And the Army goes rolling along...

[Salmakk]

[SIZE=10.5pt]453rd Legion Training Grounds, Taanab[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Salmakk strolled down the stone walkway, gazing up at the miracleously blue skies overhead. Not a single cloud obscured the glowing orb of Taanab’s sun. He sighed. It’d be nice to have some cloud cover or something to make this place more moist. The mon calamari’s eyes darted to his right to a catch a glimmer of sparkling water, suddenly realizing that there was an river that crawled around those the dense grasslands that made up this legion’s training ground. But how come I can’t feel that humidity? He spared a glance at the armored man next to him, the marine turned his helmet to face him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Is something the matter sir?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Ah…well…how much further is this place, sergeant?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“We’re almost there,” remarked the man, looking straightforward.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]They waded through another field of wavering grasses before breaking through a cluster of Diou trees whose leaves were just beginning to fade and fall. He suddenly realized that the grove was not just a grove, but rather a full-scale encampment of a legion on training exercises. Perfectly camouflaged tents, complete with foliage webbing, sprouted underneath the branches of the trees. The engineer blinked as a Myrmidon rolled past him to ferry troops to a nearby firing range. The marine slapped him on the shoulder and pointed to nearby point.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Master Chief Vereen is right over there sir.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Ah, thanks sergeant.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]With that, the engineer wandered over to meet with the Master Chief [member="Draco Vereen"].[/SIZE]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The 453rd was a good bunch of lads, working hard. I was here, training a batch of new recruits and often when I trained soldiers I found myself doing the exercises and training regimes alongside them. Kept morale up, let me give that whole 'I won't ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself' speech, and kept me in top physical condition. This was a rare exception. While the platoon was out running, I was back here, in fatigues, awaiting the arrival of the representative of Lucerne Labs. The company was good times, at least as far as I was concerned and I hand worked beside them several times representing ArmaTech Combat Systems. This time however I was representing the Galactic Republic Military, more specifically the 453rd. The manifest wasn't looking so hot, and the quartermaster had reached out to Lucerne to freshen it up a little bit. We already made use of their Myrmidons, and I am sure we could find a use for whatever else they have for us to do so. Luckily with years of constant fighting and a massive war against the Sith going on, we did not live in the age of military budget cuts or survival of the lowest bidder.

The Mon Calamari engineer wandered across the makeshift barracks for Echo Company, and i spotted him early in his short trek. I waved him over and when he approached stuck out my hand, "Good to see you again [member="Salmakk"] . Its been a while since we worked together on anything." I said to him, "Why don't we take this to my office," I said gesturing to the tent behind me. It doubled as my sleeping quarters for now, but it would serve its purpose with a desk and three chairs arranged in it.

 

[Salmakk]

I would not make it here in the 453rd...too arid. The mon calamari diligently shuffled in behind [member="Draco Vereen"] into the man's quarters. Salmakk had often found himself in Republic military installations, the nature of his work with the Republic military, but this time was truly the first time he had been out to a field camp. It had none of the luxuries he had encountered on the government's starships, but the again, perhaps the army had comforts of its own: open space, fresh air, and not having to worry about being stranded out in the middle of outer space, and a daily exposure to a native culture. The tent seemed somewhat more humid to him, but perhaps that was because the tent walls helped keep the moisture in.

Salmakk kept his eyes on [member="Draco Vereen"], not wanting to delve too much into the man's privacy of his home, as temporary as it was. The few people from Taanab he had met on his journey here had been rather proper, and Salmakk was keen not to offend his host.

"How is your day going so far, Master Chief?" started Salmakk.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

As we entered the tent the Mon calamari asked me about my day. I would love to tell him its hell going through basic training and I tend to attempt it over whenever I train new recruits, but he didn't need to hear me complain, he might accidentally tell someone. "Please make yourself as comfortable as you can," I said to the Mon Calamari as we entered, motioning to the chairs. I walked behind the desk and handed him a bottle of fresh water. I knew being an aquatic species the arid conditions and temperate climate was probably getting to him. I sat down and started shuffling through paperwork and datapads that lay on it, looking for what exactly this meeting had been called for. I knew it had something to do with Lucerne, but beyond that it had escaped me with everything else going on, especially training those recruits. "Its been a good day, keeping the greenhorns under pressure and working them hard as I can. But if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is this meeting about. I know we are planning on contracting Lucerne to assist in the armory manifest, but I can't seem to find which pieces we were shopping for?" I asked the alien in front of me.

[member="Salmakk"]

 

[Salmakk]

Salmakk pulled out his datapad and tapped a button on it. The machine began to whine loudly before its built-in holo-projector began to produce a hazy image. The resolution was not quite as good as a normal, non-portable holo-projector, but the outline was clear enough for both of them to recognize: a LLV-2 Baldr-class Assault Gun. While the Republic had several tank designs in service, it had not managed to get a modern artillery piece built until now, with the introduction of Baldr and the competing HAT walker. Though in a sense, the two vehicles were very different.

"The Baldr-class Assault Gun," said Salmakk, "I actually have an example back at the local landing pad. It is to be a demonstration and training vehicle for the 453rd before the main batch arrives, assuming the example i brought with me today meets to your approval, Master Chief. Would you like to go back to the freighter to take it for a spin?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Ah, the mobile artillery platform I had looked over a couple of times. It was a good design, capable and efficient, not unlike the Myrmidon we already used here on Taanab, and not especially over complicated in its design. The Baldr-class featured a decent primary weapon and had anti-missile capabilities, something I was hoping to make more of a standard in conjunction with other vehicles. "Well that sounds like a good plan, I could use the exercise out to the landing pad and we can drive the thing over to the test field were we have been training our tank crews." I Stood up from the desk, walking across the tent, "But I would like to hear about it some. What is the primary weapon it features, and what are its minimum and maximum ranges?" I asked the mon calamari, "Assuming it isn't classified." I finished, intending to walk and talk about the vehicle. It was an interesting design, and we sorely needed more artillery. With the Skocha were were set with heavy armor, but it was too limited to field in vast numbers, and the aging Reliant had never been up to the bar set by its bigger, better, brother.

[member="Salmakk"]

 

[Salmakk]

Salmakk glanced briefly at the [member="Draco Vereen"]'s rank insignia as they walked out of the tent, "Information on has not been really advertised, lest the Republic's enemies understand its abilities too well, but with your rank, I am certain that I can trust you with knowledge of its abilities.

The main weapon is a 155mm howitzer, a weapon designed to be able to fire at both low angles of attack for direct fire usage, or to have its gun elevated to a relatively high degree angle, allowing it to perform indirect artillery strikes at objects shielded from direct fire by physical objects such as a wall or a hill. The standard ammunition for the weapon is usually a simple high explosive depending on what's locally available, often using a proton core. But the weapon can fire ammunition from any manufacturer. I heard that someone was thinking of making an armor piercing round in that caliber, which might make it useful as an ambushing tank destroyer if true.

Maximum range of the weapon is typically around 20 kilometers on a standard gravity world, but obviously that will vary depending on the exact conditions it is deployed in. Minimum range varies somewhat depending on what you're trying to do, though theoretically, you could fire it at point-blank range if you're desperate. If you're employing it as a direct fire weapon against a mass of people for example, I wouldn't want to fire it at any closer than 300 hundred meters if possible, to minimize any damage to the vehicle from the shrapnel such an explosion could produce."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I listened to the Mon Cal engineer as he spoke, leading him through the path in the forest back to the landing pad he had arrived from. The vehicle had almost four times the range as our current main battle tanks and our forces could desparately use some assistance in that field, nonetheless the Baldr was being made out to be an impressive piece of engineering. As we approached the landing pad the Mon cal concluded his speech, having detailed the weapon's capabilities fairly well, well enough for me as it was. "I like the sound of it, but nothing lets you know how something works like testing it out yourself." I said to him looking over the vehicle the mon cal had brought with him. "Woo-wee, she's a beaut isn't she." I said, inspecting it. I didn't really wait for the mon cal to tell me about it any more before climbing on top of the vehicle. From the roof of the vehicle I could clearly see the anti-missile octet and the unturretted howitzer [member="Salmakk"] had spoken about. "Well, what do you say we load up and get this rig rolling?" I asked the mon calamari from atop the vehicle.

 

[Salmakk]

Salmakk bobbed his head in understanding. He couldn't fault the man from climbing around the vehicle. If he was going to be responsible for buying something, he too would likely want to check out all of the specifics and test drive. Salmakk dropped his hand into one of his loose pockets and pulled out a mechanical key. Gingerly, he handed it off to [member="Draco Vereen"].

"A bit old-fashioned, some of them say," said Salmakk, "but sometimes it just works. I'm told the controls aren't too different from the Reliant, but I have very little experience in driving anything like this..."

The mon calamari opened up one of the rear cabin hatches and clambered into the vehicle. If he thought that starships were cramped, armored vehicles tended to even be more cramped. But then again, the smaller something was, typically the harder it was to get hit by something.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I took the key and gave it a quick look over. When the mon cal opened up one of the rear hatches I stood up to my full height atop the sleek artillery vehicle and whistled loudly. Sure enough several soldiers looked in our direction to see what was needed. "Two of you get over here and help me test this thing. I need a loader and a gunner." I called to them, and two of the 453rd hustled over to the vehicle, climbing aboard with simple 'Right away sir's as acknowledgement. I dropped into the driver's chair a few seconds later and the two marines settled into the back of the vehicle with the mon cal, one on either side of the gun. I did a quick look over the controls and then stuck the key into the ignition, hearing the engine roar to life.

"Alright, lets head on over to the tank fields." I called to the makeshift crew. "Breach empty till we get there." Just to be safe. Most marines weren't stupid, but it was better to tell them not to load a slug into the gun before we got there. A quick trip out of the encampment brought us to a large field with a small vehicle obstacle course set up on it. I used the vehicle to go through the course real fast, nothing to fancy, just got it up to maximum speed, took it over one ramp, and tested its ground clearance, without endangering the vehicle too much or the crew inside. I took the vehicle to the edge of the field. "Alright put a few rounds into that hillside." I ordered the marines and seconds later a massive boom erupted from the gun and smoke and dirt erupted from the hillside. Fore about ten rounds the marines continued firing the large gun, testing its capabilities as best as the knew how.

"I like it. Does what it is supposed to and seems to drive fine. I think we can sign up for a steady shipment of these Baldr-class. How's that sound to you?" I asked [member="Salmakk"] .

 

[Salmakk]

Far off in the design lab, the Baldr had seemed like such a small, docile thing to Salmakk compared to the starships they typically worked on. In terms of the power each unit consume, it took several Baldrs to get up to the power consumption level used by the smallest of Lucerne Lab's starfighters. Yet while he was inside the cabin of the assault gun, it seemed to be an entirely different experience. The vehicle's hull shuddered as the howitzer fired, despite the recoil-soaking mechanism that he and Azira had designed. He could only appreciate the soldiers's jobs more now, nor did he want to stay in the vehicle much longer. Perhaps if he frequently spent time in such vehicles, it would be okay, but compared to a normal office space, it was entirely too claustrophobic. He eagerly nodded as [member="Draco Vereen"] offered to sign the papers.

"That would be excellent," said the mon calamari, gingerly handing over his datapad for the Master Chief's signature.