OBT Forum

Dug this out from the depths of my hard-drive: the Knights Templar command lance, The Knights Pendragon!

I'm working on the Colonial Marshals Service right now, to the point where I've actually asked a US Park Ranger (and firearms expert) I know from another BattleTech forum for assistance in selecting their uniform and weapons.

                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                               * CUSTOM WEAPON

Class/Model/Name:  Triumph Gunship
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 2790
Vessel Type:       Aerodyne DropShip
Rules:             Level 2, Modified design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              9,000 tons
Length:            171 meters
Power Plant:       Delano 1070
Safe Thrust:       5
Maximum Thrust:    8
Armor Type:        Valiant Gauntlet
Armament:         
    1 Ripper Series A1 ER PPC
    1 Holly LRM 20
    8 RAMTech 800 Medium Laser
    1 Kreuss XX Particle Projection Cannon (DS)*
    2 Holly LRM 15
    2 RAMTech 1200 Large Laser
    1 Holly LRM 10
Manufacturer:   Newport News Orbital Shipbuilding Inc.
  Location:     New Jersey
Communications System:  Rosalyn Electronics Inc. StarCom
Targeting & Tracking System:  Rosalyn Electronics Inc. FireMax------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
     While the Outer Colonies have the Ability to manufacture many types of
warship's, the cost of building, maintaining and crewing such vessels is
prohibitive, so only a handful are maintained at an operational level at any
time. But with countless pirate bands roaming the deep periphery looking for
an easy target, and with the Outer Colonies being the most economically stable
in the region, it is no small surprise that our her fleet is considered a
likely target.
     So to fill the gap left by the lack of warships, a number of older,
obsolete DropShips were refitted into heavy gunships, capable of standing up
to all but the most heavily armed and well trained pirates.

==Capabilities:==
     The first ships to be refitted in such a way were twenty obsolete
variants of the Triumph troop-carrier. With most of the cargo and equipment
pays stripped out, room was made to house a single Kreuss XX Particle
Projection Cannon Heavy that had been specially converted for use in a
DropShip. The massive weapon accounts for a third of the ships total weight,
but can devastate any non-military DropShip with ease, making it a useful to
intimidate pirates with.
     The rest of the weapons go almost unchanged, except the autocannons,
which were removed due to problems with the upgraded targeting system. A small
craft bay was added to allow the gunships marines to board pirates without the
need to expose the ship itself to danger, and room was made to hold 40
prisoners, but more can be house for a short period of time.

==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
Able Squadron
Reliant
Repulse
Renown
Rodney

Bravo  Squadron
Alexander
Agrippa
Calypso
Hyperion

Charlie Squadron
Nebula
Adrastus
Britannia
Ignatious

Delta Squadron
Mary Rose
Hamato
Raven
Nimrod

Echo Squadron
Inflexible
Invincible
Indefatigable
Indignation

==Deployment==
     Split into five four ship squadrons, the newly christened Triumph
Gunships roam the space-ways in and around the Outer Colonies, ready to pounce
on any unsuspecting pirate who crosses their path.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Triumph Gunship
Mass:              9,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass 
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                        2,925.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 5
      Maximum Thrust: 8
Structural Integrity: 15                                               675.00
Total Heat Sinks:    150 Double                                          4.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                     534.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:                 68.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (66 days supply)                                         32.50
Armor Type:  Ferro-aluminum  (1,118 total armor pts)                    67.50
                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                374
   Left/Right Wings:                 279/279
   Aft:                                 186

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Fighters (2) with 2 doors                                   300.00
           Small Craft (1) with 1 door                                 200.00
   Bay 2:  Cargo (1) with 2 doors                                      600.00

Life Boats:  8 (7 tons each)                                            56.00
Escape Pods:  6 (7 tons each)                                           42.00

Crew and Passengers:
      6 Officers (3 minimum)                                            60.00
     12 Crew (0 minimum)                                                84.00
      4 Gunners (3 minimum)                                             28.00
     28 Marines                                                        140.00
     40 Prisoners                                                      120.00
      9 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 ER PPC                   Nose     1(10)  1(10)  1(10)     --   15      7.00
1 LRM 20(18 rounds)        Nose     1(12)  1(12)  1(12)     --    6     13.00
2 Medium Laser             Nose     1(10)     --     --     --    6      2.00
1 Heavy NPPC (DS)*         Nose   15(150)15(150)15(150)15(150)  225  3,000.00
1 LRM 15(24 rounds)        L/RW      1(9)   1(9)   1(9)     --   10     20.00
1 Large Laser              L/RW     2(18)   1(8)     --     --   16     10.00
  2 Medium Laser                                                 12      4.00
2 Medium Laser             Aft      1(10)     --     --     --    6      2.00
1 LRM 10(12 rounds)        Aft       1(6)   1(6)   1(6)     --    4      6.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                              Heat: 300       9,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        696,336,912 C-Bills
Battle Value:      7,894
Cost per BV:       88,210.91
Weapon Value:      11,726 (Ratio = 1.49)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 231;  MRV = 153;  LRV = 56;  ERV = 0
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 94,989
                   (68,754 Structure, 19,575 Life Support, 6,660 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 30,158  (32% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      MP: 5,  Armor/Structure: 19 / 18
                   Damage PB/M/L: 24/21/19,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: DL;  Point Value: 79


     Just got a data-packet from my contact out on Cyclops Station; it seems those prospector’s she'd played cards with made it back after all, nearly six years after they set out. They stopped off just long enough to refuel, replenish their supplies and then took off again for parts unknown, running like the devil himself was after them.
     Two days later, a pristine Kimagure class Pursuit Cruiser and a pair of Dart class Light Cruisers turned up. At first the locals assumed the Clans had come calling, but the ship squawked a Star League transponder, locked their weapons onto the station and demanded the location of the prospectors. Knowing a one-sided fight when she saw it, Queen Jennifer II gave them all the information her people had, and then allowed a pair of NL-42 Battle Taxies to dock with the station. Marines in a previously unseen variant of the Nighthawk power-armour scoured the station from one end to the other, interrogating the already nervous inhabitants and sucking the computers dry of any relevant information before departing again without so much as a 'by your leave'.
     At no point during all of this were any names or exploitations given, and the ships have not been seen since.
     Thankfully, my contact's no stranger to smuggling information past people who might be looking for it, and she managed to get me a copy of an updated version of the text book I sent you all extracts from last time. The first book was almost unbelievable, but with what happened at Cyclops Station, this new one is downright terrifying.
     Here are the highlights.
     -Starling


Formally an independent world three jumps away from the Outer Colonies, the mainly agrarian world of Redemption had regressed to a very basic level of technology, with people in the outer lying regions going back to using horses and draft animals for transport and heavy labour. That all changed when a roving pirate gang decided to set up shop there, believing that they were far enough away from the Outer Colonies to be considered not worth dealing with. What they didn't know was that the Colonial Marshals had a small outpost on-planet to keep an eye out for anyone trying to escape justice, and word of the occupation, and the brutality that followed, soon reached the Council of Eleven, and unanimous vote sent an expeditionary force, led by the elite Grenadier and McEvedy Guards, was dispatched to liberate the planet.

The pirates attempted to blockade the planet, but their hastily assembled armada of DropShip's was swept aside by the SLS Ivanhoe and her escorting assault ships. Behind them came the troop carriers, battle armoured infantry going in first to secure the landing ground before the Mech's landed. While evenly matched for numbers, the pirate machines were a collection of obsolete, badly maintained junkers; against them stood two of the best equipped and trained regiments in the Outer Colonies Defence Forces, backed up by three regiments of armour and an infantry brigade. The battle that followed was more a slaughter than a fight, with the pirates turning on each other in a bid to get away, allowing for them to be dealt with piecemeal.

The only thing keeping the battle from being totally flawless was the death of Colonel Carl Knute,  commanding officer of the McEvedy Guards. Pursuing a group of high-ranking pirates, he found himself in a residential area that the pirates had rigged with incendiary devices. Surrounded by flames and helpless civilians, Colonel Knute ignored the pirates and instead turned his weapons on the burning buildings, cutting a way out for the locals. Unfortunately, the combined heat from the fires, his own weapons and the relentless pirate attacks proved too much for the the Colonel's Black Knight, and it went into emergency shut-down, trapping its brave pilot as the flames consumed him.

To this day, the blackened remains of Colonel Knute's BattleMech remain where it fell, a reminder to one all of the personal bravery of one of the finest officers the OCDF has ever known.

Spurned on by the loss of their beloved commander, the McEvedy Guards charged the last pirate strong point, throwing themselves at their defences in a tidal-wave of death and destruction that ended when the last pirate Mech was brought down.

With most of the planets former leaders dead or just missing, it was decided to grant Redemption protectorate status, with a re-enforced combined-arms regiment and a larger detachment of Marshals left behind to take care of any pirates that had escaped the battle.

With a population now in excess of 25-million, Ticonderoga has been granted provisional status as a full Colony, taking the non-voting seat previously held by the head of the OCDF. For administrative purposes they have been officially designated part of the New Jamaica Military Region. Many are now starting to question whether or not the more highly populated and developed protectorate worlds of Arixo and Pacifica will follow suit and petition for full Colonial status.

33rd (Provisional) Division
(Ticonderoga)
Division Headquarters
Command Company
Regimental HQ Staff
HQ Transport
MP Platoon
53rd  BattleMech Brigade
The Green Mountain Boys
1st Royal Lancers
2nd Royal Lancers
74th BattleMech Brigade
Benedict's Grenadiers
14th Dragoon Guards
79th Dragoon Guards
330th Cavalry Brigade
7th Air-Cavalry Regiment
19th Mechanised Cavalry
21st Mechanised Cavalry
29th Infantry Brigade
The Concordia Rifles
4th Regiment Of Foot
19th Gurkha Rifles
Non-Brigade Attached Units
5th Battalion, 21st Royal Artillery Regiment
6th Battalion, 41st Combat Engineers
11th Battalion, 4th Long Range Patrol Regiment
Combat Support Brigade
Brigade HQ Staff
5th Battalion, 4th Combat Support Group
171th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
3rd Battalion, 26th Combat Engineers
2nd Battalion, 41st Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
MP Company
Signals Company

It seems that the people of Rorke's Drift have been busy; using their storehouse of genetic samples and their Iron Womb technology, they've been secretly building up a much stronger military then anyone thought, using a massive series of hidden factories and Castle Brian's in the Wolf's Bane Mountains, as well as a hidden base on the nearby and previously independent Foster's World, which they have now claimed as their own. They have also laid claim to the old Star League outpost on Fort Dixie and the protectorate world of Redemption. As well as the 331st Royal BattleMech Division, Rorke's Drift is now also home to Alpha Galaxy, while Delta Galaxy is deployed to Foster's World, Gamma Galaxy to Fort Dixie and Epsilon Galaxy to Redemption. They have also doubled their planetary militia, raising the equivalent of another Star League Division, all be it of very low quality, if fanatical, troops.

There is also talk that they have secretly reactivated the dormant shipyards in orbit of Rorke's Drift and used it to refurbish several warships taken from the Hamunaptra system's bone-yard.

The Council of Eleven has called them to account for these actions, but so far they have made no overt military actions against the other Colonies. They have, however, relinquished their military control over the Helios system, forcing New Tasmania to step in and pick up the slack.




     The first two sections are standard fair, and no real surprises, apart from the fact that there's a bunch of pirates dumb enough to set up shop next to a army with Star League era equipment, just looking for a chance to use it. Even Ticonderoga I saw coming, after reading the first book: small outposts like that tend to undergo huge population booms before they level out.
     But it's the events on Rorke's Drift that surprised me the most; I had assumed that the descendent of the fleeing Wolverines would be content to just sit back and let the universe go buy. But it sounds like they've been building a secret army for some unknown purpose.
     Sound like anyone else we know?
     Not saying that the Outer Colonies have any link to Word of Blake, but it is a worrying president. And given the state of the Inner Sphere right now, three divisions, four full Galaxies and who know how many warships could make a major difference to either side.
     That's if the other Clan's don't go charging off into the Deep Periphery, no doubt strait into defences designed specifically to handle them...

     -Starling

                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                               * CUSTOM WEAPON

Class/Model/Name:  Gazelle Gunship
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 2800
Vessel Type:       Aerodyne DropShip
Rules:             Level 2, Modified design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              3,000 tons
Hull:              DBF Gazelle
Length:            100 meters
Power Plant:       Star League
Safe Thrust:       4
Maximum Thrust:    6
Armor Type:        Valiant Gauntlet
Armament:         
    1 Holly LRM-20
    1 Pontiac Light Autocannon/5
    2 RAMTech 1200 Large Lasers
    4 RAMTech 800 Medium Lasers
    2 Magna-35 Naval Lasers (DS)*
Manufacturer:   Newport News Orbital Shipbuilding Inc.
  Location:     New Jersey
Communications System:  Rosalyn Electronics Inc. StarCom
Targeting & Tracking System:  Rosalyn Electronics Inc. FireMax------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
     While the Outer Colonies have the Ability to manufacture many types of
warship's, the cost of building, maintaining and crewing such vessels is
prohibitive, so only a handful are maintained at an operational level at any
time. But with countless pirate bands roaming the deep periphery looking for
an easy target, and with the Outer Colonies being the most economically stable
in the region, it is no small surprise that our her fleet is considered a
likely target.
     So to fill the gap left by the lack of warships, a number of older,
obsolete DropShips were refitted into heavy gunships, capable of standing up
to all but the most heavily armed and well trained pirates.
     The third and final project developed under this program is the Gazelle
Gunship.

==Capabilities:==
     Stripped of their vehicle bays and much of their original weaponry, the
twenty obsolete Gazelles were retrofitted with a pair of Magna-35 Naval Lasers
especially adapted to fit into a DropShip. The final focusing arrays are
located in semi-moveable turrets in the wing spurs, allowing for a limited
strafing ability against ground targets.
     This proved highly effective on Redemption, where the Roanoke and
Lexington accounted for over ten pirate DropShip's, effectively stranding the
pirates on-planet.
     Beefed up structural integrity and thicker armour allow the Gazelle
Gunships to take a few hits, but with their low unit cost and minimal crew,
they are considered to be ultimately expendable, yet potentially devastating.
On their own, each ship may only have two lasers, but operating in groups of
four or five, they have the potential to take on warships.

==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
Arc-Royal
Royal Oak
Fearless
Olympus
Kestrel
Hawk
Janus
Pournelle
Sorcerer
Phantom
Warlock
Merlin
Vulcan
Mercury
Jupiter
Mars
Roanoke
Lexington
Prometheus
Clarkstown

==Deployment==
     Assigned to both fleet units and division-level formations, the Gazelle
Gunship excels at mobile fire-support and force multipliers. They are also
often detached to escort important convoys, and the Colonial Marshals Service
has been known to request their use on occasions, using the intimidation
factor they bring to any situation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Gazelle Gunship
Mass:              3,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass 
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                          780.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 4
      Maximum Thrust: 6
Structural Integrity: 10                                               150.00
Total Heat Sinks:    70 Double                                          31.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                     204.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:                 23.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (100 days supply)                                         9.00
Armor Type:  Ferro-aluminum  (846 total armor pts)                      45.00
                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                283
   Left/Right Wings:                 211/211
   Aft:                                 141

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Cargo (1) with 1 door                                       125.00

Life Boats:  4 (7 tons each)                                            28.00

Crew and Passengers:
      4 Officers (2 minimum)                                            40.00
     10 Crew (1 minimum)                                                70.00
      4 Gunners (2 minimum)                                             28.00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 LRM 20(24 rounds)        Nose     1(12)  1(12)  1(12)     --    6     14.00
1 Autocannon/5(20 rounds)  Nose      1(5)   1(5)     --     --    1      9.00
1 Large Laser              Nose     2(18)   1(8)     --     --    8      5.00
  2 Medium Laser                                                  6      2.00
1 NL35 (DS)*               L/RW     4(35)  4(35)  4(35)     --  104  1,400.00
1 Large Laser              Aft      2(18)   1(8)     --     --    8      5.00
  2 Medium Laser                                                  6      2.00
1 Lot Spare Parts (1.00%)                                               30.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                              Heat: 139       3,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        211,942,800 C-Bills
Battle Value:      4,045
Cost per BV:       52,396.24
Weapon Value:      6,253 (Ratio = 1.55)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 113;  MRV = 74;  LRV = 23;  ERV = 0
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 26,286
                   (15,276 Structure, 8,700 Life Support, 2,310 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 22,732  (86% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      MP: 4,  Armor/Structure: 14 / 14
                   Damage PB/M/L: 11/10/8,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: DM;  Point Value: 40


     My contact from Cyclops Station sent me another data-packet, an attached note indicating that she is now on the run from unknown forces.
     -Starling


Aggressor Naval Star
(Rorke's Drift)
SLS Franklin Hallis (Farragut class Battleship, formally the Philip of Macedonia)
SLS St David (Cameron class Battle Cruiser)
SLS St Fancies (Cameron class Battle Cruiser)
SLS Romanov (Samarkand II class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Makarov (Samarkand II class Heavy Cruiser

Eclipse Naval Star
(Rorke's Drift)
SLS Kassandra (Monsoon class Battleship)
SLS Stardust (Luxor class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Champion (Luxor class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Deliverance (Avatar class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Condor (Riga class Frigate)

Reaper Naval Star
(Foster's World)
SLS Ramilies (Atreus class Battleship)
SLS Daedalus (Avatar class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Caledfwlch (Avatar class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Enterprise (Riga class Frigate)
SLS Trafalgar (Riga class Frigate)

Legacy Naval Star
(Fort Dixie)
SLS Samson (Atreus class Battleship)
SLS Albion (Winchester class Cruiser)
SLS Galahad (Riga class Frigate)
SLS Robert MacKenzie (Riga class Frigate)
SLS Black Heart (Riga class Frigate)

Hunter Naval Star
(Location unknown)
SLS Steadfast (Kimagure class Pursuit Cruiser)
SLS Majestic (Dart class Light Cruiser)
SLS Roanoke (Dart class Light Cruise)
SLS Resolute (Carson class Destroyer)
SLS Iwo Jima (Carson class Destroyer)

Shield Naval Star
(Redemption)
SLS St Jude (Cameron class Battle Cruiser)
SLS Catherine the Great (Samarkand II class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Brunel (Newgrange class Yard Ship)
SLS Convoy (Potemkin class Troop Cruiser)
SLS Buffalo (Potemkin class Troop Cruiser)

There is evidence, all be it somewhat circumstantial, linking the Brotherhood Of The Blood and Deep Midnights Voice. While no one has ever been able to compile anything approaching a list of the second, Rorke's Drift has always provided a disproportionately high number of recruits for both the OCDF and the Ministry of Intelligence. It is no great leap to assume that at least some of these people are both descended from the 331st Division and have been recruited into Deep Midnights Voice.

The only question is who has infiltrated who? And to what extent?

When called to account by the Council of Eleven, saKahn Mary Mroczkiewicz promised that the secret military build up her people had undertaken was purely defensive, and that they had no expansionist ambitions beyond what they had already claimed. She went on to explain that it had been undertaken due to reports that the Secret Intelligence Service had presented based upon what limited information reached the Outer Colonies from the Inner Sphere. While much is forth or fifth hand gossip picked up from passing traders and captured pirates, the fact that the other Clans had launched their invasion of the Successor States. This no doubt caused the Brotherhood Of The Blood a lot of concern; while the Clans were confined to the Kerensky Cluster, they were relatively contained. But on the move, there would be the risk that they might pick up a clue that would lead them to the Outer Colonies.

And this is where Deep Midnights Voice comes in; their self-proclaimed mission is to protect and defend the Outer Colonies my any means necessary. While they may be more than capable of dealing with most internal or external threats on their own, a full-scale invasion by one or more of the Clans would be beyond their ability. True war, the likes of which the Outer Colonies have not seen since Operation: Kathleen, could easily befall worlds that have managed, against all the odds, to maintain the same level of technology and society they had when the Star League fell.

So, two powerful and secretive organisations with a common enemy.

Again, the evidence supporting all this is circumstantial at best, but there are indications that known and suspected members of the Brotherhood have been acting somewhat usually, almost as if they were receiving instructions from someone outside their organisation. Also, there have been hints that seem to indicate that Deep Midnights Voice may have been behind the looting of the Hamunaptra system's bone-yard, which would explain how the Wolverines were able to get them back to Rorke's Drift and brought back up to operational standard without anyone noticing.

The Council of Eleven is officially 'concerned' over recent events, but with the deployment of another secret Galaxy of troops to help defend Redemption, they have been able to recall their own troops back to their home worlds.

However, the question of whether it is the Brotherhood or Deep Midnights Voice that is calling the shots remains unanswered.


     Call me paranoid, but I'm going off-line while I relocate and redouble my security. I'll contact you all again when I know it's safe.
     -Starling

An offshoot of the NARC missile beacon, the Mijolnir Pod fires a missile containing a high-voltage capacitor rather than an explosive warhead. When it hits its target it acts like a massive Taser, shorting out or overloading systems within the target. This can lead to disabled limbs, inoperative weapons, of in the case of the pod connecting with the cockpit, an electrocuted pilot.

The Mijolnir Pod is a favourite weapon of the Colonial Marshals Service as it allows them to disable Mech's and vehicles with ease.

Tech Base: Star League
Year: 2916
Faction: Outer Colonies
Tech Level: 2
Type: Missile 2d6
Heat: 0
Damage/Hit: 0
Dmg Txt: 4
# Msls: 1
Mass: 3
Critical Slot Size: 2
Minimum Range: 0
Short Range: 4
Medium Range: 9
Long Range: 15
Ammo/Ton: 5
Weapon Cost: 100,000
Ammo Cost: 9,500
Weap. Abbrev: Mjolnir
Attack Type: Offensive
Battle Value
Weapon BV: 75
Ammo BV: 0
WV: 0

Weapon explodes when hit, doing 5 damage
Ammo  explodes when hit
Works with Targeting CPU: No
On a roll of 2: Does Nothing
To-hit modifier: 0
Does not work with Artemis IV SRM
Does not work with Artemis IV LRM