AT-20 Scorpion tank/Profile


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Scorpion Tank * Designation: AT-20 (Assault Tank) * Affiliation: Nod * Role: Multi-Role Laser Tank * Introduced: 2075 * Class: Offense * Armament: Miniaturized Obelisk of Light Tail Laser, Grappling Claws * Type: Medium Tank * Speed: Medium

Background
While Marcion's rule proved to be short lived, his impact on Nod's dogma and subsequent military doctrine was significant. Marcion turned the Black Hand from being the Brotherhood's most trusted, most fearsome fighting force - Kane's own Fedaykin - to being its priesthood. While Kane was fostering only his own myth, Marcion was building a well organized religion - at first against Kane and later for him.

As a result, Nod's battlefield doctrine shifted from terrifying their enemies through acts of extreme violence to a more psychological approach, inspiring fear through visual cues and psychological warfare. In his later writings, Brother Marcion attributed Kane with the original direction for many of the designs he later commissioned.

"You need to learn from your history, Brother. If you want to instill fear, to inspire it in the hearts of your adversaries, you should follow the example of the Samurai. Demons of the battlefield. It was their appearance that froze their enemies in their tracks."

"The Samurai Mask, Marcion. A work of art. The masks were meant to inspire terror, to transform their wearers into demons.", Kane, as quoted in the scriptures of Marcion.

Following Kane's teaching, Marcion's Black Hand began development on the first Scorpion Tank. This was to be Nod's Main Battle Tank during the Third Tiberium War. However, more often than not, the Scorpion's role in that war was relegated to support of other forces, rarely being the main or the advance force in successful actions.

In 2072 Gideon wrote one of his longest treatises on Kane's abandonment of the Brotherhood. The principal designer of the Scorpion Mk. II, Talia Creigh - having been following Gideon's writings and speeches for a long time - took to heart a passage he dedicated to the failure of the Scorpion Tank.

"What should have been Nod's most iconic battlefield asset, proved to be just a cockroach for GDI to crush. Kane's generals misused the Scorpion tank to swarm superior firepower. But I do not blame them. How can I, when it was Kane himself who ordered the tank to be a mockery of its name, more Cockroach than Scorpion?"

Commander Creigh, having learned the lessons of TW-III, decided the Scorpion needed an overhaul of both its form and function. The Commander made made a point of having the new Scorpion’s design emphasize its intended iconic battlefield role; the very embodiment of Nod's ominous presence throughout the world’s warzones. Talia studied the role of the Scorpion within the greater operational doctrine of Nod's forces and decided that more than needing a MBT, Nod's strategy required a strong supporting presence for their less than conventional mobile and infantry forces.

After several years of development, the private unveiling of the new Scorpion Mk II was followed by shock from the audience. A welcome reaction. Following this, Gideon released a statement through unofficial channels; "The Children of Nod are rising, finally they understand. The treacherous will not escape the grasp of Nod's claws, or the whip of it's tail."

The Scorpion's Sting
The Scorpion Mk. II is equipped with state-of-the-art laser technology, derived from the previous generation’s Spitfire Capacitors. Using the power output of its Liquid Tiberium generator, the Scorpion wields a miniaturized Obelisk of Light, which, despite its smaller size, is fully capable of slicing through even Crawler armor. The weapon is not without tradeoffs however, as the Scorpion’s standard anti-tank cannon was dropped because of the immense power consumption of the Obelisk.

Pincer Tactics
Taking Gideon’s passage to heart, the Scorpion Tank evokes the visage of a true scorpion, giant grasping claws included. These claws are more than just aesthetic as they are designed for actual use in grappling prey. Scorpion Tanks can hold medium vehicles in place by grasping them in their claws and firing a short-range electromagnetic current to disable the vehicle as the tail laser eats away at them. Lighter units can actually be picked up completely by the claws, making for a terrifying sight as infantry are grabbed and dragged off kicking and screaming into the darkness.

Burrow
The reintroduction of burrowing has allowed for more interesting tactics to be developed in the TCN era, without the need for power-hungry stealth generators. The Scorpion can use its pincers to quickly burrow underground and can resurface amongst enemy troops. Frequent observed tactics include surrounding Mastodons and unburrowing to avoid the deadly artillery volley or unburrowing amidst an infantry platoon and kidnapping valuable prisoners for interrogation.