One of the newer companies on Rifts Earth, headquartered in the city of Tolkeen, Zilkia Industries was founded by an escaped Kittani weapon engineer. Ki-Tarn Zilkia started his company by manufacturing standard Kittani weapons and power armors but has since branched out. His company now manufactures a wide variety of designs, several which are similar to Triax designs, although most of his designs retain a Kittani style. The company is believed to have strong ties with the company "Metalworks Industries" even though the companies compete in many of the same markets. Several of Ki-Tarn's children have followed in his footsteps and work in the company as well. Several other renegade Kittani work for the company as well although most of the company's employees are human. Zilkia Industries produces a line of designs, all based on spiders. Of these, the War Spider is the largest and only a handful have been so far been produced.

The "War Spider" is best considered an eight legged tank. It is even larger than the Coalition Spider Skull Walker and much more heavily armed. The designs top speed is about the same as the light "Battle Spider" weapon platform with a top speed of one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour. It can traverse most terrain due to having eight legs and has a much lower profile than the Coalition Spider Skull Walker. The "Battle Spider" can lose up to two legs on a side and still be able to operate although it does lose some mobility. The "War Spider" can leap short distances with a small thruster under the design. The thrusters are not powerful enough to provide flight but can also provide propulsion under water. Unlike the "Battle Spider", the bigger tank type design requires a more powerful power plant and the fusion reactor is similar to what is carried in several Triax robot and vehicle designs.

Unlike the "Battle Spider", this larger design requires a three many crew for proper operation although it can be run by a crew of two. The crew compartment is completely within the main hull of the design with the weapon turret being completely automated. The crew compartment has full like support systems and is equipped with extensive sensors similar to what is carried on most larger Triax robot designs. The cockpit is well armored and the whole design carries heavy armor. Unlike Zilkia Industries' smaller designs, the War Spider is simply too large to mount a Naruni force field. The force field mounted on the Naruni Juggernaut heavy hover tank but Naruni has not offered the shield generator on its own. Still, the heavy armor leaves the design in good stead in most battles.

As mentioned previously, the main weaponry of the design is mounted in a heavily armored turret in the center of the body. Main weapon is an 80 mm heavy rail gun which inflicts even more damage than a Glitter Boy boom gun and have a much longer range. The weapon is also carried in a hover tank developed by Metalworks Industries and a derivative M1 Abrams tank design manufactured by Iron Armory. Payload is a total of fifty rounds and while penetrator rounds are the most common, a variety of other ordnance is also available. The "War Spider" mounts an auto-loader for the cannon. Mounted beside the main cannon is a powerful Vulcan laser. The Vulcan laser seems to have been first developed by Iron Heart Industries but has been widely copied. Power is provided by the robot vehicles fusion reactor for effectively unlimited payload. For defensive weaponry, the "War Spider" mounts two modified Spider Defense platforms, both mounted side by side on top of the main turret. These are programmed to engage incoming missiles and aircraft which are targeting the spider tank. Like with the Vulcan cannons, power is provided by the spider tank's fusion reactor and have a virtually unlimited payload. The mounts retain the grenade launchers with two each mount usually being smoke and the other two being prismatic aerosol. The only weaponry not mounted in the turret are a pair of mini-missile launchers with a high capacity launcher on either side of the spider tank. Each launcher carries twenty-four mini-missiles for a total of forty-eight mini-missiles. While comparatively short ranged, the mini-missile launchers give the spider tank an extremely powerful close range punch.

Model Type: ZI-SPD-05 "War Spider"
Vehicle Type: All Terrain Robotic Walker Tank
Crew: Three (Pilot, Gunner, and Commander), has space for one passenger.

M.D.C. by Location:

	Weapon Turret:	260
	80 mm Hyper Velocity Rail Gun (Turret):	125
	ZI-44L Vulcan Laser Cannon (Turret, Beside Rail Gun):	75
	[1] ZI-1000 Spider Defense Systems (2, Above Turret):	50 each
	Side Mounted Mini-Missile Launchers (2):	200 each
	[2] Spider Legs (8):	125 each
	Under Belly Thruster:	150
	Rear Thrusters (2):	100 each
	[1] Headlights (4):	10 each
	Hatches (2, top):	100 each
	Reinforced Crew Compartment:	200
	[3] Main Body:	625

Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a "called shot;' but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] The destruction of a up to two legs on a side will not cause the design to be unbalanced and the battle spider will still be able to move. Speed is reduced by 10% per leg destroyed.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the robot down completely, rendering it useless.

Speed:
Running: 99.4 mph (160 kph) maximum.
Leaping: Cannot leap without using thrusters but can leap using thruster. The vehicle can leap 30 feet (9.1 meters) up and 50 feet (15.4 meters) across from a standing position, 50 feet (15.4 m) up and 80 feet (24.4 meters) across with a short running start.
Flying: Not possible! The rear thruster and under belly thruster are provided to add stability, balance, and minimal thrust in space or underwater.
Underwater: It can walk along the bottom of the sea floor at 25% of maximum speed. With thrusters, can travel at speeds up to 34.5 mph (30 knots / 55.6 kph) underwater. Has a maximum ocean depth of 2 miles (3.2 km).
Maximum Effective Range: Limited only by the pilot's endurance. Emergency food and air supply will keep the pilot and gunner alive for four weeks.

Statistical Data:
Height: 10.8 feet (3.3 meters) including turret, 8.7 feet (2.7 meters) not including turret
Width: 12.2 feet (3.7 meters) for main body with legs extending out for 22.4 feet (6.8 meters) on either side
Length: Main Body: 28.2 feet (8.6 meters) and with Gun Forward: 36.4 feet (11.1 meters).
Weight: 60.6 tons (55 metric tons) fully loaded
Physical Strength: P.S. 40
Cargo: Minimal storage space; about four feet (1.2 m) for extra clothing, weapons, and personal items. Three K-4 (or other) laser rifles and three missile launchers with 5 loads each are stored in a compartment behind the driver's seat.
Power System: Nuclear; average life is 20 years.
Black Market Cost: 45 million credits for a new, undamaged basic unit.

Weapon Systems:

1. High Velocity 80 mm Heavy Rail Gun (1): The turret can rotate 360 degrees and the barrel can angle up to 45 degrees. The weapon system is gyro-stablised and has an advanced fire control computer. The special fire control computer gives a bonus of +2 to strike. The Weapon mount is useful for direct fire and artillery style fire. The rail gun normally fires a solid dart of M.D.C. materials that does massive damage to targets that it hits but can also use explosive warheads. Loading system of the gun is completely automated.
   Maximum Effective Range: 3 miles (4.83 km) for direct fire and 7.5 miles (12 km) for indirect fire.
   Mega Damage: A single round 4D6x10+20 (optional rule is that cannon gets a critical on a natural 18, 19, or 20 due to its high penetration). Can use High Explosive rounds that do 1D4x10 with a blast radius of 20 ft. High Explosive Anti Tank does 1D6x10 with a blast radius of 10 ft.
   Rate of Fire: Maximum of four per melee.
   Payload: 50 rounds
   Bonuses: Has a special fire control computer that helps to aim the cannon. Gives +2 to strike with rail gun and vehicle does not have minuses to fire when hover tank is moving.
   
2. ZI-44L Vulcan Laser (1): This is a direct copy of the Iron Heart cannon and is quite powerful although much shorter range than the main cannon. This weapon is mounted beside the 80 mm rail gun and is operated by the driver or the tank commander. The weapon consists of six rotating laser cannons, cycling through bursts of six blasts per second.
   Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters)
   Mega-Damage: 3D4 x 10 M.D. per instantaneous burst (counts as one blast/attack).
   Rate of Fire: Can shoot up to six times per melee!
   Payload: Effectively Unlimited (Draws Power off the main engines).
3. ZI-1000 Spider Defense Systems (2): Both mounts are permanently mounted on the turret on the top and are side by side. The systems are connected to the ships power supply so that it has unlimited shots. Weapon system normally is used as an anti-missile defense. Weapon system also has four grenades which two are usually smoke and two are usually prismatic aerosol for use against lasers. Other grenades can be used as well. Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) for light blasts, 3,000 feet (915 meters) for heavy blasts, 20 feet (6.1 meters) for electrical current, 100 feet (30.5 meters) for smoke grenades
   Mega Damage: 4D6 for light blasts, 1D4x10 for heavy blasts, 3D6 SDC for electrical current. See Grenades for details on grenades
   Rate of Fire: 6 Attacks per melee (+2 to strike) - grenades are fired on at a time.
   Payload: Unlimited (has 4 grenades each mount - usually two smoke and two prismatic aerosol)
4. Side Mounted Mini-Missile Systems (2): The only weapons not mounted in / on the turret, these are mounted on the sides of the "War Spider." Each are high capacity mini-missile launchers. Mini-missile launchers retract when not in use. Each launcher carries twenty-four mini-missiles for forty-eight total. Normally used for short range combat and is extremely devastating when used in that manner.
   Missile Type: Any mini-missile can be used, but standard issue is armor piercing (1D4x10 M.D.) or plasma (1D6x10). Fragmentation will be used for anti-personnel operations.
   Maximum Effective Range: Varies with mini-missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), six (6), twelve (12), or twenty-four (24)
   Payload: Twenty-four each launcher for forty-eight total.
5. Hand to Hand Combat: The "War Spider" is a robot vehicle that is not designed for hand to hand type combat. Its only three attack modes are Body Block/Ram, which inflicts 1D6 M.D. for every 20 mph of speed,, Kick, which inflicts 1D6, and Stomp, which inflicts 3D6 M.D., effective against any object 10 feet (3.05 meters) or smaller.

[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]
[Kittani, Triax and Naruni Enterprises are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

Original company idea by Ki-Tarn Zilkia (Kitarn@netscape.net)

Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).
Copyright © 2007, Kitsune. All rights reserved.