Caravan
aka: Landcarrier
A vehicle type operated by Jabberworks and a few independent trading companies operating in non-Coalition areas. The vehicles are quite large, about the length of four old style tractor-trailers stacked end to end, three to five stories high, and roughly half the length wide. Their armor is mediocre and ablative and they have a few minor defensive weapons. Mostly they rely on powerarmor and fighter craft based on the Landcarrier to defend themselves.This is necessary because Landcarriers are quite slow. Top speed is usually around sixty miles per hour while a more usual speed of about 45mph is recommended for long periods. Their manueverability is sluggish at best.
All of which is because the Landcarriers are not meant to function as wartime vehicles but as a sort of mobile trading post. All sorts of items are traded from one stop to another, and the repair bays are a major attractant to those along the Landcarrier's route.
Akane took a deep calming breath and triggered the closure button.
Once again a brief feeling of panic as the armor folded up around her and sealed, before the HUD and displays came up.
IF she had had power armor like this, she might have been able to save Ranma. As it was, that Ranma had not shown up meant that he was likely dead.
Oh some of the others, mainly the higher ups, felt it possible that a group of adventurers contacted by a "squirt" (encoded short burst transmission) would be able to rescue Ranma. Even they put it as long odds. Others, such as the kitchen staff, the herbalist, even the cybernetic cyber-doc - no chance at all. You had better odds of winning a lottery. Better odds of being struck by lightning. The Coalition was not known for its kindness.
The dragon assured her that they'd all see Ranma again. Akane had noticed that the dragon was quite kind and generous and frankly had stopped believing him.
IF Ranma were alive, she'd know it, wouldn't she?
Ranma knew quite a lot about cyborgs and robots despite coming from 20th Century Japan.
Why? Because he did come from 20th Century Japan. The concept, if not the reality, was darn near everywhere. He didn't watch TV that much, but you ran across the concept during TV dorama as well as anime.
"Full conversion," said Ranma, feeling blessed unconsciousness rise up around him as he made his decision.
"If someone will help me get it to that Cyber-doc," began Phantom Lady, "I think we should get going as fast as possible."
"True, there is a conflict coming," said the old man. "I may not be a prophet or a Mystic, but I can see some problems coming to this area very soon."
Afrom stretched. "I'll help. That crazy bugger can fix up Saotome here, then we can be on our way. You sure that alien tech isn't going to do anything too nasty to the boy?"
"I had Milton look it over," said the old man in an irritated voice.
Afrom considered that. Milton was what they called an Operator - a mechanic and one whose psychic gifts allowed him to interface directly with machines. "He gave it a clean bill of health?"
"No hidden destruct charges, no remote control, no demonic entities disguised as technology," said the old man. "Anything either of us could think of or have encountered - we looked."
"It'll have to do," said Afrom, tapping the box that held what would be Ranma's new form -
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(Posted Sat, 06 Mar 2004 17:32)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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