Sputnik

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*"I'm all packed up!"*

- Sputnik driver, happy to be helpful to the Soviet State

## Tactical Analysis

* **I claim this ground in the name of the Union!**: Sputniks serve as the Soviet's expansion vehicle. These vehicles can deploy into small outposts that provide ground control and allow for the construction of buildings.
* **Just like a turtle**: Apart from a slight physical resemblance to turtles, which is due to the dome on their back, Sputniks also resemble turtles in the fact that they are amphibious. Unfortunately, unlike turtles they cannot retract into a protective shell if attacked and have no weapons to speak of.
* **Handy repair drone**: Apart from providing ground control for the construction of buildings, Sputniks have recently been retrofitted with repair drones, which can repair buildings, including the Outpost itself.
* **I'm unarmed!**: After a disastrous attempt to refit a Sputnik with combat drones for self defence resulted in the drones going haywire and attacking the Sputnik they were supposed to protect, Soviet High Command decided that it would be best if the Sputnik remains unarmed, especially since there isn't much room for a weapon, crammed as full of equipment as it is already.

## WWIII Operational History

The **Sputnik** was the accidental brain-child of Sergei Korolyov, the so-called "Father of Space Technology". He designed the *Sputnik 1* space probe, the first satellite in space, and the metaphorical pistol that started off the Space Race. Launching it on October 4, 1953, it was an immediate sign of Soviet will, and Korolyov shortly sent off *Sputnik 2*, an ungainly probe designed to carry the Russian war bear Laika into orbit. This too was a success, and in 1955 the third of the Sputnik series was launched, a bold attempt to build a base-making probe from orbit. It was thought by all that this would be yet another success - if a bear could be successfully put in space, why not a base-maker?
Unfortunately, it was a failure. Due to mistaken calculations, the probe, packed to the seams with equipment and redundant versions of the equipment, was unable to breach the atmosphere, and instead almost reached it before falling to earth......and straight into the camp of one Slannimir Slaveli. Slaveli was also a doctor working for the Ministry, but as a result of his daydreaming and fantastic stories of far away non-Soviet lands he was sent to the remoteness of Siberia near the Japanese-Soviet border - a far away place where there was thought little of interest or needed information could be found - in order to monitor events there. Slaveli had for months been patiently requesting extra monitoring supplies so he could report back on the Japanese presence there, but his requests were apparently ignored until one day he crawled out of his tent and discovered a probe buried in the snow, apparently full of supplies he could use for his outpost!
By the time the Soviets had found the probe's remains, Slaveli greeted them enthusiastically and told them everything about how he had converted the probe into a fully available outpost. The Japanese had long gone (having found him at the same time he found them, the two outposts had exchanged a round of sake and vodka while eagerly swapping stories of Soviet and Japanese technology), but the Soviets realized that the probe could be used for a slightly different purpose - setting up forward listening outposts for intelligence and forward bases. When World War 3 started, these probe designs were given a small set of wheels, and sent out to wherever the Soviets felt needed a good look-see. The pilots chosen to drive these simple but essential compact bases were from the Ministry's lower employees, young scientists and less-intelligent members who were eager to explore new lands and see the interesting parts of the world, all while transmitting vital information to the Soviet cause. To this end, they remain cheerful, somewhat naive, and entirely too friendly for their own good - recent surveys indicate that 90% of the vodka non-Soviet soldiers get come from bored, homesick, or sociable Sputnik drivers who are willing to exchange drinks for stories of far-off places or just a chat.

## Post War Operational History

Recent events have seen Sputnik drivers concerned about the sturdiness of their little machines and outposts, especially since many outposts deployed are starting to see increased hostile activity again after the war. In addition to increasing the armour of the unarmed Sputniks, it was again Slaveli who came up with a solution to the problem: after mysterious robotic drones attacked his outpost, he took the amazing amount of redundant equipment packed in the probe and quickly made simple drones to clean up the mess and fix his Outpost. All Sputniks have therefore been retrofitted with a number of repair drones that serve to repair the Sputnik and surrounding buildings, and can also play out miniature battles for the driver when on a slow day.
In the meantime, the *Sputnik* has been phased out of production, in part due to the increased obsolescence of the materials and designs and the resultant use of materials in making the mobile outposts. Since then, they have largely been replaced with the *Laika* Drone series of models.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Light Armour