Zoomer

Zoomer
Production information
Manufacturer Blackwell Corporation
Production Year 3055
Mission Elemental transport
Type hover
Technical specifications
Mass
Armor
Engine
Speed km/h
Armament


Description[edit]

The so-called "Zoomer" Hovercraft was an Elemental transport produced by Blackwell Heavy Industries for the exclusive use of Wolf's Dragoons during the years leading up to the Jihad.

Prototypes of the machine were described as "skeletal" in their structure, and "little more than an open framework wrapped around a fusion engine and ground-effect ducting". Although obviously not well-suited for direct combat, they were well-suited to transporting a point of five Elementals to and around a battlefield at a high speed. [1]

Deployment[edit]

At the time of the Dragoon Civil War in late 3054, these hovercraft were reportedly still in the prototype stage. During the conflict, Jaime Wolf's "Wolf Pack" rebels raided Blackwell's facility on Outreach, stealing away several. This allowed the rebel Elementals to mobilize at an impressive rate, leading Elson Novacat to initially believe there were far more of them than there actually were. [1]

Not long after that conflict, the zoomer hovercraft a familiar sight among Dragoon commands who often lacked the sheer quantity of OmniMechs needed to transport their Elemental troops, as was the standard military doctrine with Clan forces. [2]

As would be expected, the zoomers saw extensive use with most of the Dragoons' Elemental units, particularly their Elemental Strike Cluster commanded by Elson Novacat. During the Word of Blake Jihad, when Novacat and his Elementals were running a resistance against the Blakists on Outreach in the ruins of Harlech, they continued to employ zoomers, particularly during the rescue of Tara Lucas on 27 October, 3069. [3]

In July 3073, a unit from the Word of Blake's Protectorate Militia attempted to ambush the Black Widow Company, under the illusion that a Dragoon Seventh Kommando team was under fire on Fomalhaut. To "sell" the story, the militia employed a genuine captured Dragoon zoomer. Despite their well-laid plans, the Black Widows fought their way out of the ambush. [4]

Notes[edit]

  • Apparently, the "zoomer" designation was not the formal name for the vehicle, nor was one ever provided. Indeed, every use of the word "zoomer" to describe the vehicles does so in the lower-case, which would not be the case if it were a proper name for a vehicle. However, Dragoon characters repeatedly use the term 'zoomers' in reports, conversations and even inner narratives to refer to this same hovercraft. [1][2][3][4]
  • As of this writing, no official statistics have been published for this vehicle.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wolf Pack, p. 385, Elson describes the zoomer hovercraft, realizes Wolf stole them from Blackwell
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mercenary's Handbook 3055, p. 6, "The Outback", Blackwell Corporation produces "zoomers" - Elemental hovercraft
  3. 3.0 3.1 Night Terrors (short story), p. 12, Merced orders his troops to get Lucas to the zoomers
  4. 4.0 4.1 Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 79, "Touchpoint: Fomalhaut", the Protectorate militia uses a zoomer to sell their story

Bibliography[edit]