Irisz,
This is my final report on the 'Mech we
encountered on Kalidasa during our last raid. I've put this together both from
the lance's observations, BattleROMs and other material, as well as some analysis from Stanley. Obviously
it's not meant to be conclusive, but rather a 'best-guess' at what we faced and
what it's capable of. I'm going to start with the hard and known, then move
towards the speculative as we go on.
To start with, let me recap the situation. Our
augmented lance (Assault lance with Shona and a squad of Battle Armour) engaged
a star from the 29th Wolf Garrison Cluster on the outskirts of one of the Kali
Yama factory
annexes. The Wolf star was entirely conventional in
nature; a Tundra Wolf as the
lead, almost certainly piloted by an actual Wolf warrior, and the rest of the
star made up of AMSC salvage (Orion, Tempust. Griffin, Ghost) piloted by what
were apparently
adoptees. The enemy star were already damaged, with
the Orion crippled and withdrawing
while their other MechWarirors were showing only a questionable level of skill, suggesting that they may
have even been raw recruits.
 |
| Gun camera footage of unknown Wolf Empire OmniMech |
The situation changed with the arrival of the
new 'Mech. Our targeting computers were unable to identify it, but there was a degree of visual similarity to a Ryoken. To
further underscore the similarity, the 'Mech apparently weighed some fifty-five
tons and had a maximum speed
of approximately ninety-five
kilometers per hour (at least initially, more on that to come). The 'Mech was
also carrying a Point of Battle Armour (Clan Medium) on it, confirming that it
was also an OmniMech. Based on these similarities, I'm going to label it as "Ryoken
III" for the moment (Shona's designation of "Ryochicken"
notwithstanding)
Early in the engagement it became clear that the BattleMech was
protected with Ferro-Lamellor armour. It was hard to get a read on the overall
amount of armour it carried, but I'm going to say that it was at least comprable to that
of a Ryoken. The
BattleMech was armed with an Extended Range Large Pulse Laser and an Extended
Range Medium Pulse Laser in each
arm, as well as two SRM-6 launchers in the torso, suggesting that it has
approximately twenty-one tons of pod space, again similar to the traditional Ryoken.
Form the very start of the battle, the MechWarrior inside was
pushing his heat curve, deliberately running the
'Mech hot with over-use of his Lasers. The reason for this became clear after
it delivered a devastating kick to
Lee's Vulture; the 'Mech was apparently
equipped with a Triple Strength Myomer system, something unprecedented in a
Clan-Built design. This theory was supported by the
'Mech reaching approximately 110 kph
for short bursts, consistent with TSM-enhanced performance. This in and of
itself represents A rather dramatic shift
in Clan thinking, especially when
combined with the Stealth Armour equipped Wulfen.
The biggest oddity however was the way the 'Mech moved. Early in the
battle, it was struck in the head with a SRM. I've looked at the footage (which is attached to this file)
and there's no question of what happened. The
BattleMech flinched, a
response more akin to a human then a machine.
Several other times the 'Mech seemed to correct itself
with a level of speed and precision that's
impossible for normal BattleMech controls, while at other times it twitched or
moved in ways that have no clear explanation, simply being things that a
BattleMech would have no
reason to do. I’ll add
that the Ryoken III clearly had a skilled
MechWarrior, but even then the performance and physical mobility we saw from it
simply went beyond what it should be
capable of
While the Enhanced Imaging system does create a
direct neural link between the
MechWariror and his
machine, that link is
primarily based on sensory data
and feedback. An EI-equipped BattleMech does not respond any differently (even
if its balance is generally better)
and certainly does not act any differently to its
more conventionally controlled counterpart. In this case, I do not believe that
the 'Mech was controlled by an EI system.
However, there is a precedent for this sort of behavior from a
BattleMech, albeit a
rather worrying one.
Such behavior has been
observed from 'Mechs controlled by VDNI systems. There's surviving footage of
Word 'Mechs, especially
Celesitals, taking on oddly
human-like characteristics and behavior as a result of the neural link between
pilot and machine. I'm going to look into this further when I get the chance,
but it is consistent with the behavior seen in the Ryoken
III, which
suggests that it was VDNI equipped. Of
course, this beggars the question as to why the Wolves would suddenly start
using such a system, or where they acquired the
technology.
The Ryoken III was destroyed during the battle, but only through
concentrated sheer firepower; the "barrage" tactics preferred by
Assault Lance proving to be less than ideal
against its Ferro Lamellor
armour. Unfortunately, we
were not able to salvage it, and
we were unable to intercept any communications from
it. In all footage analysis, there are
no clear markings on the 'Mech, and it is not wearing
Theta Galaxy colours. My personal theory
is that the 'Mech was not a part of the 29th’s forces. Rather, it was
undergoing testing, and was sent to reinforce the
Star currently engaged.
I cannot say if it was a unique prototype or a
developmental model of a new BattleMech. What I can say is that it's
something that we do need to be wary for. It represents some dangerous changes
in Clan thinking. I've also attached some additional analysis from Stanley for
you to ponder.
Stanley here. I tried running some of the
numbers on the Ryochicken, and they don't add up.
I'm taking some pretty big leaps here with
trying to figure this thing out. Obviously this is guesswork based on
observations and the by now well-known specs of your traditional Ryoken. I can't give definitive
numbers as to how many heat sinks or how much armour it has, but based on the knowns
there's a definite odd hole where we're missing something.
Simply out, the Ryochicken has about three to five tons
that we can't account for. I can't bring it to a fifty-five ton 'Mech with what
we have, and all my efforts to add up come to three conclusions. The first is
that it's overweight, which obviously isn't going to work; furthermore bumping
it up to sixty tons actually makes the numbers even uglier and less viable. The
second is that the Wolves skimped somewhere along the line, but I can't figure
where.
The biggest issue is the armour. There's no
arguing that it is Ferro-Lamellor, but the issue is the amount of protection.
Due to its nature, FL armour needs a greater weight to give the same amount of
protection and had a greater bulk as well, but gives the offset of reducing the
amount of damage taken. Your Mad Cat Mk IV is a great example of this.
While it has the same level of protection of an old Mad Cat, the armour weighs a lot more which
means there needs to be a weight offset to make up the difference. In your
case, it’s the
use of the XXL engine.
Now here's the problem. FL armour is very
bulky, more than Ferro-Fiberous. Your Cat Four has got very little internal
space as a result of that, especially when combined with its Endo Steel structure
and XXL engine. Hell, Zhen's Vulture Mk IV has a similar problem, and it’s got a
more normal Clanspec XL engine.
That's where I'm hitting problems with the Ryochicken. Every attempt to make up to
three to five tons adds more bulk to the frame, especially when you take the
extra bulk of the Triple-Strength Myomer into account, While the Wolves could
have used an XXL engine or maybe even an Inner Sphere tech XL gyro (Why not?) they're adding more
bulk to the frame. And while it could also have a small cockpit (Which would fit
with the VDNI thing, and yes, I agree with Nikola’s
analysis there), that's still not enough to offset all the extra weight and
bulk they're piloting on.
In short, there's something very not right
about that thing, and I can't begin to figure where
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