SOFT 676 is a Special Operations Fire Team organized and fielded by Star Army Command as a quick reaction force. The team is based on planet Yamatai in Kyoto's Military District at the Star Army Headquarters Spire. The unit is played as a collective of characters by raz.
This team is nicknamed “Special Operations Fire Team Usagi,” matching Star Army Intelligence fire team nomenclature, due to its close work alongside intelligence units.
Star Army Command QRF — 676th SOFT was first formed in YE 37 following the Star Army's adoption of of SOFT doctrine. It was one of the first permanent units designated as a SOFT. Made up of veteran Star Army Infantry soldiers from the fleets and Rikugun, SOFT 676 is led by Jôtô Heisho Eikan Taeko, a former Legion XII soldier who notably served with distinction during the Star Army's reconquest1) of HX-13.
In YE 38, SOFT 676 was deployed to arrest a suspected Mishhuvurthyar sleeper agent at Black Sands Test Range after SAINT operatives retrieved a prisoner of war whose name matched a serving soldier.2) Their attempt caused the suspected soldier, who was a test pilot at Black Sands, to steal a prototype Mindy 4. Taeko-heisho and Jôtô Hei Fuji Izuko were the responding soldiers and gave chase in power armor, eventually being joined by the SAINT Special Deployment Force squad called Deployment Tanuki. The turncoat was eventually subdued by Taeko and the stolen prototype was retrieved. Taeko lost her right arm in the fighting, and had it restored soon afterward.
| Quote from [YE38: Astral Reverie] The Terror |
|---|
| Though she had the same specs as many of her Neko sisters, Taeko looked 10 feet tall in her mirrored sunglasses and cornflower blue Type 22 bodysuit. Her normally brilliant teal hair looked flat, sapped of any reflective luster under the humid cloud cover and foreboding terrain that not even the fortified Yamataian architecture did much to break up. Another Neko, Fuji Izuko, who wore a straight blonde hime cut that juxtaposed Taeko's A-Line well, hopped off of the gunship and hustled behind her heisho. Both operators wore what looked like Nataria Green Type 37A jackets cropped just under the chest. Other than the subdued Hinomaru worn on their right arm, each jacket was emblazoned with an oversize unit patch on its back. The words “Star Army Command QRF — 676th SOFT” bracketed a stylized Mindy with rabbit ears who sped to make planetfall from over a Yamatai-like planet. Nekovalkyrja service pistols were secured on each soldier's thigh and they both carried Type 30 Plasma Scatter Guns close to the chest. |
SOFT 676 continued to perform its duties during the Kuvexian War and saw action at the Third Battle Of Nataria, where it was credited with the neutralization of an enemy battleship's main cannon. Throughout the war, the unit responded to Kuvexian encroachments across the Kikyo Sector.
After the YE 43 establishment of Star Army Special Operations, SOFT 676 remained directly in service with Star Army Command under its legacy organizational structure. It is neither registered with SASO nor receives directives from the organization.
The operations team works in the field to complete the objective.
| Role | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Team Leader | Jôtô Heisho | Eikan Taeko |
| Heavy Weapons | Jôtô Hei | Fuji Izuko |
| Combat Engineer | Jôtô Hei | “Tamiya” |
| Scout | Jôtô Hei | “Fujimi” |
| Medic | Jôtô Hei | “Hasegawa” |
The support team organizes missions and provides support for the operations team. While SOFT 676 does have a permanent support team assigned to administer its logistics, as a quick reaction force the unit often works under the direct tactical command of whichever unit requested Star Army Command's intervention.
SOFT 676 currently keeps their most of their gear at a secret hangar in Kyoto.
