Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Sputnik

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The Sputnik is the of the Socialist Union of Voshkod. This unit is planned to be voiced by

History
The Sputnik was the accidental brain-child of Sergei Korolyov, the so-called "Father of Space Technology". He designed the Sputnik 1 space probe, the first satellite in space, and the metaphorical pistol that started off the Space Race. Launching it on October 4, 1953, it was an immediate sign of Voshkod's will, and Korolyov shortly sent off Sputnik 2, an ungainly probe designed to carry the Garlean war bear Laika into orbit. This too was a success, and in 1955 the third of the Sputnik series was launched, a bold attempt to build a base-making probe from orbit. It was thought by all that this would be yet another success - if a bear could be successfully put in space, why not a base-maker?

Unfortunately, it was a failure. Due to mistaken calculations, the probe, packed to the seams with equipment and redundant versions of the equipment, was unable to breach the atmosphere, and instead almost reached it before falling to earth... And straight into the camp of one Slannimir Slaveli. Slaveli was also a doctor working for the Ministry but as a result of his daydreaming and fantastic stories of far away non-Voshkod lands he was sent to the remoteness of Siberia near the Katsuragi-Voshkod border - a faraway place where there was thought little of interest or needed information could be found - in order to monitor events there. Slaveli had for months been patiently requesting extra monitoring supplies so he could report back on the Japanese presence there, but his requests were apparently ignored until one day he crawled out of his tent and discovered a probe buried in the snow, apparently full of supplies he could use for his outpost!

By the time the Voshkods had found the probe's remains, Slaveli greeted them enthusiastically and told them everything about how he had converted the probe into a fully available outpost. The Katsuragi had long gone (having found him at the same time he found them, the two outposts had exchanged a round of sake and vodka while eagerly swapping stories of Voshkod and Katsuragi technology), but the Voshkods realized that the probe could be used for a slightly different purpose - setting up forward listening outposts for intelligence and forward bases. When World War 3 started, these probe designs were given a small set of wheels and a number of repair drones that serve to repair the Sputnik and surrounding buildings, and can also play out miniature battles for the driver when on a slow day, and sent out to wherever the Voshkods felt needed a good look-see. The pilots chosen to drive these simple but essential compact bases were from the Ministry's lower employees, young scientists and less-intelligent members who were eager to explore new lands and see the interesting parts of the world, all while transmitting vital information to the Voshkod cause. To this end, they remain cheerful, somewhat naive, and entirely too friendly for their own good - recent surveys indicate that 90% of the vodka non-Voshkod soldiers get come from bored, homesick, or sociable Sputnik drivers who are willing to exchange drinks for stories of far-off places or just a chat.