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LIGHTNING LEAGUE VEHICLES"Command acknowledged. Action being initiated."--Lightning League vehicles' battle computers |
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ARMED FORCE
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Armed Force is a powerful vehicle--initially
built for Audric to use, and later given to Jayce. This is
the vehicle that Jayce and Oon usually occupy on forays into
unknown worlds, or when forced to battle the Monster Minds.
Armed Force's primary feature is a large,
mechanical claw, which can be used to all sorts of interesting effects,
including vehicular acrobatics and flipping attacking Monster
Mind Troops on their ears. Other
weaponry and equipment includes a rocket-assisted winch, side
mounted guns, a high pressure water cannon mounted
in the nose, and a density decreaser which allows the vehicle to drive
through thick walls. The weapons and control systems can be operated
from either the front or back seat stations.
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DRILL SERGEANT
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A two-seater, this vehicle is often preferred by Gillian and Flora
when they must leave the ship. Drill Sergeant's
specialties are tunnelling and stealth, which are very useful
for both reconnaissance and escaping
a battle scene when necessary. It's main weapon is a powerful
"super drill" which allows it to move around freely underground, and
to get past obstacles like walls and small mountains without having
to go around.
Though the Lightning League weapons were designed to be easily
moved from one vehicle to another, Drill Sergeant's
weaponry usually includes a Mind Messer gun (for confusing the
oncoming Monster Mind troops), lasers, and a lift ray.
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SPIKE TRIKE
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This half-tracked vehicle seems to be Herc's favorite. Most often
he is seen driving either Spike Trike or Quick
Draw with the windows rolled down--maybe he likes the feel
of the wind in his hair. Spike Trike is a single
operator vehicle, and only has proper seats for one, though there is
room for someone small to ride beside or behind the drivers seat.
Because of the tracks in front, Trike can cover
rougher terrain than
the vehicles that rely on wheels alone. It's main feature is
a large, spiked wheel on a movable arm. This wheel can be used to
bash Monster Mind troops in battle, or to tear up the ground and
make it difficult for the Monster Minds to cross. Other weapons that
are often found amid Trike's arsenal are Skid Guns,
lasers, and a Liquid Oxygen gun.
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QUICK DRAW
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Quick Draw's main feature is it's heavy weaponry. It
has a fold-down shield on its roof that also flips open to reveal
a hidden gun. Quick Draw also has a small version of
Spike Trike's spiked wheel in front, on a shorter arm.
This weapon can be used to ram troops or to knock in walls.
Quick Draw seems to be primarily a one-seater, though at times
Gillian and Flora have been shown riding in this vehicle together,
so my guess is that it has a bench seat that can comfortably seat
two occupants side by side. But, unlike the specific two-seaters
such as Armed Force or Drill Sergeant, this
vehicle has only one set of controls. Weapons commonly found
on Quick Draw are lasers, Mind Messers, a Magnetizer ray,
and gravity increasers.
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TRAIL BLAZER
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Trail Blazer is the Lightning League's armored vehicle
and personnel carrier. It is large enough to carry at least three
of the smaller vehicles in its center hold, and has seating for at
least four in its control cockpit. Unlike the smaller combat vehicles,
Trail Blazer is a walker, and hence requires somewhat more
level ground for field operations. Though not often used in battle,
Trail Blazer is outfitted with laser cannons, mind messers,
and a spring loaded battering ram. Often, this vehicle's sheer bulk
and heavy armor are its most useful feature. It has been used to
block doorways and stall for time, and to block the entrance to
Drill Sergeant's escape tunnel... and if the Monster
Mind troopers can be caught off guard, Trail Blazer can
lower the bulk of it's body down suddenly and crush them.
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SPRAY GUNNER
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Spray Gunner is one of the two late additions to the
Lightning League vehicle roster. Gillian built this vehicle, along
with Fling Shot to meet combat needs he had not foreseen
when building the original five vehicles. Spray Gunner
is equipped with a high-pressure, high capacity nozzle which can
spray either liquid, gaseous, or gelatinous material. In addition to
this "spray gun" (and the tanks and pumps necessary to operate such
a tool, which probably make up the bulk of the vehicle's boxy
interior), the vehicle is outfitted with the usual range of
defensive weaponry.
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FLING SHOT
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Though Armed Force and the rest of the original Lightning
League vehicles support a wide range of weaponry, they are not
well suited to heavy artillery. Fling Shot was
built to fill this role. The disk-launcher/catapult on this vehicle
allows explosive photon disks and other projectiles to be fired at
long range. The vehicle is also protected by a double compliment of
armor. It can withstand more enemy fire
than any of the other Lightning League vehicles, yet is still small
and light enough to be maneuverable in battle.
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BATTLE BASE
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Battle Base was built by Gillian to be a mobile
base of operations. Its heavy-duty, tracked design allows it to
maneuver over all sorts
of terrain. It is well armored, and supports a wide range
of defensive weaponry --including a powerful, telescoping laser turret.
Battle Base also supports a wide array of communications
and long-range sensory equipment. Inside, there is a parking and
repair bay for the Lightning League vehicles and a sophisticated
command and control center. Battle Base can
interface with the systems
on the Pride of the Skies II, and usually serves
double duty as the ship's primary control bridge.
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THE PRIDE OF THE SKIES II
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This cantankerous, old space barge is the Lightning League's home
and sole means of interplanetary transport. The Pride of
the Skies II is
Herc's ship, and Herc is its pilot-extroadinaire. The ship is
prone to breakdowns and malfunctions, and sometimes it seems that
the only things to keep it flying are "tape and good intentions."
The Pride is equipped with a hyperdrive, a
highly maneuverable set of reaction control jets, an anti-gravity
lift system, and a set of solar sails for supplemental power. Gillian
has fortified the ship's outer hull with heavy armor plating.
Herc has added some special touches of his own,
including a powerful laser defense system and a set of mechanical
arms that allow him to hitch rides with larger, faster ships.
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SPACE SCOOTER
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The space scooter is a cross between a motorcycle and a hovercraft--
ideal for quick reconnaissance by air, or any other sort of activity
that requires more freedom of movement than a ground-based vehicle
can supply. It's unclear whether the space scooter is something that
Herc had aboard The Pride before he met the Lightning
League, or whether it was something that Jayce or Gillian possessed
before becoming the Lightning League. One thing
is certain: the space scooter is used quite often by Jayce,
Herc, and Gillian for a variety of purposes. It can maneuver in both
atmosphere and in the vacuum of space, and though it has a laser
mounted in the nose, its small size renders it unsuitable for
heavier weaponry.
One major drawback of the space scooter is
a lack of armor and shielding, which leaves the driver fully exposed
during battle. Perhaps for this reason, it is used mainly in
non-combat situations.
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EMERGENCY CRUISER
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The emergency cruiser is exactly what it sounds like-- a small,
maneuverable spacecraft that Herc keeps aboard The Pride
for emergencies. It is unclear whether this little cruiser possesses
hyperdrive capabilities (my guess would be that it doesn't, but that
is only a guess). The cruiser can, at the very
least, boost out
of a planetary gravity well, and seems best suited to maneuver in a
vacuum. Long booms can be attached to the sides of the cruiser,
for the transport of payloads too large or numerous to fit in the
interior. The cockpit has control stations for two, mounted in
a vertical fashion. Like the space scooter, Herc's emergency cruiser
seems to carry only laser guns as weaponry, and seems primarily
suited to non-combat operations.
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MOTOR MODULE
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Motor Module is a roving repair platform. Small and
maneuverable, it carries a compliment of tools, and probably whatever
spare parts might be necessary for a quick field repair. It doesn't
appear to have any weaponry, nor does it seem to have much armor.
Speed and maneuverability seem to be its best bets for crossing
battlefields in one piece. Smaller than the cumbersome Battle
Base, Motor Module can maneuver in more crowded terrain, but
its field repair capabilities are more useful for a temporary fix,
and are no substitute for the more sophisticated
repair bays on Battle Base or The Pride.
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SUPPLY CART
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The supply cart is a non-combative vehicle--basically a small
motorized cart or module with a trailer attached in back, for
cargo capacity. Its engine is probably not as powerful
as those on the vehicles which were designed for battle, and it
possesses no weaponry or armor. There is only seating for one
operator, and a small operator at that (since it seems sized almost
perfectly sized for Flora).
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(LL Vehicle page last updated: May 14, 1999)
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