Project UPCAV

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Full Name: Project UPCAV (Universal Personnel-Carrying Assault Vehicle), eXperimental Assault Vehicle model 1 (XAV-01), colloquially known as Xavier
Age: Indeterminate
Race: Artificial Intelligence of Empirical origin
Birthplace: Indeterminate facility of Empirical Industries or a subsidiary
Status: Active
Faction: Power Wielder Hero, Tier 2 (1,000 ~ 10,000)
Approval Date: May 13, 2007

Appearance

Project UPCAV essentially appears to be a tank. Technically, it is more accurately classified as an APC than as a tank, as it is designed primarily to safely carry and deploy powered infantry, rather than being designed as a singular fighting unit. Despite that, it was given significant abilities to provide supporting fire for the infantry it deploys, and often finds itself pressed into service as tank, nonetheless.

Xavier sometimes activates humanoform robots to 'possess' when necessary to interact on a human level. These sometimes masquerade as the vehicle's commander, to disguise the nature of the artificial intelligence, or simply to provide a face that humans can more comfortably interact with. A humanoform robot is often kept in one of UPCAV's Catalyst Hatches for these reasons.

Powers

UPCAV's primary offensive power lies in the "Hellfire" primary cannon it mounts. This cannon magnetically accelerates cryogenically-cooled slivers of frozen hydrogen down the barrel of the cannon to a significant percentage of the speed of light. When the hydrogen hits the air outside the barrel, it spontaneously transforms into a fiery burst of plasma, searing the target. Supporting this primary weapon are two independently-mobile "Pacem" heavy boltguns. Similar in design to the much lighter boltgun that Danielle Sharpe developed, these boltguns are fed slugs of Gray Iron at fully-automatic speeds, and are commonly used for infantry suppression while the primary cannon deals with opposing armour.

Beyond its primary armament, to fulfill its purpose as a personnel transport, UPCAV is equipped with six Catalyst Hatches. While six infantry may not be a large amount, the Hatches also permit their occupants to easily channel either psionic or magical energy into the vehicle, catalyzing its abilities and allowing it to perform at a much higher level.

UPCAV is also equipped with an experimental arcanoflux tap, allowing it to access magical energies. These energies, once channeled into technomagical subsystems, enable the vehicle to, for example, fly, teleport back to base, construct quasi-independent UAV units, and generate a defensive forcescreen.

Biography

Xavier is the chosen name of the artificial intelligence bound into the Project UPCAV battle hull. It has no history before its creation. Combat is all it knows. Despite this, it is a powerful intellect and, when given leisure time, has demonstrated a definite bent for quite unwarlike pursuits. It appreciates art, and has a formidable collection of classical music loaded into its nonessential memory banks. Despite that, when in combat, it is completely fearless, and demonstrates traits of bloodthirstiness more common to a berserker than an artificial intelligence. Some of the technomagical engineers responsible for it wonder if this might be the influence of the arcanoflux tapping Chaotic energies, but no tests have ever been able to verify that niggling suspicion.