The Minion was the first joint design between Ceres Metals on Tikonov and GM of Kathil. On the drawing board since 3061, final development was delayed when the end of the Clan invasion caused a brief lull in sales. Fortunately for business, the FedCom civil war sparked to life not long after.
         The Minion was originally conceived as an open-battlefield strike vehicle. As the civil war continued to rage over Kathil, however, local commanders saw the need for tanks capable of rapid and effective urban deployment. By adapting the existing concept to tie this tank into a Command/Control/Communications net, the Minion was quickly and effectively paired with the Morningstar as a ‘city-buster’ team.
         Katherine’s loyalists first benefited from the Minion, using the design to help turn the tide of the Kathil ground war back in their favor. By late 3065, however, Victor’s allies controlled the factories on both Kathil and Tikonov and used the design to support their advances.
         During the Jihad, all Minion factories remained in the Syrtis Federation, but during the long St. Ives War Tikonov fell to the Tikonov Free Republic. The Ridzik brothers quickly authorized a modification of the design to fit their operational doctrine.

         A Vox powerplant gives the Minion a top speed of over one hundred forty kph. On open streets or flatlands, this vehicle can give the enemy fits as they try to track its movement. Fairly well armored for a light tank with five and a half tons of Durallex alloy, the Minion can absorb a good deal of punishment. This is especially helpful in a city environment where narrow streets and blocked intersections can, at times, severely limit the normal tactical flexibility of a fast hovercraft.
         The BlazeFire Sightlock with an improved Targeting System works well with both the twin Intek medium lasers and a C3 computer slave unit. Barreling in at high speeds, the Minion uses its twin lasers to hammer at an enemy’s armor while the slave computer transmits optimal tracking data back to its local C3 net. A Forward-1 TAG helps to paint targets for artillery or guided missiles, making any enemy worry when they see a Minion approaching.

         While the standard Minion is in use throughout the old Federated Commonwealth, Tikonov protects this version of the Minion from all others. They appear to still be the only major faction to make use of it, an advantage they do not underestimate in battle.