Military of Switzerland

This may change, as military service has become less popular in the last few years - nowadays, a lot of people consider being an officer more of a liability than an asset. Eidos was awarded the rights to the domain name nuderaider.com. As a rule of thumb, a significant number of senior civil servants and business leaders in Switzerland are general staff officers. However, the complete accuracy of such reports may be called into question^{[citation needed]}, as it is likely that the rumors are exaggerated to an extent. The ratio of professional versus militia officers is about 1:1. It is also reported^{[citation needed]} that Eidos intend to pursue action against unauthorized "home-made" patches for the game, and indeed any other games that the publisher has ownership rights to. Being a general staff officer is a prerequisite for a range of important jobs on Brigade and higher level, such as G2 (chief of intelligence) or G3 (chief of operations). In April 2004, it is also alleged^{[citation needed]} that an insider from Eidos reported to a Tomb Raider electronic mailing list that Eidos had begun suing gamers using the Nude Raider patches and sent cease and desist letters to servers hosting the Nude Raider patch, enforcing their intellectual property of Tomb Raider.

Only 30 new trainees are selected per year and even fewer complete the demanding training. This program, when added to an existing Tomb Raider game, caused Lara to appear naked. Future general staff officers are selected from the best company commanders and undergo battalion commander training before starting general staff training. However, many people downloaded the patch and uploaded it to different websites. To assure a generally high level of military leadership above the rank of first lieutenant, the Army maintains the HKA (Hoehere Kaderschule der Armee) which is responsible for an array of professionally run schools such as BUSA (Berufsunteroffiziersschule der Armee) which runs a program for professional non-commissioned officers, the MILAK (Militaerakademie) which runs a bachelor degree program for professional officers, programs for company and battalion commanders, a number of staff courses, and the General Staff and Command College (Gst S), an elite training program whose graduates leave their former branches and are inducted into the so-called General Staff Corps. It is alleged that someone within Eidos created the patch then released it on the Eidos website back in 1996, where it remained for a few hours until Eidos discovered it and removed the patch. Consequently, the new system has already come under pressure and is under review. A development in Lara's history is the so-called Nude Raider patch.

In the new system, officers-to-be are selected early on from the pool of boots (based on criteria such as leadership potential but also education) and sent to officer training fairly quickly, which reduces the time these "instant officers" take to be fully trained but also means that they neither have the advantage of having been NCOs nor having had time to slowly mature as leaders. The PC version was also later reissued with added bonus levels. Unfortunately, this advantage (at least from a leadership point of view) was abolished with the Army XXI reform as a concession to the Swiss economy which was increasingly unhappy about having its future leaders away for two years at a time (the time it took to become an officer until 2004). The Saturn version offers slightly faster gameplay over the PlayStation version but sacrifices some graphical quality. This system ensured that all officers knew what it was like to be a grunt. No notable differences between versions exist, although the graphics on the PC version are of superior quality. officers who also have a civilian job - and future professional officers), five months of intensive training that emphasised small-unit and platoon-sized unit tactics. Tomb Raider was released for the PC and the PlayStation and Sega Saturn game consoles.

Instead, until 2004 officers were traditionally selected from the pool of NCOs (non-commissioned officers) and then underwent OCS (officer candidate school, which was and is open to both militia - i.e. Several large corporations such as Timberland wanted to use the character for their advertising. In contrast to most other comparable Armies, officer candidates are not necessarily career regulars. The amount of media coverage Lara received was at the time unheard of, with many magazines even outside the video game industry printing articles on her. Only recently have allegations been made that certain parts of the Swiss economy worked at the biddings of the Hitler regime (banks, mechanical industry, and transportation services), suggesting that not only the army, but also the economy, prevented an invasion of Switzerland. Aside from game appearances, Lara was featured on covers of magazines, in comic books and movies. Those who actually served in the Swiss Army during the war never criticised this concept - even if it openly meant that the enemy could take the civilian population in the plains hostage. Nevertheless, Lara caused a sensation in the gaming world and catapultated her to cyber celebrity status.

Bernard passes, because Switzerland does not possess any significant natural resources. The game's use of a hard edged, female heroine has been both hailed as revolutionary (breaking away from the male perspective of game playing) and derided as sexist for its stereotypical depiction of a woman designed to appeal to an audience of teenage boys. The Swiss government thought that the aim of an invasion of Switzerland would be to control the economically important transport routes through the Swiss Alps, namely the Gotthard, the Simplon and Great St. Some fans complained at the lack of action in favor of puzzle solving, although ironically, Tomb Raider II would be criticized for its overabundance of violence, especially against human opponents. The army would barricade itself in the mountains witihin the fortresses, which would be very difficult to take. Nevertheless, Tomb Raider received some criticism for minor camera and object glitches, as well as its difficult save system. It was intended that if the Axis Powers were to invade Switzerland, they would have to do so at a huge price. Although the game spawned numerous sequels, often superior in scope and graphics, the original remains the most beloved among fans and critics.

The concept of underground fortifications in the Alps stems from the so-called "Reduit" concept of the World War II. As one of the top selling games of the system, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's Platinum series, and its success made Tomb Raider II one of the most anticipated games of 1997. They include underground air bases which are adjacent to normal runways; the aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns. The resulting sales were consequential, Topping the British charts a record three times, and contributing much to the success of the PlayStation. Permanent fortifications are established in the Alps, as bases from which to retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. The level of sophistication Tomb Raider reached by combining state-of-the-art graphics, classical music and a cinematic approach to gameplay was at the time unprecedented. Tunnels are also primed with demolition charges to be used against invading forces. Upon its release, Tomb Raider was widely praised by gaming magazines for its revolutionary graphics, inventive gameplay and involving storyline.

Moreover, tunnels and key bridges are built with tank traps. However, ultimately, it would be the PlayStation rendition that would be known best. There are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at keeping the country running in case of emergencies. The first glints of the game were seen on Sega Saturn development kits. There is a bed for every Swiss person in one of the many shelters. It is also rumoured that Tomb Raider's publishing company Eidos was near bankrupcy when Tomb Raider was created. Swiss building codes require radiation and blast shelters to protect against bombing. Interestingly enough, it is Core's contention that the company was struggling somewhat with 32-bit development at that time.

The abuse of military rifles is extremely rare, and when it does occur, it is usually in the form of suicide. As he was resizing it back to normal, the other designers saw what he was working on and told him they loved it and that she should keep the double size. The ammunition is stored in a tamper-evident sealed box that should never be opened unless ordered to do so. Toby Gard was fudging around with the model when he accidentally blew up Lara's bosom to 150% of what he intended it to be. 50 rounds of ammunition are issued along with the rifle for use only in wartime. Lara's famous breast size was in actuality brought about by accident. The Swiss people are advised to keep the ammunition and the rifle in separate places, both out of reach of unauthorised users. According to Toby Gard, the idea to make her a female Indiana Jones was not present from the beginning, but rather grew naturally out of the development process as the game took its final form.

However, in January 2006, the defence authorities declared that it would take 8 years to rebuild the army to be ready for a full war against a large enemy. Personality-wise, Lara was a cold-blooded militaristic type in the early concepts. In contrast, it can take several weeks to several months for a militarily-active country such as the United States to mobilise its military force. However at the same time, her backstory started to shape up and it was decided she should become more British, hence Cruise was changed to Croft to accommodate this. Switzerland claims to be able to mobilise the entire population for warfare within 12 hours. "Laura" was later dropped in favor of Lara, to appeal more to American audiences. Swiss military doctrines are arranged in peculiar ways to make this organisation effective. As such Lara was born under the name Laura Cruise.

Famously, members of the armed forces keep their rifles, ammunition, and uniforms in their homes for immediate mobilisation. In its earliest conception, Lara Croft was a male placeholder for an as yet undefined character, but as Core decided that puzzles and stealth should be more important to the game than action, they found that these requirements better suited a female character than a classic male action hero. In 1993, the Swiss government ordered 34 FA-18 fighter jets from the United States of America, which were subsequently re-built in Switzerland, notably for the electronics. The character went through several changes before Core settled on the version she became famous for. For example, Switzerland uses only one rifle model, the FASS 90, and two types of ground-based anti-aircraft systems, including a Swiss-built and improved version of the Stinger (Swiss army knives are also issued, although they are neither red nor considered weapons). The team consisted of six people, among them Toby Gard, who is credited with the invention of Lara Croft. To reduce training and logistics costs, the Swiss military standardises on a few carefully selected types of weapons. The title was crafted by Core Design of Europe, who took 18 months to develop it.

In this case, the compensation is paid to the employer. Preliminary work on Tomb Raider commenced in 1993, but it was not until November 1996 that the game actually saw the light of day as a retail product. Most employers, however, continue to pay the full salary during military service. The levels for Tomb Raider Gold were created in the San Francisco office of Eidos Interactive by Phil Campbell, Rebecca Shearin and Gary LaRochelle. During military service, the employee is paid a compensation of 70% of his regular salary by the state. In Unfinished Business, having learned of the existence of a hive of surviving creatures guarding an alien hatchery, Lara returns to Atlantis to destroy the aliens before they invade again. In general, men interrupt their work during these weeks. In Shadow of the Cat, Lara returns to the City of Khamoon in search of an undiscovered tomb dedicated to the Egyptian cat-goddess, Bastet.

The successive training weeks can also be postponed, but there is limited scope. The re-release was exclusive to the PC. It is possible to postpone the initial training to finish university. The expansion featured the regular game as well as four new bonus levels in two extra scenarios called The Shadow of the Cat and Unfinished Business. However, the service period of non-commissioned officers and officers is significantly longer. In 1998 Tomb Raider was re-released as Tomb Raider Gold for PC. Thereafter, men remain in the military until the age of 30 (or longer, if the military service is not yet completed), performing three weeks of training every year. The Atlantis levels are among the hardest in the game.

Initial training (following regular boot camp) for members of the AAD, Switzerland's new SAS-type Special Forces unit, which is an all-volunteer professional unit with a rigorous selection process, is 18 months. This is where the mystery unfolds. At the age of 20, about half the service is done during an initial training period of 21 or 18 weeks, depending on the service branch, with the exception of the Grenadiers, an elite infantry unit with a 25-week boot camp. Lara Croft has tracked down Natla and her goons to a remote island, where mining operations of Natla Technologies have partially exposed the great pyramid of Atlantis. Conscription occurs at the age of 19 years. The levels in Egypt are all of hard difficulty. As of January 2004, the income tax was raised to 3% by the Federal Council. The long lost third ruler of Atlantis was buried here, along with the third piece of the Scion.

Those who are found unable to serve the military pay an additional 2% income tax. In a hidden canyon near the Valley of Kings, Lara explores buried pyramids and a sphinx while fighting pumas, crocodiles, and some surprising mystical monsters. This can be on either physical or mental grounds. Stages in this monastery range from average to hard difficulty. A significant number of young men choose to avoid military service by visiting a doctor who attests to their incapability to do military service on medical grounds. Here Lara battles lions, alligators and monkeys as she explores ruins of these ancient civilizations, and races for the second piece of the Scion with a man named Pierre DuPont, who unfortunately entered before Lara did. Entry to the civilian service is based on moral grounds and subject to a successful application. Francis was built upon the side of a mountain that conceals layer upon layer of civilization, harkening back to the The Golden Age of Greece and Rome.

This option is only available to those found to be not physically fit enough to join the armed forces. This medieval monastery of St. Since 1996, Swiss citizens can apply for civilian service instead. The levels in Peru are of an average difficulty. For women the service is voluntary. The player must guide Lara through the lost Incan city while battling wolves, bats, bears and more. All able-bodied male Swiss citizens are conscripted to the armed forces. Here she makes her way through the remains of a civilization that flourished for hundreds of years, in valleys where time literally stood still.

The organisation is still active in antimilitaristic work and also in the anti-war movement. Natla sends Lara Croft to Peru, where she discovers the entrance to the long lost tomb of Qualopec high up in the mountains. The population decided to buy the jets, although 42.9% voted against the project. The story mode begins with an introductional sequence. In 1992, after the Swiss government decided to buy FA-18 jets, they collected about half a million signatures within one month for a referendum. This tutorial is designed to get the player acquainted with the basics of the game and includes jumping and climbing techniques on ten vaulting boxes. The second vote was in 1999, with 76.8% in favour. From the options menu, the player may choose to complete the training course in Lara's home before getting started with the main game.

The first time was in 1989, when 64.4% of the voters voted in favour of maintaining the Swiss Army. A stage is finished when a certain doorway is reached or an artifact recovered. The Swiss have voted twice on such a referendum. A compromise was reached with Tomb Raider III under the form of "collectible save crystals." The PC and Mac versions of the game allow the player to save at any time. There is an organised movement in Switzerland (Gruppe Schweiz ohne Armee; GSoA / Groupe pour une Suisse sans Armée; GSsA - Group for a Switzerland without an Army, in English) aiming at the abolition of the military. Following criticism on this system, Core implemented a save anywhere at anytime feature in Tomb Raider II, which, ironically, lead to complaints that the game was made too easy. References:. The scarcity of these points, however, means that if the player dies, large portions of each level must be replayed, much to the players' frustration.

Since the responsibilities of the NNSC have been much reduced over the past few years, only 5 people are still part of the Swiss delegation, located near the Korean DMZ. When Lara touches one of these the option to save is made available. Switzerland is part of the Neutral Nation Supervisory Committee (NNSC) which was created to monitor the armistice between North and South Korea. In the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions of Tomb Raider, saving the game is restricted to fixed save points within each level, marked by a floating blue crystal. The swiss soldiers were recognized among the other armies present on the field by their distinctive yellow beret. The player is usually rewarded with extra med-packs, ammo and occasionally, new weapons. It is interresting to note that none of the active soldiers were armed during the duration of the mission. Some may be hidden along the roadside in bushes, others require the completion of a hidden course or optional puzzle to be found.

The mission was named SHQSU standing for Swiss Headquarters Support Unit to BiH. The locations of these secrets vary in difficulty to reach. It's mission, part of the Swiss Peacekeeping Missions, was to provide logistic and medical support to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE. Discovering these secrets is optional, and when the player has found one a tune plays. From 1999 to 2001, The Swiss Army was present in Bosnia and Herzegovina with headquarters in Sarajevo. Throughout each stage, one or more secrets may be located. However, over the years, the Swiss army has been part of several peacekeeping missions around the world. The puzzles that the player encounters across each level vary: pulling specific combinations of levers, a course of timed jumps, avoiding a certain trap or collecting several keystones.

Switzerland being a neutral country, its army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries. Any item that is collected is held onto in Lara's inventory until it is used. The Swiss government did not officially confirm the existence of the report, but started a judiciary procedure for leakage of secret documents against the newspaper on 9 January 2006. Game-specific items are keys and artifacts required to complete a stage. The report described a fax sent by the Egyptian department of Foreign Affairs to the Egyptian Embassy in London, and described the existence of secret detention facilities run by the CIA in Eastern Europe. Regular items to pick up include ammo, and small and large medpacks. On 8 January 2006, the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick (Sunday edition of the Blick newspaper) published a secret report produced by the Swiss government using data intercepted by Onyx. A general action button is used to perform a wide range of movements in Tomb Raider, such as picking up items, pulling switches, firing guns, pushing or pulling blocks and grabbing onto ledges.

In a way similar to ECHELON, Onyx uses lists of keywords to filter the intercepted content for information of interest. Other means by which the game will prematurely end include drowning, electrocution, being shot, being crushed and turning to gold. It was completed in late 2005 and currently consists in three interception sites, all based in Switzerland. Should Lara touch it, she will immediately catch fire and die within seconds unless the player manages to dive into a nearby pond. The Onyx system was launched in 2000 in order to monitor both civil and military communications, such as telephone, fax or Internet traffic, carried by satellite. Fire is a lethal substance in the game. The Swiss military department maintains the Onyx intelligence gathering system, similar in concept to the American ECHELON system, but at a much smaller scale. Furthermore, they cannot climb on higher platforms and as such remain confined to the rooms they inhabit.

For example, the head of the Swiss delegation at the NNSC in Korea (see below) had a rank of major general. The various animals that attack Lara, while dangerous in large numbers, are easily avoided and gunned down. However, when Swiss Officers are involved in peacekeeping missions abroad, they often receive temporary ranks that do not exist in the Swiss Army, to put them on an equal footing with foreign officers. Also note that landing on spikes, even if they are jumped upon from ground level, are always fatal. The distinctive feature of their rank insignia are traditionally stylized edelweiss (image). Although Lara may survive a drop from high peaks, she will easily break her neck if she performs the dive move even from relatively low heights. Officers which would have the title of general in other armies do not bear the title general (OF-8: Commandant de corps, OF-7 Divisionnaire and OF-6 Brigadier), as this title is strictly a wartime designation. As the game adopts a platform style approach of progress, well timed jumps must often bring Lara safely to the other side of a ledge or she will plummet to the ground below.

There have been four Generals in Swiss history:. Numerous enemies as well as a variety of lethal traps can bring about Lara's death in Tomb Raider, the most immediate threat of which is falling to death. In times of crisis or war, the Federal Assembly elects a General (OF-9) as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Oberbefehlshaber der Armee). This development went on to become a staple of the series. The current Chief of the Armed Forces is Korpskommandant Christophe Keckeis. At a certain point in the story, Lara will be stripped of all her weapons, leaving the player defenseless and forced to recover her pistols. In peacetime, the armed forces are led by the Chief of the Armed Forces (Chef der Armee), who reports to the head of the Department of Defence and to the Federal Council as a whole. Additional weapons include the shotgun, dual magnums and dual uzis.

Higher staff officers:. By default she carries two pistols with infinite ammo. Staff officers:. In a free environment, Lara has two basic stances: one with weapons drawn and one with her hands free. Captain:. While swimming, an extra statusbar appears under the health meter to indicate the amount of breath left in Lara's lungs. Subaltern officers:. Besides walking, running and jumping, Lara can perform side-steps, hang on ledges, roll over, dive and swim through water.

Non-commissioned officers:. Movement in the game is varied and allows for complex interactions with the environment. Enlisted:. As such, Tomb Raider in essence harkens back to the classical form of platform style gameplay. Rank designations in German and French with abbreviations and corresponding NATO codes:. Instead the emphasis lies on solving of puzzles and performing trick jumps to complete each level. Member of the Federal Council heading the "Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports", (formerly "Federal Military Department"):. Gunplay is restricted to the killing of various animals that appear throughout each stage, although ocassionally Lara may be faced with a human opponent.

Men who want to apply for service in the Swiss Guard need to have completed their basic military service in Switzerland. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. Since the reforms, women can take on any position within the armed forces. The object of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. About 2,000 women already serve in the army but, until the reforms ‘’Army XXI’’, were not allowed to use weapons for purposes other than self-defence. Ledges, walls and ceilings sit at 90 degrees to each other (although the game designers used some clever tricks to make this less obvious). Women may volunteer to serve in the armed forces and may now join all units, including combat troops. The world she inhabits is fully drawn in three dimensions and characterized by its cubic nature.

The armed forces have a small nucleus of about 3,600 professional staff, half of whom are either instructors or staff officers. Lara is always visible and the camera follows the action from behind or over her shoulder. The rest continue to follow the traditional Swiss models of serving about three months at first and then doing three or four weeks per year until the required number of days or the age of 34 has been reached. The game is presented in third person perspective. Recruiting to the single-term conscripts is on a voluntary basis, but it should not exceed 20% of a year's draft. In Tomb Raider, the player controls the female archeologist Lara Croft, in search for the three mysterious Scion artifacts across the world. A new category of soldiers called "single-term conscripts" will discharge the total time of service of 300 days of active duty in one go. As she delves into the reasons why Natla would double-cross her, she uncovers a mystery that reaches back before the dawn of recorded time to the treachery that destroyed the Atlantean civilization and the disasters that struck the world when it fell.

For women, military service is voluntary. Using her cunning wits and athletic strength, Lara escapes. All able-bodied Swiss males aged between 20 and 30 (in some cases longer) must serve, but about one third of them are excluded for various reasons. However after discovering the fragment, things get ugly when Lara finds herself face to face with one of Natla's hired goons. The mandatory time of service for normal soldiers is curtailed from 300 to 260 days. Wasting no time, Lara sets out on her quest to find one of the three pieces of the ancient Atlantean Scion, a talisman of incredible power. The defence budget of currently SFr 4.3 billion ($3.1 billion) will be trimmed by SFr 300 million and some 2,000 jobs are expected to be shed between 2004 and 2011. After Lara Croft returns from a hunting trip in the Himalayas, she is contacted by Jacqueline Natla, a conniving businesswoman who convinces Lara to recover a mysterious artifact from the tomb of Qualopec in Peru.

Starting in January 2004, the current 524,000-strong militia will be pared down to 220,000 conscripts, including 80,000 reservists. . On May 18, 2003, Swiss voters approved the military reform project "Army XXI" that will drastically reduce the size of the Swiss Army. It spawned numerous sequels and an entire franchise of related media. . The game is widely considered to be among the best and most influential games ever made. It is equipped with mostly modern, sophisticated, and well-maintained weapons systems and equipment. Tomb Raider follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British archaeologist in search of ancient treasures à la Indiana Jones.

The Armed Forces of Switzerland is a unique institution somewhere between a militia and a regular army. It was originally released in 1996 for PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Photographs by a member of the Swiss delegation. Tomb Raider is a video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. Swiss keep watch over fragile peace, on Swissinfo. 11, 2006. Swiss participation to the mission NNSC in Korea. Retrieved Feb.

Henri Guisan (1939-1945, WW II). The Face. Ulrich Wille (1914-1918, WW I). "Lara hit in The Face". Hans Herzog (1871-1872, Franco-Prussian War). Sawyer, Miranda (June 1997). Henri Dufour (1847-1848, Sonderbundskrieg; and 1856-57, Neuchâtel Crisis). By inserting the Tomb Raider disc into a regular CD player, audio and music from the game can be heard, among them an unused track of an early Eidos game called Firestorm.

OF-9 General / général. Lara Croft's mansion was modelled after the front of the Derby Studios building where Core Design worked on the game. OF-8 Korpskommandant (KKdt) / commandant de corps. Tomb Raider pays homage to Indiana Jones in a number of ways, including references to traps from Raiders of the Lost Ark, such as the spiked pits, poison darts, boulders and the collapsing temples. OF-7 Divisionär (Div) / divisionnaire. In 1998, Tomb Raider won the Origins Award for Best Action Computer Game of 1997. OF-6 Brigadier (Br) / brigadier. Level 15: The Great Pyramid.

OF-5 Oberst / colonel (col). Level 14: Atlantis. OF-4 Oberstleutnant (Oberstlt) / lieutenant-colonel (lt col). Level 13: Natla's Mines. OF-3 Major (Maj) / major (maj). Level 12: Sanctuary of the Scion. OF-2 Hauptmann (Hptm) / capitaine (cap). Level 11: Obelisk of Khamoon.

OF-1 Oberleutnant (Oblt) / premier-lieutenant (plt). Level 10: City of Khamoon. OF-1 Leutnant (Lt) / lieutenant (lt). Level 9: Tomb of Tihocan. Chefadjutant (Chefadj) / adjudant-chef (adj chef). Level 8: Cistern. Hauptadjutant (Hptadj) / adjudant-major (adj maj). Level 7: Palace Midas.

Stabsadjutant (Stabsadj) / adjudant d’état-major (adj EM). Level 6: Colosseum. Adjutant Unteroffizier (Adj Uof) / adjudant sous-officier (adj sof). Francis Folly. Hauptfeldweibel (Hptfw) / sergent-major chef (sgtm chef). Level 5: St. Feldweibel (Fw) / sergent-major (sgtm). Level 4: Tomb of Qualopec.

Fourier (Four) / fourrier (four). Level 3: The Lost Valley. Oberwachtmeister (Obwm) / sergent-chef (sgt chef). Level 2: City of Vilcabamba. Wachtmeister (Wm) / sergent (sgt). Level 1: Caves. Korporal (Kpl) / caporal (cpl). Tihocan: Another ruler of Atlantis, Tihocan was buried around the isles of Greece.

Obergefreiter (Obgfr) / appointé-chef (app chef). Qualopec: One of the ancient rulers of the lost continent of Atlantis, whose tomb is located somewhere in South American mountains. Gefreiter (Gfr) / appointé (app). Pierre DuPont is rival French archeologist hired by Natla to recover the second piece of the Scion. Soldat (Sdt) / soldat (sdt). Francis Folly. Rekrut (Rekr) / recrue (recr). Pierre DuPont: This dangerous hireling stalks Lara Croft through the labyrinths of St.

Swiss Navy. He double-crosses her early in the game and manages to track her down to Egypt later on. Swiss Air Force. Larson: One of Natla's henchmen, Larson is the trigger-happy American who first brings Lara Croft into contact with Natla. Army. At the start of the game, she contacts Lara to find the mysterious Scion artifact for her in Peru. Jacqueline Natla: A wealthy businesswoman and the owner of Natla Technologies.

Lara Croft: The heroine of the game, Lara Croft is a British archeologist working for hire to recover lost artifacts, whether from tombs, or the clutches of selfish collectors.