VENTROX

The Ventrox Program was spearheaded in its creation by a former Major of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV), and a former Special Operations operative; who began the development of the mercenary group which was initially composed of ex-SOF and ex-VDV personnel. The group was hired by the Russian Government to be used specifically in the conflicts in Eastern Europe. Following the formation of the ACMF in 2024 they would quickly see increased offers from ACMF member nations. Ventrox would quickly be utilized by the organization to operate and execute more risky operations, especially ones that might see more international backlash. Their popularity with the governments made them an attractive employment opportunity for a lot of people from Russia and the New Chinese Empire. Both nations would sometimes even go as far as to "donate" soldiers to the PMC. 

Deployments of Ventrox Operatives that directly targeted NATO installations started occuring in early 2026, not long before the Third World War would be officially declared. Entering the war, the deployment of these operators along the European theatre and the American East Coast lead to great NATO casualties as these surgical strikes targeted key locations such as naval shipyards, airfields, command centres and even coastal railgun defenses. It was during this period the Ventrox Program became known for their infamous use of chemical weaponry. Often deploying wearing chemical resistant suits while the enemy scrambled their defenses together.

By this point in 2027, other military contracting companies had been bought out and absorbed into the program. These contractors or “war dogs”, as they were often called by already enlisted members, proved effective for padding out Ventrox' numbers. They showed substantial performance in the Pacific, Middle-Eastern, and European theatres of war during World War 3. The growth of Ventrox seemed continuous up until 2032, right before the invasion of the United States of America and it's NATO allies.

Post-Flash most Ventrox Operators remained mostly banded together, having bonded and trained together pre-flash as a well oiled machine. Smaller Ventrox clusters would also group up with ACMF remnants as they had once shared the same cause but also no other group would really accept them. Many of the surviving operatives would offer their training and tactics to less trained ACMF wastelanders and, when it eventually got to that time, their descendants. 

Many of the Ventrox survivors would still be regularly tasked with more complex and high tasked objectives. Often similar to their pre-flash way of doing things, they infiltrate and sabotage enemy factions in the wasteland. If the need for outside interaction called for it the Ventrox would also sell mercenary services. Those that acted as mercenaries post-Flash tended to only make their services available to groups who were neutral or friendly with the main ACMF forces.

A select few Ventrox camps were so efficient that their very presence would spread fear into the locals. Sometimes rumours would spread quickly of entire settlements being wiped out overnight without a trace of the attackers, rumoured to be Ventrox operatives. There have been rumours circulated by caravaneers who had witnessed and survived direct attacks overnight, believing them to be Ventrox. But with no evidence or survivors to tell the tale, these fears could rarely be confirmed to be truthful.

All that said, it was a rare find to meet or even find Ventrox remnants post-Flash. From the total pool only a select amount deployed to the American invasion and were usually assigned special operations away from the larger conflicts. Not only that but many of them remained covert after the Flash and trusted only those already inside their social circle. 

A prime example of a post-flash Ventrox remnant cell would be found at the wreckage of a shot down ACMF MPD-27 transport aircraft in North Carolina. The camp's inhabitants had once repaired the aircraft in an attempt to finally make their way home across the ocean. Unfortunately without a skilled pilot and no instruments to navigate a path, they would end up flying around aimlessly for a while until they were shot down in the Outer Banks region by a USCPF installation. 

A small base was set up by the crash survivors, utilizing the crashed hull of the aircraft as part of the scrap wall securing the camp. The crashed Ventrox remnants took a highly aggressive stance to nosey wastelanders and their stance alone proved enough to ward off would-be attackers. Their cohesive nature and training allowed them to set up scouting parties and raid smaller settlements for equipment, munitions and food to the great detriment of the locals.