Distributor

## Tactical Analysis

**Sending a care package:** The basic unit of the IAA, the Distributor is essentially a cheap, fast harvester capable of easily moving about the field without being fired on.

**Rest here:** When necessary, the distributor can also set up into a temporary aid shelter, saving those inside from enemy fire.

**Not A Bunker:** In either mode, the distributor is incredibly weak against enemy explosive weapons or superweapon attacks.

## Background

*"A four-wheel fortress.'*

In a disaster situation, the most dangerous enemy is time. Supplies are necessary immediately, as fast as possible and as much as possible. Beyond the immediate need for boots on the ground and emergency personnel to combat said disasters, there must also be nonperishable food, water, shelter, fuel and power to run shelters, spare medical and disaster response tools, and a multitude of other supplies that, when a disaster strikes, are suddenly more valuable than ever. If these supplies are absent, then the lives of survivors and wounded are on the line. For many groups, then, there is a crucial need for emergency logistics vehicles: fast enough to beat the flatline, big enough to save a hundred if the need arises.

The vehicles through which the forces of the International Aid Organization rush these much-needed supplies to the front varies by region and by size. When a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Caracas in 1967, airships wearing the green sun of the Technocratic Aid Branch could be seen alongside those of the Emergency Management Council's descending in order to distribute much needed resources to those working or trapped in the rubble; the red crosses of the American Aid Branch are a common sight on converted Cadillacs and customized hot-rod ambulances riding with Confederate forces; Arabian Aid Branch forces flying the red crescent have been been increasingly relying on donated decommissioned battle tanks from the local Coalition in order to protect their supplies and aid from desperate GLA camps. Yet there is one particular truck that, no matter the location or branch, one will almost inevitably see on the fields of post-battle: the Industrial Incorporated Mark 14 Hippo Hauling Supervan, or as they are more commonly called **Distributors**.

The distributors make excellent backups for the volunteers of the IAA. Reliable vehicles capable of moving fast over any terrain, the Mark 14 was designed originally to act as an ammo carrier. Unfortunately for International Inc, the market was essentially over-saturated with logistics vehicles. Prospectors, Opel Blitz trucks, the Sisyphus line, all essentially destroyed any hope Orlov and Xanatos might have had at breaking into the market for reliable logistics transports. Of course, other organizations needed a reliable transport that wouldn't force them to interact with terrorists to get them, or bankrupt themselves to do so. Many branches of the IAA reached out to International Inc, drawing up contracts to ensure that the trucks could be bought to their standards and at reasonable price. Only the Soviet Aid Association refused the truck, claiming that the Soviet transports were more than good enough for their needs.

The vehicle is a rugged and reliable creation, made to navigate the most treacherous terrain and waters to get aid to the needy. To the various aid groups using it, the vehicle is a vital link in the chains that they need to set up and support aid operations, but it wasn't all they needed. They needed a ready-made structure capable of supporting their movements in the field, as well as acting as a refuge for those who needed a place to sleep and recuperate. Looking at the Allied prospectors, the Greek Aid Association looked into the concept of setting up the distributor as a mobile rest area. Other IAA groups sought to experiment with the plan, and the mobile bunker concept quickly became ready for use.

Since the end of World War III all regional motor pools of the IAA have at least ten Distributors ready to roll at a moment's notice, with five typically kept in reserve in case more are needed. Rugged, dependable, and treated as non-combatants no matter where the fighting takes place, the Distributor is the rugged and reliable workhorse of peace for the needy people of the world today.