G.S.F.U.
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
G.S.F.U., or GSFU, is the short for "German Special Forces Unit". It is a secret organization, led by 3 of the most known German heroes: the "3 Generals". Known for sending several heroes to Paragon City as a "debt paying" business, the G.S.F.U. today is centered in an unknown place at Germany, together with many small branches around the world. Their secret agents are known around the world as a highly trained unit, be them super-powered or not.
Contents |
The Beggining
The secret organization was founded in 1892, in a mutual agreement between several illegal weapon dealers, scientists, researchers and government Defense-linked personell around Germany. It started as a mutual agreement of information-sharing, where they would gather every 3 months to discuss how the world could benefit from the latest technology of arms, the market around it and the upgoing prices. However, as more and more people around this organization grew interested in joining it, the founders decided to make it formal: money was invested to make it a weapons and arms with the latest technology in manufacturing weapons and defense systems. In 20 years, it grew into one of the largest secret arms-dealing organization in Germany. Everything with money from the Government, in exchange of "a share in it's latest inventions". The "GWAF" (German Weapons and Arms Facility) was born.
GSFU and the WW I
With the beggining of the WW I, in 1914, the German Government demanded weapons from GWAF, with threats of interrupting the investments and shutting down the facility. As it was the biggest buyer, the GWAF sent all of their latest inventions, together with unfinished projects, to aid Germany. However, most of the inventions were not working as expected, be it from the lack of training of German officers on how to operate it, or from unexpected events.
Being defeated in the war at 1918, the Government ceased to invest in GWAF, and it shorty shutted down. All of the main directors and investors stopped their activities, believing it was a loss of time to go on with such projects that didn't had enough positive results.
The Gap
The period between the shutdown of GWAF and the beginning of GSFU is known as "The Gap", where only 2 directors decided to go on with the facility. But instead, it was going to be heavily modified. First, foreign scientists were hired to share their knowledge from all around the world to start an agent-training facility, linked with a lab with all latest technology acquired of weapons, transportation, energy forms, alien technology, and more. This way, only specific personel would be trained in such inventions. They also hired many medics, surgeons, and everything that was needed to research ways to "improve" a human.
After 4 years, GSFU was founded. Using the old GWAF facility as base of operations, GSFU initial projects were: - Find ways to improve all existing technology of weapons, from white weapons to nuclear bombs. - Locate, gather and research ancient artifacts around the world - Train and test newly hired soldiers, officers and military men into secret agents. These agents would act as GSFU army. These men would answer only to GSFU. - Research ways to empower normal human-beings using GSFU technology.
The first project was easy to begin; it was just simply begin from where they ended. The second would require scanning and targeting technology to locate such things. The third was quite hard; not every military man was volunteer to be tested into projects never tested into humans before. The fourth was even harder, not only because of the previous argument, but because it would require a big volume of investment to begin.
After having such projects to begin, the two GSFU directors went to Berlin, where big bucks were being spent into arming the German army again. The German government, besides being reluctant to accept being investor once again to such organization, accepted, with lots of warranties and recommendations.
GSFU pre-WW II
In another few years, GSFU became the best secret organization in Germany in therms of training, preparing and investor of military officers. Their training sessions, body improvement technology and never-seen inventions led to a very convincing fact; in 3 years, the average German soldier, after being trained in GSFU, became a highly efficient unit, almost 4 times better in every aspect than the same soldier trained in normal German facilities. Not only that, but also he was trained in many other things that normal soldiers weren't. The organization blossomed, as Germany was getting ready for round 2 of World War, and invested much more money after every year.
In 1927, GSFU started it's first branch in Italy. It would begin only as a rendezvous (sp?) point for agents in missions around Africa and Asia, as these were beggining to intensify due to reports of artifacts on these locations. By this year, GSFU detained knowledge from every cutting-edge technology of the world within days of it's discovery. From there, they were developed with a parallel project to improve it even more and tested in real-combat conditions. Then, they would be accepted to the agents, or not.
A year later, GSFU began projects on training humans into "super-soldiers". They would receive powers from artifacts claimed from around the world, radiation bombardments for documentation of effects, genetic alterations, technology-enchanced paraphernalia and equipment, latest weapon and arms distributed by GSFU, inventions and prototypes currently on test, and others. Only the best of the best would be called for such projects. This type of project received heavy investments from German government; they were highly in need of a super-soldier.
The 3 Generals
In response to such demand, GSFU began the first of many projects based on super-soldier creations. The 2 main directors of GSFU, now old men ready to leave their work for someone else, chose personally 3 of the best German officers of the army. One of them, Victor Graadmann, was one of the few commanders to win a defense battle at WW I, in a village near France. Considered almost a national hero, Victor volunteered himself for the position, in exchange of the willing to defend his homecountry again, whenever needed. The second was a young, but promising cadet of the navy. Bingham Blaz alone managed to defend his ship in a fierce battle. His superior highly recommended the spot for the GSFU, due to his superior intelligence and teamwork. The cadet was visibly afraid, but at the same time knew that this was the perfect opportunity to test his limits. The third was a soon-to-be retired German sharpshooter, Eroll Fritz. His skills were considered one of the best in all Europe. There was no target he could miss. No man he couldn't take down. No tanks he couldn't explode. He was a living legend in the battlefields during the WW I, accepting the offer in exchange of a statue in his name in Central Berlin.
All these three men were submitted to highly dangerous tests. Radiation bombardments, eletric current testing, endurance and survival skills, human threshold testing, prototypes of strength enchancers, vision enchancers, reflex trainings... Most of the tests, as being pioneers in this area, were failures, and the volunteers proved to endure most of them with relative ease, for normal humans. Bingham was severly wounded during a test with bullet-proof vests, while Victor and Fritz almost had their bones crushed in an agility course.
With the project going on with no real chances of success, and the volunteers starting to think if this was really a good idea, the 2 directors themselves issued an order: the production of weapons to the government was ceased. All of their technology, man-power and intellect would be used to improve these 3 men into super-soldiers. The secret agency would go on, with focus on information gathering and spying.
After this order, 2 years later after the beggining of the tests, in 1930, things started to smooth out. Their recovery was very good, and they quickly began their battery of tests again. This time, things were starting to change. After a bombardment of gamma rays together with exposure to proton-charged radiation metals, they slowly started developing super-powers. Much rejoice was made within GSFU, and the 3 volunteers began to test their new abilities.
Victor developed a strong muscle development, coupled with invulnerability traces. These powers were only available when danger was detected. Victor's strength was documented at aproximately 90 times the normal human strength, and his invulnerability was enough to deflect high-caliber bullets and partially to large explosions. A tank round would leave him injured, but if he was quick enough, he could catch the round in mid-air.
Bingham managed to control and shoot raw eletric energy from his fists and body. This energy was enough to shutdown the entire GSFU facility once, when they were testing the limits of such control.
Fritz amazing eyesight was increased even more. His shots not only now were precise, but his extreme training and testing made him resistant and strong enough to control a rifle's recoil. He was able to empty a rifle cartidge at a soda can in the air, hitting it 26 times out of 32 bullets fired.
..more to come.
