Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

BNC-3Ex Banshee
History:
The Banshee is among the first BattleMechs ever
developed. Built by the Terran Hegemony in 2445, only
the Mackie, Emperor, and Kyudo can claim to have
reached production status before this 95-ton assault
‘Mech. The original First Generation model, the BNC-
1E, had a top speed of 54 kph and carried a particle
cannon, a class 5 autocannon, two medium lasers and a
single light laser. Carrying a staggering 22.5 tons of
primitive armor and cooled by 16 heat sinks, the
Banshee epitomized what an early assault class
BattleMech should be.
In 2475, the Terran Hegemony updated the design,
incorporating the latest advances in fusion engine
design, armor and structure composites, and cockpit
control electronics, giving it the BNC-3E designation. By
this time a handful of other Second Generation
BattleMechs had also been developed, including the
familiar WSP-1A Wasp and ARC-2R Archer, along with
an updated MSK-7A Mackie and a finalized CRS-6B
Crossbow.
Unfortunately when the Terran Hegemony engineers
brought the Banshee up to the standards of the time,
they also addressed its major shortcoming: speed.
Choosing to replace the primitive 345 fusion engine with
a modern GM 380, they managed to increase the ‘Mechs
top speed to around 65 kph, a significant improvement.
However, the GM 380 turned out to be such a massive
engine, tipping the scales at over 40 tons, that the
engineers were forced to drop both secondary medium
lasers as well as eliminate a ton of ammunition for the
autocannon. Oddly, the engineers retained all sixteen of
the original heat sinks even though with the loss of the
medium lasers, the Banshee had little need for so many.
They also keep the heavy armor, making the Banshee
second only to the vaunted Atlas in terms of sheer
protection.
The result was a faster and still well-protected, but
woefully under-armed, BattleMech. Nonetheless, with
BattleMechs still considering an emerging technology at
this point, the HAF continued to build and deploy the 95-
ton behemoth.
It did not take long, however, for the Banshee to earn a
reputation as a white elephant. Outranged by much
lighter and just as mobile ‘Mechs such as the Archer and
Crossbow, and outgunned by both the Hammerhands
and Battleaxe, which were introduced the same year as
the BNC-3E, commanders quickly began to view the
‘Mech as more of a liability than an asset on the
battlefield. Within just ten years of its introduction, the
assembly lines building the Banshee were all shut down.
Still, production had been prolific with over 500
Banshees built annually during that time.
Seeing its potential value, House Marik altered the
design and issued a field refit to its -3E Banshees in
2579. The BNC-3M removes the Imperator-A
autocannon in favor of a second Magna Hellstar PPC. It
also returns the two medium lasers from the original -1E
model. This gives the ‘Mech a much stronger array of
weapons but also creates a crippling amount of heat
forcing MechWarriors to carefully manage their heat
levels.
Ironically, it’s the Banshee’s poor performance that
saved it. Assigned to second-line militia units and
backwater planets along the periphery, the Banshee saw
little action during the years of the Terran Hegemony and
Star League. Consequently, many of them survived to
see the outbreak of the Succession Wars. Desperate for
BattleMechs, and with their industrial base in tatters, the
Successor Lords have been forced to pull ‘Mechs from
wherever they could find them to bolster their armies.
For this reason, the Banshee can once again be found
among front-line regiments after an almost 500 year
hiatus.
While its combat performance remains lackluster, its reemergence
among fighting units has rekindled interest in
its design. At 95-tons, it remains among the largest
BattleMechs ever built and in the rare instances it can
bring its massive bulk into play, its physical attacks are
devastating.
Notable ‘Mechs and MechWarriors:
Graf Stine Tibalt
Nominal ruler of Bone-Norman along the Periphery
border in the Trellshire region of the Tamar Pact, Graf
135
Tibalt also serves as the commander of the planetary
militia. Finding his ancestral holdings under frequent
pirate attacks and with little help coming from the
beleaguered LCAF forces along the border with the
Draconis Combine, Graf Tiblat was determined to end
the pirate threat once and for all.
Inheriting the family’s BNC-3E Banshee, one of only a
handful of ‘Mechs on the entire planet, Graf Tibalt paid
handsomely to have his ‘Mech shipped across the Lyran
Commonwealth to Defiance Industries for a complete
overhaul. Engineers at Defiance eagerly accepted the
job along with an obscene amount of unmarked, low
denomination Kroners, and set to work on the 95-ton
assault ‘Mech. Pulling out the enormous GM 380 and
the accompanying 4-ton gyro, they replaced it with a Vlar
300, used to power their 75-ton Flashman, and a
standard fixed three ton gyro.
Looking to their own 80-ton Zeus for inspiration, they
next installed both a Coventry Star Fire LRM-15 and a
Thunderbolt A5M heavy laser. Turning their sights on
the largely ineffective Imperator-A autocannon, they
replaced it with another of their products, the massive
Defiance ‘Mech Hunter Class 20 autocannon. The armor
and electronics remained unchanged, but the engineers
did manage to add two additional heat sinks, giving it a
total of 18.The resulting custom design, while slower
than the original, now carried a formidable and wide
array of weapons allowing it engage opponents at any
range.
Shortly after the Graf received his rebuilt Banshee, the
pirates conducted another water raid on Bone-Norman.
Graf Tibalt lulled the pirates into close range of his new
‘Mech and caught them off guard with his new
devastating Defiance ‘Mech Hunter AC/20. Surprised
again by the new longer range of his Banshee, Graf
Tibalt cut the pirates to pieces with his LRM-15, PPC,
and heavy laser as they tried to beat a hasty retreat.
The attacking pirate force was decimated and the
resulting salvage more than made up for the cost of
refurbishing and shipping his Banshee.
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 4 TMM: +1
MV: 6” Role: Juggernaut
Damage S: 4 M: 4 L: 1
OV: 1
Armor: O O O O O O O O
Sructure: O O O O O O O O
Special: IF1, LRM 0*/1/1, AC 2/2/-