LORE AND PREVIEWS
Hideki kicked idly at the pile of empty ration cans. It was the last day of his 5-day rotation at this sentry post. As if anyone would bother visiting HL-34A. Fourth rate outpost, third rate gear, and not a single artifact worth writing home about. One of the cans that had wavered on the edge of toppling fell decisively with a clatter into the waste trench next to Hideki.
He sighed, and checked the scanner again, half-hoping that it would ping. Anything to break up the monotony of 5 days of sitting on the top of a bluff, overlooking dried seabeds and low canyons. An expanse of dirty grey under a yellow sky. A giraffe beetle, HL-34A’s largest indigenous bit of fauna, scuttled into the waste trench, as the flimsy cellulose walls of the camouflaged shade structure fluttered in the thin air.
The ping was so soft and unexpected that Hideki wasn’t sure he’d actually heard it. He frowned, and checked the scanner. Ping. Multiple signals, to the west, headed to Survey Site Echo. Big signals. Fast. Scrambling, he grabbed his comm: “Outpost 5 to Survey Echo, multiple contacts inbound, closing at high speed.” He released the comm button and a squeal and crunch of static blared out. With a wince, he turned down the volume – the signal was jammed. He looked to the west, helplessly, where he could barely make out a handful of deceptively tiny shapes buzzing low to the canyon’s tops. Even if those weren’t the assault transports he suspected they were, it was definitely more than Survey Site Echo’s token defense force could handle. Strange, though. The initial survey didn’t show anything worth this deployment of forces.
Hideki left the shade and sprinted a dozen yards away to a small pad where a man-sized rocket sat on skeletal legs. He plugged in the scanner and downloaded all the relevant data and ran back to the shade. The unmanned rocket fired its thrusters, sputtering, clawing its way skyward, where it would (hopefully) escape the jamming cloud and signal for help from the Guardian Expeditionary Security garrison ship in orbit.
He sat down again with a thud. Either he would be picked up when the Guardians repelled the raiders, or he’d have to try to get sanctuary with the invading forces. He had another week (two if he was feeling skinny) worth of rations, and the water recycler was rated to outlast him, which seemed increasingly likely.
COMBATANT RECOGNITION GUIDE
> MANUFACTURER: KEYSTONE-OSTLUND
> UNIT: H212 ‘RAVEN’
> CLASSIFICATION: ATTACK VTOL
A collaborative effort between the veteran industrial defense teams at Keystone Extraction and the aerospace experience of MK Ostlund, the Raven has seen decades of service and dozens of iterative upgrades.
A good multipurpose hunter-killer, its two person crew has at its disposal relatively high speed along with respectable armor and armament.
In recent skirmishes at the Hammond Medical Complex on KV-73, the Raven acquitted itself admirably against enemy insurgents of all ages, armed and unarmed alike.
> MANUFACTURER: STURMLANZE AG
> UNIT: H225 ‘MANTIS’
> CLASSIFICATION: COMBAT
A dedicated defense drone, the Mantis was designed to defend mining interests with extreme prejudice from hostile fauna, both human and extraterrestrial.
Mantises typically operate in parallel- cored combat teams of two to offset their limited processing capabilities.
Furthermore, their original design as outpost sentries did not necessitate 360° visual sensors, and paired deployments allows these drones to cover each others’ blind spots.
> MANUFACTURER: KEYSTONE-OSTLUND
> UNIT: H223 ‘CHARIOT’
> CLASSIFICATION: LIGHT ATTACK VEHICLE
Designed as a joint venture to bridge the gap between the H217 series of FAVs and the Mammoth, the Chariot is a dedicated escort vehicle, excelling at precision defense against light armor threats both airborne and ground-bound.
The Chariot has proven an excellent deterrent to several products also sold by its manfacturers, the Raven gunship, the Cobra aerofighter, and the very H217 FAV series it was designed to accompany. Some might think this ironic, but more cynical defense analysts have commented that fielding the Chariot has led to higher attrition of these other Keystone and Ostlund.
> MANUFACTURER: KEYSTONE EXTRACTION
> UNIT: H312 ‘MAMMOTH’
> CLASSIFICATION: MILITARIZED MOBILE EXPEDITIONARY DEMOLITIONS PLATFORM
The Mammoth is one of Keystone’s first Oasis-specific platforms. Designed with high-yield, long-range thermobaric rockets and high-caliber depleted uranium CIWS systems, the Mammoth is designed to operate autonomously for extended missions away from base, and to be able to defend itself while extracting the buried resources of the Oasis.
The Mammoth has a well-deserved lucrative reputation for deploying with transport bays full of combat teams and returning with bays full of valuable ore..
> MANUFACTURER: STURMLANZE AG
> UNIT: KF152 ‘RHINO’
> CLASSIFICATION: MAIN BATTLE TANK
The ultimate evolution of a famously durable line of main battle tanks that stretches back centuries, the Rhino (along with the rest of the KF152 family of platforms) is a ubiquitous sight on all worlds.
An efficient distribution of armor maximizes frontal protection for aggressive action with supporting units, while keeping unnecessary rear and top armor to a minimum to maintain fair top speeds and handling.
> MANUFACTURER: GENERAL KINETICS-KEYSTONE
> UNIT: AEV18 ‘BUFFALO’
> CLASSIFICATION: SALVAGE RECOVERY VEHICLE
One of the most ubiquitous sights in the Oasis, the Buffalo has become the last word in salvage operations. With several generations of General Kinetics grav technology under the hood and a rugged Keystone chassis, this all-in-one platform can survey, recover, and sometimes even extract without being destroyed.
While the Buffalo’s lack of defensive armament does put it somewhat at risk, rumors have spread of refitted Buffalos whose cargo bays are packed with missiles and guns, designed to ambush unsuspecting raiders in search of easy prey.
> MANUFACTURER: KARKOV DESIGN BUREAU
> UNIT: PROJEKT 42080 ‘GORGON’
> CLASSIFICATION: GRAV AEROCORVETTE
While other manufacturers went straight to large frigates and destroyers, Karkov, a relatively young firm, decided to fill a visible gap in the market with something strong enough to obliterate anything it can’t outrun, and fast enough to outrun anything it can’t destroy.
The Gorgon features heavy plating, high speed, and a simple but effective array of guns and point-defense missiles. While initially designed as a bit of a poor man’s frigate and a command vessel for smaller units, it’s also seen heavy use as an escort for the offense-heavy Type-92, and even for recon-in-force, as it’s speed, weaponry, and durability allow extended solo deployments.
> MANUFACTURER: GENERAL KINETICS
> UNIT: CV-15 ‘NYX’
> CLASSIFICATION: SECURITY ENFORCEMENT CRAFT
A heavy battle tank in all but name, the Nyx was billed as a security vehicle for high value corporate facilities. The Nyx is grav-equipped, fully environmentally self-sufficient, and capable of being dropped from orbit when its gravpads are on full retro-fire.
While used by several operators, within the Oasis they are most known as the chariots of choice for the Iron Rain mercenaries, who seized an entire division of the tanks from the Hephaistos Mining consortium.
