Project Jacob's Ladder
Sarna News
The Jacob's Ladder was a Dark Age project from Bannson Universal Unlimited that tried to skirt around Republic of the Sphere restrictions on military hardware.[1]
History
The project was authorized by Jacob Karlson, and confirmed by Jacob Bannson.
On 7 April 3131, the team begin an assessment of the feasibility of building a BattleMech. The first full report after passing the extreme security measures that had been implemented during the feasibility assessment stage of the project reached Mr. Bannson's hands until 23 October. On 2 November, Mr. Bannson met with Jacob Karlson, along with those directly involved: Ben Keller, Denise Harlson, Jim Harding, Susan Lollar, and Kit Smithson.
After the meeting, the project was given the go. The team moed to a remote location and built a new underground facility. The next year and a half would see triumphs and spectacular failures in equal measure. Jim Harding, would perish in an explosion following our eighth unsuccessful attempt to balance the plasma field within a military-grade fusion reactor. By September 3133, it was obvious that the existing facility was simply not capable of producing a military-grade fusion reactor. Though all other aspects of the project had exceeded expectation on all levels, it became apparent that almost two years had been wasted in building a 'Mech that would be able to house only an internal combustion engine.
Though the project asked for a salvaged fusion reactor, the reply was always that those salvaged engines were used to replace damaged reactors on existing BattleMechs.
The Project task was to build a brand-new BattleMech from the ground up, and it was technically a failure, but nevertheless it created is a BattleMech in every aspect, except that it mounted an internal combustion engine.
The Raider it is not a modified IndustrialMech: it has a standard internal structure, as opposed to the double-weight reinforced structure of IndustrialMechs, and the team was able to perfect numerous systems that previously were considered prototypes, such as the jump pack and the light autocannon, with project videos showing it could tangle against some light BattleMechs, and more importantly, it is also far superior to any modified IndustrialMech in use by 3135.[1]