Cryo Legionnaire

"When we say freeze, we mean it!"

- The Cryo Legionaire creed

The Cryo Legionnaire is an infantry unit deployed by the Allies in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising. They are armed with cryo-ray freeze weapons which freezes and immobilizes enemies cold.

Background
"Sliding Over"

- Cryo Legionnaire, Ordered to Move

Although the Allied Nations' decision to deploy its peacekeeper divisions to the front lines of their conflicts against both the Soviet Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun raised eyebrows at the time, in retrospect this was inarguably one of the bold, calculated risks that helped ensure the Allies' victory in the war. The Peacekeepers proved resilient and disciplined as their enemies recklessly attacked, and the peacekeepers—true to their name—ensured the relative safety of civilian populations as conflict raged on. As a result, the Allies became relatively popular among war-torn nations seeking relief. In spite of all this, peacekeepers were ill-equipped to deal with the worst of what the Union and the Empire had to offer, though many of those brave men lost their lives trying anyway. So when the Allies partnered with Amsterdam-based defense contractor FutureTech Corporation to launch the Legionnaire Initiative, in one sense, no one was surprised. The surprise came only once the Allies' Cryo Legionnaires were finally unveiled in all their cold blue glory.

Years before they get fitted for their custom-tailored X-1 Instinct armored suits, the men called Cryo Legionnaires undergo an extremely intense training program designed to simulate the harshest weather conditions Allied forces ever experienced fighting in the Soviet Union. Though prospective Cryo Legionnaires represent the top one percent of fittest, strongest men from across Europe and the United States, of these, only two percent of these applicants successfully complete FutureTech's classified training program. Those ultimately taken into the ranks of the Cryo Legionnaires must demonstrate not just the peak of physical fitness and dexterity, but also a specific psychological profile that FutureTech claims is optimally suited to the rigors that these men will face defending the Allies' and all the world's freedoms. And although most aspects of the Legionnaire Initiative are well-protected military secrets, initial reports of the Legionnaires' stunning battlefield victories and single-digit casualty rates seem very promising indeed.

Part of the appeal of the Legionnaire Initiative is in the nonviolent nature of its approach to conflict resolution. Cryo Legionnaires eschew any conventional weapons in favor of a semi-portable "cryo-cannon," whose technology was co-opted from FutureTech's own Cryocopter design. This device quickly absorbs 99 percent of all heat in a fixed, conical area out in front, essentially causing everything in the vicinity to quickly freeze over. The effect is so rapid that living creatures go into a fugue state, such that their frozen bodies can be detained, collected, and later revived in time for a speedy and fair war-trial.

Understandably, the enemies of the Cryo Legionnaires often refuse to go quietly, and for this reason, their armored suits can withstand explosive and concussive blasts better than any personal defense systems ever developed—including, FutureTech spokespeople point out, the Soviet Union's notoriously resilient Tesla suits. In addition to this, the X-1 Impulse (sic) armor effectively heightens the wearer's reflexes, paradoxically allowing him to move much faster than an unburdened man ever could. At the same time, back-mounted airbooster not only absorbs and dissipates heat, but is used for short-range flight and various tactical maneuvers. FutureTech has firmly denied allegations surrounding a controversial incident in which a frozen Soviet combatant was shattered to pieces when struck by a Cryo Legionnaire's heel coming down from a boost-jump, citing that battlefield conditions are naturally unpredictable and that Cryo Legionnaires are already responsible for many thousands of lives saved. Whatever the case, the widely-reported incident proves that all eyes are on the Legionnaire Initiative, which FutureTech promises will be the future of law enforcement.

During the Uprising, it became apparent to Soviet Resistance fighters that Cryo Legionnaires' 'psychological profiles' were largely selected to suit Futuretech's needs, not the interests of the general population; Cryo Legionnaires were witnessed willingly testing their weaponry on captured civilians for research purposes. These activities were conducted at remote, privately controlled FutureTech bases where the majority of the Allied population would not be aware of it.

Notes from the Field
"Set to freeze!"

- Cryo Legionnaire, Ordered to Attack


 * The cryo cannon -- Cryo Legionnaires can stop entire enemy squads dead in their tracks using their cryo cannons, which quickly freeze surface targets, including unprotected infantry all the way up to entire facilities or armor divisions. Frozen subjects are rendered immobile, and extremely delicate. Armor are much more difficult to freeze and aircraft, in this position, is out of range.


 * Surprisingly amphibious -- They may look like they'd sink like a rock, yet Cryo Legionnaires are quite literally capable of skating across watery surfaces. By flash-freezing the water under their feet (thanks to FutureTech's innovative Tundralest leggings), Cryo Legionnaires are always on solid footing even at sea.


 * The boost-kick -- The heat stored in the Cryo Legionnaire's back-mounted airbooster may be expelled for use with short-distance flight and other combat tactics. Due to the mass of their body armor, Cryo Legionnaires tend to come down hard from these flights, and may use this to their advantage in close-quarters combat.


 * No expense spared -- The Legionnaire Initiative is one of many costly partnerships between the Allied military and FutureTech Corporation, and the bill is footed by battlefield commanders seeking to requisition these elite, specialized forces. Fortunately, just a few Cryo Legionnaires can adequately replace entire infantry platoons.

Select

 * Welcome to the Ice Age!

Select

 * There's a cold front coming in!
 * Slushee, anyone?
 * Let's kick some ice!
 * Cryo Legionnaire!
 * Who's ready for a cold run?
 * It's snow time!
 * Need an ice sculpture?
 * Feel the chill in air?
 * I just love winter time!

Moving

 * I'm cool with that!
 * Like a cool breeze!
 * Ah, yes!
 * Alright!
 * I'm there!
 * The ice man cometh!
 * No problem!
 * I hear you!
 * Crystal clear!
 * Sliding over!

Moving to land

 * Enough with the water already!
 * The water's getting a little chilly!

Moving to water

 * I won't even get wet!
 * You think I should cool off in there?

Garrisoning Structure

 * Good place to chill!
 * I need to cool down!
 * How's the A/C?

Attacking

 * Feel the chill of death!
 * Hold still!
 * Cool off!
 * Won't feel a thing!
 * Say freeze!
 * How about a cold one?
 * Freeze!
 * Chill out!

Use Boost Kick

 * Allow me to break the ice!
 * This will crack him up!
 * Avalanche incoming!

Move to Attack

 * Put 'em on ice!
 * Make room in the freezer!
 * Another for the meat locker!
 * Turn on the ice maker!
 * Time for the deep freeze!
 * Let's make a snow man!

In combat

 * Are you cold or is it just me?
 * Stay cool!
 * Cool party!
 * Check out my ice sculpture!
 * Feel the icy cold!

Under fire

 * It's heating up over here!
 * Cool it!
 * Ow man, that's cold!
 * I'm on a rocks over here!

Trivia

 * The Cryo Legionnaires were possibly inspired by the Chrono Legionnaire.
 * The Cryo Legionnaire's abilities, accent and abundance of cold and ice puns are reminiscent of Mr. Freeze as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman and Robin.
 * Even though they can destroy enemy units, they do not deal damage directly, and therefore cannot gain veterancy.
 * Their X-1 Instinct armor was mistakenly called "X-1 Impulse armor" near the end of the official profile.