Seras little snippet thread

Donegal
Lo-Cat Industries
3023

I grumbled as I worked on building a Praetorian.

“MRM’s are periphery nonsense.” I mocked, shaking my head as I finished part of the Praetorians MRM feeding system…

Well technically it was probably closer to call them Omni-Pods.

What was the old term from Tex? If it fits it works! If it works do it! And finally fuck you it’s a Catapult.

This wasn’t a Catapult, but the Praetorian was thumbing my nose at the Clans Timberwolf… So the shoulder mounted pods would be adjustable just like the Catapult, just in case you wanted to mount LRM’s and fire in an arc, or go crazy and find some other weapon system that fits.

Looking over the finished product I hummed and checked it over. Reaching over to note the production steps that I’d need for the factory design.

I had most of this already, but that was for a much more… Advanced machine.

I was basically making my first variant mech, but instead of just swapping a few weapons around and shrugging when asked if it was functional, I was actually adjusting the internals to lower the price.

Sure you could turn the Praetorian 1A into the 2A, and even turn the 2A into a 1A, but… Well taking a Marauder and putting all the fancy Royal grade gear into it doesn’t mean you have a Royal Marauder, more than just that goes into it. Something I was becoming familiar with.

I really wanted to get my hands on a true Royal mech at some point and disassemble it completely down, just to see what tricks I could find.

But either way. The Praetorian 2A was the Inner Sphere tech variant of my Medium Timberwolf.

Well, it still had a few bonuses. The MASC factory was already done and producing, and while the LCAF was yanking every one of those I could output up, that didn’t mean I couldn’t grab one myself, that and the entire system of MASC, Triple Strength Myomer, and Supercharger.

The Praetorian was a very fast medium. It was a light mech hunter, made to outspeed, and outbrawl anything smaller than it.

She would be the Guard that protects her fellows from backstabbing assholes. Hence the name, and because the Centurion was probably my favorite medium, and it tickled me a little that the two mechs were likely to be paired up pretty often.

I once more returned to the design document, and sighed. I hated to cut down on all the tech that would make the Praetorian the guard it was meant to be, but the Inner Sphere wasn’t ready for Guardian ECM, along with Supercharged MASC, and Triple Strength Myomer.

Because the best way to bully light mechs was to appear behind them and smash them into bits before they ever know you’re there!

Not that the eight and a half tons of Lo-Cat Prime Armor wouldn’t give plenty of protection.

I wanted to call the armor production Lo-Cat Beta Armor, because Prime sounded much better for something like Ferro-fibrous armor, but Arnold had informed me firmly that making the armor sound weak would just make it so no one wanted to buy it.

So Prime armor it was, and the custom work I’m still tinkering with for the Ferro-Fibrous would get a different name.

I picked up the control gear for the Missile pods and hefted it up the stairs and onto the Gantry. And then over on top of the Praetorian.

Installing it took only moments, as I’d done everything I could to make repair so simple even apprentice mech techs could work on the Praetorian.

This wasn’t a mech built at the height of StarLeague. It was a mech for the 3020’s, and so I didn’t bother black boxing every single widget in the mech.

Someone would steal the design, someone would likely try to build a factory to produce them if they got popular enough. Either way, it would happen, and reducing my own customers' needs to try and keep out thieves was stupid.

Nope, everything could be rebuilt with off the shelf parts and a pretty basic workshop if needed. The Praetorian was built rugged, built simple, and built for war.

Not that she was weak or something. She had the best design work I could do. She’d never have any stupid ammo feeding issues, or terrible quirks.

If she had any quirk, it would be the goods ones!

I looked down at her nose, which looked so much like the Marauder, with the front facing cockpit, and the narrow angled nose. I wonder if she’d count as having the Narrow/low profile quirk?

The idea made me laugh as I wiped my hands and looked over the installation. That would be the last part of this side of the shoulder box. I’d have to do the same thing on the other side, but otherwise, she was basically done.

I stepped back onto the gantry and walked down, already imagining my girl showing off to the Inner Sphere. Arnold already had another showcase for the Praetorian lined up in a month to make sure I could work out all the kinks.

I wasn’t perfect. I’d made some blunders while building something, and sometimes it was just bad materials.

We’d gotten a supply of Titanium alloy for the Mech Armor line and… Well that hadn’t been titanium alloy at all. I mean, I guess if it’s less than .00001% titanium they’ll still try to say it is… Anyways, Arnold had taken care of that, and I’m pretty sure the Archon had leveled corruption charges against the company a few months after.

Not my business.

It had been discovered while testing the armor plates, and the Factory Head had looked confused about why I wanted at least one plate tested out of every batch.

The boys loved getting to fire the Small Laser installed in the factory for plate testing, so morale in the normally low morale Armor Plate factory was pretty high!

I mean they still wanted to move to another factory, because there was no coolness factor in making armor plates, but it was still needed.

Taking a moment to save my update to the log I looked up at the fifty ton Praetorian. It had enough differences that the Clans would need a second look at it, but it looked a lot like a Timberwolf, juuust different enough they’d probably decide I’d just done the same thing they had. Taken a Catapult and a Marauder and smashed them together, but the idea would always be there.

I smirked, looking up at the clock. I could probably finish the other connection system tonight, and maybe get a midnight test run around the shooting range done…

I heard the alarm, a single tone, no flashing lights, so I relaxed and looked towards the security door. We were technically underground right now, and my Mech Workshop was one of the most secured in the entire Industrial park.

There were only two people that could enter freely.

Me and Arnold Kruger.

The man, as always looked like some German butler as he sauntered inside, crossing the large mech loading area and joining me, a short bow to me, but his eyes were on my girl.

“She’s nearly done. Just need to finish the other sides control surfaces for the missile racks, and she’s done,” I informed him, earning a surprised blink before looking up at the mech.

“As always Miss Katherine, your ability awes me.”

“You’re just flattering me.” I waved at him, a little embarrassed at the honesty in his voice. “Is there something you need?”

“Unfortunate news. Our thunder was stolen.” He handed over a newspaper, and I looked it over, right in the front center of the front page, was a very familiar mech, with a very unusual, but also familiar weapon.

“The Hachetman.” I declared looking at the image and taking in the design choices.

“Indeed. The first new mech design built in the Inner Sphere… At least the first one fully unveiled. Apologies miss.”

“Oh it’s fine. A mech designed around the Hatchet weapon huh?” I muttered looking it over, Honestly? The Hatchetman had massive issues, to start with, it was too slow. Outside of city fighting, there were a whole lot of mechs that could just outrun you.

Hence why giving it a MASC would make the mech a whole lot more dangerous. “Arnold, has anyone thought about giving the Hachetman one of our MASC systems?” I asked, and he looked at me and only offered me an apologetic bow.

“I’m afraid I’m not aware.”

We should reach out to… Defiance.” I confirmed as it mentioned the Hesperus II Defiance industries plant would be producing the mech. “And see if they want the tech, or go through the LCAF contacts… Or whoever. You’d know better than I would. The Hachetman is a good idea, but it’s limited by a few too many things… A shield would make it a much deadlier mech as well.”

“A shield?” Hooked up at Arnold and then had to think…

Had I mentioned shields? I made one for Colonel Eddard’s Centurion of course, but… “I haven’t mentioned shields!” I slapped myself in the forehead and grabbed at my noteputer. “I made a shield for Colonel Eddard of the Panzer Mauer back when I worked with them. It’s a quick replacement set of additional armor. A shield, but you can replace the entire thing in just about a minute, meaning a damaged mech can take a lot of hits on the shield and retreat and be back out much faster than a normal armor replacement.” I pulled up the data I had from the original Centurion shield.

The Hatchetman was made for shields. All of its weapons were on the right side, while the left was basically bare. Put a large shield on that side, and a MASC system? Suddenly you have a Medium that you don’t want to get close, able to get in very close.

“Miss. I believe this idea would be very valuable to the Archon.” Arnold suddenly said and I looked up and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll send you a copy of the shield I made for the Centurion, it would need to be heavily changed for the Hachetman, but that’s not that hard really. It’s literally just armor.”

“Very good Miss.”

I unfortunately got distracted and never got to go on that late night run with the Praetorian 2A, but I did get to test it the next night anyways. Such were the benefits of being the boss I guess.

—--

Tharkad
3023
Katrina Steiner

Katrina took a sip of her coffee and looked at the man across from her with delight in her eyes.

The man across from her Dr. Banzai had been brought over from the NAIS for the Hatchetman project. Out of the two states, it was the Commonwealth that had the industrial capacity to begin production when the Federated Suns had not.

Katrina set down the coffee, cool and collected, and most of all gracious.

The FedCom Accords were already a year dry, and she still took great delight in that look on Hanse Davions face when after everything was signed, and he had started to offer her technology from the NAIS that she had handed him the complete Double Heat Sink production data.

Oh the sweet thrill of humbling that man. Hanse was… Arrogantly confident, and he’d gone into the Accords under the assumption it was him and his NAIS that had the upper hand in the technology sharing half of the agreement.

He had not, and it had been something truly delightful to see in real time the man's confidence in thinking that she had agreed to the accords for his technology, shatter into pieces.

Oh she had of course, the NAIS had many things that the Commonwealth needed, and young Katherine hadn’t created civilian projects… Yet.

But the Double Heat Sinks had been a nail in the arrogance of Hanse Davion, and Katrina quite enjoyed the way his tone had changed when it came to technology sharing.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you view it, sometimes something like this happens.

Lo-Cat industries restricted technology catalogue had in fact been shared with Hanse, but the accords were still new, and she had a realization when her LIC agent had informed her of what young Katherine had said that something hadn’t quite gone all the way through.

There had been a technology share when it came to the Hatchetman, but Katrina was honest enough to admit it was mostly an NAIS project. Yet they hadn’t added any of the other technologies that Katherine had started producing.

There was a Double Heat Sink version of the Hatchetman, but it was mostly a test bed by the NAIS, as the mech hardly needed them.

Well maybe it would now.

Dr. Banzai, the brainchild of the Hatcheman put down the Noteputer and rubbed at his eyes.

“This is brilliant.” He finally admitted. “I’ve seen the NAIS work on MASC, and there are rumors that the Cappys are close to figuring it out, but this is a complete production version. It works?”

“It does.” She assured the Doctor. “I wasn’t aware that you hadn’t been told. But I suppose a late production version of the Hatchetman could be created?”

“Oh, yes, of course. This alone would drastically solve some of the conceptual problems the mech has… But the rest of it? Triple Strength Myomer… We do have a functional enough version as well, but… Well it has an unfortunate weakness that we are trying to fix and aren't willing to accept it as is. By God, you kept this quiet. I’ve not heard a peep about it anywhere. Who developed it? Was it Reginald? Is he still at Tharkad U?”

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that.” She spoke gently, a smirk never leaving her face.

“Of course, of course. Yes, I believe I’ll be back to the drawing board with this one… A shield? What a novel idea.” He muttered, ruminating quite happily at the data that Katrina had given him.

Hanse may have the NAIS and Dr. Banzai, but he didn’t have Katherine Ferrous, a young orphan girl that was developing technology by the Mule Load.

A shield even. What a funny idea, but one that fit in a way. With the Hatchet, and Hatchetman now a thing, perhaps returning to more old thinking was the right way forward.

Of course, she’d soon be receiving a holovid of the Praetorian Mech’s debut. It was a shame she couldn’t make it herself. She truly wanted to see the ‘Lostech’ version that Katherine had put together as well.

Either way, the Accords were holding up well, better than she would have expected in some ways, and worse in others.

Tensions between the militaries were still high, even if the NAIS had been extremely quick to begin intermingling with her own institutions. Hanse wanted to make sure she felt the agreement was truly a two way street.

Perhaps next year's military training would work out well. If Operation GALAHAD was a success, the camaraderie between both militaries would increase and unity could be had.

Peace. Perhaps even peace in her lifetime was in her grasp.

“-A few examples of the MASC production? I’d like to run some tests with the the Hatchetman as soon as possible.”

“Of course Doctor. When you return to Hesperus I’ll have a unit shipped with you.” Katrina offered, pleased. She was surely the cat that caught the canary.

—--

Donegal
3023
Anneliese Hildegard

Sometimes good fortune follows after a bit of work. Anneliese had been picked up by a good network after her little sleuthing and selling both the picture and the information about Lo-Cat Industries.

Now she was here again, no longer needing to curry favors to get a press pass. She was actually smirking as she settled into the cart that was waiting for them, giving the man beside her a glance that held promise but nothing concrete.

“Well this is a surprise.” Carl muttered in surprise at her appearance, and then his face smoothed into a smile. “My lady.”

“Colonel.” She greeted back as she offered him her hand.

They’d talked once after their previous meeting. Anneliese had considered a less professional connection, but he was off doing military exercises with the 24th Lyran Guard before anything could happen.

“I hope I can rely upon my military escort today as well?” She teased, fluttering her eyes just so.

“Indeed it would be my pleasure to have you on my arm, and pulling any knowledge you need from my lips.” He teased back, she had mentioned him in her story after all.

“Then I’ll happily pull everything I need from you Colonel. Any initial thoughts about what Lo-Cat is offering?”

“Hmm. Well, I’m honestly not very impressed.” He started. “We know they have some sort of Light Mech design, but… Well Light Mechs aren’t very popular here. On top of that, their last offering…”

“The MRM’s?”

“Exactly. Cheap weapons. I’ll admit to hearing a few mechwarriors were interested enough to try them out, but it’s a weapon for mercenary and backline units. Militia, that sort.”

“You think it’ll be another cheaper alternative?”

“It’s likely. I’ll give you this in confidence, if you don’t mention my name.” He whispered glancing at the cart driver that hadn’t quite arrived yet. “The Light mech has been assumed to be some Frankenmech based on a Locust. It wasn’t actually an original. Well made, but just a strange Locust.”

“Really?” She offered with a smile, already her fingers were writing that down.

“That’s what I was told. Either way. I’m not sure how interested the Commonwealth is in a Locust refit kit. Locusts are cheap, that’s their main use.”

“I see. Upgrading a Locust to something better would cost more, so it would actually diminish it’s main role. Something like that?” She asked, the byline of her story already coming together.

“Exactly. Now, if it’s cheap, and it’s some sort of refit kit? I could see some sales for the company, but it won’t be popular. Not really.” He smiled as their driver arrived and soon they were off. The two of them made small talk, neither wanting to speak too clearly in front of the staff.

The two of them headed up the same stairs into the same little watch room overlooking the range.

Ann simply listened to the talks this time. No one really targeted her or the Colonel for conversation, but he was adept enough to mingle, and she road his coattails to the conversations of the elite.

Most were bemused rather than interested in todays exhibit.

It was a shame that Lo-Cat Industries had been sort of steam rolled by Defiance, the Hatchetman’s reveal cut out the idea of a new mech, and apparently most had heard it was just some form of Locust.

Maybe Ann had burned her good luck last time.

And there he was, Arnold Kruger came up to the front and tapped a finger on a glass to gather everyone's attention.

“Welcome! For those returning to our humble company thank you, we hope you are just as pleased with today's reveal as you were last time. For those who have come for the first time, I hope we leave you interested in what Lo-Cat produces. Today, we reveal a brand new Battlemech. Defiance Industries Hatchetman may have swept in earlier this year, but we assure you, we are no less proud of our own creation. May I introduce you all to the Lyran Commonwealth's newest fifty ton Battlemech.”

And that caused a stir in the entire room. Fifty? Not twenty like the weird Locust?

Out from a subterranean entrance slowly stepped out a mech that…

“Is that a Marauder?” Ann asked, she wasn’t a military woman, but she knew the common big mechs, she’d hoped to be a Mechwarrior as a young girl like all children.

“No.” Carl said instantly and he like many others were practically glued to the large armored windows as the mech stepped out.

Ann started instantly memorizing the mech before remembering that she actually was allowed photography.

She pulled out a camera from her purse, and snapped a picture as the mech finally came to rest.

Cycling the film gave her time to also look around the room. Last time the MRM’s had been a bit of a dud, but now? Oh yes, something this different was drawing attention.

“It’s a Medium Marauder?”

“It looks like a Catapult too. Look at the missile racks.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen. The Praetorian.” Arnold called out with a bit of flare she didn’t expect from the older man, and suddenly the mech came alive. Arms rising it burst into a dash forward.

Lasers arced from its hand, cutting ‘down’ the holographic targets with ease, then the shoulder pods, missiles fired, and considering where she was they were probably MRM’s instead of LRM’s… Right?

“Those are MRM’s right?” She asked and Carl actually startled as she asked, surprising her she hadn’t realized how engrossed he was.

“What?” He looked away from the window before instantly shooting back. “Yes MRM 10’s. Two large lasers, and Smalls in the arms, like the Marik 3M Marauder. But… It’s fast.” He said and Ann listened, the buzz around the room all seemed focused on that fact.

“Fast?” She looked again. It did seem rather quick didn’t it. She took another picture, hopefully a good action shot of the missiles launching from the pods.

The mech was just racing around the course, literally around it, sprinting quite rapidly, its reverse jointed legs eating up the ground. “Is it so strange?”

Carl was quiet for a while before answering. “Yes. It’s too fast. Unless that thing has almost no armor and the engine is… What a 350 or something? It’s absurd!” Carl looked towards Arnold and called out. “Is this some trick?” He demanded, and that had most of the room looking from Carl to Arnold, many of them seeming to think the same thing.

“A trick? Why yes. The most wonderful trick of all. Lyran Engineering.” Arnold replied back calm as a cucumber, and utterly pleased with the situation if Ann’s sense of him was anything to go by.

Finally the Praetorian came to a stop. Obviously cooling off from its barrage, and Arnold smirked as he waved an arm.

“Of course you’ve all noticed something is a bit odd with our Praetorian. A proprietary device we have taken to calling internally the Myomer Overhaul Variable Enhancement, or M.O.V.E. This device is integrated into our Praetorian giving it unchallenged speed for its size at only a slight increase to normal myomer operation costs.” He smiled the smile of a businessman, when as those around her started asking questions he simply waved a hand.

“But please, allow Lo-Cat Industries to show you what the Praetorian can truly do.”

And suddenly the mech just moved.

One moment it was quiet and the next it was tearing across the firing range moving faster and faster. Ann gasped mostly in surprise at how fast something so large could move, but she wasn’t alone, and the gasps turned from shock to almost horror, to absolute desire.

A general, the man wearing more medals on his chest than cloth, stomped up and practically pushed Arnold Kruger in the chest with a thick finger.

“This MOVE device. Is it compatible with other mechs!?” He demanded like the braggadocious peacock he was, but Arnold simply smirked.

“I’m afraid at the moment, all refit packages for standard mech designs are already purchased out for the foreseeable future, but Lo-Cat is of course working to bring such refit packages to the open market.”

That of course caused a surge as the military men all knew what that meant, and all wondered why they hadn’t heard of it! Why hadn't they been given such a thing from the Archon?

The very fact the word Archon was being thrown around so rapidly in the room would have left Ann running for the hills but despite it all Arnold was smiling a calm grin, even as the Praetorian raced past the windows behind him, blurring and throwing up a dust cloud in its wake.

The Archon definitely knew about this.

That was the realization that Ann came too. The way Arnold had spoken about this MOVE and that it was already sold, the fact he was revealing it at all?

This sounded like some sort of military secret, so much that Ann was nervous, but…

“I’m afraid Gentlemen, that the Archon required every completed MOVE refit we’ve produced for an assault that is currently underway. I believe we shall soon hear from ComStar about a Lyran Victory.” And that set the entire room to exploding as there was more than just shouting and questions, but actual cheers, mostly from the non-military that took Arnold Krugers words on their face.

Ann needed to get back, this was becoming more than just a new mech expose, but something much bigger.

“The Catalogue options for the Praetorian will soon be on the open market, I believe there will be surprises even further beyond what we’ve shown you here today.” Arnold Kruger Ann realized was enjoying this. His mustache twitched hiding his laughter, as the room simply continued to be filled with excitement, and questions flying.

Ann just snapped another picture of the Praetorian. It was unfortunate, she’d planned on asking Carl to join her at her home tonight, but it seemed she had work to do.

—---

Donegal
3023
ComStar HPG
Precentor John Lamathis

“This is correct?” He asked, looking at the young Acolyte.

“Yes Sir. Lo-Cat Industries handed over the report themselves, and… Well the news article confirms the details.”

“Very well we’ll add it to the news cycle, the MRB database, and then submit the broad bandwidth market addition as requested.” The Acolyte nodded and ran off. Scurried really. They were always so tetchy at that age. Looking over the report John felt no pleasure.

He, like many, had been blind sided.

He’d already received the report. A Lyran strike against Moritz, a probing strike rather than a full invasion, but the system was captured. The reports of mechs moving far faster than they should have already confirmed the truth.

Something had changed in the Lyran Commonwealth, and Lo-Cat Industries had something to do with it. He filed the report and sent it on to terra marking it with a high urgency.

Something must be done.

—--

3023
Hoff
Natasha Kerensky

“What is it?” She demanded, looking over the Wolfnet reports. The Eridani were… A tough nut to crack.

“Something for your eyes Commander. WolfNet said you needed to see this.” She looked up from her map and grabbed the ComStar bulletin and looked it over. Nothing that interesting, but if WolfNet said it, it was probably right. It took a while to realize what it was.

She almost skipped right over, rifling through the pages. The Market page wasn’t something she paid much attention to.

But even after all these years her mind registered something off as she whipped through the pages and then turned back.

“Impossible.” She whispered staring at a Timberwolf on the front of an advert…

No it wasn’t a Timberwolf, it was something else, the more she looked at it, the more it felt like a mech of the Inner Sphere, but… Something new? Something so similar?

A fifty ton Timber Wolf, built in the Inner Sphere…

She let out a breath that was part wheeze. This had to be the biggest joke she’d ever seen. “I have to see this myself. After I deal with my own troubles.”

She chuckled as she slapped the bulletin on the table and refocused on the map.

She wanted one just to see how terrible it would be, if it was some connection to the Clans? Then Jamie would deal with it.