Wednesday, March 30, 2016

TRO: 3087 - Hauberk

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.

Hauberk HBK-6SX
Overview
The Jade Falcon Incursion of 3068 had no sooner stopped than the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces High Command began designing new Battlemechs to take back worlds and halt future advances. A redesigned “liberty ‘Mech” based on the Hunchback was drafted and pushed forward with revamps for other 'Mechs.
The first few Hauberks were designed around putting gauss rifles on the field with as little incidental cost as possible. Subsequent cost-benefit-analyses recommended an upgrade from a cheaper, commercial ‘Mech chassis to a standard battlemech frame.
Strangely, it was also the target of Word of Blake meddling. The crash program which created the first Hauberk only took a few months to create the first prototype. On contract with the LCAF for site security, the Dragoons intercepted a squad of Blakist cyborgs infiltrating the facility. The two that were taken alive were used by the Dragoons to implicate The Word before being handed over to Lyran security.
Once in Commonwealth hands, they self-destructed without giving any indication of The Word’s interest in the Hauberk.

Capabilities
The Hauberk was made to carry the one weapon that the Inner Sphere can claim has parity with its Clan counterpart. Lyran designers made it with the idea of mass production and overwhelming numbers in mind. Initial deployments were limited by dropship capacity, but the Federated Hellfire Territories’ new light ‘Mech bays changed that equation. Intelligence indicates that in exchange for several Overlord dropships equipped with the new bays, The Territories have received access to a number of newer assault ‘Mechs rolling off of Lyran assembly lines.
Maintenance is simplified by grouping all complicated systems into one general area. In the event that a problem can’t be isolated, all components--from the heat sinks to the one-shot missile launcher--can be swapped out en masse while the problem is tracked down.
As an expendable unit, the Hauberk has been moderately successful. In numbers, it has performed well, repelling or slowing Jade Falcon advances across several worlds, at an expected high cost.
Battlemech Hauberks boast of a pair of jump jets considered anemic by most standards. Combat drops in Hauberks are called “brown drops,” and due to the quality of Hauberk pilots, they often cause a few casualties before combat starts.

Battle History
Most Hauberk mechwarriors are drafted from the ranks of soldiers with the raw skills to pilot a ‘mech, but without the corresponding backgrounds. After five “drops” against the Clans, pilots are promoted to Leutnant and transferred to a proper battlemech unit in recognition of their dedication and talent in a high-risk posting.
To maintain morale in high-attrition Hauberk postings, commanders will, according to the LCAF public affairs office, pilot the same battlemechs as their subordinates.
In 3083, the story broke through tabloids that Hauptmann Jameson Mundo was piloting a cosmetically modified Hunchback -5S, which replaced the class twenty autocannon with a gauss rifle instead of a standard Hauberk. The revelation shook confidence in the program.
It took a further blow when Leutnant Chase Chatlier, an exemplar of the program’s success, was revealed to be of noble blood. His performance and not his distant claim to nobility gained him his promotion out of a Hauberk unit, but that fact didn’t stop the rumors from spreading that the game was rigged against the common pilots from whom the program was an opportunity for something greater.
Subsequent to both revelations, unrest has risen on Halfway, Chiavenna, Florida, and other less-wealthy worlds which had previously been recruitment centers for Hauberk mechwarriors.

Variants
The original configuration was a fusion-powered industrial ‘Mech with a top speed at just over 50 kph. The cost savings weren’t worth the limited abilities compared to other battlemechs. The line was discontinued and most models were sold off to mercenaries and local militia.
One problem that has emerged with the current model is that downed Hauberks, with their cheap, centuries-old technologies are perfect salvage for Jade Falcon units. Several have been seen serving among second-line Clan formations, usually carrying machine guns to offset its poor city-fighting abilities.
Possibly as part of the agreement between the two nations, The Federated Hellfire Territories also boasts a handful of Hauberks. These models eschew the gauss rifle and jump jets in favor of sixty long range missile tubes, a quartet of medium lasers, and a pair of machine guns. They’ve proven a reliable front-line fighter for the Territories’ Citizens Army.

Hauberk HBK-6SX
Type/Model:    Hauberk SMN-6XS
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3073
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Manufactured:  Lyran Commonwealth
Fielded:       
 Lyran Commonwealth (Common)
 Jade Falcons (Rare)
 Federated Hellfire Territories (Rare)

Mass:          50 tons
Equipment:              Crits     Mass
Int. Struct.:               0     5.00
                   83 points
Engine:200    Fusion        6     8.50
  Walking MP:   4
  Running MP:   6
  Jumping MP:   2
  Jump Jet Loc: 2 CT
Heat Sinks: 10 Single       0     0.00
  Loc: 2 RT
Gyro:                       4     2.00
Cockpit: Head Ejection Sys  6     3.00
Actuators:                 16     0.00
 L: Sh+UA+LA+H  R: Sh+UA+LA+H
Armor Factor:               0    11.00
  176 pts

       Internal Structure  Armor Value
 Head:                  3      9      
 Center Torso:         16     27     
 Center Torso (Rear):          5
 L/R Side Torso:       12    20/20
 L/R Side Torso (Rear):       4/4
 L/R Arm:               8    16/16
 L/R Leg:              12    24/24

Weapons and Equipment Loc  Crits  Tons
---------------------------------------
Gauss Rifle            RT    7    15.00
Streak SRM-2 (OS)      RT    1     2.00
@Gauss Rifle (16)      RT    2     2.00

 Crits & Tons Left:         32     0.0

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