Name: Dragonfly Stinger
Alignment: Guylos Empire
Family: Dragonfly
Registration Number: EZ-098
Crew: 1
Height: 2.4 Meters
Length: 11.8 Meters
Weight: 20.7 Tons
Top Speed: 400 kph (air, ground speed), 72 kph (air, ascension)
Weapons: Dual Shotguns, Twin Heavy Rockets.
Special Abilities: Quad Sonic Force Cannons, Composite Sensor Array, Flight.
Level: 3
On old Earth there existed a type of aircraft known as a helicopter, capable of hovering, flying stable at low altitudes, carrying vehicles, troops, armament, and supplies into battle, and being all-around useful. When humans came to Zi, they did not forget about all aspects of flight, and the memory of the helicopter was particular vivid. Though the usefulness of Zoids became quickly apparent to the colonists (and later, to the respective sovereign nations of Zi) helicopters were available to them in only (gasp) non-Zoid form. Why? Well, flight evolved at least four times in the history of terran life: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats. None of these, be they winged pests, feathered reptiles, or flying rodents, have rotary wings (gee). Therefore, it proved impossible to create a helicopter-typed Zoid. Furthermore, thanks to the cost of production of the helicopter, it never saw more than a few isolated incidents of use in combat.
The Guylos Empire won't take no for answer. All generals do the same thing when they need a new zoid- fire the R&D people for being lazy, hire new ones, tell them what you need, and repeat as often as necessary. So, the Imperial generals fired their R&D people for being lazy, hired new ones, and told them what they needed: a helicopter, with all the properties of one. Well, no amount of asking, threatening, or coercing can do the impossible. It's impossible to create a rotary-wing Zoid. However, one round of Guylos Engineers believed they had found an alternative: the dragonfly. It's wing-structure allowed it to move and fly in the same way as a helicopter would.
Several rounds of firing and hiring later, the Dragonfly Stinger was born. It fit the bill of what the generals wanted- at 400 kph, it was fast enough to move in, get the job done, and move out. It was also fairly agile, thanks to its Magnessor wings. And, of course, it could fight a battle, although it was best at close range. Maybe further away it wouldn't seem impressive, but you got it up close, you'd better believe it can do damage.
Of course, the key words there are ‘close ranged weapons’. You see, the Dragonfly Stinger has a very small combat range- essentially, it needs to be inside 100 meters, but not in melee range- in fact, the Dragonfly Stinger carries the distinction of being the second zoid in existence to carry no melee weapons whatsoever- (not counting the fixed-wing aerial zoids like the Helldiver) the first being the Hammerhead, who can be modified with melee weaponry anyway. Outside of 100 meters, the Dragonfly Stinger has only its Twin Heavy Rockets to hurt things with.
Weapons aside, the Dragonfly Stinger was built well, considering its job. It is, of course, flight capable, but it can only ascend at 20 m/s (fortunately, thanks it its design, it can move forwards uninhibited while ascending), and has no business fighting a true aerial. Furthermore, thanks to its dragonfly design, it's easily the most agile aerial Zoid there is, able to flit from place to place like the insect that it so perfectly mimics. Unfortunately, speed and agility came at the price of armor- the Dragonfly Stinger carries Command Wolf grade armor, making it easy prey for anything with AA guns.
Weapons:
Dual Shotgun:
The Dragonfly Stinger’s main weapons is this number, located on the head, in place of a mouth. The word ‘Dual’ is not quite fitting- it is really a single double-barreled shotgun. Of course, it fires much larger buckshot than its handheld cousins, capable doing the same damage to Zoids that its smaller cousin does to animals. Needless to say, it’s best used at ranges under 100 meters, where its fairly powerful and can blow away chunks of armor better than the Impact Cannons. Beyond 100 meters, the buckshot is too spread out to be of much use. This also makes an excellent AMD weapon, as a single shot can blow apart several missiles at once.
Twin Heavy AZ Rockets:
The Dragonfly Stinger’s only long-ranged weapons are its pair of rockets, found on the back. Each one carries the force of 3 missiles, making them powerful weapons. Unfortunately, like all rockets, they are strictly dumbfire. Also, their positioning means that anything that can hit the back is going to blow these up first, probably with bad results for the Stinger’s back armor.
Special Abilities:
Quad Sonic Force Cannons:
These are the Dragonfly Stinger’s pride and joy. There are four of these high-power directional speakers, located just behind where the head meets the thorax (main body) of the Stinger. They actually a passive weapon once engaged, so one might say that they all have to fired together. What are they and how do they work? Well, the directional speakers concentrate all of the sound from the four wings of the Zoid, amplify it and modify the frequency, and direct it downwards. They have a maximum range of 25 meters, and it is recommended that the Stinger be within 10 meters of its target for the greatest effect. When activated, however, the effect is worth all the limitations. The Sonic Force Cannons emit high frequency sound waves, causing the target’s armor to vibrate (the Stinger’s own armor is protected from this- meaning this is useless against another Stinger). The vibration becomes so intense that the armor will actually begin to crack. Armor that is already cracked may simply fall off with a few second's burst. The cracking is greatest close to the spot the Sonic Force Cannons are actually pointing at, but will affect armor all over the zoid. However, there is one drawback: for power consumption reasons, the Sonic Force Cannons have their own hypercapacitor that powers them, and when it runs out of juice they're simply deadweight. Therefore the 'Stinger pilot gets 6 seconds of Quad Sonic Force fun before the cannons simply cut out. Still, for those 6 seconds, all the 'Stinger pilot need do is hover above his or her target, and watch it shake to pieces...
Composite Sensory Array:
The Dragonfly Stinger, like all dragonflies, has an extended abdomen (rear section). This abdomen is the location of the Dragonfly Stinger’s Composite Sensory Array, which uses a combination of 3D Radar and Infrared Sensors to track opponents. Also, the data can be transmitted to teammates, a nice bonus.
Flight:
The Dragonfly Stinger has four wings protruding from its thorax. These wings are equipped with Magnessor Technology, giving the Stinger VTOL capabilities. It is quite agile, beating out... well, anything. When it moves from place to place it almost seems to teleport. It has a service ceiling of 6.5 kilometers. However, you are unlikely to reach this service ceiling, as it has a maximum rate of ascension of 72 kph (20 m/s). Fortunately for the Dragonfly Stinger, it can move forwards at full speed while ascending, so it's all good.
