Orion IIC
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| Orion IIC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Production Information | |
| Manufacturer(s) | WC Aux Site #2[1]
W-7 Facilities[2] |
| Production Year | 2841[3] |
| Class | Heavy |
| Cost | 8,267,000 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| 'Mech type | Clan BattleMech |
| Mass | 75 tons |
| Chassis | Type W2 Endo Steel |
| Armor | Composite A-4 Ferro-Fibrous |
| Engine | Heavy Force 300 (standard) |
| Comms | Khan series (Type 1) |
| TTS | Series III OPT |
| Heat Sinks | 12 double |
| Speed | 65 km/h |
| Armament |
|
| B.V. (1.0) | 1,923[4][5] |
| B.V. (2.0) | 2,392[1][6] |
Description[edit]
Verging on a Totem 'Mech for Clan Wolf, the Orion IIC honors General Aleksandr Kerensky.
Since it was the chosen BattleMech of the "Great Father," the venerable Orion has always held a special place in the mystique of the Clans. Out of respect for General Kerensky's legacy, all the Clans maintained the design for several decades even as the development of newer and more advanced technologies increasingly left it less effective on the battlefield. Behind the scenes however, only Clan Wolf dared to think about designing an upgraded version, convinced that neither Aleksandr nor Nicholas Kerensky would have approved of blindly following tradition at the expense of military progress. Debuting early during the Golden Century, the Orion IIC was quickly overshadowed as the OmniMech fast became the standard front-line 'Mechs of all the Clans. Despite this the Wolves jealously guarded their rights to the design, refusing all trade offers and successfully defeating any Trials of Possession attempting to acquire it as they would for the Kerensky Bloodrights, seeing the Orion IIC as tied to their honor as the guardians of Kerensky's legacy.[1]
Still produced in limited numbers during the Clan Invasion era, by this time the Wolves most notably used the Orion IIC as a visible reward for officers in second-line Galaxies who were expected to soon advance to front-line units. Each Orion IIC is sent to its recipients "with the compliments of" the Wolf Khan or saKhan; no warrior has ever refused such a gift—even if it means downgrading from an Assault 'Mech—and no other Wolf warrior would ever dare to challenge such a recipient for right to pilot an Orion IIC. While a number of the design existed in Clan Wolf-in-Exile's own second-line forces, almost as a gesture of reconciliation to their Crusader Brothers the Exiled Wolves made no plans to manufacture the Orion IIC.[1]
Cutoff from the Clan Homeworlds and with the Word of Blake scouring of their manufacturing facilities on their capital of Tamar, the increasingly desperate Crusader Wolves turned to refitting Inner Sphere Orions they were able to buy, scourge or salvage into updated Clan Orion IIC models from an ad-hoc refit line on Weingarten for their rebuilding touman during the Jihad.[2]
Weapons and Equipment[edit]
Not a radical reworking of the design, as some Clan upgrades are, the Orion IIC replaces much of the innards and weapons of the original, while preserving its mass and aesthetics. This IIC upgrade utilizes an endo steel chassis and twelve tons of ferro-fibrous armor, while also making use of twelve double heat sinks, freeing up weight for a heavier weapons loadout. The only weapon that is preserved from the original Orion is the SRM-4, though that is upgraded to a lighter Offset Pattern K4 model. The autocannon and long-range missile launcher were upgraded to an Omega 12-Coil Gauss rifle and a Type XX "Great Bow" LRM-20, respectively. The arm-mounted lasers were replaced with a pair of ER large lasers, one an older Series 6W and the other a newer Series 7W, the mismatched lasers stemming from a late design change with the 7W replacing a pulse laser. Carrying two tons of Gauss reloads, three of LRM missiles and a single ton of SRM reloads, these upgrades have transformed the Orion from a close-range brawler to a fire support 'Mech.[1]
Variants[edit]
There are no known variants of the Orion IIC.
Custom Variants[edit]
- Orion IIC Burton
- The customized Orion IIC piloted by Knight of the Sphere Burton Davion at time of his death during the Capellan Crusades removes all weaponry save the ER large lasers, swapping the SRM launcher for a Streak LRM-15, the torso-mounted LRM rack for an ATM-3 and the Gauss rifle for a HAG/20, with two tons of ammunition carried for each weapon. Burton's 'Mech used an XL engine to free up the weight for this weaponry as well four jump jets and a light active probe.[7]
Apocryphal Variants[edit]
Apocryphal Content
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| This box contains information derived from apocryphal sources, which may not be considered canonical for the BattleTech Universe. |
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From MechWarrior Online:
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Design Quirks[edit]
The Orion IIC and variants, unless specified otherwise, are subject to the following Design Quirks:[10]
Notable Pilots[edit]
- Star Commander Tal Sender, of the Steel Wolves, as well as Jamison's Juggernauts piloted an Orion IIC, and was one of the only pilot's known to trade his 'Mech for another, in this case a Summoner.[11]
Related Designs[edit]
Orion - Because the Orion was revered by the Clans due to its status of being the personal 'Mech of Alexander Kerensky, Clan Wolf was the only Clan who sought to upgrade the venerable 'Mech with Clan technology, creating the Orion IIC.
Gallery[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e Technical Readout: 3060, pp. 176–177: "Orion IIC"
- ↑ a b Objectives: Clans, p. 28: "W-7 Facilities"
- ↑ MUL online date for the Orion IIC
- ↑ Combat Operations, p. 119
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3060, p. 192
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3060 Unabridged, p. 268
- ↑ Operational Turning Points: Capellan Crusades, p. 33: "Orion IIC Burton"
- ↑ a b c MechWarrior Online Origin Sale Page
- ↑ MechWarrior Online Clan IIC Heroes Sale Page
- ↑ BattleMech Manual, p. 93: Design Quirk Table - Orion IIC Entry
- ↑ Wolf Hunters, p. 56