#The most Capellan of mechs

[zeemczed]

Gib mech pls

You get ECM! You get laser! You get speedy! You get the RAVEN!

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Urbanmech

The UrbanMech was designed for just what its name suggests: urban combat and defense, and may be classed as an ambusher. This was achieved by starting with a cheap, easily produced chassis, giving it six tons of Durallex armor to rival the protection found on many medium BattleMechs, and mounting a pair of Pitban 6000 jump jets for a jumping distance of 60 meters. The tradeoff was that it could only mount the miserable Leenex 60 engine, making the UrbanMech the slowest light 'Mech in existence with a cruising speed of 21.6 km/h and top speed of only 32.4 km/h. This was a severe disadvantage if the 'Mech attempted to fight in open country—something for only the foolish or desperate—but offset by the fact that fighting in the close confines of a Star League city left little room to maneuver anyways and the UrbanMech's low profile made it difficult to target. Thus the 'Mech was primarily used for fighting guerrillas and other light 'Mechs in an urban environment, an arena where it also achieved some success fighting medium and even heavy 'Mechs. Standard tactics for an UrbanMech lance was to split up into its constituent parts and occupy various buildings in order to snipe the enemy before falling back to the next defensive line.

Large numbers of UrbanMechs were produced by Orguss Industries from 2675 until the destruction of their assembly lines. The UrbanMech reentered production at the Betelgeuse facility of Hellespont Industrials during the Jihad, and continued to be manufactured up through 3149. As such, UrbanMechs could be found in all of the armies of the Successor States, however most military leaders saw the slow little 'Mech as a liability, confining their stockpiles to garrison duty or stripping them of parts. This dismissive attitude towards the UrbanMech saved it from the ravages of the Succession Wars and ensured its continued use into the thirty-first century. The Capellan Confederation remained the largest and only user of UrbanMechs to actually deploy them for front-line duty, a result of the devastation of the Fourth Succession War and their desperation for any 'Mech to replenish their losses. The Confederation Reserve Cavalry and Capellan Defense Force had the lion's share of UrbanMechs, followed by the Tikonov Republican Guard and St. Ives Armored Cavalry; outside the Confederation the Federated Suns' Capellan March Militia fielded the largest number of UrbanMechs due to the fact it was composed of large amounts of captured Capellan equipment. Its prominence within the Confederation meant the UrbanMech was among those 'Mechs within the CCAF to receive upgrades following the recovery of lostech; the other States followed suit with much less priority over improving other 'Mechs. Despite this the sheer cost necessary to replace the UrbanMech's engine and increase its top speed meant even the Confederation limited their refit packages to improving the weapons and armor only. At some point, the common 'Mech earned a cocktail in its name.

A testament to the desperation of the Word of Blake Jihad, Hellespont Industrials would reactivate a shuttered production facility on Betelgeuse to produce the UrbanMech alongside primitive "retrotech" designs for material starved Capellan garrison forces. This plant would maintain production of the UrbanMech in a steadily increasing volume of configurations throughout the Dark Age era as the CCAF secretly expanded before it waged war against the Republic of the Sphere. Rather than dramatic and expensive enhancements, Hellespont's new variants retain the venerable design's low ground speed urban combat focus and can be applied as refits as readily as new production.

The UrbanMech packs a powerful punch for its size. The standard version carries an Imperator-B AC/10 in its right arm and a Harmon Light small laser in the left arm for suppressing infantry as well as a backup weapon. With these two weapons the UrbanMech can constantly harass, or if piloted by an experienced enough MechWarrior, down 'Mechs up to twice its own size. A single ton of ammo for the autocannon, located in the right torso, leaves little endurance for a prolonged fight, though it fits in perfectly with the hit-and-run nature of the 'Mech; one way or another most observers agree the UrbanMech is good for about two minutes of combat.

[ross-hollander]

honestly i think inner sphere battle armor should either be "we stacked myomer and more bulletproof vests on this infantryman" or "we tried to make the smallest mech we possibly could" aesthetically

it's either call of duty Adv. Warfare Goliath armor or a Terminator suit with the serials filed off that clan elementals come across

They're still equally dogwater, but the inner sphere's trying its best.

I know it's not really Battletech's thing, but me, I'd like to see some variation between IS factions on battle armor. The Kuritans have the most aesthetic flourish, obviously. But, for instance, take the Capellans; while the Steiners could have trim, sleek, practical-tactical looks, I expect theirs would be more deep-cover commando rigs, built to stakeout and sabotage over weeks, maybe months. Like a pillbox wrapped around a body, just a really "hunkered" look. An cross between a fort and a ghillie suit. The FWL, while it exists, probably has stripped-down, light versions, stretching the metal and tech to keep their armies well-supplied for the next collapse and brawl for primacy. (Of course, at 6mm scale not much of that shows...but it's nice to imagine.)

[agbpaints]

Name: Moth

Model: MTH-9L

Manufacturer: Ceres Metals Industries

Intro Year: 3145

Class: Light Battlemech

Cost: 4.677 mn c-bills

Weight: 30 T

Top Speed: 97.2 kph

Jump Capacity: 240 meters

Quirks: difficult to maintain, no/minimal arms, nimble jumper

In the wake of the 6th Andurian War, the Strategios of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces determined that there was a need for a new, low cost light mech to serve as a forward observer and harassment unit in their augmented companies. While the venerable Raven remained in service, its relatively low speed and expensive suite of electronics lead to a number of costly losses during the conquest of Wallacia. To that end, specifications for a new scout were sent out for bids- the new mech had to be cheap, difficult for Free Worlds League precision energy weapons to engage with, and capable of engaging and providing support for indirect fire elements of the CCAF at a variety of ranges. Unusually, despite Hellespont Industrials, the Confederation's more seasoned light manufacturer, submitting a bid in the form of the Sunfire, Ceres Metals Industries won the contract. Their design, initially named Project GOSSAMER, was delayed several times due to production shortfalls and the discovery of a Federated Suns spy ring operating at Ceres' design bureau. Eventually the mech began full production in 3145 as the Moth.

An outwardly radical design, Ceres managed to reduce the cost of their bid significantly through the use of a number of off the shelf parts and existing research prototypes. The mech's engine was a GM 180 extralight fusion power plant, originally designed for a prototype Vindicator before the VND-4L project opted for a larger 225 power plant instead, allowing the 30 ton mech to achieve ground speeds of up to 97 kph. While this speed was deemed unacceptable for the task at hand, the mech's principle designer, Dr. Oxana Ufimtsev, opted to equip the mech with a battery of Anderson jump jets and used a novel delta design for the main hull of the mech, with very low profile arms and wide, integrated control surfaces to give the mech an unusually high glide coefficient. Together, these systems allow the Moth to leap distances similar to those achievable by the Spider, despite the mech's far less powerful engine. The cost of this innovative design is a frame with extremely cumbersome access points and systems not immediately intuitive to most mechtechs, leading to increased maintenance costs and repair times. When deployed in augmented formations alongside aerospace assets, technicians are commonly cross trained on both the unit's fighters and Moths, as the two repair schedules have been found to be similar.

The production model MTH-9L Moth uses a Moscovia light PPC as its main armament, supported by a pair of Ceres Arms model JX small pulse lasers mounted in the two weapons nacels that comprise the design's arms. Additionally, the mech carries a Diverse Optics ER small laser in the left arm and an Apple Churchill TAG system in the left, imported from Hellespont's Sian facility. Clad in 6 tons of Ceres mk III Stealth Armor, the Moth is easily capable of withstanding light fire from enemy mechs while confounding longer range sensor returns. Unfortunately, to make room for the light PPC, Ceres opted to reduce the size and ammenities of the mech's cockpit, resulting in complaints from pilots assigned to the machine for long scouting patrols.

In combat, Moths are most typically used as long range harassment units, using their stealth armor and long jump range to maintain evade enemy fire as they opportunistically engage with their TAG and light PPC. As the fight progresses, some pilots may choose to engage in more active combat, allowing the indirect elements they're supporting to remove the majority of a target'a armor before attempting to destroy vulnerable exposed components with their small lasers

The first recorded combat involving a Moth occurred on Brisbane between elements of the First Victoria Rangers and a raiding force of the Concordat Commandos. Captain Curtis Bao deployed a lance of Moths to waylay the advance of a Taurian armored colum and allow for his own heavy units and combat vehicles to position themselves in foothills east of the TDF landing site. The light mechs caught the tank company and their mech escorts by surprise, outflanking the vehicles and engaging into their weaker side armor at long range with their PPCs while painting targets for Bao's LRM carriers and Thunderbolts. Eventually, the Commandos' mechs rallied and began to engage the stealthy light lance, forcing them to withdraw, however the action blunted the Taurian advance and allowed time for the Victoria Rangers to mount a successful defense of Brisbane's capital, Badwater. The surviving Moths then saw use as city fighters, their jumping capabilities allowing them to manuever easily though the urban fabric of Badwater while their X-pulse lasers let them to brutally engage Taurian infantry.

As a new design, very few variants or operators outside the Confederation have yet to be spotted. Beyond the CCAF, a few Capellan aligned mercenary commands have been allowed to officially purchase small numbers of the design, while the allied Magistracy of Canopus has managed to acquire a number of lances of the mech through unknown sources.

While their infiltration was discovered and rooted out before the full design was finalized, MIIO operatives did manage to steal plans for the early prototypes of the Moth, which the New Avalon Institute of Science used as a test bed for re-engineered laser designs and new SRM munitions. A small production run of the design, similar but without the Capellan stealth armor, was produced by Corean Enterprises at their Augusta plant, but the AFFS appears to have abandoned adding the mech to its TO&E.

Finally, several examples of the Moth were captured by forces loyal to Alaric Ward's Star League during fighting on New Earth. The Jade Falcon remnant present immediately saw use in the design as a heavier alternative to their light Ion Sparrows. A Clantech refit of the mech has been spotted using an ER large laser in place of the PPC and a quartet of small pulse lasers in the weapons nacels.

[theurbanmechcomesforthee]

Most blessed Urbie variant? Either canon or fanon.

Conversely, most cursed variant?

You know, you dont have to just ask me about the Urby. There are other mechs i like a lot!

*cough cough * panther *cough cough*hunchback

Most blessed variant is obviously the R60L variant. Though this may be sacriledge, I think that the R63 is also a very solid pick if you know a good Capellan seller. Picking between both cluster rounds to shred though open holes in armor and having slugs to punch those holes is veeeeerry nice. Replace the Small Pulse laser with sumn better though. Maybe you could take the additional small laser off with it and mount a LAMS. For the memes. And the anti missile coverage, cause fuckin hell that gets annoying quick.

Cursed variant. Hmm. One could argue that the Urby is inherently cursed, as light mechs were never intended to mount autocannons native to the Urby's selections.

Most would argue that the R68 is quite cursed. A ridiculous-sized rack of dumbfire missiles that does thrice the damage of the autocannon it replaced at the cost of accuracy is, to most, quite cursed. I quite like that variant though. Even if it would seem that the little trashcan was not, in its original design concept, a missile boat with a MRM rack the size of the Federated Commonwealth.

Does good damage though, so y'know. Forward to glory, burn bright and hot, and kill everything in front of the barrel an' all 'at.

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

Here's a few questions for you. 🔴♥️🔫🐺

(from: @wolf-among-mechs)

Thank you for your questions, @wolf-among-mechs. I hope these answers will be sufficient. 🔴= there are three such factions I despise. One is a historical grudge, another is with a group who may all be dead, and the other is (partially) a faction who remain around to this day. The first is the Rim Worlds Republic, and Stefan Amaris the Usurper. They destroyed what was (for most) the Golden Age of Humanity. Was the Star League perfect? No. It fought its wars against the Periphery and deeply abused them. But it brought much good to humankind as well. The technology, the peace, the unity of it. Amaris destroyed it all for his own petty ambitions. It is with good reason he is now reviled as the worst single human being in history. The second is the Word of Blake. Much like Amaris, they tried to destroy the Inner Sphere over a petty religious argument. One that led to billions of unneeded deaths. It is telling that even after the fall of the Republic of the Sphere, the ilKhan decreed that former Knights could join a new fraternal order specially dedicated to hunting down Blakist remnants. The third is House Liao. Not the Capellans as a whole, but their ruling house. The reason for this is admittedly more personal - it was rebels professing allegiance to House Liao which killed Aaron DeChavilier, and ultimately sparked the conflict that would destroy the Star League-in-Exile. While it would lead to the creation of the Clans, the stress of the conflict led to the death of Aleksandr Kerensky, our Great Father. Is it any wonder that most people from the Clans dislike the Capellans? At least, for my part, I do try and confine the hatred to House Liao itself. ❤️= I admit, on this question of weapon preference, I am torn. I greatly enjoy the visceral concussion and punch of ballistic weapons, but the light show and (often) limitless ammunition of energy weapons appeals as well. Missiles - especially with more and more 'Mechs sporting guided missiles once again - I find almost too easy. They are useful, do not mistake my meaning, but they require much less skill than a ballistic shot or a long-range PPC hit. Has anyone invented a gun that fires lasers yet? That would be "wicked awesome" as a Terran friend of mine from Boston says. 🔫= I have trained extensively in infantry combat. All Clan warriors train in the basics of infantry combat and melee fighting. It was part of my regular between-deployment training with the Fusiliers - they had several Canopian ex-Ebon Magistrate commandos, a DEST commando, and (eventually) an ex-Manei Domini Banshee Delta to learn from. I am thus skilled with many infantry weapons, martial arts styles, and melee weapons. We even learned zero-G and underwater combat techniques.

As for what I presently carry: I have a JàrnFòlk-modified Sternsnacht Claymore ultra-heavy pistol as my sidearm. It fires 14mm tungsten-core armor-piercing explosive incendiary rounds, from a custom made 8-round extended magazine. It is a beautiful work of art, with platinum damascening, engraving in falcon-feather patterns, imperial jade inlays, and wood from Strana Mechty itself, which forms the exquisitely carved grips. I have used it to kill megasaurs, armored Elementals, and Blakist Zombie infantry alike. I have timed my draw and, even with the Claymore's somewhat excessive weight, have won quite a few formal fast-draw pistol competitions.

I also routinely carry a specially-made Clan Vibrosword. Unlike most straight-bladed models, mine uses a katana-style blade - the exact blade once gifted by my ancestor Turkina to my other ancestor, Elizabeth Hazen, during the DeChavalier Massacre - and yes, in a sense this means I have two genemothers. If you ever have occasion to visit Terra, I can show you the sacred talon-marks on the blade...

In my 'Mech, I carry two additional weapons. All SLDF 'Mechs with sufficient cockpit space will carry a Mauser & Grey Model 980SL pulse laser assault rifle - an upgraded and lightened version of the old SLDF issue Mauser 960, upgraded to Clantech standards, and using a variant of ER Pulse Laser tech from Clan Wolf. The ejection seat kit in all SLDF 'Mechs will also carry a Mauser & Grey built Model 995 "Enhanced" Gauss SMG. The Nest currently hoIds the prototypes for both weapons.

And of course, I have my talons when all else fails. Each of them has long since been upgraded, using a version of the Carbon-Fiber Reinforcement process common among Capellan nobles.

🐺= I have several pets! I keep a mew on my estate, with a breeding pair of Jade Falcons, descended from Turkina herself - I have named them Aidan and Marthe, after Aidan and Marthe Pryde. At present, there is also a snow raven in the Mew, named McKenna, after Stephen McKenna, first Khan of Clan Snow Raven. I am caring for him temporarily in place of his master, Star Commander Kendra Siegel. Kendra, a fine specimen of Snow Raven's Naval Commander phenotype, has been a friend of mine for several decades. She is currently off-world for several months, overseeing construction efforts for a classified project at the Titan Shipyards, and conducting naval exercises between Clan forces and those of the new SLDF Navy, of which she is expected to be appointed Commanding Admiral in the next few years.

[waluigis-biggest-fan]

So I wanted to explain some stuff for a friend who's not into Battletech so that he knows what I'm talking about.

Timeline

Pre-Star League

humanity expands out to form the Inner Sphere (basically the closest planets to Earth which is called Terra because sci-fi story) and the periphery (planets further than the Inner Sphere). Then humanity had a big war, like we do, and formed the Star League.

Star League (2570-2780)

Humanity forms space United Nations but this United Nations has an emperor and 5 great houses, namely House Steiner, House Merik, House Davion, House Kurita, and House Liao (we'll get to them in a second). It was all Star Trek and happiness (except for the fucks at House Kurita who kept trying to samurai duel people with mechs to the point there was an elite organization called the Gunslinger Program specifically trained for dealing with their bullshit). Then this fucker Ameris came along and tried to take it all over. This not fucker called Karensky kicked his ass then took all the Star League Defense Forces (space UN peacekeepers) and fucked off beyond the periphery where nobody heard about them for hundreds of years.

Succession Wars (2781-3049)

Ok so now we get to the most commonly used era in Battletech, the Succession Wars. Basically, every House wanted to create a new Star League with themselves as the leader. This is followed by two centuries of warfare encouraged by the fucks at Comstar (we'll get to them too don't you worry your pretty little head).

Clan Invasion (3050-3061)

OH HEY SO YOU REMEMBER KARENSKY AND HIS FUCKERS!?! So they came back but now they're a warrior cult based around fighting in Battlemechs. Whereas the rest of the galaxy was involved in war that destroyed all their tech production bases, the Clans were having a technological renaissance so their shit is better than the Inner Sphere shit. They fight a lot and kill a lot until eventually Comstar challenges them to a Batchal (their version of a duel but on a planetary scale with multiple armies involved). The clans all sent basically 2/3rds of their entire armies to fight Comstar...

and Comstar kicked their fucking asses.

The general who Comstar chose to do so was named Focht and that's exactly what he told the Clans to get. They retreated and could no longer threaten the newly reforged Star League.

Civil War (3062-3067)

So now the newly reforged Star League immediately started infighting and destroying itself. Go figure.

Jihad (3068-3080)

The Word of Blake, a religious cult offshoot of Comstar, starts jihading everybody after Star League 2: Electric Boogaloo falls apart.

Dark Age (3081-3150)

Nobody liked this era and it doesn't matter. Basically, the internet shut down and everyone lost their minds.

IlClan (3151-Present)

(Credit to KingsofWinter on Deviantart for the map)

The Clans form a massive big clan called the IlClan (pronounced ill-clan) who conquer Terra and form a new Star League but with tech-fetishism and batchals.

Everyone is still fighting.

The Big Factions

There are a couple big factions with a lot of lore to them so I'll get the main ones out of the way just so you know them.

House Steiner (Lyran Commonwealth)

Germans with attitude and no sense of stealth. Basically just take the biggest mechs possible and throw them at the enemy.

House Merik (Free Worlds League)

'Murica fuck yeah.

House Kurita (Draconis Combine)

You know japan? Its that but in space.

House Davion (Federated Suns)

Also 'Murica fuck yeah but with a more knightly aesthetic.

House Liao (Capellan Confederation)

China plus Soviet Russia.

Comstar

A cult that runs all the faster than light telephones. They basically stop technology from progressing and keep everyone at war with stealth operations. They also control Terra and nowhere else. Their plan is basically to blast humanity back to the stone age then everyone will have to follow their cult's teachings. Fun stuff.

Terms and Definitions

Battlemech: Just a mech designed to fight.

Autocannon (AC): An automatic canon. The higher the number after it, the bigger the rounds it fires.

Particle Projector Cannon (PPC): It takes a particle and accelerates it massively. Its the worst weapon you can get hit by in Battletech short of a Gauss Rifle or a Heavy PPC.

Extra Range (ER): Some weapons have extra range variants. It does what it says on the tin.

[katarvitz]

The Maclnir Commonwealth - Military, Industry, and Relations

So, carrying on from last time with the history, now we've got some extra elements. Some of these were concepts I semi-reused and reworked from prior worldbuilding efforts with other projects, but mostly because they fitted so well with the setting here. There's also a lot I threw in to try and add a lot of grey into the mix, to contrast with the apparently more benign history. Much like the original Secular ComStar, I wanted them to have a few morally dubious elements despite an apparent reformation.

Military:

“Strike them, hit them fast, know where to hit them, and make sure you can keep hitting them. Most importantly though, make sure they’re always reeling in confusion at how you’re able to hit them.” - High Marshal König, when asked to give their approach to warfare in layman’s terms.

Primarily shaped by a mixture of Anastasius Focht’s teachings and the strategies of the Capellan Confederation, the Commonwealth Guards are a well trained and highly disciplined force. Heavily favouring combined arms formations over battlemech dominance, their initial structures adhered to the ComStar Level system, but have seen some limited evolution. This is mainly thanks to emphasising speed, durability and weapon range for most mech designs.

The battlemechs of the Guard cover all classes, but have a far more significant number of Heavy designs over other categories. The Black Knight and Flashman are noted favourites in this regard, along with variants of the Highlander and Marauder. Yet even with the backing of their industry, the Guard leans toward designs that are easy to maintain and rugged, and are not reliant upon limited ammunition. This gives them a noted versatility in long-range operations with limited resupply, and even LRM dedicated mechs feature a sizable number of lasers. This leaves their industry able to more actively focus upon the substantial number of vehicles that support their actions; particularly airborne drop units and mechanised assault carriers.

Recon and target information play a heavy role in any battle, and it’s for this reason that groups most commonly work with aerospace fighters in close support. Yet even without this, spies and infiltration efforts play a crucial part in any planned attack, with members seeded months if not years ahead of any war. Besides relaying targetting information, this allows for sabotage or misinformation to undermine any effective response. When these methods cannot be utilised in direct support, efforts instead focus upon damaging morale, weakening trust, spreading paranoia, and raising tempers among old comrades. Representatives of the Stormwatch Institute more often than not emulate ROM’s tactics in this regard, but with a greater emphasis on psychological warfare.

Yet the Commonwealth Guard has done much to hide any underhanded strategies, and actively promotes an image of doing the exact opposite in battle. The Guards’ battlemechs are gaudily decorated and ornate war machines, resplendent in white and red. Their members act as more stereotypical warriors than trained soldiers to match this disguise. Speaking of oaths in war, blaring out faux religious chants through warhorns, and making challenges in open battle, they emulate the most extreme aspects of the Clans and Draconis Combine’s warriors. This serves as little more than an act, typically to disrupt battle plans or put the enemy in the wrong mindset, before engaging them with more effective group tactics.

One of the more unique elements within the Commonwealth Guard’s formations is the Knights Errant. These are groups tasked with hunting down lostech or rumoured SLDF remnants. Acting remotely and with little direct support, they are responsible for finding assets to bolster the Commonwealth’s technological standing. These Knights will either return with their findings, or news so that a more substantial force might assist any salvage effort. Combined with the inordinately large number of recovery vehicles fielded by the Commonwealth, this has led to the common nickname of “Magpies” among foreign powers.

Industry:

Understandably given their extensive infrastructure, the Commonwealth benefits from several powerful industries. The construction of machinery, factory operations, and ore refinement are all significant factors; with most reworked from their previous support of the Fiefdom’s ruling mechwarriors. Although crude, a steady series of technological upgrades have improved the process, giving the Commonwealth’s worlds a critical edge over their neighbours. This has allowed them to form several highly beneficial trade connections, especially planets that have suffered severe technological regression. With their core worlds being rich in heavy metals despite their ecologically devastated nature, this has helped to make them extraordinarily self-reliant and fuel a rapidly expanding trade sphere.

Crops among the Commonwealth’s worlds are challenging to grow at best, and the soil is barren across most planets. Because of this fact, hydroponics farms have become a steadily growing second industry, both to support their populace and grant additional resources. Caffeine and sugar are prominent resources in this push, grown thanks to crops introduced by ComStar following their conquest. Jealously guarded and highly profitable, the Commonwealth has actively sought to retain a monopoly over the plants when it comes to certain trade partners.

Yet beyond even their vast industrial hub, the Commonwealth’s greatest strength stems from its fleet of JumpShips. Between the ships captured from the Fiefdom and those of the ComStar flotilla, the Commonwealth has a sizable navy supporting its actions. While not intended for battle, they have proven perfect for forming trading circuits about surrounding systems, and deploying the freighter DropShips to their intended destinations. More importantly, their dominance has allowed the Commonwealth to offer their fleet as a service to other powers, both in the form of message boats and transportation. Although a pale shadow of ComStar’s previous communications dominance, it is nevertheless an area that has granted them significant prominence and control over nearby powers.

Mercantile groups have made some pushes to use healthcare and education as additional economic hubs, but these have yet to meet any success. Intended purely as public services for Commonwealth citizens, the idea of turning each into a financial venture has been subject to widespread scorn and ridicule. The one Mercantile Coordinator that attempted to reshape both in a series of private deals was famously ripped limb from limb by an angry crowd. Few have mustered the courage to try such bold restructurings since that time.

Yet the Commonwealth’s greatest industrial asset is one that remains hidden from all save the uppermost echelons of the government. Hidden close to Khigan’s sun, armies of engineers are working to coax a damaged YardShip back into life. Recovered by a Knight Errant group several years following ComStar’s arrival, the vessel was found adrift and damaged, lost seemingly thanks to a drive failure. While inoperable and with entire sections requiring replacement components, the Commonwealth hopes to transform it into a shipyard, giving them access to WarShip production. Yet it will be decades at best before this might see fruition if it is ever accomplished at all.

Relations:

Primarily associated with individual planetary powers or minor Deep Periphery groups, the Maclnir Commonwealth spent decades presenting a neutral standing. This was done as much out of an effort to mimic ComStar’s initial methods as it was a push to avoid making enemies while rebuilding settlements. Even after the Commonwealth’s attention was focused outward, there was the need to coerce more widely ignored worlds into trusting them, or at least opening their borders to trade vessels. These actions allowed them to gradually develop a small but dependable trade network, with some even benefiting from an organised messenger boat service.

Although they have seen multiple successes, the Commonwealth’s near-obsessive efforts to reclaim lostech has not gone unnoticed. Because of it, otherwise welcoming trading partners to limit their freedom of movement planetside, typically to pre-established landing sites. This has not prevented Stormwatch agents from being deployed on these worlds, but it has made their activities more difficult to carry out. In place of this, traders have acted both as information gatherers and spreaders of falsehoods about the Commonwealth. Each will cite contradictory tales of their worlds’ state, culture, and even the values systems upon which they operate.

Details are drip-fed, each keeping those who learn of them guessing the behaviour of the Commonwealth’s rulers. Direct questions are deflected or put down to regional shifts. This means that discussions of the Commonwealth’s change from bandit kingdom to crusader state frame it as a violent revolution in some cases. In contrast, others depict it as a series of peaceful reforms under a king. This means of spreading guesswork means that traders are carefully selected, serving as spies as businessmen, each carefully balancing infuriating vagueness with placating acts. Each just enough to avoid creating total distrust or for them to close their doors to Commonwealth traders. 

Although the Commonwealth largely limits itself to deals with minor powers, it holds surprisingly positive relations with the JàrnFòlk. Meetings between the two societies are few and far between, but neither their potential rivalry nor relation with the Clans is held against them. A substantial part of this is thanks to the Commonwealth viewing them as a potentially helpful asset in future ventures, and an in-between when dealing with Clan elements.

Of the Inner Sphere, the Commonwealth holds no interest. Each central Successor State is judged by its citizens as embracing humanity’s worst traits, thanks partially to ComStar’s accounts of them. Although some questioned potential biases in each depiction, news of both the Second Star League’s demise and Republic of the Sphere’s collapse have hardly helped.

Understandably given their origins, interaction with most Clan nations have been neutral or outright hostile. Although the Commonwealth avoids outright confrontations, skirmishes between isolated factions are not unknown. The only exception in their dealings with the Clans has been a non-aggression pact with a Clan Nova Cat garrison on the planet Gwithian. Loss of contact with their holdings in the Draconis Combine has caused the previously isolationist Clanners to become more open, but both sides remain far from friendly.

[kasperl-ruprecht]

Still one of the best thing I’ve ever commissioned. I consider myself something of a Stormcrow/Ryoken enthusiast. It’s a damned solid medium mech in both tabletop and videogame. It also has these tiny babby hands for most of it’s design history; except in the current flawed Catalyst art. So this gave me an idea, which I commissioned @hotkoin to give life. I called it “The Capellan Solution”.

Hotkoin truly delivered on the goods.

What's this 👀

I mean it's obviously a Ryoken stuck in a finger trap...

Speaking of fingers, all that detail cutting has my fingers and hand ready to riot. Wrist brace it is tonight that's what I forget for being a dipshit and forgetting my stretches.

Art by @hotkoin , commissioned by @kasperl-ruprecht!

(You can find more info and examples of my work on my commission blog, @lemniscate-graphics !)

[adipose1913]

I've fallen in love with battletech lore. On one hand you'll have dramatic last stands that have to be broken by nuclear bombardment, betrayals that shatter entire empires, and heroes whose legacy is warped for conquest, but then you'll have "one of our most iconic mechs is canonical a piece of crap and no one knows why the Capellans are still using it 500 years later"

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Phoenix Hawk

First introduced by the Terran Hegemony in 2568, the Phoenix Hawk was one of the most famous BattleMechs in the Inner Sphere. The 'Mech began life when Orguss Industries realized that it could reinforce the Stinger chassis to create a larger version, one with the same speed and maneuverability as the Stinger but with superior armor, firepower, and electronics. Though not without its own drawbacks, the Phoenix Hawk quickly became the standard by which all other reconnaissance 'Mechs were measured.

Originally a staple of the Star League Defense Force, Phoenix Hawks remained common within the armies of the Successor States after the fall of the Star League. At first Phoenix Hawks were grouped together to form powerful recon lances, but as they started reaching their various deployments, their full potential as command 'Mechs was discovered and many were reassigned to instead lead units of smaller recon 'Mechs. By the middle of the thirty-first century the Phoenix Hawk was still in production at factories on Keystone, New Avalon, Coventry, Jarett and Satalice. Its commonness made it an early candidate for the use of recovered lostech following the Helm Memory Core recovery, and a variety of upgraded variants were produced in time for the Clan Invasion.

When Vicore Industries began peddling its Project Phoenix concept, they had trouble even arranging a meeting with Ceres Metals about upgrading the Phoenix Hawk, until General Motors agreed to contact them on their behalf. What followed were several months of negotiations, concluding with an agreement for Ceres to build the new PXH-4L Phoenix Hawk on St. Ives in exchange for technical assistance retooling their BJ-3 Blackjack production line. The Capellan Confederation, impressed with what they saw in these new Phoenix Hawks, acquired the first run when they stepped off the production lines in late 3066 and assigned them to front-line units; their job was to work alongside RVN-4L Ravens in a support role. New variants based on this updated 'Mech soon found their way into the hands of other users, including ComStar and the Word of Blake.

Standing at 11 meters tall, the Phoenix Hawk was armed in such a way that it can be used in several different combat roles including command, reconnaissance, and front line duty. The primary weapon on board was a Harmon large laser carried in the right arm, giving the 'Mech a weapon which could strike at an enemy at a respectable distance. This was backed up by two Harmon medium lasers for close range combat, one in either forearm. Finally, to deter infantry attacks, the 'Mech carried two M100 Heavy machine guns, one in each arm, with one ton of ammunition stored in the center torso.

Eight tons of armoring on the Phoenix Hawk gave it acceptable endurance for short combat actions, though not for any sustained brawling. Just 10 single heat sinks meant the 'Mech had a relatively low heat threshold; green pilots were known to lose their 'Mechs by overtaxing this system overusing their heat-intensive weapons and jump jets. However, a GM 270 fusion engine also gave the Phoenix Hawk a good cruising speed of 64.8 km/h, and the 'Mech could go from standing still to top speed within the span of 100 meters. Six jump jets split between right and left rear torsos provided a maximum jumping distance of 180 meters. These attributes helped make the 'Mech just as fast and maneuverable as its smaller brethren, the Stinger and Wasp.

It was the Phoenix Hawk's electronics, though, which truly helped it perform best as a command 'Mech for recon lances. Its Tek Tru-Trak targeting computer was particularly accurate, while the heavily shielded Tek BattleCom system could overcome interfering radiation, whether ambient or manmade, that would've shut down other units. Unfortunately, after the fall of the Star League, the ability to reproduce these systems became lost and many units had to replace them with simpler systems, such as the Octagon Tartrac System C and Neil 6000 respectively.

[agbpaints]

With a couple very Liao mechs added to my collection recently, I've decided to go and start building myself a force of Capellans. With some vindicators, combat vehicles, and battle armor sorted I started digging around for some more CCAF designs to round out an augmented company. Then I remembered the Men Shen.

Don't let TRO:3060's janky visuals fool you, this walking gym shoe is one of the most technically advanced 'mechs the inner sphere built up to its intro date, Hellespont Industrials and the Confederation's Ministry of Appropriations spared no expense when they outfitted their first domestically designed omnimech. The 'mech is built around the heart and bones of a Magna 330 XL fusion engine seemingly designed expressly for the Men Shen and a 55 ton endo steel frame, with a normal top speed of nearly 100 kph, augmented up to 130 kph in short bursts by the 'mech's integral myomer accelerator signal circuits. This speed is paired with a thick skin, with the mech mounting 11 tons of standard armor, more than 95% the chassis possible total protection and enough for every component except the arms and head to take an AC/20 shot without internal damage. The mech carries 10 double heat sinks and an active probe fixed to the chassis, with the remaining 17 tons available as pod space.

The Men Shen MS1-O mounts a single LRM-15 with an attached Artemis IV fire control unit in its torso and a pair of medium pulse lasers in each arm. Intended as an all range skirmisher, the Prime configuration can leverage its speed to keep the range open while harassing with its missiles before driving in to deliver a finish off foes or pick appart scouts and picket mechs with its quartet of lasers. While the endurance of the LRM is somewhat questionable given it only comes with a single ton of ammunition, the speed at which the MS1-O depletes its missiles is probably a good thing given the XL engine and lack of CASE.

The Men Shen's alternate configurations fall into roughly three groups- either serving as remixes of the Prime's role, specializing in hunting non-mechs in a combined arms environment, or working as medium range strikers and forward operating units.

The Delta and Golf are Prime lookalikes, pairing a long range weapon (an ERPPC and a TSEMP cannon, respectively) with a payload of pulse lasers and SRMs to harass and disable mechs at long range before closing for a finishing blow. Unlike the Prime, these designs lack minimum ranges on their weapons, but the heat build of a full alpha strike is risky enough to a mech without jump jets that both designs effectively work as bracket fire machines.

The Beta and Echo configurations are combined arms killers, packing specialized ballistic weapons in their arms supported by a more generalized torso loadout. In the Beta's case this is a pair of LB2-X autocannons supported by a quartet of ER medium lasers, effectively making it a fast, high tech version if the BJ-1 Blackjack and ideal for hunting VTOL and aerospace assets with its flack guns. This configuration is also possibly the very first inner sphere mech to mount the LB2-X autocannon despite it supposedly being invented in Davion space. Chalk one up for the Maskirovka. Where the Beta makes helicopter pilots sweat, the Echo is an infantryman's nightmare demon. It mounts 8 light machine guns arranged into two arm mounted machine gun arrays, supported by a plasma rifle and 2 medium lasers in the torso. On average this thing will brrrrt an entire platoon of inner sphere ground pounders to mulch with every trigger pull, and the crit seeking/random heat mean it's not too much of a slouch in mech combat either. The 4 tons of ammunition does mean it is worryingly explosive, though.

Finally the Alfa, Charlie, and Foxtrot are the mid range strikers. The Alfa pairs a trio of ER Medium Lasers with an LB 10-X autocannon to deliver a decent ammount of firepower at close and medium ranges, backed up by a TAG laser designator to call in artillery and LRM strikes from the rest of your force. The Charlie and Foxtrot are very much like each other, using pairs of accurate, high damage energy weapons to make for any light mech's worst day. The Charlie chooses a pair of large pulse lasers supported by a Guardian ECM suite and an ER small laser to hunt things like Locusts and Striders while shutting down enemy electronics such as C3 spotters. The Foxtrot swaps the pulse lasers for a pair of snub nosed PPCs linked to a targetting computer to wreak havoc with its disgustingly long short range (270 meters!) and brings a TAG to make sure Marty the Arty will lay low anything its particle cannons can't. The Charlie and Foxtrot's placement of their main guns in the arms also makes them the best versions of the chassis to carry battle armor into fights with.

The Men Shen is best deployed as a 'cruiser' of battlemechs- calable of outfighting anything it can't outrun and outrunning anything that outguns it fairly easily. It will likely operate best at the front of formations to scout and probe the line of battle until the main battleline of mechs arrives, at which point it shifts to outflanking and finishing off wounded units.

Despite its durability, speed, and weapons options, the Men Shen isn't without flaws- the lack of jump jets mean that it can easily get bogged down in cities or other rough terrain and while it's speed and thick armor mean it can tough through some pretty heavy shots, the XL engine means that it won't survive drag out fights for particularly long. The cost is also fairly prohibitive- while most variants run between 1400 and 1700 BV, the MS1-O is a whopping 16.6 million c-bills. For the same price, you could by an entire company of urbanmechs, or a full lance of Vindicator 3L's. This price and the operational fragility of an XL engine paired with unCASEed ammo will likely make campaign commanders balk and relegate the design (like many omnis) to hangar queen status. As a player of mostly pickup games, though, it's a design I'm excited to run

[gunnerpalace]

YourIchiRuki (Neapolitan Ice Cream): The BattleTech AU

SUMMARY

A very slow burn (500,000+ words just for setup) of Yoruichi, Ichigo, and Rukia trying to figure out how to deal with feelings and making a relationship work in a universe beset by war and political intrigue, as complicated by the fact that they are A. mercenaries, B. members of the nobility, and C. more than a little incredulous as to how they wound up in this mess in the first place, as set within a Bleach-y adaption of the BattleTech setting.

SETTING OVERVIEW

It is the year 3016. The Inner Sphere, a region approximately 1,000 light-years in diameter encompassing some 2 million stars and 2,000 inhabited planets, is split among five Successor States of the defunct Star League, each ruled by a Great House:

The Lyran Commonwealth, ruled by House Kuchiki

The Draconis Combine, ruled by House Shihōin

The Federated Suns, ruled by House Shiba

The Capellan Confederation, ruled by House Fujita

The Free Worlds League, ruled by House Hasegawa

The Periphery and Deep Periphery beyond their reach remain comparatively disorganized. Earth and the Sol System are ruled by ComStar, currently headed by Primus Sōsuke Aizen.

The Third Succession War, one in a series of conflicts waged nominally to restore the Star League, rages onward and is entering its 150th year. It is fought through all available means of combined arms warfare, but the premiere platform of the conflict is the BattleMech, an armored walking war machine piloted by a MechWarrior.

The young Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth, Byakuya Kuchiki (26) has come to learn of the acquisition by the Federated Suns of the so-called Halstead Collection, a trove of Star League-era documents recovered during a military strike against a Draconis Combine staging area that was under construction. Realizing that House Shiba is nearing completion of their New Avalon Institute of Science to study the collection, he devises a plot to infiltrate the institution and gain access whatever secrets might have been found.

The linchpin of his plot is the world of Edo[1], a massively developed commercial and industrial hub. The cosmopolitan nature of Edo provides an easy means of inserting an agent into the society of the Federated Suns who can assume the identity of a native and then work their way onto the staff of the NAIS without raising suspicions. To this end, Byakuya dispatches his "adopted" younger sister, Baroness[2] Rukia Kuchiki (22), on an infiltration and reconnaissance mission, in order that she might prove herself. She is afforded a BattleMech[3] painted in Draconis Combine livery for the sake of additional deception and self-defense should anything go wrong (the Draconis Combine long having had designs on Edo).

After analyzing available data, Rukia decides that the best method of completing her mission and winning his approval is to infiltrate through what she reasons to be the soft underbelly of Edo: its countryside (or what passes for one). She selects the relatively sleepy city of Karakura, on the continent of New Tama, as her entry point.

Unbeknownst to either of the Kuchiki siblings, or indeed anyone in the Federated Suns, this is exactly where a former Duke of the Federated Suns, Isshin Shiba (from a branch of the main Shiba line, and now going under the adopted surname of Kurosaki) chose to flee from his responsibilities and raise a family. Although his wife died tragically some years prior, his son Ichigo Kurosaki (21) is in college, while his daughters (and fraternal twins) Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki (16) are in high school.

Likewise an unknown factor is that Kisuke Urahara (29) and his mercenary company (the Urahara Wild Cards) are in the same place. They have been reduced to the sorry state of having only two pilots, his chief officer (and former Coordinator of the Draconis Combine!) Yoruichi Shihōin (28) and Tessai Tsukabishi (34), as a result of most of the others having decided to go their own way (to form a company of their own called Visored). His company is actively recruiting.

The stage is set for a most curious complex of circumstances to unfold...

INITIAL PLOT SUMMARY

The idea behind this is that, although the setting features mecha, war, and political shenanigans (especially what with at least three people from the Great Houses about), I really wanted to use that as a framework for developing interpersonal relations. So, the general gist of the timeline would be that it starts off sort of like Bleach. 

Rukia shows up in Karakura and starts conducting her mission, but things quickly get out of hand. The canonical Federated Suns present themselves as being as honorable and democratic (or, at least as much so as an aristocratic system could be) but there are still vast wealth inequalities and social stratification in their lands, so my feeling is Rukia sees something or other which flips her chivalric and noblesse oblige switches, and she gets involved (eventually using her 'Mech), which draws the attention of the local military forces.

This results in a Fishbone D-style fight, which Ichigo and his family get dragged into. (Perhaps Rukia's 'Mech winds up being pushed into a residential area as she tries to retreat?) Rukia takes a hit to the cockpit while trying to shield Ichigo, getting injured by some shrapnel, mostly in her right arm. (Whoever she's fighting gets knocked down by her counterattack at the same time.) Ichigo clambers up into the cockpit (probably one side of it being torn open) to try and get to her, and finding her injured, decides he's got to fight in her place after getting her out of the ‘Mech[4].

Since he's the child of a Shiba, Isshin has probably subtly been training him to do something like pilot a 'Mech over time somehow, even if it wasn't obvious that's what it was training for. So, Ichigo is fairly naturally able to work with the 'Mech despite no prior official experience, and manages to take out the opposition without destroying the entire neighborhood in the process. He then passes out from heat exhaustion because Rukia's 'Mech is overheating and he doesn't have any kind of cooling gear on.

This is when Kisuke shows up (as in Bleach), having observed this battle from a distance and sensing an opportunity. He and his team scoop up Rukia and recover both her 'Mech and the Federated Suns one that continued pursuit, basically scouring the place for obvious evidence. Things go from there.

Ichigo wakes up the next morning in bed. Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin are fine (maybe they were knocked out through concussion or falling debris or being thrown against walls or something, but are alright; this is a bit handwavy but whatever, no one really cares that much) and seem to think it was a gas main explosion or something. The authorities are basically covering it up as exactly that. Ichigo remembers, but dismisses it as some kind of nightmare.

Until he meets Rukia on his college campus.

She's been patched up enough to be ambulatory but her arm needs time to recover and she can't pilot properly, and so she enlists Ichigo to help her with her infiltration mission by helping her with school and generally blending in and pretending to be a Federated Suns citizen. He refuses at first, but as she saved his life (and he is rather politically disaffected) and he finds there to be a charm in her notions of what honor and chivalry mean, he eventually comes around and grudgingly assists her. (It later turns out her 'Mech is in the care and repair of Kisuke, who is essentially billing her for the services and making her trade on token favors in the meantime.)

A month passes, much as in Bleach, with Rukia living out of Ichigo's room. During this time they converse quite a lot and grow close (as in Bleach and more especially its live action movie). Rukia comes to appreciate the comparative freedom of life in the Federated Suns (even compared to being a noble in the Lyran Commonwealth) and starts to genuinely doubt her mission and cause, finding them to be incompatible with how she interprets chivalry. During this time, she assists Ichigo in getting revenge on a criminal who was responsible for the death of his mother years prior (Grand Fisher equivalent, probably personal combat rather than a 'Mech fight). This is the final straw in her deciding to desert her mission and go native. She stops sending reports back to the Lyran Commonwealth.

Although Kisuke technically owns the Urahara Wild Cards, the reality of the situation is more complicated. He and Tessai were formerly retainers and subordinates of Yoruichi’s from her time as the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine; when she deserted her post to save them from certain execution (due to a convoluted conspiracy), they all wound up as dishonored ronin. Still, he shows her all due deference (if sometimes playfully) from their former lives. He prefers to take an administrative and executive role, leaving day-to-day operations to her, and logistical matters to Tessai.

It is around this time that Yoruichi returns from elsewhere on the planet, her own independent recruiting efforts in more populated areas not having yielded any results. Finding out what's been going on in her absence (with Kisuke having determined Isshin's real identity in the meantime), she's pretty stunned. (As the former leader of the Draconis Combine, finding out that both the sister of the Lyran Commonwealth's Archon and a plausible claimant to First Prince of the Federated Suns are present on such a world is pretty wild.) She joins Kisuke in taking an immediate interest in this situation, but takes care not to make her presence known around Ichigo or Rukia, reasoning at least the latter might be able to deduce who she is (or rather, used to be).

There is growing involvement from Ichigo's college friends and acquaintances (i.e., Chad, Uryuu, Orihime, Tatsuki) who get drawn into matters for personal reasons. (I'm leaning toward including them for contrast, use as sounding boards and interaction for the mains, additional pilots, and for side stories and subplots.) Of these, Uryuu might have his own (Light) 'Mech[5] already, with the Quincy perhaps being some sort of independence movement or armed militia group. (I find it debatable whether Keigo and Mizuiro should be included, but for once they rather plausibly could be.)

Another month passes, and Rukia decides it's time to leave, having come to reason that her mere presence puts Ichigo and everyone else in direct danger. Unfortunately for her, she is too late: shockingly, Byakuya himself arrives on Edo, along with a rising LCAF military commander, Renji Abarai, in order to retrieve her (again with Draconis Combine-styled 'Mechs). Byakuya has come to view her "failure" as a matter of personal honor.

This is where things start to diverge much more heavily from Bleach. Although Uryuu and Ichigo intervene, their ‘Mechs are no match for Renji's 'Mech[6], let alone Byakuya's[7]. All hope seems lost until Yoruichi, Kisuke, and Tessai deploy into battle in heavy and assault 'Mechs[8]. Suddenly outnumbered 2:5, Byakuya and Renji are forced to withdraw and retreat. However, this skirmish draws the attention of the local military much more heavily than even Rukia's initial actions.

The Urahara Wild Cards immediately make ready to leave the planet, and extend an offer to Ichigo, Rukia, and company to join them. Faced with little choice given the attention about to be brought to bear, Ichigo and Rukia choose to leave, prompting the others to join them too. (Rukia having already been prepared to leave, and Ichigo really not wanting to be apart from her but openly reasoning he was planning to leave home anyway after college. The others perhaps view it as more exciting and amenable than staying behind)

They all depart the planet and, after returning to Kisuke's orbiting DropShip (the Geta-Boshi[9], which is too large to make planetfall) soon also leave the system behind. Although Rukia initially finds the idea of becoming a mercenary distasteful for cultural reasons, a speech by Yoruichi[10], who chooses this moment to properly "introduce" herself, results in the six (or eight) deciding they might as well apply their skills as mercenaries under Kisuke's employ, bringing Urahara Wild Cards up to (at least) two full Lances worth of pilots.

The next several months are spent training and taking odd jobs. The young adults from Edo (Ichigo, Tatsuki, Chad, Orihime, and Uryuu [and maybe Keigo and Mizuiro]) come under the supervision of Yoruichi and Tessai for proper basic 'Mech training. Rukia, having received LCAF training, also gets roped into this as a co-instructor. Ichigo winds up being the star pupil of this program by virtue of his history, although Uryuu is not at all far behind.

They settle on a force structure that roughly balances out relative skill while still affording a strong main team and a good reserve team, yielding Alpha Lance (Yoruichi, Rukia, Ichigo, Chad) and Bravo Lance (Tessai, Uryuu, Tatsuki, Orihime). (If Keigo and Mizuiro are there, they're basically backbenchers until the Urahara Wild Cards get at least two more pilots[11] to form a third Lance, Charlie Lance, which would bring them up to Company strength.)

Rukia and Ichigo continue on much as they had before, on Edo. Although they both, along with everyone else, are issued fairly comfortable and private quarters (owing to the size and nature of the construction of the Geta-Boshi), more often than not Rukia chooses to spend her time in Ichigo's quarters, often falling asleep there. It relatively quickly becomes common for them to share a bed, although their relationship remains nebulous and unofficial; almost everyone else treats them as though they are a couple, but they remain very emotionally and personally intertwined rather than lovers.

The Ichigo-Yoruichi and Rukia-Yoruichi reactions are from the outset established on the basis of mutual respect, but as time goes on admiration, care, concern, and physical attraction start to creep into them. Ichigo winds up often getting additional training and instruction from both Yoruichi and Rukia, though more often from the former. He winds up becoming good friends with Yoruichi off-duty as much as on. They have sort of similar interests and approaches to things, and often wind up talking shop about hobbies or knowledge. Yoruichi and Rukia become fast friends due to a mutual background and lifestyle focus; although the Kuchiki and Shihōin are nominally bitter enemies, it turns out they have a lot more in common than it might first seem. They swap more advanced piloting techniques and train together frequently to keep each other sharp. They also spend time together when off-duty, and in the process also become closer with Tatsuki and Orihime, as there are relatively fewer women aboard the Geta-Boshi and the MechWarriors tend to stand apart from the ship's crew and the engineering staff.

A bunch of little incidents also take place that heighten their growing closeness. Two examples: 1. Ichigo winds up walking into Yoruichi's quarters to ask her a question and accidentally catches her in a state of undress; he retreats in (appreciative) embarrassment, but Yoruichi also realizes she doesn't mind that he saw anything. 2. Yoruichi, deducing during an R&R stop on a planet that Rukia is more than a little repressed, and inexperienced to the point of not even knowing how to please herself, offers to show her how as a fellow woman, then reveals she didn't know what she was doing either the first few times she tried.

If the initial time in Karakura were to take roughly 75 chapters (at about 4,000 words each), then this all would probably take at least another 75 chapters, and probably more.

Eventually, one evening Ichigo winds up joining Yoruichi at the only bar on the Geta-Boshi and they trade stories and talk about themselves and each other (although only he drinks). Yoruichi gradually realizes over the course of the evening that she enjoys the sense of connection they share, and that she genuinely finds him attractive, and has the sense that he feels the same about her. Although she's (very) well aware of Ichigo and Rukia's "not-a-relationship," she's also discerned they're not actually lovers, and although that leaves her a bit conflicted, she still chooses to act on her impulses, reasoning she's not doing anything wrong by pursuing him.

After they leave together, she gets him alone (in his 'Mech rather than in either of their quarters, not wanting to make it about power) and reveals her attraction toward him. Her understanding of her feelings is often physical, and she comes onto him, even though she knows that what she’s feeling isn’t purely lust; it’s something more emotionally meaningful and leaves her vulnerable, and the way she takes control of it is by being a bit forward. Ichigo has a kind of similar attraction and doesn’t fight her, having a sense of her perspective and emotions. They have sex, both wanting and needing it, but it’s not just that, and it’s great. Feeling awkward about just doing it and then going their separate ways, Ichigo goes back to her quarters with her, where (despite some innuendo) they probably just shower and fall asleep together (with maybe more in the early morning). This has been prototyped out as about two chapters.

Although Yoruichi initially only considered the idea of it as being a one-time thing, despite her feelings, it keeps occasionally happening over the next few weeks (maybe about every 3-5 days or so) as both of them enjoy the physical comfort of their connection, and the pillow talk afterward.

Meanwhile, Ichigo often spends his other nights finding Rukia asleep beside him, and starts to think about how deep his emotional connection to her is, and how comforting that is too. It leaves him more than a little conflicted and he starts to focus that feeling in on himself as he tries to figure out what to do.

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

This is where my sense of the plot becomes a bit less certain, and where I felt that input could be particularly insightful.

My sense is that Rukia, smart cookie that she is, would figure out what is going on very quickly. (Probably having a sense of it almost immediately, and piecing it together within a week.) Considering the undefined nature of her relationship with Ichigo, I don't think she'd be mad at him or upset with him. I do think it would also make her reflect on her feelings toward him, and together with her own growing recognition of her sexuality, would lead her to be curious and to want to try and have a physical connection with Ichigo too.

So, I think that she would prepare herself mentally and wait until a night when he was in his quarters, and make the first move. And Ichigo would not resist and quickly start to cooperate, wanting to make Rukia feel good. It'd be different between her and him than with him and Yoruichi, but just as intoxicating.

Probably the next morning, Rukia would slip out early and go to see Yoruichi to try and discuss things, having some sense of Ichigo's emotional turmoil and not wanting it to go on further.

I think they'd talk in Yoruichi’s quarters (as I don’t think Rukia would be intimidated by talking there), but they might also go somewhere private on the ship, maybe a kind of industrial or disused area as neutral ground.

Rukia would begin with just a frank admission of, "I've slept with Ichigo," not wanting to make the talk confrontational or anything.

Yoruichi would say something like, "Good. It's about time."

"That's all you have to say?" Rukia would be surprised more than anything.

Yoruichi might maneuver closer and get in her personal space, assessing her carefully and critically. Rukia might tense up a little but would hold her ground, not afraid.

Eventually Yoruichi gets closer still and leans in to just softly kiss her.

Rukia's stunned, then like, "What are you doing?!"

Yoruichi would pull back and consider her, then cross her arms over her chest as she looked away. She'd say something like, "I know you will, but make sure you take care of him," making it clear she approved.

Rukia would be stunned for a moment, giving Yoruichi the opportunity to begin to gently quiz her on the experience. Did she like it? Did Ichigo? Was it good? Where do they want to go with their relationship?

I think Rukia would see through it, and although she would answer, she would press Yoruichi on her own feelings. It would turn into a kind of Self-Sacrifice Olympics because Yoruichi would be willing to step aside, and Rukia feels bad about that because she can tell that it wasn't purely physical on Yoruichi's part, and back and forth.

They would talk through things for longer than they might have thought they would, with Rukia discerning Yoruichi's care for Ichigo and Yoruichi truly grasping how considerate Rukia is.

I think Rukia would be moved, personally, and she'd eventually return Yoruichi's initial smooch but for a different reason, to make it clear how heartfelt her respect was.

Now, of course, the goal here was to set this up together gradually, so I think that given their shared history to that point, Yoruichi would return it and it would turn into something more, more mutual and a bit handsy.

By the time they pulled apart and looked at one another, they'd both have expressions like, 'Well. What do we do now?'

I think it'd be Rukia who said, "We'll have to see what he says... together."

I don't think they would immediately become a trio from there, it'd be a lot rockier than that, with each having their doubts about the matter before them. 

Ichigo would be worried that they were just doing this for his benefit and that he didn't deserve either of them. Rukia would be less confident in her newfound sexuality and lack of experience and might have a bi crisis (or recurrent bouts of it). Yoruichi would be secure in her sexuality but be worried about hurting them and how that could affect them all professionally (to the extent of even getting them all killed).

I also think it'd take them a fair amount of time to try anything all together, even just cuddling. So it'd be a drawn out process of discovery rather than them all just jumping into it. Movie nights, hanging out, going on dates in pairs and as a trio, and splitting off to take turns as duos (Rukia and Yoruichi at first having an understanding, and eventually taking the step of trying being with each other). It would probably take almost as much time to process through as it did to set up before they finally fully settled in together. 

Meanwhile, the surrounding situation would also obviously be growing more complicated...

In addition to mercenary adventures and dealing with the continuing wrath of Byakuya and the Lyran Commonwealth, there is an even larger picture owing to the Third Succession War.

While, obviously, this does not slavishly follow BattleTech's history as it is, nor will it going forward, taking elements and using them seems prudent. In BattleTech canon, the Third Succession War ends in 3025 with the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns signing a defensive pact (in 3022) which is ultimately designed to unify them (into the "Federated Commonwealth"). The Free World League, Draconis Combine, and Capellan Confederation then ink their own agreement to counterbalance the threat of this.

My feeling is that the FedCom pact could have an interesting basis in Ichigo and Rukia coming together (and, because I'm a basic and predictable bitch, Byakuya and Kuukaku getting involved), although Yoruichi's presence would make things more interesting and complicated. Regardless, I think that with three Great Houses being represented (by Yoruichi, Rukia, and Ichigo) the crew would wind up playing some sort of role in the Third Succession War's resolution.

Other characters can be integrated variously throughout in different ways as well.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Likely standing in for Robinson in the actual BattleTech setting. [2] Rukia's official title of nobility is quite low considering her relation at this time. [3] Rukia, operating on behalf of her brother, has a rare customized 'Mech: an FS9-H Firestarter with 3/4 of the Flamers replaced by Medium Lasers, changing its BV (2.0) from 694 to 883. The rear-facing Flamer is the one retained. This would give it decent staying combat power for something so light. Looks something like this. [4] In BattleTech, the Successor States lost the knowledge of many Star League-era technologies ("lostech"). One of them was cooling suits for MechWarriors; "typical" garb is instead a cooling jacket and as little clothing as possible, usually a sleeveless leotard. So this could be a kind of funny scene if that's kept. (How hard is it to turn a vest into a suit though...) This would make Yoruichi's preferred taste in attire in Bleach fairly normative, though. Alternatively, the standard could be more like what was envisioned in one of the latest video game adaptations. [5] Probably a bog-standard LCT-1V Locust, the most common sort around. Looks something like this. [6] Perhaps an HBK-4G Hunchback. Looks something like this. Renji can have an ugly 'Mech to start with. [7] I'm thinking of a stock VTR-9B Victor. Looks something like this. [8] I think Yoruichi might have a TDR-5SE Thunderbolt (looks), Kisuke might have a MAD-3R Marauder (looks), and Tessai might have a BLR-1G BattleMaster (looks). [9] Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai have somehow found (and renamed) the Argo. [10] It's notable that the Draconis Combine hates mercenaries, so that Yoruichi is here (with Kisuke and Tessai) doing mercenary work also Says Something. [11] As I am constantly saying Fullbring should’ve been introduced early in Bleach, maybe they meet (and beat) rival mercenary group Xcution and take on the remnants (probably Jackie, Yukio, and Riruka) as pilots?

[mechagalaxy]

Sten Hugo Hiller - 627184: Mountain Climbing Mecha Combat #1256

(By Sten Hugo Hiller - 627184) Mountain Climbing Mecha Combat #1256

Brought to you by ANN

Highlighting the September 3359 Front Line fight

As usual between the second and third battleday, the Gaming Authorities reduced the nunber of Mechs needed on the Mountains to just the first line.

Bringing more Mechs, -even a full formation, was of course permitted, but only the first line would be involved in the actual fighting.

Admittedly, this was not the best possible news for me. As my forces were to slug it out on K3 where the regular opponents would have licences 45-130 higher than mine, the balance of power was severly skewed to say the least. Assuming they used the top Mech models, each of their Mechs would carry 15-40 more weapons than mine of the same nodel, have 20-50% thicker armor, and probably six-Mech lines compared to my forces` 5-Mech line.

But enough working Mechs were cobbled together, and just before the scramble we arrived at the Mountains. There was a piece of good news there, not all of the medal positions had been claimed, so we could just march straight into the foothills.

But as there were quite a lot of hatorades in the compartment, why not try to strike upward? The only contestant having a lower licence than mine, -Carlos Chin from Altair, was felled. Then a quick flurry of blows let me onto the slopes by tackling my fellow writer, -Bob Schlomer of Rigel.

As the operation had went smoothly so far, perhaps a quick strike for the top was warranted as well? Perish that thought. Yeah, sure we tried, but were blithely ignored. The top position was fought over by Lokki from Alpha Centauri and Darryl Proctor of the Sirius Chaos. They traded the position back and forth repetedly, and my forces were trashed by either of them every try.

So the recording equipment were emplaced, and when the light flashed I knew the winners had been:

Div 1 422+ (24 Commanders): Fabio Favaro, Rigel (57s) 2: Roy Cheah 3: Gary Muenzel 4: Jaime Beltran 5: Jeff Page 6: Bernard Johnson 7: Jeff Haas 8: Christine Mainer 9: Ben Rail 10: Were Wolf Div 2 -421 (18 Commanders): Makema Mathews, Capellan Chaos (20m,30s) Div 3 -314 (13 Commanders): Darryl Proctor, Sirius Chaos (45s) Div 4 -231 (21 Commanders): KiloToneRecoil, B.o.A.D. (13m,52s) Div 5 -176 (26 Commanders): Jelloshots Suckeddown, T.B. BlackWatch (21h,7m) Div 6 -124 (32 Commanders): Grego, Psycho Squad (9s) Div 7 -92 (28 Commanders): notwillard, Ronins (1h,8m) Div 8 -59 (20 Commanders): Shidik Dwirahmanto, ITC (17h,34m) Div 9 -38 (18 Commanders): RobertGoetz, Zombie Hunters (15h,25m) Div 10 -24 (19 Commanders): allanbrainstorm, Kaus Australis (7m,52s) Div 11 -13 (15 Commanders): Iaiskottelu, RED AXE (2d,20h)

Total Contestants: 234 Total medals claimed: 163 (of 165 possible)

Compared to the Anzu event we had just before the Chaos War, the number of Commanders showing up to fight increased by fifty-three. And while there was som imbalances between the tops, this time only a pair of Bronzes from K3 ended unclaimed.

The last half-hour saw six Golds changing hands at least once, three of them not decided until the last minute. Four other Golds were held for more than two hours, one of them for more than a day. So, at least for the top prizes, there was some pretty tough fighting. But did that hold true for the rest of the prizes as well? The best way to find out is to count the number of medals held for more than 30 minutes in this event:

.............Silvers......Bronzes

Div 1 ....0 of 4.........5 of 10 Div 2 ….2 of 4.........7 of 10 Div 3 ….3 of 4.........5 of 8 Div 4 ….2 of 4.........7 of 10 Div 5 ….4 of 4...….10 of 10 Div 6 ....0 of 4..........7 of 10 Div 7 ….2 of 4.........7 of 10 Div 8 ….4 of 4.........9 of 10 Div 9 ….4 of 4...….10 of 10 Div 10 ..3 of 4.........6 of 10 Div 11 ..4 of 4...….10 of 10

On a trio of the tops (K5, K9 an K11) there were no successfull medal attacks, and only one Bronze changed hands on K8. On the other end of the scale, Mount Olympus and K6 both saw most of the medals finding fresh holders. The rest of the tops had pretty decent action.

None of the clans managed to claim more than one Gold from this event, neither did any of the unaligned Commanders rise to the top of a mountain. But we had two repeat winners: Makema Mathews from the Capellan Chaos on K2 and Darryl Proctor from the Sirius Chaos on K3.

Upcoming event: Point Mech Panic

The traditional end of war event. Only one mech is needed/allowed, so choose the best you have, and dont forget plenty of Hatorades.

Event ends May 29 between 1800 and 1830 New York Time

[drendarmorevo]

Shadowrun, cyberpunk but with magic. Another title created by FASA Corporation. Aside from its tangential relationship to BattleTech, I don't really know why this is here.

Canopus Catgirls, take a single piece of art from a sourcebook, make it a meme, and that meme takes on a life of its own. The Magistracy of Canopus is a Periphery Nation in the BattleTech setting known for being a unchecked paradise for capitalism, techology, and genetic engineering. A single image from the Magistracy of Canopus sourcebook showed an entertainer in costume featuring a pair of robotic cat ears and that was all it took for people to declare that Canopus has real catgirls. For the record they don't, but they could.

The Great Houses, there are five/six "Great Houses" of the Inner Sphere, and each is linked to a current or former inner sphere great power. House Steiner is the head of the Lyran Commonwealth the Military Industrial Complex made manifest; House Liao is the head of the Capellan Confederation the state that gives paranoia a new meaning; House Marik leads the Free Worlds League which is neither free, made of worlds, or a league; House Davion leads the smugness that is the Federated Suns; and House Kurita controls the Draconis Combine, certified katana wielding militarized jerkwads for all your weeb fantasies. The sixth "Great House" was House Cameron and they controlled the Terran Hegemony and the cradle of humanity, but theyre dead now, as is the Terran Hegemony.

Robot Jox, a 1990 science fiction film featuring mech single combat seemingly inspired by BattleTech, it is terrible. It got two sequels, because it was the 90s. Wait, was this actually about Robot Jocks, a barely known pen and paper game from 2006 meant to be a print and play way of playing BattleTech for nearly free? Who knows.

MechWarrior: Living Legends, MechWarrior Online before MechWarrior Online existed. Originally designed as a mod for Crysis, now a standalone mod, the game is free to download because it is a non-canon fanmade production.

The Books, there are over 100 fiction novels and short stories set in the BattleTech universe. Print copies of older novels are usually cheap, but hard to find, I generally recommend secondhand booksellers or eBay.

The Periphery, people fleeing the Great Houses' influence or the Successor States' control move to the Periphery around them and carve their own destinies. At various times in the setting there are as few as three, or as many as seven known "Periphery States." The four most famous are the Outworlds Alliance, glorified pirates that eschew mechs in favor of aerospace assets; the Taurian Concordate, which views outsiders as threats and practices extensive defense in depth tactics; the Magistracy of Canopus which is the literal "i'll build my own State with Blackjack and Hookers but with women in charge;" and the Rim Worlds Republic which was just militarized vengeance after the fall of their founding House.

The Clans, remember the Amaris Civil War? Remember how at the end Kerensky took the SLDF and blew off onto the Exodus to hopefully prevent the inner sphere from destroying itself? Well, that didn't exactly work out as planned and those survivors and self-exiles founded a new society called "the Clans." Strictly speaking they were founded by General Kerensky's son, Nicholas, who was probably suffering the long term effects of brain illness, regardless of which a new society was formed, highly militarized, ritualistic, quasi-spiritual, and tribal. The Clans view the Inner Sphere with a mix of awe and dread and some view it as their duty to civilize them to their new, "better," way of life.

Battletech Iceberg Meme. I feel like I could do a video (or a very long post) explaining every point here.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Highlander

The Highlander is one of the most well-known Star League Defense Force assault 'Mechs, serving with distinction for almost two centuries since first entering service in 2592. Initially designed as a dedicated city and installation defender, the original model featured a variety of weaponry along with fifteen and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor, but perhaps its most useful asset were the three HildCo jump jets giving it a jumping range of 90 meters. Among the heaviest 'Mech designs to feature jump jets at the time, their original task was to allow the Highlander the ability to jump over inconvenient obstacles such as buildings and outpace other 'Mechs with a faster ground speed, but because of this increased mobility and its versatile weaponry the Highlander proved to be a capable fighter on any battlefield and within decades nearly every BattleMech regiment of the Regular and Royal Armies featured them. However it was during the design's initial trial runs that pilots began using these 'Mechs in what would infamously become known as the "Highlander Burial". Leaping into the air and landing directly on their enemy, a Highlander could literally drive a light 'Mech into the ground. So successful was this maneuver that the design team reengineered the legs to withstand repeated death-from-above attacks and turned what had been a desperation move into an art form, giving Highlander pilots an additional psychological edge.

(the above excellent video by @a-rebellious-waffle)

As with other Star League era designs the Highlander would suffer the loss of technology brought about by the Succession Wars, and when StarCorps' factory on Son Hoa was devastated towards the end of the Second Succession War the original HGN-732 became virtually extinct. An agreement between StarCorps and Hollis Incorporated to rebuild destroyed chassis from scratch using readily-available technology kept the line going until the mid-3030s when limited production was restarted by StarCorps on Son Hoa and Corey, producing barely a dozen new 'Mechs per year. These HGN-733 Highlanders were used in small numbers by the Capellan Confederation and Lyran Commonwealth, commonly as part of lances containing Exterminators, Victors, Grasshoppers and Catapults.

Unbeknownst to many, ComStar also maintained a large stock of Highlanders left over from the Star League, some of which they gifted to the Draconis Combine during the War of 3039. The appearance of so many seemingly rare 733s, along with a few 732s whose advanced technology managed to slip through ComStar screening, had a large impact on Lyran morale during that conflict. ComStar would also use the design in their own military forces, the Com Guards, and even during the Clan Invasion a few original 732s would take to the field as part of the Clans' fighting forces. The Northwind Highlanders especially favored this namesake BattleMech. In fact, during the Succession Wars, they were the only Inner Sphere army to keep a large number of them operational, along with ComStar. The Highlanders are especially skilled in delivering the famed Highlander Burial maneuver. By 3057 StarCorps' Son Hoa line was at full production, producing brand-new original-spec Highlanders for Lyran units of the Federated Commonwealth, just in time to take part in the FedCom Civil War. Highlanders would continue to be produced all the way through to the Jihad, where advanced variants fought both for and against the Word of Blake.

The Highlander carries a weapons mix that is more at home when fighting a ranged battle, but when the ranges close the Highlander has the right equipment for the job. The primary weapon is an M-7 Gauss rifle that is capable of stripping armor off of an enemy a ton at a time. The Gauss is backed up at long ranges by a Holly-20 LRM-20 launcher. For close range work, it carries two Harmon Starclass medium lasers and a Holly-6 SRM-6 launcher. Two tons of ammo for the gauss rifle, LRM and SRM launchers each provide good endurance while the use of CASE grants added protection. Low heat buildup from the weapons allows for a nearly continuous barrage without taxing the twelve heat sinks, though pilots must still exhibit caution.