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Trace Coburn

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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« on: May 12, 2011, 03:26:45 AM »
Morningstar, Series.A
AKA: Morningstar-A, “Antonio”

Chassis:                        S.BM.01(A)
Power Plant:                    Cavaretta PowerSys 255
Cruising Speed:                 32.4 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                  54.0 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                      none
   Jump Capacity:               none
Armor:                          Principality Metal Works Lamellor-3
Armament:
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Ravenna” Large Lasers
   1 Vittorio Dynamics “Viper-b” missile-launcher
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Principality Metal Works S.96.3 Vehicular Grenade Launchers
   2 Principality Metal Works S.129.2 20mm Machine Guns
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X

Overview:
    When the Principality of Salerno ‘impounded’ the JumpShip TCS Pleiades Caravan for ‘smuggling arms’ to ‘rebels’ in June of 2583, they did so with the intention of obtaining samples of advanced ground-combat vehicles - the much-rumoured ‘BattleMechs’ - for study and reproduction, hoping to secure a hopefully-decisive advantage against the Union of Sovereign Republics.  Much to their surprise and delight, Caravan was loaded with a full Regimental complement of TDF ’Mechs, including TR-A-6 Toros, TDR-5S Thunderbolts, and the mighty WHM-6R Warhammers that were a mainstay of the TDF’s heavy striking units.  A brief period of field-trials with the seized machines was more than enough to convince the Salernan leadership that the ’Mech would be the decisive instrument of ground warfare; moreover, their engineers believed that reproducing ’Mechs was within their technical and industrial capabilities.

   However, almost as soon as the duplication project was instituted, the wrangling began.  The engineers wanted to start conservatively, using a smaller-scale reverse-engineering and duplication of the TR-A-6 to identify and correct all of the inevitable teething troubles.  This proposal was met with official horror: the Prince and his generals wanted the biggest, nastiest ’Mechs they could get, not hordes of ‘sting-fly’ light machines.  After the Prince had executed a couple of project-heads who wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear, the engineers (resignedly) agreed to replicate the Warhammer, albeit in the certain knowledge that their first efforts would not match that mighty machine’s performance.

   In the final event, the machine which emerged from the process wasn’t quite the disappointment the engineers had anticipated, though it was still far from all it could be.  In particular, despite its ongoing production of Leone starfighters Salerno had never built a fusion engine for a ground-combat vehicle before; in the final event, the ’Mech’s powerplant had a power-to-weight ratio that was downright appalling to many eyes, and indeed allowed a lower ground-speed than originally intended.  However, the ’Mech worked well enough for the Prince, and it was accordingly rushed into series production as the Series.A Morningstar.

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:
    Plated with sixteen-and-a-half tons of industrial armour laminates, the Series.A Morningstar was about as resilient as its progenitor the Warhammer, and many argued that it invested too little of its mass in ordnance.  Efforts to duplicate the Donal PPC were lagging far behind schedule, so the decision was made to substitute laser-cannons; while these were also experimental, they were at least ready for field testing.  The rest of the armament-plan was purely derived from the Warhammer: each breast housed a medium laser, a rotary machine-gun, and a scatter-pack grenade launcher, and the shoulders supported a searchlight and a missile-launcher in unmistakeable imitation of the StarCorps machine.

   Approved for series production the same afternoon as it was demonstrated for the Prince in 2594, the Series.A Morningstar - colloquially known as the ‘Antonio’ model - soon equipped two regiments of the Cavaretta Ducal Guards, and was slated to see its combat debut against the Union of Sovereign Republics in 2599.  However, the intervention of the Star League Navy in the ‘Foundation War’ emphatically forestalled those intentions, and while Series.A production continued after the armistice, it never saw action against the Union or the Star League in its original state.

Morningstar, Series.A

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Advanced
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                        7
Engine:                255                                13
    Walking MP:         3
    Running MP:         5
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            18                                  8
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit (primitive):                                       5
Armor Factor:          176 (Primitive)                    16.5

No hand actuators
HS crits: LA 3, CT 1, RA 3

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               22
Center Torso(rear)                       5
R/L Torso              15               22
R/L Torso(rear)                          4
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               22

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Large Laser (Prototype)                 LA          2        5
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun Ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
SRM/2                                   RT          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                RT          1        1
Large Laser (Prototype)                 RA          2        5

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)
QUIRK: Difficult to Maintain (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2011, 03:29:51 AM by Trace Coburn »
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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2011, 06:44:14 AM »
Morningstar, Series.B
AKA: Morningstar-B, “Bartolomeo”

Chassis:                       S.BM.01(B) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   1 Principality Metal Works S.47.5 115mm AC/10
   1 Vittorio Dynamics “Hydra-b” missile-launcher
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Purifier” Flamer
   2 Principality Metal Works S.96.3 Vehicular Grenade Launchers
   2 Principality Metal Works S.129.2 20mm Machine Guns
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  Just before the SLDF imposed an armistice in the Cavaretta Expanse, elements of the Taurian Navy’s legendary ‘Lost Squadron’ found their way to Acadia, seeking asylum away from the Inner Sphere powers which had conquered their homeland.  These refugees brought with them not only large amounts of war-materiel, including several WarShips and large numbers of ’Mechs and ASFs, but also a number of ’Mech designers, engineers, technicians, samples of SLDF technology retrieved in battlefield salvage (including several THE-N Thorn and BL-6KNT Black Knight BattleMechs), and several datacores’ worth of technical schematics.  Bartering those materials and expertise to the Salernans in return for sanctuary on Acadia, the Taurians made a number of improvements to the Morningstar and its production arrangements, resolving technical issues which had plagued the design since its inception.  It was these Taurian ‘consultants’ who made the breakthroughs that led to full-scale production of modern battle-steel laminar armour for the Morningstar, improving protection to near-incredible levels while reducing weight, as well as identifying a number of flaws in the Series.A’s design which created serious tactical deficiencies.

  Perhaps the most critical issue was found in the powerplant, which was found to be far too heavy for its power output, just as the Salernan engineers had anticipated; its coolant loops were also inadequate to the task of supporting sustained fire without incurring serious heat-induced performance penalties.  (The fact that the relatively primitive laser-cannons mounted by the Series.A generated half-again the waste heat of their Inner Sphere counterparts certainly didn’t help matters.)  Reverse-engineering and replication of the new structural material known as ‘EndoSteel’ took almost fifteen years from the first effort, but despite its production headaches, costs, and bulk, the far greater ease with which the material could be smelted and repaired (compared to the complex, multi-layered ‘conventional’ structural members) made it a sound favourite with support personnel.  (There was another bonus, albeit a Machiavellian one.  Shifting to exclusive use of the new material, which could only be formed in microgravity, prevented any Duchy other than the Cavarettas from starting independent production of Morningstars without first needing to construct an orbital smelter.  Such an endeavour would be so expensive and obvious as to render any attempt to break the Cavaretta/PMW monopoly of ’Mech production - and thus, any attempt to secretly build a ’Mech army with which to actively overthrow the Cavarettas - as doomed to discovery and failure before it could reach full production.)

  With the Taurians’ help, the Series.A’s powerplants were replaced with larger, modern reactors with better power:weight ratios, but problems with the Genarro-built laser-cannons persisted despite GMO’s best efforts.  (Designers at the Giulio Munitions plant on Acadia had developed a laser cannon to Inner Sphere standards, the famous “Legionnaire”, but the GMO cartel held an exclusive contract for laser-weapons supplied to the ‘home Famiglias’ and the Prince was not inclined to alienate a long-term ally by breaking that monopoly in favour of ‘colonial degenerates’.)  With PPC development still lagging despite intensive (and expensive) efforts, the decision was made to replace the laser-cannons with an S.47.5 autocannon; while this weapon was extremely heavy and notoriously ammunition-hungry, the five-round bursts of 115mm dual-purpose shells it fired were a very authoritative voice in the ‘Argument of Dukes’.

  This new mark of Morningstar, the Series.B or ‘Bartolomeo’, was instituted as the production standard for new units in 2627, and all extant Series.A machines were recalled to Principality Metal Works for replacement and disposal over the following thirty years.  Even when newer models of Morningstar were designed and fielded, the Cavaretta Famiglia continued production of the Bartolomeo for export to the other Duchies.  (Informed speculation holds that this policy is a matter of ensuring that in the event of an open breach between the Crown and one or more Dukes, the ammunition-dependence of most Ducal ’Mechs would play a signficant role in the ensuing campaign.  It is also curious to note that despite PMW’s recall of every extant Series.A Morningstar before the end of the century - a task involving more than two thousand units - the fate of these machines and their ‘surplus’ 255-rate engines has never been uncovered by either SLDF or Union intelligence agencies.)

  The introduction of the ‘Hatchet’ missile-system in 2822 saw many Duchies rush to take advantage of the ‘wonder-weapon’ with refits to their ’Mechs, including sizeable numbers of Morningstars.  Usually replacing the LRM launcher and its magazine, the Hatchet system delivered solid punch over its range for a minimal heat-burden, but even when a 2826 upgrade finally allowed the Hatchet system to duplicate the ‘ripple-fire’ capability of the Javelin launcher on which it was based, many pilots and commanders who used Hatchets in action were underwhelmed by their performance and would have reverted to the old LRM loadouts if permitted to do so by their superiors and/or political masters.  It is believed that this dissatisfaction was the primary impetus behind the development of the Series.G (q.v.).

Morningstar, Series.B Mk.1

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            13                                  3
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
HS crits: LL 1, RL 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun Ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
LRM/2                                   RT          2        5
LRM/2 Ammo (60 missiles)                RT          3        3
AC/10 Ammo (20)                         RT          2        2
AC/10                                   RA          7       12

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)



Morningstar, Series.B Mk.2

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            14                                  4
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
HS crits: LL 1, LA 1, RL 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Medium Laser                            LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun Ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
Hatchet launcher                        RT          1        2
Hatchet missiles (18)                   RT          3        3
AC/10 Ammo (20)                         RT          2        2
AC/10                                   RA          7       12

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2011, 06:55:28 AM »
Morningstar, Series.C
AKA: Morningstar-C, “Casimiro”

Chassis:                       S.BM.01(B) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   1 Genarro Military Optics “Halberd/10” Particle Projection Cannon
   1 Vittorio Dynamics “Hydra-b” missile-launcher
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Purifier” Flamer
   2 Principality Metal Works S.96.3 Vehicular Grenade Launchers
   2 Principality Metal Works S.129.2 20mm Machine Guns
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  Upon the availability of properly-scaled particle cannons, the Morningstar truly came into its own with the inauguration of the Series.C.  The “Casimiro” model was everything the Morningstar had been originally conceived to be, including offloading the M47B5 in exchange for a full-scale “Halberd/10” PPC (briefly manufactured by Ferretti Heavy Industries, until GMO forced them out of business and annexed their production facility) and backing it with the familiar array of a missile-launcher, “Rapier” medium lasers, grenade-launchers, and crowd-shattering S.129.2 twenty-millimetres, and some twenty-one heat-sinks to address the resultant power-management concerns.

  Taking primacy of production-emphasis for the Cavaretta ‘Royal Guards’ almost as soon as it was demonstrated, the Morningstar-C swiftly became a symbol of the Prince’s power... and gained a reputation as the hammer which smote those who displeased him.  Given the straightforward nature of the changes between the “Bartolomeo” and “Casimiro” models, it was a simple matter for the forces of richer Duchies to obtain or institute refit-kits to bring a number of their Morningstars up to a broadly similar standard in later years, usually for the use of unit-commanders.


Morningstar, Series.C Mk.1

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            21                                 11
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
HS crits: LL 1, LT 2, RT 2, RL 1, RA 4

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun Ammo (100 rounds)           CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
LRM/2                                   RT          2        5
LRM/2 Ammo (40 missiles)                RT          2        2
PPC                                     RA          3        7

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)



Morningstar, Series.C Mk.2

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            21                                 11
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
HS crits: LL 1, LT 2, RT 2, RL 1, RA 4

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Medium Laser                            LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun Ammo (100 rounds)           CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
Hatchet launcher                        RT          1        2
Hatchet missiles (18)                   RT          3        3
PPC                                     RA          3        7

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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Trace Coburn

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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2011, 07:06:20 AM »
Morningstar, Series.D
AKA: Morningstar-D, “Damiano”

Chassis:                       S.BM.01(B) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Halberd/10” Particle Projection Cannon
   1 Vittorio Dynamics “Viper-b” missile-launcher
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Purifier” Flamer
   2 Principality Metal Works S.96.3 Vehicular Grenade Launchers
   2 Principality Metal Works S.129.2 20mm Machine Guns
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  “Damiano”, Series.D, was the original goal of the Morningstar project all along, but did not become practical until GMO made its breakthrough in PPC design.  Designed and put into production alongside the Series.C, and visually almost indistinguishable from the WHM-6R, Morningstar-Ds were usually found as command units, or in ‘line-breaker’ shock units intended to force breaches in heavy defences for exploitation by follow-on echelons; certainly, their twin PPCs, heavy armour, and ample cooling systems well-suited them to the direct assault role.  From 2735 onwards, they also superseded the Series.C as the standard ’Mech of the Cavaretta Royal Guards in a rolling replacement programme; this released large numbers of Series.Cs to equip the newly-formed Peacekeeper units, with limited quantities being marketed to Dukes who wished to upgrade their existing forces or replace units lost in ‘accidents’.

  As the various campaigns against the neutral worlds of the Cavaretta Expanse were conducted, especially the so-called “Virginia War” war against the Union of Sovereign Republics, formations of Series.D Morningstars were also sighted fighting under in Ducal liveries, often as autonomous commands.  Majority opinion amongst analysts held that these formations were actually units of Royal Army and Peacekeeper ‘observers’, fighting under false colours to build up a body of institutional experience without openly committing the Crown to the war; the minority alternative - that these ’Mechs were being directly sold to the Dukes in useful quantities - was dismissed as unthinkable in the Principality’s political climate (and also too frightening to consider too long).

  In 2761, Union Fleet Intelligence received alarming indications that the Salernans had managed to duplicate one of the systems which had revolutionised modern BattleMech design, the double heat-sink.  There has long been speculation that agents of the Rim Worlds Republic may have contacted the Salernans and provided them covert technical assistance in order to complicate the SLDF’s situation in the run-up to the Periphery Uprising and the Coup; however, there has never been the faintest shred of evidence to support this theory.  Further, while these reports were passed on to higher authority, they were ignored by the bureaucracy surrounding the First Lord, partly because of Amaris’ status in Richard Cameron’s eyes and partly because the idea that ‘Periphery yokels’ could uncover evidence of such treason when the best minds in the Inner Sphere had not was simply too preposterous to accept.

  Nonetheless, the existence of this Series.D Mk.2 was confirmed when several examples were knocked out and examined during the invasion of Highside, but this vindication gave Union analysts no real pleasure.  The uprated “Damiano” possessed a far more forgiving heat-curve than the Mk.1 and was capable of sustained fire from both primary guns for protracted periods.  When this barrage capability was coupled with additional medium lasers and millimetre-wave-radar-guided SRMs that made it equally fearsome in close-quarters action, the Series.D Mk.2 was a potent battlefield threat - arguably a match for the Royal Warhammer Six Romeo (bravo) it so closely resembled - and played a key role in forcing Union forces to retreat off-world.

  The Series.D Mk.3 appeared late in the campaign on Ensenada, a product of Gehennan efforts to mitigate the threat of the Union’s devastating Javelin missiles.  Offloading the Mk.2’s additional medium lasers for anti-missile systems, the Mk.3 employed a layered point-defence scheme (counter-missiles, AMS, decoys) to destroy or defeat missile-attacks.  This dense array of PD systems did prove effective in open-field engagements, but the cluttered, three-dimensional urban battlefields into which the Union so frequently drew Salernan forces gave Union guerrillerros and regular forces innumerable opportunities to strike at Mk.3s from unprotected directions, with point-blank massed salvos of unguided rockets, or not infrequently both at once.


Morningstar Series.D Mk.1

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            18                                  8
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

No hand actuators
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 4, CT 1, RT 1, RA 3, RL 1
HS: LL 1, LA 2, LT 1, RA 2, RL 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
PPC                                     LA          3        7
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
SRM/2                                   RT          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                RT          1        1
PPC                                     RA          3        7

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)



Morningstar Series.D Mk.2

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            13 [26]                             3
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

No hand actuators
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 4, CT 1, RT 1, RA 3, RL 1
DHS: LA 1, RA 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
PPC                                     LA          3        7
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
SRM/3 with Artemis-IV                   RT          3        4
SRM/3 Ammo (40 missiles)                RT          2        2
PPC                                     RA          3        7

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)



Morningstar Series.D Mk.3

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            13 [26]                             3
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

No hand actuators
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 4, CT 1, RT 1, RA 3, RL 1
DHS: LA 1, RA 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
PPC                                     LA          3        7
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             LT          1        0.5
Anti-Missile System                     LT          1        0.5
Machine-gun ammo (100)                  CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
Machine-gun                             RT          1        0.5
Anti-Missile System                     RT          1        0.5
AMS ammo (12)                           RT          1        1
SRM/3 with Artemis-IV                   RT          3        4
SRM/3 Ammo (40 missiles)                RT          2        2
PPC                                     RA          3        7

QUIRK: Searchlight (+1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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Trace Coburn

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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 07:15:34 AM »
Morningstar, Series.E
AKA: Morningstar-E, “Ettore”

Chassis:                       S.BM.01(B) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Halberd/5” Particle Guns
   2 Bewaffnungen von Schwarzwald PaK-2743 76mm Light AC/5s
   4 Giulio Munitions “Janissary” Medium Lasers
   2 Giulio Munitions “Scutum” Vehicular Grenade Launchers
   2 Bewaffnungen von Schwarzwald MG-2732 7.95mm Light Machine Guns
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: Garret D2j

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  The Series.E Morningstar was actually a field-refit package developed by Acadian technicians following the nearly-disastrous invasion of Soren as a response to operational experience, specifically to the fierce air-attacks by Soren and ‘volunteer’ pilots against the Second Genarro Guards and, so a lesser extent, the First Ferretti Guards.  A remodelling of “Bartolemeo” and/or “Casimiro” chassises intended as a dedicated anti-aircraft platform, it found this tasking facilitated by Acadian agents ‘fortuitously acquiring’ the Garret D2j fire-control system (with the assistance of well-renumerated Taurian go-betweens).  Another design outwardly almost indistinguishable from its inspiration, in this case the famous RFL-3N Rifleman, the “Ettore” model replaced the Series.D’s twin particle-cannons with arms lifted almost directly from the RFL-3N blueprints, mounting twin particle-guns and supplementing them with underslung Soren-made PaK-2743 light autocannons.  This combination gave the type respectable medium-range punch while maintaining a manageable heat-burden.  Fielded as a battalion-level AAA system in 2822, the Morningstar-E quickly found a useful secondary niche in direct combat with Union forces during the invasion of Ensenada, as their autocannons’ ability to use ‘semi-smart’ gyrojet rounds became one of the most effective counters to high-speed Ensenadan VTOL and GEV units weaving along the boulevards and between the low-rises of the fortress-cities.  Despite its efficacy, however, the Acadians never enjoyed much success in selling the “Ettore” to their counterparts of the ‘home’ Duchies, mainly because the type’s design role - a supporting one, rather than ‘glorious’ combat on the front lines - and underwhelming throw-weight were at odds with the cultural expectations placed on ‘true Gehennan ’MechWarriors’.


Morningstar Series.E Mk.1

Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            17                                  7
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

No hand or lower-arm actuators
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
HS crits: LL 1, LA 2, RA 2, RL 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Lt.PPC                                  LA          2        3
LAC/5                                   LA          2        5
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Light Machine-gun                       LT          1        0.5
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Light Machine-gun ammo (100)            CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Light Machine-gun                       RT          1        0.5
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
LAC/5 Ammo (40)                         RT          2        2
Lt.PPC                                  RA          2        3
LAC/5                                   RA          2        5

QUIRK: Anti-Aircraft Targeting (+6)
QUIRK: Bad Reputation (-1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)


(The following is miniaturised in lieu of spoiler tags.)
Morningstar Series.E Mk.1

Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            13 [26]                             3
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

No hand or lower-arm actuators
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1
DHS crits: LA 1, RA 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
ERLL                                    LA          2        5
LAC/5                                   LA          2        5
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Light Machine-gun                       LT          1        0.5
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              LT          1        0.5
Light Machine-gun ammo (100)            CT          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Light Machine-gun                       RT          1        0.5
Vehicular Grenade Launcher              RT          1        0.5
LAC/5 Ammo (40)                         RT          2        2
ERLL                                    RA          2        5
LAC/5                                   RA          2        5

QUIRK: Anti-Aircraft Targeting (+6)
QUIRK: Bad Reputation (-1)
QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2011, 07:17:13 AM »
Morningstar, Series.F
AKA: Morningstar-F, “Filiberto”

Chassis:                       S.BM.01(C) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   4 Vittorio Dynamics “Medusa” Hatchet Launch-Control Modules
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Purifier” Flamer
   2 Genarro Military Optics “Dagger-b” Small Pulse Laser
   1 Principality Metal Works “Skyguard” 20mm AMS
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X with TAG

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  Morningstar-F was first sighted in 2827, near Ensenada’s notorious Nuevo Buenos Aires Salient, wearing the livery of the Second Genarro Guards Field Army.  Strongly resembling a modified Archer - not surprisingly, as they were explicitly designed as ‘missile-boats’ - the “Filibertos” were a rude shock to the Union units which first fought them, as their advanced BattleTech (reverse-engineered by Acadian technicians from captured Union systems) allowed them to counter many of the Union’s advantages in a missile engagement.  However, their secondary armaments left much to be desired and Union troops can sometimes gain the upper hand by ‘grabbing them by the belt-buckle’.  Union analysis of the time (and since) indicated that the technologies and techniques used in this model were developed by the Acadians, but the ’Mechs themselves were built by PMW; similarly, while they operated under Ducal colours, they actually belonged to Peacekeeper or Royal Army forces testing a new concept and doctrine. 
 
Morningstar Series.F Mk.1

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            11 [22]                             1
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LA 5, LL 2, RL 2, RA 5

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               34
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               24
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               26


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Hatchet launcher                        LA          1        2
Hatchet missiles (6)                    LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Small Pulse Laser                       LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
Hatchet launcher                        LT          1        2
Hatchet missiles (36)                   LT          6        6
Anti-Missile System                      H          1        0.5
AMS Ammo (12)                           CT          1        1
TAG                                     CT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
Small Pulse Laser                       RT          1        1
Flamer                                  RT          1        1
Hatchet launcher                        RT          1        2
Hatchet missiles (36)                   RT          6        6
Hatchet launcher                        RA          1        2
Hatchet missiles (6)                    RA          1        1

QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)
QUIRK: Difficult Ejection (-1)
QUIRK: Prototype (-2)

Morningstar Series.F Mk.2

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            11 [22]                             1
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LA 5, LL 2, RL 2, RA 5

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               34
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               24
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               26


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
SRM/2                                   LA          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
LRM/3                                   LT          3        7
LRM/3 Ammo (60 missiles)                LT          3        3
Anti-Missile System                      H          1        0.5
AMS Ammo (12)                           CT          1        1
TAG                                     CT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
LRM/3                                   RT          3        7
LRM/3 Ammo (60 missiles)                RT          3        3
SRM/2                                   RA          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                RA          1        1

QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)
QUIRK: Difficult Ejection (-1)


(The following is miniaturised in lieu of spoiler tags.)
Morningstar Series.F Mk.3

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            11 [22]                             1
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13

ES crits: LA 5, LL 2, RL 2, RA 5

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               34
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               24
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               26


Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
SRM/2                                   LA          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
LRM/M                                   LT          1        2
LRM Ammo (160 missiles)                 LT          8        8
Anti-Missile System                      H          1        0.5
AMS Ammo (12)                           CT          1        1
TAG                                     CT          1        1
Medium Laser                            RT          1        1
LRM/M                                   RT          1        2
LRM Ammo (160 missiles)                 RT          8        8
SRM/2                                   RA          1        2
SRM/2 Ammo (20 missiles)                RA          1        1

QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)
QUIRK: Difficult Ejection (-1)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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Trace Coburn

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GCC - Mech - Morningstar
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2011, 07:27:06 AM »
Morningstar, Series.G
AKA: Morningstar-G, “Giuseppe”


(The following is miniaturised in lieu of spoiler tags.)
Chassis:                       S.BM.01(B) Endo-Steel
Power Plant:                   Cavaretta PowerSys 280
Cruising Speed:                43.2 k.p.h.
Maximum Speed:                 64.8 k.p.h.
Jump Jets:                     none
   Jump Capacity:              none
Armor:                         Principality Metal Works Lamellor-6
Armament:
   1 Principality Metal Works S.94.1 76mm Rotary AC/5
   1 Vittorio Dynamics “Medusa” Hatchet Launch Control Module
   4 Genarro Military Optics “Rapier” Medium Lasers
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Purifier” Flamer
   1 Principality Metal Works “Skyguard” 20mm AMS
   2 Scarlotti Industries “Clean Sweep” Anti-Personnel Pods
Manufacturer:                  Principality Metal Works
   Primary Factory:            Salerno
Communications System:         Neil 8000
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark X

Capabilities, Deployment, and Battle History:

  Identified contemporaneously with the “Filiberto”, the Series.G Morningstar is actually an overhaul/upgrade of the Series.B, re-designed for close action in light of the street-fighting on Ensenada.  The “Giuseppe” model replaced the Bartolomeo’s original S.47.5 115mm autocannon with a lighter S.94.1, a recently-invented rotary-barrel 76mm system that evolved from the S.76.1 (PaK-2743) ‘light’ autocannon used by the CM.01 Pezzini tank (q.v.); though each burst is a ‘light bite’, as is so derided in the “Ettore”, the electrically-driven M94A1’s ability to deliver as many as six such ‘bites’ to a given target in less than three seconds makes it a devastating close-quarters weapon.  With an anti-missile system and Hatchet launcher shielding it against Union missiles, the Series.G is harder to kill than many of its predecessors, and its heavy firepower has quickly made a battlefield boogeyman to Union troops.  As most Morningstar-Bs were found with Ducal Guard formations, it is not surprising that these also fielded the majority of the replacement Morningstar-Gs; anecdotal evidence suggests that the Royal Peacekeepers and the Royal Army will retain their Series.C and Series.D machines instead.

Morningstar Series.G

Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Tournament
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                            3.5
Engine:                280                                16
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            11 [22]                             1
Gyro:                                                      3
Cockpit:                                                   3
Armor Factor:          208                                13.0

No right hand actuator
ES crits: LL 1, LA 3, LT 6, CT 1, RT 1, RA 1, RL 1

                     Internal          Armor
                    Structure          Value
Head                    3                9
Center Torso           22               32
Center Torso(rear)                       9
R/L Torso              15               23
R/L Torso(rear)                          6
R/L Arm                11               22
R/L Leg                15               28

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
A-Pod                                   LL          1        0.5
Medium Laser                            LA          1        1
Flamer                                  LA          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Medium Laser                            LT          1        1
Flamer                                  LT          1        1
AMS                                      H          1        0.5
AMS Ammo (12)                           CT          1        1
RAC/5                                   RT          6       10
RAC/5 Ammo (100)                        RT          5        5
Hatchet launcher                        RA          1        2
Hatchet missiles (30)                   RA          5        5
A-Pod                                   RL          1        0.5

QUIRK: Fast Reload (+1)
QUIRK: Poor Workmanship (-1)
QUIRK: Difficult Ejection (-1)
QUIRK: Prototype (-2)

  Owing to their effectively containerised munitions storage, including their through-tube ‘box’ missile-launchers, all extant Morningstar variants have Quirk: Fast Reload.  However, since a significant amount of the production process is carried out by what is effectively a slave labour-force, they also suffer from Quirk: Poor Workmanship unless and until they have been refurbished by another, ‘professional’ ’Mech factory in another polity.
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