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==Plot synopsis==
The story is initially set on the planet Nu-Earth, where a war of attrition between two factions, the [['''Norts]]''' and [['''Southers]]''', is being fought. The Norts are a fascist society, whom the Traitor General was briefly allied with, while the Southers are democratic.
There are similarities and occasional references to past Earth conflicts including the American Civil War and both World Wars, with the Norts resembling Germany, and the Southers the Allied forces. During the conflict, the use of chemical and biological weapons have poisoned the planet's atmosphere and oceans. As a result, what remains of the population of the planet, including the troops of both sides, live in enclosed domed military bases and habitats. They wear protective suits, helmets and respiration gear when outside their domes. These suits are known as "[[chemsuit]]s". Any damage to the helmet or chemsuit is usually fatal to the wearer.
In an attempt to bring an end to the stalemate, the Southern High Command have created the GI, or "Genetic Infantryman". The GI is a soldier genetically engineered to be immune to the poisonous atmosphere of Nu-Earth, and therefore be able to fight without chemsuits. The Southern High Command deploy the entire GI Regiment in a mass spaceborne capsule drop over an area known as "The Quartz Zone", which resembles one of the Earth's Poles because the surface has an icy, glacier-like nature. The assault was intended to be a surprise attack, but because a traitor within the Southern High Command has passed details of it to the Norts, they are expecting the attack. The Norts employ elite infantry known as the Kashan and Kashar Legions to repulse the assault, and the entire GI Regiment - apart from Rogue - is wiped out. This event is referred to as "The Quartz Zone Massacre". Rogue, the only surviving G.I., goes [[AWOL]] in order to track down the traitor. Along the way he thwarts numerous Nort schemes, discovers and inadvertently destroys the only portion of Nu-Earth not contaminated by chemical weapons, and is betrayed by every female character he encounters.
The Biochips are infected by a latent malady unknowingly contracted whilst passing through the Neverglades area of Nu Earth. The unnamed condition renders them susceptible to "Enzyme E disfunction", which causes their newly re-gened bodies to disintegrate, leaving only their bio-chips.
==Norts==
[[File:Nort insignia.svg|right|thumb|218px|Nort insignia]]
{{redirect|Nort|"zero, nothing"|nought}}
'''Norts''' are a [[fiction]]al [[fascist]] enemy with [[Slavs|Slavic]] and [[Germany|German]]-like overtones. They are fighting the [[Southers]]. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz [[Wiktionary:massacre|Massacre]]. The [[#Well-known Southers|Traitor General]] was briefly allied with them.
===History===
In a war which broke out on Earth, it is presumed that Germany and Russia formed a large empire stretching from Asia to Central Europe and ended the war by entering into an unstable alliance with the Southers. The ruling political party of the Norts, the Nordland Party, urged their armies to colonize the various planets deep in Souther space, including Nu-Earth. The early Nort colonists lived in the desert and tamed its wild animals. Years later, when it was discovered that the black hole near the planet led to other parts of the Galaxy, the Norts declared war and launched a preemptive attack on Fort Neuropa, starting the "Nu-Earth Future war". By the time of Rogue Trooper, the atmosphere of Nu-Earth is heavily poisoned by war gases and cannot be breathed except by the Rogue Trooper; all others in the open must wear [[chemsuit]]s.
In the separate 'Friday' continuity, the Norts started off as a [[Joint stock company|trading company]] and rival to its sister company, the [[Southers]] (both owned by the Clavel Corporation, a [[megacorporation]]). When their [[parent company]] started a [[war]] between [[Human]]ity in an effort to avoid stagnation, they pitted the two corporations against one another. After several years (during which time, they started the [[Eugenics]] Project), they recalled all high-ranking officers back to their corporate [[headquarters|HQ]]. The sole surviving member of the program, [[Friday (2000 AD)|Friday]], sneaked on board a [[rocket]] bound for their corporate HQ and successfully assassinated Mr. Clavel, the founder and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of Clavel Corporation and destroying the company [[Artificial intelligence|AI]], Highside. In the process, he re-ignited the war between the two trading companies.
==== Realpolitik storyline ====
In the "Realpolitik" storyline, War Marshal Zell travels to Nu-Earth after hearing of his son's death. He releases Kapitan Arkhan from [[prison]] with the intention of capturing and killing his son's killer, the Rogue Trooper. When Arkhan fails the mission, Zell orders Nu-Earth to be captured and sends all available [[troop]]s there. Eventually, Zell's [[En cadre|Inner Circle]] begin to [[treason|plot against him]], believing he has gone [[Insanity|mad]] due to his son's death. They capture Rogue Trooper and order him to [[Assassination|assassinate]] Zell. Arkhan discovers the plot and [[Capital punishment|execute]]s the chief plotters. Meanwhile, Rogue's contact in the base (who is a [[Double agent]]) betrays him, resulting in her death. Arkhan then contacts Rogue and orders him to continue the mission. After Rogue successfully finishes the mission, he is captured, but is soon released by Arkhan after Arkhan is [[Promotion (rank)|promoted]] to War Marshal. Before the newly promoted marshal leaves Nu-Earth, he orders the remnants of the plotters to be executed.
==Southers==
{{redirect|Southers||Souther (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Souther insignia.svg|right|thumb|218px|Souther insignia]]
'''Southers''' are the "good guys" fighting the [[Norts]] in Rogue Trooper. Their [[country]] is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex. It was Souther army scientists who developed the G.I.s in an attempt to produce a soldier more suited to the toxic conditions on Nu-Earth.
===History===
After an unnamed war ended on Earth, the remnants of America and Britain quickly took control of the Americas, Western Europe and parts of Africa to create a new country and proceeded to promote peace and stability on Earth. They then proceeded to colonise other planets, forming the "Souther Confederacy" and when Nu-Earth was discovered, they built Fort Neuropa as a base of operations. When it was discovered that the black hole near the planet led to other parts of the Galaxy, tensions mounted between both sides. Eventually, the Norts attacked Fort Neuropa so the Southers were forced to retaliate. By the time of Rogue Trooper, Souther Gene-Scientists had created the G.I. Project in a desperate struggle to win the Nu-Earth Future War.
In the separate 'Friday' continuity, the Southers started off as a [[Joint stock company|trading company]] and rival to its sister company, the [[Norts]] (both owned by the '''Clavel Corporation''', a [[megacorporation|Mega Corp]]). When their [[parent company]] started a [[war]] between [[Human]]ity in an effort to avoid stagnation, they pitted the two corporations against one another. After several years (during which time, they started the '''[[Eugenics]] Project'''), they recalled all high-ranking officers back to their corporate [[headquarters|HQ]]. When the sole surviving member of their eugenics program, [[Friday (2000 AD)|Friday]], sneaked on board a [[rocket]] bound for their corporate HQ and successfully assassinated '''Mr. Clavel''', the founder and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of Clavel Corporation and destroying the company [[Artificial intelligence|AI]], '''Highside''', in the process, he re-ignited the war between the two trading companies.
====Fort Neuropa====
Fort Neuropa was a Souther [[Fortification|fort]] in the "Fort Neuro" story in the Rogue Trooper stories. Completely isolated since the beginning of the war, its garrison developed bizarre customs (as a result of watching old [[History|historical]] [[film|movie]]s and neglecting their [[Robot|Robe]]-Runners) resulting in its inhabitants aping the manners and clothes of various European nations and groups from [[Century|centuries]] earlier.
When Rogue Trooper arrived at "Fort Neuropa", he discovered that everyone was suffering "[[Siege]] Mentality". After losing Bagman, Helm and Gunnar to the "Fort Neuropans", he discovered a plot by the Norts to capture the fort by playing on these neuroses. After foiling an [[assassination]] attempt on his life, he recruited the Robe-Runners to help him foil the [[invasion]]. Afterwards the neuroses cleared and the garrison were all back to being ordinary Southers.
Rogue had to rescue each sector of the fort separately:
* Frank sector: Here the garrison had developed a Napoleonic-period French mentality and were trying to talk in [[French language|French]] (spelt phonetically, e.g. "Kee valla?" for "''Qui va là?''" = "Who goes there?"). A [[Nort]] had played on this by impersonating [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]]. Rogue, with help from the Robe-Runners stopped this invasion while Gunnar killed the fake [[emperor]].
* Lim-Ee sector (Camp Reveille): Here the garrison had developed a [[holiday camp]] format. Their self-styled [[elite]], who had taken on a personality similar to stereotypical [[fox hunting|English hunt parties]], quickly wiped out the [[Norts]].
* Rom Sector: Here the garrison had developed a [[disco]] format hence "Rom" meant [[Romeo]]. Norts were using [[Norts#Military|Dreamweavers]] and their own women.
* Scan Sector: Here "Scan" stood for "[[Scandinavia]]n". The Scan sector was predominantly garrisoned by women, mostly falling into the [[Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell|blonde bombshell]] stereotype. As a result, they had close links with the Rom sector, and the two garrisons defended their sectors together.
[[Admiral]] [[Norts#Well-known Norts|Torpitz]] then used his [[Norts#Military|Scum Legions]] to attack all four sectors at once, bringing in their "Amoks". All the sectors attacked the Nort forces destroying all the Amoks and killing the majority of the Norts which resulted in the rest of the Norts surrendering. During the battle, the resulting explosions and force-fields make a break in the chem-clouds which resulted in sunlight reaching the ground and as a result, the garrison lose their format obsessions. Before Rogue leaves, the Fort Neuropans reward the [[robot|Robe]]-Runners with a new redesign and vow to protect Fort Neuropa from the Norts.
As a result, the [[Nort]] commander in charge, [[Norts#Well-known Norts|General Vagner]] went insane from the shock of defeat.
=====Realpolitik=====
Shortly afterwards, Fort Neuropa was destroyed. Its remnants reverted to the [[World War II]] era with the leaders modelling themselves after [[Winston Churchill]], [[Joseph Stalin|Josef Stalin]], and [[Harry S. Truman]].
==Historical influences==
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