Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

technology will decline beyond its current base level.
Defiance Industries’ massive complex on Hesperus II
has already been attacked no less than eight times and
each attempt has failed. These attacks have included
attempts at siege, orbital bombardment, fast raids and
protracted ground assaults conducted by veteran troops.
All of the Great Houses are keenly aware of the value of
each of their remaining BattleMech assembly lines and
invariably these installations are all well-guarded by
experienced warriors armed with the best possible
equipment.
However, only a small handful of these factories are truly
self-sufficient. Corean Enterprises’ facility on the capital
world of the Federated Suns, New Avalon, being a prime
example. Producing the chassis, fusion engine, jump
jets, armor, as well as all of the electronics, Corean
Enterprises has only to import the weapons, which are
readily available from any number of other defense
contractors, in order to complete the assembly of its 35-
ton Valkyrie. Earthwerks Incorporated’s Keystone plant,
Luthien Armor Works, located on the capital of the
Draconis Combine, and Ceres Metals Industries facility
on Capella are also examples of largely self-reliant
BattleMech production lines.
On the other end of the spectrum are companies such as
Ronin Incorporated and Blue Shot Weapons who make
nothing but the chassis of the ‘Mech itself. Companies
such as these are entirely reliant on an extensive
network of subcontractors for the fusion engines, armor,
weapons and electronics necessary to make a fully
functional war machine. They are, in effect, little more
than assembly points where components sourced from
throughout their respective House, and sometimes even
beyond, are simply put together.
Most factories lay somewhere between the two extremes
and also reveal the legacy of the fallen Star League.
The GRF-1N Griffin, while first manufactured by
Earthwerks Incorporated, has spread throughout the
Inner Sphere and is now also produced by Defiance
Industries, Victory Industries, Kallon Industries and
Brigadier Corporation. Other designs such as the
Stinger, Wolverine, and Warhammer are also produced
by numerous companies spread throughout the Great
Houses. Most, if not all of these, are directly attributable
to the vast network of contractors used by the SLDF to
supply and equip its massive military. The disintegration
of the Star League left these factories spread across the
five warring Houses, in many cases producing the same
exact model across the newly established State borders.
Herein lies the House Lords’ greatest vulnerability.
While the BattleMech factories themselves are
consistently guarded by elite troops, critical
subcontractors are considerably more exposed. The
most obvious among these are the few remaining
dedicated producers of fusion engines. Edasich Motors,
Magna Metals Incorporated, General Motors, and Dow-
Nexus Fusion Products being excellent examples.
Producers of ballistic weapons, munitions, armor, and
even communications and targeting and tracking
systems are much less likely to cause serious supply
disruptions due to the sheer number of companies
engaged in these areas. These components are also
commonly used in the construction of conventional
military vehicles and their manufacture is still well
understood.
The most common military DropShip, the Union-class, carries
12 BattleMechs along with a pair of aerospace fighters.
The last point of vulnerability is in the transport of
BattleMechs, specifically the military DropShips designed
to carry, deploy and maintain them. While there are
numerous DropShips capable of carrying BattleMechs as
cargo, only three designs have survived the destruction
of the Succession Wars that are capable of deploying
BattleMechs in atmosphere. These DropShips are also
heavily armed and armored, and contain the facilities
necessary to maintain and repair BattleMechs. In
addition, they carry numerous AeroSpace fighters for
both offensive and defensive purposes making them an
absolutely indispensable part of any invasion force.
The Leopard-class DropShip carries four BattleMech as
well as a pair of aerospace fighters. There are only three
remaining shipyards capable of producing this small
DropShip. Irian Technologies on Clipperton, Bowie
Industries on Alarion, and Federated-Boeing Interstellar
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on Galax. The Union-class, by far the most common
‘Mech carrier, is made by Irian Technologies, Matabushi
Incorporated on Avon, Earthwerks Incorporated’s Ares
plant, Bowie Industries, and Federated-Boeing
Interstellar. The massive Overlord-class, capable of
carrying a full battalion of BattleMechs along with a
squadron of aerospace fighters, is reserved almost
exclusively for planetary assault. The appearance of an
Overlord in atmosphere almost always signals the
beginning of a major campaign. Only three shipyards
remain capable of constructing the 9,700 ton Overlordclass
DropShip: Shipil Company on Skye, along with
Matabushi Incorporated and Earthwerks Incorporated.
The ability to be “dropped” in atmosphere is one of the
qualities unique to BattleMechs, giving them a distinct
advantage. Often they are “dropped” in order to
establish a secure landing zone or to achieve tactical
surprise. Coupled with their ability to transverse virtually
any type of terrain, including water, heavy forests, and
even mountains, BattleMechs provide the greatest
tactical flexibility of any type of unit. Powered by fusion
reactors and mounting powerful energy, ballistic and
missile weapons, the BattleMech’s mobility often allows it
to out maneuver conventional forces while at the same
time offering greater firepower and superior protection.
With the loss of the last functional WarShip in 2853, the
ability to simply level a factory, or some other target,
from orbit has disappeared as well. The long range
indiscriminate destruction wrought by the massive naval
autocannons, lasers, particle cannons and capital
missiles carried by WarShips is now a thing of the past.
Coupled with the reduced industrial capacity of the
Successor States, any future conflict will likely be lowintensity
as compared to the mass destruction of the two
most recent wars. This in of itself elevates the
BattleMech into an even more prominent role within the
militaries of the Great Houses.
WarShips conduct a burn to take orbit around a planet.