The auxiliary fans howled as Darius cut the throttle and slammed the joystick to the left, putting the Sword of Saladin into an unstable slide. The left wall of the GEV’s plenum chamber scraped across the thin soil, bleeding velocity and tightening the turn. As he released the stick and brought the throttle forward, an arc of dirt flashed into steam and dust to his right. From the gunner’s perch on Darius’s right, Eskandar swung the light particle cannon around to aim another shot at the left leg of the Lancelot heavy Warmech that had just missed them with its arm-mounted laser. As he steadied the cannon and adjusted to the new velocity, the Lancelot swung its torso around to bring an autocannon to bear on the pair’s Arsacid light GEV.
Eskandar took his shot. The sickly green of the particle beam turned another chunk of the Warmech’s plasteel armor into so much dust. “Three, left leg” he called over the squadron channel, knowing the two GEVs following the Sword of Saladin’s lead were working the same target. The Evening Star, the middle GEV of the trio, opened up with a pulse laser. Steam explosions from the Warmech’s hydraulics tore into the freshly exposed mechanisms of its leg. The Lancelot stumbled, but its right leg found purchase and it stayed up long enough for secondary hydraulics to engage and keep it in action. It let off a rattling burst of autocannon fire, but the stumble had disrupted its aim. As shells burst behind them, Darius brought the Sword of Saladin into a loose turn to take another pass.
Meanwhile, Balthazar, the third GEV, dumped two volleys of rocket-propelled minigrenades into the Lancelot’s left side. The spread of the weapon meant only four shots hit on the leg; two hit the side torso and the remaining pair burned off into empty space. The Warmech’s return fire finally took effect, as an autocannon burst ripped into the Evening Star’s plenum chamber. The GEV scraped against the ground, unable to keep the air pressure needed to keep it aloft.
As the particle cannon’s reload finished, Eskandar held fire, waiting to get an angle on the damaged leg again. The Evening Star’s gunner let off a desperate burst as the pilot opened the canopy, cursing the luck that had taken out his lift fans. The remaining GEVs circled the Warmech, giving Eskandar his target once again. “Four, left leg”, as the Warmech stumbled again, its polymer muscle-analogues cut. The hydraulics engaged, locking the leg, but the Lancelot was effectively immobilized. “Next hit should finish” called Balthazar’s gunner, his minigrenades already in flight. As they struck home, cracking the Warmech’s knee and starting its slow collapse, Darius’s voice crackled over the vox. “Next up, Mammoth tank, 10 o’clock, hold fire til we have rear.” Eskandar swung the gun around, shifted the focus of his targeting computer, ready for the mercenary squadron’s next engagement.
The GEV
“GEV” refers in military parlance of the 31st century to what is properly termed a light hovercraft*. Held aloft by lift fans, and maneuvered by a separate jet or fan propulsion system, the GEV is able to achieve high velocities in reasonably flat terrain with little need for roads or similar infrastructure. GEVs are powered by compact fusion generators. As a result, they are typically armed with energy weapons that take advantage of their high power generation without requiring additional weight for ammunition. Generally, GEVs have either a two-man crew with a pilot and a gunner, or a three-man crew with a pilot, commander, and gunner.
GEVs are typically employed as either reconnaissance or fast-attack craft. In either role, their speed over moderately rough ground gives them an advantage over traditional wheeled or tracked vehicles. Their ability to travel over water is essential as reconnaissance craft, allowing them to outflank enemies on an operational scale. As fast-attack craft, they typically carry heavier armaments than wheeled alternatives, which are usually hydrocarbon-powered and therefore unable to mount effective energy weapons.
As expensive and finicky vehicles without the prestige of a warmech, GEVs are rarely seen as part of a standard Lance. Some members of the higher nobility will field a GEV squadron in addition to their usual complement of ground vehicles and infantry. More often, GEVs are found as part of a mercenary unit, which provides both crews and maintenance staff for their vehicles. Ishtar, a water world on which mercenary naval warfare predominates, has a reputation for providing the best mercenary GEV units.
* Technically speaking, a ground effect vehicle is a winged vehicle which requires aerodynamic interactions with the ground to generate sufficient lift to keep it airborne, while a hovercraft uses an air chamber under the vehicle kept at high pressure to provide lift.
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