Toro

Toro
Production Information
Manufacturer(s)	Bermuda Combat Systems Coalition Armory Inc. Colonial Tractors Iroquois Machinery Limited Liberty Arms Protectorate Defense Conglomerate Taurus WarWorks Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Production Year	2548
Model	TR-A-6
Class	Light
Cost	2,396,430 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass	35 tons
Chassis	Humanoid Mk. VI TR
Armor	Ecto-Mineral Armorplate 2
Engine	Magna 175
Comms	VeraTech MilCom Suite 3
TTS	VeraTech MechTnT XVT20S
Heat Sinks	10 single
Speed	86 km/h
Armament	1x PPC 2x LRM-5
B.V. (2.0)	864

Description

The Toro was the Taurian Concordat's first indigenous BattleMech. First produced in 2481, the design was based on captured Firebees and developed as a collaboration between the three best arms manufacturers in the Concordat. The Toro took to the front lines against the Star League in the Reunification War, but was not enough to stop the combined might of the Inner Sphere. The League shut down and demolished all of the Toro factories by 2598 in the hope that it would crush Taurian nationalism, though there is no evidence it had the desired effect. Under the Star League aegis, the Taurian heavy industry produced League 'Mechs, a situation they pragmatically continued with following its fall.

Thanks to the dissemination of the Hegemony Memory Core during the Jihad, the Toro was finally revived by manufacturers in the Concordat, Calderon Protectorate, Magistracy of Canopus and ironically the Federated Suns.

The light 'Mech is slow by thirty-first-century standards, but it was quite maneuverable for the Age of War. The design topped out at 86 km/h. It was protected by a respectable six and a half tons of armor. Its comparatively low cost allowed entire battalions to swiftly be equipped with BattleMechs.

Weapons and Equipment

The Toro was a long-range fighter, armed with a Taurus WarWorks PPC and two Delta Dart LRM-5 launchers. The standard allotment of 10 single heat sinks was sufficient as long as the MechWarrior managed their heat wisely. Two tons of ammunition kept the Toro in protracted engagements and allowed flexibility in ammo selection. Due to the lack of short-range backup, Toros were arrayed in staggered lines so as to allow them to support each other.

Variants

• Intermediate models

  As technology advanced, the Toro was upgraded, with the A-6 being the last produced. No data on the intermediate models is available.

• TR-A-1

  The original prototype was closer to a variant of the primitive Firebee, developed in 2481. It had two SRM-2s, which shared a ton of ammunition, and a large laser. Though it could only manage 64 km/h, the A-1 had more armor protection than the Firebee, at 10.5 tons of primitive armor. BV (2.0) = 671

• TR-B-9

  Introduced in 3108, this variant re-imagines the Toro with modern weaponry. It removes the PPC in favor of a Light PPC and a medium laser. It also drops both LRM-5s in exchange for twin MML-5s with a ton each of LRM and SRM ammo protected by CASE. Finally, the variant uses weight savings from switching to ferro-fibrous armor and a Small cockpit to install a Guardian ECM suite. BV (2.0) = 915

• TR-B-12

  The B-12 Toro is a B-9 variant upgrade that released in 3146. The B-12 has an endo steel structure while returning to standard armor. It upgrades to 10 double heat sinks and an extralight engine which ups its maximum speed to 97.2 km/h. The medium laser is upgraded to an ER medium laser that a targeting computer ensures pinpoint accuracy with. Ammunition is now protected by CASE II and electronic warfare capabilities are bolstered by a Angel ECM suite. BV (2.0) = 1,029

Design Quirks

The TR-A-1 Toro variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:

• Cramped Cockpit
• Narrow Profile
• Obsolete (2505)
• Poor Cooling Jacket (Large Laser)

The TR-A-6 Toro has the following Design Quirk:

• Cramped Cockpit

Related BattleMechs

• Firebee - The Taurian Concordat based the Toro on captured Capellan Firebee BattleMechs.

Notable Pilots

• Colonel Roy Ferndale, using his personal Toro, led invading SLDF forces on a chase that lasted over a month, destroying five of their 'Mechs in the process. Barely gaining more than an hour's worth of sleep at a time, he was eventually caught and executed by Star League forces in 2595. His efforts within the Pleiades Cluster had branded him as a pirate, and left that area of space largely dangerous even after the Reunification War.

• Black Bessie was considered to be one of the only surviving Toros from the Taurian Concordat's battles with the SLDF. Revered as a mascot by her unit, she participated in the battle to defend the capital of Taurus. It was during this assault that she was incapacitated when her gyro locked up. Not willing to let their beloved icon fall victim to Star League forces, several members of Black Bessie's unit carried her out of combat, sequestering the Toro from invading forces. After the liberation of the Concordat, Black Bessie was placed atop a 185-meter pillar.. Black Bessie remained a cherished figure of all Taurian citizens until the destruction of the capital in 3074.

• Sister Dolores Anahera. Dolores initially served the Federated Suns, obtaining a commission in their Armed forces, but eventually resigned and joined the Brotherhood of Randis, following a new callling in faith and ministry. At the age of fifty-five years, she acheived full knighthood, and participated during the 3129 campaign of the Brotherhood against the Pirates of the Tortuga Dominions. After returning, she continued to travel across the Fiefdom, preaching to the crowds standing upon her Toro Bravo. She was called Sister Dolly and welcome across the region until her reported death in 3148.

Gallery

• 

  Original Toro from TRO:3075

Bibliography

• Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 4
• Field Manual: 3145
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• Master Unit List
• Objectives: Periphery
• Objectives: Federated Suns
• Record Sheets: 3075
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War
• Technical Readout: 3075
• Shrapnel Issue 10