Overview:      "Designed to be nothing short than the lord of the battlefield..." So went the advertising pitch of this new design when presented to COPGOV. Large and slow, but brutal in both firepower and protection, the Zeus lives up to its manufacturer's claim. Conceived in 6830 by the Albedo Design Group (a multi-racial design branch of the KanniStar corporation), units across the front are now taking delivery of this fearsome piece of weaponry.      Despite its relative newness, the Zeus has already seen combat, and from all reports, the power of this tank is nothing short of terrifying. First deployed for testing with the 4444th Commonwealth Strike Legion in the Birchshire county, the four Zeus prototypes lead a repulsing action against a minor TOG invasion force consisting of several heavy and medium grav tank units. The Zeus rolled through all weight classes, completely crushing the invasion force. After seeing the mauling the Zeus could dish out and take, COPGOV decided right then and there to give the go ahead to begin full production. Capabilities:      A large 2350-rated Nishtar engine lies at the heart of this heavy grav tank. None the less, its enormous power output is but able to give the Zeus an acceleration rating of 3, or 36 kilometres per minute. It is not hard to see, however, why this is so, nor is it hard to determine that speed was not the primary concern. The Zeus was designed to go straight in and not stop, pushing aside anything that got in its way.      Brute strength is perhaps the most apropos way of describing the weapons complement on the Zeus. Twin Rheinmetal 150mm gauss cannons are mounted in its enormous turret, providing the massive main punch. These are backed up by a single WZR-4000 7.5/6 laser, mounted off the side for a better field of fire vertically for use against airborne targets.. Supplementing these are two weapons clusters mounted in the hull, each containing a Sustarr WZR-850 1.5/6 laser and a GAU-Team Monster-18 gatling mass driver cannon. To cap it off, a single Ysshik TVLG 6 system provides missile support, and is mounted along the back of the turret.      Defensively, the Zeus is no less well endowed. Protected by a double hull of 57 tons of Quad-4 armour, the Zeus can weather all but the heaviest of storms. The shield ratings are disgustingly high, with 90 ratings all around save for the front, which is pumped up to a 100 rating, and the bottom, which is respectively protected with a 60-rated shield. Solid and reliable Naram-made BlueShield 320 shield units have the best shield-cycling algorithms and ensure consistent performance and protection from burnout. An Incoming! III Vulcan anti-missile system rounds out the defensive complement.      Managing all these systems is an Inner-Light Gold vehicle computer. (An upgrade, including a TES, is also being discussed.) One of the most sophisticated units around, it handles everything from targeting to driving control to communications. Extensive redundancy has also been built in at every possible opportunity. An Inner-Light Bright-Eyes sensor package provides the all broad-band sensory coverage required, effective to the maximum of required ranges.      While a 200mm possesses a greater single whack, there is little argument that the twin 150mm mounted in tandem is any less powerful. Coupled with the two GMDCs, the Zeus can throw a devastating ballistic volley. While perhaps a bit weak on the missile end, the three heavy lasers add in to give the Zeus a good balance of weapons covering all ranges. All in all, the Zeus is one very solid piece of engineering. (And aesthetics were not ignored, either!) Deployment:      The KanniStar Corp has managed to keep the Zeus at a reasonable price, costing only slightly more than the Deliverer. Wide scale procurement of the Zeus is currently underway, with distribution across the Alaric front. It shouldn't be long before the Zeus creates the nervous stir in TOG as did the Deliverer during it's first engagements. Currently, there is a fair amount of inter-Legion betting that is going on, each Legion hoping for the honour of the first Augustus kill by their Greek Gods.

Type: Heavy Grav Tank Mass: 407 tons Cost: $2,455,650 Rating Power Mass Cost Engine 2350 2350 62 587500 Thrust: 3 Shields Rating Front 100 264 2 50000 Right 90 182 2 45000 Left 90 182 2 45000 Stern 90 182 2 45000 Bottom 60 24 2 30000 Armour Points Front 100 0 10 500 Right 100 0 10 500 Left 100 0 10 500 Stern 100 0 10 500 Bottom 70 0 7 350 Turret 100 0 10 500 Hull Weapons Hull # 1.5/6 1 10 10 120000 GMDC 18 1 9 35 165000 GMDC 18 2 9 35 165000 1.5/6 2 10 10 120000 Turret Weapons 150mm 5 66 330000 150mm 5 66 330000 Vulcan IV 15 15 60000 7.5/6 23 15 120000 TVLG 6 0 9 30000 Turret 1 9 9000 Crew and Targeting 3 3 300 Anti-Grav Drive 402 5 201000 Power Mass Cost Totals: 1326 407 $2,455,650 Excess Power: 1024

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