The Night Warriors

The Night Warriors were a massive Resistance Faction that operated in Brazil and South America. They were destroyed in the Battle of the Blasted Valley in 2034 when the Atlas Defense Force fired poison gas and radioactive 'dirty bomb' payloads into their base in the now infamous Blasted Valley in the Andes.

History
The Night Warriors were formed in the early 2020s in response to the Atlas crackdown in South America over "gang violence." The Night Warriors took it upon themselves to protect the innocent people in the crowded cities of Brazil and later South America as a whole. Under the leadership of General Lucas Casali, known to Atlas only as the Night Raider, the Night Warriors orchestrated a barrage of lightning raids on Atlas Prison Camps and pillaged a series of Atlasian High-Security Warehouses.

Buenos Aires Attack
In July 2033, the Night Warriors made the most ambitious attack on Atlas soil since the Valentine's Day Disaster. The AT1 High Security Storage Facility contained some of Atlas' most powerful experiemental technologies, and on that fateful night on the 4th of July, the Night Warriors made their move. Dr Henry Baine and Mr Alberto Rivera, the two minds behind Atlas industry powerhouse TitanCorp were at the warehouse at the time. The Night Warriors fell upon the unprepared guards, obliterating the so-called 'High Security' defenses and getting their hands on Atlas' best weaponry.

''Dr Baine took shelter in the supply closet. He could hear shouts and gunfire from the other side of the door, as he lay in the dark trembling. He heard Alberto scream at the guards to run, and then he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. The unmistakable electric scream of his PL-1 Plasma Rifle prototype.''

''The Atlas Security Force arrived shortly after to find Dr Baine huddled in the supply closet. They couldn't find anyone else in the facility, but Dr Baine shakingly pointed at the blackened silhouettes on the wall and they understood.''

The Hunt
With the theft of the PL-1 Rifles, the Night Warriors immediately shot to Atlas' number one priority target. General Eric Connelly was bought on board alongside recently promoted Major Michael Crow of the Atlas Security Force. The two combined forces to track the Night Warriors, tracing their every attack as the Night Warriors continued their unyielding campaign of liberation and destruction. As each Atlas outpost fell and as each patrol was obliterated, Major Crow was taking notes, triangulating the Night Warrior's point of origin until he had an answer.

The Battle of the Blasted Valley
The Atlas Task Force of Crow and Connelly tracked the Night Warriors to a beautiful valley in the Andes. With no warning, they began their brutal assault by deploying several Battalions of Atlas Defense Force soldiers and Crow's Elite Force- the Iron Guard, a brutal force comprised of Elite Security Forces and seven of the legendary Iron Knights.

The Night Warriors knew they stood no chance even as the first wave attacked. Their base, known as the Dusk Reach, was brilliantly prepared for a full invasion and yet the force Atlas had procured shattered all belief. And yet, as enemy stood at the gates, the mythical figure of Lucas Casali stood calm and composed. ''"If we're going down, we're going down fighting." ''

As the Iron Guard breached the first barrier around the subterrainean fortress of Dusk Reach, the Night Warriors sprung into action for one last stand. As the Iron Knights breached tthe first gate into their above-ground compound, they were met by a barrage of plasma fire. The Iron Knights took cover quickly, but the fire cut down their full human companions. As the Iron Knights revised their strategy, they were met by a further barrage of explosives and made the decision to retreat and shell the area. Upon the retreat of the Knights, the Night Warriors retreated underground and began arming the tripwires and traps they had waiting.

When the Atlas Defense Force made their initial attack with General Connelly leading from the front, they were beset upon from all sides by vicious traps. The Night Warriors had nothing left to lose, and they fought like cornered beasts. Wave upon wave of Atlas Defense Force soldiers fell as General Connelly pushed further into the base alongside the Iron Knights. However, the group was tired and wounded, and General Connelly for all his might was burnt and exhausted by the barrage of superheated plasma bolts. Major Crow then made the suggestion that earned him his promotion to Colonel. He proposed that Connelly and the Knights evacuate and then shell the underground base with dirty bombs and poison gas. "'These bastards want to take as many of us down with them as they can. Let's not give them the satisfaction.' - Michael Crow, 2034."Connelly and the Knights turned to leave, their assault over and the day essentially won. Between them and the elevator out stood the Night Raider. One of the Iron Knights with Connelly that day was IK-214, known as "Bolts" to his comrades, drew a Power Sword and engaged Casali. Casali himself was wearing prototype Power Armour taken in their raid, and he too carried a Power Sword. As Connelly and the six remaining Iron Knights escaped the Dusk Reach, Connelly gave Crow permission to open fire. In the depths of the Night Warriors base, as Nerve Gas seeped through the corridors and Gamma Radiation ionized the very air, Bolts and the Night Raider fought a colossal battle to their last breath.

Aftermath
In the wake of the colossal battle, the valley was named the Blasted Valley due to the toll of the battle on the surrounding area. The Elite Forces of the Atlas Security Force were all but wiped out to the last soldier, with 350 Security Force Officers listed as KIA. For the Atlas Defense Force, the numbers were even worse. Out of the 1500 soldiers that pushed into the Dusk Reach, only 127 made it out. The rest were presumed KIA by either trap or through Crow's thorough extermination of the Night Warriors. The Night Warriors themselves were presumed utterly eradicated. Whilst Connelly and Crow both noted that there could be stragglers that were away from the Dusk Reach when it was eradicated, Connelly could confirm that Casali himself had been in the base fighting Iron Knight 214 "Bolts" when the bombs fell.

In the next few months after the Battle of the Blasted Valley, the Atlas Intelligence Agency attempted to send a recon team into the ruins of Dusk Reach to recover the stolen technology. However, after suffering several dozen casualties to Night Warrior traps that remained active, they abandoned the pursuit. At the end of the day, the last stand of the Night Warriors could be considered a Pyrrhic Victory. Despite Atlas' efforts, the stolen technology still remains buried deep within the irradiated husk of Dusk Reach. A technology that can wound a man like Connelly.

Legacy
The fall of the Night Warriors was humbling for both Atlas and the Resistance alike. The Resistance mourned the loss of one of their greatest legends, and Atlas ruminated on the sheer power and resolve of the Night Warriors. To this day, General Connelly still remembers them as the greatest threat to the Atlas Coalition since the African War. In the wake of the Night Warriors' defeat, several Resistance Groups sprung up in their wake that some believe are formed from remnants of the Night Warriors. A major one is the legendary group known as The Sphinx which is believed to contain genuine Night Warrior survivors from the fateful battle itself.