The H.I.S.S., or High Speed Sentry is a powerful assault vehicle that has been a mainstay of the Cobra arsenal for years. The H.I.S.S. is Cobra's equivalent of a tank, bearing a set of twinned, 90mm cannons on its turret. Versatile in many operations, this sleek, jet black fighting machine possesses a net material strength of 13. The Mark 1 H.I.S.S. is equipped with the following vehicular features:

Armor Plating: built to go toe to toe with most American and Soviet tanks, the H.I.S.S. is naturally heavily armored. It is possessed of high density armor plating on most surfaces, and is also equipped with a shell-proof, tinted canopy to protect the driver from 'called shots'. These measures account for the High Speed Sentry's overall +5 protection from assault.

Gear Cases: the H.I.S.S. has, spread throughout several lockers mounted in the vehicle's armor plating, various cases filled with useful gear. It has fully stocked first aid kits, tool kits, and ground working equipment, allowing the H.I.S.S. driver or any infantry working alongside the vehicle to take care of most minor emergencies in a pinch, and even quite a few major ones when necessary.

Infrared Detectors: though the H.I.S.S. tank canopy provides a rather wide view of the surrounding terrain, that is occasionally not enough to win in a firefight. As such, the High Speed Sentry has been equipped with full infrared frequency detectors, allowing it to spot, target, and eliminate foes that would otherwise be invisible to the driver. These sensors function at intensity 6.

Lightning Speed: for a treaded assault vehicle, the Mark 1 H.I.S.S. tank is rather fast on its 'feet'. The H.I.S.S. has a top speed of 75 miles per hour (the vehicular equivalent of having this 'power' at intensity 5), and a maximum operating range of 275 miles. Combined with its exceptional mobility, this turn of speed allows the H.I.S.S. to easily go toe to toe with more powerful vehicular foes.

Rear Personnel Platform (Passengers): strictly speaking, the Mark 1 H.I.S.S. tank is a two man vehicle - it allows for one driver (in the cockpit) and one gunner (in the turret). However, the engineers of the High Speed Sentry allowed for a small number of personnel (two comfortably) to ride on the back of the assault vehicle in the event that this should become necessary - or is more convenient than walking.

Self-Sealing Fuel Canisters: these handy gas tanks, mounted right over the H.I.S.S.' odd tread structure, have an intermediate layer between the gas and the tank itself, a layer of material that immediately seals the can in the event that it is punctured (or shot), preventing a loss of fuel or explosion. These tanks offer the High Speed Sentry's fuel the vehicle's armor rating.

Twinned 90mm 'Diablo' Cannons: the principal weapon of the High Speed Sentry (aside from a ramming attack), these two 90mm cannons can be fired in sync to inflict damage per a +8 weapon in a short, controlled burst, or a +9 weapon in a fully automatic, tank-penetrating hail of lead. It is fueled by a 2000 round ammo drum, so it can fire away for a long, long time.

Tungsten Lamp: while similar vehicles built in the High Speed Sentry's day and age had moved over to more efficient Halogen bulbs, the designers of the H.I.S.S. preferred to go with old-fashioned, highly effective tungsten filaments for this front mounted light. Functioning at intensity 10, this array of light emitters can illuminate an area at similar intensity.

The Crimson Guard H.I.S.S. tank is one of two components of the Sentry Missile System utilized to a limited extent by Cobra forces in 1985. In addition to the rather conspicuous color change on the vehicle, making it no secret which unit makes use of the thing, the Crimson Guard H.I.S.S. also received a serious weapon upgrade as well. See the Sentry Missile System entry for more information on this H.I.S.S. variant.

At the end of the millennium, Cobra revived its original, most effective ground assault vehicle. Discarding the various 'improvements' on the line that came with both the Crimson Guard and Mark 2 versions of this vehicle, Cobra has essentially reverted to their original, most dependable design. The only real difference between the Mark 1 and Mark 3 H.I.S.S., when you get down to it, is the new, Cobra blue color scheme.