Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Himmelhammer Van

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The Himmelhammer Van is the epic unit of Tratos, the legendary general of The Forgotten. This epic unit is planned to be voiced by *TBA*.

Tactical analysis

 * You Kids Stay Out of This: At first glance the Himmelhammer Van, also known as the "Mystery Machine", may appear non-threatening, harmless, or, thanks to its (extremely groovy) paint job; plain ridiculous. All is not what meets the eye, however; under the exterior of the Himmelhammer lies an array of advanced communication equipment used by Confederate commanders to control their forces and a mobile PAWI generator capable of concealing friendly troops in a sizable radius. The van itself is cloaked with another advanced PAWI generator that can keep it stealthed even when moving or even attacking its opponents.
 * Zikes!: Even with the communication equipment and the PAWI generators, there is still enough room for 4 Minutemen squads to shoot out of the firing ports (AKA windows) and a mortar launching Tiberium shells. Many enemies that have underestimated the Himmelhammer Van have been gunned down by precision fire, blown up by a flurry of rockets from inside the Van, or worse, crushed under its immense weight or choking on Tiberium dusts.
 * Relp! However, several very crucial weaknesses must also be taken into consideration. With the Himmelhammer ranked at the highest priority possible, being exposed and having only 1/4" steel plating standing between you and the projectiles from an entire army, recklessly attacking with the Van is generally not a good idea. Additionally, several larger vehicles can crush the Van, so care is needed while operating around them.
 * Like, Wow!: Himmelhammer Van crews, with enough time, tend to upgrade their Van with a Tiberium engine, making it extremely fast, and communications equipment to help coordinate attacks to forces around them.

History
"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling vans!"

-Alliance Mirage Tank Commander after his attack was foiled.

The Himmelhammer Van has had a unique history, going through many stages before the vehicle it has become today. Originally designed in Ironforge as a supply carrier during the GVAW, it was quickly noted for its efficiency and adapted to various roles. Initially, the vans were repurposed for surveillance, used to spy on the enemy and provide valuable information. As the war went on, however, the Voshkod became wise to this use, and so the Himmelhammer had its surveillance equipment swapped for communication arrays, in order to give battlefield orders to soldiers in the field.

This was found to be a better use for the Himmelhammer; sturdy, relatively fast, and reliable, the Van was immensely useful for Alliance tactics. Alas, this too did not last; the Voshkod, soon realizing the further increased importance of these Vans, targeted them first, and disrupted communications and battlefield command. Even the addition of a newly developed "GAP generator" was not enough to protect the Van. It has been said that this vehicle was behind the massive advances in communication technology, in order to overcome its weakness.

The Himmelhammer was made obsolete by these advances. No longer necessary for communication, they were again relegated to supply duty. However, near the end of the war, groups of soldiers often modified the Himmelhammer into emergency transports. The Himmelhammer fitted this role well, and the addition of firing slits made it even more effective. However, it was not considered as effective as other transports in the Alliance arsenal, and so even this role did not see a mass resurgence of the Himmelhammer. Shortly after production stopped completely, the war ended. Without a battle, the Himmelhammer had little purpose, and so was stored in scrapyards across Calpheon.

The period after the war saw a large amount of construction required to repair Ironforge. Thus, for the next five years, the Himmelhammer was used again, this time to transport building materials. Once the construction had finished, the Himmelhammers had served their purpose; many of them were auctioned off to support the funds Ironforge still required. Prohibitively expensive, however, few were bought, and so Dwarves salvaged any useful parts from the vans and sold them separately, and sold the gutted van as a cheap vehicle.

These vans became surprisingly popular not in the Hawkes, but in Embry. The growing "hippie" culture took them up in the dozens; they fitted this group perfectly. Cheap, reliable, salvaged, and with room enough to live in if you wish, there could be fewer better alternatives. The new owners of the vans painted them in bright and psychedelic colors and outfitted them with decorations, which earned these Vans the nickname of "Mystery Machines", as you never knew what an individual van would look like. When the Minutemen rose up, the owners of these vans pledged their support against the "war-mongering" Aquilans, and the Minutemen took notice.

Replacing the obsolete remains of the GAP generator with a more effective PAWI field, salvaging the rusted communications equipment, and adding more internal armor, the "modern" Himmelhammer was soon in action by the Forgotten. Able to cloak huge areas, hold many soldiers who fire through firing slits, and able to masquerade as "another van of damn hippies" between battles, the Himmelhammer continues its proud legacy as a tried and tested battle vehicle; ironically in a manner of "revenge" against those who left it to rust.