molecule (the two strands complement each other, so that an intact strand can serve as a template for repair of its damaged, opposite strand). In the case of double-strand breaks, however, repair is more difficult and erroneous rejoining of broken ends may occur. These so-called misrepairs result in induction of mutations, chromosome aberrations, or cell death.
Radiation-induced ionizations may act directly on the cellular component molecules or indirectly on water molecules, causing water-derived radicals. Radicals react with nearby molecules in a very short time, resulting in breakage of chemical bonds or oxidation (addition of oxygen atoms) of the affected molecules. The major effect in cells is DNA breaks. Since DNA consists of a pair of complementary double strands, breaks of either a single strand or both strands can occur. However, the latter is believed to be much more important biologically. Most single-strand breaks can be repaired normally thanks to the double-stranded nature of the DNA molecule (the two strands complement each other, so that an intact strand can serve as a template for repair of its damaged, opposite strand). In the case of double-strand breaks, however, repair is more difficult and erroneous rejoining of broken ends may occur. These so-called misrepairs result in induction of mutations, chromosome aberrations, or cell death.
Radiations differ not only by their constituents (electrons, protons, neutrons, etc.) but also by their energy. Radiations that cause dense ionization along their track (such as neutrons) are called high-linear-energy-transfer (high-LET) radiation, a physical parameter to describe average energy released per unit length of the track. (See the accompanying figure.) Low-LET radiations produce ionizations only sparsely along their track and, hence, almost homogeneously within a cell. Radiation dose is the amount of energy per unit of biological material (e.g., number of ionizations per cell). Thus, high-LET radiations are more destructive to biological material than low-LET radiations--such as X and gamma rays--because at the same dose, the low-LET radiations induce the same number of radicals more sparsely within a cell, whereas the high-LET radiations--such as neutrons and alpha particles--transfer most of their energy to a small region of the cell. The localized DNA damage caused by dense ionizations from high-LET radiations is more difficult to repair than the diffuse DNA damage caused by the sparse ionizations from low-LET radiations.
Early Radiation Effects
Acute Radiation Syndrome
Symptoms observed within a few months following radiation exposure are collectively called acute radiation syndrome. Among syndrome symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, reduction in the number of blood cells, bleeding, epilation (hair loss), temporary sterility in males, and lens opacity (clouding) as well as others. Vomiting is observed within a few hours after radiation exposure, but its cause is unknown. Diarrhea occurs due to damage in the cells that maintain intestinal integrity. Reduction in the number of blood cells results from death of the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. Bleeding ensues because the blood platelets that coagulate the blood are generated from those hematopoietic stem cells and decline in number with the death of those cells. Hair is lost due to damage to hair-root cells. Hair does not fall out; rather, hairs become thinner and eventually break off. Temporary sterility occurs in men from damage to sperm-generating cells that results in a critical reduction in the number of sperm cells. Clouding in the lens of the eye is the result of damage in cells covering the anterior crystalline lens. These symptoms, with the exception of vomiting, are closely related to cell division because repeatedly dividing cells, eg, bone marrow and intestinal lining, are more sensitive to radiation than nondividing cells, eg, muscle and nerve. If the radiation dose is low, not all of these symptoms necessarily occur. Conversely, a person may die due to bone marrow disorder in one to two months after exposure if the radiation dose is high, or due to intestinal disorder in ten to twenty days after radiation exposure if the dose is extremely high.
The figure shows the relation between the proportion of people with severe epilation (loss of more than 2/3 of scalp hair) and estimated radiation dose. Although there is barely any increase up to 1 Gy, the proportion of people with severe epilation dramatically increases with doses above 1 Gy. The proportion appears to decrease above 5 Gy because many of this group have overestimated doses (few people exposed to more than 5 Gy would survive). Radiation dose is calculated considering the distance from the hypocenter, the structure of shielding buildings, and other information obtained through interviews and physical measurements. However, there is no way to overcome the uncertainties in people's memory about the conditions of their exposure.
Radiation Cataracts
The crystalline lens of the eye is like a camera lens. Radiation cataract causes partial opacity (cloudiness) in the crystalline lens. Symptoms are usually observed after several months of latency (two to three years on average) following radiation exposure. Unlike senile cataract (a similar condition common in old age), few radiation cataracts advance, and visual impairment is infrequent. One aspect of radiation cataract that sets it apart from radiation-related cancer is the possible existence of a "threshold," a certain low-dose value below which no effect is observed.
There is a transparent layer of epithelial cells on the interior frontal side of the capsule that covers the lens. This layer maintains the function of the lens by slowly growing toward the center, achieved through cell division at the periphery (called the equator) of the lens. Because radiation is especially harmful to dividing cells, exposed cells at the equator are most prone to damage. For unknown reasons, damaged cells move toward the rear of the lens before converging on the center. Such cells prevent light from traveling straight forward, resulting in opacity.
Long Term Effects
Long term radiation effects are rare due to the use of bacta immediately after a mission. However,we will discuss briefly a few of the effects for knowledge purposes. A nuclear bomb attack on Agamar allowed for these studies to take place.
Affects on the Immune System The immune system rejects alien substances, such as bacteria and parasites, that enter the body. Cells of the immune system are produced by repeated division of blood stem cells, and it is generally known that cells undergoing repeated division are sensitive to radiation. In those who were exposed to heavy A-bomb radiation, the blood stem cells lost the capacity to produce immune cells, including T and B lymphocytes. As a result, many exposed people died due to infectious and other diseases because their bodies could no longer kill intruding bacteria. However, several months after the bombings, the ability to produce all blood cells recovered and returned to a normal level in most people. Nevertheless, it is known that in the cells responsible for immunity in those persons estimated to have been exposed to one gray, the proportion of helper T lymphocytes, commander cells for eliminating alien substances, decreases by about 2%, while that of B cells, cells that produce antibodies that capture alien substances, is high. How such lymphocyte imbalance has occurred and how it affects health are being studied.
Since the ability to produce blood cells recovered, the proportion of those who were affected by, or died of, severe infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, has not increased with radiation dose. Furthermore, the incidence of autoimmune diseases--such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which immune cells mistake normal cells for alien substances and attack--has shown no relation to dose. However, recent reports of an increased incidence of autoimmune hypothyroidism indicate the need to study further such autoimmune diseases.
On the other hand, there are reports of a slight decrease with dose in immunity against viral infection. One such finding is in regard to immunity against Epstein-Barr virus, with which most Agamar people are infected but whose activity is kept subdued by immunity. This decrease, however, is not significant enough to cause disease. Another finding is in regard to the hepatitis B virus. The proportion of people who do not show symptoms of hepatitis but are carriers of this virus seems to increase with dose. (Infection with hepatitis B virus can lead to an elevated incidence of liver cancer.) It is suggested that long-term impairments of T-cell immunity to infections by microbes such as viruses and pathogenic bacteria may cause chronic inflammations that may lead to increased risks of atherosclerotic diseases. We have reported that the percentages of helper T cells are significantly decreased in A-bomb survivors who have a history of myocardial infarction.
In addition to rejecting alien substances that enter the body from outside, the immune system is thought to aid in removing cancer cells that arise in the body because of mutations. The increased incidence of cancer among bomb survivors might, therefore, be related in part to the decrease of immunocompetence. It is necessary to continue studies to clarify these issues.