Tsunami Tank

**Key Features** | »» *"Yoritomo"* 100mm HE cannon»» *"Kagami"* nano-deflection armour»» Sealed, waterproof hull and drivetrain»» Invertible tread pontoons»» *"Yata no Kagami"* replica hanging beside gunner sights

*"The Tsunami rises!"*

- Tsunami Tank Commander

## Tactical Analysis

* **Deadly Wave**: The Tsunami Tank is a fully amphibious light tank/former main battle tank, able to seamlessly transition between land and water combat. Its post-war modification makes it effective against all land-based and water-based vehicles, structures, and infantry to a lesser extent, giving Empire commanders tremendous flexibility on the battlefield. But its new shells are useless against tanks.

* **Protected**: The Kagami Nano-deflection armour can be used offensively to break through enemy lines to assault vulnerable targets in the rear or defensively to give the tank extra time to escape from danger. Because the main gun is inactive when the Kagami is active, the tank can even move faster as it is not limited by the main gun target stabilization system.

* **Vulnerable**: While technically a lighter tank than either the Guardian or Hammer tanks, the Tsunami Tank's survivability is increased by the combination of the Kagami armour and its amphibious nature. Crews are careful to avoid direct confrontation with enemy MBTs since its new armament makes it useless against tanks in head-on combat, instead relying on judicious use of water and the Kagami armour to secure victory. And like most tanks, the Tsunami is vulnerable to attacks from the air and anti-vehicle infantry. The Kagami armour can help the Tsunami survive until either anti-air support arrives or until the crew has managed to crush the offending infantry.

* **Big things come in small packages**: A popular new upgrade, the "Nanite Disassembler", has been issued to experienced Tsunami commanders to support their new role. The Nanite Launcher is an adapted version of Allied smoke grenade launchers that launches a blob of aggressive disassembler nanites onto anything it hits, increasing their vulnerability to damage.

## WWIII Operational History

 File:TsunamiTankArt.jpg  When the Soviet Army first faced the armoured divisions of the Empire of the Rising Sun, rumors quickly spread of strange, gleaming, amphibious tanks that were invulnerable to enemy fire. Some even believed that this invulnerability came from the Rising Sun-emblazoned banners mounted on the rear tread assemblies, and there were stories of brave but misguided conscripts managing to actually get within arm's length of the banners before being ruthlessly slaughtered.

As the war raged on, it became clear that Tsunami Tanks were protected not by any supernatural powers but rather by an innovative new armour system. The highly trained Tsunami crews are adept at using this shield technology in both offensive and defensive encounters. By diverting nanomachines from operation of the main gun, the Tsunami is capable of producing an impact shield that manifests as a cloud of nanomachines surrounding the hull of the unit.

When even a moderate-intensity energy field is applied to the nano-relays, an energy web forms, which can effectively lessen the impact of ballistics on the hull of the Tsunami. The downside, of course, is that the field takes both power and nanite resources required to operate the main cannon, rendering the tank unable to fire while the field was activated. In addition, the powerful energy field degrades the nano-relays over time, limiting the protection to short bursts to avoid a complete collapse of the Kagami system.

 File:TsunamiTankArtAlt.jpg  While not invulnerable as once thought, the Tsunami is still a potent weapon. More than just a typical amphibious vehicle, which stay waterborne only long enough to get to dry land, Tsunami are as capable on water as they are on land, often escorting ships and assaulting naval targets. The extent to which the Imperial military views them as naval vehicles is aptly demonstrated by the lines of Tsunami tanks often seen emerging from the Imperial Naval Yards and deploying directly into naval combat. Like their namesake, they are also able to wash ashore and leave a trail of destruction far inland.

 File:Tsunami Transformation Schematic.jpg
All of this technology and versatility comes at a price. The Tsunami is the lightest main battle tank in any inventory and has difficulty standing against Guardian or Hammer tanks in a toe-to-toe fight. This fact, and the complexity of the Tsunami's other features, make it a difficult weapon to master - to meet its demands crews go through a rigorous training regimen modeled on traditional Japanese warrior training. Putative tank pilots spend long hours in isolated training facilities studying tactics and weapon systems. In direct contrast to most Soviet and Allied training doctrines, Tsunami crews also study philosophy, poetry, and traditional calligraphy, dedicating themselves to an almost monastic life of warfare and scholarship.

The arduous, continuous training and isolationist culture of the Tsunami crews builds a strong esprit de corps among crews and members of this elite force seldom leave of their own choosing. There are even unconfirmed reports of Tsunami crew members committing seppuku rather than being transferred to another branch of the Imperial military. Whether these reports are true is unknown. What is known is that the Tsunami tanks and their crews form the very backbone of the Imperial war machine.

## Post-War Operational History

 File:VM-EmpireTsunamiTank.png
The Tsunami has seen a shift in its service requirements since the reorganisation of the Imperial military. In particular, their performance against Soviet tank divisions has been carefully studied, leading to the harsh conclusion that the Tsunami simply lacks the hitting power and armour thickness necessary to stand toe-to-toe with the Hammer tank. Their 88mm cannon were simply not potent enough to be of practical use against the Hammer or modernized Rhinos, especially as in order to maintain the blistering rate of fire demanded for the Tsunami by designers, the Tsunami utilized a reduced velocity shell to avoid threatening the barrel with destruction in extended slugfests. This was born out of a belief that the sheer weight of fire would allow for weak points on tanks to be acquired and hammered as quickly as possible, rather than be caught flat-footed after a miss. But this more often led to enemy tanks taking apart Tsunamis from beyond the range at which they could effectively retaliate; their shells glancing off of the thick hulls of hammers while 125mm rounds went clean through the Tsunami and fared only somewhat better against Rhinos.

This report brought great shame to the prideful Tsunami divisions, and the resultant morale problems threatened to sink the divisions. Rather than attempt to salvage the Tsunami for an anti-tank role, new 100mm cannon loaded with HE shells were issued specifically designed to destroy structures, and Tsunami were paired with detachments of the reactivated Chi-Ha Medium Tank, with instructions to drive past enemy tank divisions with their Kagami armour activated, then either cut off the enemy's retreat by a pincer move, or destroy their infrastructure.

The Tsunami has proved extremely adept at this role, and the crews have adapted well. A popular new upgrade, the "Nanite Disassembler", has been issued to experienced Tsunami commanders to support this role. The Nanite Launcher is an adapted version of Allied smoke grenade launchers that launches a blob of aggressive disassembler nanites onto structures, increasing their vulnerability to damage. The Nanite Disassembler is in high demand, as are the hand-sewn battle flags issued with them.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Light Armour

 **Armour Type** | Heavy Armour

 **Kill Reward** | 8000

 **DPS** | 60