Commodore Helix
Disintegrations done dirt cheap.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a heavy armored tank for Helix Solutions
- Image Source: HyperionGM
- Canon Link: GAT
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Wookiepedia, GAT
- Manufacturer: Helix Solutions
- Affiliation: Helix Solution
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: KJK Banestrike
- Modularity: No
- Production: Limited
- Material: Durasteel, Impervium, Phrik, droid tank components
- Classification: Tank
- Role: Main Battle Tank
- Size: Large
- Weight: Very Heavy
- Armaments: High
- Defenses: Very High
- Deflector Shielding
- Impervium-Phrik Armor
- Maneuverability Rating: High
- Speed Rating: High
- Propulsion: Repulsorlift
- Minimum Crew: None
- Optimal Crew: None
- Passenger Capacity: None
- Cargo Capacity: None
- Piloted by integrated droid brain
- Quad-repulsorlift design allows for considerable speed and maneuverability
- Self-Destruct mechanism
- Destructive: The Banestrike carries few armaments, but all of them are among the mightiest Helix can manufacture, leading to a deceptively lightly-armed appearance.
- Spin on a Dime: The Banestrike is capable of moving in any direction without first having to turn, performing dodges and strafing maneuvers surprisingly quickly for such a large vehicle.
- Eccentric: The droids tend to become as murderously sadistic to their enemies as they are close to their counterpart tank, and if not watched closely can behave unpredictably.
The so-called Banestrike was designed out of a need for a true main battle tank, a heavier and deadlier vehicle than Helix's Nightcrawlers.
Built around a pair of long-barrelled phosphor drivers as their main weapon, backed up by a quartet of hidden, retractable missile pods, it didn't take long for this tank to earn a reputation as ugly as any Helix creation. It can run rings around most other vehicles it encounters, enjoying mobility more commonly associated with speeders or light tanks, while hammering them with its suite of anti-vehicle weaponry. Possessing something of a cruel streak, if the tank detects enemy infantry are armed with nothing capable of harming it, it has been known to forgo its ranged weaponry and simply ram them at full speed, splattering its hull in blood.
Standing around twice the height of an adult human male, it is fairly tall and wide for a main battle tank, but its size is misleading. The vehicle is deceptively quick and sprightly, able to handle tight corners with ease, dodge incoming fire, or perform on-a-dime spins with its array of repulsorlifts. Should it be struck by incoming fire, its heavy shielding and armor is sufficient to turn away most impacts.
Traditionally deployed in pairs, the droids tend to form something of a bond with their partner, each working in perfect, wordless synchronization. Should one be destroyed, however, the remaining droid will frequently go berserk, charging the offending enemy and activating its self-destruct protocols if its commander does not hastily rein it in, causing its internal reactor to go supercritical. Given as the droids' standard armament includes a pair of phosphor drivers and several stowed rockets for its launchers, the resultant explosion is truly a sight to behold, shaking the ground for kilometers around and producing a large, impressive blue mushroom cloud. Helix Command has so far been unable to discourage B1H units who witness the explosion from performing dramatic, prolonged salutes.
Like most Helix droids with such eccentricities, Helix Command tends to brush this quirk off, citing it as simply the result of giving droid troops greater intelligence. Still, the surviving droid is typically inconsolable, and most often requires a memory wipe to be restored to full combat functionality.
