Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Sand Scorpion

Note: It should be not confused with the Brotherhood vehicle of similar name

"Scorpion, ready to sting!"

-Scorpion leaving the Arms Dealer

The Sand Scorpion is the primary light tank of the Moonlight Liberation Army's armored forces. It is the fastest vehicle of its class, but has lighter armor and a weaker gun. This unit is planned to be voiced by Erica Lindbeck

Background
When Malfurion Stormrage came into power in the MLA he experimented with some different doctrine and design changes to the main army of the organization. He salvaged some old, obsolete Centurion tanks from the Voshkod-Aquilan War and attempted to modify them to fit MLA standards. Alas, for he was unsuccessful with fitting in the Centurion to MLA's arsenal, and instead opted for more makeshift designs in their iconic 'Scorpion' line of armored vehicles, ranging from simple armored cars to actual tanks with makeshift modifications. The most common one remains an old tracked farm tractor with souped-up armor and a small-caliber gun, that allows the Scorpion tanks to move and fire at a rapid pace. Guardian tank commanders mockingly nicknamed them 'armored rats' during the brush fire wars in the Southern savannahs. Scorpion tanks remain even today a common sight in any area with MLA presence but, in their stock form, they are unsuitable for direct tank-to-tank combat. This was amply demonstrated in Kalimdor when, during a well-publicized engagement, a division of Aquilan Abrams tanks took on an equally-sized division of Scorpions, and destroyed all the MLA tanks without suffering any losses.

History
"My horse was faster!"

-Sand Scorpion driver

When Malfurion Stormrage came into power in the MLA he experimented with some different doctrine and design changes to the main army of the organization. He salvaged some old, obsolete Centurion tanks from the Voshkod-Aquilan War and attempted to modify them to fit MLA standards. Alas, for he was unsuccessful with fitting in the Centurion to MLA's arsenal.

When International Inc brought out the Tropic Filter pack based on technologies first employed in the Southern Continent campaigns of WW2, they were bombarded with orders from Kalimdor. It was easy to see why; the oversized high-pressure intakes acted like superchargers for the Scorpion's engines, and the new flexible rubber connectors on the tracks gave the machine a larger footprint and much more traction over sand.

When combined with new torsion-bar suspension, heat-reflecting metallic paint, and solid cast return rollers, the so-called Sand Scorpion was faster than any other variant and completely immune to the harsh effects of Kalimdor.

Because of the focus on armored combat in the desert, the Sand Scorpion's Stinger cannon comes with a complimentary load-out of AP rounds. Based on anti-tank rockets, each of these rounds consists of a lead shell with a half-size, directed explosive payload, enhanced by a three-inch brass spike in the nose of the round.

When it strikes armor, the brass rod is driven back into the explosive, setting it off and driving the now-molten spike through enemy armor. This seriously enhances the performance of the 30mm gun against heavy armor while retaining the same size and tracking abilities that make it lethal against light vehicles, but the reduced explosive payload has made the weapon less effective in other areas, especially against infantry or structures.

Fortunately, a special limited-time offer provides a solution; the Eradicator 5000 high-impact rocket kit. This simple weapon rail bolts onto the turret of the Scorpion tank, carrying a 6-inch high-impact rocket fired by electric impulse. In addition to good armor-piercing capabilities, the large explosive within makes short work of nearly any target.

Unsurprisingly, a great many Sand Scorpions have ended up in MLA hands, purchased through proxies with oil money from the occupied fields or smuggled in by MLA-affiliated arms dealers. These tough little vehicles, with their great gas mileage and ability to cross any terrain with ease, are core to the MLA war effort, as they can easily run circles around Saudi parliamentary forces, striking hard with their light cannons and bolt-on rockets before fading into forests.

Of course, the Sand Scorpion is not without its weaknesses; in order to achieve such speed, armour inserts common to other Scorpion models have been left out. This makes them dangerously vulnerable to modern weapons from Guardian forces. This was amply demonstrated in Kalimdor when, during a well-publicized engagement, a division of Aquilan Abrams tanks took on an equally-sized division of Scorpions, and destroyed all the MLA tanks without suffering any losses.

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