Rifleman IIC

[DeJaVu]

I've been writing about BattleMechs for nearly forty years now, and finally I can make a difference to someone other than that war-geek watching WarTech on the Historical Tri-Vid channel. My notes on 'Mech designs were always watered down but now with the new distribution, I don't need to couch my reports for the lowest common denominator.

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.

[barbos]

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