Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

THE-Nx Thorn
History:
When Ford Military Limited decided to enter the
BattleMech market in the late 24 th century, it did so with
the 20-ton THE-F Thorn. Armed with a pair of medium
lasers and a LRM-5 the design was put up against the
well-known LCT-1V Locust produced by Bergan
Industries. The quartermasters for the Terran
Hegemony quickly determined the Thorn lacked the
speed required to be an effective scout and politely
turned it down.
Not willing to abandon the lucrative and burgeoning
BattleMech market, the engineers at Ford Military
returned to drawing board. Entirely rebuilding the
chassis using recently perfected lightweight Endo-Steel
and incorporating Cellular Ammunition Storage
Equipment (CASE) to protect against an ammunition
explosion, Ford Military resubmitted an upgraded design
carrying the –N designation.
The use of these advanced technologies turned a
number of heads in the Hegemony Armed Forces,
causing the quartermasters to re-evaluate the design.
The THE-N Thorn was the first production BattleMech to
be built on an Endo-Steel skeleton and also marked the
debut of CASE.
A number of influential commanders within the HAF were
quick to point out the 20-ton ‘Mech carried far more
firepower than any other model in its weight class and
with the inclusion of the LRM-5, had well over twice the
effective range of its nearest competitors. Making it even
more attractive was the best-in-class 4.5 tons of armor it
carried, making it even more heavily protected than the
well respect Locust.
On the other hand, its detractors continued to deride its
relatively low speed and lack of jump jets, making it illsuited
for the traditional scouting and reconnaissance
roles that light ‘Mechs are traditionally assigned.
In the end, however, the HAF accepted the upgraded
THE-N Thorn and began integrating it into their growing
BattleMech regiments. Once deployed, it quickly found a
niche with front-line regiments due to its hardy nature
and ability to provide fast fire support. Deployed in
conjunction with other more maneuverable units, the
Thorn became a highly sought after light ‘Mech for units
expecting heavy fighting.
It went on to serve admirably in many Star League
Defense Force units and was successful enough that in
2743 Ford Military Limited was asked to make a special
variant for the SLDF Royal Divisions.
The Royal THE-Nb Thorn incorporated even more
advanced technology, notably the inclusion of Myomer
Accelerator Signal Circuitry, giving it the ability reach
speeds of close to 130 kph for short periods of time. In
addition, the –Nb is powered by a GM 120XL engine and
utilizes double heat sinks.
Armed with a Hellion X-III extended range heavy laser, it
retains one of the original Hellion Spitfire medium lasers,
while the second head-mounted Spitfire was
downgraded to a Starflash Plus small laser. Now armed
exclusively with energy weapons, the CASE was
dropped, and due to the range of the X-III, the Thorn
retained is trademark long range capabilities without the
need to sacrifice any of its considerable armor.
Notable ‘Mechs and MechWarriors:
Captain Laura Brodie
Serving as a battalion commander in the Langendorf
Lancers, Captain Laura Brodie’s THE-N Thorn, named
the “Rose,” is one of the few left serving on the
battlefields of the Inner Sphere. Rumored to have come
down through her family via the St. Ives Armored
Cavalry, which serves as the provincial force for the St.
Ives Commonality in the Capellan Confederation, the
“Rose” has been extensively modified through the
intervening decades by a succession of her family’s
MechWarriors.
The Free Worlds League suffered from regular attacks
by the CCAF during the First Succession War. To help
protect their holdings, the merchant princes of Calloway
VI formed their own private army, which eventually
became known as the Langendorf Lancers. It was
during one of these frequent raids by the CCAF that
“Rose” was salvaged by Captain Brodie’s grandfather,
Reginald, who lost his own Stinger in the process.
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Desperate to prevent becoming dispossessed, he turned
to the remains of his own Stinger in order to rebuild the
less damaged Thorn. As fate would have it, he was able
to combine both damaged GM 120 fusion engines into a
single working one. Doing a similar thing with a number
of the Thorn’s destroyed actuators, he managed to get it
moving once again.
Amazingly, the prized Endo-Steel structure remained
largely intact as did one of the original Hellion Spitfire
medium lasers. Replacing the Zeus LRM-5 with a
common Holly LRM-5 and salvaging his Stinger’s
Omicron 3000 for the Thorn’s left arm, he finally
managed to get it fully operational once more.
When “Rose” was passed on to his granddaughter,
Captain Laura Brodie, she modified it once again
following a disastrous, although ultimately successful,
defense against a Warrior House Matsukai raid against
the IMB Systems facility on Carbonis. Pitted against a
skilled and fanatical Capellan unit, the Lancers suffered
heavy losses, although they did salvage a significant
number of Capellan ‘Mechs.
Forced to rebuild almost the entire right-side of “Rose,”
Captain Brodie had the Langendorf technicians install a
Jackson B5c LRM-10 salvaged from a Capellan Stalker
in place of the LRM-5. To accommodate the additional
weight of the missile launcher, the armor was
downgraded to the widely available Riese-100 and the
replacement Omicron 3000 medium laser was removed,
freeing up the ‘Mech’s left arm for physical attacks.
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 1 TMM: +2
MV: 12” Role: Striker
Damage S: 2 M: 2 L: 1
OV: 0
Armor: O O
Sructure: O O
Special: IF:1, LRM -/1/1