Revenant (Individual Orion BattleMech)

One of the most famous BattleMechs in history, The Revenant is the Orion piloted by both legendary Star League Defense Force Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky and future Draconis Combine Coordinator Theodore Kurita.

It is notable that Kerensky never bestowed his 'Mech with a name, and the Revenant moniker was only applied during Kurita's use of the 'Mech.

Operational History

Service with Aleksandr Kerensky

Kerensky would first choose to pilot an Orion in 2718, and while occasionally piloting other 'Mechs including briefly an Atlas II in combat during the New Vandenberg Uprising, he would form a lifelong bond with the Orion. Mindful of its age and ever seeking an edge in combat, Kerensky would order multiple upgrades be performed on the 'Mech, resulting in substantial modification over its service life, including some of the Star League's most advanced and experimental systems

Kerensky would pilot his Orion during the Rim Worlds Republic campaign and last stages of Operation LIBERATION, most notably combat during the assault of the Star League's capital, Unity City. There, he became a main target of the Rim Worlds forces, and Kerensky was almost overwhelmed two times, being saved by his bodyguards.

As the tyrant Stefan Amaris wasn't found in the capital after it fell, Kerensky led his search from his Orion, finally finding him in the Imperial Palace in the Canadian wilderness. There, on 29 September 2779, Kerensky would dramatically kick open the palace's gates with his Orion, with the General's aide Aaron DeChavilier's Atlas following him. In the Päpalace's courtyard, Kerensky accepted Amaris's surrender, putting an end to Amaris-Kerensky Civil War.

Initially, Kerensky took his Orion with his fleet during Operation EXODUS, at least to the Draconis Combine system of New Samarkand. By this point with the heavy wear and tear of decades of fighting leaving it barely functional led Kerensky himself to order it stripped of its advanced systems and left it abandoned to junkyard on an asteroid on the system in September 2784 before the EXODUS fleet departed the Inner Sphere forever.

Service with Theodore Kurita

Little more than a gutted shell, the remnants of Kerensky's 'Mech lay untouched for two centuries, until being found by a Kuritan routine exploratory mission on the system led by Florimel Kurita at some point during the Third Succession War.

With the LosTech decline of the Succession Wars era preventing them from replicating Kerensky's unique loadout, Kurita technicians instead restored the 'Mech as a more mundane ON1-K variant, bestowed by Florimel upon a young Theodore Kurita in 3018. Calling it The Revenant, this Orion would serve Theodore well during the fierce fighting of the Fourth Succession War, and while he treasured this priceless gift, ever the realist he did not hesitate to sacrifice it in pursuit of a even more priceless goal, advancing his efforts against the Lyran Commonwealth on Marfik in 3028.

Museum Piece

While the 'Mech was ultimately unsalvageable, its cockpit was removed and ended up in the BattleMech Museum on Solaris VII. In 3145 that world's Wolf Empire garrison received a surprise batchall from the Scorpion Empire's Seeker Galaxy specifically to secure the Museum. The shocked Wolves granting them Clan honors, elements of the Second Seeker Cluster ultimately defeated elements of the defending Ninth Wolf Cavalry, loading the priceless artifacts including the Great Father's 'Mech's cockpit before departing Wolf Empire space.

Technical Characteristics

Starting out as a standard Star League era ONI-1K model, Kerensky's Orion initially mounted an Armstrong Class 10 Autocannon, Harpoon-15 LRM launcher, two Starfish Medium Lasers and a Holly-4 SRM Launcher. Mindful of its age and ever seeking an edge in combat, Kerensky would order multiple upgrades be performed on the 'Mech, resulting in frequent tinkering and substantial modification over its service life.

One of the most notable modifications, saw the removal of the LRM-15 launcher and Autocannon/10 to add an experimental Snub-Nose PPC in the left torso and an Artemis IV Fire Control System for the SRMs. Fitted in a gimbal mounting controlled by myomer bundles, the Snub-Nose PPC could be skewed by Kerensky toward the centerline of the 'Mech to to deliver precision fire at point-blank range. After extensive structural reinforcement, the right torso was fitted with a Gauss Rifle in the former location of the autocannon. The medium lasers from the original model are retained. Finally, Ferro-Fibrous armor and CASE are used for added protection for the SRM reloads and against Gauss detonation.

These and other upgrades paled in comparison to the extensive changes Kerensky had had made in the cockpit, with a custom Studebaker-T19 command and control interface wrapped around the Orion's standard SLDF command couch and Neurohelmet system. A masterful system only possible during the height of the Star League, the S-T19 included "smart-assist" software capable of automatically identifying and bringing forward communications and tactical displays to assist Kerensky in determining when particular combat command needed strategic guidance or needed his attention. No matter the other modifications made to his 'Mech, whether being returned to is standard armament or one of the experimental loadouts, these systems remained constant. The brutal fighting against the forces of the Usurper eventually meant the S-T19 system could no longer function without crashing the 'Mech's control systems and was a key decision in Kerensky ordering the 'Mech be abandoned.

With Kurita engineers unable to replicate the advanced and experimental systems it once mounted, when restoring it Theodore Kurita they did so as the Succession War era standard ON1-K variant. The Revenant would mount a KaliYama Class 10 Autocannon/10, KaliYama Death Bloom LRM-15 launcher, two Irian Weapons Works Medium Lasers and a Irian Weapons Works SRM-4 launcher.

Gallery

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  Aleksandr Kerensky's Orion entering Stefan Amaris' palace, at the end of the Amaris Civil War.

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  Kerensky's Orion

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  The Revenant as piloted by Theodore Kurita

Bibliography

• BattleTech: Legends
• Heir to the Dragon (novel)
• Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2