Battarax Siege Troll

One of the many elements of the Insurrection that would cause the Mechanicum as a whole to re-think it's approach, the Battarax was a creation born of necessity as the civil war that shook the red planet came to an end. Built to help the final attack on Olympus Mons, the Ordo Reductor who had been depleted in their capacity, took to the problem of the siege voraciously. It was used as  a chance to test some of the most taboo battle-calculations against their own kind could finally be tested.

A heavy and slow-moving walker when out in the open the drill acts as both siege equipment and breaching unit as it digs its way through the earth and bursts forth behind enemy lines, devastating those around it with it's heavy weapon mounts, covering the troops behind it as they pour into the undefended territory. Due to it's sheer size and weight as well as the defensive systems, it is more than capable of holding it's own for long enough to allow supporting troops to secure the area around it.

## History

With the scale of what faced those Martian priests of the Reductor looming over them, they were given a challenge from the Tenth Primarch himself; “Reduce their walls to memory and carve a path into their belly.” And as any loyal servant of the Ordo would do, they committed to their task with great abandon, bringing their greatest weapons, martial processing and knowledge to bear.

While the red sand shook and the roots of Olympus Mons trembled at the terrible assault breaking down it's gates, the Ordo Reductor launched an assault of their own into the depths of the catacombs below. At the head of several cohorts of Skitarii and Cybernetica, the newly formed drilling machines lead the charge.

Prior to the battle many ideas had been put forth and refused, most centring around the use of the drills themselves. While several patterns were available, all were simply armoured boxes that offered little in the way of support once they had breached. Most would, in fact, be detected long before they reached their destination by the various sensitive monitoring devices within the mountain, and be met with defenders who could easily pick them off as they disembarked from the vehicles. The drills needed to not only get the troops to the destination quickly to minimize response times, but to also be able to provide the troops with enough firepower and defensive measures to cover them while they did disembarked. With some swift development using Martian forges abandoned during the Schism, the Ordo repurposed a large shipment of Termite Assault Drills that were bound to some far-off Imperial Guard regiment. All before the events of the Day of Revelation swiftly changed the course of the Great Crusade.

Using the ample space inside the drills they were swiftly filled with all manner of control systems and combat-cogitators. Several miles of wiring, cables and connectors linked all of the drills systems and fed the wealth of knowledge to a large command throne packed tightly into the centre of the troop compartment. While a snug fit for most magos every piece was necessary to allow the newly dubbed 'Battarax' to function as a fighting vehicle.

### As Above, So Below

While the various Ordos, Collegias and Legios brought the city of Olympus Mons to ruin above ground, the Ordo Reductors deployed their newly created tools to cut into the myriad of chambers that cored the great red mountain. It was understood that while the city above was a great task that would take the combined might of the many arms of the Imperium, the labyrinthine maze that expanded below would need to be cleared chamber by chamber, which would be a monumental task in and of itself.

To this end the Siege Troll's were launched at the head of a veritable horde of Skitarii and Cybernetica. The troops would follow behind the drills and move to secure the area once the drill had breeched and cleared out any immediate enemies. This same procedure would take place in dozens of chambers, all coordinated by several Reductor Covenants as one combined strike, catching the traitors off guard as they focused on the siege above.

As each of the 5 great gates were torn asunder, the drills of the Ordo cut their way into the underbelly of the fortress. Bursting into storage warehouses and foundries in a shower of rockcrete and streaming shells as the gun turrets unfold and lay down a withering hail of fire, the Siege-Troll's pulled themselves from the debris. This metaphorical gut-punch saw a swathe of the fortress fall under loyalist control as it was quickly followed by cohort after cohort of skitarii and cybernetica pouring from the earth. Swiftly moving through the mountain's innards to vital junctions and objectives meant to cripple and drive the traitors deeper into their keep, the combined efforts of those above ground and below saw Kelbor-Hal's mindless hordes driven back and the traitorous Fabricator-General driven from the red planet forever.

## Design

While continuing to resemble it's progenitor design, the Battarax has significant changes to it's internal systems that allow it to function as a heavy breaching unit. With the internal space replaced with cogitators and servitor slave-minds it has turned this newfound processing capability into tactical awareness and firepower. With two sets of retractable legs recessed into the main body the drill can also move under it's own power to manoeuvre itself into drilling position as well as when it bursts into enemy fortresses. This added mobility allows the vehicle great flexibility and provides the best defence for any troops following behind it as it puts it's bulk and shields between the defenders and the assaulting force. Finally, through the addition of several weapons stations, phase-shield modulators and auxiliary systems, a Battarax can not only dig it's way to a target, but have the staying power to defend this new beachhead.

### Armament

While the main 4 armatures of the Battarax can be swapped out on the whim of the Ordo Reductor Magii in charge of it's mission, the standard loadout for them are two heavy bolters and two volkite culverin weapons. Attached to mounting plates that can recess into the body of the vehicle itself during drilling, these weapons are controlled by servitors mounted internally and are the main method of attack once the unit has breeched an enemy complex. These 4 individual mounting points for heavy weapons allow the drill to be able to take on a number of enemies of varying size and toughness, allowing the Battarax to hold it's ground until reinforcements back it up.

Though neither the Melta Cutter or the Siege Drill are designed with the intent to effectively engage enemies, they can serve just as improvised weapons if necessary. The former melta cutter system, while short-ranged. Can effectively cut open armoured carapaces and tanks  just as easily. While effective in extremely close range, it is only to be used when absolutely appropriate, as the power usage of such a system can drain the power from other important systems. This power use isn't normally a problem as the system is used during tunnelling while others such as the shield generators and weapons systems are powered down. It only becomes a problem when all of said systems are engaged at once, like when a Battarax has emerged and is trying to defend with it's shields, fire weapons systems and move at the same time, causing strain on the power generator if the melta cutters are engaged as well.

The latter siege drill acts more defensively once the vehicle has dragged itself out of it's tunnel and into battle, the dense cutters and drill plating are able to shrug off significant amounts of fire even without the help of the on-board shield. It's use as an offensive weapon is simple in terms of theory, but a little difficult in practice if the enemy has the advantage of mobility. While the drill can easily churn through barricades and bunkers it's use on anything that isn't standing still is non-existent due to the slow nature of the drill itself, even with the newfound mobility of the Battarax.

### Control Systems

Taking up most of the internal space of the previous troop-carrier are the extensive cogitators and servitor-stations used to control the Battarax and it's many systems, all connected to the command throne tucked away in the centre of the mess of armour and cables. With the command throne using a MIU link, it allows the Ordo Reductor Magos to control the various outstations and power levels of the drill to optimize it's use on the battlefield. Two weapons servitors manage the general functions of the attached heavy weapons while the technician in charge controls the movement of the drill, shield and power systems.

### Defences

As it's main form of protection, the Battarax manipulates the already existing Phase-field generator mounted on the Termite chassis to use as a defensive shield. Initially used purely to help the drill bury it's way through the earth, with the introduction of several projectors and modulation cogitators, the field is capable of warding off small-arms fire with ease and heavy weapons fire for a significant amount of time.

Through a mixture of the Termite's original design and Ordo Reductor resource acquisition, the Battarax's armour plating has also been significantly bolstered as several long strips of adamantium plating and support structure are implemented. Through reinforcement of the original frame the siege drill has seen an increase in the pressures and gravities able to be endured while in use, allowing it to drill through tectonically unstable terrain with little effect to the pilot. The addition of the hardened plating on the outside also allows it to mitigate more extreme temperatures and weapons fire, giving it greater survivability in battle and even the ability to temporarily able to withstand moving through molten magma.

### Miscellaneous

With the backing of the Ordo Reductor the Bettarax was destined to include strange an esoteric elements of technology that would make it stand out on the battlefield, and of course it delivers on this. Thanks to the radical change in the vehicle's purpose the installation of command systems left a significant amount of room left to be filled, and the mobility system did this perfectly. Made up of 4 large legs recessed into the body, each can be articulated, folding out and essentially turning the drill into a walker as it emerges from it's tunnel, covering those behind it as it sets up a beachhead. Each leg is made up of 3 articulated joints with the majority of the leg covered in thick armour plating that lies flush with the hull when retracted into it's housing. Though still relatively slow compared to any tracked of wheeled vehicle and even by walker standards, it is seen as a great boon to the overall design.

The unprecedented mobility allows for much greater combat capability when the Battarax emerges from it's tunnel, able to cover it's weaker rear armour by facing it away from enemy positions and secure an area rather than sitting almost beached as the previous Termite design would have been.

While somewhat of a rarity considering the nature of the Ordo Reductor, the internal deployment system, previously used for firing grenades out of the vehicle, has on occasion been repurposed. Used initially during the Martian siege, this deployment system, consisting of a airlock tube leading to the outside, had a teleport homer deployed from it instead. While the mainstay of Reductor and Skitarii forces could follow behind the Siege Troll as it dug through the earth to emerge with the machine itself, several routes would prove too dangerous even for the augmented troops of the Mechanicum. It was decided that these more dangerous routes would employ teleportation instead, and as the Battarax  burst forth from the ground, it deployed the homing beacons to great effect.

By no means a standard practice when most Mechanicum troops can survive the harsh conditions of marching through cramped tunnels, but the use of the homing device proved incredibly effective and would be noted for future use.

Much like the teleport homer, the addition of deployable barricades to the sides of the vehicle was by no means a standard practice upon it's initial inception, but you would be hard-pressed to find one without them now. Whether for use by the troops that follow the Siege Troll out of it's tunnel, or by elements teleported in, flak and ceramite  barricade plating is bolted onto the main body and released when ready. With two rows of explosive bolts attaching the barricade to the drill, it releases them with explosive force, and drops the cover into place, providing any infantry with ample protection. Proving effective in decreasing the initial number of casualties during drill assaults. The simple nature of this modification lead to it's adoption amongst the other Drill Magii and an increase in relations between the Ordo and any infantry elements working alongside them.