[MilSpec] Project Phoenix Upgrades

[Hobbit]

Мехи "Проекта Феникс":

Inner Sphere:
- Locust (+)
- Stinger
- Wasp
- Valkyrie (+)
- Ostscout
- Phoenix Hawk (+)
- Griffin (+)
- Shadow Hawk (+)
- Scorpion (+)
- Wolverine (+)
- Ostroc (+)
- Ostsol (+)
- Rifleman (+)
- Crusader (+)
- Thunderbolt
- Archer (+)
- Warhammer (+)
- Marauder (+)
- Goliath (+)
- BattleMaster (+)
- Longbow (+)
- Marauder II (+)

Clan:
- Locust IIC
- Griffin IIC
- Shadow Hawk IIC (+)
- Rifleman IIC (+)
- Phoenix Hawk IIC (+)
- Warhammer IIC (+)
- Marauder IIC (+)

[Hobbit]

RIFLEMAN IIC
Rifleman IIC

Type/Model: Rifleman IIC 5
Mass: 65 tons
Chassis: NCIS Endo Steel Type M
Power Plant: Fusion 195 Mk. VI, Mod. 3
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: Trellshire Long Lifters
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor Type: Trellshire Royalstar
Armament: 3 Series 7NC Extended Range Large Lasers
2 Series 14NC Medium Pulse Lasers
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries
Primary Factory: Twycross
Communications System: Hector CC-22E
Targeting & Tracking System: Mk. CXC-4

Another of Jimmy's Detectives uncovered information on a pair of Clan-made Rifleman BattleMechs now appearing on the fringes of the Clan OZs. The first, a Diamond Shark production, is being built at the reconditioned factory on Twycross, while the second appears in reports of a sighting of a force from Clan Star Adder in the nearby Periphery.

The funny thing is that when I compare them to other 'Mechs designed by those Clans, I come up short. I may be hiding on Irian, but I can spot design philosophy discrepancies as well as anyone, and I don't think those Clans designed those 'Mechs.

The Diamond Shark Rifleman IIC appears to be an upgrade to the tried-and-true combat model of the original Rifleman. A trio of far-reaching ER large lasers provide the Rifleman with the ability to strike targets at will. A pair of reliable pulse lasers support those weapons for close-in work, but the real treat is the inclusion of improved jump jets to give this Rifleman the mobility its predecessors lacked. With a jump capacity of 150 meters, this Rifleman can jump as far as the average medium 'Mech and keep fighting, thanks to its generous allotment of double-strength heat sinks.

The variant spotted in the Periphery (and what Jimmy and his unit were doing out there I have no idea) parades under Star Adder colors. From the ROMs I viewed, it appears to carry a pair of the Hell's Horses new hyper assault Gausses. Clearly designed as a support 'Mech (Star Adders? Support 'Mech?) the rest of the Rifleman IIC's mass is devoted to defenses, with a pair of anti-missile systems and an active probe for sniffing out ambushes or hidden units. The muzzles of the anti-missile systems are too distinctive to miss, and I learned how to identify the emissions bell of a Clan active probe in tech school.

Neither of these variants bear the evidence one would expect from their Clans. The Diamond Shark model looks (and fights) like it was designed on Arc-Royal by Phelan Kell's Clan Wolf-in-Exile. The improved jump jets certainly point in that direction. The variant in use with the Star Adders is a clear support 'Mech, and one that appears built to support the advance of infantry and ground vehicles. The HAG is a Hell's Horses weapon. It appears that there may be more communication between some of these Clans than we've been led to believe.

If it's true that the Diamond Sharks are selling to the Inner Sphere, then perhaps we need to send an LCCC purchaser to Twycross. A new support 'Mech that could hit the Blakists at ranges they couldn't reply to would be a great boon in the fight against the Word.

If the Diamond Sharks are selling.

[Hobbit]

MARAUDER IIC
Marauder IIC

Type/Model: Marauder IIC 5
Mass: 85 tons
Chassis: SA-850 Light
Power Plant: Consolidated Fusion 340
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Forging MD4 Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Type DDS "Kingston" ER PPCs
2 Tau-II Anti-personnel Gauss Rifles
1 Type 0 HAG-20
Manufacturer: Olivetti Weaponry
Primary Factory: Sudeten
Communications System: Series D8 CC-25Xa
Targeting & Tracking System: "Hermes" CT-42 Mk. II

I'm beginning to hate these IIC 'Mechs. Why couldn't the Clans just keep to their OmniMechs instead of making deadly new versions of our classic BattleMechs? Take this Marauder IIC I just looked over. Some of the new-model Marauders here in the Free Worlds or in Davion space are pretty fearsome, but they just don't compare to this behemoth.

I saw the reports of the stigma Jade Falcon MechWarriors attached the Turkina OmniMechs built on Sudeten and counted us lucky. If they want to limit themselves to inferior 'Mechs simply because of where they are built then that's an advantage for the Inner Sphere, and everyone admits we need every advantage we can get to face the Clans in combat. If only we could convince them this new Marauder IIC has the same stigma, since it's built in an adjacent wing of the same facility that assembles the Turkina.

The familiar shape of the classic Marauder is unchanged. A pair of Clan ER PPCs are mounted in the forearms, with supporting antipersonnel Gauss rifles in place of the familiar medium-class laser weapons. The real killer is the big HAG-20 where the traditional GM Whirlwind cannon was carried. It's almost as if the Falcons were trying to recreate the aesthetic of the original Marauder so they could keep their warriors from rejecting the machine out of hand. I can't imagine why anyone would want to give up this fine machine, however. It doesn't carry any of the usual bugaboos, such as an extra-light engine or under-controlled heat efficiency. It's just plain scary.

Just like the first Marauders were.

The Detectives brought me back another ROM from Rasalhague space that had a Marauder IIC in it, but I haven't been able to collect any other data than what I can see with my own eyes. It appeared to mount only a pair of the largest HAG assemblies I have ever seen, and it jumped. That's all I can tell you for now, but I'll keep an eye out for other data coming from the Ghost Bear worlds.

Original Marauder IIC designs are still common throughout the Clan Occupation Zones, but I haven't seen any indication that the Clans are setting up any refit centers like the Blakists and the Steiners are doing. It's possible that they've chosen the same mobile-refit-center method that Duchess Augustine has taken, but I think I would have seen some data on that somewhere. With the Ghost Bear's rescue of the Republic, data is flowing more freely from old Rasalhague worlds than ever before.

And here I am, perfectly positioned to sift through it to my heart's content!

[Hobbit]

OSTSOL
Ostsol

Type/Model: OTL-8D Ostsol
Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Kell/H
Power Plant: GM 300 Light
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 85 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Valiant Plate Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Mydron Snakekiller LAC 5
2 Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers
1 Defiance Model 1002 Light PPC
Manufacturer: Robinson Standard BattleWorks (factory refit)
Primary Factory: Robinson
Communications System: Barrett 509p
Targeting & Tracking System: Federated Stalker with Targeting Module


The refit program on Robinson has, by all accounts, been a rousing success, but I caught this packet on a misrouted HPG last month and thought I’d share.

My Lord,


Progress continues on the new weapons package for the Robinson Ostsols. While we’ve enjoyed the fruits of the Sandovals’ labor for years, new technologies have emerged that we must take advantage of if we are to drive the jihadists from our lands. We have undertaken to commission a new version of the Ostsol, using the few chassis available to us.

A supply of light PPCs, perhaps the last shipment to make it off Hesperus before the jihadists took that world, fit in the cavity vacated by the Draconis March’s version’s small pulse lasers. If this variant is successful, we will have to locate an alternate supply of this weapon, as Hesperus is now most obviously closed to us. We have also secured enough light autocannons to replace the large lasers. Our design team ordered this modification to make sure we could use the existing ammunition stocks instead of the specialized rounds that more advanced cannons require. The pair of medium lasers is unchanged; they make fine supporting weapons.

The removal of the large lasers also removes the need for several heat sinks and obviates the advantage of using triple-strength myomers, so we have removed that cost from the chassis. In order to protect our investments, however, we have contracted with Valiant Systems to use their new Plate heavy ferro-fibrous armor. In addition, the vulnerable extra-light engine is replaced with a more damage-resistant light model just becoming available.

In all, my brother, this new Ostsol should provide a boon to our forces, and if the Sandovals take note and acquire these specifications for themselves, it can only help our nation more fully. I am concerned, however, about letting thi—


Don’t you hate it when transmissions cut out right at the good part? I have no idea who this is or who they were speaking to, but I have confirmed the information. RSB modified at least a dozen Ostsols in this fashion, and from feelers I’ve seen looking around for a new source of light PPCs, it would appear that someone, even if its not a Sandoval, has taken an interest in this refit.

And they’re using them against the Blakists, so who am I to complain?

[Hobbit]

RIFLEMAN
Rifleman

Type/Model: RFL-6D Rifleman
Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Kallon Type XV Endo Steel
Power Plant: GM 300 XL
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 85 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Kallon Royalstar
Armament: 4 Mydron Snakekiller LAC 5
2 Bright Blossom ER Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Kallon Weapons Industries
Primary Factory: Talon
Communications System: Garrett T-11A with C3
Targeting & Tracking System: Garrett D2j


House Davion loves their Riflemen. Or at least they love their autocannons. Evidence the Rifleman, the JagerMech, and the Enforcer.

All trademark Federated Suns ’Mechs, and all autocannon-armed. It didn’t surprise me when I heard rumors that a few of a new model of Riflemen escaped before the Blackwind Lancers annihilated the Kallon Weapon Industries plant on Talon with a nuke. I sent out the word for the specs and waited, and then I sent those specs to my granddad, because he used to drive one. Here’s what he sent back.

Dear Lydia,

What’s with these new Riflemen? They’re so bulky. They don’t look anything like Doris used to, and I managed to fight her across half a dozen worlds of this League without all that armor. I think the younger generation is getting soft. I was talking to Hector Ramirez the other day—you remember Hector, right? He had that fine son Juan you went to that dance with? Anyway, Hector told me about how the new Princefield graduates all want assault ’Mechs. All of them. I swear, in my day—

Okay, let me skip ahead.

Anyhow, these Riflemen. That Davion model you showed me would be a killer. Four autocannons and fast as an Enforcer to boot? Whew. I wouldn’t want to get caught in the open by that thing, no doubt about it, and with that kind of speed, it would be easy.

I don’t know why you told me that other one was a Taurian Rifleman. That’s a Davion ’Mech, darling. You can tell by the heat baffles and that supercomputer they got aiming the guns. I guess in the Periphery it don’t take a real man to aim a ’Mech's guns, but anything they hit with that light autocannon/light PPC combination is going to know its been hit. Now, tell me again, what is this stealth-armor stuff? No one really thinks they can make a sixty-ton BattleMech stealthy, do they? That sounds like some kind of cockamamie Liao stunt to me…

He’s a character, I know, but his insights are usually right-on. I did some digging, and it appears that all the stink the Taurians raised a while ago about the Davions stealing plans for their Ostrocs was a hoax to cover their own espionage. Or else someone is giving away these light autocannons and targeting computers. Who would do that?

If you don’t already know the answer to that question, well… you haven’t been paying attention.

[Hobbit]

CRUSADER
Crusader

Type/Model: CRD-7W Crusader
Mass: 65 tons
Chassis: Crucis-B
Power Plant: Hermes 260 XL
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Kallon FWL Special Light Ferro-Fibrous with CASE
Armament: 2 Krupp MML-9
2 Krupp MML-5
2 Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: None - planned refit
Primary Factory: Talon
Communications System: Garrett T-11A with C3
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret D5j with Artemis IV FCS


It pains me to write this, given how much we like the Crusader here in Marik space, but it appears the Word of Blake has taken this BattleMech and made it their own. Sherry on Hall sent me the schematics for the latest planned refit series, and it appears that I can now say why the Word has been buying up all the hulked CRD-5M Crusaders they did. They’re taking them down to the bone and building them back up into a varsity support ’Mech, and one strong enough that it could give us some problems.

While they’re keeping the -5M’s Hermes extra-light fusion engine, they’ve modified the torso cavity to hold one of the new extra-light gyros as well. The mass saved by this use is put to good use with the weapons loadout, which required the Word to switch to a new light ferro-fibrous armor composite as well.

Two pairs of Krupp’s new multi-missile launchers replace the old -5M’s LRMs and SRM with comparable bombardment capability with added flexibility. Each launcher is equipped with a missile-guidance Artemis pod, but the real danger of this is the variety of ammunition this Crusader can carry. With the Word’s easy access to the League-made special missile submunitions, this Crusader can be more unpredictable than an OmniMech simply by switching from ammunition bins between firings!

A pair of medium lasers rounds out the ’Mech's defensive armament, but I can’t stress this enough: with four separate launchers and the capacity to fire a different sort of missile from each one every time it shoots, we need to stay away from this one. If you’re in range when this monster cuts loose, you’ll be hurt. Count on it.

There is good news, though. The combination of the extra-light engine and massive amounts of space devoted to ammunition storage mean that a penetrating hit in the torso has an excellent chance of destroying that side of the ’Mech. All of the ammunition is arm-mounted, but the torsos are encased in protective CASE gear, but it’s Spheroid CASE, so a blast ion the arms will still gut the inside of the ’Mech and render it inoperative.

Gauss rifles. PPCs. Large-caliber autocannons. Whatever you have. Shoot this Crusader before it shoots you, because unless you’ve replaced all your weapons with anti-missile systems, you’re going to take a pounding at all ranges.

As with most things, hit it before it hits you.

[Hobbit]

PHOENIX HAWK IIC
Phoenix Hawk IIC

Type/Model: Phoenix Hawk IIC 6
Mass: 80 tons
Chassis: DSAM 4
Power Plant: Type 79 400 XL Fusion
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86 km/h
Jump Jets: Trellshire Long Lifters
Jump Capacity: 240 meters
Armor Type: Forging AM15 Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Zeta-series X Plasma Cannon
2 Krupp MML-5
2 Series 2D-2 Heavy Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries
Primary Factory: Twycross
Communications System: MegaBand System 21
Targeting & Tracking System: Dtrac Suite 4a (TC)
The first time someone told me the Clans had built an assault-class version of the Phoenix Hawk, I scoffed. I looked up the specifications in school and continued to scoff, since they’d managed to build a suitably fast assault ’Mech from the same aesthetic but not given it weapons worthy of its weight class. I dismissed it and went back to studying interesting ’Mechs.

Until yesterday.

Dante’s Detectives brought me back data on two new Phoenix Hawk IIC variants, and one of them scares the heck out of me. Working with the same technology they used on the new-model Rifleman IIC, the Diamond Shark engineers on Twycross have outdone themselves.

Current-production Trellshire Phoenix Hawk IICs mount a dual pair of weapons. Two of the new Zeta-series plasma cannon are matched with a pair of the Clan’s devastating heavy lasers to provide reasonable firepower, but the real threat is the mounting of an octet of improved jump jets, giving this eighty-ton Phoenix Hawk a greater jump radius than the original forty-five-ton model! I’ve had enough conversations with MechWarriors to know anything that heavy that can jump that far in a single leap is going to be dangerously unpredictable.

The other new-model Phoenix Hawk IIC is appearing in the ranks of the Ghost Bear Clan. Jimmy’s boys and girls nabbed this data on a quick pass through Rasalhague space. It makes my heart warm to consider that this new Phoenix Hawk IIC has already drawn Blakist blood, because an assault ’Mech as mobile as the Charger with a pair of those new HAG things and a quartet of AP Gauss rifles would go through a Word Level II like a scythe goes through wheat.

The only thing I can’t figure is that the Ghost Bears don’t have a production line dedicated to the Phoenix Hawk IIC on Alshain or anywhere else in the Dominion that I’ve been able to place. The HAGs suggest a Hell’s Horses connection, but the obvious hatred between those two Clans makes that an unlikely happening. It wasn’t until I compared the visual ROMs of the two ’Mechs side by side that noticed the similarities, and that was enough to lead me to the meager production information I’ve been able to gather about the Trellshire facility on Twycross.

The Diamond Sharks are building the frames and shipping them to the Ghost Bears. Invoices for chassis and other structural components are higher than they should be for the Sharks’ own variant, but the numbers match for weapons. For whatever reason, the Diamond Sharks are building them, and I couldn’t be happier. They’re killing Blakists in Rasalhague. Now if we could only lure them further into the Sphere!

[Hobbit]

WARHAMMER IIC
Warhammer IIC

Type/Model: Warhammer IIC 5
Mass: 80 tons
Chassis: SFX-80 Endo
Power Plant: Type 10 320 Fusion
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Forging ZM15 Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Type 0 HAG-20s
4 Series 2D-2 Heavy Medium Lasers
1 Streak SRM-4
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries
Primary Factory: Twycross
Communications System: TDWS-37 Mk. 2.2
Targeting & Tracking System: “Hermes” CT-44


We know Warhammers. For all the years of the Succession Wars, very few ’Mechs were as feared as the Warhammer. Every realm of the Inner Sphere fought with them, and the most famous mercenary of all time, Natasha Kerensky, used one to great effect throughout her long career as a Dragoon. It is only to be expected that the Clans would keep the ’Mech in the same regard.
In the Clan Occupation Zones, the small units of Diamond Shark BattleMechs present often use the Warhammer IIC. A new variant is appearing in very limited numbers from the Trellshire factories on Twycross, which tells me that the Sharks are either still testing the variant’s effectiveness, or they’ve been selling the rest of the production to other Clans. Given the Sharks’ past practices, I suspect the latter more than the former.
The Diamond Shark ’Mechs observed carry a pair of Hyper-Assault Gausses in place of the familiar PPCs. I can only assume they the Sharks would put in enough ammunition to make those weapons worth their mass consumption. Supporting those long-range weapons are a battery if four heavy medium lasers and desultory short-range missile assembly, no doubt a concession to tradition. I couldn’t get the actual schematics or data, but I can guess at these components from the invoice data of shipments going through the Twycross starport. Even under the thumb of the Diamond Sharks people are still dissatisfied enough to forward to me (or people I know) information they really shouldn’t.
Another Warhammer IIC has been spotted in the Draconis Combine, where the recently arrived Snow Ravens are busy exterminating every trace of life on Galedon. These machines appear to be field refits instead of new production, replacing most of the Warhammer IIC’s secondary weaponry with a torso-mounted HAG 30. The Snow Ravens have kept the PPCs, which makes this variant a very deadly opponent at long range, which I’m sure the Combine samurai are finding out.
I’m starting to understand the attraction of these Hyper-Assault Gauss guns. The Diamond Sharks (and all the other Clans I have access to) seem to be mounting then on just about every chassis they can. MechWarriors are always quoting things like “long-range, low-heat,” and these weapons seems to epitomize that. The range is even better than that of a standard Gauss rifle, although our own light Gauss guns can compete. Where they really shine, however, is damage potential.
I wonder if the Diamond Sharks will sell them to us? Surely our money spends just as well as a Clansman’s?

[Hobbit]

ARCHER
Archer

Type/Model: ARC-7S Archer
Mass: 70 tons
Chassis: Earthwerks Archer
Power Plant: 280 Edasich Light
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Durallex Guardian Heavy Ferro-Fibrous with CASE
Armament: 2 Hovertec Streak SRM-2
2 Doombud LRM-20
1 Diverse Optics ER Medium Laser
1 Magna 200P Small Pulse Laser
Manufacturer: Bowie Industries
Primary Factory: Carlisle
Communications System: Neil 9000
Targeting & Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark XII with Artemis IV


Another legend. Another facelift.
Archers are perhaps the most common BattleMechs in the Inner Sphere. The two most famous MechWarriors of the previous generation piloted Archers: Jaime Wolf and Morgan Kell. Most MechWarriors of the last three hundred years have learned to face Archers as superlative support ’Mechs and impressive command BattleMechs. Almost every Inner Sphere nation currently builds at least one variant of this classic machine, as does at least one Periphery nation.
In Steiner space my friend Franz sent me some ‘borrowed’ data from the remaining Bowie Industries facility on Carlisle. The others—Bowie of Wyatt and Bowie of Alarion—have both been victims of Word of Blake aggression, but the LAAF is dedicating enough resources to the remaining facility to ensure the continued availability of Archer-class BattleMechs to the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces.
The data show an Archer that is more in line with the venerable -2R model, with paired Doombud long-range missile racks mated to an Artemis IV fire control system. We know how well that paring works here in the Free Worlds—we’ve been using it on the -4M for twenty years. Supporting those bombardment weapons are a pair of reliable Hovertec Streak SRM-2s and a mixture of single-mount laser weapons. I don’t have access to the Steiner deployment data, but I can’t imagine, with Hersperus and Coventry captured or neutralized, that the LAAF is satisfied with anything less than full output.
The largest change in this new Archer is the incorporation of a light fusion engine and Durallex’s new Guardian heavy ferro-fibrous armor composite. Clearly, the LAAF intends the destruction of one of these Archers to be very expensive for the Blakists. Myself, I’m thankful we’ve got that stupid war with Skye under control. I wouldn’t want our boys and girls facing this new Archer.
Kuritan engineers in the Combine are also making changes to their Archers, using a mixture of flexible Shigunga multi-missile launchers and Lord’s Light light PPCs. Although it is not as heavily protected as the Steiner version, the lack of an extra-light engine means even this standard-armor Archer is very difficult to kill. Even the hardheaded samurai of the Combine will see value in that, I’m sure.
I don’t have any data on a new Blakist Archer, which might be good, but I’m more afraid I just haven’t seen it yet. I can only hope that these new Archers will prove such a thorn in the Word of Blake’s side that they will be too busy trying to kill them to worry about building their own.

[Hobbit]

MARAUDER
New Death from IrTech

Type/Model: MAD-9M2 Marauder
Mass: 75 tons
Chassis: GM Marauder
Power Plant: Vlar 300 XL
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Valiant Chainmail Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Magna Supernova Heavy PPCs
2 Guided Technologies 2nd Generation Streak SRM-6

Manufacturer: Irian Technologies
Primary Factory: Irian
Communications System: Dalban Micronics with Guardian ECM
Targeting & Tracking System: Dalban Hi-Rez with TAG


Finally.
In the Free Worlds League we’ve almost always had problems procuring enough PPCs for our needs. The pittance we produced went to important uses, cycled to keep the Stingrays viable or the DropShips armed. Our Warhammers and Marauders often went armed with large lasers instead of the particle cannon they were designed for. But not any longer. Now we have enough to fill our needs and sell our excess.
Now we have the Supernova. And the damn Blakists have stolen it.
Irian technicians had just completed the molds and assemblies to produce the -9M2 Marauder when Irian joined the Protectorate. All production so far as been routed to the Word of Blake Militia and rare BattleMech-equipped units of the Protectorate Militia. We build them, they take them. And what a loss it is.
The –9M2 is armed with the new Magna Supernova Heavy PPC, based on technology ‘acquired’ from the Draconis Combine. A pair of these cannons replace the paired PPC-laser combination of the classic Marauder, but the real treat is the inclusion of a pair of licensed Guided Technologies 2nd Generation Streak SRM-6 launchers. With the heavy PPCs to blast holes and the hyper-accurate Streak launchers to fill those holes with missiles. It should be a deadly combination, but I’m going to hope we missed some flaw, since the Word is even now turning these fine machines against us.
There are scattered reports of non-Blakists forces fielding the -9M2, but I can’t substantiate any of those. I did see a report of a DropShip lost with a load of ’Mechs to be delivered, but I don’t know if it was destroyed, captured, or just misplaced. I don’t have access to that kind of data.
I did see a sketch of a new Capellan model, though. Of course it’s stealth-armored, but they’ve taken it a step further and equipped it with triple-strength myomers. The arm-mounted PPCs are replaced with Crusher plasma rifles, with a Hellstar PPC in the right torso to back them up. With the speed and power the triple-strength myomers provide, this Marauder will be a serious opponent. I can only hope its powerful enough to compete with the stolen -9M2.
Earlier upgrades are still common throughout the Inner Sphere and Periphery. The Taurian Concordat, in particular, is building as many as they can and shipping them to the Pleiades. Mercenaries across known space, reeling from the recent assaults on their livelihoods, are upgrading their Marauders in any way they can. Even with the incredible materiel demands of the Jihad, they are finding the resources to add more and more recent technologies to their ’Mechs. I don’t think anyone begrudges them that, either, considering how almost Clanlike the Blakists are in their hatred of mercenaries they don’t employ.

[Hobbit]

WOLVERINE
Alys Marik's Ace-in-the-Hole?

Type/Model: WVR-9M Wolverine
Mass: 55 tons
Chassis: Crucis-A
Power Plant: Nissan 275XL
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86 km/h
Jump Jets: Northrup 12000
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor Type: Starshield A with CASE
Armament: 1 Fusigon Strongtooth Heavy PPC
1 Guided Technologies 2nd Generation Streak SRM-6
1 Diverse Optics ER Medium Laser
Manufacturer: None
Primary Factory: Field Upgrade
Communications System: Garret T11-b
Targeting & Tracking System: Sync-Tracker


Duchess Alys Rousset-Marik is hiding. I don’t blame her, mind you. I’m hiding from the Word, too, except that I don’t have armies of BattleMechs and mercenary defenders following me around everywhere I go. The Duchess has hit on an idea that I think needs to be spread around, however, and Dale on Thermopolis just sent me the information I needed to complete it. I haven’t heard from her since, but I’m hoping for the best.
The Word of Blake needs a massive factory complex to refit their older ’Mechs into the new and frightening variants they’ve unleashed over the last year. On Augustine and the worlds surrounding it, the Duchess needs much less space. Alys Rousset-Marik uses a mobile refit complex, not a factory.
She uses a DropShip. Several of them, actually, across her area of space.
Reports of an up-gunned Wolverine have been filtering through my files for months, but it wasn’t until Dale got me the specs that I could say for sure that the Free Worlds League Military has finally followed suit with the rest of the Inner Sphere. LCCC transmissions indicate that roughly thirty percent of the extant Wolverines are to be modified to the new -9M configuration, and those units with ties to the Duchess are doing theirs aboard her DropShips.
The –9M is a fairly simple upgrade of the fifteen-year-old -7M that has served the FWLM so ably for more than a decade. The weapons mix is more similar to the old -6R model of my granddad’s day and age, but much more damaging. A powerful Fusigon Strongtooth heavy PPC is mounted on the Wolverine’s right forearm, allowing it to retain the useful hand actuator there. An Irian-licensed Guided Technologies Streak short-range missile rack provides a potent close-in punch, a good weapon to capitalize on the big holes the Fusigon will make in the enemy’s armor. For security, an extended-range laser is also present, but most MechWarriors seems to use it as a last resort. I may be wrong about that, but the maintenance and replacement records I’ve seen indicate that the laser is fired a lot less often than the other weapons, even in simulated combat.
The Combine is looking to support its Komodo anti-battle armor ’Mech with a heavier machine and tapped one of their own new Wolverine variants to do it. This version carries a haphazard load of missiles, machine guns, and a snub-nose PPC that mean that the Wolverine-K will most likely spend its time just shooting whatever weapon is available against whatever target it has. A pair of B-pods also protects this machine’s ankles, but the real danger is beneath the armor. With triple-strength myomers enhancing its physical strength in combat, the Wolverine-K’s sword can easily become the deadliest weapons in this ’Mech’s arsenal.
I know one woman who hopes that its choice targets will be the shifty shapes of Purifier battlesuits.

[Hobbit]

WARHAMMER
Old Made New Again

Type/Model: WHM-8K Warhammer
Mass: 70 tons
Chassis: StarFrame Heavy Endo Steel
Power Plant: GM 280 Fusion
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Valiant Ringmail Light Ferro-Fibrous Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Lord’s Light 3 Heavy Particle Beam Weapons
1 Guided Technologies 2nd Generation Streak SRM-4
1 Streak SRM-4
Manufacturer: Field Refit
Primary Factory: None
Communications System: Garret T-60 FastScan with C3
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret F22C


There has never been a shortage of Natasha Kerensky imitators, but I’m intrigued by the sheer variety this legion of people display. I suppose it may have something to do with the outrageous number of Warhammer variants currently being produced. And if that’s not bad enough, I’ve got data on three more models about to stalk the battlefields of the Inner Sphere and nearby Periphery.
I’ve lost count of the number of existing variants, but I can tell you that every single nation in the Inner Sphere uses at least one Warhammer. I can tell you that when my granddad was a MechWarrior, he told stories of the deadliness of these ’Mechs. I can tell you that I’m glad it’s the nations of the Inner Sphere building these killers to face the Word of Blake. I can also tell you all about them.
In Kurita space there’s a refit facility—I don’t know where—taking the Dragon’s extant Warhammers and turning them into Blakist-slaughtering machines. All of the standard weaponry is removed and replaced with a Guided Technologies Streak SRM system and two of the new Lord’s Light Heavy PPCs. These Combine-designed weapons are easily a match for the Clan ER PPC in every category except range and mass, but against the Blakists they should prove very deadly. A sheathing of imported light ferro-fibrous armor offers an increase in protection, but the real defensive value should come from the offensive value of the heavy PPCs.
The Taurians are taking their stock Warhammers and refitting them with new equipment, but I have no idea where that equipment is coming from. I have my suppositions, of course, but no hard data. All I have are the reports of the Taurian forming new heavy cavalry units for deployment in the Pleiades based on the Warhammer. An extra-light engine will make their -10T model as fast as the Davions’ -9D, but the real threat is the improved jump jets and double heat sinks. With a jump radius of 210 meters, this Periphery Warhammer will be an unwelcome surprise.
The newest model I know of is coming from Wallis, where Ronin, Incorporated is building semi-standard Warhammers with a light Gauss rifle replacing most of the supplementary weaponry. Clearly intended as a long-range fighter, I don’t have any information about the performance of these ’Mechs, except to note that there was indications of fighting near the Ronin factory just before the outbreak of the Jihad.
Except for the Taurians—and who can figure them out—the rest of these should be very prickly to the Word’s sensibilities. They’ve taken the entire output of the factories they’ve captured, so they’ve got no shortages of their own Warhammers. If we can keep them guessing about which version of the Warhammer they’re facing, then that’s an advantage.
And we need all the advantages we can get.

[Hobbit]

GOLIATH
Marian Might

Type/Model: GOL-6HGoliath
Mass: 80 tons
Chassis: Earthwerks GOL Quad-A
Power Plant: Pitban 320 Light Fusion
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Durallex Heavy with CASE
Armament: 1 Fusigon Strongtooth Heavy PPC
2 Delta Dart LRM-10s
6 SperryBrowning Light Machine Guns
2 Hellespont Array Assemblies
4 Defiance Razorback Anti-Battle Armor Pods
Manufacturer: None
Primary Factory: Field Upgrade
Communications System: Angst Clear Channel 3G
Targeting & Tracking System: Angst Clear View Multitask


We’ve known for some time that the Word of Blake has shadowy connection to the Periphery states nearest us. Both the Circinus Federation and the Marian Hegemony have accepted and given aid to the Word in the past, and while its becoming more and more clear that the Word has more or less conquered the Federation, reports indicate that the Marians have ejected the Word from their realm.
Evidently the Blakists left something behind.
New Goliaths have been spotted among the Marian Legions, and with a decent vid and some supposition, I can guess at what they’ve done with it. We make enough of the four-legged assault ’Mechs here in the Free Worlds that I’ve got some experience with them. It looks to me like they’ve been refitting standard GOL-1H chassis into a new monster by replacing the engine with a light fusion model. This liberates enough mass to replace the aging PPC with a Fusigon Strongtooth Heavy PPC, and while the Delta Dart LRMs remain place, the machine guns have each been replaced with two trios of arrayed light machine guns. Reports of the Marians fighting the Word of Blake seem to be borne out as the new Marian Goliath mounts four Defiance Razorback B-pods. These shredder weapons are the medicine prescribed for a ’Mech infected with clinging Purifier battlesuits. I wish we could get a hold of some here on Irian.
Unfortunately, Sherry on Hall sent me another vid of a new ’Mech emerging from the refit yards there. Evidently the Word, impressed with the results of their White Flame upgrade, has decided to give it a big brother. A new Goliath equipped with two of the Ceres Arms Crusher Plasma Rifles and a bank of medium lasers is just starting to reach Word formations. The vid I saw was fairly low quality, but I don’t think that was because the ’Mech mounted stealth armor stolen from the Capellans. I think it was just a bad camera.
But the stealth armor is there, anyway.
Reports from the rest of the Sphere show that opinion of the Goliath is on the rise, as it has been since we first introduced the GOL-3M. Both the Steiner and the Davion realms are still deploying their respective assault quad ’Mechs as quickly as they can be constructed, and more and more quad-designed BattleMech are being produced every year.
Clearly, the experiment represented by the GOL-3M has been justified. I only hope we don’t come to regret it as the Word shoves our innovation back down our throats.

[Hobbit]

LONGBOW
StarCorp's New Nightmare Machine

Type/Model: LGB-13CLongbow
Mass: 85 tons
Chassis: StarCorp 100
Power Plant: Strand-Martin 340 XL
Walking Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 65 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: StarSlab/12.5 with CASE
Armament: 6 Doombud MML-7
3 Diverse Optics ER Small Lasers
Manufacturer: StarCorp Industries
Primary Factory: Crofton
Communications System: O/P 3950 COMSET M7
Targeting & Tracking System: Martin-Quarry Tarsys XLR 2.2 with Artemis IV FCS


In Irian corporate circles we talk about the competition. We talk about how Defiance Industries gets all the reputation, or how Corean Enterprises seems to stay in the forefront technological breakthroughs. We complain about how no matter how many ’Mechs we produce, Irian Technologies never seems to get the respect we deserve. And we talk about StarCorp. Makers of the Warhammer. Makers of the Highlander. Makers of the Emperor.
And the Longbow. Who could forget the Longbow?
StarCorp is unveiling several new models of the Longbow built for export. The first, designated the -13C, is the flagship. The most noticeable change is the extra-light 340-rated engine that gives the traditionally sluggish Longbow the speed to keep up with its faster cousins. In order to make the most of that speed, StarCorp has installed in place of the LRMs a suite of six seven-tube Doombud multi-missile launchers, each with its own independent Artemis IV fire control system. The ammunition magazines for these launchers fill roughly thirty percent of the Longbow’s torso space, but the flexibility of these launchers means that much ammunition is a necessary component, not an unacceptable risk.
This model Longbow is cropping up everywhere. I’ve begun tracking it not by sightings but by munitions invoices, because these ’Mechs go through missiles like no BattleMech I’ve ever seen, including earlier versions of the same chassis. From what I can tell, StarCorp is selling this ’Mech to anyone with the money to pay for it, which means that the MML technology is proliferating throughout most of known space.
The second version, designated the -14C, keeps the extra-light engine but downgrades it to the standard 255 rating of the original Longbow. The extra mass is dedicated to replacing the seven-tube MMLs with full-size Doombud-9s. The only other significant change is the upgrade of the -13C’s small lasers to full-size medium-class lasers on the -14C, which might make a Blakist MechWarrior hoping to close with the support ’Mech a little more hesitant. As with the other version, the -14C is spreading across the Inner Sphere, but the largest concentration is in the Federated Suns, no doubt simply due to the location of the production center.
The third ’Mech I’m only inferring from an HPG snippet I got hold of a few months back. Evidently the NAIS was working on a test-bed Longbow equipped with light autocannon. The space allocated to carry the large missile racks of the original proved receptive to batteries of cannon, but I don’t know that they got any more than the prototype built. I saw a reference to a strange Longbow on New Avalon during one of the battles, but then that’s New Avalon: if there’s not a new ’Mech being spotted every time something flares up, you start to worry. The Davions are nothing if not tinkerers.

[Hobbit]

MARAUDER II
Legacy of Outreach?

Type/Model: MAD-4K Marauder II
Mass: 100 tons
Chassis: GM Marauder
Power Plant: GM 300 Light Fusion
Walking Speed: 32 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54 km/h
Jump Jets: Chilton 850 Mk. II
Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor Type: Valiant Lamellor
Armament: 2 Lord’s Light 3 Heavy Particle Beam Weapons
2 Diverse Optics ER Small Lasers
1 Poland Main Model A Gauss Rifle
Manufacturer: GM/Blackwell
Primary Factory: New Valencia
Communications System: Blackwell Multi-Linq 55
Targeting & Tracking System: Dragwell Hi-Rez IV


The razing of Outreach and the attendant slaughter means it will be difficult for historians to determine what the legacy of Wolf’s Dragoons will be. A case can certainly be made for their valor, their determination, their tenacity. One can also appreciate the value of the technology they brought to the Inner Sphere. Or that they were the first to warn us of the Clan threat so many years ago.
Or you can just remember the Marauder II.
Ever since the Dragoons began allowing outside sales of the Marauder II, the massive ’Mech has captured the imagination of millions. After Barber’s Marauders upgraded to Barber’s Marauder IIs, that image took on a more solid shape. Even the destruction of both the Dragoons and Barber’s battalion did little to dampen that image.
The Draconis Combine has taken a collection of salvaged and rebuilt Marauder II chasses and refit them into a threatening new configuration. A pair of Lord’s Light heavy PPCs replace the Hellstars of the original model, while Diverse Optics ER Small Lasers replace the Martell mediums. The MAD-5A’s LB-10X autocannon is traded in for the hulking assembly of a Poland Main Model A Gauss rifle. The damage potential of this weapon combination is incredible. It should do some serious harm to the Blakists and the Snow Ravens that are besieging the Combine.
There is some bad news, though. It seems that the Blakists, during their sacking of Outreach, secured a number of unfinished chassis when they plundered the ruins of a Blackwell facility. They’ve taken a cue from the Dragon and refit these into more efficient killers as well. Their version resembles the Clans’ old Marauder II C more than the original Marauder II. A pair of snub-nose PPCs in the forearms gives the Blakist refit a familiar silhouette, but instead of an autocannon or Gauss rifle in the torso the Word has placed another PPC, this time a heavy. And it gets worse.
This Marauder II can jump a hundred and fifty meters, half-again what any other variant can do. Improved jump jets provide enough lift to hurl a hundred tons of metal mayhem through the air, and damn the Wolf Clan for inventing them.
Scavengers, that’s what these Blakists are. But if we’re not careful, all we’ll leave them is our sun-dried bones to pick over.

[Hobbit]

PHOENIX HAWK
Capellan Mean Machine

Type/Model: PXH-5L Phoenix Hawk
Mass: 45 tons
Chassis: Ceresplex IV Endo Steel
Power Plant: Warner 270M Fusion
Walking Speed: 65 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97 km/h
Jump Jets: Anderson Propulsion 30
Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor Type: Ceres Metals Stealth Armor
Armament: 1 Ceres Arms Crusher Plasma Rifle
2 Ceres Arms Extended Range Medium Lasers

Manufacturer: Ceres Metals Industries
Primary Factory: St. Ives
Communications System: Ceres Metals Model 686 with Guardian ECM
Targeting & Tracking System: Apple Churchill 2000


The Capellans, bless their treacherous little hearts, have had great success with their stealth-armored BattleMechs. Lances of these specially-equipped ’Mechs made quite an impression during the Confederation’s incursion into the Capellan March, but like any good tinkerers, the Strategios ordered their weapons designers to also evaluate existing machines and apply new technologies to them.
That way, when they get tired of acting civilized and stab their Trinity partners in the soft parts, they’ll have all the neat toys.
A new version of the Phoenix Hawk was almost a given. The early successes of the St. Ives-built -4L model made it certain that engineers would tweak it, trying to make it just a little bit better. Working from reports of the fighting on Taygeta and New Syrtis, they’ve replaced the -4L’s large laser with a new Crusher Plasma Rifle. I’ve seen mention of this weapon from a variety of sources, both Capellan and Blakist, and by all accounts it’s a killer. To make room for this weapon and its load of ammunition, the earlier variant’s machine guns and a jump jet had to be removed, but the plasma rifle is such a powerful equalizer that most of the test pilots never complained.
(You want to read something fun, by the way? Try getting through the jargon of Ceres’ test pilots while you’re looking for tidbits of production and details. For guys supposed to be putting these new machines through their paces, they leave out a lot of detail!)
In Kurita space a new variant is beginning to take the fight back to the jihadists. A snub-nose PPC give this new PXH a serious strike at close ranges, and the new light ferro-fibrous armor just coming online gives it a bit more protection with a bit less cost. A light fusion engine provides power without taking up too much mass, but the key to this new Phoenix Hawk’s success will undoubtedly be the massive improved jump jets that enable it to reach close ranges where the Lord’s Light snub-nose will do incredible damage.
I haven’t seen any live-action reports, but from past experience I expect the Liaos will keep their new PXHs to their Shadow Lances. It makes sense to me—and to the MechWarriors I talk to—to pair this with at least one support ’Mech, so it can get in close where the plasma rifle can’t miss. Maybe even some battle armor teams; exploit the big hits and heat burden of its targets!
In Kurita space, I’m sure it will be the same old thing: get close, keep moving, and blow them all to hell!

[Hobbit]

GRIFFIN
Successful Endeavor on Marduk

Type/Model: GRF-5K Griffin
Mass: 55 tons
Chassis: Earthwerks GRF
Power Plant: Defiance 275 Light Fusion
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86 km/h
Jump Jets: Rawlings 55
Jump Capacity: 240 meters
Armor Type: Starshield A with CASE
Armament: 1 Lord’s Light 4 Light Particle Beam Weapon
1 Diverse Optics ER Medium Laser
1 Shigunga LRM-10
Manufacturer: Victory Industries
Primary Factory: Marduk
Communications System: Neil 6000
Targeting & Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Marc X


The Kuritas just can’t get enough Griffins.
Victory Industries on Marduk has been making Griffins and Wolverines for centuries, but the single line devoted to the Griffin doesn’t seem to be enough for the Dragon. Late last year, the DCMS arranged a deal with certain anti-Atreus elements in the League to buy basic Griffin chassis at a good price and then refit them in a companion line on Marduk. Their new Griffin-5K is just beginning to reach provincial units in numbers, and those numbers look good. When paired with hard-hitting Panthers and Daimyos, this ’Mech should be a killer.
Designed as a support unit for scout companies, the new Griffin emphasizes speed over striking power. My granddad always told me speed equaled life, so I guess that’s a smart tack for the Kuritans to take with their ’Mechs. The -5K uses improved jump jets to build an incredible jump radius of 240 meters, far further than any other ’Mech of its weight class, even the famed Wraith. Light ferro-fibrous composite gives the ’Mech adequate protection and a light fusion engine insures survivability.
A tried-and-true Shigunga LRM-10 launcher is mated to the Griffin’s right torso, giving this new model much of the look of the venerable original chassis, despite the armor resculpt. Supporting this is Diverse Optics ER Medium Laser for close-in work and a new Lord’s Light 5 particle cannon for ranged fire. While the light PPC is more of a deterrent weapon than a really damaging gun, it does have respectable firepower that will, when combined with the Griffin’s mobility and stamina, protect it in good stead. The inclusion of CASE means a chance to survive and escape for many a MechWarrior.
From the figures I’ve seen for the suppliers of the light PPCs, the Victory technicians have been turning these ’Mechs out faster than the fully-constructed ’Mechs being built alongside them. The best estimate I can make is somewhere between twenty-eight and forty new -5K Griffins are en route to Dieron and Galedon Regular units, but those numbers may be inflated to protect a quota or sales bonus. That’s the danger of extrapolating from industrial data.
In Liao space, the Capellans have taken a number of chassis supplied originally by the Blakists and refit them to provide support fire for their Shadow Lances. A plasma rifle replaces the common PPC in the Confederation, but much of the rest of the ’Mech remains unchanged. I haven’t seen any data on this one yet beyond the specs. Marilu dropped out of sight after sending me these, so it may be that things are getting just a bit too exciting for her on Victoria. I hope she’s safe…

[Hobbit]

OSTROC
Blakist In-Fighter

Type/Model: OSR-5W Ostroc
Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Ceresplex Ostroc Lite Endo Steel
Power Plant: Defiance 300 Light Fusion
Walking Speed: 54 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86 km/h
Jump Jets: HildCo Model 13
Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor Type: Kallon Unity Weave Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Ceres Arms Thrasher Snub-Nose PPC
2 Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers

Manufacturer: Kressly Warworks
Primary Factory: Epsilon Eridani
Communications System: Ceres Metals Model 667 with C3i
Targeting & Tracking System: Ceres Bullseye


Petty thieves. All of them. Simple petty thieves. I had to check the data three times in comparison, but there’s no denying it. The Word has stolen the plans for the Ostroc from the Capellans and built another production line on Epsilon Eridani to build their own. But unlike the stealth-armored Capellan version, the Blakist version is an in-fighter, taking full advantage of the integral C3i communications computers built into the frame.
A pair of Ceres Arms Thrasher snub-nose particle cannons replaces the Liao variant’s large lasers, and the readily available Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers fit nicely into the housings for the Ceres version. Key to this new weaponry, however, is the Hesperus-built light fusion engine. It frees the mass needed to mount the PPCs and put in a super-dense compact gyro. This combination makes this Blakist Ostroc incredibly hard to kill, which means its unit-mates and PPCs are going to cost us dearly before it falls.
I managed to acquire an after-action report from a skirmish with mercenaries on New Home. A Level II equipped with a pair of new Ostrocs ambushed a pair of lances of medium and heavy BattleMechs in a box canyon. While the missile-equipped vehicles that made up the rest of the II waited on the canyons’ lip, the Ostrocs charged.
Concentrating their fire, the pair of Blakist ’Mechs took down the mercenary leader’s Catapult with their opening salvo. In the tight confines of the canyon, the Thrasher snub-nose PPCs were especially deadly. As the rest of the mercenaries turned to avenge their leader, the missile boats opened fire. Granddad told me once about a bombardment he faced on Wing. I can imagine what happened to the mercenaries.
The data I recovered was from one of the mercenary’s battle ROM. The final image it recorded was of the Blakist Ostroc leaning over him after it fell, sparks dancing around the overcharged capacitors of the Thrasher cannons. There was flash, and then the ROM ended in static.
I’m starting to run out of ideas here. The Word just keeps coming up with more and more variants of these machines, and each one is a killer. Grandad says it takes more than a good machine to make a soldier, but the Blakists seem to be hedging their bets.
I keep thinking of rousing phrases like “the turn of the tide,” and all that… but for now, the tide runs red with the blood of patriots, and the Word of Blake sits like a king on his throne, watching the tide roll in with satisfaction.

[Hobbit]

SHADOW HAWK IIC
Diamond Shark Makeover

Type/Model: Shadow Hawk IIC 5
Mass: 45 tons
Chassis: NCIS Endo Steel Type M
Power Plant: Consolidated Fusion 270
Walking Speed: 65 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97 km/h
Jump Jets: Northrup Starlifters M45
Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor Type: Alpha Compound Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Zeta-series X Plasma Cannon
3 Tau-II Anti-personnel Gauss Rifles
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries
Primary Factory: Twycross
Communications System: JNE Integrated
Targeting & Tracking System: Build 3 CAT TTS


It’s nice to have friends in low places. I got this tidbit from my friend Jimmy when his Detectives ran an op in Lyran space. He was kind enough to pull schematics from the memory core he’d stolen and forward them to me.
The Diamond Sharks, who I’m told are the most Lyran of the Clans, are building a new version of their second-line Shadow Hawk IIC. The sales information was not appended, but Jimmy insists he’ll get it for me. This new Shadow Hawk is clearly designed for use in the Inner Sphere—it’s one of the most frightening antipersonnel BattleMechs I’ve ever seen.
With all the speed of a midrange medium ’Mech and the mobility of a light, the new Shadow Hawk IIC is easily capable of overrunning any Inner Sphere infantry formation at will. A pair of incredibly powerful Zeta-series plasma cannons are the ’Mech's main armament. In the hundreds of years of the Succession Wars we never created anything as deadly to the infantryman as a focused gout of plasma. A trio of high-speed antipersonnel Gauss rifles back these weapons up, easily as dangerous as machine guns.
Without the sales data I can’t make any guesses to its deployment, but with past practices I’ve heard about, it’s not unlikely that they’ll be selling this BattleMech to the Inner Sphere, which means infantrymen everywhere have a new and deadly threat.
Jimmy’s information also provided another variant is making its appearance in the Inner Sphere, or at least in the near Periphery. Clan Hell’s Horses have apparently brought a bundle of new Shadow Hawk IICs into their conquests in the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone. I showed my granddad the specs, and he whistled. From him, that’s high praise.
Bad news for someone, though.
An extra-light engine gives the Hell’s Horses variant enough spare tonnage to turn it into a brute. Something called a hyper-assault Gauss fills most of the left torso. I have no idea what it is, but I don’t like the name. A mixture of lasers round out the arsenal, giving this medium ’Mech the punch of one of our heavies. It seems that the vehicle Clan can create some powerful BattleMechs as well. There’s a reference here of a battle on a Periphery world called Sigurd where a Star of Shadow Hawk IICs took on and defeated a frontline Clan Wolf Star.
I guess that’s good enough for them. I’m just glad they’re on the other side of the Sphere from us.

[Hobbit]

SHADOW HAWK
Shadow Hawk

Type/Model: Shadow Hawk SHD-11CS
Mass: 55 tons
Chassis: Kallon Type VII Endo Steel
Power Plant: 275 Defiance Light Fusion
Walking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86.4 km/h
Jump Jets: Rawlings 55
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor Type: Kallon FWL Special Light Ferro-Fibrous with CASE
Armament: 1 Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers
1 FarFire LRM-15
1 Fusigon Smarttooth Snub-Nose PPC
Manufacturer: None
Primary Factory: Hall
Communications System: Neil 6000 with C3i
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret D2j with Artemis IV

I missed it, too.

Early reports in 3067 showed the Word of Blake using ComStar-designed Shadow Hawks in small, unsubstantiated numbers. Most of these reports were discounted, tossed off as alarmist propaganda by ComStar when most of us here just figured that another Com Guard defector had taken his 'Mech with him when he returned to the fold.

We were wrong, dead wrong, and our mistakes have helped to allow the Blakists their current excesses.

For the last year the refit yards on Hall have been working overtime bringing more than two dozen -7CS Shadow Hawks up to new specs. Sherry got me a report smuggled out of the head refit Precentor's own noteputer—and no, I didn't ask how she got it—that told of the new design specs for this venerable machine. Evidently materiel shipments to Hall have increased tenfold, and all the crates are marked "DefHes."

The -11CS, as its been designated, brings the -7CS to current weapons specifications. The autocannon is stripped out and replaced with one of Fusigon's new snub-nose PPCs. The 'Mech also benefits from a complete armor overhaul, stripping off the original armor and replacing it with specially-constructed replacements formed from Kallon's new Special Light ferro-fibrous castings. While it a bit heavier, it takes up far less space than normal ferro-fibrous.

Mass for the new armor is freed by replacing the XL fusion plant with a light model from conquered Hesperus. It irks the League patriot in me to know that the Robes have conquered the one Steiner planet we've coveted for so long, but it hurts me more to see the spoils of that victory sent into the field against our boys and girls.

Little else from the -7CS is changed; the FarFire LRM rack is kept in place and mated with an Artemis IV fire control system, and the customary C3i is buried in the Shadow Hawk's chest for protection. CASE blowout panels protect the stored missiles from doing more than crippling (as opposed to destroying) damage in the event of an explosion.

Kallon's facility on Nanking is producing a new variant for the 'Mech-hungry AFFS, turning their -5D brawler into a support and cavalry 'Mech with the inclusion of a Snakekiller light 60mm autocannon and a pair of mid-size multi-missile launchers. This new mission profile reflects a return to traditional Shadow Hawk tactics, says my granddad. That loadout means it can stand in front of an attacking force and slow it down, or poke an invader in the flank and get its attention, but can't do any real crushing damage.

I'm not sure about the utility of a decoy 'Mech, but I'll take my granddad's word for it—he's the expert.