BETA "Combat" Strains

Only soldiers and Pilots that have been officially commissioned are allowed to see the true forms of the BETA, which are classified at the highest level to anyone else. The reason for this is because many of the BETA forms bear a resemblance to humans or have humanoid features, the general populace may fear them to be an out-of-control biological weapon developed by a rogue nation rather than alien invaders.

BETA Strains

Warrior-class

Scientific Name: Agilisis: Naris prolix

Common name: "Barrus naris"

At 2.5 meters tall, 1.7 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, the Warrior-class is one of the smaller strains of BETA, having high detection capability in the anti-personnel role, but ineffective against TSFs. As they are extremely lightly armored, even handguns and rifles are effective on them. However, it is hard to actually hit them due to their agility, and once close, their single trunk-like arm has enough strength to easily pull a human's head off.

Soldier-Class

Scientific Name: Venarius: Caput grande

Common name: "Venator"

Ironically named "Soldier", this BETA stands at 2.3 meters tall, 1.2 meters long and 1.4 meters wide and is the smallest strain of BETA encountered on Earth. First spotted in 1995, the Soldier-class has little to no capability against mechanized units, and is solely anti-personnel; it has the highest personnel detection capability amongst all BETA, arm and jaw strength several times that of an average human's, and is able to maintain relative silence during movement, making it harder for anyone on foot to detect their approach unless from the front.

Their size and low defensive capabilities means they can be dispatched by guns, knives, swords, or other weaponry effective against regular humans. Despite their size and strength, an adrenaline infused punch from an average built 16 year old boy is enough to make their frontal face turn ninety degrees.

Since 1995, scientific experts have pointed out their external appearances and their date of appearance as evidence of being based on humans; it was later confirmed that they are made from recycled organic materials (i.e.- humans who were captured or eaten), but it is not specified if that applies to just this strain or to all BETA.

Tank-Class

Scientific Name: Manderium: Ungulam crus

Common name: "Equus pedis"

The Tank-class BETA is the third smallest strain, measuring at 2.8 meters tall, 4.4 meters long and 1.9 meters wide. Infantry weapons are effective against them, but while it is lightly armored and classified as an anti-infantry unit, the Tank-class has gained notoriety as the smallest physical anti-TSF unit the BETA have; their physical strength and jumping abilities are prodigious and their powerful jaws can bite through even metal, concrete, and even super-carbon. Paired with their capability to reach 80km/h even on uneven terrain, Tank-class BETA are able to easily catch and demolish vehicles and TSFs. Countless numbers of battle tank operators and TSF pilots have been lost to this strain.

The Tank-class rarely travels alone; encounters usually number in hundreds if not thousands, and more if they are part of a major BETA force, where they can constitute up to 40% of the entire swarm. They carry a distinctive smell of sulfur, and can quickly cover a short distance by jumping onto a target.

Despite their vulnerability to infantry-portable heavy weapons, their numbers make any attempt at infantry-based counters a far too risky. For battle tanks and TSFs, great care should be taken to minimize melee contact with the Tank-class, as they have a tendency to latch on until killed, by which time it is entirely possible for them to have consumed enough components from the vehicle to disable it.

Laser-Class

Scientific name: Luxcius: Duo oculus

Common name: "Lux"

At 3 meters tall, 1.2 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, the Laser-class BETA are some of the smaller anti-TSF units the BETA field, and are lightly armored enough that they can be easily taken down with heavy machine guns. Their giant eyes fire lasers that are effective against targets of up to 10 kilometers high and 30 kilometers from where the Laser-class stands.

With the capability to track targets from 38 kilometers away, 12 seconds in-between each shot, and a perfect record of never hitting allied BETA strains in a crossfire, the Laser-class played an instrumental role in shutting down mankind's air superiority on the field of battle, and continues to be a deadly anti-air force to this day.

Due to the G-Elements required in their production, Laser-class are not normally produced by smaller Hives. Their deployment at Kashgar in the early stages of the BETA War was an emergency measure. Although best known for their adaption to be used against human aerial units, they are primarily used to break down rock and materials.

Heavy Laser-Class

Scientific name: Magnus Luxcius: Unioculus

Common name: "Magnus Lux"

Towering over the Laser-class at (excluding the cooling fins) 21 meters tall, 15 meters long and 11 meters wide, the Heavy Laser-class is a larger strain with firepower to match. Their large size affords them some protection against 36mm cannon fire, necessitating the use of 120mm cannons; even then, a quick kill is only possible with a direct attack on its laser-emitting "eye" when it is not closed; its only physical weakness. Their giant eyes fire lasers and are effective against targets of up to a mere 500 meters high, and a spectacular range of over 100 kilometers with 36 seconds in-between shots. Like the Laser-class, the Heavy Laser-class shares the distinctions of never hitting allies in the crossfire, and requiring some time for its laser to reach maximum output.

As the Heavy Laser-class is G-Element intensive, it is not suitable for mass production like other BETA of similar size. However, their firepower is of several orders of magnitude higher than that of the Laser-class, and cases have been documented in Operation Ouka where HSSTs were shot down by Heavy-Laser class BETA from more than 26 000 kilometers away, during atmospheric re-entry.

Grappler-Class

Scientific Name: Rrabidusius: Bracchium acutas

Common name: "Medium"

The Grappler-class measures 12 meters tall, 19 meters long and 28 meters wide, is armed with two extremely tough forearms, with hardness 15 on the Mohs scale, which they use to batter enemies to death, and can also act as shields against poorly aimed weapons fire from the front. While not particularly fast, the Grappler-class is considerably mobile and nimble in combat, and is capable of turning to face a different direction quickly, with anything within a diameter of 39 meters of its position falling within attack range from its claws. Because of this, it is recommended that pilots attack from the sides or rear to minimize exposure to danger, or to take advantage of its relatively unarmored body with precise shots and good tactical judgment.

It is the main BETA unit in battles against mechanized infantry and TSFs; in any BETA group, the Grappler-class usually numbers 60% of the total force. Despite its looks, the head-like appendage on its body is only a sensory organ; it is key to take this into account when engaging the Grappler-class, as just destroying the appendage will not kill it.

Destroyer-Class

Scientific Name: Impestusis: Arma duras

Common name: "Ruitare"

At 16 meters tall, 18 meters long and 17 meters wide, the Destroyer-class is the second main strain used by the BETA against humanity's mechanized forces. They have extremely tough frontal armor in the form of a partial body carapace, with hardness 15 on the Mohs scale in front. Underneath that covering are two small heads.

Due to that front carapace, their survivability against frontal attacks are extremely high. In addition, their armor boasts a regeneration ability described as "phenomenal"; while not instantaneous, this means that a Destroyer-class left alive will someday return to the field again. The patterns on its shell are scars caused by tissue regeneration; a new Destroyer-class typically has an unblemished green front.

Their main mode of attack is to ram into enemies at high speed, a tactic made possible by their tough frontal armor and their capability to reach and sustain speeds of up to 170km/h across open ground. However, they have poor turning capability and their unarmored rear is comparatively weak, giving pilots who manage to maneuver out of the way an easy kill; even 36mm cannons work if the Destroyer-class is shot at from behind. Their anti-personnel detection ability is the lowest of all BETA strains, making it possible to effectively deploy man-portable heavy ordinance against them.

Fort-Class

Scientific Name: Pergrandium: tria corpus

Common name: "Gravis"

Towering above most things on the battlefield, the Fort-class, at 66 meters tall, 52 meters long and 37 meters wide, is the largest of the seven main strains; because of their large size, a TSF would require 120mm cannons or close-combat weapons to cut these behemoths down to size, with great care given to specifically target the sections in-between the three main segments of its body for maximum stopping power. Otherwise, the next option would be land artillery, or battleship cannons. It can attack with its ten legs, and those hits are extremely powerful; easily stabbing or bashing through a TSF with one hit.

Each Fort-class also has a 50-meter long tentacle attached to its rear end, with a Mohs 15 stinger on the end which secretes an extremely strong acid; the stinger, which has been known to destroy naval warships in shallow-water combat, can be, if given the opportunity, launched as a projectile for a short distance or even swung around with a fairly high degree of control - a Fort-class is capable of accurately attacking targets to the side or even behind itself without hitting its own legs or body segments. They can also store several smaller BETA of varying strains inside them.