Cray
12/04/01 11:56 AM
204.245.128.108
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(I got to thinking about how expensive the Argus and LA-2 were. After seeing the Fire Moth retread, I knew I could do something comparable for Inner Sphere mechs.)
"The Locust for the next century," is Bergan's slogan for this retread of a tried and true design. Indeed, with the substitution of some new materials and a new weapons selection, Bergan has managed to upgrade the Locust for little of the cost increases that plague many 31st century redesigns.
The LCT-4A is possible because of a Bergan diversification project in the 3040s. Bergan business analysts suspected a down turn in military production throughout the decade and suggested diversification into lucrative civilian markets. Even better would be to bring recovered Star League technology to the civilian market - any recovered tech was selling like hot cakes. Bergan therefore invested in a series of orbital materials facilities at its sprawling Carlisle complex. It would produce high boron alloy and other high strength materials popular in the civilian market but not seen since the Star League.
The microgravity processing facilities and asteroid mining operations proved enormously successful despite Bergan's initial trouble in starting the operation. The problems were primarily lack of corporate experience in the field and lack of skilled workers; Bergan spent years training its own techs to operate the factories with the few experienced zero-G workers and asteroid miners it could hire, kidnap, or otherwise find. While costs soared and the completion dates stretched into the second half of the 40s, Bergan executives gambled success was still possible. They used the delay to drum up customers who could (and would) use the new materials, reawakened interest from markets that had long since learned to use more primitive materials, and even invented markets for the forthcoming wonder materials. The gamble paid off and Bergan was soon shipping kilotons of advanced materials every month all across the Inner Sphere. The facility paid for itself approximately at the same time the Clans arrived.
The coming of the Clans, of course, inspired frantic armarment efforts by the major Houses. Bergan made a fortune as it and other FWL corporations became an "arsenal of democr...of feudal...of tyran...of Inner Spherism". This arms production effort reached Bergan's orbital materials facilities at Carlisle In 3052. Bergan did not simply convert production to production of military materials. The complex was so successful that it was able to fund expansions and new additions. The pool of trained talent (and even training facilities) at the center enabled Bergan to begin producing its prized Bowie Ferro-Aluminum and Bowie Endosteel. XL engine shielding for Bergan's Vox, PlasmaStar, and GM XL engines were also produced at the Carlisle facilities. Often other engine manufacturers subcontracted Bergan for XL shielding as well.
With in-house production of advanced military materials, Bergan was able to consider upgrading the Locust to use the new materials. After not a little consideration of XL engines (finally dismissed for cost reasons), Bergan produced the LCT-4A Locust.
The LCT-4A Locust uses endosteel to lighten the mech by a ton, then rolls the freed ton back into a larger engine based on the popular and common 160 LTV (also produced by Bergan). It is equipped with Bergan's own Hellion-VI ER medium laser or, at the customer's request, the older and common Hellion-V medium laser.
The most unusual feature of the LCT-4A are roomy engine access bays in either side torso. Some pilots have found these cockpit-accessible bays make good places to store gear, but the attention of these bays to engine maintenance features appear secondary. Industry observers were baffled until the LCT-4B and LCT-5B made their appearances.
LCT-4A Locust
20 tons
1 ton endosteel internal structure
7 tons 180 LTV
Walking: 9
Running: 14
Jumping: 0
0 tons 10 DHS
2 tons gyroscope
3 tons cockpit
4 tons armor
Head 3 8
CT 6 10/2
RT/LT 5 8/2
RA/LA 3 4
RL/LL 4 8
3 tons 3x ER Medium Lasers (RA/LA, CT)
Heat Sink crits: RA/LA
Endosteel crits: 2 RL/LL, 5 RA/LA
No hand or lower arm actuators
VARIANTS
Bergan happily builds LCT-4A's with either normal or ER medium lasers. The best indicator to which a given LCT-4A has is the wealth of the unit fielding the Locust. Backwater planets favor the common, older laser. It also offers to replace the CT laser with either a Bergan-made Priestly 300p small pulse laser or a single SperryBrowning machine gun with a half ton of ammo.
The mysterious side torso engine bays were understood when Bergan unveiled its LCT-4B and LCT-5B Locusts for the 3063 model year. These are Locusts intended for a much more "upscale" clientele: any military or merc unit that can afford XL engines of these mechs. The bulky shielding of these engines fits into the bays perfectly.
The LCT-4B replaces the 180 LTV with a 180 LTV-XL, freeing 3.5 tons for a new weapons array. The redesigned model carries 4 ER medium lasers (2 RA/LA), a TAG (CT) and a Beagle Active Probe (RT). The LCT-5B mounts the monstrous Bergan-made 260 XL, 3.75 tons of Bowie Ferro-Fibrous armor (1 more point of arm and head protection), and trades the CT ER medium laser for an ER small laser to fit in the larger gyroscope.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Cray
12/04/01 12:47 PM
204.245.128.108
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>i like the designs, but one question on the 5b: wouldn't mounting a XL engine instead of a standard call for a different production facility? ripping out the engine strikes me as a non-trivial task.
No ripping involved. The differing engines are factory-installed options, not field refits of the -4A. The same production facility carries the same unfinished chassis to the same part of the assembly line where engines are dropped in. At the point of assembly where a mech receives such a deeply buried component as an engine, the mech is probably an largely open skeleton. With a little thought towards the arrangement of the internal structure for clearance, the engine will be able to be dropped right in from overhead by a crane (or pushed in from some other direction.)
Cars with differing engine options (V6 and V8 on Mustangs, frex) are built on the same assembly line. They just get different engines at some point in their assembly.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Bob_Richter
12/04/01 08:27 PM
134.121.16.141
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Hm. Good work.
I think I still like mine better, but this is a more than passable Locust upgrade.
-Bob (The Magnificent) Richter
Assertions made in this post are the humble opinion of Bob.
They are not necessarily statements of fact or decrees from God Himself, unless explicitly and seriously stated to be so.
:)
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