Chariot Transport

**Key Features** | »» Dumb-fire Grenade Launcher w/ Smart Ammo»» Small passenger cabin with Virtual Girl Entertainment System»» Pneumatic Ramp»» Gyroscopic Tilt Rotor Engines (x2)»» Pilot under the influence of window cleaner(?)

*"Don't worry about junkies below. If they dare raise their guns, I WILL MURDER THEM."*

-A Chariot pilot reassuring his passengers
## Tactical analysis

* **Best Taxi in Sprawl**: The fastest transport helicopter in the world, the Chariot Transport can load up to five infantry and drop them elsewhere in no time.

* **Guaranteed Safety**: The Chariot is armed with a grenade launcher firing smart grenades effective against infantry and vehicles. When launched at garrisoned buildings, these grenades can steer themselves through gaps to kill enemy soldiers within. And if surrounding the pilots are known to throw their Chariots into a tailspin, dropping their entire payload to ward off enemies that get too close or clear the landing zone. But the pilot needs a few second afterwards to regain their bearing (and finish barfing), and must wait slightly longer for a ammunition resupply.

* **Dumb-fire Smart Ammunition**: If a grenade doesn't hit anything, it can search for enemies on its own, roll towards the nearest one and explode. Savvy commanders can exploit this to effectively extend their Chariots' range. However, the grenade automatically goes off several seconds after being launched.

* **Thanks for Choosing the Best**: After saving up enough money, most charioteers would replace grenades with smart rockets, which can track both ground and air targets to guarantee a direct hit, while retaining smart grenades' ability to clear garrisons and redirect themselves.

## Background

The Chariot Transport is one of the most common civilian aircrafts operated within the concrete jungles of the Sprawls. Capable of flying steadily at an unparalleled speed while carrying five passengers in its cabin, a Chariot is the prime choice for businessmen to commute to work high above the mayhem, distress and traffic jams on the ground. The Chariot is favored by gangs, too, either to infiltrate a rival compound from the air or to escape with their trophies(Why not both? 10% off if you buy round trip tickets!). With enough space to contain five battlesuits, the Chariot also serves as Legion Security's air transport, a role it excels at. The Chariot Transport can give anyone(except those hostile to the Syndicate, of course) a safe, steady and fast ride, as long as they can afford the tickets(and extra weight fees if they're battlesuits).

Of course, it takes more than transportation capability to survive and thrive in Sprawls. The moment Chariot Transports first hit the market, gang warfare in Sprawls was revolutionized by the introduction of a fast air transport. When shooting from open doors couldn't satisfy gangsters, chain guns were jury-rigged onto these helicopters, but soon bullets became underwhelming since everyone reinforced their roofs with armor plates. Without a built-in fire control system, missiles were out of question, while unguided rockets often missed their targets and hit something else, inviting unwanted third parties to join the brawl. Some charioteers tried exotic weapons, such as a zero-point energy gun(when fired the transferred momentum throwed the Chariot away like a catapult) or a scavenged Soviet magnetic harpoon(instead of lifting a Talos up, it pulled the Chariot towards and crashed into the car), but the majority found their solution in a more conventional form.

Replacing the chain gun with a grenade launcher, a Chariot could carry enough grenades to level a full parking lot without impairing its agility or carrying capacity. While the launcher itself is inaccurate and dumb-fire, the grenades it fired are intelligent. These "smart" grenades have minimal on-board AI guidance and when launched at garrisoned buildings can steer themselves right through windows and fireports to kill enemy soldiers within. The grenade's proximity trigger ensures that it would only immediately explode when hitting an enemy object, otherwise the onboard AI would search for enemies in its surroundings by itself. If an enemy is found, the AI would control the grenade to roll towards the new target. However, the battery in the grenade can only power the AI for a few seconds, after which the grenade will immediately explode. Now with a weapon strong enough to dissuade anyone from shooting them from balconies or gun trucks, a weapon foolproof enough for an intoxicated Auxiliary to use without tearing his buddies on the ground into pieces, Chariots have become the Sprawl equivalent of taxis in cities outside, guaranteeing a (by Sprawl standards) safe and (really) fast ride to their customers and conspirators.

As long as the pay is good, charioteers are more than happy to provide their helicopters and service for Legion Security just like they would they would do to any gangs. When they could afford, charioteers usually upgrade their Chariots with a fire control system and a smart rocket pod, replacing the grenade launcher. Smart rockets can home in on targets on the surface or in the air, and if the target was destroyed or somehow vanished before the rocket could land a hit, those rockets can search for and track down new targets not unlike smart grenades.

## Tactics

These twin-rotor craft are highly effective at transporting groups of infantry through the air. Capable of carrying five men, it can also use its grenade launcher on enemies on the ground, including those garrisoned in bunkers. Despite the grenade launcher is a dumb-fire weapon, the grenades it tossed is AI-controlled and if hit nothing can search for enemies in a radius and roll towards the chosen target to explode near it. However, the grenades can only linger for a few seconds and will explode when the time is up.