Pre-Con Tactical Base

Cobra Class Pre-Con Tactical Base:

Considered one of the best of the Pre-Con base designs, the Cobra remains in production. The structure when assembled is 500 meters across and three stories tall. Firepower is deployed from three primary turrets and supported by a variety of wall cut outs and mounts. The Cobra class base has a level one command and control center, a large medical surgical hospital, and six pre-configurable bays.

Available Bay-configurations:

1. Mech Support Bay: this bay can handle minor and moderate mech repair, as well as rearmament and reloading. The bay can handle four mechs at a time, or can be fully deployed for major repair of one mech at a time. The bay has gantries as well as basic equipment for handling repairs, but comes with no integral inventory or parts. This must be procured seperately.

2. Armor Support Bay: Like a mech bay, this configuration allows for the service, resupply, and repair of armored vehicles. It can service six at a time, splitting into 3 alcoves on two levels. Vehicles under 65 tons can use the upper bay, more than this and they are confined to the lower bay. All repairs, minor to major can be carried out in this bay set up.

3. Infantry Barracks Bay: This pre-configuration provides barracks, an arsenal, and recreation area for an infantry company. This includes a first aid station for non-life threatening injuries.

4. Weapon Emplacement Bay: This pre-configuration increases the firepower of the base, mounting either artillery grade weapons for long range support, or heavy direct fire weapons such as large bore autocannons, dual mount plasma or particle cannons, or other weapons set-ups.

5. Cargo Bay: This bay provides armored and secure storage for base supplies. Generally any Cobra class base will have at least one bay automatically configured to supply storage. The bay has explosive countermeasures, an ammunition explosion will destroy the bay, but the base will survive siad explosion with a minimum of damage to its other systems.

6. Advanced CIC Bay: mounting enhanced electronics and communications equipment, this bay can function as the primary CIC for an entire planetary force. These bays come with the bonus feature of providing ECM functions for the entire base, making it much harder to locate.

The Cobra class base has three weapons towers each topped with a mobile weapons turret. The armored turret, like the bay system, comes in a variety of configuarions.

1. Hammerhead: The turret mounts a pair of 20 tube swarm missile launchers. The turret is effective against air and ground targets.

2. Salamander: The turret mounts twin-linked particle cannons. Accurate and deadly, this turret is effective for eliminating enemy mechs and armor.

3. Buster: Turret mounts four linked medium autocannons. The guns can project a variety of ammunition including flak, anti-infantry flechette, and armor piercing rounds to deadly effect. The Buster does require an ample ammunition supply.

4. Thor: The turret mounts a single computer controlled gauss rifle/rail gun. The Thor matches the Salamander's firepower without the heatwash at the cost of requiring ammunition.

The Pre-Constructed Tactical Base

The Pre-Con Base was designed to support a technologically advanced military force operating on undeveloped or primitive worlds. The base is assembled from preconstructed pieces that are generally transported in place by dropship. While not a match defensively compared to built in place fortresses, the Pre-Con base can be dismantled and repacked onto a dropship and moved as the situation warrants. This mixture of firepower, mobility, and defensive power make the Pre-Con bases popular, if expensive, additions to a military force.

Repairing a Pre-con Tactical base is also easy. Damaged sections or components are usually either left in place or destroyed completely with demolition charges and replacement pieces are put into the base. With proper logistical support a Pre-Con base can be almost indesctructable.

Costs and Limitations

The Pre-Constructed Base requires a large single, or series of factories to support its construction. The pieces it is constructed from may not be complicated, but they are large. Moving the Pre-Con base also isnt an easy proposition. The walls and the supporting members are easy enough to store in a large cargo bay, the components such as the gun turrets are large and cumbersome, and keeping track of all the equipment contained in the various bays can be a tedious process. That being said, the usage of construction mecha, computerized inventories, and large dropships, these problems can be overcome. Once the cost and manufacturing and logistical bases are covered, the Pre-Con base is an attractive alternative to the quick set up canvas tent, or easily captured or destroyed mobile HQ vehicles. Also, when operating on primitive worlds that lack the infrastructure to work on mecha, a pre-con base is indispencable.

Roles of the Pre-Con Tactical Base

Planetary CIC Base: utilizing the advanced command bay, the Planetary CIC base provided intel and coordination when conducting planetary scale operations. This can be a quick deploy by an assaulting force, or a secondary command center for a defending force. This type of installation with be located in a remote area, and have large supply bays and rely more on secrecy than firepower.

Forward Fire Base: the fire base mounts heavy weaponry at the expense of any repair bays. With artillery installed and heavy turret guns, the forward base is an anchor for an attacking force. While advancing, it can provide firepower at range and coordinate air strikes and such. On the defensive it is a strongpoint to rally the besieged attackers.

Mobile Yard: Mounting almost nothing but repair and resupply bays and cargo bays, the mobile yard keeps a fighting force on its feet, keeping mecha and vehicles in solid condition and ammo bins full. This sort of base will either be part of a logistical resupply area, deploying a quick set landing pad for dropships to resupply, or will be a forward repair hub keeping an heavily embattled force on the go. Mobile yards are frequent targets, and lacking weaponry beyond the turrets, are highly dependant on their mecha and armor forces for defence.

Planetary Infiltrator: The PI is deployed in a remote area and serves as a recon and observation base. Like the CIC base, it relys on stealth rather than firepower. Once planetary actions commence, the PI can easily switch over to Planetary CIC control.

Population Control: The least popular type of Pre-Con base, this base mounts infantry barracks bays and supports a large garrison of troops. It is deployed in areas of civil unrest to operate as a pacification base. PopCon is a slang term for a base that operates on draconian gestapo tactics to keep a rebellious population in line. PopCons are most common on recently conquered worlds with strong loyalties beyond their immediate location.

Because knowing is half the battle!