MechWarrior 5: After the Republic

[Luke Lavin]

In the 31st century the field of combat is dominated by nine meter tall engine of destructions. The Battlemech, one is equal in destructive potential to a regiment of infantry, huge weapon systems, tons of armor, on a platform capable of moving upwards of 80 kph.  The battlefield has been ruled by these metal beasts since the 26th century, through out history they have been pivortal in shapeing the Inner Sphere. A roush sphere of civilized space spanning ten of shousands stars and hundreds of thousands planets.  The Inner Sphere was once united by the Star League, the best government man kind had known, until in 2797, Stefan Ameris, the Usurper assinated First Lord Cameron and slaughtered his entire family.  Plunging mankind in the worst age of wars since the Dark Ages, decades worth of technology was lost in the following war.  

The Starleague was shattered and with the verge of total war breaking out General Aleksander Kerensky the Commander and Chief of the Star League Defense Force rallied his armies and exodused from the Inner Sphere to beyond known space, to save mankind from itself.  But the five Successor States, the Lyran Commonweath, the Federated Suns, the Draconis Combine, and the Capellan Confederation still were left and each wanted the throne back for itself.  The bickering continued for almost four centuries, through four Succession Wars.  The union of the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth to form the super power, the Federated Commonwealth, the birth of the Free Rasalhague Republic that rebelled and won against the Draconis Combine splitting a third of the nation state off.  

First Prince Hanse Davion and Archon Melissa Steiner leaders of the Federated Commonwealth prospered with their supernation and had five children.  The first born, Victor Steiner-Davion, then Katherine Steiner Davion, Peter Steiner Davion, Yvonne Steiner Davion, and Arthur Steiner Davion.   Victor the heir of the biggest nation in history came into power early, the assination of his mother whom he and billions of people loved, and shortly after his father suffered a catastrophic heart attack and died in Victor's arms.  Katherine jealous of Victor and lustful for power, blamed Victor for the assination of their mother.  While Victor was innocent and did not face trial, public opion of him in the Lyran half of the Commonwealth suffered, and his sister succeeded the stats from the Commonwealth under the tense that tensions were to potent for Victor to reasonbly control. She set herself up as the new Archon and renamed the realm the Lyran Alliance and took the name of her grandmother Katrina, a famous Archon and mechwarrior.  She was the master mind behind Melissa's firey death.

Then in 3054 the Clans came, the genetic descendents of General Aleksander's SLDF.  The Clans were born when the SLDF could no londer survive in deep uncharted space and the few planets the settled on.  Nicholas Kerensky the engineer behind the Clans divided equally the remaining SLDF personnel into twenty Clans.  He also created the sacred gene pools and new breeding system, each new member of the clan was born of an iron womb geneticaly egineered from the pool of genes to be the most fearsome warriors ever...

(More to come, really)

[Luke Lavin]

The pushed all comers from the edge of space all the way to Tukayid a short 200 light years from Terra. (Tukayid is north of earth or "coreward")  Each Clan is lead by a Khan and SaKhan.  The Khans operate totaly independent of eachother and often inter clan fights break out.  The Khans meet every few years in a council of Khans lead by the IlKhan, not a leader or commander but a political leader that helps hold votes for Trials and decisions that affect all the clans. IlKhan Leo Showers, a Smoke Jaguar was the Khan that lead the invasion of the Inner Sphere, but rode with Clan Wolf most of the crusade.  He died over Rasalhague the capital of Free Rasalhague Republic, when the wolf Warship he was aboard took a hit to the bridge and was opened to the void.

The New IlKhan elected a Elric, a Warden, (Wardens believed the invasion was wrong, while the Crusaders believed the "Crusade" was right and jsut and the Clans wood bring civilization to the Inner Sphere.) that agreed to the Treaty of Tukayid.  Comstar the enigmic organization that ran interstellar communications revealed it's hidden army, the Com Guard, to combat Clans.   The also brokered a Trial that each Invading clan would battle a Com Guard Division on Tukayid, if the number of Clan wins outnumbered the Com Guard the clans had a free reign to continue onto to Terra.  But if they lost a fifeteen year truce would be put in effect. A near death sentence to the clans whose warriors were considered "old" after the age 30 and cycled back to the home world to let fresher warriors see combat.  

The Clans lost.  The Inner Sphere had 15 years to catch to the advanced Clans or loose everything. During that time the band of leaders managed to come together under a new Star League with 4 years left in the treaty.  Their goal was to do what only the Clans had done.  Annihilate an entire clan, their target the Smoke Jaguars the most powerful clan and the most rutheless. The Smoke Jaguars had used a Warship to wipe out a rioting city on a planet called Edo Bay in the Draconis Combine to bring the planet in order.  

A Smoke Jaguar defector named Trent defected to ROM the Comstar branch of inteligance and revealed the Exodus Road the path to the clan Home Cluster.  Task Force Bull Dog lead by Precentor Martial Fotch of Comstar and Victor Steiner Davion under a combined State unit worked to drive the Smoke Jaguars from the Inner Sphere while Task Force Serpent would go on a round about path through the edge of human space and beyond to hit the Smoke Jaguar home world Huntress, lead by Morgan Hasek Davion the Marshal of Arms for the Federated Commonwealth.

Both succeeded and the Smoke Jaguars were annihilated, their warriors executed for warcrimes or forced to renounce their culture or pledge alligance to the SLDF.  The capablilites to make war destroyed.  Then Victor went on to the birth place of the clans to Strana Metchy to combat the Clans on their own terms. Victor and his armies challenged the Clans to a Trail of Refusal over the whole invasion and showing surprsing resilence he won, after beheading the IlKhan with a katana that was a gift to him from Theodore Kurita.

[Luke Lavin]

Victor when he came back to the Inner Sphere, he was at the head of the largest army since the first SLDF.  All completely loyal to the man that had beat the Clans.  But things had changed since he had gone beyond the Inner Sphere, Yvonne his sister had abducted the Federated Commonwealth when Katrina manipulated public opinion against Yvonne.  Yvonne unsure what to do with a people that seemed to be bucking at her, gladly gave power to her sister Katrina when she offered.  Katrina quickly ordered Yvonne off planet and sent her to Tharkad the capital of the Lyran half of the reunited Commonwealth.  People were outraged the Katrina had stolen power, but she ground them down with an iron heel and manipulation of food and drugs. Victor without a home, was fired by Sun Tzu Liao the current First Lord and the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation.  Victor with no where else to go and no where to live took up residence with his lover Omi Kurita, daughter of the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, Theodore Kurita.  

Victor enjoyed the quiet peace of gardening in the Palace of Serene Serenity on Luthien the Combine Capital with Omi.  It was a short lived break.  

The Second Whitting Conference was held on Tharkad to elect a new First Lord, Archon Katrina hoped to become the new Lord, and almost had it when it to her turn she was nominated but didn't meet the majority vote, Comstar was the seventh voting member and broke tie breakers.  Precentor Martial victor of the Battle of Tukayid was getting old and chose Victor secretly to suceeded him and let his succossor cast the vote.  Vicotr voted no to Katrina becoming the new First Lord.  Theodore Kurita became the new First Lord of the Star League.

A first peace set in for a long time, but it would not last, unrest brewed in the Suns half of the Federated Commonwealth.  When Katrina abducted with the Lyran Alliance she had immortalized her Steiner heritage and troucned on her Davion heritage.  Davionists saw her as a Steiner tyrant that stole the thrown from her, and since Victor all but confirmed giving up his claim to the throne they rallied around his little brother Arthur Steiner Davion.  Who attened an academy on Robison the capital of the Draconis March the border of the Suns side of the Federated Commonwealth with the Darconis Combine.  The Combine and the FedSuns had been bitter enemies during the Succession Wars, with the peace of the Star League Tensions eased.  But in the Draconis March the word on everyone lips was prepare.  Prepare for the Dragon.  Ger ready for when the Dragon attacks.  

Arthur had been stirring up anti-Drac feelings to the boiling point under the influence of the March Lord James Sandoval.  Then in a speech that would have seperated him from the March and made his own place in history he was assinated.  Blown to little bits.  In a rage regiments all along the border jumped at the Draconis Combine. Not a full fledged war but a serious strike until the Dragon booted them back out.  

Victor blamed the death of Arthur on his sister Katrina and in a public annoucement stated that a tyrannical ruler with blood on her hands and a mad greed for power was unfit to rule.  He declared a war ro remove her from power and called for all who felt the stir of justice to join with him.  In a bloody civil war that ripped apart the Federated Commonwealth, Victor recalled his brother back from the monastic exile and rallied him to his cause.  With more and more support Victor ousted his sister and seperated the Federated Commonwealth stating, "It simply was never ment to be." He put his sister Yvonne back in power over the resurrected Federated Suns, and restored Peter to power over the Lyran Commonwealth.  But the war came with costs. billions were dead, thousands of planets decimated, the realms had been set back by more than a decade, and Omi Kurita was assinated half way into the war by Katrina as retribution to Victor for stopping her from attaining First Lord of the Star League.  Katrina was not publicy tried but exiled away, and in a surprsing turn of events Vlad Ward, Khan of the Wolf Clan, the only clan not held by Victor's Trial of Refusal because he abstained from the vote to accept the Trial, Vlad threatened Victor with war if did not release Katrina to him.  Victor feeling he had no right to bring war to the people of the Inner Sphere and Katrina disappeared into Clan Wolf.

[Scrasamax]

Truth be known, I played Battletech before I really got into Role playing. Yup, started off as a wargamer. I still have the books, and the tacklebox full of Ral Partha minis, some of 'em are worth a penny or two now since more than a few of them are the Unseen, mech designs that were copyright violations of Robotech mechs.

I really dropped out of the game after I realized that no matter how many supplements were produced, and how many new game books were created, nothing was going to change. No houses are going to fall, and it wont be long before the Jaguars make a return in some form or fashion.

What I am wondering is where you are going with this. I have run a few Mechwarrior campaigns, but there is a huge difference between table-top wargaming and roleplaying. Wargaming is about the machines, its about the tactics, the engagement, the kill, and the ultimate victory or defeat of an engagement. Roleplaying isnt confrontation based (between players, as opposed to between players, and the moderator) but instead focuses on people.

Is there going to be deviation from game canon, or are you just reciting the basic timeline and details for the benefit of the forum?

[Luke Lavin]

Well first im getting as much history down as I can so any non-MW's have some reference for the setting I'm creating. If you've read the new Dark Age books for MW the Republic of the Sphere is set up after the events of MechAssault which was the rise of the Word Of Blake.  During the Dark Age the HPG's fail.  The houses are written out of the story pretty much most of them sacrificed a fourth of their holdings to the Republic.  I'm not going to bring back the Jaguars, there's nothing left to bring back their dead.  

I don't really want to tell all that I have planned now.  But 'After the Republic' is taking place after the fall of Delvin Stone's Republic about five years after the latest Dark Age book.  Right now I'm getting down history for reference once I start the story.  Also I will add current mechs, but the story will probaly involve several of the older designs.

After the end of the FedCom civil war a period of relative peace settled onto the Inner Sphere.  That lasted for about twenty years, and ended with the rise of the Word of Blake. A splinter faction of Comstar, the Blakist believed in the orniginal teachings of Jeroma Blake the originator of Comstar.  

Before Comstar revealed it's technology and army in the Clan Wars it was a very mystical order.  Almost a religion, people that joined took on new names and  identies, earsing their old existance.  The Word of Blake seperated from Comstar when Primus Mori and Precentor Martial Fotch secularized the rulers of communication between the stars.  They declared Thomas Marik of the Free Worlds League their Primus in exile.  Slowly over the half century as the Inner Sphere fought with the clans and itself they gathered strength and power.  Operatives infiltraiting all the governments at the highest levels.

Then the Blakist launched their Jihad.  As with most cults when the Apocalypse doesn't come when you predict it, you make it happen.  The Blakist caused massive destruction eveywhere millions died, billions more were put in re-education camps that killed or brain washed the masses to their cause.  

It took the combined strength of all the realms to the put the Blakist down.  But when the Jihad had ended, the Blakist had done their work well.  The core of the Inner Sphere was shattered, each promise for peace seemed to end with billions dead.  A radical man Delvin Stone came up with the idea of mass disarment.   A call went out all across the Inner Sphere for militaries and houses to turn over their Battle Mechs and put away their weapons.  

Surprisingly it worked hundreds of thousands Battlemechs, armor, aerofighters, were scrapped or put into storage. Their was always a hardliner that held onto his mech but the group was a minute majority.  Except in the Draconis Combine where the Samurai like warriors just sheathed theit mech's but still hung onto them.  Delvin Stone united the core of the Inner Sphere, the worlds that had suffered the worst of the Blakist cruelty into the Republic of the Sphere under him as the Exarch.  A quasi democratic realm as large as any of the great houses.  For twelve sweet years the Inner Sphere knew peace.  

But nothing lasts forever, somehow, no one knows how or who or why. An organization disabled the network of HPG's the machines of communication in the Republic of the Sphere.  Old factions, simmering warhawks used this time to break free of the Republic.  First came Anastasia Kerensky a renegade Steel Wolf clanner from Archroyal.  She commandeered a cluster of pirates and wanna-be clanners in Prefecture 3 of the Republic and ran a flood of damage all across Prefecture 3 and even attacked Terra.  

There Tara Campbel Countess of Northwind and new Govener of Prefecture 3.  Tara used her forces from Northwind to track Anastia across Prefecture 3 to Terra and forced the  "&^%$@" from Terra to lick her wounds in hiding. Unfortunately wasn't able to capture her.  The first scan that the Republic was failing when Paladin Ezekiel Crow (a sort of Police Marhsal/Knight) defected. He sided against Terra not with Anastasia though, he hired a company of mercenaries that made things rough for Tara on Northwind but the Countess prevailed in that test.  

With the fall of the HPG's bandits and mercenaries run ranpents, corperations now unrestricted by Republic officials started producing battlemechs by scores and hundreds.

[Luke Lavin]

The second trial came when Jade Falcon threatened total war against the Lyrans or let them pass through Steiner terroirtory, unreported to supposedly chase down the renegade Steel Wolves, but the Jade Falcons diverted and cut into Prefecture IX carving into the former Isle of Sky to try to take a staging point for a strike at Terra.  

The plan almost worked, the Jade Falcons gobbled up worlds; Kimball 2, Marfik, La Bon, Glengarry, and finally hitting Skye.  Tara Campbell was asked by the current Exarch Rebburn to lead a force to combat the Kade Falcons using what little she had left and what ever forces she could recruit in Prefecture IX.  Tara was able to gather a mixed force from across the Prefecture under the banner of Forlorn Hope.  The Forlorn Hope gathered and met the Falcons on Skye and repulsed them.  But it wasn't over the worlds the Falcons had taken were still contested.

[Luke Lavin]

Got to catch up on the last book, so heres some tech:

Weapons:
Lasers come in a wide vareity from Small, Medium, and Large. Each with varying ranges.  Clan tech introduced extended range lasers that had almost a third again range of normal lasers.  Lasers also come in a rapid fire form called Pulse Lasers.  Lasers are megajoules of light energy confined into a tight beam.  

Small Laser: Does rather light damage to a mech but can fry a man and destroy a civillian car. 150 meter range. Wght: half ton. Almost no heat is put off.

Medium Laser: Does four times the damage of a Small Laser, can reach out to 300 meters. It weighs a full ton though and generates much more heat.

Large Laser: Does an incredible amount of damage and has a reach of a wopping 700 meters.  But the range and damage come at a price it weighs a full five tons, and creates a moderate heat release.

Extended Range Lasers or ER Lasers have a longer range and greater fire power but throw off twice the heat of normal heat, but the Clan tech that helped design them devised ways of making them lighters.  

ER Small Laser: Does more damage than the small laser but still only does relatively little damage. It can reach 200 meters, weighs only a ton. It kicks off a little more heat.  

ER Medium Laser: Does twice amount of damage of regualer med laser, it also reaches 400 meters. It still weighs a ton, and kicks off more heat.

ER Large Laser: The real improvement for ER lasers was made here.  large Lasers do twice the amount of damage as a regular large laser. Reaches 800 meters and weighs only four tons.  It kicks off twice as much heat thouhg as the Large Laser.  

Pulse lasers come in ER and normal variants. S=Small, M=Medium, L=Large

SPulseLaser: The nearest likeness to a laser machine gun, has a very fast rate of fire but very ineffective against battlemech armor.  Good anti-infantry weapon but to weak to be used effectively against mechs.  Weighs 1 ton and repeated use builds up heat.

MPulseLaser: A heavier variant that does good damage and had a high rate of fire still. Weighs two tons and repeated use can cause overheating.  

LPulseLaser: The heaviest laser system avaivble to a MechWarrior, does the same amount of damage as a large laser and same heat output pershot. With three times shorter faster fire rate, but it comes at a cost the weapon system weighs seven tons.

ERSPulseLaser: The only differnce is a slighty increased damage output at the cost of rate of fire, it weighs 1.5 tons though.

ERMPulseLaser: A powerful laser set that has enhanced damage and better rate of fire at the sacrifice of heat output.  It weighs only two tons.

ERLPulseLaser: A large weapon that dose large amounts of damage and fast rate of fire that can carve up a Battlemech.  Weighs six tons but is one of the hottest running weapons avaible.

Another type of energy weapon is the Particle Projection Cannon (PPC). It launches a blast of ionized energy that does incredible heat damage and builds high kinetic force.  Most people call it man-made lightining.  

PPC: A seven ton weapon that has a range of 750 meters and does third again damage as the large laser.  It throws a lower ration of heat for the damage done, it is a favored mech killing weapon.  

ER PPC: A six ton Clan variant that reaches 900 meters and does almost twice the damage of the normal PPC.  But at the cost of heat, it is the hottest weapon avaible and the discharge can spike engine temperature by a thousand kelvin.  

Note: ER weapons are hard to come by.  Their avaible only on salavaged clan gear, though the Inner Sphere(has copies of it. The IS cousin is not as effective and cause

[Luke Lavin]

Weapons Continued:
Missles:

Battlemechs carry missle launchers in packs that can fire multiple warheads at once.  The come in Short Range(SRM), Medium Range(MRM), and Long Range (LRM).

SRMs have a maxium range of 250 meters but carry huge warheads and advanced tracking systems.  They are fire and forget, instant target lock on systems that are very acurate.  They aslo come in a streak variants that are guarenteeded hit only a second lock. They come in 2 (2tons), 4(3 tons), and 6(4tons) launcher packs, with reloading tubes, and ammo dumps.  They high power, and high tracking ability, come at the cost of range.  

MRMs are straight fire missles that fly 400meters their maxium range. No targeting equipement left room for larger warheads and extended fuel cell.  It does moderate damage but it launches large flights of missles, in 10(5tons), 20(8tons), 30(13tons), and 40(18tons) pack launchers.

LRMs are lock on weapons that take a few seconds straight lock to lock but the target lock remains after it leaves your sights and with a spotter they can be fired out of line of sight.  LRMs have small warheads but the longest range, a 1000 meters, and come in packs of 5(2tons), 10(3.5tons), 15(4.5 tons), 20(6tons).

[Luke Lavin]

Weapons Continued:
Ballistics

Autocannons are very potent weapons for a mech, and come in three variants standerd(AC), Ultra(UAC), Rotary(RO), and LB-X.  The standered auto cannon fires 30mm, 60mm, 80mm, and 12cm rounds that are tipped in uranium giving them the punching, and explosive force to shatter the thick layers of mech armor.  Ultra autocannons fire two round for every one round a standerd auto cannon fires.  LB-X autocannons fire a scatter round shot that has limited range but the round contains hundreds of submunitions that spread out weaking at maxium range, but deadly up close. Rotary fires shells in a chain like a machine gun burst but longer burst lead to more jances of jamming.

RO/UAC/AC-2: The 30mm round cannon that can strike out to 900 meters. Have huge dumps of ammo, it does light damage but 30mm shells are nothing to laugh at. 6 tons.

RO/UAC/AC-5: Fires 60mm shells that have a reach of 750 meters.  Has a smaller dump of ammo but increased damage. 8 tons.

RO/UAC/AC-10: Fires 80mm shells they can reach out and mess someone's day up from 600 meters.  Heavy damage that can mangle light and medium mechs.

RO/UAC/AC-20 The 12 centimeter cannon is the bain of every mech warrior, a cumbersome weapon but has incredible damage ability.  It weighs 20 tons, only Assault class mechs can carry it becuase only they have the mymor fiber strength to wield it.  450 meter range.

LB-X 15: A shot gun like cannon that packs a 8 centimetet round full of submunitions.  That cause heavy damage up close but lower damage the longer the range.  600 meter range. 12 tons.

LB-X 20: A larger variant with 10 centimeter rounds.  350 meter range.  18 tons.  


Gauss Rifles are a unique weapon that uses magnetic rails to accelerate Nikcle Ferrous Slugs to hypersonic speeds that buid up insane amoutns of kinetic enegy, with a limtied heat output but long cycle time.

Light Gauss Rifle: A long range weapon that has a range of 1200 meters. It is the favored weapon of sniper style MechWarriors. It weighs 13 tons though, and has a limited ammunition supply.  

Gauss Rifle: The standered version, does heavy damage, has a range of 800 meters, weighs 14 tons.  

Heavy Guass Rifle:  Does massive damage and has incredible kinetic power, but very limited ammunition.  Has a 600 meter range, but weighs 18 tons, and a down time of a full minute.

[Luke Lavin]

The Battlemechs are lord of the battlfields standing on average nine meters high, almost three stories.  Cast from Titanium or endorsteel bones that support the huge weight they carry.  Mymor fiber artificial muscles allow for movement and steady control.  A gyroscope to  stabilize the beast that is connected through a neuro helmet to the MechWarrior to use the pilot's own sense of balance to balance the mech.  Clothed in sheets and cerramics of Ferro Fibrous armor that wards them against the destructive weapons of eachother, effectively.  And capable of carrying a vast array weapons that makes the most modern infantry brigade look pathetic.  

Battlemechs come in four classes that are divided by weight. Light mechs weigh 20-35 tons and fill scout and recon rolls. Medium mechs 40-55 tons, all around mechs that perform any nature of tasks, scouting, fighting, support, recon, or defense.  Heavy class mechs, 60-75 tons, the big boys, the heavies are the front line fighters. The most common and the most versatile. A blend of good armor, speed, and heavy weapons makes for a potent task force.  The assault class mechs are the lords of destruction, 80-100 tons. The kings of the battlefield carrys the biggest weapon systems, the thickest armor, and are the most fierce, at a cost of speed. But the ability to destroy any other mech in a matter of seconds is a powerful tool.

Then the Clans introduced the Omni-mech, stronger, faster, and held one very powerful strategic advantage over Battlemechs.  Ominmechs had omni pod type weapon slots that allowed for mission, and field custimization to the task.  It allowed a single Mech to use a long range load out in one mission then in a mobile field base, swap out for closer up confrontation that gave a distinct strategic advantage of Battlemechs.  

Battlemechs:

Daishi: First appeared during the Clan Wars in the Draconis Combine, a 100 ton Omnimech behemoth. Daishi means "Great Death", the name stuck.  The Daish sports two huge weapon vibrances in it's arms.  The standard load out is two ERLLasers, a UAC-5, 2 ERMPulseLasers in each arm and a LRM 15 pack on the left shoulder.  18 tons of armor, and had a max speed of 51 kph. The Daishi also has omni weapon ports that allows for a vast amount of custimization. Backcanted legs, bird like.
Pic: http://rjf.realnet.ru/mechwarrior4_screen006.jpg

[Luke Lavin]

For the story any mech is avaible if you need any ideas try fan sites, or official game site for mechwarrior4, or mechwarrior4: mercenaries.

[Scrasamax]

The Main Battlemech
The main battlemech generally ranges from 50 to 75 tons, and is characterized by substancial armor as a wide array of weapons to handle multiple threats, especially diverse in nature. The WHM-6R Warhammer, formerly widely availible in the Inner Sphere, having been produced at no fewer than 12 different factories is a prime example of the MBM. It carries good armor, as well as a pair of mech killing PPCs. A six tube SRM launcher, a bevy of medium lasers and a pair of mahcine guns offer substancial firepower to use against low flying aircraft, vehicles, and infantry who would attack the 70 ton war machine.  Somewhat smaller, the CN9-A Centurion fills a similar role at the 50 ton end of the spectrum. Armed with a heavy (AC-10) autocannon, and LRM-10 launcher, and medium lasers it is capable of handling a variety of combat roles.

The Mech Destroyer
Opposed to the main battle mech, the mech destroyer is a 50 to 75 ton machine with emphasis on speed, and firepower. It is not intended to e bogged down into close combat with ground troops, it is intended to hunt down enemy mechs and destroy them quickly. The MAD-3R Marauder, a 75 ton mech with twin PPCs, a light autocannon (AC-5) is a prime example. The mahine has an exemplary history of being a headhunter mech.

[Luke Lavin]

From here on out the rest of the short span of events that I'm going to cover are my designs away from the series.  

Currently:
The problem with mass disarment is that not everyone dissarms.  While the Steiners and Davions had dissarmed with the Republic. The Combine had only sent it's warriors home but did not disposses them of their Battlemechs.  The Free Worlds League a major arms distributor was bankrupt, and sunk into a period of economic depression and anachry.  That peaked when one of the many factious parties put a Warship in orbit over the capital Marik and the cities off the face of planet.  A spark to the keg of gunpowder. The League sunk into a four year civil war that ended up with it shattered into 21 very nationalistic nation states.  The League is dead, the vast diversity of it finally caught up.  Planetary, and racial prejudices put up fire walls between the micro realms.  17 are lead by military dictators, one by a oligarchy of influential families, and three by cooperations.  

The Draconis combine used the state of weakness in the Republic and the Clanner problems that plagured it to sieze back it's holdings.  Lyran and FedSun scars and wounds reopened.  The Republic was literally ripped apart.  Finally Clan Wolf, Jade Falcon, and newly returned to the Crusader faction the Ghost Bears. To start to finish what IlKhan Leo Showers started, the capture of Terra and the final declaration of who would IlClan.  But the Wolves and Bears have to play catch up to the Jade Falcon task force already in the Republic, and standing between them and Terra is a the little eight world Free Rasalhague Republic that is little more than the remants of a ComGuard armed camp.  The Jade Falcons hold a mild advantage but the rest of the Clan lead by Jana Pryde has to carve through the Lyran Commonwealth to reach their little six world occupation zone in the Republic of the Sphere.

Leaders:
Jana Pryde, Khan of the Jade Falcons: A rather radical Khan that ephazizes the abandonment of tradition, and keeping those that only further the cause of the Clan.

Beckett Malthus: Galaxy Commander of task force remains occupying the six Republic of the Sphere worlds.

Jasek Kelswa: General of the StormHammers, oringinaly the protectors of Prefecture IX and the Isle of Skye, before defecting to the Steiners.
Katana Tormark: Ex-Duchess of Northwind, and ex-govenor of Prefecture 3  before defecting back to the Draconis Combine.

Tara Campbell: Counterss of Northwind, and govenor of Prefecture 3, savior of Terra, protector of Skye.  MIA (Missing in Action)

Kate Steiner Davion Ward: Daughter of Vlad Ward and Katrina Steiner Davion, Khan of the Wolves.  Being freeborm it was nrealy impossible for her to ascend the ranks, especially since the incident of Phelan Kell during the first Clan war. But an artist at politics and the devil of strategy, what she couldn't kill she used political manipulation to ruin him/her.

Horito Matasama: The Dragon of the Combine, the Coordinator.  He ascended to the throne after the death of Hohiro Kurita who had no heir, and Minouru who had died of assination long ago. Some suspect the ways he rose to the throne. But he is a conservative Drac and many favor his return to the old ways.  Very nationlistic and a return to vert strict control of media. Ignorant people are blissful people.

James Sandoval Davion: Son of Yvonne Steiner Davion, who removed the Steiner part of her name and gave up and claim to the throne and any claims of her children, and Tancred Snadoval.  A very passionate leader and compassionate for his people but many of his advisors are glory hawks of the old Federated Commonwealth.  James is a puppet of his advisors, who are many and stay out of the public eye.

Exarch Andrew Redburn: Leader of the failing Republic of the Sphere.  Corrupt, cynical, and senile of the Inner Sphere. He worked for peace all his life, and now that his life's work has been chewed up and spit out all he wants to do now is taking as many Clanners, Lyrans, Fedrats, Dracs, and Liaos down with him.

Marduke Liao: Son of Sun Tzu Liao and a nameless mother that died when he was born and never mentioned again. He is the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, and has inherited his grandfather's, Maximillion Liao, madness.

Terms:

Freebirth: A reference to natural born caste members in the clan.  Considered a curse word.

Trueborn: Reference to geneticaly egineered warriors of the clan, who consider themselves a superior race to freeborns.

Fedrat: Insulting term for a Federated Suns citizen.

Drac:    "    Draconis Combine    "

[Luke Lavin]

Mechs:

Gyrfalcon: Newer Clan Jade Falcon design medium Battlemech that weighs 55 tons. Carrries a UAC-5, two ERLarge Lasers, also equiped with jump jets that allows it to leap as high as 200 meters into the air. Bipedal, has a large engine that can reach 100 kph. Very heat efficient, with clan double heat sink technology, has lighter armor than most medium mechs though.


Shrike: Also a newer Falcon assault design, weighs 95 tons. Mounts a pair UAC-10's in the right arm, two 6-pack Streak SRM's in the chest, and a duet of ERPPC's nestled below the falcon head like cockpit and embedded partialy in the shoulders. Carries five jump jets but limited jump capacight with the heavy weight.  It's left arm ends in an Endo Titanium claw that can shred armor.  Is defended with an average amount of armor for an assualt mech.  Back canted bird-like legs, not very fast top speed is 57 kph.


Griffin: Brand new heavy Lyran Battlemech weighs 70 tons.  Mounts a PPC in each arm, a left shoulder mounted 6-pack SRM.  Mounts a SRM 2-pack on the left and right torso. Carries heavier armor, a large cockpit that affords the pilot a wide view.   Can move at 79 kph. Has larger ammo bins for SRM ammo, affords longer survival rate in drawn out fights. Bipedal.  

Ryoken II Inner Sphere design of the Clan Storm Crow (Ryoken), weighs 75 tons. Mounts an ERPPC in each arm, has a bank of four machine gun arrays mounted around the cockpit fusalage. Also mounts a pod of LRM-20's in left and right shoulder torso.

Any mech from the games up to MW4: Mercenaries, or from the books is ok to use.

[Luke Lavin]

Supernova: A ninety ton older clan behemoth oringinaly designed by clan Nova Cat.  This mech carries 22 double heat sinks, that backs up it's six ER Large Lasers.  It carries jump jets that allow short seventy meter hops.  It is cloaked in 17 tons of armor.  This beast also stands twelve meters tall.  It looks like a fighter fusalage mated to thick back canted legs.  It's six lasers are mounted in each arm, a trio per arm.  Max speed 48 kph

Uller: A common clan scout mech that weighs thirty tons. It is armed with one ERMed Laser, ERlarge laser, and two LRM-10 pods. It moves at 120 kph but has very light armor.  

Jupiter: A one hundred ton Inner Sphere assasult mech, it has a combo of four UAC-2 autocannons, two PPCs, and four MedPulse Lasers.  It has good speed, 60kph.  At the sacrifice of armor, it carries only as much armor as a heavy mech.  

MadCat Mk II  The ninety five ton version of the oringinal MadCat. A clan design never put into implement, a shipment of them was captured by an Inner Sphere warship during the clan war.  Over time the Inner Sphere learned from the Clans and produced a version that was almost as good as the Clan.  Several of the oringinal clan copy though found their into Lyran hands, as a Lyran warship cauht the clan shipment. It mounts a guass rifle in each arm, as bank of four ERMedLasers in the center torso, right and left torso. AS well as keeping with the two boxes of missle packs, it mounts two LRM-10s insteand of LRM-20s though. It has lighter armor but it makes up for that in speed, 81 kph, and a large array of jump jets that allow 250 meter hops.

[Luke Lavin]

M1 Marksman Tanks: Mainbattle tanks that weigh sixty-five tons, but brandish one heavy gauss rifle eacha and a pair of SRM-4's.  They have large rectangular bases with a large turrent, known to run right over infantry. Slower speed but they have the armor of a mech with likeness to their own weight.  

Joust Tanks: Light manuverable hover tanks that mounts a rack of LRM's, three extended range medium pulse lasers, and a large laser. Support fire tanks that usually flank mechs to help defend against Elementals, and Innersphere copies of the Clan toads.

Elemental: Valued super soldier of the Clan warmachine.  These genicaly bread soldiers stand 2.5 meters tall with out their armor. With their armor they are mech killing savages.  Armed with an ER Small Laser, a heavy machine gun, and a SRM 2, also they mount an Endo-steel claw that cuts mech armor like butter. Armor that can stand up to blasts from a mech sized weapon, and jump jets that allows them to leap onto mechs.  These super soldiers were the terror of mech warriors and soft shell infantry alike, nicknamed toads by Mechwarriors for the graceful way the can leap across the battle field.  

Cavaliers: Slightly smaller than Elementals these knightlike troops carry SRM-2s like their Clan cousins and mount a flamer or laser but lack the amazing longevity of Elementals.  They carry jumppacks instead of internly mounted jump jets that gives them move ability in the air and limited flight.  

Fenrir:  Newer armored infantry suit developed by the New Avalon Institute of science, developed squat four legged armored troops that soprted medium class lasers and armor tough as Elementals.  They lack jump jets and SRMs but are rebidly fast.  

Challenger X MBT (Main Battle Tank): A ferrocious ninrty ton behemoth tank that has thick armor hide and many mech killing weapons: 12 centiemeter autocannon, LRM racks, large pulse lasers. Slow but deadly in an urban enviorment.  

SM1 Tank Destroyer:  A smaller varaint of the Challenger X MBT that mounts a twelve centimeter autocannon.  Unlike it's tracked brother though it is a hover craft that quick and agile with moderate armor, and incredible stopping power.  Designed as a counter to the main battle tank.

LRM/SRM Carrier: A tracked tank that mounts three LRM-20 launchers instead of a turrent.  Also come in a SRM variant that mounts three SRM-6 launches.  Light armor and slow but pack a punch from long range.  Converted to SRM mode they can lie powered down for mechs or other targets to get into range then unleash a hail of high explosive homing missles.