OE-328 Trapinch
Statistics
Type: Anti-personnel landmine
Weight: 1.8 kg
Dimensions: height:15 cm; width: 20 cm
Filling: 900 g of Composition P-2 high explosive with a 50 gram tetryl booster
Effect: Blast
Fuzing: mechano-chemical fuze with activation weight of five kilograms.
Notes by Doctor Kaminko
The OE-328 "Trapinch" is HLC's sole antipersonnel mine. It is metal-free mine that is designed for emplacement by M3109 "Diglett" combat engineering vehicles or by infantry. All parts of the mine are composed of a glass-reinforced plastic. As a bonus, the mine is lighter than a comparable metallic mine. The sole non-plastic part of the mine is the firing pin, which is made of a hard aluminum oxide ceramic.
Plastic springs were considered as a means of providing the required resistance for detonation of the mine but plastics with the required elasticity, durability and resistance to weathering proved to be too expensive. Therefore, a plastic shear pin mechanism was used to provide the five kilogram resistance required to initiate the explosive train. These pins are inserted into two sets of holes on opposite sides of the disc shaped mine upon deployment. These pins are sheared upon the application of the appropriate force to the pressure plate, allowing the firing pin to crush a bi-compartmented glass capsule containing potassium permanganate and glycerol. This causes a rapid exothermic reaction that ignites the explosive train. Directly above one set of the shear pins is a metal rod attached to a lanyard. This is a safety mechanism that prevents detonation. A plastic blind that covers the glass capsule serves a secondary safety measure. This blind is removed by pulling a metal wire which is attached to a rack-and-pinion mechanism that moves the blind aside. Upon removal of the metal wire, the lever locks into place, allowing the ceramic pin access to the glass capsule and turning the indicator window on the side of the mine to red, indicating that the mine is armed. No anti-handling mechanism is present.
One the arming wire is removed, one must never attempt to "render safe" the mine by reinserting the metal safety rod. The only way to disarm a mine in such a capacity is to destroy it in place with explosives, anti-materiel rifle fire or psychic pokémon. Only EOD personnel are to attempt such procedures.
While it is classed as an antipersonnel mine, the large explosive payload means that it is capable of destroying unarmored vehicles and severely damaging lightly armored vehicles.
This mine is not self-sterilizing. Due to the recent introduction of this mine, it is not known how long this mine can remain armed. However, the stability of Composition P-2 along with the sealed glass capsule igniter and glass reinforced plastic casing suggest that the mine can remain operational for years. Therefore, it is to be assumed that this mine will remain armed and capable of detonation indefinitely.
These mines are packaged individually in crates for emplacement by infantry or in specialized magazines for use in M3109 "Diglett" combat engineering vehicles. These magazines are horizontally oriented and hold twenty five mines in a single file. These mines already have the shear pins in place. The arming wire and metal safety rod of each mine are connected to a metal rod within the magazine and as each mine exits the magazine, the wire and safety rod are pulled free and the mine armed.
An improved version of this mine — designated the OE-328 "Trapinch" Mod. 2 — is currently in development. This version will have a secondary fuze well to allow the installation of additional anti-handling fuzes.
Selected Field Reports
"This shit's gonna bite us in the dick after the war's over." Specialist Peter "Hardon" Johnson, Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Division (Fort Twinleaf)
"It's more an anti-vehicle mine than an anti-personnel mine." Sergeant Richard "Big Stick" Pines, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry Division (Fort Moon)
"Great for covering evac routes and keeping out hostiles." Private Jackson "Snorlax" Etienne, Company A, 1st Engineer Battalion, 31st Infantry Division (Fort Moon)
"All it does is piss off the big steel or rock-types, but that's what the 'Magnemite' anti-armor mines are for." Private First Class Len "Lulu" Lee, Company B, 3rd Engineer Battalion, 19th Infantry Division (Fort Indigo)
Tales from the Front Lines
Xanadu Nursery, once the premiere plant nursery and research station of Kanto, was now little more than the gutted carcass surrounded by scorched and ravaged fields. Skirmishes between HLC forces and wild pokémon, weathering and looters had taken their toll.
Skeletal remains, shell casings and other detritus of battle littered the former fields. But for the first time in months, there was activity. But it was a cruel, militaristic parody of a bucolic farm scene; what were planted by the M3109 "Diglett" combat engineering vehicles (which bore an uncanny resemblance to tractors) of the 2nd Combat Engineering Battalion of Fort Pallet were not seeds for next season's crops but OE-328 "Trapinch" mines.
Private Karl Sunyra gripped his BR-541 "Glameow" rifle like a Bewear hugging its trainer as he looked past the ravaged fields of Xanadu Nursery and into the surrounding forest. He licked his lips as the warm afternoon sun played over his durasilk vest and helmet. The surrounding forests with their shady branches promised incomprehensible horrors.
The soldier took a breath and looked at the soldiers around him and the minelayers. His enhanced vision could barely make out the M24 "Octillery" field guns stationed at Firebase Florinda several kilometers behind him. M215 "Grotle" cargo trucks were parked on the fields and ready to provide soldiers with cover. Scattered among them like Remoraid amongst Mantine were the comparatively small M231 "Donphan" general purpose high mobility vehicles. Their HMG-129 "Ursaring" heavy machine guns stood ready to tear apart any pokémon that dared approach.
He looked around his nearby area. The other members of his squad had fanned out and taken cover behind the various vehicles. Private Sunyra checked the safety of his rifle: three round burst. Just like it had been the other dozens of times he had checked it in the past four hours.
And in the end, like it had been for the past several weeks, nothing, not even a Pidgey appeared.
Private Sunyra sighed as he slowly ate his chili. It was like all mess hall food: inoffensively boring at best. He watched as his fellow HLC soldiers and the civilian contractors at Firebase Florinda ate their dinner. Granted, it wasn't too hard to distinguish a civilian contractor from an HLC soldier, despite them both wearing the same digital camouflage fatigues with identical name tapes on the left breast pocket: no rank insignia, no unit patch, a name tape with "CONTRACTOR" instead of "HLC" on the right breast pocket, uniform and grooming not up to regulations. And of course, their bearing was just different.
That was not to say that the HLC soldiers treated the contractors as below them. After all, they handled the logistics, and if push came to shove, they'd bolster the amount of fighters available.
As he slowly finished his meal and got up to return his tray, Private Sunyra wondered if death by boredom counted as a combat or noncombat casualty.
As the siren pierced the night air and Private Sunyra leapt out of his cot, threw on his combat helmet and durasilk vest, he cursed himself for even mentioning "the b-word" as some of the more senior HLC soldiers had put it. Grabbing his BR-541 "Glameow" rifle, inserting the magazine, and chambering a round, he slung the rifle across his back and joined the mass of HLC soldiers. Already, he could hear distant explosions as the pokémon streaming from Kanto Route 1 charged through the minefield.
He took a fighting position behind a large poured concrete barrier and flicked his rifle's selector switch to three-round burst. It was then that the air itself seemed to solidify and pound his very body as the M24 "Octillery" 155 mm field guns at Firebase Florinda fired.
Xanadu Nursery
Night turned to day as illuminating candles deployed from the field guns drifted down on parachutes like traditional Johtonian sky lanterns. Explosions ripped through the night as a group of Oddish assailed the position.
The light showed that the Oddish had struck first, launching a volley of Energy Ball attacks. In sharp contrast to the pre-Undampening attack that took the form of a sphere that could visibly be seen drifting towards its target (and could be dodged), these Energy Ball attacks were much faster, being roughly equivalent to an ATGM in terms of speed and firepower.
The first strike had left a few of the "Donphan" aflame, but soon, tracer fire filled the air as the HLC soldiers retaliated. And the Oddish acted in kind, scattering and attempting to regroup to fire off another volley of Energy Ball attacks. Thankfully, the Oddish made excellent targets for the "Donphan" gunners and dismounted infantry due to the bright glow of a charging Energy Ball. That and the "Trapinch" mines liberally scattered through the former fields ensured that the Oddish trying to avoid the retaliatory gunfire would meet an explosive end.
Private First Class Aria Ghota stumbled out of her burning "Donphan". The driver…or what was left of him hung limply out of the doorframe that had taken the brunt of the projectile impact. Despite the intense, choking scent of burning fuel, hot metal, the unpleasant bodily scents of the battlefield, ringing ears, and the knowledge that she was likely covered in a fine mist of blood, flesh and organs that were once part of the corpse in the driver's seat, she let her training take over as she flicked her rifle's fire select switch to three round burst, took cover behind the burning wreck of her vehicle and fired back at a faint green glow a few hundred meters off in the distance.
The glow disappeared; whether the Oddish had been killed, wounded or simply forced it to take cover was of secondary concern to PFC Ghota. The distinctive metallic ringing suggested that the Oddish were now retaliating with Bullet Seed.
Sergeant Karl Vymes directed one of his men to drag Private Jackson Arnell out of the wrecked "Donphan". While the Energy Ball attack had not set fire to the vehicle, it was a small comfort as the vehicle was now completely useless, save for the mounted machine gun.
While one of the soldiers was trying to rescue Private Arnell, Sergeant Vymes mounted the wrecked vehicle and climbed into the gunner's seat. A quick check showed that the machine gun was undamaged and had plenty of ammunition.
Soon, another line of tracer fire joined the battlefield.
A green glow caught the corner of Sergeant Vymes's eye and he quickly swiveled the gun at the target. Before he could even process what happened, he felt himself flying through the air and landing on the grass. Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, he slowly, agonizingly pulled himself to cover with his one good arm. The light of the burning "Donphan" combined with the second volley of illuminating candles cast weird, sinister shadows over the battlefield.
He checked his pokéglove. Still intact. Seemingly from kilometers away, but in actuality, mere meters away, he heard some of the soldiers exclaim that they were getting overrun. Sergeant Vymes made his decision. He checked the coordinates in his pokéglove, switched to the radio function and called in a danger close artillery strike. His own words, the buzzing of Energy Ball, the chatter of automatic weapons fire and ringing of Bullet Seed all blended into an indistinct white noise.
Less than a minute after calling in the fire support mission, there was an explosion as the spotting round was fired and struck its target. Sergeant Vymes saw the plume of dirt rise into the air, but with his vision fading out, he couldn't tell if he made a direct hit. Given that it seemed the green light of the Energy Ball had faded, it was close enough, but maybe they were a bit further back. He radioed out the adjustments and the command to fire for effect. Once that was done, he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness. His last thoughts were, "Say hello to Ho-Oh, you fuckers."
Firebase Florinda
The area around the "Octillery" field guns was abuzz with activity as personnel aimed, adjusted, fired and reloaded the 155 mm artillery pieces. Of course, there was some lighting available, but it was mostly dim green and red lighting to both preserve night vision and keep the position from being detected. Of course, that was all a moot point once the guns started firing as the brilliant muzzle flashes briefly turned night into day.
The air itself was a solid wall of noise and concussion as the artillery crew fired as fast as possible. In mere minutes, the shells they had on hand were depleted. With the need for additional ammunition, every available person — civilian contractor or HLC enlisted — was pressed into hauling ammunition from the magazine or loading the guns.
Even the rare few pokémon belonging to the contractors were pressed into service.
Robert Thornton Williams was directed to one of the "Octillery" guns. Thanks to the earplugs he wore, he couldn't hear what the sergeant in charge said, but the pointed finger said it all. Even with the earplugs, he could feel the concussive thump of the big guns firing. To say nothing of the lightning-like muzzle flash.
A cart containing several pallets — each with four 155 mm high explosive shells securely strapped in place arrived. Robert's Machamp obediently took hold of a pallet in each of its lower arms, walked down the ramp and began placing them in the designated location near the guns.
Meanwhile, Robert was unloading pallets of the propellant cans from another cart. Thankfully, the pallets were lighter than those containing the shells. But it didn't take long for him have the pallets unloaded as well.
The crew got to work removing the lifting plugs and fitting the shells with the proper fuzes. The sergeant in charge directed Robert and his Machamp to unload the ordnance for another gun crew.
The moment Private First Class Ariel Nolen heard the words, "Ready!", he quickly checked to ensure the barrel had no obstruction, removed the protective grommet from the projectile's rotating band and set the fuze according to the parameters given by the fire direction center, which in turn received them from Sergeant Vymes. He then grunted as he lifted the fuzed shell and seated it into the breech. He then stepped back and two other cannoneers picked up the ramrod and proceeded to securely ram the shell into place. Yet another cannoneer placed the required number of propellant bags behind the shell, closed the breechblock and inserted the primer.
An additional cannoneer adjusted the traverse and elevation of the gun as per the orders given by the section chief (which of course came from Sergeant Vymes via the fire direction center).
In just a little over ten seconds, the "Octillery" was ready to fire.
The moment he heard the section chief give the order to fire, PFC Nolen kept his mouth open as to not rupture his eardrums. He watched as the cannoneer who had been operating the traverse and elevation handwheels gave the firing lanyard a quick yank. Even with the earplugs, the sound was overwhelming and he could still hear the ringing in his ears.
Anticipating what was going on, he took his position near the pallet and watched as the breechblock opened and the tube swabbed. The moment he heard one of the cannoneers yell "Bore clear!", he picked up one of the shells and headed back to the cannon's breech to continue the choreographed dance that was loading and firing an "Octillery".
As PFC Nolen got the shell seated, he idly wondered if they could speed up loading by having one of the Orrean Giants like Robert trained as a loader. Given the way he was able to handle the pallets of the propellant cans like they were trays of food; he could probably use one hand to load the shell while he kept another shell nearby.
Xanadu Nursery
Sergeant Hikari Shudo watched as plumes of dirt rose into the night sky as the final artillery barrage raked the Oddish a few hundred meters in the distance. Although the fire mission called in by Sergeant Vymes wasn't a direct hit on the group of Oddish, it was still enough to drive away or kill most of them. The few that decided to stay and fight back were quickly killed or driven away by small arms fire from the other HLC soldiers.
A sense of relief washed over her as the attack was now over. The illuminating candles had since burnt out, leaving only the faint red lights of the issued flashlights to see by. In the dim light, she could see that a number of the "Donphan" had been reduced to smoldering wrecks from direct Energy Ball hits and many of the soldiers were busy stabilizing the wounded. She called for MEDEVAC and got to work helping to stabilize the wounded.
As she helped another HLC soldier splint a leg so badly broken that the bones had pierced through the skin and even the uniform, she wondered if this area would ever be usable again.
Xanadu Nursery, 0015 ADR
Freshly plowed dirt, ready for planting, as far as the eye could see was a sight that Basil Ajitryu was deeply familiar with as a Xanadu Nursery farmer. But despite the beautiful vision, he could not smell it, for he was inside the armored compartment of his tractor. And those fields of plowed dirt? He might as well have been watching a television show, seeing as a computer monitor was his only view to the outside world. A quick look around the interior of the vehicle reminded him that his "tractor" wasn't actually a tractor. The five point harness on the seat, windowless design, durasilk lined interior, the oddly spacious seat attached to the side of the hull and the empty space behind him all pointed to the vehicle being a demilitarized M3109 "Diglett" combat engineering vehicle.
It had taken several years and tens of thousands of casualties but they had managed to oust Uxie's forces from this portion of Kanto. And Basil was thankful that at least he could plant crops. Whether they had been poisoned by Grimer, Muk or even the HLC's liberal use of chemical and incendiary weapons or been reduced to glass plains by clashing Legendaries and powerful pokémon was of little consolation to the farmers; what mattered was that once fertile farmland was now completely worthless.
The vehicle jolted slightly as it continued on its path. It could have been a large rock or it could have been some leftover ordnance. Basil shut off the engine, undid the five point harness and opened the heavy door. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of freshly plowed dirt. The warm sun played over his tanned skin as he looked around, taking in the beautiful sight of fertile soil as far as he could see.
But there was the burning, acrid post-explosion scent that he knew all too well. He dared not climb down from his perch, lest he step on a mine that his vehicle missed.
That confirmed it; he had indeed run over some ordnance. Climbing back into the "Diglett", he marked his location on the tablet so HLC EOD teams could comb through the area again. Basil made a u-turn and checked his tablet for safe areas that he could plant his crops at.
Ariel Nolen gingerly inserted a plastic rod into the ground. He let out a sigh of relief as it slid in without resistance. The former HLC soldier was thankful that he was clad in more than a durasilk combat helmet and ballistic vest; like all HLC EOD techs, he was clad in a "Safeguard" Mod. 2 powered EOD suit. The suit was similar to the ones used by the infamous "Doom Troopers", but instead of being protecting against flame and radiant heat, it was modified to protect against overpressure and fragmentation. As a side effect, it also protected remarkably well against small arms fire.
He probed another area; this time the rod struck something hard. He motioned over his Chimecho. Almost immediately, he was surrounded by the shimmering walls of Protect and the loose soil began to move as the psychic-type began excavation. In just a few seconds, the item Ariel had struck was revealed.
He immediately identified the olive green plastic cylinder as a "Trapinch" mine. As his Chimecho levitated it out of the ground, he could see that the indicator window was red. The mine was then surrounded in a coruscating layer of Protect barriers and levitated up into the sky. A distant explosion was heard as the pokémon telekinetically crushed the mine, reducing to fragments of ceramic and plastic. The debris was then placed inside an open top trailer that was currently filled with assorted battle debris ranging from bullets to shell casings.
Ariel probed another area. Empty. He looked around and saw his fellow EOD techs with their own psychic-type partners clearing the field.
Maybe if they were lucky, they could get all of Xanadu Nursery free of mines and other UXO in the next decade.
The once lush forest that kissed the borders of Xanadu Nursery had been reduced to a twisted landscape of shattered trees and stumps, broken up with craters. The forest had attempted to reclaim the area, but all it succeeded in was simply covering the ravaged landscape with grass and other small plants and brambles.
The forest was still intact, albeit dramatically reduced in size from repeated artillery bombardment. Even so, it still got off easy. After enough raids from various pokémon who used the forest for cover, the HLC seriously considered razing it with a MGM-493 "Arceus" loaded with IW-637 "Volcarona" cluster incendiary warheads.
Of course, this plan of action was vociferously opposed by Lugia and the other allied Legendaries. And in the interest of maintaining good relations with the Legendaries, the plan was vetoed. In the end, they permitted mines to be laid at the border of Xanadu Nursery and the subsequent beaten zone between the minefield and forest to be raked with artillery and machine gun fire as necessary. That was no longer needed once Xanadu Nursery started to become a working farm again; the farmers had lured in friendly Staraptor by leaving out berries and building nesting boxes. In return, Staraptor saw the farm as their territory and fiercely defended it against any interlopers.
Indeed, the Xanadu Nursery Air Corps, as the Staraptor were affectionately known, proved to be remarkably effective. Of course, they did need ground support occasionally, but it no longer took the form of artillery fire from kilometers away. Instead, it came in the form of the armed staff of the Xanadu Nursery (and small squad of HLC soldiers stationed at the farm) supporting the Staraptor with small arms fire.
In the end, the Staraptor were able to accomplish what repeated artillery bombardments and machine gun fire could not: stop the pokémon from the forest from attacking the farm. No one knew why this was the case, but it was suspected that the Intimidate ability of the Staraptor played a role. Either that or their predatory nature and appearance triggered a primal fear that repelled pokémon in a way that ordnance could not.
But now, a new threat replaced the pokémon. Three letters that struck fear into the hearts of military and civilian alike: UXO.
And Specialist Karl Sunyra and his squad had the unenviable task of cleaning up said items. He watched as teams of HLC EOD techs and their pokémon (a mix of Magnemite, Mightyena, Oinkologne, and Linoone) slowly crept forward, sweeping the fields with a combination of metal detectors, ground penetrating radar, and their pokémon's own senses. Overhead, flights of Staraptor patrolled, keeping an eye out for any interlopers.
A pair of Magnemite hovered in the air next to him as he slowly moved forward, sweeping his hand-held radar array just above the grass. Unlike the other EOD techs, he did not wear the Safeguard" Mod. 2 powered EOD suit as the sheer explosive power of each 155 mm shell would have rendered the suit useless. Instead, all he wore was the standard HLC infantry kit of a durasilk helmet and ballistic vest.
"ORDNANCE DETECTED."
The metallic tone of one of the Magnemite got his attention. The metallic pokémon pointed to a barely visible crater, overgrown with brambles and grass. As the 155 mm shells were all steel, they were easily detected by Magnemite.
"The third one today," Specialist Sunyra muttered as he pulled a flag out of his pack and gingerly stuck it into the ground at the edge of the crater.
He gestured for his two Magnemite to continue as he slowly moved forward.
He sighed as he looked over the ravaged forest, illuminated by the late afternoon sun; the team was going to be here for a while.
The HLC soldier was interrupted from his thoughts by an explosion. He paused for a moment to get his bearings. It was distant enough that he only heard it. That ruled out someone accidentally setting off one of the 155 mm shells in the remains of the forest. And there was no communication nor shimmering barriers, ruling out an intentional detonation.
Specialist Sunyra could only hope it was one of the Aggron accidentally setting off a "Trapinch" mine; the Iron Armor pokémon proved to be invaluable in EOD operations, with its slow speed and poor agility offset by its earthmoving capabilities, natural armor immune to anything short of antitank weapons or powerful pokémon attacks, and relatively strong offensive capabilities.
The man sighed as he slowly moved forward with his team; death by boredom definitely counted as a noncombat casualty.