Zi-042 Archelon
Type: Sea Turtle
Length: 124.4 meters
Height: 35.5 meters
Weight: 3950 tons
Speed: Mach 0.75 (air), 20 knots (ocean)
Equipment:
Dorsal Catapult
Side Airlock x2
Internal Steam Plant
ASZ Large-Bore Particle Beam Cannon
AZ 50mm Repeater Cannon Array x2
Alloy Crusher Vice

Armor Description:
The Archelon is a newer design, created to provide a (relatively) low-cost aerial transport. Based off a type of colossal sea turtle discovered in Zi’s deep oceans, the Archelon has been scaled massively up to serve as a transport. That said, it’s got some very, very thick armor on its shell, thicker than the hide of the Whale King. The material is, however, quite a bit softer than most transport armor, being that the Archelon is a sea turtle. The extremities of the Zoid aren’t armored quite as well, but their sturdy structure mostly makes up for that. The armor of the Archelon is a reactive composite, better at stopping “bursting” effects such as explosives, and having moderate effectiveness against solid fire such as slugs and laser/burst composites like beams, but it suffers against the pure piercing power of lasers.

Mobility and Power Source:
The Archelon is a fairly languid swimmer, achieving mobility with a combination of fin power and two stern-mounted screws. (That’d be “propellers” fer you landlubbers.) It doesn’t display very good maneuverability in the water, able to be outpaced and outmaneuvered by much larger craft such as the Whale King, but it’s just as tireless as any self-respecting transport should be.

Logistics:
The Archelon can comfortably bunk, feed, and provide facilities for up to eight people, the living quarters located in the very front of the shell, near the flexible tunnel leading up the neck and into the head. The shell is a large, open hangar area capable of housing up to six Liger-sized Zoids. Of note, however, is the fact that the shell itself isn’t exactly tall, and thus certain particularly large machines, such as Gojulae, will find it difficult to wedge themselves in. Any Zoid taller than fifteen meters would be better suited to occupying the direct middle of the area. Finally, the Archelon has a nice, well rounded sensory suite comparable in basically every way to the Hovercargo’s.

Weaponry and Equipment:

Dorsal Catapult
The Archelon’s primary means of egress is this large catapult on its dorsal surface. A long, wide strip on the front of the shell retracts backwards before folding over into a launch platform – the whole process takes about thirty seconds to accomplish. A larger and more robust system than that on the Hovercargo, the Archelon’s catapult can handle Zoids up to the size and weight of a modded-up Gojulas, and is the primary means of egress for such egregiously large machines. It’s advisable not to fire something like a Gojulas too far into the air, as its weight could cause some damage upon landing.

Side Airlock x2
The Archelon also has an airlock on either side of its large shell, capable of in- or egress for Liger-sized Zoids. The airlock takes twelve seconds to drain or fill with water using the onboard pumps, or you could just open the door and flood it (assuming, of course, that you’ve closed the inside door).

Internal Steam Plant
Part of the reason the Archelon can swim at full speed for so long is its unique drive system. Large, bulky, loud, and anachronistic, the turtle’s onboard steam plant is nevertheless its formula for success. The waste heat from the onboard systems runs through a maze of plumbing under the decks, and, coupled with a few special heat-generation units, drives a trio of extra-strength boilers located behind blast shields in the rear of the turtle’s shell. These power some respectably-sized cylinders driving two counter-rotating propellers on the turtle’s tail and allow the Archelon to cruise at a firm fifteen knots through any weather conditions. In the event that the core has somehow stopped producing power, the boilers include fully-functional fireboxes to power them the old-fashioned way. Under combustion, however, the Archelon can only achieve ten knots, it must be on the surface to vent exhaust into the sea air, and a skilled mechanic should be supervising things at all times.

ASZ Large-Bore Particle Beam Cannon
The Archelon’s primary anti-ship weapon. Located in the mouth is a very large barrel two-thirds the diameter of a Charged Particle Cannon blast. Located deep inside that barrel, however, is a smaller one reminiscent of the Geno Saurer’s own CPC cannon. The weapon, which can fire once every forty-five seconds, requires a ten-second charge and is clearly meant to be used in naval combat, pitting capital-sized ships against one another. (In layman’s terms, this means you can see it coming a mile away. Probably farther) The effect is like a shortened, compressed (and not quite as powerful) armor-piercing CPC. Rather than the wanton destruction of the Geno’s model, this cannon’s heat and shockwave are compressed to more effectively punch through gargantuan targets such as Whale Kings. This means, however, that the area of effect is much smaller – the blast and shockwave can’t be felt more than a few meters away from the beam, though a wash of heat often accompanies it. Oh, and, open the mouth first. Seriously.

AZ 50mm Beam Repeater Cannon Array x2
Located on either side of the Archelon’s shell, above each airlock, is a cluster of three Anti-Zoid beam repeaters. These pack a very respectable wallop, being that they hurt like three AZ50mm beam cannons each firing five shots per second. Their energy drain, while fairly large, is almost insignificant on such a large Zoid. They might not do too much to other transport-class Zoids, but can put a respectable hurting on anything smaller that comes within their five hundred meter range. Each cluster is on a turret that can track 180 degrees to the outside, and aim 45 degrees up or down. This leaves a few blind spots, notably directly next to the Archelon, so be careful.

Alloy Crusher Vice
The Archelon has a thick, highly reinforced skull to protect the bridge from harm and shield the officers from the effects of the particle cannon, so it stands to reason that its turtle-like beak is similarly constructed. It’s an extension of the Archelon’s actual hyper-alloy skeleton, in fact, and it can exert a fairly nasty pressure on anything careless enough to wander into its jaws. A favorite tactic among captains of these vessels is to use the jaws and the particle beam cannon in conjunction, which is a slightly dangerous, if effective strategy.