{"data":{"id":19318,"title":"Whitley's Guide - Cyclone","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/19318-Whitleys-Guide-Cyclone","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/19318","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/19318","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 6.08.\nTumbril Cyclone\nDEVELOPMENT HISTORY\nTumbril Land Systems was incorporated in 2536 on Saisei with the specific goal of producing exploratory ground vehicles to assist with humanity\u2019s burgeoning stellar expansion. The company\u2019s founders, Kavya Crosby and Aaron Douze, were lifelong homesteaders financed by the University of Saisei who believed that recent attempts to apply hover (HOV) technology to exploratory ground vehicles were the wrong tack. Their project took the slogan \u2018Tough, Fast, Durable\u2019 as the set of watchwords for creating their first wheeled design, the \u2018DX20.\u2019\n\nThe initial version of the DX20 was developed by Crosby and Douze. The specifications for the vehicle were planned in record time with a bespoke prototype following quickly. The DX20 was designed specifically to traverse the extreme environments of Yar\u2019s Red Desert and intended to be capable of traversing environments ranging from sub-zero ice worlds to low marshes on aquatic planets. The pair spent years testing prototype after prototype \u2018in the wild\u2019, in order to build a true \u2018rough and tumble\u2019 craft.\n\nThe DX20 became available on the open market in 2537, following deliveries to initial investors late in the previous year. Initial sales were unremarkable but the DX20 proved itself popular among outbound colonial concerns, with end users praising the vehicle\u2019s ability to traverse extreme environments and its relatively simple maintenance requirements. The design team, it seemed, had delivered exactly what they had promised: a tough, fast, and durable all-terrain vehicle. While sales remained low, Tumbril itself seemed to be earning a reputation as a quality supplier of frontier-capable goods. The DX20 seemed briefly set to be another symbolic vehicle of Humanity\u2019s peaceful expansion into the stars.\n\nThe DX20 would not, however, go down in history as a revered explorer. Current events quickly caught up with Tumbril, namely the beginning of the First Tevarin War. With the coming of the war, the shape and tenor of the UPE changed overnight, with investment in colonization efforts ceasing immediately and with designers and manufacturers around the known galaxy being recruited to adapt their machines and factories for the war effort. Desperate to outfit their expeditionary forces for the first major interspecies war, the UPE Army turned to Tumbril to convert the DX20 into a tough, fast, and durable weapon of war. The DX20 design team set upon the task immediately and quickly turned out the first military version of the vehicle, formally named the Cyclone by the UPEA.\n\nThe vehicle\u2019s first moment of glory occurred in early 2543 during fighting that would later be named the First Battle of the Argon Chain. A hastily equipped UPE Army unit operating armed Cyclones found themselves with the high ground to overtake a significantly stronger Tevarin tank division. Colonel A.J. Krate, who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, devised a strategy that allowed his limited forces to destroy or capture the entire enemy complement. Krate ordered a third of his Cyclones to the left and right flanks alongside the Argon range, making sure that they took care to make their position easily visible to the enemy. Meanwhile, he positioned another contingent of Cyclones armed with rockets along the ridge itself, allowing them to act as makeshift artillery firing into the divided Tevarin forces in the valley below. His third group of Cyclones remained camouflaged directly in the center of the battlefield, springing them and the rocket support only after the Tevarin seemed to believe they were assured victory. With one signal, Krate sprang the trap and engaged the Tevarin tanks in a close range, head-on battle. There, the handling of the Cyclone proved vital. While Tevarin tanks had trouble targeting at such close range, the Cyclones were able to maneuver through and around them during three hours of intense, almost face-to-face fighting. The battle was closely recorded by a group of embedded reporters and the outcome made for a major propaganda victory. Additionally, several Tevarin tanks were captured whole, allowing essential research into enemy weapons which helped turn the tide during the early days of the war.\n\nFor the rest of the war, Cyclones were everywhere. They served in every impacted system and heavily behind the lines. The UPE government bought additional allotments of them by the tens of thousands, with production by the war\u2019s end encompassing 27 factories together capable of completing a Cyclone somewhere every 35 seconds.\n\nIn the years after the war, Tumbril divided their corporate energies between attempting to recapture the explorer market and to continuing to satisfy lucrative government contracts. The former proved to be something of a victim of the latter, as countless Cyclones produced for the war effort were now available on the open market as surplus equipment, reducing the overall need for newly-built explorer models. As time went on, Tumbril became fully reliant on government contracts and extended a great deal of effort attempting to capture the Cyclone\u2019s success with more complex weaponry. While the company went on to create HOV weapon barges, tanks, artillery platforms, and other familiar weaponry for the Messer government, none proved as successful or emblematic as the Cyclone.\n\nIn the public sphere, the reputation of the Cyclone flourished. The ready availability of countless surplus vehicles, many never used in combat, meant that even the most cost-conscious homesteaders often had a Cyclone parked outside their prefab. The secondary market for parts and upgrade components flourished, while Tumbril Land Systems itself suffered alongside other military contractors of the era. Their one saving grace was that the nimble Cyclone itself never became strongly associated with the Messer regime. By the time it fell, the Cyclone was seen as an heroic veteran of a more noble war rather than a tool of oppression. A famous holograph showing a squad of Cyclones blockading outside Linton Messer XI\u2019s palace also reinforced the idea that the design belonged to the people.\n\nIn 2862, Tumbril Land Systems shut down following a decline in interest in military vehicles. The company\u2019s assets were sold off, with factories being converted to build spacecraft for companies like Argo and MISC. Intellectual property, including the overall design and mark of the Cyclone, was sold to a consortium of small-scale buyers as part of the bankruptcy process. The Cyclone story should have ended here\u2026 but it didn\u2019t. In 2946, a joint venture by DevCo CEO Terrence Naban and a series of smaller investors surprised the Empire by announcing that they were bringing the Cyclone back, once again under the Tumbril branding. A small design team had spent four years modernizing the original DX20 with 30th century components, once again aiming to equip explorers with a reliable and iconic vehicle. There was also the familiar aim to secure lucrative government contracts to build weaponry for the increasingly large Vanduul conflict. Modern Cyclone factories were opened at Centauri, Terra, and Ellis with other locations already locked down for expected expansion.\n\nTumbril currently produces five distinct civilian variants of the Cyclone in addition to a military-only model built for the United Empire of Earth armed forces. The civilian models are based largely on aftermarket upgrades used by frontiersmen in the 28th century. They are:\n\nCyclone: the base model. Almost identical to the military model aside from the removal of some armored plating and classified control surfaces.\n\nCyclone-AA: the anti-aircraft model. The AA is armed with surface to air missiles and a set of countermeasures. It\u2019s a nod to the makeshift artillery version used at the Argon Chain, though it is nominally equipped for light air defense rather than ground strikes.\n\nCyclone-RC: the racing model. The RC is stripped down and has been given a modified intake system to improve speed and handling. It\u2019s an attempt to modernize the sport of buggy racing, popular among colonists on distant worlds without access to more organized entertainment.\n\nCyclone-RN: the light reconnaissance model. It\u2019s intended for prospectors and other explorers who need access to fast and detailed in-person scans. It\u2019s armed with additional sensors and is configured for beacon deployment.\n\nCyclone-TR: the \u2018heavy\u2019 of the group. The Cyclone-TR includes upgraded armor and a civilianized human-controlled turret that can mount a small gun. The TR is primarily sold to frontier worlds facing the threat of Vanduul raids.\n\nToday, the Cyclone is the best-selling wheeled vehicle in the galaxy, surpassing even the ubiquitous Greycat. The new Tumbril Land Systems is clearly ascendant, despite following in the footsteps of their predecessor and aiming for additional military contracts with the revived Nova tank. The company has stated that they intend to produce additional civilian variants of the Cyclone should the need arise, with badged updated versions of the existing range on a yearly basis.","de_DE":"Dieser Artikel erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 6.08.\nTumbril Zyklon\nENTWICKLUNGSGESCHICHTE\nTumbril Land Systems wurde im Jahr 2536 auf Saisei mit dem Ziel gegr\u00fcndet, Erkundungsfahrzeuge zu produzieren, die die Menschheit bei ihrer aufkeimenden stellaren Expansion unterst\u00fctzen sollten. Die Gr\u00fcnder des Unternehmens, Kavya Crosby und Aaron Douze, waren lebenslange Siedler, die von der Universit\u00e4t von Saisei finanziert wurden und der Meinung waren, dass die bisherigen Versuche, die Schwebetechnologie (HOV) auf Erkundungsbodenfahrzeuge anzuwenden, die falsche Taktik waren. Ihr Projekt stand unter dem Motto \"Tough, Fast, Durable\" (robust, schnell, langlebig) und sie entwarfen ihr erstes Fahrzeug auf R\u00e4dern, den \"DX20\".\n\nDie erste Version des DX20 wurde von Crosby und Douze entwickelt. Die Spezifikationen f\u00fcr das Fahrzeug wurden in Rekordzeit geplant und ein ma\u00dfgeschneiderter Prototyp folgte schnell. Der DX20 wurde speziell f\u00fcr die extremen Umgebungen der Roten W\u00fcste von Yar entwickelt und sollte in der Lage sein, Umgebungen zu durchqueren, die von Eiswelten unter dem Gefrierpunkt bis zu niedrigen S\u00fcmpfen auf Wasserplaneten reichen. Die beiden verbrachten Jahre damit, einen Prototyp nach dem anderen \"in freier Wildbahn\" zu testen, um ein echtes \"robustes\" Fahrzeug zu bauen.\n\nDie DX20 kam 2537 auf den Markt, nachdem sie Ende des Vorjahres an die ersten Investoren ausgeliefert worden war. Die ersten Verk\u00e4ufe waren unauff\u00e4llig, aber die DX20 erwies sich als beliebt bei den Kolonialherren, die die F\u00e4higkeit des Fahrzeugs, extreme Umgebungen zu durchqueren, und seine relativ einfachen Wartungsanforderungen lobten. Es schien, als h\u00e4tte das Konstruktionsteam genau das geliefert, was es versprochen hatte: ein robustes, schnelles und langlebiges Gel\u00e4ndefahrzeug. Die Verkaufszahlen blieben zwar gering, aber Tumbril selbst schien sich einen Ruf als Qualit\u00e4tslieferant f\u00fcr grenz\u00fcberschreitende Waren zu erarbeiten. Der DX20 schien kurz davor zu sein, ein weiteres symbolisches Fahrzeug f\u00fcr die friedliche Expansion der Menschheit zu den Sternen zu werden.\n\nDie DX20 w\u00fcrde jedoch nicht als verehrter Entdecker in die Geschichte eingehen. Die aktuellen Ereignisse holten Tumbril schnell ein, insbesondere der Beginn des Ersten Tevarin-Krieges. Mit dem Ausbruch des Krieges \u00e4nderte sich die Form und der Tenor der UPE \u00fcber Nacht: Die Investitionen in die Kolonisierungsbem\u00fchungen wurden sofort eingestellt und Konstrukteure und Hersteller in der gesamten bekannten Galaxie wurden angeworben, um ihre Maschinen und Fabriken f\u00fcr die Kriegsanstrengungen anzupassen. In ihrer Verzweiflung, ihre Expeditionsstreitkr\u00e4fte f\u00fcr den ersten gro\u00dfen Krieg zwischen den Spezies auszur\u00fcsten, wandte sich die UPE-Armee an Tumbril, um die DX20 in eine robuste, schnelle und langlebige Kriegswaffe zu verwandeln. Das DX20-Konstruktionsteam machte sich sofort an die Arbeit und stellte schnell die erste Milit\u00e4rversion des Fahrzeugs her, die von der UPEA offiziell Cyclone genannt wurde.\n\nDie erste Sternstunde des Fahrzeugs fand Anfang 2543 w\u00e4hrend der K\u00e4mpfe statt, die sp\u00e4ter als Erste Schlacht an der Argonischen Kette bezeichnet wurden. Eine eilig ausger\u00fcstete Einheit der UPE-Armee, die bewaffnete Cyclones einsetzte, konnte eine deutlich st\u00e4rkere Panzerdivision der Tevarin \u00fcberholen. Oberst A.J. Krate, der f\u00fcr seine Taten mit der Ehrenmedaille ausgezeichnet wurde, entwickelte eine Strategie, die es seinen begrenzten Kr\u00e4ften erm\u00f6glichte, die gesamte gegnerische Einheit zu vernichten oder gefangen zu nehmen. Krate beorderte ein Drittel seiner Cyclones an die linke und rechte Flanke entlang der argonischen Schie\u00dfbahn und achtete darauf, dass sie ihre Position f\u00fcr den Feind gut sichtbar machten. In der Zwischenzeit positionierte er ein weiteres Kontingent von Zyklonen mit Raketen entlang des Bergr\u00fcckens, so dass sie als behelfsm\u00e4\u00dfige Artillerie auf die geteilten Tevarin-Truppen im Tal darunter schie\u00dfen konnten. Seine dritte Gruppe von Zyklonen blieb direkt in der Mitte des Schlachtfelds getarnt und setzte sie und die Raketen erst dann ein, als die Tevarin glaubten, dass sie den Sieg sicher h\u00e4tten. Mit einem Signal lie\u00df Krate die Falle zuschnappen und griff die Tevarin-Panzer in einem Nahkampf an. Dabei erwies sich der Umgang mit dem Zyklon als entscheidend. W\u00e4hrend die Tevarin-Panzer auf so kurze Distanz nur schwer zielen konnten, gelang es den Zyklonen, in einem dreist\u00fcndigen, intensiven Kampf fast von Angesicht zu Angesicht zwischen ihnen hindurch und um sie herum zu man\u00f6vrieren. Das Gefecht wurde von einer Gruppe von Reportern aufgezeichnet und das Ergebnis war ein gro\u00dfer Propagandasieg. Au\u00dferdem wurden mehrere Tevarin-Panzer erbeutet, die wichtige Erkenntnisse \u00fcber die feindlichen Waffen lieferten, die in den ersten Tagen des Krieges das Blatt wenden konnten.\n\nF\u00fcr den Rest des Krieges waren die Zyklone \u00fcberall pr\u00e4sent. Sie wurden in jedem betroffenen System und in gro\u00dfem Umfang hinter den Linien eingesetzt. Die UPE-Regierung kaufte Zehntausende von ihnen auf, so dass die Produktion bei Kriegsende 27 Fabriken umfasste, die in der Lage waren, alle 35 Sekunden einen Zyklon fertigzustellen.\n\nIn den Nachkriegsjahren teilte Tumbril seine Energien zwischen dem Versuch, den Markt f\u00fcr Entdecker zur\u00fcckzuerobern, und der Erf\u00fcllung lukrativer Regierungsauftr\u00e4ge auf. Ersteres erwies sich als eine Art Opfer des Letzteren, da unz\u00e4hlige Cyclones, die f\u00fcr den Krieg produziert worden waren, nun als \u00fcbersch\u00fcssige Ausr\u00fcstung auf dem freien Markt erh\u00e4ltlich waren, wodurch der Bedarf an neu gebauten Explorer-Modellen insgesamt sank. Im Laufe der Zeit wurde Tumbril vollst\u00e4ndig von Regierungsauftr\u00e4gen abh\u00e4ngig und unternahm gro\u00dfe Anstrengungen, um den Erfolg des Cyclone mit komplexeren Waffen zu wiederholen. Zwar baute das Unternehmen sp\u00e4ter HOV-Waffenk\u00e4hne, Panzer, Artillerieplattformen und andere bekannte Waffen f\u00fcr die Messer-Regierung, aber keine davon war so erfolgreich und symboltr\u00e4chtig wie der Cyclone.\n\nIn der \u00d6ffentlichkeit bl\u00fchte der Ruf des Cyclone auf. Da zahllose \u00fcbersch\u00fcssige Fahrzeuge, von denen viele nie im Kampf eingesetzt wurden, zur Verf\u00fcgung standen, hatten selbst die kostenbewusstesten Siedler oft einen Cyclone vor ihrem Fertighaus geparkt. Der Sekund\u00e4rmarkt f\u00fcr Ersatzteile und Aufr\u00fcstungskomponenten florierte, w\u00e4hrend Tumbril Land Systems selbst wie andere milit\u00e4rische Auftragnehmer der damaligen Zeit litt. Die einzige Rettung war, dass der wendige Cyclone selbst nie stark mit dem Messer-Regime in Verbindung gebracht wurde. Als es fiel, wurde der Zyklon als heldenhafter Veteran eines edleren Krieges angesehen und nicht als Werkzeug der Unterdr\u00fcckung. Ein ber\u00fchmtes Hologramm, das einen Trupp Zyklone zeigt, die vor dem Palast von Linton Messer XI. eine Blockade errichten, verst\u00e4rkte die Vorstellung, dass das Design dem Volk geh\u00f6rte.\n\nIm Jahr 2862 wurde Tumbril Land Systems geschlossen, nachdem das Interesse an Milit\u00e4rfahrzeugen zur\u00fcckgegangen war. Die Verm\u00f6genswerte des Unternehmens wurden verkauft und die Fabriken wurden f\u00fcr den Bau von Raumfahrzeugen f\u00fcr Unternehmen wie Argo und MISC umgewandelt. Das geistige Eigentum, einschlie\u00dflich des Gesamtdesigns und der Marke des Cyclone, wurde im Rahmen des Konkursverfahrens an ein Konsortium kleinerer K\u00e4ufer verkauft. Die Geschichte der Cyclone h\u00e4tte hier enden sollen... aber das tat sie nicht. Im Jahr 2946 \u00fcberraschte ein Joint Venture von DevCo-CEO Terrence Naban und einer Reihe kleinerer Investoren das Imperium mit der Ank\u00fcndigung, den Cyclone wieder auf den Markt zu bringen, diesmal unter dem Namen Tumbril. Ein kleines Designteam hatte vier Jahre damit verbracht, den urspr\u00fcnglichen DX20 mit Komponenten des 30. Jahrhunderts zu modernisieren, um den Forschern wieder ein zuverl\u00e4ssiges und kultiges Fahrzeug zur Verf\u00fcgung zu stellen. Au\u00dferdem ging es darum, sich lukrative Regierungsauftr\u00e4ge f\u00fcr den Bau von Waffen f\u00fcr den immer gr\u00f6\u00dfer werdenden Vanduul-Konflikt zu sichern. Moderne Cyclone-Fabriken wurden auf Centauri, Terra und Ellis er\u00f6ffnet und weitere Standorte wurden bereits f\u00fcr die erwartete Expansion gesichert.\n\nTumbril stellt derzeit f\u00fcnf verschiedene zivile Varianten des Cyclone her, zus\u00e4tzlich zu einem reinen Milit\u00e4rmodell, das f\u00fcr die Streitkr\u00e4fte des Vereinigten Imperiums der Erde gebaut wird. Die zivilen Modelle basieren gr\u00f6\u00dftenteils auf Nachr\u00fcstungen, die von Grenzg\u00e4ngern im 28. Sie sind:\n\nCyclone: das Basismodell. Fast identisch mit dem Milit\u00e4rmodell, abgesehen von der Entfernung einiger Panzerungen und klassifizierter Steuerfl\u00e4chen.\n\nCyclone-AA: das Flugabwehrmodell. Die AA ist mit Boden-Luft-Raketen und einer Reihe von Gegenma\u00dfnahmen bewaffnet. Es ist eine Anspielung auf die behelfsm\u00e4\u00dfige Artillerieversion, die bei der Argonischen Kette eingesetzt wurde, obwohl es nominell eher f\u00fcr leichte Luftabwehr als f\u00fcr Bodenangriffe ausger\u00fcstet ist.\n\nCyclone-RC: das Rennmodell. Der RC ist abgespeckt und hat ein modifiziertes Ansaugsystem erhalten, um Geschwindigkeit und Handling zu verbessern. Er ist ein Versuch, den Sport des Buggy-Rennens zu modernisieren, der bei Kolonisten auf fernen Welten ohne Zugang zu organisierter Unterhaltung beliebt ist.\n\nCyclone-RN: das leichte Aufkl\u00e4rungsmodell. Es ist f\u00fcr Sch\u00fcrfer und andere Entdecker gedacht, die schnelle und detaillierte Scans von Angesicht zu Angesicht ben\u00f6tigen. Er ist mit zus\u00e4tzlichen Sensoren ausgestattet und f\u00fcr den Einsatz von Baken konfiguriert.\n\nCyclone-TR: das \"Schwergewicht\" der Gruppe. Der Cyclone-TR verf\u00fcgt \u00fcber eine verbesserte Panzerung und einen zivilisierten, von Menschen gesteuerten Gesch\u00fctzturm, der ein kleines Gesch\u00fctz aufnehmen kann. Der TR wird haupts\u00e4chlich an Grenzwelten verkauft, die von Vanduul-Angriffen bedroht sind.\n\nHeute ist der Cyclone das meistverkaufte Radfahrzeug in der Galaxie und \u00fcbertrifft sogar die allgegenw\u00e4rtige Greycat. Das neue Unternehmen Tumbril Land Systems ist eindeutig auf dem Vormarsch, obwohl es in die Fu\u00dfstapfen seines Vorg\u00e4ngers tritt und mit dem wiederbelebten Nova-Panzer weitere Milit\u00e4rauftr\u00e4ge anstrebt. Das Unternehmen hat erkl\u00e4rt, dass es beabsichtigt, bei Bedarf zus\u00e4tzliche zivile Varianten des Cyclone zu produzieren und jedes Jahr aktualisierte Versionen der bestehenden Modellreihe auf den Markt zu bringen.","zh_CN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 6.08.\nTumbril Cyclone\nDEVELOPMENT HISTORY\nTumbril Land Systems was incorporated in 2536 on Saisei with the specific goal of producing exploratory ground vehicles to assist with humanity\u2019s burgeoning stellar expansion. The company\u2019s founders, Kavya Crosby and Aaron Douze, were lifelong homesteaders financed by the University of Saisei who believed that recent attempts to apply hover (HOV) technology to exploratory ground vehicles were the wrong tack. Their project took the slogan \u2018Tough, Fast, Durable\u2019 as the set of watchwords for creating their first wheeled design, the \u2018DX20.\u2019\n\nThe initial version of the DX20 was developed by Crosby and Douze. The specifications for the vehicle were planned in record time with a bespoke prototype following quickly. The DX20 was designed specifically to traverse the extreme environments of Yar\u2019s Red Desert and intended to be capable of traversing environments ranging from sub-zero ice worlds to low marshes on aquatic planets. The pair spent years testing prototype after prototype \u2018in the wild\u2019, in order to build a true \u2018rough and tumble\u2019 craft.\n\nThe DX20 became available on the open market in 2537, following deliveries to initial investors late in the previous year. Initial sales were unremarkable but the DX20 proved itself popular among outbound colonial concerns, with end users praising the vehicle\u2019s ability to traverse extreme environments and its relatively simple maintenance requirements. The design team, it seemed, had delivered exactly what they had promised: a tough, fast, and durable all-terrain vehicle. While sales remained low, Tumbril itself seemed to be earning a reputation as a quality supplier of frontier-capable goods. The DX20 seemed briefly set to be another symbolic vehicle of Humanity\u2019s peaceful expansion into the stars.\n\nThe DX20 would not, however, go down in history as a revered explorer. Current events quickly caught up with Tumbril, namely the beginning of the First Tevarin War. With the coming of the war, the shape and tenor of the UPE changed overnight, with investment in colonization efforts ceasing immediately and with designers and manufacturers around the known galaxy being recruited to adapt their machines and factories for the war effort. Desperate to outfit their expeditionary forces for the first major interspecies war, the UPE Army turned to Tumbril to convert the DX20 into a tough, fast, and durable weapon of war. The DX20 design team set upon the task immediately and quickly turned out the first military version of the vehicle, formally named the Cyclone by the UPEA.\n\nThe vehicle\u2019s first moment of glory occurred in early 2543 during fighting that would later be named the First Battle of the Argon Chain. A hastily equipped UPE Army unit operating armed Cyclones found themselves with the high ground to overtake a significantly stronger Tevarin tank division. Colonel A.J. Krate, who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, devised a strategy that allowed his limited forces to destroy or capture the entire enemy complement. Krate ordered a third of his Cyclones to the left and right flanks alongside the Argon range, making sure that they took care to make their position easily visible to the enemy. Meanwhile, he positioned another contingent of Cyclones armed with rockets along the ridge itself, allowing them to act as makeshift artillery firing into the divided Tevarin forces in the valley below. His third group of Cyclones remained camouflaged directly in the center of the battlefield, springing them and the rocket support only after the Tevarin seemed to believe they were assured victory. With one signal, Krate sprang the trap and engaged the Tevarin tanks in a close range, head-on battle. There, the handling of the Cyclone proved vital. While Tevarin tanks had trouble targeting at such close range, the Cyclones were able to maneuver through and around them during three hours of intense, almost face-to-face fighting. The battle was closely recorded by a group of embedded reporters and the outcome made for a major propaganda victory. Additionally, several Tevarin tanks were captured whole, allowing essential research into enemy weapons which helped turn the tide during the early days of the war.\n\nFor the rest of the war, Cyclones were everywhere. They served in every impacted system and heavily behind the lines. The UPE government bought additional allotments of them by the tens of thousands, with production by the war\u2019s end encompassing 27 factories together capable of completing a Cyclone somewhere every 35 seconds.\n\nIn the years after the war, Tumbril divided their corporate energies between attempting to recapture the explorer market and to continuing to satisfy lucrative government contracts. The former proved to be something of a victim of the latter, as countless Cyclones produced for the war effort were now available on the open market as surplus equipment, reducing the overall need for newly-built explorer models. As time went on, Tumbril became fully reliant on government contracts and extended a great deal of effort attempting to capture the Cyclone\u2019s success with more complex weaponry. While the company went on to create HOV weapon barges, tanks, artillery platforms, and other familiar weaponry for the Messer government, none proved as successful or emblematic as the Cyclone.\n\nIn the public sphere, the reputation of the Cyclone flourished. The ready availability of countless surplus vehicles, many never used in combat, meant that even the most cost-conscious homesteaders often had a Cyclone parked outside their prefab. The secondary market for parts and upgrade components flourished, while Tumbril Land Systems itself suffered alongside other military contractors of the era. Their one saving grace was that the nimble Cyclone itself never became strongly associated with the Messer regime. By the time it fell, the Cyclone was seen as an heroic veteran of a more noble war rather than a tool of oppression. A famous holograph showing a squad of Cyclones blockading outside Linton Messer XI\u2019s palace also reinforced the idea that the design belonged to the people.\n\nIn 2862, Tumbril Land Systems shut down following a decline in interest in military vehicles. The company\u2019s assets were sold off, with factories being converted to build spacecraft for companies like Argo and MISC. Intellectual property, including the overall design and mark of the Cyclone, was sold to a consortium of small-scale buyers as part of the bankruptcy process. The Cyclone story should have ended here\u2026 but it didn\u2019t. In 2946, a joint venture by DevCo CEO Terrence Naban and a series of smaller investors surprised the Empire by announcing that they were bringing the Cyclone back, once again under the Tumbril branding. A small design team had spent four years modernizing the original DX20 with 30th century components, once again aiming to equip explorers with a reliable and iconic vehicle. There was also the familiar aim to secure lucrative government contracts to build weaponry for the increasingly large Vanduul conflict. Modern Cyclone factories were opened at Centauri, Terra, and Ellis with other locations already locked down for expected expansion.\n\nTumbril currently produces five distinct civilian variants of the Cyclone in addition to a military-only model built for the United Empire of Earth armed forces. The civilian models are based largely on aftermarket upgrades used by frontiersmen in the 28th century. They are:\n\nCyclone: the base model. Almost identical to the military model aside from the removal of some armored plating and classified control surfaces.\n\nCyclone-AA: the anti-aircraft model. The AA is armed with surface to air missiles and a set of countermeasures. It\u2019s a nod to the makeshift artillery version used at the Argon Chain, though it is nominally equipped for light air defense rather than ground strikes.\n\nCyclone-RC: the racing model. The RC is stripped down and has been given a modified intake system to improve speed and handling. It\u2019s an attempt to modernize the sport of buggy racing, popular among colonists on distant worlds without access to more organized entertainment.\n\nCyclone-RN: the light reconnaissance model. It\u2019s intended for prospectors and other explorers who need access to fast and detailed in-person scans. It\u2019s armed with additional sensors and is configured for beacon deployment.\n\nCyclone-TR: the \u2018heavy\u2019 of the group. The Cyclone-TR includes upgraded armor and a civilianized human-controlled turret that can mount a small gun. The TR is primarily sold to frontier worlds facing the threat of Vanduul raids.\n\nToday, the Cyclone is the best-selling wheeled vehicle in the galaxy, surpassing even the ubiquitous Greycat. The new Tumbril Land Systems is clearly ascendant, despite following in the footsteps of their predecessor and aiming for additional military contracts with the revived Nova tank. The company has stated that they intend to produce additional civilian variants of the Cyclone should the need arise, with badged updated versions of the existing range on a yearly basis."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":45,"created_at":"2023-06-13T21:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"2 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-29 03:12:41","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":19317,"next_id":19319}}