One Rabid Fox changes the Succession Wars [A Battletech Isekai]

[Bofors40mm]

shouldn't the cataphract have no missile and 11 tons of armor? what's the difference in the build from the canon one?

 

[Imperator Pax]

shouldn't the cataphract have no missile and 11 tons of armor? what's the difference in the build from the canon one?

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From my pdf the thing Justin is in now should have 2 ac 5s 1 large laser in the chest an lrm 5 no jump jets,
2 tons of ammo 14 heat sinks 192 pips so 12 tons I will say this is supposed to be an interim design.

 

[Bofors40mm]

2 tons of ammo isn't that bad on the ammo front for AC-5s.
albeit AC-5s are the most meh weapon in battletech.

 

[HunterxReader]

Sakhara 2.2

Click to shrink...

​

The Cataphract as a training mech, cool. Makes Henry seems insightful for its versatility and allows the mech to prove its worth before it's been field tested.

Yeah, the LRM-5 seems ill-fitting for the Cataphract. It has range and can be useful for indirect fire, but for a heavy mech its damage seems anemic. A Blackjack in a scout lance, lol. Considering this is pre-Xhosa VII, I'm surprised the pilot hasn't traded it in for a Valkyrie. The cadets have learned to move as unit, that's good. Their bouts against the Rabid Foxes are clearly working and more asskickings lessons would be to their benefit. Not so much for their ego and sanity, but alas, that's the price of glory!​

 

[Bofors40mm]

another design using decently common parts thats mostly also stuff that's made in the suns to make a scary 80 ton assault mech that's decently flexible.

Spoiler: Alecto ALC-2T

Alecto ALC-2T
Mass: 80 tons
Chassis: Federated Chassis Type 11
Power Plant: Pitban 240 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Valiant Lamellor
Armament:
1 Hellstar PPC
3 Martel Medium Lasers
1 Defiance 'Mech Hunter AC/20
2 Holly V LRM 5s
Communication System: Dalban Micronics
Targeting & Tracking System: Dalban HiRez
Introduction Year: 3020
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-E-D-D
Cost: 7,044,840 C-bills
Role: Juggernaut/Brawler

Type: Alecto
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Introductory)
Tonnage: 80
Battle Value: 1,725

Equipment		Mass
Internal Structure		8
Engine	240 Fusion	11.5
Walking MP:	3
Running MP:	5
Jumping MP:	3
Heat Sink:	15	5
Gyro:		3
Cockpit:		3
Armor Factor:	247	15.5

	Internal Structure	Armor Value
Head	3	9
Center Torso	25	38
Center Torso (rear)		12
R/L Torso	17	26
R/L Torso (rear)		8
R/L Arm	13	26
R/L Leg	17	34

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand
Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Weapons and Ammo	Location	Critical	Tonnage
Heat Sink	LL	1	1
Jump Jet	LL	1	1
Heat Sink	CT	1	1
Jump Jet	CT	1	1
AC/20 Ammo (10)	RT	2	2
AC/20	RT	10	14
PPC	LA	3	7
2 Heat Sink	LT	2	2
LRM 5 Ammo (24)	LT	1	1
3 Medium Laser	LT	3	3
2 LRM 5	LT	2	4
Heat Sink	RL	1	1
Jump Jet	RL	1	1
Heat Sink	HD	1	1

Quirks:
Command Mech
Improved Communications

A 3/5/3 assault mech design that straddles the line between juggernaut and brawer. Its able to accompany stuff like the atlas, highlander, and stalker comfortably at the frontlines or as a example be a scary as heck bodyguard to awesomes and longbow while in both cases decently adding to the long range firepower of either group with the armor of a thug. And much like the Thug or Battlemaster on its PPC arm it has a hand . Its solid armor and excellent crit padding to mean its most likely returning home and probably just needing its armor patched up and ammo restocked at least during a combat operation. And its quirks make it a reasonably solid command assault mech option especially for its price.

 

[Wargamer08]

Boo Medium Lasers, while taking off ammo weapons and adding MLs is almost always the correct choice it is also the most boring choice. Pretty much every introtech mech is made better by dropping ACs and LRM 10s and adding MLs, when you get to DHs it gets even worse.

Every mech ends up looking the same, it's Black Knight clones with the occasional Gauss Rifle.

 

[BlueRanger O-Doom]

So this cataphract is the Davion canon prototype. It's the 4X on Sarna I think. As far as Introtech refits go it generally always comes down to dropping a weapon to add some combination of armor/heatsinks/ammo. Introtech always felt way easier that way.

If you don't use MLs for this Cataphract then maybe something to deal with infantry like a couple MGs with one ton of ammo. Put the saved weight into armor?

 

[PeaceMaker03]

I like the idea of dropping the LRM5 for ML, it makes for a Blackjack that has grown up. Need a name change to go with "BlackJack".

 

[Imperator Pax]

I like the idea of dropping the LRM5 for ML, it makes for a Blackjack that has grown up. Need a name change to go with "BlackJack".

Click to shrink...

Pershing

/I kid.

 

[PeaceMaker03]

Better than my idea, "Black Jack and Hookers", although knowing soldiers warped minds. I could see "Hooker" being an unofficial name for the mech.
As some might see it as a baseborn mech since the BJ- series is not well thought of in the original story line.

 

[Blasterbot]

I like the idea of dropping the LRM5 for ML, it makes for a Blackjack that has grown up. Need a name change to go with "BlackJack".

Click to shrink...

Change the ending bit to a BJ? Otherwise have it colloquially known as the Hold'em variant to reference a different card game.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Better than my idea, "Black Jack and Hookers", although knowing soldiers warped minds. I could see "Hooker" being an unofficial name for the mech.
As some might see it as a baseborn mech since the BJ- series is not well thought of in the original story line.

Click to shrink...

Well I'm honestly surprised, or I guess not that there isn't a Hooker 'mech, dropship, warship,or tank

Since Lee, Zhukov, I think Grant has one, I think Longstreet even though its very nice is fanon,

does sherman have one, there is patton and rommel

Frankly I don't think we should count Agamemnon for this.... but there is Potemkin theoretically Caspar probably refers to Weinberg, Mercer may refer to the General in the revolutionary war, Seydlitz...

 

[Imperator Pax]

Sakhara 2.3​

Bard had run into the problem of being stuck between two machines. Worse, both of them had out massed his wolverine. Then of course while Justin had been running low on ammunition, he hadn't yet been out of ammo. On Bard's other side Lex's Orion had been coming as well... and of course she still had ammunition for her auto cannon and her short range missiles.

That would have been reckless to begin with even without accounting for his lance already being down a man. To that extent the cadets had acquitted themselves well. It was a win, and regardless of whether the enemy's mistakes played into it it was a win.

Well, Bard getting himself caught in the open like that between two heavier mechs wasn't the cause of the exercise loss.

... there were a lot of factors. No single fatal error but a confluence of many missteps, and luck and if he were honest.

"I would remark," Field Marshal Davion began, "That this exercise better reflects the norms of modern combat. Not necessarily the Combine, but the more typical unit engagements of battle." The Combine were, the combine had a preference for turning battles into one on one mech duels when their enemies would agree to such.

"Mmm," He replied scribbling on the back of a sheet of paper that he'd been taking notes on the exercise. The mention of the 280 to Bard had lead into a conversation about the warhammer... and while it hadn't come up the Warhammer had emerged out of the indigenous Davion heavy mech designs. Henry looked up, "That might be, but I think they could do with some further combined arms practice. Realistically outside of very small engagements mechs should operate in conjunction with support from the other combat arms."

He chose not to mention to it, but his Robinson Assault Cluster when fully kitted out with its complete 'mech arrangement would follow this. That was planned, and the initial 'Mech Binary would be Solahma troops probably with Star League era Heavy and Assault 'Mechs maybe not even properly lost Tech models, but regardless the RAC was a massing of vehicles that when added to his existing battle company provided a large combined arms capability. He really appreciated that Hells Horse actually did proper combined arms with infantry supporting doctrine for vehicles.

It wasn't intended as a boast, but the Vice Chancellor hardly willing to let a potential opportunity get by him immediately attempted to leverage the statement.

"The Cluster, Assault Cluster?"

There was a minor round of exchange over what the proper short hand for the unit of armor was, but ultimately the idea went no where. At least it wasn't going anywhere yet. There would need to be further drills with the cadets, and more importantly there needed to be after action debriefs on what had happened.

For that he needed to see the class of cadets, and the Rangers needed to run their own debrief. He exchanged pleasantries with the gunnery instructor, who should have technically been supervising one of the other classes at this point, but given the Robinson's Rangers presence he suspected that class had either been cancelled or postponed for the day. He wanted to of course borrow the 4X, what it would have been called in canon, for Cadet training on the range but since it was a private mech he needed permission.

It had probably gotten around that the 280 engined machine, which in addition to carrying less ammo on account of the larger engine was likely to be Justin Allard's full time machine. That was the next thing on the list to do was to check and see how things were on the Cataphract... and he wasn't really surprised that Justin's first complain was the LRM 5 and its utility. "I'm aware, and yes in practice that proved rather obvious," He replied shaking his head. "The Grasshopper mounts an LRM 5 in a similar configuration, and yes. It provides some utility, but with the way you pilot Justin it may be extraneous." It might even be a liability. Supposedly Grasshopper pilots wouldn't bother refilling their ammo bin during deployments to minimize the risk of internal ammunition explosions. "If you would like I can have a tech pull it. Fit it with alternate equipment." The truth was there were going to be trade offs Medium Lasers would run the machine warm if the machine wasn't standing still, and well jump jets wouldn't meaningfully effect the heat curve.

If Justin hadn't been so naturally talented towards Auto Cannons it might have been easier, and of course if there were lost tech or 'future' tech auto cannons he could justify it would be different. "What about the next excercise are we fighting the cluster?"

"I doubt it. The Chancellor just shot down Colonel Coleridge's attempt at bringing them into the rotation... and that is a bit much. Even just the Heavy Trinary you've been participating with is a significant amount of metal. Deploying them with you or against you, we're not going to do it yet, I won't say that it won't happen, but I'd expect it to be next semester. In the meant time until you make a decision about the LRM 5 you should continue to practice with it, while its on the machine." He made the circle around the others in the class.

Don Juan had done alright. He had made something akin to the mistake that Bard had ultimately made in that he'd launched a direct attack on an enemy lance leader only to get encircled. That was the problem it was emblematic of mech unit leaders he supposed is that one horseman went after another in a sort of tunnel vision or target fixation state. In the real world that would be dangerous, and potentially fatal.

There were others who he needed to ask, but also he would need to review the roms of the simulated battle from the advantage of an outside observer... and potentially for each individual pilot to dissect what had gone right, and what hadn't.
--
Henry glared at the digital display. The angry red clock numbers telling him it was 1:11... he rolled over. Then a few minutes later rolled back... 1:17. Fuck.

There was a minute of grumbling and he sat up. The essence interface updated at midnight, which didn't really matter the basic 25 BV while not something he was going to waste wasn't going to make all that much of a difference either. He swung off the bed and stood up walking forward mentally manipulating the database.

The conversation about the trinary and what a trinary constituted was bugging him. In the top of his 'screen' was total balances, but it delineated into different accounts holding values of c-bill. The davion account was actually being paid in D-Bills but the interface automatically converted those to their value in C-Bills giving a uniform currency value.

He had felt really clever, gratified working out the math needed to buy F 77 fighters and recycle them to get the resources to build factories but the morningstars were a more effective solution. He didn't want to start operating his own HPG sub network though. That wasn't something he wanted to get caught having because he was sure that if it did get out it wouldn't take long before someone showed up to start throwing nukes... and

... and that would be bad was an understatement.

He sighed and flipped on the coffee pot. Some sweetened condensed milk and hot water later and he was sitting at a table. Leaving Sakhara was inevitable, but he had gotten used to being here... he'd settled in, but the people hwas used to were also going to be moving off soon... and in theory he was working towards graduation as well... even though he had a land hold... and now a military force of his own growing.

The New Avalon Institute of Science was due to open up this year. A big inaugural event... he drank down the coffee and ignoring curfew wandered down to the mech bay. He wasn't really surprised Justin was staring at a terminal in front of the Cataphract.

He helped himself to as second not so fancy cup of coffee and deposited another, "So what are you thinking?" He asked the older MechWarrior now that he'd pulled himself back into his skin.

"I mean... the RCT will be on Spica."

"And realistically a new base means that the Capellans will probably try and attack." He remarked, and for a moment his mind flitted to the thought of Thunderbolt missiles, but, "Thats just a given. Don't ge me wrong I think that the Grasshopper is a good heavy battlemech," Did he think it was perfect no. "And I think it perhaps unduly influenced your cataphract version's load out." Justin's next tour of duty would put him beyond his ability to supply specialist ammo of any sort. "I'm going to be blunt from the sound of it House Hasek are a collection of entitled assholes," he stopped to sip his coffee, "They're inefficient and.... I don't know, never mind. Be careful is what I'm saying. Anyway I may be posting to Kathil in a year."

"Who's posted there?

There was apparently a shipyard at Kathil. "The James McKenna Shipyards of the old star league... or what's left of them." Whatever Field Marshal Davion's opinion of the sleaze bags of house Hasek was she still considered it important enough for the realm that Kathil... anf somewhat more grudgingly new syrtis proper that is was good enough for the FedSuns to consider bringing them up. "So I guess if that happens well... look I'll be going to New Avalon first, I'll talk to Ian and then I guess we'll work out my marching orders."
--
Notes: If you haven't checked out the junkyard, with regards to the cataphract. The cataphract are a sort of cavalry and thus well I think that as a name is appropriate for both Star League era troops or Hells Horse with variations, just as we will see other 70 tonners Longsword is a good name so there is that.

 

[Bofors40mm]

Pitty the Dragoon mech is associated with Amaris....that being said might be a good idea to "find" some of them, spads, and especially the mercury since well precursors to omni mechs that I'm sure the NAIS would love to look at . And maybe look into a slightly redesigned crossbow(aka 4 LRM-5s in place of the 2 10s for 2 more tons of armor and a Large Laser in place of the PPC for 2 more heatsinks) since well not quite as much of a ancestor its a solid fast heavy.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Pitty the Dragoon mech is associated with Amaris....that being said might be a good idea to "find" some of them, spads, and especially the mercury since well precursors to omni mechs that I'm sure the NAIS would love to look at . And maybe look into a slightly redesigned crossbow(aka 4 LRM-5s in place of the 2 10s for 2 more tons of armor and a Large Laser in place of the PPC for 2 more heatsinks) since well not quite as much of a ancestor its a solid fast heavy.

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Honestly the Dragoon is so forgotten i doubt anyone remembers it associated with Amaris or not.

And frankly I'm willing to to say that given its time frame, I dont see how Amaris had time to have the thing drafted from scratch as opposed to like the Screamer (? LAM) wasn't a case of putting a gun to the head of the corporate / engineers and screaming make me a mech

 

[Bofors40mm]

Yeah the Dragoon does make more sense as a SLDF Commissioned design that due to timing ended up mostly used by amaris Ala the Jackrabbit

 

[HunterxReader]

Hmmm, I'm surprised Henry isn't exempted from mandatory service considering his achievements and his position as a Duke. But if he is to be deployed, why not in the DC border considering it's closer? If it's to kill two birds with one stone (to make an assessment for repairs subtle) with the shipyards, wouldn't Layover be better considering it's in the DM and this is pre-RAT, so Kathil is closer to the Capellan Border and MHD is still in play? Though I suppose it would be giving the Draconis March too much support already, considering the planned shipyards and Corean lines.

 

[Bofors40mm]

Layover to be blunt is something the federal and/or march level government needs to force to be fixed not something Henry can make Salvatore Incorporated do. Mind you sort of surprised Panpour isn't on the list given how Challenge Systems is in dire need of help so much so that in otl it had to be temporarily nationalized and ceased production of Monoliths for over a decade till the Helm core and major federal and private investment enabled them to restart production and then some compared to the prior production rate

 

[HunterxReader]

Yeesh, I'm reading Salvatore's page just now and I don't know why they're too stubborn to accept support. I assume they fear outside control and they want to retain their influence and shares, but when you're as cut down as they are, you would think they would take the trade-off to be able to recover, which would help them in the long run anyway.

I think Kathil was chosen (And why I was mentioning Layover) because Yvonne needed the deployment as a cover for Henry's industrial support, and if you're going to let out the Rabid Fox, you might as well make good use of his deployment on a border. Though I suppose Panpour would work, they're in much worse shape, they could produce Jumpships, and it's on the Periphery border so there's less risk while still being able to be used as a deterrent against pirates and the TDF.

 

[Bofors40mm]

Honestly the thing I don't get about Salvatore is how apparently it took till the frickin Jihad for the Federal Government to force them to accept help and lease part of the facility to Kallon. It just doesn't make any sense it took that long. I mean seriously post 4th SW at the latest is when it makes sense since hanse would totally have the political influence and power to burn to do it

 

[Imperator Pax]

Hmmm, I'm surprised Henry isn't exempted from mandatory service considering his achievements and his position as a Duke. But if he is to be deployed, why not in the DC border considering it's closer? If it's to kill two birds with one stone (to make an assessment for repairs subtle) with the shipyards, wouldn't Layover be better considering it's in the DM and this is pre-RAT, so Kathil is closer to the Capellan Border and MHD is still in play? Though I suppose it would be giving the Draconis March too much support already, considering the planned shipyards and Corean lines.

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Henry isn't a duke yet, but that is part of the issue at stake. He's not exempted per se, but this is due to be addressed shortly is that Yvonne doesn't have the legal authority to insure Henry gets posted to Kathil (and Sandoval is about to go, uh excuse me no.) Now what will actually happen will be in the air in new avalon and Ian.

Layover to be blunt is something the federal and/or march level government needs to force to be fixed not something Henry can make Salvatore Incorporated do. Mind you sort of surprised Panpour isn't on the list given how Challenge Systems is in dire need of help so much so that in otl it had to be temporarily nationalized and ceased production of Monoliths for over a decade till the Helm core and major federal and private investment enabled them to restart production and then some compared to the prior production rate

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Man Challenge Systems is fucking weird. I mean if I were paranoid I would blame ComStar chicanery... like 3018 it gets privatized and then start getting shitty management and equipment breakages, what followed by a government bailout and everything else that happens... yeah

Yeesh, I'm reading Salvatore's page just now and I don't know why they're too stubborn to accept support. I assume they fear outside control and they want to retain their influence and shares, but when you're as cut down as they are, you would think they would take the trade-off to be able to recover, which would help them in the long run anyway.

I think Kathil was chosen (And why I was mentioning Layover) because Yvonne needed the deployment as a cover for Henry's industrial support, and if you're going to let out the Rabid Fox, you might as well make good use of his deployment on a border. Though I suppose Panpour would work, they're in much worse shape, they could produce Jumpships, and it's on the Periphery border so there's less risk while still being able to be used as a deterrent against pirates and the TDF.

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Fear of outside control is not unreasonable and Layover is as a result one of the things I can't at this stage see as justifying a federal intervention, unlike with Challenge (that is canonically subject to intervention)

Honestly the thing I don't get about Salvatore is how apparently it took till the frickin Jihad for the Federal Government to force them to accept help and lease part of the facility to Kallon. It just doesn't make any sense it took that long. I mean seriously post 4th SW at the latest is when it makes sense since hanse would totally have the political influence and power to burn to do it

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I agree with this. Salvatore seems to be pretty set on protecting its little fiefdom and baring ComStar subversion Layover would probably be subject to social pressure from the Duke of Robinson to lighten up and accept help...

But anyway we will be getting into the lovely arguments about this sort of thing in the near future.

 

[Bofors40mm]

Honestly Challenge Systems having problems is either comstar fuckery or equipment just aging out since replacements weren't available. Handily they due now to Henry a lot more available.
Also I'd take care in using clanner tech and terms openly since well...Wolf Dragoons are a thing and still on their recon mission.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Honestly Challenge Systems having problems is either comstar fuckery or equipment just aging out since replacements weren't available. Handily they due now to Henry a lot more available.
Also I'd take care in using clanner tech and terms openly since well...Wolf Dragoons are a thing and still on their recon mission.

Click to shrink...

Yeah the Dragoons are going to notice at some point, but that will be after (in several years chronologically) when the Combine attack Sakhara part of that is of course Henry isn't using a lot of Clan tech because he's not doing a lot of fighting, some of that is travel time. Some of that is also that the Dragoons are on the opposite side of the inner sphere. Like the teaser in the junkyard is at the earliest 3018 right now the Dragoons are more concerned with the marik-liao shit and to a lesser degree not yet having realized that they have a problem in ComStar but right now the Marik Civil war is only just recently over in the form that Marik has finished his show trials.

and of course travel times in BT are slow. Henry can speed this up to some degree because one of his things is JumpShips sufficient and willing to put enough Star Lords for a circuit in place. Jump, have a ship jump and it only take a couple weeks instead of a couple months but even so that doesn't do a lot of people any personal good.

And of course the Dragoons final orders will be coming up from Ward in terms of separating out compared to in other fics.

 

[Bofors40mm]

More Merchants, tramps, invaders, starlords, and Monoliths (and scouts and the assorted older designs) and the means to service and build them on a reliable basis will all dramatically help the fedsuns out in most aspects

 

[BlueRanger O-Doom]

Honestly I think half the reason Kathil was chosen is to not waste the MC's garrison/raiding force. With his Asssult Cluster and massively oversized ASF and Dropship complement it lets the Davion government get the yards there fixed while also guarding them with the same move.

Especially with how the MC is assuring Yvonne that he'll have more troops and jumpships on the way.

 

[Bofors40mm]

hmmmm could have the cluster cosplay as a reinforced assault battalion via attaching 3 more mechs to it. or if mimicking a SLDF reinforced battalion 19 mechs

 

[Imperator Pax]

Sakhara 2.4​

Alexandria looked down at the graded paper. They had eked out a win She should have been happy about that. They had defeated the OpFor which was in exercises something few classes managed in exercises... but she was still looking down at a lot of red ink.

"Hey, how's it going?" She didn't immediately respond to the inquiry, and the seat beside her slid out, and Clay sat down. "I was hoping to talk."

"What happened now?" She looked up.

He shook his head, but didn't deny that anything had or hadn't happened. It was no secret that he had been frequently in animated discussions with the Rangers, and the recent suggestion of the Vice Chancellor among other things left her concerned. "how are you on scheduling?"

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head holding up his hands, "I'm going to New Avalon with Field Marshal Davion," The director of MI2 under whom she would be serving out her compulsory service period... and presumably the branch of service she would serve in until she one day ascended to the rank of duchess in her own right.

She started to reply but there a commotion as more people started to filter into the cafeteria... a mass of her class mates were already talking with some of the others of their year about the exercise... and "We should stop them before a fight breaks out." She said suddenly standing up. Not that she was sure that was what was going to happen but given who all she could see in the crowd an argument was already brewing.

... that and she knew she could lean on her position as student council president and the responsibility to dodge the question until she had time to think. There was no surprise Justin was in the throng of noisy students. If anything their approach made the crowd get louder.

"As I've mentioned this is unlikely to effect students slated to graduate in the spring," The Rabid Fox replied with an attempt at a placating grin, "But there will be changes to the incoming cadet orientation program, and some of that will be based on reviving Star League era course programs." That was news to her, but she wasn't surprised it hadn't been mentioned, or that the academy would want to reintroduce anything that the SLDF would have done. "Admittedly for some of the students moving on to the cadre program after graduation you will see some of this on your assignments there, and there will be additions to the OPFOR course work with Robinson."

Historically these would eventually pass into becoming the basis for the eventual 'Sakhara reforms', even though in truth they were instituted at the RBA on Robinson at the same time, and Northwind followed suit the following year so really the program of adoption of training changes at military academies might well have been better referred to as the Draconis March Reforms, but the history books would call them the Sakhara Reforms.

That was still worlds better in Henry's opinions than the 'Rabid Fox's lessons' or something stupid like that.

His class was still pretty rowdy by that after noon as they ran through how they could have done things different or to identify where there had been opportunities and mistakes on both sides. They weren't going to immediately go into another exercise with the Robinson Rangers, but there was going to be a cooperative exercise alongside the rangers later in the month that they needed to prepare for.

There were a couple of rangers hanging around as the slower of the two cataphracts, what was canon's 4X was used for live fire gunnery practice by the cadets.

"You said something about New Avalon?" Alexandria questioned while most of the mass of cadets' attention was elsewhere.

He nodded. "Haakon has already departed for Mountain Wolf, but there are matters for New Avalon that require a personal meeting with Ian to address properly."

The reigning first prince was exceedingly informal among his friends and it wasn't the first time she'd heard the First Prince be called by his first name whether or not he was present or not. Indeed... it had been a little awkward at the time at the wedding of the first prince's brother, and the current heir, Hanse where the reigning monarch had been visibly drunk and dragging his most recent vassal around to introduce him to everyone... including her.

Henry's position at Sakhara stemmed from his ability, his abilities as a brutally capable mechwarrior... from the battles of Mallory's world and Hallstead station who's resolution had culminated in the destruction of the unit which celebrated its role in the Kentares massacre. To that end as a direct vassal of New Avalon there were probably an innumerable number of things that could require the direct involvement of the First Prince.

Henry Clay shuffled his feet, then tilted his head. "Well, I can't tell you unless you're coming,"
--
Justin looked at the mech cubicles and down to his hands. He was jittery from all the coffee... he'd had a lot today... and he'd really switched to tea mostly to rehydrate but all the caffeine was getting to him.

There was a lot that went into having a new mech to pilot. There were a lot of questions to fill out, trying to make sure everything on the mech worked right. That was without even thinking about whether or not he ended up changing anything.

A part of him wanted to come back after he graduated. A part of him was pissed off he wouldn't be able to move on to the cadre after graduation. The Academy training cadre wasn't an RCT, but it was a combined arms unit ... the battalion was really more based on the early SLDF from what he'd read than the more modern formations.

Sakhara to Spica was going to be almost four months stuck on a jumpship assuming they didn't stop anywhere to let them stretch their legs. Then he'd be processed into his first duty station on Spica with the Guards RCT and he certainly didn't want to have his mech break down on the frontier. The most practical answer would be to replace the LRM 5 which really didn't do anything for him with medium lasers... he didn't want to be stuck in a situation where all he had was his torso mounted large laser once he ran out of ammo for his guns.

... and from the sound of it the Haseks were bad about supply issues or something. Scuttlebutt going around as people tried to ferret out where they and their classmates were going was starting to circle around. Not that everyone was going to a front line command or combat posting despite being mech warriors ... the truth was unless Henry volunteered and insisted on being put on the front he'd probably just be brevetted to captain on graduation and put into an instructor's role full time. His cousin Alexandria had been set up to go to the Department of Military Intelligence which he wasn't supposed to know. Juan had made no secret he was going to the 7th​ Crucis Lancers as soon as he'd gotten the confirmation. If Henry had volunteered for anywhere the popular speculation among the student body was it'd be with them since he'd fought with them on Halstead and Mallory's world... but it was because of those battles that his father expected there was little need for further proof.

"These are the documents you asked for on the Merlin." A tech remarked. The stack of papers were a mix of official, Mountain Wolf, literature and industrial periodicals as well as probably in house within Clay's own staff looking over the battlemech. It was a heavy battlemech, but that much he had already known, though lighter than the cataphract at only sixty tons. It ran off a 240 rated Fusion Engine and had weapons for every range bracket.

No autocannons either.... just a dinky machine gun. It was however advertised as rugged and easy to maintain utilizing readily available commercial parts. At a price tag of just under five million c-bills it probably did have potential as a training mech or for filling troop formations. He could see its potential, it was just that he wasn't going to be on Sakhara to see it be used.
--
Note: I do want to point out that while it is possibly a case of space feudalism the idea that your Political head of the agency and its executive is an American thing. The british system, the minister responsible for the intelligence apparatus and the Chief would be two separate individuals. Director Central Intelligence Agency is an appointee and thus requires senatorial consent but he's not a member of the senate.

Also canonically Quintus isn't the minister yet, which had slipped my mind. Since we're on the subjects of Quintus, he seems to have remarried when Justin was probably five or six given his younger brother is born in '97... interestingly Daniel would go on to attend New Avalon... which runs into the problem of him getting posted to the Kell Hounds in 3015 (per sarna) but again possible space feudalism. So I assume Quintus is already high up in the MIIO apparatus and may actually be in the parliament of the fed suns... because space britain... so yeah. [and part of it is probably stackpoole was writing in the late eighties with the novels coming out basically back to back]

 

[Bofors40mm]

Daniel Allard being in the Kell Hounds was mostly due to the Suns starting to foster closer ties with the lyrans via both parties having some freshly graduated cadets from both sides be in each other's merc units that's where house units in all but name. At least from what I recall.

 

[HunterxReader]

Ah, so the Cataphract and Merlin for training, nice. Those are neat introductions for heavy mechs, especially the Merlin, considering it's only slightly more expensive than a Chameleon. They both can use long to short range lasers and LRMs, the Cataphracts would be good for practicing with autocannons, while the Merlin permits for jumping and the MGs and Flamers helps with anti-infantry and ultra-close range combat. Heavies would also help if the academy gets raided, considering how small their classes are nowadays.

I assume the Sakhara reforms was borne from having more books recovered in Halstead Station this time around. Huh, was the risk of it being the "Rabid Fox's lessons" due to your and your SLDF RAC's input, like the 6-man lances?

So Justin still deployed to Spica. I would've thought Henry would make him his protege officially to stick him to his side, as some in-universe expected, but Henry probably wants that plotline with the Liao's to run as in canon. With his new ride, I don't like Candace's chances of survival, though she does get a mobility advantage here I suppose.

Edit: I expected the class to celebrate their success against the Rangers, but I suppose debating and analyzing their success is a better and more professional option, and an immense improvement to arguing about their failure as before. Though being beaten again by Henry's RAC probably helped moderate their triumph.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Sakhara 2.5​

The Duke of Robinson had looked at the Assault Cluster with evident interest. It was no surprise. Colonel Robinson had laid out the operating doctrine of her command. Firepower at the expense of speed for the most part. Their fusion powered demolisher mark III tank with their dual 185mm assault cannons backed up with other weapons were intended to insure withering close in fire on an enemy when they were defending or besieging.

That was something of the problem. She had expected some push back from the Draconis March government at some point. As DMI2 she had no authority to give the posting orders, but she was counting, treading heavily on that she would be able to convince the first prince of certain positions. That wasn't a sure thing, but Yvonne was sure some of the Field Marshal of the Draconis March's umbrage was his recognition that she might be able to do just that. That she could potentially succeed in convincing Ian to agree to the proposal.

That was why he was insisting to accompany them to New Avalon so he could petition the First Prince directly. That was a headache, especially since there was no practical way to stop him... and even if the combine did attack that would be a momentary distraction and probably in the long run do more to convince the other parties that the Draconis March should take priority.

No ironically the best case scenario was an attack, but one where the Hasek's utterly dropped the ball on defending the frontier and looked incompetent enough where Crucis March troops needed to be brought in... but she wasn't really counting on the sick man of the inner sphere to do her any favors.

That was why she knew better than to directly contest Sandoval's presence. She needed to sway Ian to her position and prioritize Kathil. It was for the realm. If she'd been doing this for personal gain they'd be going to New Avalon for entirely different reasons.

She sighed in annoyance and looked at her Guards officer, "Do you have them?"

He presented the called for paper work.

Captain Haakon's JumpShips had departed with some going inward in the realm... and another carrying the rake thin man to do his master's bidding. To Mountain Wolf Battlemechs with the intention of a partnership with them, for their heavy battlemech, and if rumors were right their extinct light mech? It probably wouldn't be in its star league configuration... but the rumors were Clay had a few of those somewhere and parts besides. Corean would be a fifty ton medium, and there was the sudden explosive chatter about seventy tonners.

Then of course there was the manufacturing of armor and apparently ASF in discussion. Anything that could use a 240 engine ... which suggested Clay had some confidence in his ability to produce the engine in question in numbers necessary. That would mean the heavy vehicles in his cluster... and that was certainly of interest to the duke of Robinson... and the 240 was also the engine in the rifleman.

"What is it?"

"Apparently he's been in rapid communication with Major Cameron of the rangers. The chassis they were discussing in question equates to a seventy ton frame, and involves a 280 engine." The officer replied. "I." The pause was a moment, "The conversation entailed Kurita's warhammer," Yorinaga in this case, the machine that had been literally punched down into the sandy soils of a wind struck expanse of Mallory's world, "and the Warhammer design lineage." The conversation, between the two mechwarriors, had wound its way around to including apparently the indigenous Davion design the Battle Axe. "Should we expect another one? Another machine?"

"I would say so given the animated nature of the conversation."

That was the thing that worried her. Clay's techs probably had a long history of dealing with their lord's proclivities they seemed to be quite good at putting things together at a request, and were used to this enough to chide any of the more ridiculous ideas. Apparently having dissuaded him from a slightly better armored rifleman as redundant and not worth pursuing for example. It would have been nice if she had had that sort of pull. She sighed, "And?"

"Tentatively, well they're calling it the Longsword. Apparently something about armored knights and keeping with theme of previous designs."

... oh it had a name, that probably meant it was close. She had been hoping for at least a couple of quiet days, but it was not to be. "Has Coleridge been informed of what they're up to?" Of that, the guards officer didn't know.
--
Henry had a number of particular interests. He'd been exposed almost constantly to the future eighties aesthetic and the reality of Battlemechs, and of course part of that was that weapons were grouped into types, categories based on performance. There were outliers in different models but for all intents and purposes the performance down range of most weapons after the several hundred years were homogenous across their class... but they could look different, in the case of autocannons they used different calibers and ammunition requirements.

Different parts in a mech could often have different appearances, and well that lead to the moniker frankenmech were people often out of desperation or lack of the correct spare parts added things on and kitbashed a solution to make a functional mech for the battlefields of the succession war.

The Longsword though as it was taking shape, and in this case as techs were installing the last of four Magna Mark II Medium Lasers into the recesses in the chest, was much harder to call a frankenmech.

Part of that was that fairly typical bidepdal mech layout that comprised the BattleAxe and Warhammer designs. Indeed the layout of bundles of myomer fiber were similar to that of the latter design and the layout of internal parts were designed to insure rugged reliability but hte major change were the cooling jackets in the arms. It added additional armor to the warhammer but also dropped potentially risky ammunition dependent weapons in favor of greater mobility and two additional Medium lasers over the warhammer's design.

They'd replaced the Rawling jumpjets found in the BattleAxe with HildCo models used in the Victor. The machine was therefore unlikely to enjoy the stability as a platform of the standard warhammer, but it was a concession for mobility. Someone else might have decided this was all too much trouble and either just decided to make more warhammers, or go a step further and reintroduce the 26th​ century version of the black knight... but Henry figured that after the cataphract maybe a new seventy tonner design would encourage the Federated Suns to make new BattleMech designs.

There was no guarantee that would be what would happen but he didn't understand why more effort more federal funding hadn't been put towards trying to rebuild... well apparently that was what fucking magic was for, he thought humming the first few bars of the 1812 overture as the gantries retracted, and techs moved out of the way.

"Now remember if anyone who asks, this is intended for training purposes."

"Oh yes it would very terribly be irresponsible of us to let a cadet in without first insuring it was safe."

He watched as the kilted david bowie took the machine out of the shop and to a test enclosure that was ... mostly sand with a series of large ferrocrete embankments. Two PPCs represented roughly equivalent firepower to an assault autocannon at a greater range. The 280 rated engine would allow the longsword to maintain pace with the Cataphract model Justin was using, or a standard warhammer and thus in practice the longsword was in many ways a less complicated warhammer.

Fifteen minutes later Bard had returned. "So do you really need Corean?"

"I do. Putting one of these together by hand, is one thing. Mass production, producing them en masse thats another so if you want to see these in service in the Draconis March we have a lot of work that needs to be done." And more that, the truth was as much as he would have liked to introduce this latest new thing... the Centurion was already in wide scale service with the Federated Suns... and if Henry were to express the true scope of what he had in mind... he wanted there to be factories on Robinson and on Sakhara producing hundreds of Centurions a year that way the Federated Suns could begin rebuilding its Medium BattleMech units more akin to a simple logistic force that could be used to free up larger heavier units for assaults and invasions.

The centurion's common usage was what precluded other designs. It wasn't the Militia Mech concept these were going to be military 'grade' battlemechs not industrial mechs but he needed Corean to provide cover for mass production even if Corean wasn't thinking that far ahead.... and the simple reality was that it would be easier to get lots of Centurions operational and for the Federated Suns to use them since they already knew what they were.
--
Notes: this drops a small section, and Eminence in Shadow will be updating Friday. I'm currently trying to figure out what my scheduling for August updates is going to be, but this is most likely to be regularly updated. Aurigan Renaissance less so. I do want to get to the start of the pirate wars in that timeline, but there is other stuff I would like to update, and I will probably padding out some of the first week of august with updates of Essence of Viltrumite content (If you haven't seen Invinicible from Amazon prime, I recomend it).