Rifled barrels are hard to make. So are bullets, and in any protracted war millions might be required. Thankfully for the Vraaki, explosives are something they're far more familiar with, and which they've spent centuries crafting and perfecting to expand their subterranean homes. The stick mortar, therefore, makes a natural weapon for their kind. A bomb in a metal tube, mounted to a stick, they can be fired from the shoulder or braced against the ground. Their sights are crude, typically a little more than a brazed-on spike with a plumb bob below to help gage elevation. What they lack in accuracy, or for that matter distance, they make up for in size of charge and quantity in use.

The men who accept such a weapon are well aware of the dangers it brings. Not only is it a large explosion often aimed closer than one would like, but it is also not quick to fire. It must be braced, aimed, have the safety pin removed and finally set off by pull fuze. Even before producing a cloud of white smoke several feet long, this attracts significant enemy attention. Layers of silk covers heavy steel plates and chains, while thin-slitted blast goggles cover the eyes. A single ear is left outside the armor so that the soldier can hear orders, but even it gets a steel plate to protect the most sensitive parts.

This level of protection is not obvious at a glance beneath their robes, leading to the infamous complaint in a Wiess after-action report that, "Movement sensors detected a half dozen signatures crossing the south ridge. The squad engaged and counted 14 clean hits, including 8 from our marksman equipped with night vision, but the remaining four got close enough to employ their charges."

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First time using charcoal pencils, this time over a mechanical pencil sketch. A little easier to blend than colored pencil, but I don't like this paper much. High likelihood I'm doing it wrong.