Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Mortar Cycle

"Let's get rolling."

-Mortar Cycle

The Mortar Cycle is an anti-structure and anti-infantry support vehicle used by the Aristocracy of Encantadia. This unit is planned to be voiced by

Tactical analysis

 * The Molotov flurry: Though the mortar cycle takes its name from its heaviest weapon, Encantadian sidecar gunners tend to favor using elemental grenades for hit-and-run attacks, since this allows them to fight without slowing down. These men seem well-trained at flinging the explosive while moving and are clearly more skilled with grenades than the typical Voshkod conscript.
 * The porta-mortar: The mortar cycle's strongest and longest-range weapon requires the vehicle to come to a halt, at which point it can begin lobbing explosive shells with great accuracy. These are all too effective at punching through stationary defenses, though the mortar cycle crews need to make the first shots count.
 * Furiously fast: Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the mortar cycle is its top speed. In the hands of a capable driver, a mortar cycle can literally drive circles around enemy forces. Supposedly, in order to practice handling their vehicles at high top speeds (and to lift the spirits of their comrades), mortar cycle drivers often conduct race against Soviet terror drones to see who's fastest.
 * Watch the road: It must be stressed that the Mortar Cycle is an up-gunned motorcycle, and would barely survive anti-infantry fire at most, and best not to think about facing anti-tank weaponry.

History
"..."

-...

The Voshkod once was home to the world's fastest, most efficient bike messenger service. Everything from telegrams, to cakes, to toiletries, to ammunition shipped from city to city, from republic to republic, via the Krasny Motory motor-bike fleet. While other nations scaled their delivery services and began dabbling in international trade, the Voshkod held fast to its motorbikes, until these bikes' guttural engines and sooty exhaust became synonymous with the sound and smell of any typical Voshkod city. Once war came to the Union, however, the motorbikes steadily grew quieter. For one thing, supplies turned scarce.

For another, the Voshkod propaganda machine started filtering all interpersonal communication and began delivering such messages in bulk on a quarterly basis. In the end, Krasny Motory went out of business because of all this. Ironically, its fleet of motorbikes stood idle for months in a number of makeshift hangars, until it was already too late for the Voshkod regime to absorb these assets into their military. But as the Union wallowed in the truce, forces desperately in need of equipment uncovered the stash of motorbikes and began converting them into fast-attack vehicles that could cover a lot of ground quickly. The result was a vehicle known as the mortar cycle.

In some ways, the mortar cycle bears little resemblance to the Krasny Motory motorbike, due to all the modifications, upgrades, and after-market parts applied to make the vehicle combat-ready. In addition to its souped-up engine and light armor plating, the mortar cycle features a reinforced passenger sidecar with two weapon compartments. The first is a flame-retardant trunk that can safely transport dozens of unlit Molotov cocktails, all within arm's reach of the sidecar passenger.

And the second is a collapsible mortar that uses the passenger sidecar as a stabilized base. Because the Voshkod military largely ignored the use of mortars during the war, and favored heavy artillery instead, mortars were in relatively good supply when the rest of the Voshkod military lay in shambles. In practice, these cheap weapons are surprisingly accurate and have an effective range greater than that of typical perimeter defenses. Leading it to be jokingly called a Mortar Cycle, and the name stuck.

The characteristics of the mortar cycle's weaponry are well known due to the growing number of violent incidents they've caused, for the Voshkod resistance to the delay of the World Revolution is well known. Mortar cycles may be heavily outmatched by Allied armor divisions or peacekeeping units, but they can be very elusive, and pack even greater top speeds than the MLA's Combat Cycle or the Elezen Quad Mortar.

These scroungers did not count on one thing: conscripts tend to overdo things commonly. This might be encouraged as a foot soldier, but not as a driver. Drinking vodka while driving is discouraged, even in the Voshkod. Due to several accidents with Mortar Cycles and the loss of 2 Commissars, the Mortar Cycle is considered not worthy, especially when only Conscripts want to drive them and the better trained Elezen Quad Mortar fufills the similiar purpose. The idea has been abandoned as better military equipment has been made available; most of the bikes have been retooled for various civilian purposes. While any remaining combat model and blueprints were sold to their allies, who hopefully aren't as stupid.

Fortunately, the Encantadians were the best buyers as they were willing to use any hand-me-down to defend themselves. Not to mention the Recruits, the only people willing to ride them, are a lot more responsible and better trained compared to a conscript. With the only major change to the base model was swapping out its relatively primitive cocktail for elemental grenades.