#orework

[asktheguardponies]

The IST or Infantry Support Tank is a part of the Mustang Defense Forces tank doctrine, where ISTs are attached to scouts or motor infantry units and provide organic fire support with HEAT, HE/FRAG, and APDS rounds to deal with soft skinned vehicles or IFVs, and hardened targets such as pillboxes, entrenched fighting positions or machine gun nests.

Main armament: 105mm low-recoil rifled tank gun. Secondary armament: 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Commander's armament: remote control 7.62mm machine gun

The IST is not intended for frontal engagements with modern MBTs, but the 105mm main gun on the IST can pierce the sides and back of the Equestrian-produced MBT Caballus Mk3 or otherwise achieve mission kill by disabling critical components.

Clydesdale's Oreworks & Mfg. have supplied IST models for the former National Security Council and the successor organization, the Mustang Defense Forces.

Some 250 ISTs have been exported to Maretonia where terrain restricts the use of heavy armor. They are also in service with Trotsylvanian self-propelled artillery units where the 990 pattern gun tractor is type classified as an assault gun.

[dndsettingsinfo]

(Brazenthrone) The Oreworks - Dwarven Metal Processing + More by Milby's Maps

[legendsofthegffa]

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction Review

The two very first Star Wars books that I ever owned were Darth Bane: Path of Destruction and Republic Commando: Hard Contact. While I consider Republic Commando to be the best series in the Legends novels, the Darth Bane Trilogy is an excellent and highly recommendable series to anyone looking to learn more about the history of the Sith. Not only is it a rich tale of Star Wars lore, it is also an enjoyable read in and of itself.

Written by Drew Karpyshyn (former lead writer for BioWare, and responsible for the incredible Mass Effect series), the series is actually the culmination of Lucas’ work on Episode I. During the writing of the novalization of the film, Lucas had a long conversation with the author (Terry Brooks) about the history of the Sith; basically, a thousand years before the events of Episode I, there was a massive war between the Jedi and the Sith that ended with the supposed extinction of the Sith (for about the fifth or sixth time), but in actuality, one Sith Lord survived, and he rebuilt the order in secret, slowly infiltrating the galactic power structure until they could claim the galaxy as their own. It is to this Order of the Sith Lords that the Sith we see in the films (Sidious, Maul, Tyranus, and Vader) belong to.

Bane’s rise and fall (and yes, fall he must, for that is the way of the Sith), is chronicled over a trilogy, which begins with Path of Destruction. A miner, named Des, lives on a blighted world only good for mining. He lives a miserable life, having been raised by a monster of a father and treated as an outsider by the rest of the work crew, with only his dead father’s old cronies interacting with him to pick on him, despite his enormous size and unconscious connection to the Force. On top of this, Des is employed by the Outer Rim Oreworks Company, who has its workers caught in a never-ending cycle of debt, low wages and high interest. Des is expected to pay for not only his debt, but his father’s as well. This basically makes Des a slave, with seemingly no hope for escape unless a fortune falls in his lap.

While off duty, Des has a card game against the crew of a Republic freighter that is there to pick up the valuable ore the miners extract. There is currently a war on, as the Sith-led Brotherhood of Darkness is marching across the galaxy, conquering world after world. The visiting troops are also looking for new recruits, but even then, Des’ wages would be garnished to pay off his debt to ORO. Des tears into the soldiers, asking how a Republic that claims to fight for freedom and equality can claim that they are any better than the Sith when they engage in what basically amounts to slave labor? Des’ bad mouthing of the Republic and his winning the big pot on sabaac (thanks to his Force powers), causes him to get jumped outside the bar, and Des kills a soldier in self defense. Knowing his options are prison, enlistment or death, Des sneaks off world and enlists with the Sith.

From the very beginning we are given a sympathetic spin on Des. Yes, he is a Sith Lord to be, and responsible for countless deaths to come, but his situation was a cauldron that created the perfect host for the dark side: an environment where the strong are on top, and the weak are in the dust. This is the basis for everything Bane strives for in his new order. This does not absolve Bane of his actions, but it does explain them.

Bane’s origin also mirrors Anakin’s in a number of ways: both are born as slaves (Des in everyway but name), raised by a single parent (though Bane’s was an abusive monster of a father), and finally escaped their old lives after an encounter with Republic forces (though, again, Bane’s ended with him fleeing after committing manslaughter). Obviously, Anakin’s upbringing also proved to be a an experience that led to his fall to the dark side, but once again, Anakin’s redemption comes in the form of love, something Bane is almost completely alien too.

Des is quickly taken to be trained in the ways of the dark side, and it is here that he takes his new name; Bane, after the insult laid upon him by his father. Bane is a capable student, but after an incident with another student where he loses (badly), Bane’s confidence is shaken and he almost completely loses his connection to the dark side. Deciding to take up his own studying, Bane plums the depths of the knowledge of the pre-Brotherhood Sith, something the Sith’s leader, Lord Kaan, has forbidden.

Bane’s research leads him to conclude that the Brotherhood itself is an affront to the true Sith way. The Brotherhood believes that all are equal within, and while Kaan may be the leader, all Dark Lords of the Sith are equal. Bane believes that the dark side has been stretched too thin, and this has made the Sith weaker overall. Additionally, treachery is the lifeblood of the Sith, and Sith in large numbers always turn on each other eventually. Bane believes that if there is to be any triumph over the Republic and the Jedi, the Sith must begin again, after the destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness.

It’s interesting to point out that the Sith who inspires Bane to begin his new system of Sith is Darth Revan, the character from Knight’s of the Old Republic, another series Karpyshyn led, thus tying his works together in an terrific manner (and giving him the opportunity to include one of the most famous Sith Lords in the EU).

Bane takes up the forbidden and abandoned title of Darth joins Kaan on the frontlines against the Jedi/Republic forces. Bane offers Kaan an ultimate weapon: the thought bomb, a dark side technique that can wipe out countless Force users. What Bane fails to mention is that the blast will also consume Kaan and his followers. Following the final battle of the war (in which countless Jedi and Sith are killed), Bane inspects the ruins of the battlefield and comes across a young girl named Rain. Sensing the dark side within the child, Bane takes the girl in as his apprentice, thus beginning the Rule of Two.

Path of Destruction shows us a Bane that is both myth and human. Yes, we see him as the dark messiah of the Sith (and that is indeed what he is: his actions making him the Sith’ari, the Sith version of Anakin Skywalker’s Chosen One), causing the deaths of tens of thousands and coldly manipulating people to get his ends. But we also see him as a man stuck in a nightmarish life, who finally finds friends and compassion amongst the forces of darkness, only to reject and kill the very people who had once helped and supported him. Darth Bane could have very easily been a monster from beginning to end, but Karpyshyn crafted a character that succumbs to impossible situations and “choose[s] the quick and easy path”. Next time, we’ll continue our look at the formation of the Order of the Sith Lords in Darth Bane: Rule of Two.

Connections to the GFFA

Where to start with this one? As Korriban is the former homeworld of the Sith, and Bane himself deeply investigates the history of the Sith in quest to reinvent them, nearly every major Sith Lord and conflict with the Jedi is given a mention or brief summary.

As I said, Bane’s inspiration for the Rule of Two comes from the Holocron of Darth Revan, the main character Knight’s of the Old Republic, and one of the most popular Sith Lords outside the films.

Exar Kun, creator of the double-bladed lightsaber and one of the Dark Lords of the Sith is mentioned.

Marka Ragnos and Naga Sadow, both pure-blood Sith and Dark Lords are also mentioned.

Fast forwarding ahead to New Republic era, during the events of the Dark Forces games, novellas and comics, Jedi-in-training Kyle Katarn stops a plot by the dark Jedi Jerec from using the power of the souls of the Force users killed by the thought bomb and trapped within it.

Final Score: 9/10

[i-hontou-ni]

In which the lion fanboys over Aiba XD

[asktheguardponies]

The Infantry Support Tank Model 87 was developed at the start of the Tartarus Wars to give scouts and motor infantry units organic fire support with HEAT, HE/FRAG, and APDS rounds to deal with soft skinned vehicles or IFVs, hostile Tartarus fauna, and hardened targets commonly built by Tirek's Forces such as pillboxes, entrenched fighting positions or machine gun nests.

22 rounds of 105mm can be carried in the bustle autoloader, but a typical combat load in the infantry support role is only 15-18 rounds. Ammunition is fully separated from the crew by bulkheads and additional rounds can be carried in wet stowage bins. The breech can be serviced through a sliding door.

Clydesdale's Oreworks & Mfg. have supplied IST models for the former Mustang Transitional Council Administration and post-independence the Mustang Defense Forces.

[i-hontou-ni]

My 20,000th post and early 5x14 greeting for Arashi since I'm not sure if I'm here in tumblr at that time. So these are the things that pop out of my mind last week when I felt so sad because it's been almost a month since I've last fangirled for them. I was really crying back then. I really miss them. Not seeing them makes me a drama queen LOL

I want to make this more dramatic but I don't know where my creative ideas went so it became like this XD

[i-hontou-ni]

Himitsu no Arashi-chan’s memorable items through the years

[i-hontou-ni]

Arafes 2013: Last Arashi concert on Kokuritsu Stadium before renovation

[i-hontou-ni]

Aiba practicing the dance steps

Sho making sure that Aiba remembers it well

Jun LOLing over how silly sweet they are

Ohno just chilling out there

Nino and his signature move

[i-hontou-ni]

What could be better than a troll Nino teasing on shy J?!

*My Matsumiya shipper heart is overflowing w/ love right now, I just can't...

[i-hontou-ni]

It's been another year Arashists! 2012 has been quite a big year for Arashi. So let's take time and appreciate all of their hard works and achievements for this year. These are only a part of what they have done for 2012 though. Arashi-san, otsukaresama deshita! Advanced Happy New Year everyone!

[i-hontou-ni]

I really love these two! Ridaa is always so fond of his baby member :) This is too adorbs! ^A^

[i-hontou-ni]

I love the way the staff lowered the mic stand coz baby is too small to reach it >__< 

[i-hontou-ni]

So the left side is Arashi as humans and the right side is the reaction of Popcorn Arashi when they saw their human counterpart.

Jun: Whoah! I look so perfect!

Nino: Hmmm. Cute as always.

Aiba: Uwaa! Kawaii >__<

Sho: Oh my! Perfect body!

Ohno: ...........

[i-hontou-ni]

[i-hontou-ni]

My reactions while watching Arashi's challenges in Arashi ni Shiyagare New Year SP. Well, I was actually LOLing but I did felt sorry for them >__< But still, SATOKO!~