Artillery Litter

Big Guns Never Tire

Artillery is the King of the Battlefield

The Artillery Litter

This vehicle is one of the stranger weapons to be seen shambling out of the wastelands, supporting an advancing wasteland host. The design is quite simple, it consists of the legs and lower torsos of two mecha, welded and bolted together. Between them they carry a heavy artillery piece, typically large bore mortars, short barrel cannons, or rocket batteries.

Form and Purpose

The Wastelands don't lack for heavy weapons that can be scavenged. The problem is that the vehicles required to move such devices is sorely lacking. A unique solution was realized when a warlord decided the take the wreckage of abandoned mecha and make something out of them. The first artillery litter was a pair of Centurion mecha, severely damaged. There was a single reactor, powering the entire thing, so its locomotion was slow. Controlling the machine proved difficult, as the pilot lacked a proper control harness, cockpit, or helmet. The effect was the same, even at a paltry twelve kilometers and hour, they were able to position a destroyer's hedgehog launcher and fire multiple heavy rounds into fortified positions resisting raider advances.

The design was spread through the Silk Road, which was a stroke of provenance. Federation reprisals saw the first Artillery Litter destroyed by the perennial enemy of artillery, strike aircraft.

Evolution

The Artillery Litter didn't vanish with the first frankenmech and its warlord creator. Dozens more were built, each as kludgey and cobbled together as the last, toting such an array of weapons that no two were the same. This wasn't the end of the philosophy. Several New Economic Blocs and New Era Governments took up the concept and wedded it to their enhanced industrial capacity. Thus were created a new bizarre breed of not quite mecha, not quite assault platforms, not quite vehicles.

The Damocles

The Damocles was pioneered by the EuroZone of the Atlantic Federation, and consisted of the leg assemblies from Wolverine main battlemechs, a large fusion core, and a light naval particle cannon. Compared to contemporary mobile turrets and self propelled artillery pieces, the Damocles was cheaper, moderately faster, and was able to be used less judiciously. The largest reasons that Damocles units aren't used more happens to be the radioactive fallout from the weapon being fired. Most ground forces have to avoid the weapon as the wash from the gun has a habit of causing cancer, tooth loss, blindness, and sterility.

The Achillies

The Achillies was a downgraded version of the Damocles and replaced the naval particle cannon with a naval grade laser. It sees more use, and it still has issues with dissipating heat, but it isn't hampered by producing a radioactive pulse every time the main weapon is fired.

The King George V

A one of a kind artillery litter, the King George V mounts a large anti-ship missile system, capable of shooting down dropships and severely damaging warships, even in orbit. When deployed on maneuvers, the King George is supported by a mech company, two of which act as loaders, requiring the strength of two machines to lift the reload into the launcher.