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The Centaur Hovertank
Based on “The Malcontent Uprisings” comics
Statistics, creative history and weapons made up by Stan BUNDY.
Corrections (of which there were many) by Andering REDDSON.

History: The original Centaur Hovertank was developed in the late 199Øs by the United States and Britain, two major factions of the Internationalists.
In many ways, the Centaur was a breakthrough design for its time; in fact, it was too advanced for existing technology to make it viable. The gas turbine engines were woefully fuel inefficient, and the hover jets had to be of the ‘hot’ variety, requiring additional fuel to be ignited in them to provide sufficient lift (as opposed to a cool jet system, that used ducted air for lift - pre-SDF-1 technology cold not make turbine blades strong enough for this use). While the tank used the same rounds as the M1Ø9 self-propelled howitzer, its autoloader only had room for two dozen rounds, further limiting the tank’s effectiveness on the field. The design also had a launcher integral to the turret, that launched Hellfire anti-armor missiles (Damage as medium HE [Heavy], but range as SRM).
These liabilities were somewhat offset by the tanks limited ability to transform. When transformed, the tank’s fuselage lifts to a height of up to 18 feet, allowing the tank to “pop up” from concealment, while leaving its vulnerable hover components “hull down” behind cover. Also while in this mode, two weapon arms deploy, under the operation of the driver/gunner. In the initial pre-Visitor (SDF-1) production model, one arm was a derivative of the M134 7.62MM rotary machinegun, while the other arm could be either a 2ØMM autocannon, or twin-mounted .5Ø caliber (12.7MM) heavy machineguns. All were effective on lighter targets that the tank commander/primary gunner bypassed.
With the arrival of the SDF-1, and its technological bonanza, the Centaur design began to mutate with each major discovery. By 2ØØ8, the Centaur had seen radical change, some seeing three refits while in service. It was in 2ØØ8 that the design was relegated to second-line duty, discontinued in favor of the presumably more versatile 1-man Destroid designs. The irony was that the Centaur was just as tough as a Destroid, much faster, more mobile, and was much lower in profile, even with the turret fully telescoped up.
The source from inside the SDF-1 for many of the upgrades also is full of irony, as the majority of the items provided in the upgrades were reverse-engineered parts of Regult Tactical Battle Pods and Male Power Armors. The salvage was found in various states of damage in the SDF-1’s recycling center holding area by the investigative team, providing some of the initial information on the T’sentrædi. What had been the auxiliary fusion power unit that provided 9Ø% of the power to operate a Regult pod (the other 1Ø% was the Protoculture power source) was reverse-engineered into the power plant of the tank, allowing (with materials technology advances) the switch to a cool jet system, and the exchanging of many of the projectile systems for energy weapons. The tank went from a cannon, to a plasma cannon (based off the MPA shoulder weapon) to a short-barreled version of the standard T’sentrædi Mecha particle beam cannon.
It was these tanks second-line status that resulted in many of them assigned to lower priority stations - and even some ultra-high priorities that had to pretend to be low priority. It was one of the latter, the South American Grand Cannon, that would have its Centaurs feature predominantly on the Malcontent Wars. In the years following the “Rain of Death”, any military vehicle was worth its weight in gold - especially heavy combat models.
A Centaur Mk V of the Wolfe Pack and a Malcontent Stinger (2Ø18)
In the years following Dolza’s death, the unfinished Grand Cannon was captured by T’sentrædi, then liberated by Jonathan Wolfe. This was one of the contributing factors to the founding of Cavern City, in one of the distant underground facilities built to support the cannon. Cavern City would salvage everything usable from the cannon to further its existence, and supply the RDF with vital components. Along the way, Wolfe discovered a dozen mothballed Centaurs, and immediately began restoring for the use of the town’s defense forces, which he headed. After breaking four down for parts, and several unorthodox procurement missions for additional parts (of dubious legality), the remaining tanks were christened the Wolfe Pack, and a legend was born. ¡The Wolfe Pack used the Centaurs until 2Ø19, including a skirmish during the “Insanity Plague” incident where they fought their way out of a Southern Cross ambush with minimal damage to themselves, despite being outnumbered three to one by the experimental Veritech Hovertanks and Logans!
The Centaur Hovertank would remain in production until the development of the Veritech Hover Tank, at which time the lines were shut down and re-tooled to VHT production; However, the Centaur would remain in service, right up to the Invid Invasion, and parts for them were easily obtainable for some 5Ø years. The REF also had a complete set of Centaur specs, though only a few would be deployed for the Tirol mission; After the liberation of Carbonarra, however, they were once again produced to give the newly liberated Sentinel Worlds some limited heavy mobile firepower, in case of an Invid counter assault or colab uprising. During this period, the Centaur was relegated to second-line and civil defense units. Though none remain in militry service now, the Centaur is still seen, from time to time, on some of the most backwater of UGC worlds, and often are found in the hands of malcontents; Even Tiresain malconts have, form time to time, utilized them (though only for short periods of time, usually only after a “proper” Mecha has been destroyed, and then only to effect the mission or an escape). Despite the age of the design, the Centaur is still a powerful weapons platform, and should never, under any circumstances, be snubbed or ignored.

The production history of the Centaur
Centaur Mk II in action on Terra during the Malcontent Uprisings

Centaur Mk I (1998-1999): The original prototype; 1ØØ made. Jet turbine powered, hot hover system, Roary 7.62MM MG & twin .5Ø HMG weapon arms, and 155MM main armament (36 rounds), but no missile launcher.
Centaur Mk II (1999-2ØØØ): 37 made, the original 1ØØ were upgraded to this variant. 86 were lost in combat with anti-unification forces after the SDF-1 arrival. The remaining 51 were scrapped in order to be rebuilt as Mk III models. Jet turbine powered, hot hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .5Ø HMG or single 2ØMM weapon arms, 155MM main armament (24 rounds), six-shot Hellfire missile launcher.
Centaur Mk III (2ØØØ-2ØØ2): The first version to incorporate the new power plant (as did all later models). 2,ØØØ made (including the 51 rebuilt from Mk II parts). 6Ø lost in combat with anti-unification forces; The rest were upgraded into Mk IV or Mk V (in some cases, into MK IV, then months later into Mk V) by 2ØØ5. Fusion powered, cool hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .5Ø HMG or single 2ØMM weapon arms, 155MM main armament (24 rounds), six-shot Hellfire missile launcher.
Centaur Mk IV (2ØØ2-2ØØ3): The first version to incorporate energy weapons, as the main armament was replaced. 14Ø factory made, with additional units from upgraded MK III Centaurs. 19 lost in combat with anti-unification forces; the rest were upgraded to Mk Vs by 2ØØ5. Fusion powered, cool hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .5Ø HMG or single 2ØMM weapon arms, Plasma cannon main armament, single six-shot medium range missile launcher.
Centaur Mk V (2ØØ3-2ØØ8): The final model, incorporating a Particle Beam Cannon, a new missile launcher and new weapon arm designs. 5Ø,ØØØ made new, plus another 2Ø61 from upgrades of Mk III and Mk IV models; 52,Ø61 total. A few were destroyed in place by Dolza’s attack, but more than 4Ø,ØØØ survived. Fusion powered, cool hover system. Weapon Arms: choice of Rotary 7.62MM MG, twin .5Ø HMG, triple-barrel laser or TZ-II Gun cluster. Main Armament: Particle Beam Cannon, two six-shot medium range missile launchers.
Centaur Mk IVa (2Ø15 onward): The “IVa” variant was produced mainly on Tirol for the Sentinel Alliance; over 25,ØØØ of these were built in the first year of that war, and remained in produce until the entry into the United Wordls Alliance some 12 years later. Only Garuda never produced a single tank (as factories are banned from Garuda), and before the line was ended almost 1 million units were manufactured. Most were eventually scrapped, but not until after the specs had been leaked to the public; The Atorian Empire would even field these tanks, in limited numbers, during their war with the UWA (though without the REF-designed PBC). Most now are museum pieces, buit a few can still be found on the battle field.
Centaur Mk IVb (21Ø5 onward): The “IVb” variant is mainly used in the outlier systems and by malcontents; Unarmed versions are also available as museum pieces and/or for collectors of such things. The model detailed here is the “b” variant, which, with the exception of grav pods and tractioning drives, is exactly the same as the “a” variant, and requires only a few days per unit to convert. This was also the version produced by the Atorians, with the exception that they used anit-matter based powerplants (not a safe choice, due to the size of the power plant versus the tank) and their own native weapons systems (which mostly SD, not MD).

Centaur Hover Tank, Mk Vb:
Type: Fusion-powered multi-modal hovertank.
Crew: Two; Driver (operates weapon arms) and Commander (fires main armament)
MDC by Location:
* Main Body/Turret-
** Commander’s Cockpit-
Reinforced Pilot’s Compartment (Driver)-
** Particle Beam Cannon Barrel-
** Turret Missile Launcher Cover-
** Sensor Array (slung under turret, between legs)-
Leg Struts (2)-		25Ø
8Ø
12Ø
3Ø
6Ø
4Ø
1ØØ each		Leg Hover Systems (forward; 1 per leg)-
Leg Hover Systems/Thrusters (rear; 1 per leg)-
** Center Rear Thrusters (2)-
**# Gun Arms-
** Recoil Damping cables(4)-
*** Positioning Wheels (8)-

75 each
6Ø each
4Ø each
3Ø each (all types)
1Ø each
1Ø each

Centaur Mk II's of the Militia 'Southern Cross Army' in training days after the Rain of Death* Destroying the Turret/Main Body shuts down the tank.
** Require called shot at an additional -3 penalty to hit, from size and/or location.
*** These wheels are -1Ø to hit, and effectively act as landing wheels for the tank. Losing 2 or more of these wheels on one side makes landing and takeoff attempts require a pilot hovercraft roll at -5% (-2Ø% if both sides damaged this way). Failure results are up to GM and situational modifiers.
# Only exposed during Combat Mode.

Speed and Statistical Data:
Tank Mode: Can reach speeds of 16Ø MPH; reduce speed by 2Ø% for each rear thruster destroyed, 3Ø% for each leg hover section destroyed (rear leg sections count as both, for a -5Ø% penalty).
Combat Mode (Turret Telescoped): 5Ø MPH, but pilot gets no combat bonuses if attempting to pilot at speeds over 1Ø MPH while using the Weapon Arms.
Hover Height: Only 4¾ feet. Can NOT leap, bt can go over crevasses not wider then 6 feet (regardless how deep they are).
Height: 9 feet as a tank, up to 18 feet telescoped.
Width: 15 feet; 18 feet with turret telescoped (legs spread outward slightly)
Length: 28 feet; 25 feet with turret telescoped (legs constrict slightly)		Weight: 18 tons (Mk III-V). The Mk II massed about 28.4 tons, including fuel, and had an operational range of 12Ø miles (2ØØ km).
Flight Ssytem: Originally a forced-air system (jets). Modern types use grav pods.
Thrust Sytem: Originally a forced air system (jets) Modern types use trationing drives.
Fuel Supply: One year supply of fuel for the fusion reactor.
Cost and Availability: Around 60 million€ for an UNARMED (legal) model. Availability varies, as the Centaur is currently only produced in the outlier systems.
Black Market Cost and Availability: Generally the same; For the most part, a “museum piece” is purchased, then armed.

Weapon Systems:
1. Particle Beam Cannon, PBC-84: Identical to the Excalibur PBC.
Primary Purpose: Assault/defense
MD: 5D1Ø+25 per blast
Range: 1Ø,ØØØ feet
Payload: Unlimited
Rate of Fire: Four times per melee.

2. Heavy Missile Pods (2): Mounted under a protective lid next to the PBC, they are each identical to the system mounted above the right shoulder of the Excalibur Destroid. Each unit launches a total of six, medium range, medium warhead missiles. The missiles can be launched one at a time or in volleys of two. Each volley counts as one attack.
Primary Purpose: Assault/defense.
Missile Types: Medium range, guided missiles. Specific warheads vary.
Mega-Damage: Varies with specific warheads, as does range.
Rate of Fire: Individually or in volleys of two.
Payload: Six missiles per launcher, for a total of twelve. Manual reload, from somebody outside, requires the proper equipment and takes 6 melees.
3. Weapon Arms: The weapon arm systems are modular; any two arms can be used, and take 6 man-hours to swap one arm for another, provided the other arm type is available. Two identical arms are almost never used, as the ammunition space for the projectile arms is limited enough with only one present. The angle of fire for the arm weapons is limited to a 45 degree arc up and down, 9Ø degrees right and left. Note: The picture to the right shows arm types 3 (right) and 4 (left) arms.
A) 7.62MM Rotary Machinegun:
Primary Purpose: Antipersonnel
Mega-Damage: 4D6×1Ø SDC for short burst, 8D6×1Ø SDC for long burst. Bursts are considered to be one attack regardless of the length). If used to spray, treat as one burst category higher than the actual burst size, due to rate of fire.
Payload: 3ØØØ rounds (a short burst uses 6Ø rounds, a long burst 12Ø rounds)
Range: 2ØØØ feet (6ØØm).


B) Twin barrel M-89 12.7MM machinegun: Identical to the head-mounted weapon of the Excalibur Destroid.
Purpose: Antipersonnel
Mega-Damage: 2D4 M.D. for short burst, 4D4 M.D. for long burst, or 1D4×1Ø M.D. for one full melee of continuous fire (each burst is considered to be one attack regardless of the length).
Payload: 5ØØ rounds (a short burst uses 1Ø rounds, long burst 2Ø rounds and full burst 4Ø rounds).
Range: 2ØØØ feet (6ØØm)
C) Triple-Barreled Laser: These lasers are similar to those later used for the head lasers on the VF-1 Veritechs. They have the long burst option, as well as the ability to be used as cutting tools.
Primary Purpose: Assault/Defense Weapon.
Secondary Purpose: Tool for cutting.
Range: 2ØØØ feet (6Ø9 m)
Mega-Damage: 1D4 M.D. per laser, or 3D4 for a volley of all three at once. One, long, extended blast lasts on full melee and does double damage; counts as two attacks that melee and can not be used against fast moving/dodging opponents.
Payload: Unlimited
D) TZ-II Gun Cluster: Expanded versions of this system (the TZ-III and TZ-IV) eventually saw service on the Excalibur and Gladiator Destroids. Each TZ-II gun cluster contains the following: (1) laser, (1) 2ØMM auto cannon, and (1) flamethrower.
Laser:2D6 mega-damage (MD); Range: 2ØØØ feet (6Ø9.6m); Payload: Unlimited.
2ØMM Auto Cannon: 1D6 M.D. short burst, 2D6 M.D. long burst, 4D6 M.D. for one full melee of continuous fire. Range: 4ØØØ feet (12ØØm); Payload: 24Ø rounds. 32 shells are fired per melee on a full melee burst, 16 in a long burst and 8 in a short burst.
Flamethrower: 5D1Ø SDC (not MD). Range: 2ØØ feet; Rate of Fire: Twice per melee (total 3Ø blasts). Note: Will ignite all combustible material; 4Ø% chance of igniting fuel tanks.
E) Hands: Modern Centaurs (what few there are) are, occasionally, equipped with hand units, allowing the pilot to manually manipulate objects (such as people). They can carry gun pods, but most are too heavy; Only the E-2Ø and GU-XX are light enough for the Centaur. Either way, the pod must be carried on the OUTSIDE of the tank during transit, as there isn't sufficient space underneath, and can not be used in this mode.

Features:
The tank has 4 recoil damping cables which it can fire into the ground, and reel back in as needed. This is primarily for firing while the hover jets are active. (Adds +1 to strike, but prevents dodge).

Combat Bonuses:
+2 to strike (plus Weapon Systems bonus)
+3 to dodge and roll with impact/explosion. Persons with Pilot Hovercraft and Pilot Tanks get an additional attack per melee when at either set of controls of a Centaur.

A Centaur Mk I of the British Army (roughly 1997 to 2ØØ1)A Centaur Mk Va on Spheris during the Reunification War
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Note on the differences between the MCKINNEY Novel and the Malcontent uprisings comics:

In the comics, which Novel #19 was an overall excellent adaptation of, the Centaur was a HOVER tank, not a tracked tank. It had minimal transformation ability, of a sort that COULD be explained using real-world tech, with no humanoid elements at all (the “arms” are basically swivel mounts slung underneath the body, like the cannon of modern attack helicopters). In fact, its “transformation” is about as mysterious as the V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor aircraft rotating its wing during takeoff and landing. The novels also referred to it as such- Stan’s just an idiot, skimmed through the novels (if he bothered to read them at all) and decided what he wanted to decide. Of course, these sorts of MCKINNEY bashing tripe (by groups like the DOLL, and most of which comes from their camp) should be a surprise to no one- After all, many people (including Americans) cheered while the World Trade Center fell (them included; The original author of this document is in fact a member of that group).