Wednesday, April 27, 2016

TRO: 3087 - Hépíng

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.

H-UM-L2 Hépíng
Preface
As a full disclosure the Dragoons Pact, publisher of this book, is subject to several bonds of law and honor to the Capellan Confederation which prohibit the disclosure and discussion of the firsthand experiences of Pact personnel during their time within the Confederation.

Overview
This document only contains three units linked with the Capellan Confederation. This is in part because the Confederation still fields units similar to those used twenty years ago. Upgraded versions of the Raven and Catapult with new electronics countermeasures are the only significant CCAF technical advance we’ve seen in that time.
The other reason is the lack of information coming out of the Capellan Confederation. Some have compared it to the borders with the Clans after the initial invasion. Trade and communication are rare and strictly controlled by Sian. Even mercenaries and HPG service providers are bound to broad, and strict secrecy.
The Hépíng is an exception. It’s used exclusively for city defense within the Confederation. It is only known to the outside word because of the CSS Zhejiang. The Zhejiang jumped outside of the nadir point of Manteno two years ago, damaged and falling into the system’s star. 
A Federated Suns-based freelance salvage crew was hired and dispatched to rescue the crew and recover the craft. While they could not do either, they returned with data dumps from the Zhejiang, its attached DropShip, and some of the ‘Mechs it was carrying. The Zhejiang Source, as they are collectively called, contains information about the Hépíng, which is collected here in case the Confederation ever deploys it abroad.

Capabilities
Information from the Zhejiang Source include data on the usage of the Hépíng on Remshield, but it probably applies to other worlds. The Hépíng appears to be a taller, slightly faster version of the venerable Urbanmech. Unlike the Urbanmech, it is only deployed to some cities, with no correlation to city size, political prominence, or strategic importance. Some cities do not seem to warrant or need the presence of the Hépíng.
Unlike the Urbanmech, it isn’t based around dealing large amounts of focused damage, but putting down vehicular and infantry threats. With the exception of Andurien’s Thin Ice campaign, there haven’t been any serious incursions into Capellan worlds in over a decade. Repelling pirates and politically-backed uprisings which wish to kill Capellan citizens and destroy important infrastructure may be its primary purpose.
Analysis of battle ROMs by the Federated Suns’ MIIO indicates that the Hépíngs destroyed with the Zhejiang had used decimation missiles--developed and manufactured by the Federated Hellfire Territories--on at least one occasion. Such missiles could be used in an urban environment to carve a safe path through obstructing buildings or wipe out infantry using the tons of concrete and steel in a building for cover.
The pilots recorded on the Zhejiang Source battle ROMs have accents and speech patterns indicative of individuals hailing from rural areas of Remshield. It’s possible that they were retrained and relocated to be MechWarriors for the Hépíng.

Battle History
Battle ROMs from the Zhejiang Source include training and maintenance records, but only one engagement.
It involved a unit of Hépíngs under orders to provide security and oversight for an anti-government protest in the city of Jìshù. The protest was spirited, with many bottles and other items thrown at the ‘Mechs when they showed up. Most participants wore garb associated with the Capellan servitor caste, however as many as a quarter of them appeared to be full Confederation citizens.
The Hépíng pilots initially used tear gas rounds to disperse them. The dispersal proceeded smoothly until a molotov cocktail thrown from a nearby parking garage was misidentified by the MechWarriors as an inferno missile. The assembled ‘Mechs collapsed the garage with decimation missiles and cleared the streets with their machine guns. The event was over and the Hépíngs had full control of the streets within 90 seconds.
Footage of these events was leaked by the MIIO and predictably stoked a short spike of impotent rage among the citizenry of the Confederation’s enemies. Attached to an official censure, it also briefly circulated through two Star League committees.

Variants 
There are no known variants of the Hépíng.

H-UM-L2 Hépíng
Type/Model:    Hépíng H-UM-L2
Tech:          Inner Sphere / Unknown
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Manufactured:  Capellan Confederation
Fielded:       
Capellan Confederation (Unknown)

Mass:          40 tons
Equipment:              Crits     Mass
Int. Struct.:               0     4.00
                  67 points
Engine:120    Fusion        6     4.00
 Walking MP:   3
 Running MP:   5
 Jumping MP:   3
Jump Jets:                  3     1.50
(Loc: 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT)
Heat Sinks: 12 Single       8     2.00
(Loc: 1 CT, 1 LT, 2 RT,
 1 LA, 1 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL)
Gyro:                       4     2.00
Cockpit:                    5     3.00
Actuators:                 12     0.00
L: Sh+UA       R: Sh+UA
Armor Factor: Ferro        14     4.50
  72 pts
(Loc: 1 HD, 3 LT, 3 RT, 4 LA, 3 RA)

      Internal Structure  Armor Value
Head:                  3      9      
Center Torso:         12     11     
Center Torso (Rear):          8
L/R Side Torso:       10     8/8
L/R Side Torso (Rear):       5/5
L/R Arm:               6    10/10
L/R Leg:              10    12/12

Weapons and Equipment Loc  Crits  Tons
---------------------------------------
Beagle Active Probe    RT    2     1.50
SRM-6                  RT    2     3.00
Medium Laser           RT    1     1.00
3 Machine Guns         LT    3     1.50
Remote Sensor Dispe... LT    1     0.50
Medium Laser           LT    1     1.00
2 Machine Guns         LT(R) 2     1.00
Machine Gun            RA    1     0.50
SRM-6                  RA    2     3.00
Flamer                 RA    1     1.00
Flamer                 LA    1     1.00
Machine Gun            LA    1     0.50
@SRM-6 (Deci) (15)     RT    1     1.00
@SRM-6 (15)            RT    1     1.00
@MG (100)              LT    1     0.50
Crits & Tons Left:         18     0.0

Decimation Missiles are SRM and LRM specialty ammunitions which deal no damage to armored targets. Decimation missiles deal double damage to unarmored infantry, terrain, and  non-hardened buildings.


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