Cyclone

The cyclone was a fast terran assault vehicle developed by the Terran Dominion to keep personnel out of harm's way. Armed with twin Typhoon missile pods that could engage both air and ground threats, it featured a sophisticated lock-on system allowing it to concentrate fire on an enemy while staying in motion. Originally conceived as a robotic drone, the cyclone evolved over several iterations into a terran-piloted machine.

Design#

The cyclone was armed with twin Typhoon missile pods that engaged air and ground threats, and it featured a sophisticated lock-on system that allowed it to concentrate fire on an enemy while on the move. It rode on all-terrain treads, used a clutchless transmission, and carried an advanced target-acquisition array. Fast and mobile, it was intended as an early mechanical option for harassment and defense, functioning as a front-line anti-armor damage dealer that could harry enemies with hit-and-run tactics.

History#

To keep personnel out of harm's way, the Terran Dominion developed the cyclone as a mobile assault drone. It was originally designed as a robotic vehicle, but the cyclone evolved over several iterations to become a terran-piloted vehicle, a change driven by the creativity of human operators, which some would call insanity, that artificial intelligences could not match. Some variants piloted by an AI nonetheless remained in use by the Kel-Morian Combine.

During the Defenders of Man Insurgency, cyclones were present at both Sharpsburg and General Carolina Davis' compound on Vardona, where they were deployed in the effort to stop Nova Terra.

Variants#

Several terran factions reworked the cyclone for their own needs. The Dominion Special Forces extensively redesigned theirs for greater maneuverability, adding exposed treads that could cross difficult terrain and tight spaces more readily. Mira's Marauders modified their cyclones with extra armored plating and spikes, though their hasty engineering produced no actual improvement in the machines' ability to absorb damage. The Umojan Protectorate was able to copy the cyclone and incorporate it into its arsenal. The Knights of Tyrador used their cyclones for amusement-park displays, and during the Battle of Tyrador IX many were deployed armed with nothing but harmless fireworks.