IIGD Strafe
Summary
The Strafe is a light form of the Blitz produced after the major assault that liberated most of the Dasher, Gremlin, Wrangler, and Blitz inventory. Unlike all the prior units, the Strafe were retained by and optimized for use with IIGD's properties including their spacecraft. Sacrificing some durability and strength for greatly enhanced mobility as provided by a pair of fully functional wings, Strafe capable of in-flight attacks using light weapons including the use of up to four handheld ranged weapons such as pistols and light to medium blasters.
Strafe share the aggressive nature that comes from their Blitz heritage, but they are easier to control in a military force, and most have multiple levels of behavioral programming to make them extremely difficult to convert or liberate.
Plans and even biological samples of Strafe have been acquired by groups like the Felyxa, but to date there have been no new units produced outside the IIGD. This makes Strafe rare, but if one is seen, one can be certain that they are operating under the authority of the IIGD and no other government or company.
Appearance
Strafe have muted brown to gray colors somewhat like the Gremlin possess. However, their patterning is splotchy such that it acts as a dorm of urban camouflage. This includes their wing. The overall body shape is similar to the Blitz but lighter in built making them appear like a sleek version of their predecessor. Their wings are about 2/3 to 3/4 the length of their body and consist of a single pair of blade-like wings that join the body along the back between the upper and lower shoulders. The membranes are leathery and can be healed if damaged. Because of the wing shape and location, insect or fairy like names had been suggested for the Strafe. However, combat tendencies for them to dive and fire in strafing maneuvers earned them their production name.
Unique Traits
- Wings
- Strafe have two long, blade-like wings that allow them to hover and fly at modest speeds. This still provides them with exceptional maneuvering on the field and in vertically stratified terrain. Their lift is sufficient to carry on heavy arm or up to four small arms into flight. Multiple units can be assigned to larger devices.
- Enhanced Vision
- Because they are made to attack from the air, Strafe have better color vision than any other Felyxa derivative. This allows them to attack with standard arms up to 100 meters unaided and even longer with a scope.
- Monotarget Modified
- Both Dasher and Blitz are configured to operate with multiple weapons at a time. Because Strafe are meant to operate at range, they lack the multi-fire capability and instead rely on their exceptional vision to strike their targets. To aid this, Strafe can actively exclude external stimuli when they go into firing mode to make them harder to distract.
- Angular Head
- This is less of an engineering and more of a aesthetic choice made in the design that allows the Strafe to be visually identified easily even when they are among other similar units like Blitz or Gremlins. The angular nature of the face is pushed past that which is in the Dasher to give it more of a defined snout filled with jagged teeth. The ears are visible in the Strafe as mostly immobile triangles. They lack any form of horn or reinforcement on the head which places them in the Dasher/Blitz family design.
Felyxan Weavers and Relatives
The older Star Wars D6 version of these documents can be found at CWK-HX Series. This article refers to the versions used on Spindizzy