Grimoirem Arkanikorum

And here we have the leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers, also known as Cy-wait hang on.

So this is a CP-10-Z ‘Cyclops’! Can’t imagine why they call it that.

Age-old problem in warfare/combat is ‘how to tell who’s doing what, and what needs to be done to who’. Officers on horseback so they can be taller, command posts with spyglasses, moving representative markers around a map on a table (IRONY!), all the way to modern AWACS/drones/tablet computers, we’ve come up with different ways to show and share information in a fight. In the Battletech universe, one of the ways to handle info is to have a ‘command battlemech’. Obviously the Cyclops is an example of this. Much like how the A-10 is a plane designed around a weapon, the Cyclops is a ‘mech designed around its main component: the command console! Behind that big ol’ eye is a big ol’ computer and display station, along with a communication suite, so an officer can sit in the ‘mech and direct their forces according to the situation!

To make it work best, they made the Cyclops a 90-ton Assault ‘mech so they had a lot of space on the frame. To make sure the officer could also get in on a fight they gave it the Classic Loadout LRM+SRM+Autocannon+twin lasers. Ten-tube Long Range Missile launcher, four-tube Short Range Missile launcher, a Class 20 Autocannon, and a Medium laser on either arm. Its armor, while not LIGHT overall, isn’t as thick as your average 90-ton, especially on its head.

In order to make room for the command equipment AND the normal cockpit stuff, they had to sacrifice armor mounting area on the noggin. This naturally raises a couple issues. First of all, anyone that encounters a Cyclops on the field is going to KNOW that it’s important, or at least that someone important is IN it. Secondly, surest way to bring it down is to aim for the head since it has the weakest armor. That big eye is an INCREDIBLY tempting target, taking that into account. Putting a round into it will either drop the ‘mech, damage the command console, hurt an enemy ‘high-value target’, or … all of the above.

Though, there have been some improved models of the Cyclops over the years! Upgraded weapons, tougher armor, lighter chassis. There’s at least one that has all three!

This ‘mech is Awesome! The AWS-9Ma Awesome, specifically. An 80-ton Assault ‘mech designed to be an absolute FORCE on the battlefield. It’s essentially three Particle Projector Cannons and a Small Laser encased in a FUCKTON of armor.

It moves slow, and in fact has been utilized at times as a mobile turret, plonking itself down and hammering away with its PPCs until it needs to shift to a better position. The placement of the PPCs and small laser make it one of the quintessential ‘zombie’ battlemechs. Which means that even if it loses both its arms and has its legs damaged it REMAINS a threat until completely destroyed.

The 9Ma specifically was a model given to the Somerset Strikers for their campaign fighting Clan Jade Falcon, in addition to the normal loadout of an Awesome it has a ‘Guardian’ Electronic Countermeasures suite and a ‘command console’ in its cockpit. The ECM suite makes it a harder target, and the command console allowed Adam Steiner to view battlefield information and direct his unit while piloting it!

Here we’ve got a BSW-X1 ‘Bushwacker’. A 55-ton Medium ‘mech that was still being designed by House Steiner when the Clans invaded, but got kinda rushed out the door as a response? The idea behind the engineering was ‘low profile, compact body, harder to hit target’. The difficulty they ran into was that a smaller body meant less space between the engine and the electronics, and damn if a nuclear fusion device doesn’t throw out some fair amount of electromagnetic interference! The main prototype, piloted by ‘Captain’ Valten Ryder of the Somerset Strikers (yep! Again!) was plagued with issues and had a tendency to fail unexpectedly in its first couple sorties. When the Strikers managed to get their hands on a big bank of schematics and tech from a raid on a Clan Jade Falcon facility, including data on the Clan ‘Vulture’ Battlemech, they were able to adapt the layout and shielding of the inner workings of the similarly-designed Vulture to solve the Bushwacker’s issues!

No longer sidelined by electrical problems, the Bushwacker could bring its weapons loadout of a Enhanced Range Large Laser, twin five-tube Long Range Missile launchers, Class Ten Autocannon, and paired machine guns to bear on the Clans. It would become one of the more prolific Battlemechs of the Clan Invasion and a mainstay of House Steiner’s forces!

What I want to do: Go use the gift card my little sister gave me to get a decent burger and fries.

Referred to as ‘IIC’ (Two Clan) ‘mechs, these were just familiar enough to be recognized while almost COMPLETELY outclassing the base ‘mechs. This Orion IIC is more heavily protected, with more powerful weaponry than its counterpart. The autocannon is swapped with a Gauss Rifle, the Long Range Missile launcher goes from a fifteen to a twenty-tube, and both of its lasers are upgraded from Medium to Larges. Its four-tube Short Range Missile system stays the same though, just an improved model. Overall the Orion IIC is badder version of the ‘mech, while coming more in line with the Clan warriors methods of ‘shoot you from really far away’. It’s also a clue to the identity of the Clans!

This is a ON1-K ‘Orion’, specifically the one owned/piloted by the famous Star League Mechwarrior Aleksandr Kerensky. A 75 ton Heavy ‘mech, it’s armed with two Medium Lasers, a Class 10 Autocannon, a fifteen-tube Long Range Missile launcher, and a four-tube Short Range Missile launcher. It’s worth noting that Kerensky was so impressed by the loadout that he recommended a similar kit for the Atlas, and the Atlas impressed EVERYONE so much that ‘autocannon-laser-SRM-LRM’ kinda became the standard load for a lot of ‘mechs!

The AXM-2N!

The Class 20 Autocannon was replaced with a pair of 15-tube Long Range Missile launchers! Everything else was left in place, though. Same amount of armor, same engine, still two tons of ammunition.

BUT! Two tons of LRM ammo lasts longer than two tons of AC20 ammo, and with the change of weaponry comes a shift in tactics that gets more mileage out of the armor it has. See, now the Axman is capable of both indirect fire as well as direct, and at a fairly long range. It's capable of harassing targets until the distance is closed enough to bring the lasers and THE FREAKING AXE to bear.

The new combat style of the 2N gave the Axman in general a new lease on life, especially when it was put in the hands of its most famous Mechwarrior...

GUESS WHO?!?

Eeyup, this shit again! XD

Adam Steiner and his 2N, along with the rest of the Somerset Strikers would make the Axman absolutely FAMOUS during the Clan Invasion. The cartoon based on his campaign (seriously, it's actually a cartoon in the canon of the Battletech universe) featuring his heroics in the battlemech got an unbelievable amount of attention on this beast, and made it a staple of Clan-fighting units throughout Steiner space. Which brings us back to the Clans again....