Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

Fourth Generation BattleMechs
Now firmly established under First Lord Ian Cameron,
the Star League would begin to build the greatest military
force ever seen under the direction of his wife, Shandra
Noruff-Cameron, who would serve as the first Chief of
Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Star League
Defense Force.
Noruff-Cameron would devise a system of six Military
Regions, centered on Asta, Altair, Fomalhaut, Procyon,
Sirius and Rigil Kentarus. Each of the regions was
interposed between one of the Member States and Terra
itself. In 2577, the First Lord would embark upon the
Star League’s first major war, the Reunification War,
ultimately defeating the four major Periphery powers and
forcing them into the Star League as non-voting
Territorial States.
This massive conflict saw SLDF forces working hand-inhand
with each of the House militaries, with the sole
exception of the Capellan Confederation, whose
Chancellor Ursula Liao was busy focusing on integrating
the recent flood of technology from the Star League,
revitalizing the Confederation’s economy and
overhauling their educational system.
logistics required to keep the SLDF supplied and in the
field throughout the 20 year long Reunification War,
resulted in the construction of SLDF BattleMech
production facilities further and further away from the
traditional boundaries of the Hegemony.
After the end of the Reunification War in 2597, the
Terran Hegemony would once again assert its military
superiority. When the SLDF was created, General
Shandra Noruff-Cameron made certain the core of each
of the six regional commands were made up from former
Hegemony Armed Forces divisions. The soldiers who
served in these so called “Royal” divisions were all
natives from planets controlled by the Terran Hegemony.
To ensure the continued supremacy of the SLDF military,
as well as the dominance of the Terran Hegemony within
the Star League, these “Royal” divisions were equipped
with state-of-the-art technology, including the newest and
most advanced BattleMechs. Made in 2598, the first of
these Forth Generation BattleMechs was the legendary
HGN-732b Highlander. Produced by StarCorps
Industries on the Hegemony world of Fletcher, the
Highlander ushered in a new era a weapons
development with the introduction of the mighty M-7
Gauss Rifle. Capable of stripping armor off enemy
targets a full ton at a time at distances exceeding that of
even long range missiles, the Gauss Rifle was a
revolutionary new weapon system. Using a series of
powerful electromagnets to propel slugs of nickel-iron
alloy at incredible velocities, it remains unsurpassed as a
weapon system, representing the absolute pinnacle of
weapon research and development to this day.
One year later, the SLDF would commission a special
“Royal” variant of another of StarCorps Industries
BattleMechs, the Warhammer. The WHM-6Rb featured
17 double heat sinks, 10 tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor,
and was the first ‘Mech to carry the Artemis IV fire
control system, which was mated to its Headhunter
SRM-6 rack. The Artemis IV is a guidance system that
allows bi-directional communication to missiles in flight.
The result is a 35% increase in the number of missiles
that strike the target, making missile systems
significantly more effective than in the past.
Ostmann Industries, located on Terra, updated their
premier reconnaissance ‘Mech, the 35-ton Ostscout at
the behest of the SLDF in 2600. By switching to an
Endo-Steel chassis, the engineers were able to install a
Beagle Active Probe along its already formidable
TRSS.2L3 targeting and tracking system. Combined
with its powerful narrow-band Barret 509p
communications system, the Ostscout can send
incredibly detailed topographical, hydrological, and
environmental data from deep behind enemy lines. The
built in auto mapping feature also makes the Ostscout
the scout ‘Mech of choice for many commanders,
especially when dropping into unfamiliar territory.
With the death of Ian Cameron in 2602, the mantle of
First Lord passed to his son Nicholas Cameron. With the
Reunification War over and the SLDF firmly established
as the premiere military force in the Inner Sphere, the
Star League began its golden age.
HGN-732b Highlander
As a result of the deployment of SLDF soldiers and
equipment throughout the Inner Sphere, as well as the
technological concessions made as part of the Star
League Accords, the advanced BattleMech technology
once exclusive to the Terran Hegemony began to diffuse
throughout the Inner Sphere. In addition, the massive
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LCT-1Vb Locust