Mackie wasn't a Maus after all: Nukashuba strikes back

tomwritestuff · Nov 23, 2023

You step out of the Asagi trim '88 Shebi Frigate, closing the door carefully as the 32-year-old limited edition sports car settles, the skirt resting gently on the ground. It's a 32-year old classic with a rarely-seen indigo scaling pattern and bright orange skirt designed to mimic a rare and beautiful breed of goldfish, and you think you can hear the pinging of the freshly-separated fuel rods as they cool.

At four meters, the Shebi Frigate is almost twice as long as an Asagi, but shares its sleek predatory grace. For nearly a decade it's been sitting forgotten in a storage unit in Nunavu City. The rent was at least five years overdue, but the actual ownership of the storage warehouse was contested in court, the owner and his immediate family having died in one of the orbital bombardments carried out by the dread White Ghosts.

One registered previous owner of the car, however, was still around. Gabriel Kliger had been surprised when he was contacted about it. He had three children to keep up with, one in college and two of an age to run around underfoot, and a two-seat car had been impractical with one child. He was getting a little too old to race a car like that, too, he had to admit.

But it was beautiful. So he'd taken receipt of it, tuned up the engine, put in fresh thorium rods, and waxed it until it shone in the sunlight like it was new, and then tucked it away in the garage, not quite sure what else to do with a car that wasn't his anymore but belonged properly to a hero who had fought the White Ghosts on Nudezret.

That's where you came into the picture. Because the car meant something to you. Handling the wheel as you sped across Nucarline through the countryside to Nunavu with the top down, the wind blowing through your hair … you felt alive. It wasn't the same thrill as connecting with a twelve-meter-tall humanoid war machine through a neurohelmet, but it came close. Especially when you really opened up the throttle on the amateur race track sited above the Calinova Institute of Technology's underground facility known as "Mickey Central."

Rebuilding the capacity to maintain and manufacture BattleMechs in a system where trade between the four inhabited moons has been disrupted by invasion and local industry has been disrupted by orbital bombardment is no small feat. The White Ghosts control Nuhai outright, along with most of Nudzeret. Hefusts and Nukashuba they'd thought to starve into submission, presuming at first that the two less-hospitable worlds to be sparsely inhabited mining colonies. After a few failed raids, they realized they'd underestimated the local population badly, returning to the sky.

The endo-composite material used for structural components of Mackies unfortunately requires zero-gravity for a portion of the fabrication process. The invaders with their megadreadnoughts under the banner of Saint Blake control the skies around the gas giant Nuzhup and its four inhabited moons. Mostly. But today, something special happened. There was a message from out-system, allegedly.

You wave to the security guard sitting on the bleachers as you head into a door marked as a unisex restroom with an "Out of Order" sign hanging on the doorknob. Moments later, you're climbing down the ladder. Hopefully, you don't get in trouble for driving the Shebi Frigate here.

Focus character selection
Second place matters. Feel free to vote for multiple options.

[][Focus character selection] Half the reason you drove it was to make trouble by arriving in a way that got everyone's attention. If the bureaucrats keep dragging their feet, South District and North District are likely to meet in the middle sooner rather than later. (Mary Kliger.)
[][Focus character selection] Aunt Mary got you the coolest internship and you wanted to arrive in style, but if Dad or Aunt Mary or the brats tell Mom about it, she is going to be so pissed. (Ellie Kliger.)
[][Focus character selection] Your twin sister is going to be so jealous that you were the first to drive Test Pilot Delta's car.
-[] Not that Jennifer would have enjoyed that drive half as much. Once you get back in the Lorris, it's guns and comms for you all the way, and that gets boring. (Jessica.)
-[] Not that Jessica would have enjoyed that drive half as much. There's a reason you're the one who actually drives the Lorris most of the time. (Jennifer.)
[][Focus character selection] Because your name is John Murphy Junior, and anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But you have your father's files, and you're determined to clear his name by vindicating his choices.
[][Focus character selection] You weren't supposed to take any detours after landing, you were supposed to come straight here for debriefing on what exactly happened on Dorman's World. (Jenever Kinston.)
[][Focus character selection] The old hands are going to complain. You never personally met Test Pilot Delta, and as a new political appointee in charge of the project, it's been hard to garner respect. (Write-in name.)

Technical agenda

[][Technical agenda] The first thing on the agenda is building a true field test platform for the new hyper-collimated particle cannon the eggheads have developed.
[][Technical agenda] The first thing on the agenda is building a new export machine to support the struggle of Nudzretian allies against occupying forces.
[][Technical agenda] The first thing on the agenda is building a machine that superficially looks like it belongs in the Inner Sphere.
[][Technical agenda] The first thing on the agenda is building a machine for local Nukashuban use.
[][Technical agenda] (write in emphasis)

Background information request
I'll get to it eventually and there's a lot sitting in various places in the old thread, but that can be hard to find / hard to get to for newer players.

[][Background] (write in OOC background information requests)

Character selection details

Mary Kliger
Favored BattleMech: Heavy Scorpion
Stretch goal: Introduce your children to their father.
Background: History department, Central Nucarline University
Strengths: Inner Sphere familiarity, field experience.
Weakness: Nukashuban politics.

Ellie Kliger
Favored BattleMech: TBD
Stretch goal: TBD
Background: College internship
Strengths: Youthful energy, doesn't know what's supposed to be impossible.
Weakness: Naivete.

Jenever Kinston
Favored BattleMech: Ettin
Stretch goal: Reconnect with Frederick Steiner.
Background: Nukashuban Fleet.
Strengths: Comstar familiarity, family connections.
Weakness: Unfamiliarity with local circumstances.

Jennifer / Jessica (last name TBD by write-in)
Favored BattleMech: Lorris
Stretch goal:

Jennifer: Recover Test Pilot Delta (or his body, in the unlikely event Jessica is right about him being dead).
Jessica: Recover Test Pilot Delta's body (or him, in the unlikely event Jennifer is right about him being alive).

Background: Idanova Militia.
Strengths: Field experience, (TBD by write-in)
Weakness: TBD

John Murphy Junior
Personal BattleMech: TBD
Stretch goal: Clear your father's name.
Background: Federal Nukashuban Army.
Strengths: Nukashuban politics, personnel management.
Weakness: TBD

Write-in
Personal BattleMech: TBD
Stretch goal: TBD
Background: TBD
Strengths: TBD, TBD
Weakness: The new guy (or gal) to Mickey R&D.

tomwritestuff · Nov 23, 2023

Papolris is a dim and relatively anonymous K5V star (about 0.70M☉, 0.67 R☉, and 0.15 L☉) located somewhere to the galactic north of the Inner Sphere. It has five known planets and a typical collection of smaller orbital objects. It is located to the galactic north of the Lyran Commonwealth, near Dorman's Star (known to some Inner Sphere scholars as a failed colony). It was settled during the early days of the Terran Alliance by a religious group, whose Elders were highly secretive and concealed the route of settlement from both ordinary colonists and from the Alliance. During the Schism War, remaining jumpships were destroyed or lost. The Elders left behind at least two intermediate orbital installations that they used on their travels to and from the Inner Sphere, located in a binary red dwarf system (Blinker monastery) and a nameless brown dwarf system (Angel Station).

Dorman's World served as a base for the Harker Brothers during their participation in the Jolly Roger Affair. Its native inhabitants are not numerous, but the native dialect is based on French. The local ecology is notable for the Terran-origin megafauna that run rampant across the world's lush forests and jungles, some of which had been extinct on Terra, as well as its exceptionally large trees and a number of genetically engineered kudzu-based vines used for producing grains and fruit. Dorman's Star is also home to a Hegemony-era automatic refueling station in orbit around a gas giant outside of the jump limit, used as a waypoint by Hegemony ships but largely neglected in the post-Star League era. There were at least two notable Hegemony military installations on the planet.

The following system chart lists the planets and major moons of the system. It neglects minor moons that are both under 0.1 R⊕ and 0.01 M⊕, and includes mass, radius, and surface gravity (although that may not be meaningful for gas giants).

Hydra (0.31 AU, 2.1 R⊕, 9.7 M⊕, 2.1 G⊕)
1. Cerberus (0.19 R⊕, 0.010 M⊕, 0.19 G⊕)
Nuzhup (0.41 AU, 9.3 R⊕, 240 M⊕, 2.76 G⊕)
1. Hefusts (0.24 R⊕, 0.013 M⊕, 0.23 G⊕)
2. Nudezret (0.82 R⊕, 0.59 M⊕, 0.88 G⊕)
3. Nuhai (0.71 R⊕, 0.32 M⊕, 0.63 G⊕)
4. Nukushuba (0.45 R⊕, 0.19 M⊕, 0.94 G⊕)
Herald (2.08 AU, 0.34 R⊕, 0.08 M⊕, 0.69 G⊕)
Guardian (7.01 AU, 3.7 R⊕, 15.4 M⊕, 1.12 G⊕)
1. Beholder (0.55 R⊕, 0.12 M⊕, 0.40 G⊕)
2. Gem (0.33 R⊕, 0.011 M⊕, 0.10 G⊕)
Beacon (19.3 AU, 1.41 R⊕, 0.9 M⊕, 0.45 G⊕)

Nukashuba, your homeworld and the outermost major moon of Nuzhup, has a surface that is approximately 50% water, courtesy of cometary bombardments carried out during the terraforming process. The oceans are relatively shallow and not very saline in the traditional sense, although the wild goldfish tolerate the heavy metal content fairly well. The total land area is a bit over 50 million square kilometers, and prior to invasion of the system by Comstar, supported a population of slightly over 2 billion in an energy-intensive lifestyle based on domed agriculture and distilled water - an energy-intensive lifestyle powered by the planet's extensive fissile natural resources. Orbital bombardment and the consequent disruptions to inter-moon trade and industrial systems have contributed to a decline in population to 1.9 billion. Brief abortive ground raids by Comstar during the White Ghost Invasion were minimal.

Nuhai, the next major moon inward, was never terraformed, and has native flora and fauna. A strong greenhouse effect and cloud system help maintain a steady climate with no permanent ice caps. About 96% of Nuhai's surface is covered in saline oceans, leaving about 10 million square kilometers for land. Goldfish do not thrive in the wild in Nuhai, as the local chordate piscines are much better adapted to Nuhai's thriving seas ... with some species reaching lengths of up to fifteen meters. You're pretty sure goldfish don't get any bigger than two meters. Near the end of the Schism Wars, Nuhai had the largest population of the four moons, but today Nuhai is in third place with a population of about 1 billion. During the White Ghost Invasion, Nuhai surrendered with little resistance in the face of overwhelming space superiority, leaving local government institutions largely intact under the rulership of Comstar.

Nudezret is the largest of Nuzhup's moons. Although not as large as Earth, only about 20% of Nudezret's surface is covered with water, leaving nearly 280 million kilometers of available land surface. Nudezret has two ice-covered freshwater polar seas and a saline equatorial ocean that divides the land surface into two continents, imaginatively named North Nudezret and South Nudezret by the Elders. The total population of Nudezret is estimated at approximately 9 billion, divided between the occupied North District, the occupied South District, the free United States of North Nudezret, and various smaller nations in loose alliance with the USNN. The ecosystem is primarily Terran, although continued inter-moon commerce has resulted in the unintentional release of some Nuhai flora and fauna into Nudezret's terraformed environment.

Hefusts is the innermost moon of Nuzhup, and tidal forces from the Jovian-scale planet have helped maintain significant tectonic and volcanic activity on an unpleasant planet that the Elders initially deemed unfit for terraforming efforts. However, once the terraforming of Nudezret was well underway, the Elders found that it was convenient to have an expensive and difficult project that could occupy the hands and minds of heretics who they felt needed to be mercifully removed from society. The low surface gravity - barely one quarter of Nukashuba's surface gravity - helped ensure that exiles stayed exiled, and has continued to limit emigration. There are no major bodies of surface water on Hefusts, and while the atmosphere now has almost a 16% oxygen content with widespread outdoor growth of lichen and even some unusually hardy varieties of mosses and ferns (including both Terran and Nuhai varieties), the population still mainly lives in domes and uses respirators when traveling outside. Hefusts today supports a population of approximately 100 million. Hefusts remains independent.

Herald is not usually permanently inhabited, but has several scientific and military stations related to the use of Herald's L1 point as a jump point, first historically by the Elders and later by Nukashubans and Hefustians after the redevelopment of jump drive technology. A number of intrasystem fleet forces fled to Herald during the White Ghost Invasion.

Beacon is host to a long-term international astronomical observatory.

Phenotyping

Nukashubans have some unusual phenotypical characteristics: Almost uniformly, they have coppery skin, black hair, violet eyes, and tend strongly toward a modest medium height for both men and women. On Nudezret, green eyes are also common, and there is a rare mutation known as "Heretic's Hand" that is essentially unknown on Nukashuba. Due to forcible exile and negative stereotyping during some of the less pleasant parts of system, this mutation is very common on Hefusts, whose inhabitants are largely tall and thin due to the low local gravity.

Strong selection effects and some genetic engineering had a significant impact on Nukashuban (and therefore consequentially Nudezretian) tolerance for heavy metals and radiation.

Nuhaians are more genetically diverse and mostly descended from the "heathen" crews, scientists, and survey experts marooned there. There has been some migration from Nukashuba and Nudezret since the fall of the Elders, which has resulted in some amount of genetic transfer, but the Nuhaian population is much more generally similar to the rest of the Inner Sphere (with the notable exception of lung capacity). Basically, from a natural genetic population history perspective, things look roughly like the below diagram, though there's a certain amount of unnatural genetic history involved as well.

Due to slow but long-term admixture with the bottlenecked Nukashbuan and Nudezretian populations, Nuhaians are generally (though not uniformly) resistant to heavy metal poisoning by Inner Sphere standards, but generally (though not uniformly) vulnerable to heavy metal poisoning by Nukashuban standards. Nudezretians and Hefustians would be very resistant to heavy metal poisoning by Inner Sphere standards, though not quite as much as Nukashubans.

Nukashuba and Herald are the only anomalously dense planetary-scale bodies in the system. Nuhai, Nudezret, and Hefusts are not rich in heavy metals, nor is heavy metal contamination common there; resistance to heavy metal poisoning is due to migration through Nukashuba and a mixture of selection effects, genetic engineering, and genetic bottlenecking.

tomwritestuff · Nov 23, 2023

CP-11-N Ettin: Battle Computer, Improved Targeting (Medium)

The Ettin is the command BattleMech of the Papolris system. Based closely on descriptions and drawings of the CP-10-Z Cyclops, the Ettin features a sophisticated Nukashuban battle computer every bit as capable as the famous Tacticon B-2000 battle computer. As a welcome side effect, the Ettin's integrated targeting and tracking systems are among the best in the system, enabling highly accurate mid-range fire. Its autocannon is more accurate but less powerful than the Zeus-36 autocannon used on the actual Cyclops.

Each faction within the Papolris system utilizes their own variant of the Ettin. The first model of the Ettin features highly advanced stealth systems in the form of a Chameleon Light Polarization System, and has heavy armor to protect it.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 1,913
Cost: 11,123,360 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 360 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 138 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 272/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	40
Center Torso (rear)		15
Right Torso	19	28
Right Torso (rear)		10
Left Torso	19	28
Left Torso (rear)		10
Right Arm	15	28
Left Arm	15	28
Right Leg	19	38
Left Leg	19	38

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
LRM 10	LT	4
AC/10	RT	3
Medium Laser	CT	3
Medium Laser	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	LL
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

CP-12-N Super Ettin

The Super Ettin utilizes a highly advanced one-of-a-kind light engine to increase its weapons payload. This engine doubles the cost of the machine, which upgrades the autocannon for a more powerful standard Nukshuban-grade particle cannon, additional heat sinks, and adds eleven additional missile tubes. Only a small number of these have been built.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 2,193
Cost: 20,307,960 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 360 Light
Double Heat Sinks: 14 [28]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 138 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 272/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	40
Center Torso (rear)		15
Right Torso	19	28
Right Torso (rear)		10
Left Torso	19	28
Left Torso (rear)		10
Right Arm	15	28
Left Arm	15	28
Right Leg	19	38
Left Leg	19	38

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
Heavy PPC	LT	15
LRM 15	RT	5
SRM 6	RT	4
Medium Laser	CT	3
Medium Laser	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 15 Ammo	RT	8
LRM 15 Ammo	RT	8
SRM 6 Ammo	RT	15

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	LL
PPC Capacitor	LT
ECM Suite (Guardian)	LT
CASE	RT

CP-11-ND Ettin

While the Super Ettin only serves in the forces of four diocese militias, the regular Ettin remains too expensive to maintain for some Nukashuban militia commands. The stealth technology was also too sensitive for export. An "export model" Ettin that strips the naval-grade heat sinks in favor of tank-grade heat sinks and dispenses with the stealth systems is found in small numbers on both Nukashuba and Nudezret.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 1,675
Cost: 9,797,160 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 360 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 11
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 138 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 272/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	40
Center Torso (rear)		15
Right Torso	19	28
Right Torso (rear)		10
Left Torso	19	28
Left Torso (rear)		10
Right Arm	15	28
Left Arm	15	28
Right Leg	19	38
Left Leg	19	38

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
LRM 10	LT	4
AC/10	RT	3
Medium Laser	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5
Armor-Piercing AC/10 Ammo	RT	5

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

CP-11-NU Ettin
While Nukashuba exports the sophisticated command and control systems for Ettins to Nudezret via low-volume stealth cargo drops, most Nudezret Ettins are assembled locally, few of them to the -ND standard. The United States of North Nudezret as the largest and most powerful of the independent Nudzeret nations has its own exclusive variant of the Ettin, sometimes referred to as "the mountain man" in military slang or the Highland Giant in the growing genre of BattleMech-related poetry.

This includes an extended ammunition supply for the long-range missile systems, but the principal difference is that the Nudezretian heavy autocannon is replaced with a hypersonic electromagnetic kinetic weapon, a close copy of equipment captured from the Ghosts.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 1,940
Cost: 10,511,560 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 360 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 10
Gyro: XL Gyro

Internal: 138 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 272/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	40
Center Torso (rear)		15
Right Torso	19	28
Right Torso (rear)		10
Left Torso	19	28
Left Torso (rear)		10
Right Arm	15	28
Left Arm	15	28
Right Leg	19	38
Left Leg	19	38

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
LRM 10	LT	4
Gauss Rifle	RT	1

Ammo

Loc

Shots

LRM 10 Ammo

LT

12

Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]

RT

8

Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]

RT

8

Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]

RT

8

LRM 10 Ammo

LT

12

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

CP-10-N Shepherd
Originally developed by the Union of Christian Socialist Republics from the downgraded Type 343 command BattleMech built by the People's Republic of South Nudezret, the Shepherd frame has continued production since the fall of the UCSR, and this variant of the Ettin may be the most common locally assembled version of the command machine. The low price tag and ease of assembly and maintenance is key; the Shepherd uses a less-expensive compact engine that unfortunately limits the machine's top rated speed to less than sixty kilometers per hour.

While it carries a lower mass of conventional armor, it has highly robust reinforced structural systems and an armored cowl to protect the commander, making the Shepherd every bit as durable as its counterparts.

Overview
Experience in the ongoing Numexinovan War has shown the value of the Nukashuan Ettin as a front-line battlefield command unit, over and above the widely-available PRSN-produced Type 343. The UCSR has constructed its own BattleMech based on damaged Numexinovan Type 343 units sent over the border for repair and refit by the UCSR's undamaged industrial base. Code named "Shepherd," it has also been called the "Type 343 plus" or sometimes "Type 344."

Capabilities
While carrying a lighter autocannon, fewer missile tubes, and less armor than the Type 343, the UCSR's version of the ubiquitous command battlemech is engineered to be robust, easy, and simple to maintain. It also restores the classic profile of the original Cyclops BattleMech that served as the inspiration for the Ettin by adding an armored cowl to protect the valuable commander.

Deployment
The Shepherd has been thus far limited to deployment with UCSR forces, not even being deployed to East Numexinovan commands.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 1,596
Cost: 8,134,660 N-bills

Movement: 3/5
Engine: 270 Compact
Heat Sinks: 14
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 138 (Reinforced)
Armor: 184/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	25
Center Torso (rear)		10
Right Torso	19	20
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	19	20
Left Torso (rear)		5
Right Arm	15	20
Left Arm	15	20
Right Leg	19	25
Left Leg	19	25

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
LRM 10	LT	4
Rocket Launcher 10	LT	3
AC/5	RT	1
Medium Laser	CT	3
Medium Laser	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
AC/5 Ammo	RT	20

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT
Armored Cowl	HD

Scorpion
While the Scorpion chassis and its variants have a bad reputation within the Inner Sphere, it enjoys a good reputation in the Papolris system.

SCP-65N Heavy Scorpion
Prototype had Reinforced Legs and Combat Computer, but these quirks were never solidified to production.

The premier heavy fighting unit of the Nukashuban military, the Heavy Scorpion is exclusively found in Nukashuban service in stealth-protocol militias. It is nearly (though not quite) fast enough to keep up with hovertank forces, carries a powerful standard Nukashuban-grade particle cannon for heavily armored targets, a short-range missile battery for anti-vehicle work, and a fusion plasma vent for anti-infantry defense.

Initial plans called for heavy reinforcement of the leg actuators against damage in use and a sophisticated combat computer to assist the pilot in managing its powerful arsenal of weapons, but these features were cut in order to put the design into production quickly. The high speed of the Heavy Scorpion was essential in increasing widespread adoption of BattleMechs among Nukashuban militias, driving sales of Raven BattleMechs as trainers. It is much more heavily armored than its inspiration, the SCP-1N Scorpion, which is not found in service in Papolris.

Weight: 65 tons
BV: 1,587
Cost: 7,622,725 N-bills

Movement: 5/8
Engine: 325 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 13 [26]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 114 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 176/231

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	21	24
Center Torso (rear)		7
Right Torso	15	19
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	15	19
Left Torso (rear)		5
Front Right Leg	15	22
Front Left Leg	15	22
Rear Right Leg	15	22
Rear Left Leg	15	22

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Flamer	LT	3
Heavy PPC	RT	15
SRM 6	RT	4

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 6 Ammo	RT	15

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	RLL
CASE	RT

SCP-2S Scorpion

Overview: The upgraded SCP-2S Scorpion is noted to have first appeared in the service of Stone's Sword, a powerful but mysterious multi-regiment mercenary company in the service of House Davion. Initially, this was thought to be an aftermarket refit, but new-manufacture Scorpions were observed in service of Stone's Sword beginning in 3012. The manufacturing site of these new-manufacture Scorpions is unknown.

Capabilities: The Stone's Sword Scorpions trade two short-range missile tubes for a flamer in the usually-unused anti-infantry port on the left side of the Scorpion's chassis. The machine is commonly assigned to new recruits. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Scorpions of Stone's Sword are easier to pilot and have improved heat management.

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,040
Cost: 5,600,000 C-bills (est?)

Movement: 6/9
Engine: 330 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 10 [14]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 99 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 120/201

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	25
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	12
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	13	12
Left Torso (rear)		5
Front Right Leg	13	11
Front Left Leg	13	11
Rear Right Leg	13	11
Rear Left Leg	13	11

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Flamer	LT	3
PPC	RT	10
SRM 4	RT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 4 Ammo	RT	25

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

SCP-30N Light Scorpion

The Light Scorpion is designed as an infantry fighting mech, working closely with the standard Nukashuban Infantry Battle Armor Unit, code-named RASCAL. It includes an integrated external transport system providing grab bars for a squad of six infantrymen. It makes use of reliable and less expensive stealth armor systems, easier to maintain, which has encouraged broader adoption of the vehicle. It is present but uncommon across most Nukashuban militias.

The Light Scorpion is able to keep pace with many hovertanks, with an extralight particle cannon and medium laser for anti-armor work. It relies on infantry support for protection against other infantry.

The Rascal battle armor system is designed for sufficient protection against standard anti-infantry weapons, such as small lasers, flamethrowers, machine guns, and even common missile systems. It includes a pair of lightweight recoilless rifles as its primary armament, can run at high sustained speeds, and has jump capacity.

BV: 447
Cost: 2,665,500 C-bills

Movement: 3/3/3

Internal: 6
Armor: 18 BA Stealth (Basic)

	Internal	Armor
Trooper 1	1	3
Trooper 2	1	3
Trooper 3	1	3
Trooper 4	1	3
Trooper 5	1	3
Trooper 6	1	3

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Swarm Mek	Squad	0
Attack Swarmed Mek	Squad	0
Stop Swarm Attack	Squad	0
Leg Attack	Squad	0
Laser Rifle (Intek) (APM)	Squad	0
BA Recoilless Rifle (Light) (Left arm)	Squad	0
BA Recoilless Rifle (Light) (Right arm)	Squad	0

Equipment	Loc
BA Manipulators [Armored Gloves] (Left arm)	Squad
BA Manipulators [Armored Gloves] (Right arm)	Squad

Weight: 30 tons
BV: 948
Cost: 3,721,900 C-bills

Movement: 8/12
Engine: 240 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Gyro: XL Gyro

Internal: 55 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 96/113 (Stealth)

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	10	13
Center Torso (rear)		4
Right Torso	7	11
Right Torso (rear)		2
Left Torso	7	11
Left Torso (rear)		2
Front Right Leg	7	11
Front Left Leg	7	11
Rear Right Leg	7	11
Rear Left Leg	7	11

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Light PPC	LT	5
Medium Laser	HD	3

Equipment	Loc
ECM Suite (Guardian)	RT

Goldfish series

Quirks: Compact, Low Profile, Bad Reputation (Papolris). (-3GF, -4GF: Improved Sensors, Command BattleMech)

The Goldfish chassis is the third most significant of the early BattleMechs produced by Nukashuba, although it has a significantly worse reputation, mainly due to the mixed service record of the DRG-1GF variant in PRSN service. The PRSN BattleMech force detached to Dorman's World was completely wiped out, and the while the -3GF and -4GF Goldfish performed capably in Nukashuban hands by objective standards during battles with the White Ghosts, the Heavy Scorpions in the hands of the experienced pilots of Scorpion Company and the much more heavily armed and armored Lorris chassis received the lion's share of the glory in those battles, while the Goldfish served more as reconnaissance and screening units.

With jump capabilities, the Goldfish is as mobile as the IslandMech, though both more expensive and more powerful. It closely resembles (and is modeled after) the Dragon used extensively in the Draconis Combine. The -2GF (large laser) and -3GF (PPC) models feature the Nukashuban Chameleon Light Polarization System. Nudezretian pilots have utilized the -1GF (light autocannon) and -4GF (particle cannon) models. The -3GF and -4GF utilize advanced fusion engines with potentially limited availability, while the -1GF and -2GF were designed with light fission engines.
A rare variant, the DRG-3T Goblin, mounts an artillery piece.

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 980
Cost: 4,897,845 N-bills

Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 275 Light Fission
Heat Sinks: 10
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 144/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	27
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	15
Right Torso (rear)		7
Left Torso	13	15
Left Torso (rear)		7
Right Arm	9	13
Left Arm	9	13
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Light AC/5	RA	1
SRM 2	CT	2

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LAC/5 Ammo	RT	20
SRM 2 Ammo	RT	50

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,208
Cost: 5,851,095 N-bills

Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 275 Light
Double Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 144/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	27
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	15
Right Torso (rear)		7
Left Torso	13	15
Left Torso (rear)		7
Right Arm	9	13
Left Arm	9	13
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Large Laser	RA	8
SRM 2	RT	2
SRM 2	CT	2

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 2 Ammo	RT	50

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	LL
CASE	RT

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,586
Cost: 6,794,787 C-bills

Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 275 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 11 [22]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 144/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	27
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	15
Right Torso (rear)		7
Left Torso	13	15
Left Torso (rear)		7
Right Arm	9	13
Left Arm	9	13
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
PPC	RA	10
SRM 6	LT	4
Anti-Missile System	LT	1
Medium Laser	HD	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
Anti-Missile System Ammo [IS]	LT	12
SRM 6 Ammo	LT	15

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	LL
ECM Suite (Guardian)	LT
CASE	LT

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,501
Cost: 5,864,787 C-bills

Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 275 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 11 [22]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 144/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	27
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	15
Right Torso (rear)		7
Left Torso	13	15
Left Torso (rear)		7
Right Arm	9	13
Left Arm	9	13
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
PPC	RA	10
SRM 6	LT	4
Anti-Missile System	LT	1
Medium Laser	HD	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
Anti-Missile System Ammo [IS]	LT	12
SRM 6 Ammo	LT	15

Equipment	Loc
ECM Suite (Guardian)	LT
CASE	LT

Weight: 55 tons
BV:784
Cost:4,374,978 N-bills

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine:220 Light Fission
Double Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Gyro: StandardGyro

Internal: 91 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 128/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	22
Center Torso (rear)		5
Right Torso	13	13
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	13	13
Left Torso (rear)		5
Right Arm	9	13
Left Arm	9	13
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Thumper	RT/RA	5
Medium Laser (R)	LT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
Thumper Ammo	RT	20
Thumper Ammo	RT	20

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

Lorris and Raven

Produced in large numbers as a stopgap training BattleMech, the Raven is generally seen as useless for most other purposes. At twenty-five tons, it has armor and firepower comparable to the Light Scorpion but only half the speed. It carries a pair of five-tube missile launchers backed up by a pair of chest-mounted medium lasers, respectable firepower for its weight class. A rare variant reduced this to one medium laser as well as cutting the ammunition supply in half, allowing the addition of underwater maneuvering units.

Although serial production has ceased in order to prioritize other BattleMechs, over 400 Ravens were produced, an initial surge of popularity dictated by its availability and low cost at a time when few BattleMechs had been produced.

The Lorris, on the other hand, was never produced in large numbers. 41 were produced before the arrival of the White Ghosts, which represents only a slightly smaller investment in production resources than the entire Raven production run. The slowest BattleMech assembled in Papolris, the Lorris is a hundred-ton tripodal machine with a dual cockpit. It is protected by twenty six tons of armor and armed with either a quartet of large lasers or a pair of Nukashuban-grade particle cannons.

With trained MechWarriors in short supply, pilot / gunner compatibility a major visible issue during early testing of the Lorris, the machine being too slow to keep up with anything other than the Mini Maus and Capybara tanks, and finally a series of bungled public demonstrations, interest in the Lorris remained lackluster until the arrival of the White Ghosts, and a full company of fifteen brand new but unsold Lorris III were sent to Nudzeret to fight the invaders.

The company of Lorrises participated in two major battles, performing strongly in an ambush that virtually eliminated two battalions of the Ghosts, and heavily damaging another two battalions when caught out of position by more mobile enemy forces behind rapidly-moving lines of contact. The updated Lorris III standard adds jump jets to enable the slow machine to achieve levels of tactical mobility comparable to the Ettin; older Lorrises have been generally refit to the newer standard in this regard. While the performance of the Lorris III on the battlefields of Nudezret is generally viewed positively, the machine remains rare.

Weight: 25 tons
BV:578
Cost:1,416,875 N-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine:100 Fission
Double Heat Sinks: 5 [10]
Gyro: StandardGyro

Internal: 43 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 80/89

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	8	10
Center Torso (rear)		5
Right Torso	6	8
Right Torso (rear)		4
Left Torso	6	8
Left Torso (rear)		4
Right Arm	4	6
Left Arm	4	6
Right Leg	6	10
Left Leg	6	10

Weapons	Loc	Heat
LRM 5	LA	2
LRM 5	RA	2
Medium Laser	CT	3
Medium Laser	HD	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 5 Ammo	LT	24
LRM 5 Ammo	LT	24

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT

Quirks
No/Minimal Arms

Weight: 100 tons
BV:2,951
Cost: 12,584,000 C-bills

Movement: 3/4/3
Engine:300 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 22 [44]
Cockpit:Tripod Cockpit
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 173(Endo-Composite)
Armor: 208/349 (Hardened)

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	31	28
Center Torso (rear)		9
Right Torso	21	19
Right Torso (rear)		6
Left Torso	21	19
Left Torso (rear)		6
Right Arm	17	20
Left Arm	17	20
Right Leg	21	24
Left Leg	21	24
Center Leg	21	24

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Heavy PPC	LA	15
Heavy PPC	RA	15
Medium Laser	LT	3
Medium Laser	RT	3
Medium Laser	HD	3

Equipment	Loc
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	CL
ECM Suite (Guardian)	CT

Occupied territory:
Four BattleMechs are locally produced in occupied territories. These are utilized by the district militias as well as by White Ghost pilots, who enjoy unusual status under local district law as off-worlders.

In some cases, this status includes unasked-for privileges. For example, the People's Republic of South Nudezret (now South District) pre-emptively passed a law exempting off-world "devotees of Saint Blake" from its Coxian-influenced laws related to monogamy and concubinage prior to the arrival of the first White Ghost pilots.

In other cases, this status has come about in reaction to difficulties after the fact. For example, in North District, White Ghost pilots are held exempt from local obscenity and modesty laws, although their superiors encourage them to be sensitive to local sensibilities.

WSP-1A Wasp (Nuhai)
STK-3M Sentinel (North District, South District)
KTO-18 Kintaro (South District, former planned Goldfish production line)
Type 216b (South District)

Type 216b
Quirks: Minimal arms, narrow profile.

Weight: 45 tons
BV: 953
Cost: 4,262,275 C-bills
Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 180 Compact
Heat Sinks: 12
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 75 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 136/153

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	14	19
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	11	16
Right Torso (rear)		6
Left Torso	11	16
Left Torso (rear)		6
Right Arm	7	12
Left Arm	7	12
Right Leg	11	16
Left Leg	11	16

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Light AC/2	LA	1
Medium Laser	LA	3
Light AC/2	RA	1
Medium Laser	RA	3
Medium Laser	LT	3
Medium Laser	RT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LAC/2 Ammo	CT	45

Equipment	Loc
CASE	CT

Hefusts

Hefusts is known to have some BattleMech forces, but is not known to produce any BattleMechs locally, at least not entirely from scratch.

United States of North Nudezret

The United States of North Nudezret relies heavily on two exclusive-production BattleMechs, the Warmaster and the Marauder-Catapult.

Warmaster

Quirks: Command Mech, Jettison-Capable Weapon (PPC), Weak Head Armor (1)

The first BattleMech built by the USNN, the Warmaster is a highly successful and enduring design that has only been through minor refinements since its first production run. While some would argue that the Banshee outguns it at long range and has superior long-range firepower, the Warmaster has substantial short and point-blank firepower, with six short-range missile tubes and six lasers along with, importantly, a pair of machine guns for anti-infantry work.

While not held in as high esteem as the newer Marauder-Catapult, the Warmaster has proven to be an exceptionally durable machine in practice, both in service in the Numexinovan War and in the White Ghost War. Faced with a choice between rebuilding the production facilities for the more specialized Knave BattleMech or the Warmaster, the USNN rebuilt the production facilities for the Warmaster.

Weight: 100 tons
BV: 1,460
Cost: 11,074,333 C-bills
Movement: 4/6
Engine: 400 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 12
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 152 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 232/307

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	31	40
Center Torso (rear)		11
Right Torso	21	28
Right Torso (rear)		8
Left Torso	21	28
Left Torso (rear)		8
Right Arm	17	24
Left Arm	17	24
Right Leg	21	26
Left Leg	21	26

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Machine Gun	LA	0
Machine Gun	LA	0
PPC	RA	10
SRM 6	LT	4
Small Laser (R)	LT	1
Small Laser	LT	1
Small Laser	LT	1
Small Laser (R)	RT	1
Small Laser	RT	1
Small Laser	RT	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 6 Ammo	LT	15
Machine Gun Ammo	LT	200

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT

Marauder-Catapult
Quirks: Command Mech, Hyper-Extending Actuators

Overview: The Marauder-Catapult, or "Mad Cat" for short, is a high-speed machine designed to be able to keep up with the flow of battle. It has two separate suites of equipment. Its primary weapon mounts consist of a pair of arm-mounted energy weapon pods coupled with a pair of shoulder-mounted missile weapon pods. These pods may be removed or replaced in the field at leisure. However, only energy weapons or physical attack weapons may be mounted in the hexagonal arm pods, and the shoulder-mounted box pods are only suitable for use with missile launchers. Smaller modular pods on the torso may accommodate ballistic weapons or small energy weapons.

Capabilities: The primary variant of the Marauder-Catapult carries a pair of light particle cannons, a trio of medium lasers, shoulder-mounted rocket pods, and chest-mounted machine guns.

The "Knave" variant of the Marauder-Catapult carries a pair of medium-grade particle cannons and a single small laser, roughly matching the armament of the Knave BattleMech formerly produced by the USNN. The medium-grade particle cannons pose a significant problem for heat management, and the configuration is accordingly rare, largely replaced by the unofficial "Crab" variant, which utilizes a laser-based armament matching the CRB-27 Crab utilized by White Ghosts.

There are two major close-combat variants utilizing jump jets. The first places battle-fists in the arm-mounted pods and fills the missile pods with twelve reloadable short-range missile tubes, with a chest-mounted small laser for anti-infantry work; the second, dubbed the "Knight," relies on multiple lasers combined with a massive hatchet.

A fifth alternate variant carries twenty long-range missile tubes, backed up by a trio of small lasers and a pair of battlefists.

Weight: 70 tons
BV: 1,425
Cost: 9,974,396 N-bills

Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 14
Gyro: XL Gyro

Internal: 107 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 184/217

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	22	33
Center Torso (rear)		10
Right Torso	15	18
Right Torso (rear)		8
Left Torso	15	18
Left Torso (rear)		8
Right Arm	11	22
Left Arm	11	22
Right Leg	15	18
Left Leg	15	18

Weapons	Loc	Heat	Omni
Light PPC	LA	5	Pod
Medium Laser	LA	3	Pod
Light PPC	RA	5	Pod
Medium Laser	RA	3	Pod
Rocket Launcher 20	LT	5	Pod
Medium Laser	LT	3	Pod
Rocket Launcher 20	RT	5	Fixed
Machine Gun	RT	0	Pod
Machine Gun	RT	0	Pod

Ammo	Loc	Shots	Omni
Half Machine Gun Ammo	RT	100	Pod

Equipment	Loc	Omni
CASE	LT	Pod
CASE	RT	Pod

Carrying Capacity
One battle armor squad

Other free Nations:

In addition to assembling a small number of Ettin variants, the free nations of Nudezret also manufacture four BattleMechs: The Banshee, the Thunderjack, the Redjack, and the IslandMech. Small numbers of other BattleMechs survive, but production and logistical limitations have led to limitation of the production of the BJ-RSU-2 Thunderjack and cessation of the production of the superheavy 120-ton Mackie and Slinger BattleMechs.

BNC-3R Banshee
Quirks: Bad Reputation (Inner Sphere), Rugged (1)

Outside of USNN service, the premier combat BattleMech of Nudezret is the Banshee, a 95-ton assault BattleMech that is easily recognized as similar to its Inner Sphere counterparts. Developed by the now-dissolved Ribbon Sea Union in cooperation with Hefusts, the Banshee enjoys a reputation as a solidly-built rival to the Warmaster, with real anti-aircraft capabilities from its autocannon combined with the armor-penetrating punch of its particle cannon and potent close-in brawling capabilities with its massive battle fists.

Weight: 95 tons
BV: 1,450
Cost: 10,257,715 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 380 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 16
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 145 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 240/293

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	30	40
Center Torso (rear)		17
Right Torso	20	30
Right Torso (rear)		10
Left Torso	20	30
Left Torso (rear)		10
Right Arm	16	21
Left Arm	16	21
Right Leg	20	26
Left Leg	20	26

Weapons	Loc	Heat
AC/5	LT	1
PPC	RT	10
Small Laser	HD	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
AC/5 Ammo	LT	20
Flak AC/5 Ammo	RT	20

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

BJ-RSU-2 Thunderjack
Quirks: No / minimal Arms, Non-Standard Parts. (Prototype Anti-Aircraft Targeting not solidified.)

The Thunderjack remains in production partially because it utilizes one of the most common fusion engines in the Papolris system, and partially because of its high mobility.

Weight: 90 tons
BV: 1,297
Cost: 9,797,350 C-bills

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 360 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 15
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 138 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 168/279

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	29	25
Center Torso (rear)		10
Right Torso	19	20
Right Torso (rear)		7
Left Torso	19	20
Left Torso (rear)		7
Right Arm	15	15
Left Arm	15	15
Right Leg	19	20
Left Leg	19	20

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
AC/2	LA	1
Medium Laser	RA	3
AC/2	RA	1
Medium Laser	LT	3
Medium Laser	RT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
AC/2 Ammo	LT	45
Flak AC/2 Ammo	RT	45

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT
Searchlight (Mounted)	HD

RJ-03 Redjack
Quirks: Rugged (2), Accurate Weapon (AC/5), No/Minimal Arms, Narrow Profile, Difficult Ejection

Developed by the now-defunct Union of Christian Socialist Republics and improved with Nukashuban engineering as a result of MANY MICE, the Redjack has continued production. Due to the ruggedly overengineered reinforced chassis, the Redjack chassis usually leaves the battlefield in salvageable condition, meaning that in spite of lower production volumes, it has likely become the most common Nudezretian BattleMech via attrition. It is even common in North District and South District forces, a fact that makes an accurate census difficult.

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,110
Cost: 3,924,600 N-bills
Movement: 3/5/3

Engine: 165 Compact
Heat Sinks: 10
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 91 (Reinforced)
Armor: 120/185

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	15
Center Torso (rear)		6
Right Torso	13	15
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	13	15
Left Torso (rear)		5
Right Arm	9	10
Left Arm	9	10
Right Leg	13	15
Left Leg	13	15

Weapons	Loc	Heat
AC/5	LA	1
Medium Laser	LA	3
AC/5	RA	1
Medium Laser	RA	3
Small Laser	CT	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
AC/5 Ammo	RT	20
Flak AC/5 Ammo	RT	20

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

UM-CIC-F2 IslandMech

Quirks: Low Profile, Compact

While the original production lines for the IslandMech are now largely below sea level in shallow portions of the Ribbon Sea, numerous examples survived along with production facilities for compatible parts. As a compact and inexpensive BattleMech, the humble IslandMech is not powerful, but it is easy to transport, and its high level of mobility makes it useful in reconnaissance operations.

Weight: 40 tons
BV: 820
Cost: 2,965,433 N-bills

Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 200 Compact
Heat Sinks: 10
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 67 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 112/137

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	12	15
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	10	12
Right Torso (rear)		6
Left Torso	10	12
Left Torso (rear)		6
Right Arm	6	10
Left Arm	6	10
Right Leg	10	12
Left Leg	10	12

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Flamer	LA	3
Medium Laser	LA	3
Light AC/5	RA	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LAC/5 Ammo	RT	20
Flak LAC/5 Ammo	RT	20

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

tomwritestuff · Nov 23, 2023

Dossier: Stone's Sword
Strength: Estimated 3 regiments of BattleMechs
Founded: Circa 3004.
Notable aerospace fighters: Slayer, Corsair
Notable tanks: Manticore, Demon Manta
Notable light mechs: Panther
Notable medium mechs: Scorpion
Notable heavy mechs: Dragon, Archer
Notable assault mechs: Banshee, Goliath, Thug

History: While the origin of the Stone's Sword mercenary company is murky, the most popular rumor is as follows: Arthur Luvon, the Duke of Donegal, had a love affair with a Kuritan noblewoman. Sometime around 3003-3005, he arranged for her defection along with that of her sister and a significant house guard or regular Kuritan unit, who then formed the core of the unit along with handpicked members of the duke's own soldiers.

The unit caused a significant stir when it arrived with a full BattleMech regiment with support on Galatea, the Mercenary's Star, where they hired significant additional personnel to fill in the gaps left in the unit's original roster by loyalist Kuritan soldiers who were unwilling to defect. Since 3005, the unit has been in the employ of the Federated Suns, where it has been employed against both the Capellan Confederation and Taurian Concordat. The fact that Stone's Sword has not been deployed to the Kuritan border contributes to rumors that the unit's commander may not be willing to fight against her former countrymen.

The fact that Stone's Sword has some number of Banshees in service and an uncertain supply of reserve materiel, along with the timing of Gwen Stone's disappearances from public view, has led some to suspect that Stone's Sword was the source of the mysterious company of Banshee BattleMechs that supported Frederick Steiner in his clash with Nondi Steiner. Observers believe the company may be unwelcome in both the Lyran Commonwealth and Draconis Combine for political reasons, leaving Ian Davion in a strong negotiating position when he renewed the company's contract for an additional ten-year term in 3010.

The unit has rapidly grown in strength to three front-line regiments plus integrated transport, aerospace, and infantry support. It maintains recruitment offices on Demeter, not far from the Capellan border, where the unit enjoys significant local popularity. The unit's prominent successes, notably including the capture of multiple enemy JumpShips using its well-armed aerospace support, have earned it the ire of the Kearny Highlanders and Gordon's Armored Cavalry

Stone's Sword includes significant logistical and transport support, and utilizes distinct variants of its signature BattleMechs. It is known that this includes new-production Scorpions thought to be of an improved model. It has been a significant repurchaser of Kuritan salvage on the Federated Suns market to maintain its forces of Panther and Dragon BattleMechs and Slayer aerospace fighters, and its roster includes a number of rare BattleMechs that first appeared in their ranks following their battle with the mysterious White Ghosts of Demeter, an unknown force that attacked Demeter in 3006.

It is also notable for including a significant number of uncommon assault-weight BattleMechs, initially including a significant number of Banshees and Goliaths as well as the largest known collection of rare Thug BattleMechs. Notably, Stone's Sword utilizes a significant number of Manticore tanks as well as (following the capture of Ghost tanks) a unique design known as the Demon Manta.

All About Stone's Sword
STAFF WRITER KAZUO MILLARD

This mercenary regiment, headed by the mysterious Guinevere Stone, appears to have been working recently in the Periphery. They showed up to Galatea with a JumpShip and a full complement of DropShips, and have been hiring MechWarriors, tankers, techs, and even jump infantry, their first and thus far only group hire being Captain O'Cieran's Crashers. Stone is close-lipped about her origins and the company's history, although recent battle damage and injuries provide a visual demonstration that the Sword is not inexperienced. If not for the recent appearance of Wolf's Dragoons with five entire pristine regiments of BattleMechs, their appearance would have been the talk of Galaport for the next year; as matters stand, half the rumors link the Stone's Sword to Wolf's Dragoons.

After all, who else could misplace a regiment of unfamiliar closed-lip MechWarriors? Personally, my money is on the Draconis Combine. The Dragons, the Panthers, even just the way the Stone sisters look and dress - it all screams disgraced Combine nobility to me, and I know all about disgrace in the Combine. Besides, who else would call a regiment a "sword?" Please!

They plainly have been recently in the Lyran Commonwealth, and rumors link the company's surplus of equipment to funding by the Duke of Donegal, who is most likely their previous employer. However, like the Dragoons, they have distinctive variants of BattleMechs that they employ in numbers, including an Archer which dispenses with the rear-firing lasers as the Wolf's Dragoons machines reportedly do, and a previously-unreported Scorpion variant that carries a flamer.

Following is our breakdown of their known arms and equipment, as seen or advertised to us by them:

JumpShips

One Star Lord class JumpShip
Dropships

Two Fortresses

Two Overlords

Two carrier-variant Leopards
A regiment or so of BattleMechs

Many of these are Archers, Dragons, Scorpions, and Panthers. They are particularly seeking pilots for the Panthers and Scorpions, understandable as those are not considered plum assignments.

They have more than a dozen assault-weight machines, including five Banshees, four Goliaths, two Victors, two Cyclopses, a Zeus, and a Striker.
A wing or so of aerospace fighters

The ones we've seen have all been Slayers.

They are looking to hire a few pilots.

The main part of the regiment is organized thus:

1st Armor Battalion (Queen's Knights)

This is a BattleMech battalion based out of one of the regiment's Overlords.

Colonel Guinevere Stone personally commands this BattleMech battalion in a Griffin. She is a severe and taciturn woman with dark hair and a darker temperament.
2nd Armor Battalion (Rolling Stones)

This is a combined arms reinforced battalion with two companies each of BattleMechs and heavy tanks, based out of the regiment's two Fortresses.

Major Becca Stone, the shorter and apparently younger of the two mysterious Stone sisters, commands this battalion in a Cyclops. She is the more friendly and talkative sister, although she is if anything even less informative.
3rd Armor Battalion (Kell's Hounds)

This is a BattleMech battalion based out of one of the regiment's Overlords.

Major Morgan Kell appears to be a fresh academy graduate who has likely purchased his commission. He drives one of the regiment's distinctive Archers. He looks and sounds Lyran. Unreliable rumors link him to the Duke of Donegal, but I wager he is some lesser noble's bastard get who's been kicked out of the LCAF early.

They appear to have at least one battalion of support personnel as well as an air wing.

Guinevere Stone, sometimes informally "Gwen," is the chief executive officer of Stone's Sword, a multi-regiment mercenary company working for House Davion. She, her lover Arthur (now all but known to have been Arthur Luvon, the Duke of Donegal and a major shareholder in the company), and her sister Becca disappeared from the public spotlight in 3009, with Stone's Sword left in the capable hands of Morgan Kell. In 3010, she returned to service with an infant in tow, widely presumed to be the illegitimate daughter of the recently-deceased Arthur Luvon.

The possibility that the child, Melissa Stone, may be the legitimate heir to the Duchy of Donegal has been vigorously denied by Duke Toribio Malborg. The Kell brothers inherited Arthur Luvon's personal fortune, the most valuable portion of which was a 40% ownership share in Stone's Sword.

In 3013, Guinevere Stone led the force that recovered Ian Davion's body after the First Prince was killed by a Taurian ambush on Atreus Prime. Since that time, she has taken a less active role in front-line command of Stone's Sword, with the Kell brothers both gaining significant experience in independent field command of entire regiments. Some have considered the woman foolish for trusting men as young as Morgan and Patrick Kell, but Stone's Sword has remained generally successful even as Gwen Stone spends more of her time on New Avalon and less time fighting Taurians and Capellans.

While her force includes many heavier BattleMechs suitable for command, she prefers to pilot a highly-mobile Griffin instead.

I'll add more to this info post later - also, I added a significant amount of information to other info posts. For now, it's mostly content brought in from the old thread.

The following units are utilized in company-scale quantities by Stone's Sword in trademark versions not widely available within the Inner Sphere. This has invited comparison to Wolf's Dragoons.

• Aerospace fighters:
◦ Corsair
◦ Slayer
• BattleMechs:
◦ Thug
◦ Goliath
◦ Archer
◦ Dragon
◦ Scorpion
◦ Panther
• Tanks:
◦ Manticore
◦ Demon Manta

Sources:

• Authorized purchaser of CSR-V12 Corsair due to positive working relationship with AFFS.
• Discount purchaser of Kuritan salvage from AFFS (Slayer, Archer, Dragon, Panther)
• Salvage from the Ghosts of Demeter (this accounts for at least some of the Thug BattleMechs)
• Stone's Sword reportedly has new-production Scorpion and Goliath BattleMechs, which are otherwise known to be out of production and rare.
• The Stone's Sword distinctive Archers appear similar to those utilized by Wolf's Dragoons, with SRM packs and no rear-firing lasers.
• Stone's Sword is by this time known to widely utilize Cellular Armor Storage Equipment, an experimental technology now entering deployment within the AFFS following research and development work at the newly-founded New Avalon Institute of Science.
• Stone's Sword is known to utilize gauss rifles, a technology previously thought lost to the Inner Sphere but which serves as the primary armament of the LCAF's new main battle tank. These weapons are primarily utilized on the Demon Manta tank and more recently on the company's Slayer heavy aerospace fighters.

Thug THG-11E
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	-
Advanced	2572-3044
Standard	3045+
Extinct	2840-3040

Tech Rating: E/D-F(F*)-E-D

Weight: 80 tons
BV: 1,640
Cost: 8,414,040 C-bills
Source: TRO 3050 - Star League
Role: Brawler

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 320 Fusion
Double Heat Sinks: 18 [36]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 122 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 247/247

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	25	34
Center Torso (rear)		16
Right Torso	17	25
Right Torso (rear)		9
Left Torso	17	25
Left Torso (rear)		9
Right Arm	13	26
Left Arm	13	26
Right Leg	17	34
Left Leg	17	34

Weapons	Loc	Heat
PPC	LA	10
PPC	RA	10
SRM 6	LT	4
SRM 6	RT	4

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 6 Ammo	LT	15
SRM 6 Ammo	RT	15

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

Quirks
No Torso Twist

Goliath GOL-1H Stone's Sword
Base Tech Level: Experimental (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	3067+
Advanced	-
Standard	-
Extinct	2652+

Weight: 80 tons
BV: 1,590
Cost: 8,368,500 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 320 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 15 [19]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 130 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 256/263

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	25	30
Center Torso (rear)		19
Right Torso	17	20
Right Torso (rear)		13
Left Torso	17	20
Left Torso (rear)		13
Front Right Leg	17	33
Front Left Leg	17	33
Rear Right Leg	17	33
Rear Left Leg	17	33

Weapons	Loc	Heat
LRM 10	LT	4
PPC	RT	10
LRM 10	RT	4
Flamer (R)	CT	3
Flamer	RT	3
Flamer	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12
LRM 10 Ammo	LT	12

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT

Quirks
Multi-Trac
Exposed Actuators

Archer ARC-2SS Stone's Sword
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)

Weight: 70 tons
BV: 1,476
Cost: 6,463,173 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Engine: 280 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 11
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 107
Armor: 208/217

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	22	33
Center Torso (rear)		10
Right Torso	15	24
Right Torso (rear)		6
Left Torso	15	24
Left Torso (rear)		6
Right Arm	11	22
Left Arm	11	22
Right Leg	15	26
Left Leg	15	26

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	LA	3
Medium Laser	RA	3
LRM 15	LT	5
SRM 4	LT	3
LRM 15	RT	5
SRM 4	RT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 15 Ammo	LT	8
LRM 15 Ammo	LT	8
SRM 4 Ammo	LT	25
LRM 15 Ammo	RT	8
LRM 15 Ammo	RT	8
SRM 4 Ammo	RT	25

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT
CASE	RT

Quirks
Battle Fists (LA)
Battle Fists (RA)
Command 'Mech
Stable
Ubiquitous (Inner Sphere)

Dragon Stone's Sword DRG-1NN

Weight: 60 tons
BV: 1,171
Cost: 5,144,080 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 - Star League

Movement: 5/8
Engine: 300 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 10
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 99
Armor: 160/201

Internal
Armor

Head
3
9

Center Torso
20
27

Center Torso (rear)

12

Right Torso
14
16

Right Torso (rear)

8

Left Torso
14
16

Left Torso (rear)

8

Right Arm
10
14

Left Arm
10
14

Right Leg
14
18

Left Leg
14
18

Weapons
Loc
Heat

Medium Laser
LA
3

AC/5
RA
1

LRM 10
CT
4

Ammo
Loc
Shots

LRM 10 Ammo
LT
12

LRM 10 Ammo
LT
12

AC/5 Ammo
RT
20

Flak AC/5 Ammo
RT
20

Equipment
Loc

CASE
LT

CASE
RT

Weight: 55 tons
BV: 1,040
Cost: 5,600,000 C-bills (est?)

Movement: 6/9
Engine: 330 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 10 [14]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 99 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 120/201

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	18	25
Center Torso (rear)		8
Right Torso	13	12
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	13	12
Left Torso (rear)		5
Front Right Leg	13	11
Front Left Leg	13	11
Rear Right Leg	13	11
Rear Left Leg	13	11

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Flamer	LT	3
PPC	RT	10
SRM 4	RT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 4 Ammo	RT	25

Equipment	Loc
CASE	RT

Panther PNT-9S Stone's Sword
Weight: 35 tons
BV: 818
Cost: 2,718,585 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 - Star League

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 140 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 11 [17]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 58
Armor: 112/119

	Internal	Armor
Head	3	9
Center Torso	11	14
Center Torso (rear)		7
Right Torso	8	10
Right Torso (rear)		5
Left Torso	8	10
Left Torso (rear)		5
Right Arm	6	10
Left Arm	6	10
Right Leg	8	16
Left Leg	8	16

Weapons	Loc	Heat
PPC	RA	10
SRM 4	CT	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
SRM 4 Ammo	LT	25
SRM 4 Smoke Ammo	LT	25

Equipment	Loc
CASE	LT

Quirks
Improved Targeting (Short)
Nimble Jumper
[/B]

Slayer Stone's Sword SL-15S
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	-
Advanced	3020-3044
Standard	3045+
Extinct	3020-3040

Tech Rating: E/X-F(F*)-D-D

Weight: 80 tons
BV: 2,015
Cost: 4,803,003 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 - Star League

Movement: 6/9
Engine: 320 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Fuel Points: 800 (10.0 tons)

Structural Integrity: 8
Armor: 328

	Armor
Nose	103
Left Wing	75
Right Wing	75
Aft	75

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	NOS	3
Medium Laser	LWG	3
Medium Laser	LWG	3
Medium Laser	RWG	3
Medium Laser	RWG	3
Small Laser	AFT	1
Gauss Rifle	NOS	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]	FSLG	8
Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]	FSLG	8
Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]	FSLG	8

Equipment	Loc
CASE	FSLG

Ammo	Loc	Shots
AC/10 Ammo	FSLG	10
AC/10 Ammo	FSLG	10

Equipment	Loc
CASE	FSLG

Corsair CSR-V14
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	-
Advanced	-
Standard	3051+

Tech Rating: E/X-X-D-D

Weight: 50 tons
BV: 1,330
Cost: 2,623,958 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 - Clan Invasion
Role: Dogfighter

Movement: 6/9
Engine: 200 Fusion
Heat Sinks: 16 [32]
Fuel Points: 400 (5.0 tons)

Structural Integrity: 6
Armor: 216

	Armor
Nose	73
Left Wing	50
Right Wing	50
Aft	43

Weapons	Loc	Heat
ER Large Laser	NOS	12
ER Large Laser	NOS	12
Small Laser	NOS	1
Small Laser	NOS	1
Medium Laser	LWG	3
Medium Laser	RWG	3
Small Laser	AFT	1
Small Laser	AFT	1

Manticore Heavy Tank Sword's Stone (Standard)
BaseTech Level: Standard (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	-
Advanced	2668-3044
Standard	3045+
Extinct	2840-3036

Tech Rating: E/C-F(F*)-D-D

Weight: 60 tons
BV:990
Cost: 2,696,800 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 - StarLeague

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240 Fusion

Internal:30
Armor: 184

	Internal	Armor
Front	6	42
Right	6	33
Left	6	33
Rear	6	34
Turret	6	42

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	FR	3
LRM 10	TU	4
PPC	TU	10
SRM 4	TU	3

Ammo	Loc	Shots
LRM 10 Ammo	BD	12
SRM 4 Ammo	BD	25

Equipment	Loc
CASE	BD

Demon Manta Stone's Sword
Base TechLevel: Standard (IS)

Level	Era
Experimental	-
Advanced	2668-3044
Standard	3045+
Extinct	2840-3040

Tech Rating: E/D-F(F*)-D-D

Weight: 60 tons
BV:1,092
Cost: 2,588,000 C-bills
Source: TRO 3039 -Star League

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240Fusion

Internal: 30
Armor: 184

	Internal	Armor
Front	6	42
Right	6	33
Left	6	33
Rear	6	34
Turret	6	42

Weapons	Loc	Heat
Medium Laser	FR	3
Flamer	RS	3
Flamer	LS	3
Gauss Rifle	TU	1

Ammo	Loc	Shots
Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]	BD	8
Gauss Rifle Ammo [IS]	BD	8

Equipment	Loc
CASE	BD

tomwritestuff · Nov 29, 2023

Adhoc vote count started by tomwritestuff on Nov 29, 2023 at 7:06 PM, finished with 38 posts and 5 votes.

[focuscharacterselection] [technicalagenda]

Total voters in this category

5
3 people have voted
[X][Focus character selection] Aunt Mary got you the coolest internship and you wanted to arrive in style, but if Dad or Aunt Mary or the brats tell Mom about it, she is going to be so pissed. (Ellie Kliger.)
3 people have voted
[X][Focus character selection] Your twin sister is going to be so jealous that you were the first to drive Test Pilot Delta's car.
-[X] Not that Jennifer would have enjoyed that drive half as much. Once you get back in the Lorris, it's guns and comms for you all the way, and that gets boring. (Jessica.)
3 people have voted
[X][Focus character selection] Because your name is John Murphy Junior, and anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But you have your father's files, and you're determined to clear his name by vindicating his choices.
2 people have voted
[X][Focus character selection] Half the reason you drove it was to make trouble by arriving in a way that got everyone's attention. If the bureaucrats keep dragging their feet, South District and North District are likely to meet in the middle sooner rather than later. (Mary Kliger.)
- DiscordOxymoron
- TheOmnimercurial
2 people have voted
[X][Focus character selection] You weren't supposed to take any detours after landing, you were supposed to come straight here for debriefing on what exactly happened on Dorman's World. (Jenever Kinston.)
- Amperstand
- TheOmnimercurial
Total voters in this category

5
5 people have voted
[X][Technical agenda] The first thing on the agenda is building a new export machine to support the struggle of Nudzretian allies against occupying forces.

tomwritestuff · Dec 3, 2023

Do you like coffee?

Your twin sister is going to be so jealous that you were the first to drive Test Pilot Delta's car. Not that Jennifer would have enjoyed that drive half as much. Once you get back in the Lorris, it's guns and comms for you all the way, and that gets boring. A hovercar with hot rods and a blazing fast smile, though … score one for Jessica.

You'd feel a lot better if you could recover the body of the proper owner of the hovercar. It wasn't on the battlefield – you searched – and the White Ghosts must have taken it with them along with his Super Ettin. It would settle the upset in your mind, and Jennifer would finally be able to move on. She insists he's still alive.

The Lorris clocking in at over eighty tons meant it had to be dismantled before being shipped back from Nudezret. Dropping into Nudezret on a near-ballistic trajectory like you did when you arrived on the moon with old Mama Scorpion is risky business; trying to launch from Nudezret undetected is near suicidal without the use of a stealth craft. The stealth shuttles that can go both ways cost roughly eleven million N-bills each to manufacture for only eighty tons of capacity.

One of the political analysts you met during your debriefing told you that he thought there had been a change of leadership by the White Ghosts partway through their invasion. After ten years, why wouldn't they have landed troops on Nukashuba and Hefusts? Why had they assumed a defensive posture? Skirmishes and cross-border raids continued, but the White Ghosts seemed content to hold the spaceways and their early conquests.

Whatever world the White Ghosts called home was large and prosperous. They could – and had – sent more soldiers and supplies in, a steady stream running back and forth. Before leaving the United States of North Nudezret, you'd heard rumors that the White Ghosts took some of their more faithful converts off to their home world with them, too.

***

"Ellie warned me. Her mom said you drove off with the car." Your sister glares at you.

You bask in the familiar warmth of her anger. "And it's marvelous."

"Lucky you didn't crash it," Jennifer says with a scowl. "You're a lousy driver. I'm driving it back."

You roll your eyes. "Fine," you say. "Just show me to the coffee room."

Old Mama Scorpion's niece shares her questionable habit of drinking the sinful beverage. Perhaps worse, she struck a bargain with Lieutenant Colonel John Murphy Junior, aka "Junior" or "Johnny," and got him to pull the beanpole academic's espresso machine back out of storage… and put it in the lounge that functions as the main informal meeting room. It's the kind of device that you would never see in Idanova, but you'd seen one similar in your time in the USNN. Even back on Nukashuba, you don't quite feel like you're really home. Not that it's a good time to travel to the remote Idanovan mountains.

In the coffee room, you find Ellie distastefully staring at a battered and dented gold mug with "BEST PROFESUR" engraved in childish writing on it.

"What's this?" you ask.

"Dr. Kliger's favorite mug," Johnny tells you. "I found another box of her personal effects. I thought Ellie might like them."

"I made it when I was, like, four," Ellie says. "God, I could just die of embarrassment right now."

You sniff tentatively. The smell of coffee is nice. You've heard that Nuhaian coffee beans are much better than the greenhouse varieties grown on Nukashuba, but you wouldn't know.

"Okay. Dish," you say, as Jennifer closes the door carefully. "What in the blazes is STEAMBOOT WILLIE? I know we're just test pilots here, but…"

"But I don't want us to make a mistake that's obvious to seasoned warriors such as the two of you," Johnny says, bluntly finishing your sentence. "The fact that your clearance still hasn't gone through is criminal." He reaches behind the coffee machine, pulling out a cardboard tube. A few moments later, he's unfurled honest-to-goodness flimsy blueprints out on the table. "Can't take a digital copy outside of the secure systems, but I've a fair hand at a drafting table," he explains. "Never mind that we'll have to send digital copy to the manufacturing site. That will be fun."

What are you looking at?

[][Type] Aerospace fighter
[][Type] BattleMech
[][Type] Hovertank
[][Type] Other (write-in)

Where is the intended primary manufacturing site?

[][Site] Nukashuba
[][Site] Hefusts
[][Site] United States of North Nudezret
[][Site] Multiple sites in Nudezret

Are you trying the coffee?

[][Coffee] Better fit in with these furtive people and try it.
[][Coffee] Nah. Little swig from the hip flask, all good.
[][Coffee] Fake pouring yourself a cup so that Jennifer pours herself a cup and drinks it.
[][Coffee] Uh. Picked up the habit in the USNN. Kind of need it.
[][Coffee] (write-in)

tomwritestuff · Dec 9, 2023

Scheduled vote count started by tomwritestuff on Nov 23, 2023 at 1:17 PM, finished with 14 posts and 7 votes.

5 people have voted
[X][Site] Multiple sites in Nudezret
4 people have voted
[X][Type] BattleMech
3 people have voted
[X][Type] Aerospace fighter
3 people have voted
[X][Coffee] Fake pouring yourself a cup so that Jennifer pours herself a cup and drinks it.
2 people have voted
[X][Type] Land-Air Mech! (If allowed...)
- DiscordOxymoron
- TheOmnimercurial
2 people have voted
[X][Site] United States of North Nudezret
- DiscordOxymoron
- By the Horns
2 people have voted
[X][Coffee] Uh. Picked up the habit in the USNN. Kind of need it.
-[X] Don't forget to add ungodly amounts of sugar and milk.
- DiscordOxymoron
- TheOmnimercurial
2 people have voted
[X][Coffee] Uh. Picked up the habit in the USNN. Kind of need it.
- By the Horns
- Sacredefiler

tomwritestuff · Dec 9, 2023

Parts

Fusion engines produced in Papolris

Nukashuba produces a single grade of light fusion engine (360) for use in the Super Ettin. Nukashuba also manufactures "army-grade" (single) and "naval-grade" (Clan double) heat sinks.

Standard

There are a limited number of different "naval-grade" (standard) fusion engine ratings ever produced in Papolris. "Army-grade" (compact) fusion engines are less expensive.

Rating	Type	Availability	Use(s)
360	Light	Nukashuba	Super Ettin
400	Standard	Common	Warmaster, Solidarity, Lancer
380	Standard	Common	Banshee, prototypes
375	Standard	Common	Prototypes
360	Standard	Common	Ettin, Joint Nudezretian Strike Fighter, Thunderjack, RSU Mackie, prototypes
350	Standard	USNN	Marauder-Catapult
340	Standard	Nukashuba	Scourge
330	Standard	Nukashuba	Prototypes
325	Standard	Nukashuba	Heavy Scorpion
300	Standard	Nukashuba	Lorris, Flail, Protector
275	Standard	Nukashuba	Goldfish
240	Standard	Nukashuba, South District, North District	Light Scorpion, Sentinel
180	Standard	Nukashuba, South District	Super Wasp Prototype, Type 216b, Type 16 Skyhopper
120	Standard	Occupied Nuhai	WSP-1A Wasp

Compact

Various prototype and out of production "army-grade" (compact) fusion engines, which are less expensive, have been successfully produced. Compact fusion engine technology is fully mastered in Papolris.

270	Compact	Common	Shepherd
235	Compact	Common	Unity
200	Compact	Common	IslandMech, Guardian III
165	Compact	Common	Redjack

Black box engines

While not in current manufacture, a number of fusion engines have been salvaged from White Ghost BattleMechs.

Standard 300 with 12 integral single heat sinks (Marauder, Black Knight)
Standard 160 (Mercury)
Standard 240 (Sentinel)
Standard 250 (Trebuchet)
Standard 275 (Kintaro)
Standard 280 (Archer)
Extralight 360 with 11 integral double heat sinks (Lancelot)
Extralight 390 with 10 integral double heat sinks (Exterminator)

"Black box" engines other Nudezret forces have salvaged and may be able to reproduce:

Standard 240 (Sentinel)
Standard 275 (Kintaro)

Developing the ability to manufacture a new engine may require some combination of direct reverse-engineering, interpolation, and extrapolation (hardest).

Structural component availability

Nukashuba has experience with mass manufacture of endo-composite structure, and past experience with small-scale manufacture of standard and reinforced internal structure. Nukashuba has manufactured both standard and extralight gyroscopes.
The USNN has experience with mass manufacture of endo-composite and standard internal structure, and access to examples of endo-steel and reinforced structure for reverse-engineering. The USNN has manufactured both standard and extralight gyroscopes and has access to salvaged (but mostly non-functional) examples of MASC (Mercury).
Other Nudezretian nations have experience with mass manufacture of standard and reinforced internal structure.

Endo-steel and endo-composite structure require zero-gravity manufacturing, which poses some logistical complications.

General component availability

Common: AC/2, AC/5, AC/10. SRM and LRM racks, standard PPC, standard lasers, flamer, machine gun.
Nukashuba: Heavy PPC, Light PPC, ER PPC, Guardian ECM, Beagle Active Probe, Null Signature System, Chameleon Light Polarization System, Light AC/2, Light AC/5, rocket launchers, Clan double heat sinks
USNN: Light PPC, Gauss Rifle, rocket launchers. Has salvaged examples of LB-X-10 AC (Crockett), ER Large Laser (Crockett), and Ultra AC/5 (Sentinel), and Light AC/2 (216b) for reverse-engineering.
Other Nudezret: Light AC/5, Light AC/2, rocket launchers, salvaged examples of Ultra AC/5 for reverse-engineering.

tomwritestuff · Dec 9, 2023

Funny-tasting coffee

The coffee tastes very different. Not better, not worse, but different. You can remember Mama Scorpion wrinkling her nose and complaining the first time she had local USNN coffee. "Zuri-style" coffee had been all over the service, especially with Nuhaian beans in short supply. Chicory, that was what it was. Furtively, you add an ungodly amount of milk and sugar to mask the bitter, acrid, and slightly less familiar taste.

"We'll be sending them plans, a mock-up, and maybe a prototype," Johnny says, blithely sipping from his cup.

"And you expect Great Blythe Isle to be able to match Nukashuban engineering?" You frown.

"No, not really. There's some tolerance built into the plans, though." Johnny taps his finger. "But we're trying to finalize something that can be built locally on Nudezret without relying on USNN infrastructure. Even if what's left of the USNN's manufacturing base could reach the volume their military wants, they're leery of sharing technical secrets widely. The Union may have collapsed after the fall of Capital City, but there's a lot of nostalgia for the whole national Coxian system in the former southern Union republics."

You roll your eyes, but it's a fair point. One reason why the UCSR had collapsed so quickly when faced with the White Ghosts is that they'd invested substantially in propping up East Numexinova in what had started as a proxy war with the USNN. And South District's Coxian government had remained largely intact, even if they had modified their laws to make accommodations for the White Ghosts' different beliefs – including unasked-for special exemptions to monogamy and concubinage laws for the offworlders. From what you've heard, Blessed Blake didn't have any wives. Rumor has it that made for some awkward theological wrangling in Slakecitu in North District.

"Well, if it's locally constructed, maybe we could have them use an ultracannon," Jennifer says. "They've salvaged enough examples of them from enemy Sentinels. For that matter, Major Clemens said that with all the disgruntled Coxian dissidents in North District, intelligence leaks straight over the Jerthree border like it's a sieve."

You frown, tapping your fingers. "It's true, it is twice as powerful as a regular medium autocannon," you say. "More accurate, too. But not necessarily as reliable. Especially if it's a reverse-engineered Jerthree special."

"Girls," Johnny says, "come have a look at what's already on the plans, yeah? Then tell me what's wrong with it?"

Both you and your sister give the man a black look. "Fine," you say, leaning over the table. "Let's see what we have to work with, then we'll figure out how to make it good enough to make Major Langhorne Clemens jealous of what we're sending to Great Blythe."

Design plan

[] [Engineering] (write-in plan)

Plan elements:

Basis model (optional): Model the design on an existing BattleMech.
Description: Write in a description here.
Specification tolerance: Exacting, moderate, or loose
Build a prototype on Nukashuba first: Yes or no. (Costs 4 RP. Will use placeholders if design calls for equipment not available on Nukashuba.)
Specify parts to be manufactured on Nukashuba and shipped, if any.

[] [Travel] Stay on Nukashuba.
[] [Travel] Travel with plans and/or prototype to Nudezret.

tomwritestuff · Dec 18, 2023

Scheduled vote count started by tomwritestuff on Dec 9, 2023 at 9:22 PM, finished with 87 posts and 5 votes.

[engineering] [travel]

Total voters in this category

5
2 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Guerilla G-11A
- Sacredefiler
- Aineko
1 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Mastiff (55-ton Quad Mech)
-[X] Basic Model: Scorpion Chassis-inspired / Original.
-[X] Description: With the Scorpion and its relative variant being popular in Palporis, it was decided that this new export BattleMech will try to capitalize on making an original QuadMech for the whole Palporis sector. Codenamed the 'Mastiff', it is a 55-ton Quad Mech with a PPC and triple Medium Lasers nestled on Turrets, allowing a 360-degree firing coverage for this mech. This mech is powered by a 275-rated 'Black Box' Engine fitted with 12 tons of armor, cooled by 12 regular (single) heat sinks and is fitted by five Jump Jets allowing it to 'jump' over normally hard terrain by 150 meters.
-[X] Specification Tolerance: Moderate. In case other polities find arming these QuadMechs with PPCs harsh budget-wise, they may proceed to switch it out for a Large Laser instead and doing what they please with the free two tons for the likes of armor or adding more heat sinks. Or maybe they find Jump Jets not worth it in their place, in which case more weapons and heat sinks for them!
-[X] Build Prototype on Nukashuba First?: Yes.
-[X] Specify Parts to be manufactured on Nukashuba and shipped, if any: The 275-rated 'Black Box' Engine for the QuadMech until the other polity has their factories producing said engine.
- DiscordOxymoron
1 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Ruffian RFN-02 (60-ton Bipedal Mech)
-[X] Basic Model: Thug / Flashman.
-[X] Description: Initially based on the White Ghosts' Thug 80-ton Battlemech [Double Light PPCs + Twin SRM-6s with 1 Ton of Ammo + CASE each with JJs and Heat Sinks), it slowly became similar to the White Ghosts' 75-ton Flashman after deliberating about an all energy-based weaponry mech to avoid reliance on ammunition and thus give more combat endurance in battle (also because Light PPCs and CASE may not be something other Polities have access to). So it has the 'shape'/appearance of a smaller(?) Thug but a full energy-based weapon loadout of a Flashman. (Two Large Lasers, Six Medium Lasers, 18 Heat Sinks, 12.5 Tons of Armor, 240 'Black Box' Engine from a White Ghosts' Sentinel.)
-[X] Specification Tolerance: Moderate. Since we will have no control on what happens to these models once they're on the Field or Polities who might not be able to manufacture the needed weapons for said Mech (Large Lasers for instance), then tolerance to specification is set at moderate to allow some changes appropriately based on given circumstances by then. Hell, if they can put Light PPCs on these things somehow then even better! (Cost not withstanding, a Light PPC is 150k C-Bills compared to a Large Laser's 100k C-Bills tag.)
-[X] Build Prototype on Nukashuba First?: Yes. (4 RP)
-[X] Specify Parts to be manufactured on Nukashuba and shipped, if any: Initially the 240-rating 'Black Box' (Standard) Engines for the BattleMech until the other polity has their factories producing said engine.
- DiscordOxymoron
1 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Flying Monkey FMK-01 (40-ton biped)
- Amperstand
1 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Flying Monkey FMK-01
- nothingtoseehere
1 people have voted
[X] [Engineering] Ruffian RFN-02 (60-ton Bipedal Mech)
- Aineko
Total voters in this category

4
3 people have voted
[X] [Travel] Stay on Nukashuba.
1 people have voted
[X] [Travel] Travel with plans and/or prototype to Nudezret.
- Amperstand

Flying Monkey reference description:

240 SFE
MP 6/9/6
6.5 tons armor
Large Laser CT (5 tons)
Med Laser RA (1 ton)
Med Laser LA (1 ton)
Partial Wing LT/RT (3 tons)
2 Jumpjets RL (1 ton)
2 Jumpjets LL (1 ton)
Heat Sink HD (0 tons)

Quirks:

Design: Cooling System Flaws (-3)
Design: Protected Actuators (+1), Exposed Weapon Linkage: Medium Lasers (-2) (paired)
Implementation: Poor Targeting, Short
Wing, Linked: EM Interference (-1)

Prototype -4 RP. 12 RP remaining in production clock.
Prototype bonus: +1 to Engineering Checks except for checks related to removing Poor Targeting, Short.

Mackie wasn't a Maus after all: Nukashuba strikes back

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Parts

Fusion engines produced in Papolris

Standard

Compact

Black box engines

Structural component availability

General component availability

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