TRO: 3087 - Staff

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

SA-2T Staff
Overview
    Originally designed to be the fastest ‘Mech ever made, the Staff carries that title only within the Federated Hellfire Territories. While respectably nimble, quick, and maneuverable, the Staff is outpaced by a handful of ‘Mechs fielded by both the Inner Sphere and Clans.
    The premiere recon unit of the Territories, the Staff carries LRMs and a pair of Optok VII small lasers for closer work. The Optok lasers run hot and require quite a bit of maintenance, but their targeting systems allow them to better target infantry and increase their striking distance by ten percent.

Capabilities
    The FHT has a tendency to make its lighter ‘Mechs more humanly nimble. Since the only ‘Mechs lighter than the Staff are the mass-produced Independence OmniMech and the Staff’s ancestor, the Phoebus, the Staff is by far the most humanoid-moving ‘Mech in the Territories--if not in the whole of the Inner Sphere.
    Veteran Mechwarriors assigned to them are often required to master the delicate interfaces before fielding them because of those systems’ delicacy. The Staff excels at physical combat, delivering relatively light physical attacks more quickly and accurately than other ‘Mechs. However, it often can’t sustain these attacks. Shots which are not even powerful enough to penetrate its armor sometimes sever leg, arm, or even torso joints, cutting the fragile ‘Mech down easily. So far; the FHT have expressed little interest in upgrading or changing the production schedule of the Staff. 

Battle History
    When the Filtvet Rangers infamously collapsed in Avalon City, the then-Federated Freedom Territories forces were on the verge of utter destruction. In a desperate bid to keep their Word of Blake allies from destroying the city with nuclear fire, Chram Tait pulled in all of the Territories’ forces for a last push.
    The Staffs arrived ahead of the main forces and tried to press through Davion forward units. The resulting frays provided a wealth of information on the Staff’s shortcomings when compared to more venerable units like the Javelin, Stealth, and Fireball. Most carried more firepower or more speed than the Staff, something not recognized by poorly-trained FFT MechWarriors.
    They were used more effectively when tasked to harass the column of Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion later in the battle. Their speed and long range missiles let them run their ammo bins dry softening up the slower, heavily armored ‘Mechs before the Word of Blake called them back.
    The Staffs instead launched a suicidal charge into trained, ready assault ‘Mechs. Where the Staffs fell in physical combat has been memorialized with a new boulevard and monument, even though their only success were limited to delaying the column for a few minutes and forcing Jackson Davion to abandon his Battlemaster that was tangled in their wreckage.

Variants
    The SA-5T answers some concerns about the Staff’s paltry weapon loadout by removing the jump jets and adding four flamers with a third small laser.
    In an effort to get a little bit more speed out of it, the SA-2Tx is a test bed for jump jet improvements which can be used for supplementing normal ground movement. Leaked reports indicate the results have been essential for FHT work in developing better cockpit assemblies and collision-resistant armor.
    A popular field modification removes two of the jump jets to allow for the installation of larger lasers. Though the modification gives the Staff more trouble with infantry, the drop in maintenance requirements and improved reliability make it a fair trade for many.

SA-2T Staff
Type/Model:    Staff SA-2T
Tech:          Mixed / 3080
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Manufactured:  Federated Hellfire
                 Territories
Fielded:      
  Federated Hellfire Territories    
   (Common)
  Federated Suns (Common)
  ComStar (Uncommon)

Mass:          30 tons
Equipment:              Crits     Mass
Int. Struct.:              14     1.50
  51 points
Engine:270    XL Fusion    12     7.50
   Walking MP:   9
   Running MP:  14
   Jumping MP:   9
Jump Jets:                  9     4.50
  (Loc: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LL, 2 RL)
Heat Sinks: 10 Double       0     0.00
Gyro:                       4     3.00
Cockpit, Life Sup., Sensors:5     3.00
Actuators:                 12     0.00
  L: Sh+UA+LA+LH R: Sh+UA+RA+RH
Armor Factor:               0     6.50
   104 pts

        Internal Structure  Armor Value
  Head:                  3      9     
  Center Torso:         10     15     
  Center Torso (Rear):          4
  L/R Side Torso:        7    10/10
  L/R Side Torso (Rear):       4/4
  L/R Arm:               5    10/10
  L/R Leg:               7    14/14
Weapons and Equipment Loc  Crits  Tons
---------------------------------------
ER Small Laser (IS)    CT    1     0.50
LRM 5 (C)              RT    1     1.00
ER Small Laser (IS)    RA    1     0.50
LRM 5 (C)              LA    1     1.00
Ammunition (LRM) 24    LA    1     1.00
---------------------------------------
TOTALS:                           30.0
Crits & Tons Left:          13     0.0