Redguns

Emblem

The Redguns (レッドガン) are a Balam Industries combat unit operating in the planet Rubicon 3 during the Coral War. Consisting of such forces as a stable of ACs and dozens of MTs, they are a significant presence as the military arm of one of the planet's largest factions.

They are commanded by Michigan, their "G1" and a hero of the Jupiter War. Under his belligerent leadership, the Redguns have developed a boisterous and gung-ho internal culture that has led to mixed results.

History

Sometime around the Coral War, the Redguns pressured Balam and its subsidiary Dafeng Core Industry into creating AC parts per their specifications, namely the LG-033M VERRILL and DF-GA-09 SHAO-WEI, respectively. In the case of the former, Balam's design division is stated to have been "all but held at gunpoint" to comply.

G7 Hakra's AC wreck is in the Southern Belius area during the independent mercenary C4-621's search for a license to operate in Rubicon 3. Hakra's license is deemed unusable so 621 instead ends up with a license with the callsign "Raven."

Later on, Michigan, G4 Volta, and G5 Iguazu are joined by 621 — now known as "Raven" and tagged "G13" for the mission — in assaulting the Rubicon Liberation Front-controlled Gallia Dam Complex. Iguazu is disdainful of Raven's presence, and following the operation's success, sends Raven a disparaging email that boasts that the "real" Redguns would ultimately be the ones to overtake The Wall, a formidable RLF stronghold.

Shortly before the Arquebus Corporation's Operation Wallclimber — their planned invasion of the Wall — Balam's own aforementioned attempt failed; among their casualties was Volta, whose AC wreck remained in the city surrounding the Wall by the time Operation Wallclimber is enacted. Before his death, Volta himself was writing a message encouraging Iguazu to return to the Redguns after Iguazu deserted due to Michigan.

Following the Planetary Closure Administration's crackdown on Rubicon 3, Arquebus and Balam form a truce to repel them. Consequently, the Redguns see action against PCA forces, such as their participation in the corporate joint operation against the PCA's ICE WORM in which Michigan and Iguazu are Balam's contribution to the strike force that ultimately defeats it.

The Redguns' involvement in the Coral War ends during the expedition to Watchpoint Alpha. Skirmishes with the Watchpoint's defenses and Arquebus forces whittle their numbers and convince many to desert. Ultimately, an MT battalion led by Michigan himself onboard his AC are defeated by Arquebus at Depth 1 of the Watchpoint, which marks the end of not just the Redguns but also Balam's direct involvement with Rubicon 3.

Members

AC pilots

Their callsign pattern is the prefix "G" (pronounced as "Gun") attached to an Arabic numeral denoting their rank; G1 is the highest.

• G1 Michigan (commander)
• G2 Nile (deputy commander)
• G3 Wu Huahai
• G4 Volta
• G5 Iguazu
• G6 Red (liaison officer)
• G7 Hakra
• G13 Raven (honorary)

MT pilots

• Albany
• Kennebec
• Osawa
• Potomac

Gameplay

In ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON, they are friendly NPCs for the mission "Attack the Dam Complex;" Michigan is mission control while Iguazu and Volta are allied ACs. In a new game, the player assists the Redguns and Michigan will reward Raven the honorary callsign G13 for their performance. On New Game+, the player is offered a chance to switch sides mid-mission, thereby changing the victory condition to the elimination of the two Redguns. Selecting this option voids the Balam contract and instead earns the favor of the RLF.

Later on in "Operation Wallclimber," Volta's AC wreck is shown in the mission briefing and can be found in the level proper for a Combat Log.

Chapter 4 is the last of their appearances. If the player chooses the mission "Intercept the Redguns," then the goal is singlehandly eliminating dozens of Balam MTs and Michigan on his AC within an enclosed arena; whereas if the player skips this mission, a debriefing will reveal that V.IV Rusty defeated them off-screen.

Several of the Redguns' AC pilots can also be fought in the Arena.

Gallery

Data Log, License Code: G7 Hakra

Data Log, Image Data: STV Sketch (3)

Armored Cores

AC Data icon for AC LIGER TAIL piloted by G1 Michigan

AC Data icon for AC DEEP DOWN piloted by G2 Nile

AC Data icon for AC LI LONG piloted by G3 Wu Huahai

AC Data icon for AC CANNON HEAD piloted by G4 Volta

AC Data icon for AC HEAD BRINGER piloted by G5 Iguazu

AC Data icon for AC HERMIT piloted by G6 Red

AC Data icon for AC TENDERFOOT pilotable by G13 Raven

Emblems

G1 Michigan

G2 Nile

G3 Wu Huahai

G4 Volta

G5 Iguazu

G6 Red

Trivia

• "High Pressure" is their theme music.
• All members of the Redguns are named after various Rivers and Lakes around the world.
  • G1 Michigan is named after the great Lake Michigan in the north-east United States.
  • G2 Nile is named after the Nile River in Egypt.
  • G3 Wu Huahai is named after the Five Flower Lake (五花海, Wǔhuā Hǎi) in the Jiuzhaigou natural reserve.
  • G4 Volta is named after the Volta river in Ghana.
  • G5 Iguazu is named after the Iguazu river and Iguazu falls, which run through Brazil and Argentina.
  • G6 Red is named after the Red River of the South in Texas, USA.
  • G7 Hakra is named after the Ghaggar-Hakra River, which runs through India and Pakistan.
  • While 621's callsign Raven is a general nod to Armored Core tradition, the callsign also fits within the Redguns pattern due to the existence of Raven River in Canada.
  • The name of 621's G13 AC, Tenderfoot, is also a reference to either Tenderfoot Creek in Montana, or Tenderfoot Lake in Wisconsin.
• All of the Balam MT pilots Michigan identifies in the mission Intercept the Redguns are also named after various rivers and lakes.
  • The Albany River in northern Ontario, Canada.
  • The Kennebec River in Maine, USA.
  • The Osawa Pond in Kyoto, Japan.
  • The Potomac River in West Virigina, USA.
• All members of the Redguns follow the same format for their emblems: a stylized animal in the foreground and the Redguns' logo in the background. Some of them also paint their ACs with a distinct red patch that is exclusive to their loadouts and cannot be edited by the player, even with the edit lock removal exploit.
  • G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu both use beetles in their emblems, a visual indication of their friendship.
• G5 Iguazu is the only member of the Redguns who is specified to be an Augmented Human.

Speculation

The following information is "gray area" content — it may not be completely factual, and/or falls under YMMV territory.

• It is speculated that the G13 callsign was going to be awarded to the Dafeng Student Pilot once he delivered the Tester AC to the Redguns. The student's elimination by 621 seemingly kept the position open for the latter when they are hired for the mission Attack the Dam Complex.
• The existence of the G13 callsign implies that the Redguns include at least five other members (G8, G9, G10, G11, and G12), but there is no mention of any such members in the game.