Abductor

## Abductor (Garbra)

The **Abductor** is an Invid Mecha used during the occupation of Earth.

## Background

The so-called Abductor is representative of the holes in our knowledge of the Invid. We know next to nothing about the history of the craft, its production, deployment or use, nor why it was so perishingly rare. While the most common Invid types, the Scout1 ("Igiaa"), Trooper1 ("Gurab") and Soldier ("Malar") are designs that were used by the Invid for centuries in their wars with the Masters and Zentraedi, the Abductor appears to have been a new design developed at some point in the recent past. Of course, it is also possible that it is a far older design that was only bought to the fore relatively recently for reasons we can only guess at.

The Abductor appeared on Earth during the Invid occupation, although it is possible that they were used during the Invasion and simply were missed in all the chaos. Abductors usually worked in entirely homogenous groups consisting of only that design, rather than operating in mixed forces with Scouts and Troopers. This suggests that they were designed for purpose, and that they were being dispatched for specific uses, rather than the more generalist approach used with those designs.

Compared to the behaviours associated with the Scout and Trooper, Abductors displayed greater individual autonomy and flexibility, and were not given to the same sort of instinctive swarming. The Mecha was primarily airborne like the Scout, and tended to only walk when needed, as opposed to the Trooper which would often engage opponents on the ground. There are no recorded incidents of Abductors engaging in kamikaze attacks as Scouts were given to performing. All of this suggests that the Abductor was operated by a Stage III Warrior Caste pilot, much like the Shock Trooper and Grappler; the Warrior Caste were comparatively autonomous, and displayed a far greater ability for individual thought and actions. Conversely, given that they still deployed as mass forces, it is unlikely that they were operated by a Stage 4 Keeper Caste pilot like the Enforcer was.

While there were numerous sightings of the Abductor during the Occupation, they peaked in two particular periods which also resulted in the common codename for the craft. The first was during and immediately after the first battle of Reflex Point in 2038. While sightings of the Abductor during the battle are unconfirmed, it can be verified to have been used in the aftermath to hunt down and eliminate survivors from the resistance forces in order to prevent them from regrouping. In this instance, there were recorded examples of the Abductor carrying off human survivors, both on foot and inside disabled Mecha.

The second was during the purge of North America's Zentraedi population carried out by the Invid in the year after the battle. A key part of this operation was a mobile hive, known as the Red Moon ("Kaderak-Ji" in Zentraedi) which appears to have been populated entirely with Abductors. In this capacity, the mecha was used to bombard Zentraedi communities from the air, before swooping down to eliminate or capture any survivors. A number of these were shot down during the Splinters' counterattack against the Red Moon over the ruins of Portland.

After these two incidents, the Abductor became ever increasingly uncommon. None were sighted on the ground or in space during the second battle of Reflex Point, although again given the sheer number of Invid involved, it is possible that they were simply lost in the crowd. Any surviving examples were transmogrified along with the rest of the Invid and departed from Earth.

Given its capabilities, the question then that then has to be asked is why the Abductor was so rare. As with most things Invid, we can but speculate as to the answer. Compared to later designs such as the Enforcer ("Gamo") and Commander ("Gosu"), the Abductor is far more conventional. Save for its secondary arms, which themselves are of only very specific utility, it offers little innovation over the Scout and Trooper. From a technological point of view, the Abductor is closer to those earlier Invid designs than anything else. It is possible then that the Abductor was a failed attempt at producing a more advanced Invid Mecha that was abandoned after comparatively limited production. Once the Regiss had access to Earth's effectively unlimited Protoculture that could have supported its wider use, she also had access to the Enforcer, a design that was superior in every way.

Following this theory, those used on Earth may have been the last examples of their kind, being employed in a role that suited their abilities.

1for the sake of clarity, "Scout" here includes the Armoured Scout and Mortar Scout, while "Trooper" also includes the Shock Trooper.

## Capabilities

Most of what is known about the Abductor's abilities comes from study of combat footage and wrecks. In essence, it appears to have been an attempt to combine the speed and mobility of the Scout with the strength, firepower and resilience of the Trooper. The Mecha's maximum speed appears to be in the vicinity of 1100 km/h, and it has been observed to engage in dogfights with fighter-mode VF/A-6 Alpha veritechs. It has also demonstrated low-level, low-speed hover capabilities, used to chase down ground targets as well as full VTOL capabilities. Ground speed is unknown, but based on the design of the legs, it is probably comparable to that of the Trooper. However, given its weapons and performance, the design had to be more Protoculture-use intensive than either design.

In terms of construction and weaponry, the Abductor's features are more akin to those of the Scout and Trooper than any other Invid designs. For the most part, it possesses the same general features of those Mecha. The Abductor is controlled by a single crew, likely a Stage III Warrior-Caste pilot, located in the torso. As with most other Invid designs, the cockpit is fully sealed (and cannot be opened in the field) and is equipped full life-support systems including a nutrient bath. The Mecha appears to possess the standard Invid sensory systems, including a Protoculture sensor. Like other Invid Mecha, the Abductor likely lacked a conventional communications system and instead relied on telepathic communications to nearby Hives.

The Abductor's most distinctive feature came in the form of a pair of small, semi-retractable arms mounted on the underside of the body. Clearly designed for anti-personnel use, they were also employed to capture subjects. These arms are entirely unique, and are a feature not seen on any other known Invid Mecha.

The armor of the Abductor is composed of a composite of metals, ceramics, and organics unique to Invid manufacture. The armor stops all small arms, heavy infantry weapons fire, and light mecha-mounted weaponry, and provides fair to good resistance to medium mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the GU-11 55mm APFSDS round. In addition, the armor is highly sloped, and rounds that hit at oblique angles are very likely to glance off it without penetrating.

Note: The sensor eye is highly susceptible to damage, and any hit there will disable the mecha by penetrating the cockpit and killing the pilot.

## Weapons and Equipment

* 2 **Plasma Pulse Cannons:** Mounted under the main body below the sensor eye. This weapon stores plasma and discharges it in discrete packages ('annihilation discs'). The weapon can store sufficient plasma for 25 seconds of continuous fire, and replenish this at 10 seconds per minute.

* 2 **Three-Taloned Anti-Mecha Claws:** Mounted on the forearms.

* 2 **Two-Taloned Anti-Mecha Claws:** Mounted on the legs.

* 2 **Semi-Retractable Claw Arms:** Mounted under the main body.

## Game Statistics

* **Evolution Required:** Stage 3 Warrior

* **Designation:** Garbra

* **Stats**
	+ **Armour – Mecha:** 1
	+ **Structure – Mecha:** 2
	+ **Hardware Points**: 3
	+ **Speed - Flying:** 750 kph / 1.2 km / 120 Ground Units

### Weapons

* **Annihilation Disc Cannons:** These weapons are similar to those mounted on the Shock Trooper, but somewhat more compact. They are mounted under the main body and are usually fired together and inflict Mecha-scale damage [H][H]

* **Claws:** Like other Invid Mecha, the Abductor is equipped with powerful claws that are used for making anti-Mecha attacks as well as for capturing opponents. They inflict Mecha-scale damage and ignore one point of Armour. [M][H][H][P1]

### Features

* **Grasp:** The Abductor can use its Claws to grasp its victim instead of slashing it. If a Claw Attack is Successful, a target no larger than 4 m is rendered Helpless in the Abductor's grasp. The target may be a humanoid creature or a Mecha system. The victim must exceed the Abductor's Success on subsequent rolls to break free.

### Equipment Suites

* **Secondary Arms:** The Abductor mounts a pair of additional arms under the main body for use in melee combat. They can also be used to capture victims. Use this Equipment Suite when making Melee attacks or trying to Grasp a target.
	+ **Uses:** Unlimited
	+ **Skill:** 3

## Notes

* Design Notes
* Image Gallery