Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Cardinal Slick

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The Cardinal Slick is the helicopter of the Alliance of Hawke. This unit is set to be voiced by Ian James Corlett

History
"Anyone who runs is an Encantadian! Anyone who doesn't run is a civilian, so pay attention!"

-Slick door gunner in Encantadia to new arrivals in-country

Encantadia is a dangerous place for Alliance forces operating there. Apart from the ever-present danger of a sudden and completely unexpected Encantadian ambush, there is also the problem of the thick and unfamiliar jungle. In such hostile terrain and with kilometers of jungle more often than not separating one battlefield from the next, the need for reliable transport becomes even more pressing. The Cardinal happened to fit the bill nicely.

Even in the harsh climate of Encantadia, which has already been the cause of countless mechanical breakdowns, warped rifle stocks, and endless other problems, the Cardinal's simple and reliable design works without too much trouble, whereas other larger and more complex helicopters would suffer from a multitude of maintenance issues.

Apart from its reliability and ease of maintenance, the Cardinal also has a number of other traits that put it above other helicopters. Presenting a smaller, speedier, more durable target than other helicopters, the Cardinal is correspondingly harder to hit, even if it is more likely to survive.

Its speed helps it in another respect; it helps the Cardinal to cross large distances quickly and deliver its passengers to wherever they are needed all the sooner.

Despite what the newsreels might show, the Canthans bear the brunt of the fighting in Encantadia. Of course, this isn't to say there is no Alliance involvement; indeed, the controversial decision to send Alliance forces to bolster forces in South-East Cantha has led to a massive influx of foreign troops. However, when the Encantadian start making too much noise, they risk drawing the attention of the most feared force in Encantadia, the elite Alliance Peacekeepers.

Task forces of Alliance Air Cavalry, armed with light machine guns, missile launchers, and shotguns, make deadly opponents in jungle warfare, particularly since the introduction of air-mobile armor support in the form of the Stewart tank. Key to their tactics is their use of the UNH-1R Cardinal Slick (as it is popularly known), a custom variant of the Cardinal helicopter, which provides the Vietnam theatre Peacekeepers with the mobility that they need to be able to quickly get to wherever they are needed the most.

Compared to the stock Cardinal variant, the Slick is superior in every way. Numerous modifications have been made to these helicopters, with more powerful engines, additional fuel tanks, stronger and lighter composites for the aircraft's fuselage, and so on, all of which enhance performance, increasing range, protection, top speed, and so on. Among the modifications, Cardinal Slicks possess electrical winches, which in combination with their improved engines let them carry light vehicles--like the Stewart--in addition to the standard 5 passengers.

Of course, the most noticeable modification of the Slick variant is its weapons; forgoing the standard spectrum target designators standard on Peacekeeper models and the machine gun of the Reservist variants, the Slick possesses not one but two MX-234 7.62mm miniguns, electrically powered monstrosities that can spit out thousands of rounds a minute each. These miniguns provide the Slick with enough firepower to utterly wreck lightly armored vehicles and shred infantry platoons and allow these helicopters to provide highly effective fire support for forces on the ground.

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