Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Nightingale Carryall

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The Nightingale Carryall is the heavy lifting transport helicopter of the Alliance of Hawke. Planned to be voiced by Matt L Jones, using his mixture of Wedge and Dave's voices.

Tactical analysis

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History
"Keep calm and carry it!"

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During the Great Voshkod-Aquilan War, most Alliance forces stationed in Aquila were transported to their home by conventional shipping. After the war, with the construction of the "Master Chronospheres", it was possible to get vitally needed material there in a fraction in the time, and for a while, it was believed that the problem of getting logistics to the front had been solved for good. However, in 1977 V.C., a Voshkod espionage force infiltrated one of these Master Chronospheres in Ironforge, shredding their punch cards and pulling the magnetic tape off their reels, disabling the whole facility as a result. This incident made the Alliance realize that the Master Chronospheres, for all the advantages they afforded, were far too vulnerable to be relied on.

Inspired by the rantings of an eccentric billionaire with OCD living on his private plane, Alliance Command decided to develop a more conventional way to transport their forces across the ocean of Ixena. After months of research and testing, the muscular CH-89 Nightingale Heavy Lift Crane Helicopter, better known as the Nightingale Carryall, was put into service. This helicopter could carry any vehicle in the Alliance arsenal at surprisingly high speeds and shocking levels of endurance. This was achieved by a magnetic crane, powerful turboshaft engines, and semi-rigid blades to provide extra stability. Getting the vehicle to the ground was another matter; currently parachutes are used.

Soon, Ironforge was mass-producing these helicopters to transport reinforcements across the oceans of Ixena (until they fell to the Voshkod for the 2nd time, at which point production had to be shifted), though most shipping was still done with cargo trawlers. Special containers for men and supplies were made that maximized the amount a Nightingale Carryall could carry, while larger vehicles were transported as they were to staging areas. The Nightingale Carryall also found use in a tactical sense, for it gave Alliance commanders the ability to carry any vehicle anywhere.

Footage of a Trident Battleship being hauled by a Nightingale Carryall out of the water has been deemed the work of hoaxers using models. Surely, not even this helicopter can carry that much weight!