The Lords of Ruin -- Battletech/Killzone

[Adventwolf]

Raven's "Acquisition Request"​

Lieutenant Colonel Maksim Diallo of the Mercenary Company Raven Interstellar was in his office overlooking the damage and casualties report from the recent attack on Portland. Despite being caught unaware due to the pirate point insertion of the Opfor, the Ravens and Portland militia proved extremely competent. Damage to the city was kept to a minimum with the spaceport landing pads taking the most cost. Luckily by their very nature as giant slabs of ferrocrete, their replacement and repair would not be a significant issue.

The problem Colonel Diallo was facing was that despite the performance of his troopers, they still lost two IFV units along with two ATAC units. Plus, the damage the tanks and remaining units barring the Infantry took during the fighting. While the damage could be repaired in short order and the destroyed units replaced from the stockpiles it still paints a picture of what might become the standard when facing off against mechs. The Infantry was both the most and least capable units deployed in combat. The most because it seems that MechWarriors tend to ignore them as not being a threat allowing for rapid movement and capture of territory. The worst because even though the WASPs are excellent weapons against the armor and structure of the natives, they aren't enough. It took dozens of WASPs several hits to bring down the lightest of mechs tying down Infantry that could be used in other areas.

This issue might have caused the Ravens significant matters in the Aurigan Reach if they ever were faced with a similar mech force. Luckily this battle and its results would provide the necessary incentive for the Ravens to "acquire" more suitable equipment. Contact with the local branch managers on Portland for the most significant military suppliers in the Republic was established. Hephaestus Ltd and Stahl Arms, along with the Helgan High Command, were sent messages through the imbedded intelligence agents in the Ravens to set up negotiations. A few days after the attack had been dealt with, the Ravens began rebuilding their forces. Colonel Diallo and the branch managers set up a meeting to discuss upgrading the amount of firepower the Raven Infantry can bring to bear.

Before this meeting happens, though, Helgan High Command is also discussing whether or not to allow the Ravens access to Petrusite weaponry. This discussion was not about if the Ravens could be trusted with the weapons as the screening process to form the Ravens in the first place already established that factor. The concerns of the High Command were more on the loss of those weapons to outside parties. So far, Helgan had not traded Petrusite to anyone and had kept it to themselves. This argument was countered by the officers that have been pushing for greater use of Petrusite in the armies and a revamp of the logistics and acquisition of equipment for the military as a whole. They argued that since the weapons were not in use by the regular forces anyways, they needed a way to test them in real-world scenarios. The Ravens offered the best chance at that. They also argued that any examples that were lost and taken by other factions would be of little use without a supply of Petrusite from Helgan.

The reports from the Portland battle were used to illustrate the disadvantage the Helgan military would face if deployed with only the current level of equipment. But that the government had yet to fully support the military in its attempt to upgrade its forces appropriately. The Ravens offered a solution to this problem. The Ravens could be used to show just how more effective the military would be against the BattleMechs and armies of the Inner Sphere and Periphery if they are equipped with the best equipment available. The propaganda gained from helping the Restoration would go a long way to winning public support to the initiative and lower the anti-war/military stance that makes the defense of the Helgan Republic harder than it needs to be. Eventually, it is decided to allow the Ravens access to the weapons and to allow Hephaestus and Stahl Arms to make a deal to supply the Ravens with what they deemed necessary.

Once the authorized orders were delivered to the Ravens, the meeting with Hephaestus and Stahl Arms was set up. After a bit of time where all the data was collected and reviewed, Colonel Diallo finally decided on just what weapons and in what numbers for several months of operation. He also decided to purchase an increase in his regular armaments for added logistics security.

The primary weapons needed and wanted by the Ravens are the Petrusite weaponry developed by the two companies. While Petrusite weapons usually are only sold for military use, the fact that no army has yet to be equipped with any has caused the two companies to worry that the government will not purchase any. The Ravens offer a solution while not the size of an army at a Battalion sized formation and a formation that will face combat against the primary local weapon system the BattleMech the Ravens are the best chance to show off. The size of the Ravens means that supplying them with weapons and supplies will not be a significant issue. The opportunity to have the effectiveness of their weapons tested in combat and provide valuable data is also not lost on the mangers. This data and the publicity of their arms being used to help overthrow a dictatorship and restore a democratic government to power would only improve the value of their products.

To equip enough of the Infantry to be effective, the Ravens requested dozens of PnV06 Voltages per unit. These would be given to some of the units that weren't equipped with WASPs already to increase the number of infantry support weapons per unit. The Ravens also requested a smaller number of Arc Cannons than the Voltages per unit as well. These weapons would be used in the form of heavy Infantry support weapons or added to the APCs/IFVs as a more powerful close-range weapon system. The last of the Petrusite weapons that the Raven are attempting to acquire is the VC5 Arc Rifle. This Rifle is needed in higher numbers than either of the other weapons as the second most common Rifle for units that will be expected to fight BattleMechs. Still not enough to equip even half a full unit with Arc Rifle, this is meant to allow an Infantry unit the firepower to deal with most vehicles on their own and threaten even Light BattleMechs.

Along with the Petrusite weapons, the Ravens also want to increase the number of WASPs they have and access to the newer missiles that have been developed that might prove more effective against Battlemechs and their armor. The Ravens acquired a number of VC39 Accelerator Rifles for use in headhunting units. The triple burst of this sniper and its penetration high explosive rounds make it a possible weapon system that could be used to kill the pilot of a Battlemech with a hit to the cockpit.

Once the extent and models of weapons requested are known, negotiations begin in earnest. With the backing of the Helgan High Command and as the only military formation buying these weapons, the Ravens are in a strong position. But the companies are not without their advantages. They are the only ones that can supply and repair the equipment being sold, so the Ravens are dependent on them to keep their new material in operation. After several weeks of discussions and offers, a deal is finally struck that makes everyone, if not happy, at least content. The Ravens would get the weapons they required. The companies would have exclusive rights to supply the Raven for all their equipment. They would get a contract worth several million marks each for long term supply. The companies would also get an agreement with the Helgan High Command. To start arrangements for the Helgan Armies to be supplied with Petrusite weapons. Once the Aurigan Civil War was over and if the Pertusite weapons proved an effective system in the war.

Raven Interstellar would get the equipment and materials during their next resupply run. That time would spent training alongside the Portland militia. The Ravens would gain a significant advantage when they met Directorate forces in combat for the first time. It also gave the militia even more experience fighting against and with Helgan style formations. Which would play a significant role in future actions and integration of Portland into the Republic.

@prometheus110 Here is the Omake for the Ravens trying to get Petrusite weapons. Kept most things vague so that it could work in the story and without changing anything beyond what already has been established. Also what is the Helgan currency I called them Marks but that is more of a place holder. It is also why the contracts are in millions since the companies don't work in C-Bills and our currency doesn't have an exchange rate.

 

[kelgar04]

Omake: Prepping for Drop

Lieutenant Colonel Diallo watched from the catwalk a cup of coffee in had the mass of Raven Troops as the moved the kit into place stowing creates at the directions of the logistics personnel and loadmasters moving equipment or directing vehicles into place preparation for deployment to Mechdur.

He saw a loadmaster guiding a hover tank into place and on a whim, he tuned in and listened to the loadmaster. As he guided the tank into position in its berth.

"Easy bring it a bit over to the right," the loadmaster said over the radio as the Hover tank was backed into the bat, "Ok stop and power down your in the right position."

He watched as the tank settled gently into the berth and the crew get out and help the loadmaster secure the tank for taking off. He took a swig of his coffee and check his watch it was almost time he got off and made his way towards the briefing room.

As he walked through the corridor various crew members moving aside to let him through. There were many old faces but some new ones they'd made good on their losses from the attack on Ryans Fate and were now ready for the next phase of the operation.

As he reached the briefing room he saw the company commanders and department heads. His XO Major Sicarii was stood on one side of the table with the Restoration contract officer Captain Lisa Mchalem a short woman with tribal tattoo's on her face.

"Room Attention!" called Sicarii all conversation stopped and the various members in the room braced to attention.

"As you were," he said and everyone relaxed at his words he then asked "are we ready to go Major?" he asked.

"Yes sir Captain Vespasian," Sicarii replied, "Is still busy squaring everything away but we should have everything loaded in an hour and ready to depart."

"Very good major," He replied, "Keep me informed. Any change in the information coming out of Mechdur?"

"Nothing new from Republic asserts," Said Sicarii.

"Restoration has heard nothing new," Lisa said with a shrug, "though our analyst have been speculating House Karosas may turn there coat there has been no evidence to back it up as of yet."

"Best not depend on that," he said, "Any let's go over the plan one more time I want it all to go as smoothly as possible when we hit the ground."

"yes sir," came the chorus from around the table.

"The Restoration needs this world relatively intact," he said, "they need the industrial output to help secure the war front and deny it to the Directorate."

"To that end," He said looking around the room, "Major Sicarii if you would pleas go over the plan."

"Yes sir," Sicaeii said as she activated a laser pointer and began to explain the operation they all listened to the Pre Operation plan for the assault.

 

[Vehrec]

===============================
Research:
-[X] Research
--[X] Primitive IS Structural Materials
--[X] Primitive Armour
--[X] Helghast Standard Lasers
--[X] Energy Shield Theory

Base Research: 1 point/year

[X] Primitive IS Structural Materials
Cost: 4 points
75% → 25% (base research) + 5% Research Bonus → 100% [Research Completed]
You can make materials for internal structure that are about as tough as what the Mackie uses.

[X] Primitive Armour
Cost: 4 points
75% → 25% (base research) + 5% Research Bonus → 100% [Research Completed]
you can produce primitive-equivalent armour

[X] Helghast Standard Lasers
Cost: 4 points
75% → 25% (base research) → 100% [Research Completed]
You can now make lasers that are as powerful as IS standard medium lasers but which have twice the range

[X] Energy Shield Theory
Cost: 4 points
25% → 25% (base research) → 50%


(These descriptions will be fancier next time).

Click to shrink...

LE SIGH. I have to do everything do I?

Primitive IS Structural Materials.

After a multi-year development program, the Helghast military has finally accepted that a full-strength material suitable for vehicular monocoques and Battlemech bones alike is simply out of reach-our industrial methods can make composite materials required, but not in the required thicknesses (some are too thick, others are too thin), and combining them has been particularly thorny. Anti-spalling polymers must be sandwiched between foamed aluminum and armor-grade Titanium-steel, which is very tricky to assemble and weld into a single unit. Compromises had to be made. In this case, it was ultimately the silicon-carbide and the polymer mid-wrap that are removed, giving a foamed aluminum core and outer shell of titanium alloy. However, the resulting material is more brittle and has less tensile strength per unit of weight, and weighs more per unit volume, mostly due to the vapor-deposition process used for the outer shell partially infiltrating the foamed core with extra Titanium. This process is also slow, depositing only grams of material per minute and requiring very large industrial equipment to fabricate a single structural element. This heavy industrial requirement that will likely be obsolete before it's even finished is the largest drawback to the project. Cost will accordingly be quite high, and production will likely be slowed greatly, with each sub-assembly taking upwards of a week to fabricate. This will require large-scale parallelism of production, to maintain even a modest output.
Accordingly, we have deveoloped a different, somewhat dangerous process for spaceship frames that relies on a process of hot-forging Titanium shells directly onto a prepared core. This method would be a considerable fire and corrosion hazard outside of a vaccum, and requires large components to effectively work-much too large for anything smaller than a MAWLR, and is, we believe, somewhat closer to what is done in the Inner Sphere, though our observers have not been able to confirm this.

Primitive Armour

Our synthesis of Cubic Boron Nitride has finally gone up to industrial scale, rather than experimental laboratory processes. While this is, in theory, good enough to make 'standard' armor, in practice however, there are still significant teething problems with the process, and quality control is quite frankly, going to be a hassle. Our polymer-sealant layer is barely capable of ooozing shut around .50 cal bullet holes, let alone autocannon or laser damage. Our honeycomb titanium has either serious structural flaws that handicap it's function as a backing layer, or it must be hand-drilled out, a time and labor hungry procedure. The outer layers are not much better-we have carbon nanotubes better than the compounds used in some of the armor we have examined (some are using ground-up diamond, which simply doesn't have the thermal conductivity to leech away laser damage), but our exact weaving process is sub-optimal, and the titanium-steel shell is appropriately brittle but isn't hard enough to break up an impactor with certainty-but still breaking up and degrading under battlefield conditions and repeated hits. Still, the armor produced by this process is just barely acceptable, and we can begin converting our existing heavy-industrial facilities to produce it immediately. There is expected to be relatively little actual need to retool to produce Standard armor-it will be more a matter of quality control, getting the bugs out, and adjusting the fine details, rather than major revisions to shop process.

Helghast Standard Lasers

Testing concluded today on the Hughes-Dyson corporation's prototype of the M-5 Standard Laser, a domestic revolution in directed-energy weaponry. The M-5 prototype is designed for use both as a squad-support weapon and a vehicular mount. As a squad support weapon, it is mounted on it's own wheeled chassis, that can be hitched to an APC and towed or maneuvered independently. Power is provided via a pair of Petrusite power cells, or a 50 meter connection cable suitable for hooking into various mains electrical systems. As a vehicular weapon, the M-5 was installed in a double-turret in a standard heavy tank, and showed some considerable promise, successfully engaging targets at almost 2 kilometers in tests. However, it's lensing system is imperfect, and it's wavelength, while energetic and chosen to be absorbed easily by armor while avoiding as much potential eye damage as possible, is also absorbed by air and water vapor, resulting in this being the practical upper limit of range in atmosphere, dependent on exact air conditions and density. In space, the short-barrel laser is likewise limited by the physical configurations of it's lenses, which are designed more to enable a degree of automatic tracking and light-laying than they are to absolute range and convergence of energy. This means that the laser has about ten degrees of 'off true' ability, and can track a moving target to inflict maximum damage rather than drawing a bright, but ultimately useless line across an enemy's frame. Use of this ability degrades both range and shortens the life of the lens-assembly however, which has been made modular because of the need to replace it every 300-1000 shots.Beyond this limit, the laser will lose power output to minor imperfections and flaws developing in the lenses, until they fail catastrophically by absorbing instead of transmitting the light from the solid lasing core. The core is all things considered, far more robust, and can be energized at least 70,000 times without misfiring according to the testing data.

 

[Darkandus]

From an outside perspective

As he settled into his nicely appointed hotel room, he let out a sigh of relief and pulled off his respirator, shucking off the heavy coat and turning up the heat. Kahale Condori was, in polite terms, a sociologist. His purpose at the moment was, broadly, 'To find points of commonality between the peoples of the Helghan Republic and Aurigan Coalition'. Though anyone with sense would know he was undoubtedly more focused on points of divergence that might lead to future conflict, and that his actual role was to be a spy. One of a number that had landed with a number of skills relevant to their mission of securing positive relations with the Helghan.

Helghan was, just from initial impressions, the nicest hellhole he'd ever been to. Certainly, it was the most industrialized.

For starters the Helghan people were, almost universally, polite to him. Even if much of that was likely due to political calculus and they were screening who spoke to him, it was still rather reassuring. They knew he was here on a 'Fact finding mission' after all, which everyone and their dog knew basically amounted to being polite enough to announce you were spying with the promise of not digging into anything too important. Still, there seemed to be a certain level of, if not fondness, then benevolent interest in the Aurigan Coalition which had opened doors for him that he was sure would be closed otherwise. The second reason he'd happily describe it as nice was the sheer prevalence of high tech consumer goods. Nearly everywhere he looked, he would see Helghan with their little pocket computers wandering around. A wealthy populous with myriad comforts far in excess of what most of humanity would ever possess.

Alas, that did little to stave off the fact that it really was a hellhole. The second they had landed, he'd been pressed into wearing protective gear. The heavy respirator strapped to his face was almost certainly to blame for the steadily increasing pressure in his head that would undoubtedly become a splitting headache if he had to wear it for even a second longer today, but considering the alternative would be doing without and exposing himself to the hilariously toxic environment, he was willing to put up with it. The Helghan people themselves were odd in appearance, pale as ghosts, unusually tall and from what he had seen on those not wearing much protection, almost universally hairless. There was something unsettling about people with no eyebrows and it was just odd enough to put him on edge. There was also the seemingly obsessive fondness for dark clothing and lenses. Faceless men and women wherever he turned.

It would likely be a bit of a stumbling block in terms of diplomacy, he noted. Humans generally feel anxious when they can't see where another Human is looking. Humans are after all a social species. They had evolved with an emphasis on communicating with the gaze that most other mammals simply didn't have, hence the white of the eyes being pronounced in comparison to other mammals.

He settled down by the sleek computer terminal his room was equipped with and decided to do a cursory search on the planet's datanet. Sure, they would know exactly what he was looking at, and the information was likely tightly controlled and censored by the government, but you could often learn a lot from what wasn't said. His research quickly became... well, he wouldn't say unbelievable, but...

He had heard of unusual events during his studies of common space folklore, ghost stories of misjumps displacing people through space and time, but an entire planet? And one that was supposedly from Alpha Centauri? Over half a Millenia ago? He had never heard of a disappearing planet, and one so close to Terra? How could anyone manage to cover that up?

He rubbed his eyes, reaching for a more realistic explanation. Mass delusion? Someone playing a practical joke on him by falsifying the records he was most likely to look at?

It bothered him more than he wanted to admit, so he put his guesses out of mind and decided to do a little research into their history, intent on getting to the bottom of this mystery.

 

[MonkeyTypewriter]

Black Bessy Rides Again
​

Black Bessy, as all good Taurian Citizens know, is one of the very few surviving War of Solarian Aggression* era Toro. A mascot of its unit even before the end of the war, Black Bessy fought until the very end of the war, before being knocked out of action and hidden by the unit. It was hidden until the liberation of Taurus, and placed upon a memorial pillar in the capital of the Taurian Concordat. Thus it was a great surprise to the citizens of Samantha, to wake up this morning to find Black Bessy missing. Citizens initially suspected the Capellan Confederation, and some even wondered aloud if they had been too skeptical of First Prince Morgan Davion's speech.

Fortunately, a 9 AM announcement dispelled these worries. Far from being stolen by Capellan Saboteurs, Black Bessy was undergoing restoration efforts. A joint contract by Vandenberg Mechanized Industries and Stahl Arms, would see the replacement of Black Besse's long damaged gyros as well as general restoration efforts in order to replace worn and damaged components. Once done, Black Besse would be added to the capital defenses, freeing up a more modern battlemech to head to the Capellan front. Yet that was not all. Vandenberg Mechanized Industries and Stahl arms have signed an agreement to bring the long lost Toro back into production. Each party involved gave a statement.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce that Black Bessy will be restored, and the Toro brought back into production. It is a sign of a new day for the Taurian people." Taurian Concordate Spokesmen.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be involved in the recreation of the Toros, and one hopefully to be merely the start of a renaissance of Taurian Innovation." Vandenberg Mechanized Industries

"We are quite pleased to work with our Taurian partners to revive a symbol of resistance to colonialist aggression. This process will give our engineers and staff extremely valuable experience with battlemech design. We intend to market the Talos for internal testing and export to less wealthy and second line units. We anticipate a production cost of roughly 2/3rds that of the Quasit, while being superior in most aspects." Stahl Arms

The Taurian markets surged with activity on the news. Vandenberg Mechanized Industries shares soared nearly 30% on the news and a general rally of the market followed. Several tie in merchandizing and licensing deals with smaller companies consisting from anything from custom seating for the new mech to component manufacture to even a new line of commemorative minatures from Amusement Studio's famous minatures wargame Battle Commander. Several market analysts warn that the movement is as much on enthusiasm as careful analysis, and they expect a moderate correction in the coming week as cooler heads prevail. In contrast Concordat Telecom and TransStellar suffered an utter bloodbath in market trading, falling over 20% on the news as planetary militias Concordat wide expressed interest in the reborn Talos, and in retiring or lessening use of CT&T's signature militia mech, the Quasit. Most analysts agree that only the ongoing war with the Capellan Confederation has prevented a major short term disruption in their business.

* referred to as Reunification War by Inner Sphere Sources

A/N: I've always been a fan of the Toro and Talos, and hope to see updated versions of them become a thing as the quest continues. The Quasit is arguably one of the best militia mechs around, and the plasma rifle version that'll be produced in the future is hilarious, but its still more expensive than the Talos, and arguable worse in most ways.

 

[MonkeyTypewriter]

Mercenaries of the Periphery, C 3033​

Major Companies:

Gordon's Armored Cavalry:
Gordon's Armored Cavalry is arguably the premier mercenary unit in the entire periphery, and knows it. Formed from several independent mercenary commands in 3024, they immediately entered the service of the Taurian Concordat following a contract dispute with the Capellan Confederation. Their skill and size swiftly found them as one of the most favored mercenaries of the Taurian Concordat, and the core of their defense against the Aurigan frontier.
While they sat out the Aurigan Civil war, Gordon's Armored Cavalry was a major part of Operation Coronado, rapidly overrunning numerous militia formations and generally turning in quite the impressive performance and taking minimal casualties. The operation was also a financial success for the company, as they managed to salvage perhaps a battalion of militia ACVs and are currently working up their new Gordon's Groundhogs battalion.
They are currently quite happy with their Taurian employers in general, although they somewhat chafe at the restrictive rules of engagement they currently operate under. A sizable minority are pushing for more offensive duties, in particular, some are interested in taking a subcontract to engage the Trinity League if possible; confident that they are more than a match for Capellan deserters.

Current Status:
3 Battalions of mechs, 2 Elite/Fanatical/Medium, 1 Veteran/Fanatical/Medium.
1 Battalion of Regular/Reliable/Light ACVs
Sufficient Dropship and Jumpship assets

Longwood's Bluecoats:
Longwood's Bluecoats are a notable mercenary command in the employ of the Taurian Concordat. Hired in 3024 after a stint with House Davion, they were contracted to defend against long range raids from the Tortuga Dominions. They encountered considerable trouble only a year into their contract, as the Aurigan Directorate's false flag enflamed tensions between the Taurian Concordat and their previous employers in the Federated Suns. Indeed, there was considerable commentary that perhaps the Bluecoats were plants by the Federated Suns, and supply contracts began to be delayed.
Fortunately for all involved, the truth was found out before any permanent damage was dealt between the Bluecoats and their new employers. What hard feelings remained were swiftly buried as the general increase in the Concordat's economy resulted in increased payments for the Bluecoats, allowing them to see to several deferred maintenance issues on their dropships.
Currently, their main priority is to gain access to the new militia power armor for their integrated infantry regiment, and negotiation with their employers is fierce.

Current Status:
2 Battalions of mechs, 1 Veteran/Reliable/Medium, 1 Regular/Reliable/Medium
1 Regiment of Infantry




Bannockburn's Bandits:
The last of the major concordat mercenary forces, Bannockburn's Bandits are a solid, reliable mercenary company that have been under contract with the Concordat for over 30 years with no notable problems. In the process they've done everything from serve as strategic reserves, to offensive raiding actions. They have generally received good but not outstanding reviews in the process, and are considered a solid
The general upswing in the Concordat's fortunes has also trickled down to the bandits, as maintenance and pay are settled more swiftly, but the general upswing in fortunes has also resulted in a debate about possible expansion, with debates about whether to stay a pure Mech force or diversify, and if so into what field.

Current Status:
2 Battalions of mechs, 1 Veteran/Reliable/Light, 1 Regular/Reliable/Light


Ramile's Raiders
Ramile's Raiders were like many units formed from a collection of smaller mercenary commands. They originally worked in the Inner Sphere, before a bitter contract dispute with House Liao led them to seek greener pastures in the Periphery. They found those pastures in the Magistracy of Canopus, who were eager to employ the services of the elite battalion.
They have performed excellently in Canopian Service, spearheading several raids as well as seeing off the same. Currently, they are focused on acquiring and implementing Heglan technological upgrades, desiring to stay ahead of the curve and keep their elite status.

Status:
1 Mech Battalion, elite

Hudsenn's Red Devils
Formed from ex-Marik Regulars near the end of the second succession war, the Red Devils served for a long time as mercenaries for the Lyran Commonwealth, until a disastrous raid in 3005 the Red Devils fled to the periphery for safer pastures, where they accepted a generous contract from the Magistracy of Canopus. Subsequently, they have fought off several minor Marik offensives, and generally performed acceptably if not exceptionally.
They have increased their size from two to three battalions of mechs, and are currently taking advantage of the Magistracy's steadily improving educational system to bring their literacy challenged recruits up to their preferred standard.
All in all, an unexceptional, if unusually large, mercenary command, they have little in the way of unique capabilities, but also little in the way of baggage, with only a minor and largely one sided rivalry with Gordon's Armored Cavalry being of note. Something that the Canopian Diplomatic Service finds an immense relief, considering the issues that other Canopian employed mercenaries can cause.
Status:
3 Mech Battalions: 2 Regular, 1 Green

Harcourt's Destructors
Harcourt's Destructors are a Taurian origin mercenary command who originally served well in their native state, their unusually heavy weight for their unit allowing them to perform excellently against the pirates and raiders they usually faced. Problems came in 3003, when they were caught plotting the assasination of a Taurian Official as part of a political play.
Escaping the Concordat just ahead of the furious Taurian Guard, Harcourt's Destructors found employment in the Magistracy of Canopus. While initially they were watched closely for further shenanigans, they appear to have been "scared straight" and have gotten up to no further shenanigans. In fact, they've served generally well, seeing off several Capellan attacks and salvaging multiple heavy mechs in the bargain.
Currently, they are focusing on trying to "bury the hatchet" with the Taurian Concordat, as they fear that the existence of ORDI means that their 30 year old sin could substantially trouble their next contract negotiations. The Taurian Concordat has responded cautiously so far, but since since all of the relevent members of the Harcourt's Destructors have since retired most observers expect something to be worked out.

Status:
2 Battalions of Mechs, regular/reliable


Canopian Highlanders
If Harcourt's Destructors are something of a diplomatic embarrassment to the Magistracy of Canopus in the current environment, the Canopian Highlanders are an ongoing diplomatic nightmare. Formed in the aftermath of the reunification war, the Canopian Highlanders are notorious for categorically refusing to take prisoners from Inner Sphere House Regulars as a matter of policy. This has, to put it mildly, caused diplomatic issues.
Currently, the Canopian Highlanders are under an undeclared embargo by the Helghan Republic. All attempts to purchase arms by the Highlanders have been summarily rejected, and any attempt to gain a visa by any current or former member of the Highlanders have been categorically refused. Furthermore, the Canopian Highlanders remain the only notable ORDI mercenary command who have been completely refused access to the Helghan FTL communications network, with no formal explanation.
Similar issues although lesser issues have been reported in the Aurigan Coalition, with visa applications being constantly delayed or "misfiled" as a matter of unofficial policy, and what few military industries the coalition has busy fulfilling the needs of the state. And while the Taurian Concordat will, grudgingly, fulfill arms orders, the Canopians have been unable to get approval for any of the more advanced equipment, and the Taurians are gleefully taking advantage of the Highlander's limited purchasing options to raise prices.
Currently, the Canopians are guarding the Marian border, while the Canopian government tries to figure out what the hell to do with their longest serving and most reliable mercenary formation.

Status:
2 Battalions of mechs: Regular/Reliable


Raven's Interstellar:
Raven's Interstellar is a mercenary company formed from the Helghan Republic, which was formed and fully owned by Helghan Intelligence to accomplish the strategic goals of the Helghan State without formally going to war with any party in particular. It first fought in the Arano Restoration, serving excellently. Unlike most larger mercenary formations, Raven's Interstellar is a pair of air-mobile battalions, rather than a more traditional mech force. This makes it a very unusual force for many opponent to face, and helped it in its battles against the Aurigan Directorate.
It also participated in the 4th Succession War under contract to the Free Worlds League, in order to reduce the threat of the Capellan Confederation, who's supposedly rogue agents were behind a pirate attack on Helghan interests. They fought in numerous battles to positive reception, while taking moderate infantry casualties. Afterwards, Raven's Interstellar again entered into a short refit period before being hired by the Taurian Concordat for a short term contract to cover what few temporary deployment problems the aftermath of Operation Coronado caused the Helghan Ally.
Currently, Raven's Interstellar's status as an unofficial arm of the Helghan State is a known secret by ORDI members, who effectively treat it as an unofficial "floating reserve" of the alliance, and one with substantially fewer political issues attached to it than officially requesting aid of foriegn troops. Currently, it is participating in the Exercise Rohan.

Current Status: 2 Airmobile battalions

Medium Companies:

Bullard's Armored Cavalry
Bullard's Armored Cavalry is the newest hire by the Taurian Concordat. Previously employed by the Capellan Confederation, this battalion sized unit was considered exceptionally unimpressive by the standards of the Inner Sphere. Their mechs tend towards the lighter end of the scale, their skill is at the bottom of what is considered combat capable, and they have a tendency to chase profit rather than focus on fulfilling their contracts. As a result, the Capellans placed them in perhaps the least important position in the entire Confederation that actually requires a garrison: Zanzibar, facing the Taurian and Federation forces.
That status quo ended with Operation Coronado. Where, facing down the might of the Taurian Guard regiment, Bullard's Armored Cavalry broke contract with the Confederation and signed up with the Taurian Concordat. The Confederation's response was, predictably, furious, though their atrocious strategic position prevented any effective pushback.
Currently, Bullard's Armored Cavalry is under a well paying but somewhat restrictive contract with the Taurian Concordat, though their long term prognosis with the nation is somewhat questionable, as the Concordat has made it known to its ORDI partners that it wouldn't object to strongly to another member hiring them once the contract has expired.

Status: 1 Green Battalion

Markham's Marauders
Originally a small but effective mercenary company in the Aurigan Coalition, serving on anti pirate operations with distinction, and working well with the Aurigan Coalition's royal guard. It is with the House Espinosa Coup that Markham's Marauders truly rose to notability. Successfully, although secretly extracting Kamila Arano, Markham's Marauders suffered heavy casualties in the process, and in the aftermath found themselves in a precarious financial situation.
Their financial and reputational circumstances would change, however, first with the Portland Civil war resulting in a hefty 6 million C-bill payout, and then with their lucrative contract with the Arano Restoration. Afterwards, they accepted a training contract with the Helghan Republic, helping stand up their first battlemech force.
While handsomely paid during their stint with the Helghan Republic, Markham's Marauders left at the end of the training period despite an offered contract extension, and headed to the Magistracy, and later to the Inner Sphere. There, they performed excellently during the 4th Succession War, gaining a reputation for excellent performance and a speciality in precision strike missions. They have recently returned to ORDI dominated space recently, and begun taking up the specialty missions that they are well known for.

Status: 1 elite company


Beasts of Balawat:
The Beasts of Balawat are an offshoot of the Kell Hounds mercenary organization who have a large grudge against the parent organization, and Morgan Kell in particular, for the Defection, an infamous incident wherein Morgan Kell suddenly retired after a legendary duel and left 2/3rds of his mercenary company in the lurch.
The Beasts of Balawat are formed of the most embittered and angry, forming a company of unusually heavy veteran mechs led by Aelwyd "Threnody" Rhee. They have largely survived in the periphery through small raiding and defense contracts, proving worthy of their reputation, even as they brought on new members and the old slowly retired or died. The 4th succession war and its aftermath led to a change in their fortunes, as the arrival of the Trinity League and ORDI has led to a consolidation of power in the periphery, and led to a small but increasing decrease in the sort of small raiding contracts that are their bread and butter.
The Beast of Balawat have adapted to this new paradigm by taking a major financial risk in absorbing two scattered companies of miscellaneous mercenary bands, and are currently in negotiations with the Aurigan Coalition for a long term contract that will provide them desperately needed long term financial viability.

Status:
1 company of Veteran Heavy Mechs
2 companies of Green Light mechs


Razorback Company
Razorback Company was an uninspired and generally uninteresting mercenary company, notable only for its unusual reliability for such a small company. At least, until Cavalor. There, they took on a contract for a religious minority known as the Volkivites who wished to flee Capellan Confederation space before the fist of House Liao descended upon them.
Exceeding all expectations, Razorback Company outmaneuvered, out thought and outfought the Capellan forces, successfully buying enough time for the Volkivites to evacuate to the periphery, though at a fearsome cost in damage, and the enmity of the Capellan Confederation. In the aftermath, Razorback Company slowly rebuilt and reformed itself, helped by several successful contracts in the immediate aftermath, and what few donations the Volkivites could spare.
The 4th succession war was both a boon and a bane for Razorback Company. A boon as the inevitable retaliation from the Capellan Confederation was forstalled and then forgotten in the fires of war, and a bane in the existence of the Trinity League poses a mortal threat to Razorback Company. Currently, they have a defensive contract on Detroit, the unusually rich and mechanized planet using Razorback Company as the core of their defensive force.

Status:
1 company of Elite medium mechs


A/N: My thanks to @prometheus110 for the editing assistance and feedback.

 

[prometheus110]

Heads up, people. Ever since I updated the Known Polities threadmark to include a table of ORDI members, their flags, and their current and past research, I've been bothered by the lack of a flag for the Outer Rim Defence Initiative. Normally I'd make one myself, but I've been thinking that it'd be pretty fun for y'all to get involved and it'd let you make your own mark on the story. To that end, I've decided to hold a bit of a flag design competition that'll run in the background between now and the end of next turn.

Submission Rules

• You CANNOT enter more than one flag
• You CANNOT enter anything other than flags and explanations. (The explanation isn't required, but it's always nice to hear why people made the decisions they did)
• You can change your entry as many times as you want before the closing date. The most recent design will be considered your entry.

Flag Design Rules

• All of Battletech's flags are garbage and don't follow vexillological rules anyway, so the only rules that matter are SV's rules on being gross or terrible. Just make a flag that you think looks neat and we'll go from there.

Voting

• I'll assemble the available options and have people vote on which ones they like the most as per normal quest voting.
• The vote will be carried out after the July-September 3040 turn.

Winning

• The winning design will become the official flag of the Outer Rim Defence Initiative and will be added to everything about the organization. It'll even be backdated so that it was always the design

Please keep in mind that this is a FRIENDLY competition being done becuase I think it'll be fun (and I'm very lazy). If anyone's a dick, I'll be pretty angry.

 

[prometheus110]

When I read your post about expanding ORDI to include all those, my mind instantly flashed over to this video.


View: https://youtu.be/rRGWiy0410Q

Click to shrink...

This reminds me, I need to do the flag vote.



Due to time constraints, this vote will happen tomorrow as I'll need to go through and grab all the latest flags from people. We'll do it as a normal vote and hopefully end up with a neat flag for the ORDI by the end of it.

 

[prometheus110]

Hospital Sant Camillus
Crimson, Salonika, Canopus IV
22 March 3041

"Squeeze this," the doctor said as she placed a rod of some rubbery red material in Darya's left hand; her almost-numb fingers closing around it automatically. "And hold it for as long as you can," the woman added.

Despite herself, Darya Sigurdardottir couldn't help but scoff, the older woman shooting the doctor a look of disbelief as she applied the last of the sensors to her forearm.

"I did this back on the Argo," Darya stated, "Doc Conway should have forwarded the results already. My arm's fucked twelve ways from Sunday," she added bitterly.

Some years younger and a good foot shorter than the mercenary commander, the young doctor, Delgado or Salcedo or something, looked up at the woman who sat on her examination bench and set her jaw. "He did," she replied as her dark brown eyes bored into Darya's own, "but humour me."

The commander of an elite MechWarrior company, a veteran of countless battles across the known galaxy, and a hero of the Aurigan Reach, Darya Sigurdardottir blinked first; meekly doing as she was ordered and squeezing the rod as if her life depended on it. Distantly, a traitor part of her mind told her that it did. Seconds passed like molasses as she forced her hand closed around the rod, a bone-deep ache swelling from within the muscles of her arm and a faint tingle prickled across her fingertips as nerve and muscle protested.

Five…

The tingle grew and spread, pins and needles stabbing into the flesh of her palm and fingers in their hundreds and thousands.

Six…

The pins and needles became phantom knives and the dull ache a fiery burn.

Seven…

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, the blue and white tiles of the Canopian hospital blurring and shifting as she tried and failed to blink them away.

Eight…

The knives became meathooks. The burn an inferno.

Nin-

Darya opened her fist with a sharp hiss of pain, the baton falling from numb fingers to land on the table with a loud thud thanks to Canopus IV's slightly higher than standard gravity.

"Fuck!" Darya barked as she snatched at the traitor limb and began to rub at her wrist.

Letting out a long, slow breath of the kind Raju had taught her all those years ago, Darya fought to push aside the pain of her injured limb; the burning, stabbing tide receding with frustrating slowness.

"Fuck," she repeated softly. "See what I mean?" Darya asked as she glanced up, only to pause as she caught sight of the woman lost in thought, a pencil resting on her lips.

She's cute, a different but still traitorous part of Darya's mind told her with a sing-song cadence, a sudden flush rising to the mercenary's cheeks as she stared at the woman's coppery-brown, oval-shaped face. Despite the bags under her eyes, the oversized lab coat she wore over baggy blue scrubs, and the frayed ebony hair she stuffed into a messy ponytail, Doctor… Something looked good.

Fighting to keep her face neutral, or as neutral as she could manage while blinking away tears of pain, Darya drawled at herself. Yes, because it went so well the first time...

"Miss Sigurdardottir?" Came a sudden question, the doctor's curious tone tearing Darya from her memories. Meeting the woman's gaze, Darya gave a start as she realised that she'd been lost in her own world; the discovery followed by an embarrassed grin.

"Sorry doctor…"

"Laredo," replied Doctor Adelina Laredo, the senior neurologist favouring Darya with a tolerant smile and gesturing with her pencil at the chair beside her desk.

Employed by the best hospital on Canopus, Hospital Sant Camillus in the city of Crimson, Doctor Laredo had come recommended by Ana Maria Centralla herself once word had gotten back to Canopus about Darya's injury. While they'd only spoken once during the Aurigan Civil War, Ana Maria remembered her friends or, as Darya reasoned, recognized an opportunity when she saw it. While hardly as involved in the politics of the Reach as she'd once been, Darya kept in contact with Kamea in the years since her victory and didn't doubt that Centrella suspected it also.

"So…" Darya began once she'd seated herself opposite the doctor; her right hand, her good hand, absently pulling the coin-sized sensors from her left as she held it close to her body. It was an awkward weight and a constant reminder of what she had lost.

"You don't strike me as the type that likes dissembling, so I won't waste your time," the woman began from behind the solid lyrewood construction; the desk's walnut-coloured surface dominated by a pair of monitors held aloft by a spider-limbed machine. "To put it bluntly, The results aren't good."

Spinning a monitor around, Darya was assaulted by a tidal wave of graphs and figures; arcane numbers, wild lines, and incomprehensible text scrawled across the screen as if written by a mad monk or particularly angry monkey. Glancing at Adelina self-consciously, Darya paused as she caught sight of the woman's expression and all at once the now-familiar sensations of frustration and impotence bubbled up within her.

"These are the responses from healthy Radial and Median nerves," Doctor Laredo began as she traced a pair of lines on the screen, chosen at random as near as Darya could tell, with the back of her pencil. "When you want to grab a joystick, click a button, or squeeze a trigger, these two are the ones that control it."

Taking Darya's silence for comprehension, Adelina hit something on her keyboard and the screen blinked; the mess of lines and text and graphs wiped away and replaced by a single line like the pulse of an EKG machine.

"When a healthy nerve fires," the woman continued, "it looks like this: a steady line as it waits to activate, then a sharp spike as the action potential, the nerve impulse, fires, and then finally a refractory period as the nerve repolarizes and returns to a resting state."

The screen blinked again and another wall of mystifying figures assaulted Darya with all the subtlety of a Steiner scout lance.

Gods doc, she thought, baffled, as she gave the woman a sideways glance, what the fuck do I know about this?

Despite peering at Darya with unnerving intensity, Doctor Laredo either didn't notice or didn't care for her discomfort. "In your case, it seems that the injury you sustained on Alphard has severely damaged both your Radial and Median nerves."

"The involuntary twitches," the exacting woman continued as if she spoke to a colleague, "the painful cramps, the loss of sensation, all of that is due to damage to your nervous system. Your records said your mech took a headshot?"

Darya blinked at the sudden change in tack and, caught off-guard, nodded mechanically. In a distant part of her mind, phantom alarms wailed plaintively as memories of heat and smoke sent a bead of sweat down her temple. StarCorps built the Highlander tough, but not even a half-ton of armour could stand against the fury of a PPC.

"Frankly, it's amazing that you survived the hit considering the amps involved," Doctor Laredo continued, "let alone that you're able to walk. You must have been born lucky."

It took all of Darya's willpower not to scoff at her words. Born lucky. Yeah, right.

"Is it…" Darya hesitated. The words stuck in her throat like a bone.

"I'm afraid so," the woman answered the unspoken question with a touch of sympathy, the first twinge of the emotion Darya had seen since she entered the examination room. "Certainly, I think it's unlikely that you'll regain full use of your left arm given the lack of improvement these past few months."

The words hit Darya like a hammer blow. She exhaled long and hard, air hissing out from between clenched teeth like a curse.

Permanent disability. The phrase carried a familiar kind of pain; cold and hard and devastating. A betrayal from within.

Above all else, MechWarriors feared two things. The first fear, dispossession, was familiar to any MechWarrior; the knowledge that their status depended on their machine dominating so many of their conversations that it was impossible to ignore. Having a mech shot out from under you was often seen as the ultimate failure of a MechWarrior and one that rendered a skilled combatant all but useless in an instant.

The second fear, the one no MechWarrior talked about lest they speak it into existence, was permanent disability, and of the two she thought it worse. Complex machines that strode across unforgiving terrain like demigods of war, battlemechs required a brain compatible with a neurohelmet, a good sense of balance, two working legs, and two arms to operate. Migraines, vertigo, repetitive stress injuries, loss of limbs, and more could render a MechWarrior unable to pilot a mech and thus useless.

"So that's it?" Darya asked, colour rising across her cheeks. "A lucky shot and I'm done? I'm…"

She grasped for words. A company-level force could only ever be led from the front.

"Retired?" She finished with a pained grimace.

"As you are?" Laredo asked rhetorically. "Yes."

She'd have to tell the others, Darya thought as the world receded to a point a few centimetres in front of her nose. Then, all of a sudden, she realised that there simply weren't that many people left to tell.

Darius had left with Darya's blessing some years back, the Reach native offered a commission with the Aurigan military to make up for the loss of talented officers during the civil war. Reading between the lines of his infrequent messages, 2nd battalion had become a well-oiled machine under his tutelage and he was sure they'd do the Coalition proud. Even after so long, it felt strange to command the Marauders without him by her side, though Dekker had assumed his duties without complaint or trouble.

Yang and Farah, meanwhile, were still there in the Argo's mechbay and engineering centre, respectively. Farah seemed as attached to the LosTech dropship as a mother to her child while the grizzled MekTek constantly talked about how he was on the verge of retiring but unerringly managed to find some reason to stay. That the pair shot each other soulful looks whenever they thought Darya's attention was elsewhere almost certainly had nothing to do with it thank-you-very-much, even if it had constituted her primary source of entertainment for the last few months. Out of everyone left, Darya was sure they'd take the news the best.

Sumire and the MechWarriors, that's where Darya was sure the trouble would lie. An adrenaline junkie to the core, Sumire would need assurances that the Marauders weren't going away just because Darya needed to retire from frontline combat, and the MechWarriors… well the MechWarriors would need handling of their own just to keep the command transition smooth. Before she'd become commander of the Marauders, Darya hadn't realised just how annoying MechWarriors could be.

Last but certainly not least, there was also the question of just what exactly she'd do once she retired. She couldn't stay in command of the Marauders, that was out of the question from the word go. Leaving aside her inability to pilot a mech, every minute aboard the Argo would be a reminder of what she'd lost; a psychic gut wound that'd hurt until she either left or died. Staying on would also stop Dekker from truly taking command of the company and the unit wasn't large enough for her to take on a command role off the battlefield.

Without warning, there came a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room, and Darya realised with a twitch that the doctor was studying her; the woman's head cocked to the side and an amused expression scrawled across her face.

"Sorry?" Darya asked apologetically, the flustered mercenary huffing in embarrassment. "I was thinking about- Nevermind."

Unexpectedly, Doctor Laredo smiled. It was a brilliant, bright smile that transformed her severe face, and the corners of her eyes crinkled in a way that sent a frisson down Darya's spine.

The woman nodded, clearly amused. "I was giving you good news," she consoled.

The doctor's words hit Darya as hard as the news of her injury had, their incongruity causing her train of thought to crash like a program fed bad data.

"If you'd come to us even just a few years ago," she continued unabated, "there would have been nothing much we could do. Treatments for nerve injuries like yours have always been a bit..." the woman waved her hand in the air and winced, "hit or miss, to say the least, and Cybernetic weren't there yet."

"Yet?" Darya asked dumbly.

Once again the doctor smiled. "Since '36, we've been able to replace limbs with cybernetics that are almost as good as their flesh and blood equivalents."

"They're not perfect," the doctor cautioned as hope thrilled Darya for the first time since Alphard. "Recipients often find that they're noticeably less flexible and dexterous than the limbs they're replacing, but we've had a number of MechWarriors go on to return to the cockpit after completing physical therapy."

Darya leaned forward, the awkward weight of her left arm all but forgotten in her elation. "But it'd work, right doc?"

Doctor Adelina Laredo nodded slowly. "It's very likely," she hedged. "We've replaced numerous limbs since we first developed the technology, and in the vast majority of cases, the recipient returned to a normal or near-normal life."

And all you'd have to do is cut off your arm, came a taunting voice from within the recesses of her mind --the sudden intrusion of reality, a bitter pill to swallow.

Should I? She wondered as she spared her arm a sidelong glance. Can I?

Seeing her expression, Doctor Laredo paused and a queer look crossed her face. To Darya's eye, it seemed a strange mix of one part sympathy and another part… hope?

"There may be," the woman began hesitantly, "another option."

"It's still in the experimental stages so I can understand if it's not something you wish to pursue," she continued with gathering surety, "but part of my role here at St. Camillus has been to help develop less drastic solutions to problems such as yours."

"Recently, the team responsible has begun human trials on a system that they- we believe will allow them to bypass and replace damaged nerves; effectively restoring total control and sensation to your arm. So far, all the recipients of this system have been civilians from across the outer Rim and we've been hunting for people with your… unique set of circumstances. If you were willing, we could use you"

The mercenary commander blinked slowly at the news, all thoughts of cybernetic arms driven from her mind. Total control. The words appealed to her.

"What," she began before stopping to swallow. "What would it take?"

Laredo shrugged, an uncertain gesture for a woman who had previously seemed so self-possessed.

"Surgery across your entire arm, for one thing," the Doctor said. "Then an extended period of observation here on Canopus to ensure that the system has integrated into your nervous system and isn't experiencing any undue consequences from being implanted in a human body. After that, you would have to undertake a month or two of physical therapy and error correction to ensure the system is operating properly, then a secondary period of PT that could be handled aboard your…"

"Dropship," Darya supplied automatically, the woman shooting her a relieved look of thanks in turn.

"Yes, dropship," Laredo confirmed with a nod before she continued. "For a cybernetic limb, it would take something like six weeks post-op to acclimate while the nerve bypass would take…"

She blew up and shook her head. "Four months, give or take."

Darya threw her head back and narrowed her eyes as she thought.

From forced retirement to two potential solutions in as many minutes, it was a lot to consider. The fastest and most technologically-mature option, the cybernetic would allow her to get back in the cockpit of her Highlander as if she never left in the first place, but it would cost her a part of herself. A faulty and traitorous part maybe, but a part of herself nonetheless. The surgery, though, was slow and a risk to boot. Four months away from the Argo, more considering the way mercenary contracts ebbed and flowed across the galaxy, might as well have been an eternity as far as Darya was concerned, and the thought that it might fail made her shiver.

Tossing the issue over, Darya felt something shift as an idea suddenly emerged from the fog of her mind. Slowly, she grinned to herself and let her face relax.

"So doc," she said, a little of the old confidence infecting her tone., "what sort of equipment would you need to calibrate the implant?"

 

[OpSihg_Stabr]

@prometheus110 , I made a thing for our Marauder variants. Hope it get canonized.
_-_-_

Marauders of the Republic, 3041 edition

An excerpted and abridged article within the "ORDI Technical Journal, 3040-3045 edition"

_-_-_
[work in progress LORE-FLUFF]
XxXx

One cannot discuss the Marauders operated by the Helghan Republic without mentioning Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig, the shipbuilding corporation made famous for their role in constructing the MAWLR, quite possibly the largest mech in existence – outdoing even the infamous Amaris' Folly "Matar" in size and tonnage in way that needs to be measured with a multiplication table.

Although a successful and stable business by any rational measurement, able to achieve a sustainable income from their MAWLR maintenance and upgrade contracts, as well as making significant asset and profit growth from aerospace and naval sales within the Helghan Republic, many within the mega-corporation were dissatisfied. Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig has keenly felt the stagnancy of the MAWLR within the Republic military, as no new MAWLRs have not been built since the end of the Helghan Empire and 'the Transition', the event that shunted the planet Helghan through hyperspace to the now 'New Helghan' system in the Southern Periphery. During the design competition for the Helghan people's first domestically designed and produced Battlemech, the quad-leg concept submitted by Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig's engineers was passed over for the TTN Titan, sowing salt in a yet still widening wound. Afterwards, Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig were beset by a continuous inability to break into the rapidly growing (and extremely old and competitive) Battlemech market; between difficulties in translating their engineering expertise with the MAWLR to battlemech design, extremely strict quality control regulation laws and other issues with the Helghan Office of Military Requisition and Design, Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig were seemingly doomed to never make another mech, big or small, ever again.

This ambition-killing situation would turn around due to these two factors: Vandenburg Mechanized Industries and Zulim Taw.

[work in progress LORE-FLUFF]
XxXx

Currently, Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig is examining the Marauder data gather by the Pharo Industries designed AI-powered Search Engine from the Helm Memory Core, whilst also making efforts to reverse-engineer the Wolf's Dragoon's Marauder II, and create a prototype 125-Ton "Marauder III" using their old MAWLR production site.

• Dragon Fire
• Maelstrom

_-_-_

MAD-3H (unofficial)
The 3H Marauder, the first officiated Helghan variant of the Marauder, was created essentially by accident as part of the standard once over overhauls the Helghan Military performs on any of it's mechs when and whenever possible. During the military build-up to Operation: RED BREATH, many new Marauders were produced by Vandenburg Mechanized Industries to fulfill the large purchase-order of mechs the Helghan Republic and Taurian Concordat agreed to during the extremey cagey Second ORDI Conference. Within this bureaucratic mess and logistical scramble, Vandenburg Industries and Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig used their ongoing (though then closed door) negotiations and cooperation concerning the Maruader to organize a speedy retrofit to fulfil the requirements of both the Taurian delivery deadlines and Helghan equipment standards.

The ad-hoc 3H has the usual overhaul of replacement Electronics and Laser units, as well the integration of CASE protection for its Autocannon. Despite the expectations, the Marauder is given a fairly low priority concerning replacing it's PPC's with Petrusite equivalents; many Helghan Marauder pilots are left to their own devices for upgrading, or simply making due, with what main weapon it has. This has led to many Helghast Marauder pilots becoming experts in the tactical differences between a standard PPC and the fabled Petrusite cannon, as the 3H are logged in Helghan maintenance records as having the highest rate for weapon conversion switch-outs.

One oddity, caused by Factory-Upgrade work-flow and the lower priority placed on Marauder overhauls during the build up to Operation RED BREATH, the 3H Marauder's 300 Engine is relegated to using 10 standard, engine internal, heat sinks whilst replacing the remaining 6 with Prototype Double Heatsinks. This leaves the quote "normal" Marauder with quirks that mark it as slipping into the Periphery stereotype of being "Kit-bashed in a garage", despite an Engine Upgrade kit produced by Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig just before the start of the 5th Succession War, after years of pushing their new Marauder factory into operation.

Despite that, the so-called Marauder 3H is often the go-to model variant for Helghan Mechwarriors due to its versatile autocannon and the numerous ammunition options; options that more often seen as the tool-set of a Helghan Tank Commander.

MAD-4H
What is widely considered to be the first true Helghan-native Marauder variant, the MAD-4H was developed in-house by Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig with aid from Vandenburg Mechanized Industries, in contrast to the 3H which was essentially made by Helghan Corp of Engineers. The 4H Marauder is based on both the Helm 'Grey Death' Memory Core, and data collated within the "Mechdur Memory Core", the storage drive used by the Outer Rim Defense Initiative to disseminate their own and the Capellan Confederation's shared Battlemech design information; specifically, the Liao design data (or rather officiated Mech Tech notes) concerning the 3L variant.

(Author's Note: The 4H is an example of a timeline divergence for the Marauder, in that it's roughly analogous to the MAD-5L of the prime Battletech universe, only it's made with available Helghan tech and personality. I don't see it very likely that the 'true' 5L will come to be in this 'Lord's of Ruin' universe)

With a better understanding of Helghan Lasers, the Marauder 4H is armed with 1 Large and 1 Small Laser in each arm pod, with a single Medium Laser being placed coaxially to the torso mounted Particle Projector Cannon slot. As part of deal involving a Pharo Industries created AI-powered Search Engine for the Helm Memory Core, all the 4H Marauder's weapons are coordinated by a completely new are more accurate Pharo Industries electronics suite, improving on the original Maruader's set-up whilst also allowing Robot-Drone command abilities for to a Helghan mechwarrior. This Marauder is also equipped with a CASE protected Anti-Missile System, reproducable by all ORDI nations.

As anything Petrusite related are always plagued by logistical delays and heavy security procedures, at least for any mech besides the TTN Titan, Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig opted for creating their own proprietary model of Particle Projector Cannon; this PPC is also considered the first of purely Helghan origin, apart from laboratory experiments and imported/licensed Taurian models. The 'Fire Mjolnir' model PPC is noted for its longer pulse duration (an attempt to emulate the venerable MAWLR's Arc Cannon), and its extensive prototype tested ability to be field-repaired, making it well adapted for Mech Techs wanting to re-engineer and customize mechs; a critically useful trait as the Marauder 4H's PPC mount was expressly made to be easily switched out for either a Petrusite Cannon or a vaporware ER PPC, an item of Star League LosTech being researched and perfected by the Aurigan Coalition.

MAD-4T
The Taurian-born 4T Marauder was made as a result of an agreement between Vandenburg Mechanized Industries and Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig; a deal that promised technical aid for TSV's Marauder production start-up in exchange for research aid in reviving the Star League era 2T Marauder.

Like the Toro, Talos, and many other Taurian Battlemechs, the 4T created by Vandenberg Mechanized Industries proves to be more popular Marauder created in the first set of jointly created Marauders. Made from recovered data from both the Helm Memory Core and Taurian archives, the 4T Marauder is swayed the least by new technologies and instead draws heavily from the old 2R and 2T variants. Although more indicative of a lacking technological readiness to directly revive the 2T as planned and hoped for, the gathered data did confirm without a doubt what has been done before and what works now.

Compared to other spectacular upgrades made possible in the Inner Sphere by the Grey Death Memory Core and other advancements of the Star League technology renaissance, the 4T can be affected as a modest 3R upgrade kit, switching the autocannon with a CASE protected LB-5X model, and the Medium Lasers with an array of 2 Helghan-tech arm-pod mounted small lasers and a coaxial Helghast Medium Laser for the new autocannon, based on the 4H. Like the 4H, the 4T has regained the Ferro-Fibrous armor of the original 1 and 2R Marauders, as well as the legendary durability.

One oddity with the manufacture of the 4T Marauder is that it's upgrade kits and what few factory models are made by Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig and other Aurigan corporations as a sub-contract to Vandenberg Mechanized Industries. This is due to the workforce strain the Taurian industry is experiencing as they make preparations to either ready pre-existing, or make entirely new facilities, for Assault-grade Battlemech production – specifically the Victor and Highlander design from the 'Mechdur Memory Core'. This shows a remarkable, if subtle, shift in Taurian politics and their trust in the ORDI alliance.

MAD-5H-X1
Although currently in a shaky prototype stage, the 5H-X is very likely the most powerful Marauder variant ever made or fielded by the Helghan Republic, any ORDI Nation, or perhaps even the entire Inner Sphere, yet. Using the 4H as a template, though lacking Ferro-Fibrous armor, the 5H-X Marauder makes use of Jump Jets and the new H-ZT-v1 Gravity Control Drive for near-supernatural levels of maneuverability. Each Arm Pod has installed one Prototype ER Helghast Large Laser and one Small Helghast Pulse Laser as an experimental weapon set. Although unusual, the more stable of the 5H-X's armaments are a pair of Light Petrusite Cannons in the right torso, and a Laser Anti-Missile System in the opposite Torso area.

The 5H-X serves more as technology demonstrator, and there are no plans to export or license the design in any large-scale capacity. Nevertheless, the 5H-X has been used to great affect by elite pirate hunters and by a select few Mechwarrior aces during the Marian campaign. During the Marian war, such 5H-X Marauders were used in what amount to terror tactics, as not only is it armed like a LosTech nightmare (the dual barrel torso gun playing a role in the image) but for the unique tactics made possible by its gravity drive aided jump jets.

One legendary example is where a lance of 5H-X Marauders laid a city scape ambush for an advancing force of mixed Marian battlemechs and armored vehicles, about three times their number at least. Whilst no force wants to be ambushed by a lance of Marauders of any sort, what made this event so spectacular was how Marian soldiers were struck dazed and confused as the Helghan Marauders scurried along a vertical skyscraper to snipe and bombard them from a high firing position. There were also some telling's that say that a few examples of a "highlander burials" were performed as well, though these are also mixed with tales of other phenomena that claim many laws of physics simply stopped working properly in the area.

Rumors persist of a retrofit called the "X2" that removed the jump jets and replaced the heat problematic ER Helghan Lasers with what is only referred to as "Bombast units".

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(Author's Note: I'm hoping to make our MAD-6H be a derivative of the Davion 5D Marauder when our spies find out about it's existence in the future, and perhaps more importantly when our Pulse Lasers stop being Primitive / Prototypes)

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