The Charm Offensive 02
Colchester
Federated Suns
Early 3025
"What in the sober hell is this?" asked Natasha Kerensky.
"It is Warhammer," replied Devlin Stone. "But Urbanmech."
Natasha glared down at him. The boy raised his palms up and said "Your Warhammer is fine. But it is in storage. This one allows us to better collect combat data."
The Black Widow turned back to the bulbous 70-ton machine painted a nightmarish shade of black with bright red accents here and there. The arms and legs belonged to a Warhammer. Boxy and robust, the arms ended in reinforced barrels holding a Donal Particle Projection Cannon.
The core of the machine was that of an oversized Urbanmech however, the dumpy looking trash receptacle with a six-pod SRM-6 bin poking off the right shoulder. The gun clusters - a pair of Medium Lasers, Small Lasers, and Machine Guns - were located roughly where they should be in the lower left and right side hips of a Warhammer. All in all, a Warhammer's loadout was not complicated with distinct range bands from long range to short range.
A Warhammer could not support firing off all its weapons all at once. A WHM-6R had 16 heatsinks (ten of which were integrated into the engine and 6 more tons discretely), and the heat produced by a single PPC was marked 10 on the regular scale. Two of them, 20. Alternating fire needed to be used - i.e., +20 (-16), 4 + 10 (-16), +20, etc. A Mech would shut down if it stayed too long on or above 30 on the standardized heat scale. Bracket fire and the minimum range of a PPC also meant that once enemies were inside a certain range, firing off long-range weapons was pointless. It was better to rely on the less heat-producing secondary weapons for a while. This allowed the main guns to cool off until the range could open again.
"Are you aiming to humiliate me?" Natasha asked dryly.
"Humiliate you? You in particular? No ma'am." Devlin held out an open palm towards the Urbanhammer. "The weapons are stock, but because it was proportionally Urbanmech, there was still a lot of free volume. This allowed us to change the test machine's heatsinks to Double Heat Sinks and boost armor to 11 tons of Ferro-Fibrous up from the 10 tons of standard armor sheathing of the WHM-6R. This is enough to make the Mech capable of running and firing all its weapons and still remain completely heat neutral, and with 20% more armor protection. There were left over tons to emplace CASE."
That was enough to significantly increase the threat profile of a stock Warhammer. If the Light Horse had upgraded with lostech this far, then it explained why they were punching well above their weight recently. "This seems unfair. Who do you want me to humiliate?"
Devlin grinned. "Humiliate? Oh my dear Miss Kerensky. We want you to break some horses."
-.
-.
Fort Bradley
Colchester
Later that day
"You know who I am! And I know some of you still think there's nothing more worth knowing from a defeated foe. But none of you are Barbara Mosley. So if you think you are hard enough, come meet me in this circle. I was told enough about your lostech upgrades! Do you think that is enough? Come face me as an equal and find out!"
-.
Unlike the Solaris arenas, there were no protected areas on planet for spectators to observe a mech duel.
Mechs were arranged at a clearing well away from the camp, while inside the auditorium a massive holoprojector displayed the scene. It had turned into a whole event, with everyone bringing in snacks and making bets. Major Anthony Gasca, commander of the 8th Battalion, 151st Regiment and Major Robert Green-Davion, the AFFS liason, had somehow been roped in as commentators.
Over on the third floor looking down at the auditorium floor from a utility wing, sat Stone Platoon.
"Since when did we have Urban Warhammers?" asked Bennet Brooklyn. "Heck, since when did we have Urbanmechs that are *seventy tons* at all?!"
"You know *since when*," said William Bloderwelg, the gentle giant of this troop.
Bennet scowled with his hooked nose and pointedly looked away from Devlin's direction. Everything weird with the Eridani Light Horse could now be traced all the way to the day the boy showed up in an Urbanmech. The Colchester starport even had a record of the dropship bringing him down, which left soon afterwards.
"It is fascinating though. Some mechs already look like Urbanmechs - the Flashman is 75 tons and has overall the same body, I suppose." Tom Lexington adjusted his eyeglasses. "We already have so many Urbanmechs, I guess this finally puts to pasture the question if we do have a mobile factory. The answer is yes. "
"Frikking bribery getting into the Light Horse…" Bennet continued to mutter.
Angela Bakko chirped "If Urbanmechs can be heavies now, do you think we can get to pilot one?"
"It's still a freakin' Urbanmech!" Bennet hissed and glared at her past his hooked nose and then pointed down. "It's still a trashcan! I don't think Kerensky's actually all that good! If she still beats people while piloting a trashcan- that… that proves something? I don't know! But this is stupid and looks wrong!"
"It is humiliating to be beaten by an Urbanmech," Devlin said simply.
Bennet clacked his tongue. "Yes."
"So of course this means we should do it against House Kurita as much as possible," he continued in an even tone.
Salli Maza raised her brows and beamed at him. "Is this why Captain Mosley is… you know, being her… everything at the Draconis March? She could have any mech, but still pilots Urbanmech. A Light UrbanMech at that!"
Angela squinted at him "You… seem to be very familiar with Captain Mosley, aren't you?"
Salli Maza smirked "And been hanging around with Natasha Kerensky herself a lot. She is quite the looker too, isn't she?"
"I am… I am sus!" Angela said after some thought. "I am very sus!"
"More nepotism…!" Bennet grumbled.
"That makes no sense, my friend," said William. "They are not related either biologically or legally. Captain Mosley has not shown any sign of favoritism or advantage towards friend Devlin. Unless you mean actually in reverse, as Miss Bad Ass is reaping all the benefits."
"White unicorn," Devlin said in reflex.
"You are the only one other than her that actually insists on that," noted Salli.
Angela pouted and made some strange mouselike squeaking noise as she crossed her arms and huffed.
"They're starting!" Tom slapped at the metal railing excitedly.
Hudson Asner, all of fifteen and already looking almost like an adult in his twenties, said "What do you think? How many matches before the Black Widow goes down?"
"Kerensky's good, but straight back to back fights? It's easier to win when it's a series of duels, so I'd say… three. Depends on what she's facing. Eventually her armor is going to get worn down," answered Bennet Brooklyn.
This was a limited live-fire test, with energy weapons dialed way down and guns firing mainly tracers, with the mech battle computers simulating full-scale weapons fire and effects.
Tom Lexington added "I don't know. The loadout of a WHM-6R has limited ammo compared to the WHM-6D, but very few things can take the hit of a pair of PPCs. In a long-range duel, a Warhammer will always win - but this duel is artificially restricted to a map only half a kilometer across where both mechs will nearly always have sightlines to each other. Smaller, faster mechs may have it easier than big mechs - they can whittle down enemy armor faster and skirmish to its backside. But…" He scratched at the back of his head helplessly.
"But what?" asked Hudson.
Tom nervously adjusted his glasses again. "It is Warhammer. But also Urbanmech. A 360 degree torso twist… I think that's really an unfair advantage in short-range duel. Would she be using it? If yes, then I think Captain Kerensky if she keeps getting consistent hits would be able to take down maybe double her weight in medium-weight opponents, or up to three mechs in her weight class who can't maneuver as well."
Hudson turned. "What do you think, Stone?"
"My father told me stories of Natasha Kerensky before he died, and he said that Kerensky was not yet as good as she could be. It would take two tragedies before she achieves that perfect clarity, and the ELH may have butterfield away that second tragedy. So now we see what the wrath of a +1/+1 Mechwarrior looks like instead of a +0/+0." Devlin Stone nodded several times in self-satisfaction. "Fuck yer TMMs."
"My… what?"
-.
-.
Griffin. Dervish. Catapult. Griffin. Phoenix Hawk. Thunderbolt. Hunchback. Warhammer. Thunderbolt again. By the ninth mech Natasha Kerensky downed, people were coming to realize that yes,
* She was shameless enough to use and abuse the torso twist of a Heavy Urbanmech,
* A Warhammer that can fire its pair of PPCs continuously and apparently NEVER MISS makes Light and even Medium mechs all but unviable on the field,
* When the Light Horse fought the Dragoons on Hoff, this was part of the unnerving cry - "The Dragoons? Christ, they're not men, they're machines!"
* Yes, Natasha Kerensky was that god-damned good. Barbara Mosley returning to get herself trained to be on Kerensky's level is due to literally epic levels of assbeating. If the woman's self-respect could survive that, then Mosley would be forced to also become one of the deadliest MechWarriors to have ever existed.
* If the Eridani Light Horse wants to be the tip of the spear for the reborn SLDF, they absolutely need to be on this level.
-.
-.
Devlin Stone turned around and smiled, extending his arms as if to give a distant hug."My friends, I have a gift for you. A surprise gift. High Command has designed to also trial Kerensky's methods on complete novices with no habits to untrain. Which means our platoon - or two lances - gets to have follow-along mech training, as a comparison group to other veteran mechwarriors doing the same thing. We enter battlemechs a full two years ahead of schedule."
"This is bullshit," breathed Bennet Broolyn. "How?"
"Nepotism," said Devlin Stone.
Then after a pause "Also, as long as it is Urbanmech."
-.
-.
Brunswick City
New Avalon
Same date
Countess Rodina Archernar was a dangerous woman and CEO of Archenar Battlemechs, the largest and most respected military producer in the Federated Suns. Although overshadowed somewhat by Corean Enterprises' fully automated factory in the technological decline of the Succession Wars, and limited in scope by not being a multinational corporation - Archenar was pure Davion loyalist through and through, operating solely in Federated Suns space. Archenar manufactured the first ever BattleMech for the AFFS, and now it felt right to her that once again House Davion would rely on her company in the turning of a new age.
Although they were inside one of Brunswick City's most high-class restaurant with a view over the glittering nightscape of the metropolis, Leroy Martin was not inclined to wine and dine the heiress. While she was indeed quite comely and wealthy and still unmarried, he had resolved to himself that he was a boring man that lived a boring life and the phrase 'married to his work' would probably be his truth.
Tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a trim black suit compared to Countess Rodina's orange and black ensemble, this business dinner had less of an impression of a date but a big brother taking his graduating little sister out to eat.
Rodina picked up her wineglass and motioned to outside. "Land is expensive in New Brunswick. As impressive as it is to get as much floor space in the Industrial Park, your company could have done better setting up a more secure facility in the outskirts, no?"
"RobotniC is a distribution company, not a manufacturing one, my Lady," replied Leroy. "Our source factories are a secret because what no one knows about, no one can raid."
Rodina stared at him past the rim of her wine glass. "Really? Despite the news all being about the mobile factory that just landed? The pundits are called it… what was that now? Ah, yes, 'the Corean plant in an egg'."
Leroy carefully cut into his salmon, ate, and looked up. A passing waiter happened to reflect light from the tray he was carrying onto Leroy Martin's square eyeglasses, causing his gaze to glint menacingly for a moment. The CEO responded passionlessly "A certain level of on-site production is necessary for sampling and as a buffer against minor shortages. A mobile factory is unable to produce full BattleMech and Combat Vehicles- it is nothing so unusual, a production line only oriented vertically instead of horizontally."
"And I suppose the fact that a mobile factory can have its own little island in the Hebrides instead of being an employer over some little town suits your purposes just fine."
Megacorporations had a tendency to dominate the economic prospects of nearby towns and could lead some businessmen to have strange illusions of lordship. Granted, most such firms were owned by nobles with their own fiefs, but they exerted pressure as much as they supported a town's vitality. Rodina continued "This is good for security, but it is not a good look. A company that looks always so ready to pull up roots does not give the impression of being a reliable friend. People will be always reminded that this whole thing… has something mercenary about it."
"I was informed that the Eridani Light Horse will not leave the service of House Davion unless something vastly immoral has occurred, or the Star League is reformed."
"Curious folk, the Eridani Light Horse." She had of course done her research. The ELH had done some impressive things, but nothing beyond the reach of the AFFS own storied regiments like say, the Crucis Lancers. She took a sip of from her glass, and laid down. She laced her fingers together under her chin. "So they have their own manufacturing now. It is easy to imagine that they found an old Star League base with its own automated plant somewhere. Of course, I will not ask about that - security reasons, I respect that - but doesn't that limit your scalability?"
"My lady, RobotniC is a creature of the Star League."
"... And that means what?"
"Our production capacity is yes."
"By that, do you mean…?" Rodina trailed off with a small frown.
"No matter what number you think of, the answer is yes. The only practical limit is shipping capacity. However many mechs and tanks Archernar and all other BattleMech production companies might want to refit, we can supply. Yes. The entire AFFS? Yes. We can supply Ferro-Fibrous armor, Double Heatsinks, CASE assemblies, and Target-Tracking Systems for many years in advance. Yes."
"... It's not a factory at all, is it? It's a factory that makes factory ships?!"
"My lady, I have absolutely no idea."
Rodina thinned her lips. "And I suppose you're going to Corean after this. You want us to sell your BattleMechs under our branding. Invest into it with land and manpower to set up a physical production line. Who is using whom as a distribution channel now again?" She let out a muted sigh.
Then she looked pained for a moment. "But why… why does it have to be Urbanmechs?"
"My lady, I have absolutely no idea."
-.
-.
Colchester
Federated Suns
Later that night
It was almost midnight and Nathan and Julia Armstrong were turning in for the night. They both had so much work that increased every day the 91st Cavalry regiment was being crash-assembled. The Brevet General of the entire Eridani Light Horse flopped on the couch while Julia put away the dishes.
Julia noticed. "Oh? Not going into your regular little communiques with the First Prince?"
Armstrong groaned. Having a HPG in his house was more of a hassle than anything, because instead of walking towards the command center and only getting summarized reports from whatever came out of the regular Colchester HPG schedule… Hanse Davion was abusing having an HPG in his Urbanmech to send him little updates of how his little ponies were operating out in the wild as tracked by MIIO.
"I think Hanse is harassing me to make Wandering Horse show up MIIO again" he said.
"So you are on first names with Hanse Davion now? How cute."
Armstrong raised his palms up in silent supplication. "A distance in the chain of command must be maintained. He knows that and I know that. He is fishing for more information."
Julia nodded. "Of course he would. The Light Horse is a danger to the Federated Suns as much as it promises to be its helpers. This is something we deal with regarding charity. Once people are too used to being helped, what happens when that help is stopped? Either resentment and feelings of betrayal, or in preparing for aid being cut off, never really trusted it in the first place."
"Well, at least Davion can always trust the Light Horse's willingness to screw over House Kurita."
Julia chuckled lightly. "And this talk about dilution of social distance has reminded me… aren't you favoring Devlin too much? I understand him being assigned as Kerensky's adjutant - if there was anyone that could break through her shell, Devlin could do it-"
"That boy, unlike any of us in the Light Horse, firmly and completely believes with zero doubt that we *are* the SLDF and we *will* rebuild the Star League. If they ever get into a philosophical argument it would be an unstoppable force meeting the immovable object."
"Haha. But really - the other cadets might start resenting this obvious nepotism. I've even been asked if Devlin wasn't actually your bastard son from somewhere and why I am being too motherly over him."
Armstrong turned to stare at her. No judgment at all in his cool and steady gaze.
Julia flushed and looked away. "So what! Devlin has never had a mother! That poor boy has absolutely no idea how to deal with women and girls. This is not nepotism from me! I'm okay with being a hypocrite!"
After a while Armstrong said "It is one thing to bring in whole regiments of Mechs. A noble buying a commission into the Eridani Light Horse should not be something we easily condone - that is the sort of thing that leads into the enormous incompetence of the Steiner social generals."
Then he pointed to a framed art piece at the wall. It looked like a photomanipulation of a gas giant to have a face like that of the RobotniC logo. A tongue-in-cheek reference to the ELH and their civilian company, one might assume.
"Devlin Stone is not a Cameron or an Amaris. We have checked. But because of Doctor Robotnik's outright goddamn future magic, we cannot even trust the reports of our equipment. Bribery is one thing. It is a different thing to be the heir to a power that far surpasses the Star League."
"So why not just let him live out the rest of his time in normal education? That would have built camaraderie instead of being singled out inspiring resentment from others in his cadre. We should be taking our time to raise him right instead of putting so much pressure on him so early."
"Because despite all that we have been doing, we can't assume that the Wolf's Dragoons will be our ally in the near future. Devlin Stone had an unnatural upbringing. He absorbs information and skills like a sponge. We don't know when the Clans will actually arrive, they might come in early prompted by some factor outside of our control. Doctor Robotnik raised his son to be the ultimate weapon to defeat the corrupted children of the Kerensky's SLDF, and we can't waste that. That weird little brain of his is disassembling the Clan Warrior ethos even as Natasha Kerensky thinks she is just being pandered to.
"The Light Horse had always rewarded going above and beyond instead of being threatened by an overachieving subordinate like the Combine grubbing for personal power. He is going to be the stone that drags the rest of the regiment along with him towards excellence or be left behind. His entire troop will serve as an object example. If mere trainees can do this - then they should also be able to do it. They just lack the effort. The motivation."
"Aren't you afraid of Devlin getting a big head?"
"Heh. The boy spent most of his life working for his meals. If anything his father raised him to have unrealistic expectations of personal responsibility."
Julia scowled. "That was borderline child abuse and that is one thing I won't forgive Dr. Robotnik for. No matter if he is a great man, he was not a great father."
"From what we know of Aleksandr Kerensky himself, this is a very common failing for such men."
-.
-.
Notes:
Urbanhammer UR-HMR
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-F-D
Production Year: 0
Dry Cost: 6,660,883 C-Bills
Total Cost: 6,688,883 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,490
Chassis: StarCorps 100 Standard/Unknown Chassis
Power Plant: VOX 280 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Leviathon Plus Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
2 Donal PPCs
1 Shannon SRM-6
2 Martell Medium Lasers
2 Magna Small Lasers
2 SperryBrowning Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Unknown
Communications System: O/P 3000 COMSET
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 1500 ARB
Overview:
Is Warhammer. But Urbanmech.
Equipment Type Rating Mass
Internal Structure: Standard 107 points 7.00
Engine: Fusion Engine 280 16.00
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: Double Heat Sink 16(32) 6.00
Heat Sink Locations: 2 LT, 1 RT, 1 LA, 1 RA
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA R: SH+UA+LA
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 197 11.00
Armor Locations: 1 HD, 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LA, 2 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL
CASE II Locations: 1 RT 1.00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 8
L/R Torso 15 22
L/R Torso (rear) 8
L/R Arm 11 20
L/R Leg 15 25
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
PPC RA 10 3 7.00
PPC LA 10 3 7.00
Machine Gun RT 0 1 0.50
Small Laser RT 1 1 0.50
Medium Laser RT 3 1 1.00
SRM-6 RT 4 2 3.00
Machine Gun LT 0 1 0.50
Small Laser LT 1 1 0.50
Medium Laser LT 3 1 1.00
SRM-6 (15) RT - 1 1.00
MG (200) CT - 1 1.00
Free Critical Slots: 3
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 15
Structure: 6
Special Abilities: CASEII, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA