Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a heavy firepower vehicle for the Directorate and Silver Jedi
- Image Source: Spartan Game's Desolator-class Battle Crawler
- Canon Link: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi, Closed-Market
- Model: Gharzr-class Battle Crawler
- Modularity: ammunition, MAST turret configurations
Production: Mass-Produced.
- Classification: Heavy Crawler
- Role: Very Heavy Tank
- Size: Very Large
- Weight: Very Heavy
- Minimum Crew: 1 (Driver)
- Optimal Crew: 9 (Driver, Commander, Sensor/Comm Operator, 6 Gunners)
- Propulsion: Tracks
- Speed: Slow
- Maneuverability: Low
- Armaments: Very High
1 Angon-class Hypervelocity Cannon - 1 Coaxial Firestorm-class Plasma Turbolaser
- 2 Retractable Reaper Mag Cannons
- 1 Vertical Launch Plumbata Defensive Battery
[*]Defenses: High
- Aegis II Anti-Concussion Field Generator
- HU-OC Deflector Shield Generator
- MAST Turret
- Beskar Frame
- Argentum-series Matrix Armor Plating
[*]Squadron Count: Very Low
[*]Passenger Capacity: None
[*]Cargo Capacity: Small
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Environmentally Sealed
- Omniprobe Sensor
Strengths:
- High Firepower: The Gharzr-class Battle Crawler is very well armed, sporting several weapons commonly found on capital ships. The foremost of these is a cut-down hypervelocity cannon, which can often make short work of heavy walkers, main battle tanks, and fortified positions.
- Heavy Defenses: The Gharzr sports resilient shielding technologies and thick armor plating, which allows it the opportunity to better endure enemy attacks
- Low Performance Vehicle: The Gharzr is fairly slow and unmaneuverable even for a vehicle of its size.
- Large and Heavy: The Gharzr is fairly large for its size. This presents several logistical problems for transporting them from different places to places (such as on dropships) but it also limits their practical deployment because of their weight and size.
Seeing increasingly large vehicles being employed on the battlefield, Admiral Quee directed Lucerne Labs to develop a very heavy tank based on their Phobos Heavy Crawler using already existing components as a temporary stop-gap measure until a more dedicated vehicle could be devised. While an obvious product of expedience, the resulting Gharzr sports impressive amounts of firepower and staying power that makes it a fine vanguard vehicle for direct frontal assaults against heavily armed and well defended enemies. Gharzrs often find themselves as the core of armored groups, using their impressive firepower and defenses to batter back foes while smaller friendly vehicles can protect its flanks.
Technical Explanations
Crew & Internal Layout: The Gharzr can be driven by one person in an emergency, but it is usually operated by a crew of seven: a driver, a commander, a sensor/communication's system operator, and four gunners. All of their positions are located deep in one compartment that sits underneath the crawler's heavy particle cannon turret. This depth generally protects the crew from all but the harshest attacks and allows other crewmembers to quickly take over their stations if they are somehow injured or incapacitated. Each crewmember is cross-trained to run other station in the event of an emergency. The outer doors are composed of the same thick armor that covers most of the hull, while the second set is lightly armored, and acts as a failsafe to maintain the vehicle's sealed atmosphere in case the first door takes a direct hit.
Drive & Power Systems: The Gharzr moves about on four separate continuous tracks which use overlapping road wheels. Each track is powered by a separate hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell engine derived from the Lab's previous Myrmidon-class APC. This drive system provides the Gharzr with a robust drive system that is capable of navigating through many terrains, though it is not as fast nor as capable of maneuvering around objects as many repulsorlift vehicles. The tradeoff is that the Gharzr's drive system is more resistant to electromagnetic fluctuations, making it more resistant to EMP attacks and allowing it to work on worlds with unusual magnetic fields, such as Jabiim. The vehicle uses a quartet of AH-50 disposable high intensity power cell to power its other systems.
Defensive Systems: The Gharzr most basic defense its reinforced beskar frame, which is then covered in layers of Argentum Matrix Armor plating that is carefully designed to act as sloped armor. Thus the actual arrangement of plates combined with its frame is designed to resist kinetic weaponry, while the plating composition itself is designed to resist a wider variety of attack ttypes. This protection is then supplemented by HU-OC deflector shield generator, a slow-charging by highly durable deflector shield system. The "overcharging" system drains power from the vehicle's Hypervelocity cannon and/or plasma turbolaser, and thus is mostly used to provide extra protection to the vehicle when that weapon is not in use. The Gharzr also sports the revised Aegis II Anti-Concussion Field Generator for protection against physical threats, which has dedicated power source for low-power at all times, though like the HU-OC, power must be drained from the vehicle's primary weapons to keep it full-powered at its most potent state. Most Gharzr Crawlers are covered in camouflage patterns appropriate for the environment in which they are (or will be) deployed. Given their large size, however, these are generally only useful in concealing them from casual observation when sitting still or from great distances. The Gharzr also sports a MAST turret mounted on its main turret. This is typically outfitted with a sensor jammer or directional particle shield, providing the Gharzr with a more active means of defense.
Offensive Systems: Guided by an Omniprobe Sensor similar to that found on the Heavy Tracker, the Gharzr's primary weapon is a cutdown Angon-class Hypervelocity Cannon, which provides the Gharzr with a weapon of exceptional power and range. Not only can a single hit from this weapon destroy many vehicles in a single shot, but it provides access to a variety of damage types. Perhaps just as importantly, it provides the Gharzr with its prime means of indirect firepower. Unfortunately, the weapon's colossal size means that its tracking capability is fairly poor against small or moving targets. Additionally, the size of each munition is quite large, meaning that it only carries several dozen shots at a time. Because of these limitations, the Gharzr actually primarily relies on a coaxial-mounted Firestorm Plasma Turbolaser, which provides the Gharzr with a better close-quarters weapon because of is greater tracking and store of ammunition. The Firestorm is best employed against larger vehicles like enemy tanks or low-flying aircraft, though it can be employed effectively against clustered groups of smaller enemies. For point-defense, the Gharzr carries a retractable Reaper Mag Cannon on either side of the of the front outrigger treads. These weapons typically are used to mow down infantry, light vehicles, and inbound ordinances on direct paths towards the vehicle. For more distant defense, the Gharzr has a Plumbata Defense Battery mounted on the rear of its turret, allowing it to fire up to eight projectiles during an engagement. These are typically warheads for use against enemy aircraft, but EMP probes are another favorite, especially as a means of auxiliary protection for nearby friendly units against technologically savvy opponents.
