Viper 5

"Being a Cobra Viper means you're the one that goes fist-to-fist, barrel-to-barrel with the GI Joe team. But isn't that the fun part?"

The Viper forces are the backbone of Cobra infantry. Chosen for their independent thinking, initiative and daring, they are expected to carry the fight far inside GI Joe territory. They are equipped with armored climate-control suits that enable them to function efficiently in extreme environments, and they are given advanced training in deep battle tactics, survival procedures, and high-tech weapon-systems management. They are aggressive, yet wary; attentive to detail, yet practical; sneaky, yet trustworthy; ferocious in combat, yet willing to retreat tactically. This combination of traits makes them formidable foes, and the last thing that the GI Joe team wants to have sneaking up on them from their left flank.

Description
The standard Viper uniform consists of dark blue fatigues, red padded gloves, black boots and chest plating, and a dark blue helmet with a silver visor and black night-vision goggles. Most are equipped with a white rifle, a black munitions pack, and two red grenades. Additional equipment is assigned on a mission-by-mission basis.

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:
The army of Cobra is based upon the regular infantry troops, the Vipers. The original Cobra soldiers were many of those who shared the vision of their leader, Cobra Commander. Trained by soldiers-for-hire, they learned their skills to help establish footholds for Cobra in various unstable nations all around the world. As the organization grew, Cobra's army grew to include mercenaries, known international terrorists and disaffected soldiers from various nations, including the United States. The Vipers are either in it for the money, or for the continuation of Cobra's goal of world domination.

The original Cobra soldiers and officers wore blue military fatigues and helmets, along with a red or black facemask to cover their identities. The Cobra officers' uniforms varied slightly from that of regular troops, the most obvious difference being a v-shaped symbol on the front of their helmets. The name, Viper, was in fact not used until around 1985. It still described the regular infantry, but new more specialized troops were soon created, each adding a prefix to the title. The first of these specialized divisions were the communications officers called Tele-Vipers. A year or two later, the basic Viper underwent a major uniform change. The most striking difference was the wraparound helmet with silver-plated facemask, presumably meant to emulate the helmet worn by Cobra Commander. These helmets gave Vipers additional protection, as well as built-in commo gear. Cobra officers continued to use the original uniform. Nearly all of Cobra's rank and file start off as standard Vipers, and then undergo special training to join the specialized groups.

In 1994, most of Cobra's forces scattered after being defeated by military forces. In the years that followed, Cobra Commander began to rebuild his army, including many of the specialized Vipers of the past, some in modified versions of their original uniforms. The uniform for the Cobra officer has changed slightly to include protective armor, but is still based on the original Cobra uniforms.

OOC Notes
Vipers are available on the MUX as Disposable Characters, with a much simpler application. They can also be apped directly as full character (format: Viper 1234), or upgraded from DCs to OCs.