The foundation of the Colonies was a proud moment for humankind. At last, after being prey to so many extraterrestrial invaders, mankind was expanding outwards, to build its own nation across the stars. The popular support for early colonization efforts was tremendous; by the year 2098, the Colonies numbered thousands of citizens.

The existence of these Colonies forced a profound alteration in the organization of the U.N. Spacy military forces. The greater, newer bulk of the military arm of Earth was formed into the T.E.F. However, it was quickly realized that, even with the four operational Illustrious dreadnought battlefleets which would be in service at the dawn of the twenty second century, the safety of the Colonies could not be assured. The Colonies would require a secondary, innate defence force, to hold an invader until a T.E.F. Battlegroup could arrive. Thus, the C.D.F. was born.

The C.D.F. is divided into five main groups, each roughly equivalent in terms of size and structure. The breakdown of the average C.D.F. garrison force is as follows.

Veterans of the Marduk Invasion --- 60%
The largest single source of C.D.F. personnel is from veterans of the Marduk Invasion. These troops form a hardened and dependable core, often placed in command of less experienced troops, and are given a great deal of flexibility in terms of operation. Average level of experience: 2+1d4
Colonial Recruits --- 25%
A sizeable portion of the C.D.F. are raised directly from the Colonial citizens. Defending their homeland, Colonial Recruits make up for experience with considerable enthusiasm. Average level of experience: 1
Ex- U.N. Spacy Regulars --- 15%
There are those who, for whatever reason, requested service with the C.D.F. when that organization and the T.E.F. were formed. Average level of experience: 1d4

STRATEGIES

The C.D.F. is designed to hold an alien invader until the T.E.F. can arrive, with its larger numbers, superior technology, and massed firepower. Many view the C.D.F. as second class troops, unsuitable to fighting on their own without T.E.F. support, but this is clearly untrue. The C.D.F. possesses a mixture of experienced elite troops and dedicated younger personnel, but all live in the Colony they defend, and all are willing to fight to the bitter end for their home.

However, at about a half million troops total, there is no way for the C.D.F. to truly hope to win against an invasion of the scope of the Marduk or Zentran/Meltran invasions. As such, the tactics of the C.D.F. are aimed at delaying intruders. The C.D.F. troops engage, delay, confuse and dissemble, providing time for T.E.F. battlegroups to arrive and, as one senior T.E.F. officer once said, "Fall on the Aliens like a house collapsing". With the arrival of the Intruders, the C.D.F. troops prepare to defend their colonies to the best of their abilities. The quick destruction of the Ark Royal Battlegroup calls into question what sort of resistance the C.D.F. troops could hope to offer, but humankind has faced the impossible before, and lives on.

LEADERSHIP

Each C.D.F. force is basically a distinct army. Each is commanded by a Rear Admiral, liaising closely with the Colonial Governor and his staff. Each is assigned overall command of the defence of their Colony, until the T.E.F. Battlegroup arrives, at which point the commander of the Illustrious class Dreadnought would take control of the overall defence. The Colonial C.D.F. armies train with each other and maintain a high level of commonality and cooperation.

ORGANIZATION

Approximately 100,000 troops (45% Valkyrie, 35% Surface Troops, 20% Space/ Orbital Staff) defend each Colony. These troops are equipped with Infantry Robots (Destroids), early model Valkyries, and one S.D.F. Macross Cannon warship.

MECHA OF THE C.D.F.

S.D.F. Macross Cannon: Each Colony has one S.D.F. Cannon in orbit. The stats for these warships are provided in Sourcebook One.

VF-2SS/VF-2JA Valkyries: The regular VF-2SS, the VF-2JA Atmospheric model, and the S.A.P. Augmented Valkyries are the standard mecha styles used by the C.D.F., operated from the surface, or from the Colony's single S.D.F. Cannon in orbit. The rules for these mecha can be found in the Macross II rulebook. The Valkyrie Fighter Pilot O.C.C. from Macross II can be used to create the pilots of these valkyries.

VF-XX Zeltran/Meltran Valkyrie: Roughly 10% of each C.D.F. force is composed of Zentran/Meltran personnel. Indeed, the percentage of population rates of Zentran and Meltran people are higher in the Colonies than on Earth. During the wave of colonization, many of these warrior races saw the Colony worlds as their best chance for a new life. These troops are routinely equipped with VF-XX Valkyries, described in Sourcebook One (use VF-XX Valkyrie Pilot O.C.C.), and fight both in their own squads and in mixed human/Zentran/Meltran units. Note that many of these troops alternatively fight in VF-2JA or VF-2SS Valkyries.

Infantry Robots: These vehicles include the Tomahawk, Defender-Ex, Phalanx and Monster type Destroids described in Macross II Sourcebook One. These craft are deployed extensively by the C.D.F. in a surface assault role. Although considered slow, plodding and antiquated by T.E.F. personnel, they are well suited to the C.D.F. role of defensive warfare, rugged and dependable. These surface force personnel may be created using the Macross II Robot Defense Pilot O.C.C. in Sourcebook One.

USING THE C.D.F. IN YOUR GAMES

The C.D.F. is largely designed to allow players who are somewhat leery of net-published supplements to use established, official mecha in new circumstances. The existence of Marduk Invasion vets among the C.D.F. is aimed directly at these players; thus, player groups who have already fought the Marduk Invasion can be smoothly introduced into the Intruder War setting, fighting as a unit. See the Lunar Foreign Legion section for more on using Marduk characters. In addition, the inclusion of rugged and dependable C.D.F. mecha and troops adds a sense of continuity with the Macross II game.