MDG-21D Rakshasa II
Overview
The history of the Rakshasa II is difficult to discuss for legal reasons. It involves two ducal families of the Federated Suns who are particularly litigious concerning that history. While their real names can be found in most publicly accessible nets, we refer to them here as the Müller and Jones families.
A Capellan bombing run on GM’s Kathil factory was the perfect opportunity for the producer to finally shrug off their Rakshasa license from NAIS. NAIS and the AFFS High Command stipulated that new bidders for the license create a new design instead, one that incorporated the Federated Suns’ new advanced missiles into a smaller, cheaper, and newer version of aging design.
Both Duke Müller and Duke Jones lobbied to have factories affiliated with them awarded the license. Both were familiar with the lucrative success of the modest Phoebus program and wanted a similar program. Duke Jones won and the Müller family used their influence in the AFFS committee to shift, delay, and complicate the specifications of the new design. The result was years of delay in the production of a front-line unit and millions of D-Bills in wasted materials.
The “incompetence” resulted in the project’s reassignment to Müller’s candidate. Progress from that point was rapid until days before full production. Then, a Combined-hired mercenary raid deftly evaded the system’s defenses and destroyed the factory line in a surgical raid.
With the entire project in flames, the builder’s stock dropped and Duke Jones, via proxy, bought them out. The Rakshasa II stumbled towards existence with a lesser amount of noble shenanigans until full production began, seven years after the initial relicensing from GM.
Legal proceedings between the Müller and Jones families, and their proxies, were suspended in 3084 when the First Prince dissolved them as reward for their loyal service.
Capabilities
The Rakshasa II is far from the cutting edge piece of technology it is descended from. The Rakshasa was built by a fully-fledged Successor State during a technical renaissance. The advanced missiles of the Rakshasa II sit on a platform that moves more slowly, carries less armor, and is generally less accurate.
None the less, the Rakshasa II only costs a third of its tepidly-received parent. It’s a weapon of the modern age, focused, unfrivolous, and determined to survive to fight another day.
Battle History
The Rakshasa II’s first trial by fire was against the 2nd Legion of Vega on New Ivaarsen. The New Ivaarsen Chasseurs had been gifted the first production run as fire support.
During the first major engagement, the Rakshasas’ missiles locked on to phantom signatures from the Legion’s units. Suddenly without fire support, the Chasseurs were routed. The Combine troops pressed their advantage and turned a smash-and-grab raid into a weeks-long search and destroy mission against the Chasseurs and their bases on planet.
The eventual arrival of the 1st Robinson Rangers caused the Legion to pull up stakes. Analyzed battle ROMs and Combine salvage revealed the keys to patching the Rakshasa’s targeting software and the design has since had a respectable combat record.
However, the damage was done. By 3082, New Ivaarsen and the Chassuers were still far from ready for the likes of the 2nd and 3rd Night Stalkers. The world was lost and the Chassuers were decimated.
Variants
The Rakshasa, like the Mercury, is built to make the replacement of components easier than with most BattleMechs. As a result, there are few Rakshasa II’s in service which haven’t been customized in some way. The most popular of these changes have been added as line variants.
The most popular is the -22D. With Capellan trade dropping off and the destruction of the Catapult facilities in the Al Na’ir system, supplies of the stalwart support ‘Mech have dried up. The -22D drops the large lasers and torso missiles to upgrade the arm-mounted launchers to massive twenty-shot models. Jump jets, a quartet of extended range medium lasers, and additional heat sinks round out the design which bears a striking resemblance to the Catapult.
The -23D focuses on upgrading the large lasers to extended range models and evening the heat load with four additional heat sinks. While it only has half as many missile racks, its improved range and back-up medium lasers are popular with most MechWarriors who pilot it.
MDG-21D Rakshasa II
Type/Model: Rakshasa II MDG-21D
Tech: Mixed / 3079
Config: Biped OmniMech
Manufactured: Federated Suns
Fielded:
Federated Suns (Common)
Federated Hellfire Terr. (Uncommon)
Mass: 50 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 14 2.50
(Loc: 1 HD, 4 LT, 1 RT,
2 LA, 2 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL) 83 points
Engine:200 Fusion 6 8.50
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 10 Double 8 0.00
(Loc: 1 LT, 1 RT)
Gyro: 4 2.00
Cockpit: 5 3.00
Actuators: 14 0.00
L: Sh+UA+LA R: Sh+UA+LA
Armor Factor: 0 10.50
168 pts
Internal Structure Armor Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 16 24
Center Torso (Rear): 7
L/R Side Torso: 12 18/18
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 6/6
L/R Arm: 8 16/16
L/R Leg: 12 24/24
Weapons and Equipment Loc Crits Tons
--------------------------------------
CASE RT 1 0.50
LRM-10 (C) RT 1 2.50
LRM-10 (C) LT 1 2.50
LRM-10 (C) RA 1 2.50
Large Laser RA 2 5.00
LRM-10 (C) LA 1 2.50
Large Laser LA 2 5.00
@LRM-10 (24) RT 2 2.00
@LRM-10 (12) LT 1 1.00
Crits & Tons Left: 17 0.0
4 comments:
Been reading into small FWL provinces a bunch lately, so I really enjoy that backstory.
Ugh. I still have to make 'Mechs that cover FWL politics. :(
Glad you enjoyed it, even if it was hard to reconcile with the FedSuns' general lack/low level of noble infighting.
Wait, new designs? I thought you were just fluffing out 'Mechs you already had? Could add FWL conflicts or expats into battle history, or notable pilots, for 'Mechs from factions you do have covered.
I should've said "make entries." Some designs are new or punched up versions. Sometimes I like taking an old design and rolling it into a pre-existing one (I really just recently got TRO's 3055 and 3058).
The real issue is talking about FWL politics with knowledge and a certain level of granularity. I'm sure I've bitched about it before, but the detail resolution for TROs is its own animal.
I guess my issue is that I want to establish the FWL civil war with more than an "it happened" and more of a "why it happened." Might need to reevaluate that if I can't do it right though.
Post a Comment