Cataphract

The initial specification of the Protectorate Defense Plan called for a multi-role assault vehicle capable of dealing with both Hovertanks and Polar forces. Initial prototypes quickly confirmed that polar assault units like the Kodiak and King Cobra were specialized by nature, so the Cataphract development team took a different direction. Their work lead to a massive Gear loaded with armor and a veritable panoply of weapons, including a hand-held "Doomsayer" railgun and a mortar.

Its appearance resulted in the Gear being dubbed the Cataphract, after the heavy cavalry of Earth's Roman era. Many PRDF soldiers simply call it the "Monster," and polar intel has dubbed it a "Gearstrider."

Field experience has expanded the Cataphract's official roles from assault to include fire-support and anti-armor.