Monthly Archives: March 2019

Scorpion-class Landing Boat gallery

Gallery
Early illustration from July 2024 edition of Defense Update.

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Original artwork by: Tatsunoko Production Company

Content by Tim Wing

Copyright © 2019 Tim Wing

Scorpion-class Landing Boat

Platforms

Scorpion-class Landing Boat

by Tim Wing

Attachments:

  • Scorpion-class reference file
  • Scorpion-class gallery

The Scorpion-class is in a class all by its self, quite literally. This ship was the Invid Regent’s personal landing craft throughout much of his campaign against the Tirolean Mercantile Empire. This ship had limited troop-carrying ability but sported massive offensive weapons systems and lavish crew accommodations for the Regent and his entourage.

  • Designation: Scorpion-class Landing Boat
  • Builders: Unknown Invid Shipyard
  • Operators: Regent’s faction of the Invid race
  • Subclasses: None            
  • Cost: Unknown
  • In commission: Circa 2000 through February 2044
  • Completed: 1
  • Lost: 1

Design Notes:

This publication will refrain from belaboring the fact that the Scorpion-class was by all measures a ridiculous design. The ship’s unique external appearance was most likely down to the Regent’s vanity and desire to have a personal ship which projected an image of terrible power. In this regard, the design was completely successful. First hand accounts from civilians who were present during the Invid Invasion of Tirol bear witness to the sense of fear and dread that the Scorpion-class’s appearance instilled. So, while this configuration was certainly not ideal from a practical perspective, it did succeed in what was possibly its true design intent.

Unconventional looks aside, the ship also had some questionable design elements. For example, all of its propulsion and maneuvering thrusters were arrayed on the ventral surface. No Vernier thrusters were ever observed to be present on its horizontal or dorsal surfaces. It is speculated that the ships attitude was controlled by two large internal flywheels which could adjust the ships orientation via centrifugal force.   

Unlike other Invid capital ships, the Scorpion-class had a formidable weapon fit. It boasted three heavy lasers which could threaten most United Earth Expeditionary Force (UEEF) capital ships of the period. Like all Invid capital ships, the Scorpion-class lacked effective point defense systems, relying on its mecha compliment for this task.

History:

The Scorpion-class was utilized exclusively by the Regent for his personal landing-ship. Constructed sometime in the first decade of the 21st century, the Scorpion-class served during the Invid conquest of the Tiresian Mercantile Empire’s local group of systems. The Scorpion-class did not engage much direct combat during this conquest, rather it was used by the Regent to transport him and his entourage to the surface of newly captured planets. When not being used in this capacity, the ship would typically be birthed in either a mobile hive or a Tridacna-class command ship. This ship was destroyed in February 2044 above Optera by UES Icarus, under the command of the renegade General T. R. Edwards. Admiral Breetai Kridanik, who was leading a boarding party in an attempt to kill or capture the Invid Regent, was killed in action during this event. 

Names and disposition:

  • Destroyed in orbit around Optera, 2044

Ship’s Complement:

  • Ship’s crew: 6 stage four Invid.
  • Troops: Varies, up to 360 Invid pilots of appropriate stages for their mecha.
  • Life support limits are for a full combat complement and about 200 supernumeraries.

Dimensions:

Length: 150 meters over all, with “tails” in the forward-facing position

  • Height: 44.2 meters
  • Width: 54.9 meters hull only, 73.1 meters overall
  • Mass: 100,000 metric tons, operational (typical)

Propulsion Systems:

  • Main Power: Protoculture system, details unknown..
  • Main Thruster:  1 x located on the center-ventral surface of the craft. Power unknown at this writing.
  • Secondary Thrusters: 8 x located on the ventral surface of the craft. Power unknown at this writing.
  • Maneuvering Thrusters: 9 x large maneuvering jets on the ventral surface of the craft. Power unknown at this writing. The peculiarity of the fact that all this craft’s thrusters are located on the ventral side. No maneuvering jets have been observed on the upper surfaces. It is speculated that the craft used a pair of large rotating flywheels to adjust attitude.
  • Anti-gravity System: 6 x anti-gravity nodes located between each “leg”. Propulsive power unknown at this writing.
  • Fold System: Standard, capabilities unknown.

Weapon Systems:

  • 1 x Anti-Ship Laser Weapon System (Main Laser); located in the “snout” of the craft. Output unknown, judged to be enough to hazard medium sized Terran capital ships, but not powerful enough to damage larger Zentraedi capital ships.  
  • 2 x Heavy Laser Weapons Systems (Weapon Heads); one located inside the left and right “heads”. In order to fire, the “mouth” opens, exposing the laser aperture. Output unknown, speculated to be similar (3000 MJ) to the Vickers MP-18 particle gun turret mounted on UEEF capital ships such as the Ikazuchi-class. 
  • 4 x Anti-Mecha Lasers (Eye Lasers); located in the left and right “heads”. Output unknown. Observed to be sufficient for scoring critical damage on Zentraedi Reguld Battlepods, but ineffective against heavier armored targets such as Terran Destroids. Field of fire is limited by both the 30-degree traverse of the “heads” and the aperture’s traverse ranging from 0 degrees straight ahead through 90 degree to the side. Elevation is limited to 45 degrees above horizontal and 20 degrees below. This left the craft highly vulnerable to attacks from above, below, and rear. Consequently, the craft required a large contingent of dedicated mecha to protect it from aerospace fighters and anti-spaceship missiles. It must be noted that the “eyes” on the “snout” were sensor clusters, not additional lasers as was previously reported in earlier publications.

Electronics Systems:

Full spectrum scanners, active and passive. Protoculture sensors, range in excess of 15 kilometers. It must be noted that in previous publications, the craft’s left and right tail arrays were speculated to have been point defense weapons systems. Though this would have made sense, as they would have provided coverage for the Scorpion-class’s prodigious blind spots, this was later shown to be not the case. It is currently thought that they were either passive Protoculture emissions receivers or that they were a super dimensional space communications array. 

The Scorpion-class was equipped with an integrated bio-computer command and control system, or “Invid Brain” as they are colloquially known. This bio-computer served as the central command and control nod for the Regent’s battle-group. It was capable of real time control of Invid drones and could communicate directly with Invid pilots. 

Air Group and Mecha Complement:

Estimates on total complement range up to 528 Invid mecha of various types. This could be accomplished since the Invid mecha did not have the need for ground handling and repair facilities or crew accommodation, since the pilots never actually left their mecha. Consequently, mecha would be stored in tight formation without room for accessibility.

Unlike the Mollusk-class, the Scorpion-class had no ability to quickly launch mecha via large bay doors. Rather, a single crew access ramp provided an ingress and egress point for all mech and crew.

Furthermore, it is suspected that the Scorpion-class rarely carried more than a skeleton compliment of mecha for self-defense. Most of the ship’s interior volume was more likely dedicated to living quarters for the Invid Regent.  

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Original artwork by: Tatsunoko Production Company

Content by Tim Wing

Copyright © 2019 Tim Wing

GLOBAL SUMMARY, Circa 2028

Uncategorized

GLOBAL SUMMARY, Circa 2028

Adapted from the 1st edition Robotech RPG Book Two RDF Manual by Kevin Siembieda

The Sectors

The United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) split the world into Operational Sectors. These sectors did not quite conform to geographical continents but were rather for the purpose of dividing the planet into Areas of Responsibility for UEDF’s six Army Commands.

  1. The North American Sector – Included Canada and the United States. Non-aligned states included Quebec, the York Barony and the Arkansas Protectorate. Scattered communities with major industrial clusters.
  2. The South American Sector – Mostly jungle with pockets of civilization. It is believed to have the greatest concentration of Zentraedi in the world. Included the Venezuelan Territorial Sector, Brazil, West Brazil, The Highlands, Upper Argentine, the Argentine Territorial Sector, the Mexican Territorial Sector and the Central American Territorial Sector. Also included the Western Hemisphere’s lone Eastern Block Soviet Independent State (EBSIS) of the Republic of Cuba and the non-aligned state of the Merchant Republic.
  3. Northern European Sector – Included Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom and the Western European Union. EBSIS member states included the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Albania, Yugoslavia and the People’s Republic of Greece. Non-aligned states included Andorra and Republic of Ireland. The white areas on the map represent habitable areas, the black is wasteland.
  4. Africa Sector – Encompassed the huge territories of Africa and Central Asia. Most unpopulated, a combination of desert and jungle. Included Turkey, the Saudi Peninsula Territorial Sector, the North Africa Territorial Sector, the Economic Community of West Africa, Sierra Leon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, the Sub-Saharan Territorial Sector, the Economic Community of Central Africa, the East African Community, Angola, Zambia, the South African Customs Union, the South African Territorial Sector and the Madagascar Territorial Sector. EBSIS member states included Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Benin, the People’s Republic of the Congo, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, the Saudi People’s Republic, Iran, Afghanistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the East Asian Soviet Protectorate (China). Non-aligned states included the Islamic Republic, the Ethiopian Freeholding and the Empire of Greater Zimbabwe.
  5. The Far East Sector – Consisted solely of Japan. This was the most populated and technologically advanced sector in the world. The Robotech Research Center was in New Tokyo.
  6. The Eastern Sector – Included Indochina Territorial Sector, Indonesian Territorial Sector, Australia and New Zealand. Also included the non-Soviet controlled portion of the People’s Republic of China.

The Major Quadrants and Highlights

A. SX Point 83, site of the UES Macross, and UEDF headquarters at nearby Monument City, Ontario, Canada.

B. Quebec: Non-aligned nation.

C. Arkansas Protectorate: Self-governing Zentraedi state, under the protection of the UEG.

D. Mexico Territorial Sector: Widely populated Federally Administrated Territory of the UEG.

E. Venezuelan Territorial Sector: Federally Administrated Territory of the UEG. Modest population.

F. Former Zentraedi Control Zone: Widely populated by hostile Zentraedi in the post war period and site of the Malcontent Uprisings. Administrated by Brazil. Dense jungle terrain.

G. Brazil: Most populous South American state with major industrial, facilities and UEDF bases.

H. Upper Argentine and the Argentine Territorial Sector: Widely populated with several UEDF bases, was the hub of Zentraedi Control Zone operations.

I. Scandinavia Quadrant: Includes Norway, Sweden and Finland. Most widely populated region of the UEG. Largely untouched by the Zentraedi attack at the end of the First Robotech War. Industry and technology levels remained at the pre-war levels. Norway was the site of a major UEDF base.

J. Eastern Bloc Soviet Independent State: Included the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland and the rest of the Warsaw Pact, as well as Communist States in Central Asia and Africa. Black areas represent wastelands.

K. Economic Community of Central Africa: One of several UEG African Customs Unions. Second largest center of hostile Zentraedi activity during the post-war period. Mostly jungle.

L. India Territorial Sector: Highly impoverished Federally Administrated Territory of the UEG. Site of Zentraedi activity in the post-war period.

M. East Asian Soviet Protectorate (also known as the Manchurian Quadrant): EBSIS occupied China. Government was a Soviet installed monarchy. A mix of high and low technology. Scattered communities; mostly grassland.

N. Peoples Republic of China (also known as Free China): Modestly populated and has a low technology level.

O. Indochina Territorial Sector: Federally Administrated Territory of the UEG. Includes Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaya. Mostly jungle which harbors large numbers of Zentraedi.

P. Indonesia Territorial Sector: Federally Administrated Territory of the UEG. Includes Sumatra, Philippines and New Guinea.

Q. Australia: Suffered relatively lite damage in the final attack of the First Robotech War, was a major industrial center in the post-war period.

Note: Black areas on the map represent vast wastelands resulting from the Zentraedi planetary attack. White areas represent habitable areas.

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Original artwork by: Kevin Siembieda

Content by Tim Wing

Copyright © 2019 Tim Wing

Closeup – The Army of the Southern Cross

Government


Closeup – The Army of the Southern Cross, from Robotech II: The Malcontent Uprisings, Issue 6

by Bill Spangler

edited by Tim Wing

Our quarters in Perth were comfortable but modest. How much time, I wondered, had been spent choosing rooms that made the correct political statement? Nothing in these quarters could be taken as a snub, but nothing could be taken as even an indirect show of support.

We were entering deep and treacherous waters. I’d no doubt that Anatole Leonard could maneuver in them, but I wondered if the prize was worth the effort.

As Leonard’s chief aide, I participated in some of the discussions with the United Earth Government’s treaty negotiation committee. The sessions I attended were primarily information gathering meetings, though. The political discussions were apparently being reserved for the executive sessions.

When I was not assisting Leonard, I kept to myself as much as possible. At least three different news services had requested interviews, but I turned them all down. I watched several movies that hadn’t been released in the Southlands yet and worked out at nearby health club. Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed the rest. In this situation, though, I was merely trying to distract myself… and not succeeding very well.

By the fourth day, the matters seemed to be coming to a head. Vice Admiral Richard Hunter had descended from the Olympian heights of the Robotech Factory Satellite to attend the meetings. I kept one eye on him during the proceedings to see if his expression could indicate the committee’s temper. His face remained unreadable.

The committee went into executive session at 3:00pm that day. I ate dinner in my room, expecting another quite evening. Just after 9:00pm, though, I received a vidphone call from Leonard, at the council chambers.

“We’ve done it, Joseph,” he said quietly. “We’ve won.”

The official vote wouldn’t be until the next morning, but we had gotten everything that we had asked for. The Brazilian Armed Forces, as well as the militaries of the rest of the UEG’s member states, would become a full partners in the newly formed Army of the Southern Cross Treaty, with the same authority and legal status as the soon to be defunct UN Spacy. We would move our headquarters from Brasilia to Monument City, where our armaments would be replaced by newer mecha. After a seeming eternity of scrimping and stopgap measures, we would have a regular supply of Protoculture.

The Brazilian Army would lose its separate identity, though, but Leonard would remain in charge. His official rank would be Commander. It sounded like a demotion from his self-bestowed title of Marechal (Field Marshall), but his authority would be the same. And titles could always be changed…

Leonard said the new arrangement would become official on January 1, 2018. The new year would usher in a new way of life.

“I think I’ll finally get some sleep tonight, Joseph,” he concluded.

I smiled at that, but I doubted it. I had not known Leonard to sleep more than five hours a night since those hellish days immediately after the Brasilia Sweep. A lot of factors would have contributed to the negative shift of his sleeping pattern and it was just heartbreaking to see. If we were back home, simply looking for the best CBD oil products on the market would enable him to get the sleep he deserves in the hours that are right for him. A lot of people don’t understand the number of benefits using CBD has for people but the most common usage is to use it to get to sleep. This is what makes it so perfect for Leonard. Companies like OrganicCBDNugs ensure they only provide the highest quality CBD possible for their customers. Anything else, in my mind, was completely unacceptable. But unfortunately, this is something that we just had to live with and we had to make the best out of a less than ideal situation.

In the end, I decided to adjust my sleep patterns to accommodate his, but there were still times when I couldn’t match his energy. Even when I tried my best and took a long bath before bed to try and match when he was sleeping, I still couldn’t get off to sleep. I felt like I’d tried every trick in the book…sleeping tablets, bath salts, bath bombs wholesale and even lavender spray on my pillow.

In fact, this almost made me feel even more lethargic (if that was possible). I can’t remember the last time any of us had a good night sleep, and I was really starting to crave the thought of having a full night of uninterrupted sleep, and the best mattress toppers from somewhere like Sleepify was also on my mind because I’ve heard that they are meant to be really good when it comes to providing you with the sleep you deserve, and I think it’s fair to say that we all deserved this. However, I don’t think this will happen for quite some time yet… unfortunately.

And I couldn’t imagine Leonard sleeping after the biggest political victory of his career. Recognition by the United Earth Government was a goal we both had worked for.

In 2015, when Leonard formed the post war Brazilian Army, he stressed that our forces would not enter a region unless invited. Of course, these were the early days of the Malcontent Uprisings. Events moved at such a pace that the permission was sometimes given after the fact. This only added to our reputation as vigilantes and opportunists, attempting to gain power during a chaotic time.

The people of the Southlands wanted a strong response to the Zentraedi Malcontents. They needed it. I think this is illustrated by the fact that the Brazilian Army was able to recruit legendary warriors who had opted out of the Reconstruction movement, people like Aaron Rawlins and Krista Delgado.

Of course, these events had been given an entirely different interpretation in the relative safety of the Northlands. Still, the attitude toward the Brazilian Army was changing. I was amused by the new shorthand description of the Brazilian Army that was appearing in the news media ? a political-military party. How civil. How neutral. How northern.

After Leonard briefed me on the committee’s decision, I suggested that we go out for drinks. Leonard said to meet me at his apartment in an hour. When I did so, I found a tableau that I will always remember.

Anatole Leonard, the man described by some as the greatest threat to interspecies unity since Khyron, was kneeling on the floor of his room, his hands folded in prayer.

Without out a word, I knelt beside him…

? Joseph Petrie; The Cross and the Sword

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (R) is the properties of Big West Advertising and Studio Nue. Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (R) is the property of Big West Advertising, Tatsunoko Studio and Ammonite studio. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Original artwork by: Michael Ling

Content by Tim Wing

Copyright © 2019 Tim Wing

In fact, this almost made me feel even more lethargic (if that was possible). I can’t remember the last time any of us had a good night sleep, and I was really starting to crave the thought of having a full night of uninterrupted sleep, and the best mattress toppers from somewhere like Sleepify was also on my mind because I’ve heard that they are meant to be really good when it comes to providing you with the sleep you deserve, and I think it’s fair to say that we all deserved this. However, I don’t think this will happen for quite some time yet… unfortunately.

And I couldn’t imagine Leonard sleeping after the biggest political victory of his career. Recognition by the United Earth Government was a goal we both had worked for.

In 2015, when Leonard formed the post war Brazilian Army, he stressed that our forces would not enter a region unless invited. Of course, these were the early days of the Malcontent Uprisings. Events moved at such a pace that the permission was sometimes given after the fact. This only added to our reputation as vigilantes and opportunists, attempting to gain power during a chaotic time.

The people of the Southlands wanted a strong response to the Zentraedi Malcontents. They needed it. I think this is illustrated by the fact that the Brazilian Army was able to recruit legendary warriors who had opted out of the Reconstruction movement, people like Aaron Rawlins and Krista Delgado.

Of course, these events had been given an entirely different interpretation in the relative safety of the Northlands. Still, the attitude toward the Brazilian Army was changing. I was amused by the new shorthand description of the Brazilian Army that was appearing in the news media ? a political-military party. How civil. How neutral. How northern.

After Leonard briefed me on the committee’s decision, I suggested that we go out for drinks. Leonard said to meet me at his apartment in an hour. When I did so, I found a tableau that I will always remember.

Anatole Leonard, the man described by some as the greatest threat to interspecies unity since Khyron, was kneeling on the floor of his room, his hands folded in prayer.

Without out a word, I knelt beside him…

? Joseph Petrie; The Cross and the Sword

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (R) is the properties of Big West Advertising and Studio Nue. Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (R) is the property of Big West Advertising, Tatsunoko Studio and Ammonite studio. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Original artwork by: Michael Ling

Content by Tim Wing

Copyright © 2019 Tim Wing