Anobis
Two weeks before the Bilbringi assault
The plains spread out before him like a vast sheet of green and yellow flimsy, the only movement being the tall grass waving in the slight breeze. Behind him stood representatives of the Imperial company contracted to work on the newest SS vehicle as well as several commanders of the SS armored division. In front of him lay only open fields and a few targets at varying ranges.
Commander Racen Selere sat in the cramped quarters of the SS Blitz Panzer, the tank designed by several SS commanders, including Wesley Vos, the head honcho himself. He was in the communication officer's seat, as the comm system was standard and had no need to be tested. And by sitting there he got to operate the machine gun. He loved weapons like that.
Before him sat two drivers, one in charge of the direction of the vehicle, one to fire the two blaster cannons and relieve the driver should he be killed. Above him were two more men, one commanding the main weaponry of the tank, the other searching the skies for the soon-to-appear atmospheric fighter drones.
Selere gave the go-ahead nod, and the first of the third version of the Blitz Panzer began to move forward. With all the armor it carried, the vehicle was somewhat slow, but that couldn't be helped. Even Selere knew that it was sometimes better to be well-armored then fast. He'd learned that lesson on Valinor.
Still, the vehicle's cruising speed was a respectable 60 km/hr. Good enough to do what needed to be done. So the tank moved. The driver took the vehicle through several tight turns, nearly spinning in place. So mobility was good as well. Selere was pleased already. He was imagining how different the battle on Valinor would have gone if they had been supplied with vehicles of this caliber.
Of course, the big test was still to come. He gave the go-ahead to the turret operator, who smiled and quickly acquired his first target. Over ten kilometers away, the shot would be difficult, but the operator was confident. The electronic sighting equipment provided the proper elevation, and the gun rotated into place. A 120 millimeter shell launched from the barrel, flying at supersonic speeds towards its intended destination.
Each type of ammunition would be tested in turn. For this shot, the 120 shell was solid durasteel, intended for use on stationary fortifications and armored artillery. The shot flew true, and the durasteel shell smashed through the two-inch plating of the target with relative ease. A cheer went up from the onlookers, who were watching on their own viewscreens.
The second shot, an explosive round this time, flew through the newly created hole and exploded inside the mock vehicle, ripping it to shreds. When the smoke cleared, only scrap metal remained where once there had been a mock-up of a durasteel armored vehicle. The representatives smiled and cheered along with their SS companions. With just this test, the sale seemed sure.
One of the representives touched a switch and a number of figures popped up from the ground nearby. They were armored with something similar to Confederation armor and were intended to simulate the same infantry encountered on Valinor. It was Selere's turn to have fun. The 7.62 mm MG barked, it's high velocity projectile rounds ripping through the armor, tearing it to pieces. Confederation armor might be good, but the Empire was better. Of course, the Confederation armor was probably better than this mock-up, but the test still gave one confidence.
Another shell flew from the barrel of the 120, incindiary. It landed one klick away, and the napalm contained inside set the armored vehicle and the surrounding "infantry" alight. Little or nothing would put out that fire. Selere had complained about having to wait until an eighty meter circle around the target was cleared of grass earlier; now he knew why. He certainly didn't want to burn the entire field.
The AA gunner spoke up, "Sir, drones are inbound." Selere nodded, and the turret once again began to move. A homing round was loaded and fired, tracking the lead drone. The vehicle began to turn, but the shell followed it, ripping it to shreds when it exploded. A second shell launched thousands of flechette particles, tearing into the remaining drones. Only two of the twelve survived, and these two were taken care of by the repeating blaster cannon of the AA gunner.
Selere smiled. Only one test remained. "Everybody out," he ordered. The Blitz Panzer was turned, parked, and abandoned. The entire entourage climbed aboard a speeder and quickly rode for half a kilometer. An artillery piece, located five kilometers off, fired when they received the signal. The round flew true, striking the turret of the Blitz and exploding. But the armor held, and the tank, though scorched, stood unmoved by the blast.
Selere turned to the company representatives. "I believe this version is acceptable," he said. The armored commanders agreed, so Selere continued. "I want these in production as soon as possible. Have them delivered to the SS fleet. General Sennacherib can take care of the details."
Two weeks before the Bilbringi assault
The plains spread out before him like a vast sheet of green and yellow flimsy, the only movement being the tall grass waving in the slight breeze. Behind him stood representatives of the Imperial company contracted to work on the newest SS vehicle as well as several commanders of the SS armored division. In front of him lay only open fields and a few targets at varying ranges.
Commander Racen Selere sat in the cramped quarters of the SS Blitz Panzer, the tank designed by several SS commanders, including Wesley Vos, the head honcho himself. He was in the communication officer's seat, as the comm system was standard and had no need to be tested. And by sitting there he got to operate the machine gun. He loved weapons like that.
Before him sat two drivers, one in charge of the direction of the vehicle, one to fire the two blaster cannons and relieve the driver should he be killed. Above him were two more men, one commanding the main weaponry of the tank, the other searching the skies for the soon-to-appear atmospheric fighter drones.
Selere gave the go-ahead nod, and the first of the third version of the Blitz Panzer began to move forward. With all the armor it carried, the vehicle was somewhat slow, but that couldn't be helped. Even Selere knew that it was sometimes better to be well-armored then fast. He'd learned that lesson on Valinor.
Still, the vehicle's cruising speed was a respectable 60 km/hr. Good enough to do what needed to be done. So the tank moved. The driver took the vehicle through several tight turns, nearly spinning in place. So mobility was good as well. Selere was pleased already. He was imagining how different the battle on Valinor would have gone if they had been supplied with vehicles of this caliber.
Of course, the big test was still to come. He gave the go-ahead to the turret operator, who smiled and quickly acquired his first target. Over ten kilometers away, the shot would be difficult, but the operator was confident. The electronic sighting equipment provided the proper elevation, and the gun rotated into place. A 120 millimeter shell launched from the barrel, flying at supersonic speeds towards its intended destination.
Each type of ammunition would be tested in turn. For this shot, the 120 shell was solid durasteel, intended for use on stationary fortifications and armored artillery. The shot flew true, and the durasteel shell smashed through the two-inch plating of the target with relative ease. A cheer went up from the onlookers, who were watching on their own viewscreens.
The second shot, an explosive round this time, flew through the newly created hole and exploded inside the mock vehicle, ripping it to shreds. When the smoke cleared, only scrap metal remained where once there had been a mock-up of a durasteel armored vehicle. The representatives smiled and cheered along with their SS companions. With just this test, the sale seemed sure.
One of the representives touched a switch and a number of figures popped up from the ground nearby. They were armored with something similar to Confederation armor and were intended to simulate the same infantry encountered on Valinor. It was Selere's turn to have fun. The 7.62 mm MG barked, it's high velocity projectile rounds ripping through the armor, tearing it to pieces. Confederation armor might be good, but the Empire was better. Of course, the Confederation armor was probably better than this mock-up, but the test still gave one confidence.
Another shell flew from the barrel of the 120, incindiary. It landed one klick away, and the napalm contained inside set the armored vehicle and the surrounding "infantry" alight. Little or nothing would put out that fire. Selere had complained about having to wait until an eighty meter circle around the target was cleared of grass earlier; now he knew why. He certainly didn't want to burn the entire field.
The AA gunner spoke up, "Sir, drones are inbound." Selere nodded, and the turret once again began to move. A homing round was loaded and fired, tracking the lead drone. The vehicle began to turn, but the shell followed it, ripping it to shreds when it exploded. A second shell launched thousands of flechette particles, tearing into the remaining drones. Only two of the twelve survived, and these two were taken care of by the repeating blaster cannon of the AA gunner.
Selere smiled. Only one test remained. "Everybody out," he ordered. The Blitz Panzer was turned, parked, and abandoned. The entire entourage climbed aboard a speeder and quickly rode for half a kilometer. An artillery piece, located five kilometers off, fired when they received the signal. The round flew true, striking the turret of the Blitz and exploding. But the armor held, and the tank, though scorched, stood unmoved by the blast.
Selere turned to the company representatives. "I believe this version is acceptable," he said. The armored commanders agreed, so Selere continued. "I want these in production as soon as possible. Have them delivered to the SS fleet. General Sennacherib can take care of the details."