Starcraft Units – Banshee

Banshee

BANSHEE DESCRIPTION

The Terrans have conducted numerous experiments with aircraft intended for use in air-to-ground attack. Many of the efforts came to a dead end and were eventually abandoned: guns for landing ships, remote-controlled semi-autonomous drones, and flying artillery platforms, to name a few. The constant compromises eventually led to converted variants of the air superiority fighter ‘Star Fighter’, intended to fulfill this role in the short term with fuselage-mounted salvo lasers. And yet the need for effective air-to-ground support with a lighter weight than that of a heavy cruiser remained.

Procyon Industries were the last to address the issue by taking an alternative approach. Rather than attempting to adapt existing aircraft to a role they were not designed for, Procyon’s engineers embarked on a complete redesign of the Banshee. As a planetary ship, the Banshee would not need high power engines as it would never reach escape velocity and would fight from orbit. Because of this, engineers instead fitted the Banshee with economical dual bypass engines. Air-to-air armament was deemed unnecessary as the Banshee would only hunt on the ground. Therefore, it was equipped with powerful multiple air-to-surface warheads.

The resulting aircraft was cheap, relatively robust, and perfectly suited for tactical attacks on the battlefield. The League used the Banshee as a light infantry support aircraft that could be quickly transported to any world. Despite the Banshee’s many assets, League commanders initially derided them for being inflexible and only used them as minor supports in unimportant militias.

Being very light and much more maneuverable than a siege tank, the Banshee soon gained a fearsome reputation despite her critics. The Banshee excelled as a jungle and desert battleship, being able to hunt across vast areas and suddenly engage unsuspecting enemy troops. The advantage of the Banshee’s surprise attack was further enhanced when modifications allowed the installation of stealth panels previously salvaged by starfighters. This allowed the Banshee to strike and disappear even when the sky was dominated by the enemy.

As the League conquered the worlds of the Terrans, the Banshee was given a new role. Freedom fighters waging guerrilla attacks against the League were suddenly being hunted by Banshees agile enough to track them down in their hideouts as they fled. In recent years, the Banshee has gained a bad reputation as the League’s terror weapon as it has become more common in urban conflicts, where scores of civilians have fallen victim to its indiscriminate attacks.

TERRAN

General Information

The Terrans can neither boast impressive technologies nor unbeatable masses, they seem to be the least dangerous race in the Starcraft universe. However, this is also their strength, often underestimated by the enemy, they can attack from ambush and thus take advantage of the surprise effect. The Terran forces are often formed from prisoners who want to shorten their sentence. These fighters, assigned to the infantry, are often poorly trained, but have an iron will to fight. Smaller war machines, such as the infamous tanks, are often used to support the foot troops.

The Terrans’ greatest enemy seems to be the Terrans themselves: Shattered by internal conflicts and wars, the Terrans have never been able to form a cohesive army to reach their full potential.