Focus: Ghar Outcast Rebel Weapons!

Donok joins the Rebels

A run through of Rebel Weapons, by Tim Bancroft

In the gloom of the warehouse, Donok-17 glared at the Rebels in front of him. All had their luggers aimed towards him but it wasn’t the puny chemical weapons that annoyed him but the weird construct that fused a Ghar weapons platform with a human Mag Cannon. That contraption was aimed directly at Donok’s suit and he had learnt to respect the heavy human weapons, whether or not they were wielded by heretic Outcasts.

He examined the weapon closely – was it operational? The interfaces from Ghar controls appeared clunky, hastily held together with rivets, field tape and silicon seals. But the power lights on the mag cannon itself were glowing, faintly perhaps, but glowing and it was served by two more crew with munition packs on their backs. The operator was glaring at Donok, watchful.

Donok could not help but approve: a Ghar soldier should always be aware on the battlefield. So, no, he would not yet fight. Lugger’s were one thing; arguing with this loaded and operational mag cannon was not a good tactic.

Rebel Outcasts Mag Cannon

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Mag Cannon	30	50	100	5	Massive Damage

 

Rebel Outcasts Lugger gun

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Lugger Gun	20	30	None	0	RF2, Limited Ammo

What was strange, thought Donok, was that the Rebels weren’t shooting. Right now, he couldn’t shoot back anyway as his suit’s disruptor dischargers were drained of ammunition. A pity, really, as the micro-grenades would be really useful sprayed all around him, right now.

One of the Outcasts crept forward and Donok clashed his plasma claw threateningly. “Stay away!” The Rebel leapt back, chittering in fear – as was right, thought Donok: the powered jaws could separate any being’s head from its neck. He raised his gouger but its grapple and EM charge would be useless at such close range, something his capturers obviously realised as one raised their hands and trembled in mock fear. Donok ground his teeth together wishing he could launch its grapple and let the discharge send the Rebels to the ground in writhing convulsions. It wouldn’t have been enough to damage them severely, but it would give him time to make his escape.

Assault Suit Loadout!

Ghar Gouger Gun

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Ghar Gouger Gun	10-20	30	None	2	Down, Inaccurate

Ghar Plasma Claw

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Ghar Plasma Claw		Hand-to-hand fighting only		D4	Random SV

Ghar Disruptor Dischargers

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Ghar Disruptor Dischargers		Point bank shooting only		2	Blast D4, No Cover, Disruptor

Hisses of steam and clanking accompanied the arrival of a battered Ghar battle suit. Donok’s combat array flagged it as a command model, but the suit was still too close for the gouger – not that it would have mattered as behind the suit trailed another contraption and a good ole’ Ghar disruptor cannon.

The command suit stopped and it’s speakers blared. “Donok 5-51-17?”

“I fight for the Ghar!” snarled Donok.

“Very good,” said the suit. “So do we. The True Ghar, the Empire, the way for which we were made.”

“You fight for Fartok!” Donok could not help but raise his claw threateningly.

There came an amplified chuckle and the Outcasts surrounding Donok shook with laughter. “Fartok helps us,” continued the command suit, “but we fight for Ghar. The Supreme Commander has been tricked and the Empire usurped by the treacherous and manipulative Karg. He is corrupt, uses you for his own ends.”

“He is my commander!”

“You have met him?” asked the Ghar in the command suit. “Is he not flabby with lack of exercise? Are his muscles not weak from lack of use?”

Donok remained silent.

There was a loud, audible sigh from the command suit’s speakers. “I am Foornyn 2-49-16, a High Commander of the Ghar. I obey Fartok for the true Ghar he is and deny Karg for the traitor he is.”

“I have heard of your lies,” whispered Donok. “I will never turn from the Supreme Commander.”

“Then you’ll die,” said Foornyn. He waved his claw at the Ghar around him. “We don’t want to, but we will kill you.” He tilted his sensor head. “Quickly, though, and with minimal suffering. I’ll give you a moment to reconsider.” The contraption wheezed forward.

Donok thought for a moment but the weapon seemed far too bizarre and attracted his attention. Four of the human mag repeating weapons had been lashed together into a single mount, all connected by what looked by wire, tape and springs. How – or if – it worked, he did not know. Judging by the markings on their bodysuits, though, the crew were true Outcasts, sanitation engineers.

Donok felt dismay. “You will let me die at the hand of Outcast sewage workers?”

Foornyn glanced at the Heath-Robinson contraption. “If it works… Hmm. Good point.” Moments later another of the clunking support weapons came into view. It was almost as formidable a weapon as the cannon: a light support version, rapid firing but guaranteed to make a Ghar suit worry for his life.

Rebel Quad Mag Repeater

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Quad Mag Repeater	20	30	None	0	RF D8, Jams

Mag Light Support

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Mag Light Support	30	50	100	2	RF3

 

Foornyn saw Donok’s gaze drawn to the mag light support. “We use the infernal human’s weapons against them. Not as good as Ghar weapons, of course, but Karg prevents us from doing what we must.” He raised his own scourer. “Now, this is a proper weapon, multi-functional, disruptor capability, long and short ranges.”

Ghar Scourer Cannon

Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Scourer Cannon: Dispersed	20	30	None	2	RF3
Scourer Cannon: Concentrated	20	30	40	4	–
Scourer Cannon: Disruptor	20	30	None	1	Blast D4, No Cover, Disruptor

“Mine’s longer than yours, sir!” exclaimed the mag cannon operator. The crew around him tittered nervously, as if at a joke they did not understand.

“Almost twice the range,” agreed Foornyn. He turned to Donok. “My apologies, trooper. Apparently the human’s find such jokes amusing, though I have no idea why.”

“You allow Outcasts to talk to you?” asked Donok. “They are disgraced!”

“Only by Karg’s rules. Think, trooper: how many of your colleagues have been Outcast due to a minor battlefield malfunction? How many Outcast as a result of poor command decisions? Or Outcast for no apparent reason at all?”

Donok remained silent; the pressure of becoming Outcast for no reason at all was a constant fear.

“I see you understand,” said Foornyn. “Ghar need discipline where it counts; what we do not need is fear from our own kind.” He glanced over Donok’s assault suit. “For example, your suit looks damaged by disruptor blasts – our own weapons. Do you know what happened?”

Donok did not want to reply but, Outcast or not, it was a High Commander speaking. There was no way he could fight against his genetic instincts. “We called in bomber support fire, then heard Karg himself alter the impact location onto our squad. It was carnage for everyone; the rest of my squad were wiped out.”

 

Ghar Disruptor Bomber

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Disruptor Bomber	10-30	60	130	1	OH, Blast D5, No Crew, Limited Ammo, No Cover, Disruptor

Ghat Heavy Disruptor Bomber

		Range
Type of Weapon	Effective	Long	Extreme	Strike Value	Special
Heavy Disruptor	10-30	60	120	2	OHx2, Blast D10, No Crew, Limited Ammo, No Cover, Disruptor

“Do you know what happened, afterwards?” asked Foornyn. Donok remained silent. Foornyn sent a recording to Donok’s combat array, a decryption of Karg’s orders and announcements. “Karg had your squad Outcast for failing to properly resist the enemy. He used that as an excuse  for ordering battery fire directly on your position.”

Donok listened. “I… I’m Outcast?”3

“Afraid so, trooper.” Foornyn waited. “Now, are we to welcome you to our ranks?”

The Ghar around the pair of them had been listening. Cheers broke out, chants of “Join us!”

Donok looked around at their smiles, and sighed. Really, he had no other choice.

Tim Bancroft has been longlisted for the James White SF Award 2015 and won the Orwell Dystopian Fiction Award 2014. Follow Tim on his Blog at: timbancroft.me.uk.

Start your Ghar Rebel Outcasts army today!

 

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