League Armory - Mark 3 "Lee" Support Tank image - Vader91

As the League continued to engage enemies of all types, Vadron noticed a particular weakness in the League's armored columns, the long-term viability of the "Carnivore" heavy tank. None denied the heavy tank's effectiveness at combat, as one could easily take on 16 of the opposing forces' tanks, but when the 17th knocked the Carnivore out, it was a heavy loss. The salvaging efforts of the League orkz Big Mek Grotork and Mr. Gudbitz became instrumental in keeping the League's armor columns supplied. However, with battles getting more ferocious, fewer and fewer Carnivore wrecks made it back onboard the League’s fleet. Even if the tanks survived the deployment, the resources required maintaining the Carnivore’s munition demand and fuel for the overclocked engine and energy weapon generators drained the already stretched supplies of the Sovereign military.

Always one playing the long game, Vadron knew that if the League of Sovereigns was going to continue to be successful on the battlefield, a cheaper tank was needed to keep up the combined arms strategy that has served the League since millennia before their rebellion.

The answer, surprisingly, came from the minds of the aforementioned Orkz instead of the usual Tau and Human R&D division. During a particularly intense skirmish between the League and an Iron Warrior splinter faction, the orkz looted a rare vehicle – a Sicaran Battle Tank. The ancient technological marvel intrigued Vadron and his ork council. It was large and powerful, easily more than a match for the Carnivore if its systems were upgraded to the League’s standards. However, in order to mass produce this vehicle, even more resources would be needed, so it didn’t fit Vadron’s bill.

However, the Lord Sovereign knew a good vehicle layout when he saw one, and worked with the orkz and head Techmarine Rubeus Tennant to design a smaller and cheaper version. A month of restless nights and kegs of fungus beer resulted in a new tank design.

With a budget in mind, the new vehicle came equipped with a host of cheap but effective weapons, both of human design and ork ingenuity. The main weapon, named the Miguel-pattern cannon, was inspired by the heavy weapon used by marine Vindicators. It’s used in a similar role, using a high explosive shell to wreck infantry formations and fortifications. However, with a more advanced explosive, the Miguel’s shell is tighter in diameter than the demolisher cannon’s. Taking advantage of the size, the shell is cased in a composite that allows the shell to pierce obstacles before detonating, be it the wall of a building or the armor of a vehicle. The large weapon proved to be effective, cheap to build and maintain, but too heavy to be mounted in a turret efficiently. To cut costs, the cannon was hull-mounted, limiting its fire arc but increasing weapon stability. Compared to the demolisher cannon, the Miguel had a far higher range, better accuracy, and the chance to pierce enemy armor, all with the same explosive yield. In early battle tests, the new vehicle was able to one-shot a hostile Baneblade by scoring a lucky hit on the massive tank’s turret, burrowing the Miguel shell into the super tank before detonating and taking the Baneblade’s munitions with it.

Other weapons on the vehicle include a turret-mounted heavy autocannon, a hull-mounted heavy stubber for the tank driver, and a pair of orky sponsons capable of using either “flashy burnas” or “even biggah shootahs.” How this vehicle works is a mystery even to Rubeus himself, though Vadron and Grotork know better.

Christened the “Lee” support tank, after one of Vadron’s ancient mentors, the new vehicle has started to see deployment in smaller engagements as well as long-term League operations. The Carnivore is still used, but is kept in reserve until the battle is fierce enough to warrant its firepower. While weaker than most other MBTs in a straight fight, the Lee’s chance to instantly incapacitate enemy armor with the Miguel cannon makes the point mute.