Prettier than a main battle tank?

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Charzon returned to Ringo Vinda where the design teams assigned to development of a new vehicle have come up with a new use for the Sasori Joshu, which was capable of transforming dust, and other space debris, into other items that were necessities or otherwise much more useful than in their junk form. The chief developer of landspeeders at Ringovinda StarYards approached Charzon with the schematics on the holoviewer:

"Boss, you're prettier than a main battle tank. This main battle tank may prove to be useful for something other than war uses."

"Oh, Sasori makes the component that is at the heart of the main Ringovinda StarYards products: a molecular furnace that can vacuum debris, both on the ground and in space"

"This main battle tank will be able to hold its own against other main battle tanks."

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Because this new model of main battle tank was, simply put, designed to do more than just blasting away vehicle-sized targets and formations of infantry, the twin laser cannons were retracted before the design team could go out to the landfill to test their new design, with the cargo hopper in tow. Said landfill was abandoned for centuries and, over the centuries, proved popular for testing new devices that had the capability to process waste, or for small-scale weapons testing. She knew that the addition of the rear cargo hopper will make it last longer in a sanitation role.

"Hang on tight, boss, we're going into the landfill"

"With two laser cannons, stay clear of the barrels" Charzon shouted to the other people positioned on the roof of the tank.

The driver, who also was the commander of the tank, accelerated the tank as hard as it could. It was designed without a designated commander, and as such, the driver can command the tank, alongside the sweeper, who operated the sweeping systems, and that's all they needed in peacetime. But another of the engineers sat at the gunner station.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Activate the sanitation systems!"

On the road to the landfill, the opportunity was given to the to see whether the Sasori Joshu unit actually was able to clean a road as designed for. At the speed the tank was able to acheive, and the road being traveled on, all that the tank is picking up is dust and a few debris, because the road is not exactly heavily travelled. It took a while for the hopper to be filled at a noticeable level, but it ended up filling nonetheless. But as they get closer to the landfill, an unmanned, derelict swoop bike appeared to be on the sensor display. moving past them.

"Sensors are picking up an unmanned swoop bike, boss"

"Power down the sanitation systems"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

And not only the sanitation systems were de-powered, the repulsorlift was also depowered. The tank was aground and the gunner fires a shot at the unmanned, derelict swoop bike, which was moving towards the landfill. Once the twin laser beam is fired, the swoop bike tried to evade but the resulting laser beams landed in a mound of waste, with said waste causing the unmanned swoop to lose control. But the swoop is still only lightly damaged, primarily because the blast on the mound of waste was made of rather light objects.

"Fire at the swoop!"

"Weapons still charging... now!"

"That's slow, very slow... this thing may be able to fire about 10-12 rounds per minute at best, 6-8 if the sanitation systems are active. Our enemies will use their higher rates of fire against us - this tank is clearly designed to deliver high firepower in a short burst, not to continually fire at a rapid rate"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

The second shot of the dual laser cannons impacted the unmanned swoop more directly, destroying it in an explosion that can be seen for miles. Once the wreckage of the phantom swoop has been located, one of the engineers on the tank's roof carried a supply of mines not unlike those in use by various armies around the universe, and walks a certain distance before planting the mines into the gravel portion of the road. The manufacturer of the Sasori Joshu once said that the converters were never tested with live mines... here's our chance to conduct the first test! We'll see for ourselves if the ECM equipment onboard can deactivate mines, Charzon thought.

"Mines are in place, boss"

"Go ahead and activate the mine detector!"

"Mine detector activated"

"Excuse me, but what happens if mines are detected?" the driver asked.

"Electronic countermeasures would then activate... deactivating the mines"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Activate the sanitation systems!"

Charzon is nervous: as the prototype approaches the mini-minefield, the detector is blaring and all the occupants inside the tank are hearing a loud alarm being sounded. Now they are flying straight into the at a somewhat higher altitude, ca. six meters, and the tank is rocking in the air as it flies above the mines being detected by the system. Luckily the mines did not detonate, but... but there is something wrong with the vacuum system! There is nothing being vacuumed! The cargo hopper isn't filling up! If the mines were sucked into the sanitation systems... then they know the device will work on the battlefield.

"Sanitation systems active"

"Why are we not sucking up anything?" Charzon asked.

"It's possible we are too high above the ground for the sanitation systems to pick up the mines"

"Then let's try again at lower altitudes until the mines are absorbed!"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

At this time, the driver lowers the altitude to about five meters, and then makes a U-turn; the mine detector is no longer blaring but the ECM is still active. Once they are making the next pass for collecting the mines, the plastic cylinders are being sucked right out of the ground, alongside the cloud of dust being kicked by the action of the Sasori Joshu on the mines. And the hopper is instantly increasing in content volume as the mines are being processed in the system.

"Now, that takes care of the minesweeping capabilities, but how are we to test the armor?"

"Don't worry, boss, we already conducted the tests using a few examples of the very mines we used here, some common anti-vehicle projectiles, an old anti-tank gun and a rig that had the same armor layout as this prototype. That way we know what will happen to the armor if the repulsorlift is inoperative"

"How much did that rig cost?"

"What makes tanks expensive is not so much the armor, but all the systems you put into it"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Little did they know was that once the mine sweeping test completed, they had to make their way back to the town where the ground vehicles were tested and, if approval for mass production is given, manufactured. Now that the first test run is complete, they have to go back to the scrapper in town in order to sell the contents of the cargo hopper. Or so the engineering team thinks. But Charzon had another idea. Since the external hopper is filling up rather quickly, they will have plenty of material to make their test items.

"Let's test the sanitation systems' ability to craft made-to-order items from the contents of the craft! We're going to need multiple kinds of items; there may be a bug that may affect a certain type of items but that does not affect others"

"I'll start: a tourney of Ottegan mead, cold, please" the gunner said, having served his purpose.

"Please, I understand that this test has been successful, but operating such vehicles drunk is not a good idea. A DC-10 blaster rifle and a bayonet, please"

Charzon sees the weapon being materialized in front of her own eyes, complete with a bayonet socket and a bayonet that looks like the bayonets in use when the DC-10 went on the market, about a thousand years ago. They were rather slim, but they were much longer; plus the DC-10 had a wooden stock. But the scope is much like the scopes equipped on more modern sniper rifles.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

The chief engineer, now that he knows that the Sasori Joshu can create weapons, food and drink, tries his hand with something he thinks would be more appropriate for Charzon: clothing. He observed Charzon had a tendency to use her bodily attributes as charms in social settings and so he sought to provide an elegant dress from another world, one of those Chandrilan dresses perhaps. The end result is mostly white with yellow trim. Upon showing this to Charzon...

"This dress would make me look like an ARC clone commander without an helmet... a relic of the Clone Wars!"

"Even though you didn't like it that much, at least I know it worked in this capacity; it fits you down to size"

"Mint toothpaste" ordered the driver.

At the driver's command, a tube of toothpaste appears in front of him. Although he can't use the toothpaste just yet, at least he takes good care of himself using it. He keeps it in storage inside the tank until the vehicle arrives at the scrapper for sale of its contents. For nearly five tons of scrap metal, the team gets about 700 credits for that, as droids unload the cubes of scrap metal ready to be recycled and reused.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Upon returning to the compound where the tank was built and will, hopefully, soon be mass-produced, one of the engineers that was brought along for his expertise on land mines decided that a banquet would not be complete without food. Therefore he used what little he had left to make some food using the equipment onboard the tank. He knows that everyone involved will be hungry after a day at the landfill, testing a new main battle tank and back. After making a few pizzas at the main dining room of the grond facility, the gunner prepares the mead for everyone to drink. Before they could actually sit down and eat... Charzon wears that white dress the chief engineer of the project made for her.

"A toast to a successful first run of the Zamboni, the tank that can be used for minesweeping, sanitation as well as combat!"

"And also, to our boss, to whom I report directly, whom I find prettier than a main battle tank..."

"Come on, it's not the best way to put it, but I am prettier than a main battle tank after all! We already know that there are no major issues with the laser cannons being retracted or extended"