Aww, puppy wants to shake hands.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. You’ve been selected, volunteered, harangued, demoted, or otherwise coerced into signing up with the RAF’s growing corps of drone pilots. Most of you, I’m sure, are familiar with the basics of drone operation. I don’t care. I’m required to touch on some of the basic pitfalls of operating ‘’Mechs and combat vehicles from the comfort of a cushy command couch so you’re required to sit and listen.
The biggest selling point for the use of drones since their inception centuries ago is the ability to get units on the field without putting actual humans into harm’s way. This is doubly true you guys. Since the Republic isn’t sending large quantities of drones out into the wider Sphere you’ll more than likely be punching the clock at some secure installation well within the confines of Prefecture X. If you do go beyond the Wall, the choice of berths are limited. The most prestigious assignment would be operating one of the six stations on a
Duat Military Transport. But since the Republic only has so many of those monstrosities, the
Diggs Drone Control Tank and
Ajax Assault Tank D are more likely. Both of those options are actually intended to keep you alive while serving the Republic. Should you find yourself operatizing out of a
Hi-Scout Drone Carrier, well you’re either on a covert op or you really pissed someone off. Just to make the job that much more exciting, Stone’s Fury has been developing tactics for a new
’Mech-mounted control system. It’s going to be a while before any of you see the inside of that cockpit though.
Now just because getting your collective keisters home safe isn’t a concern doesn’t mean the same for the machines you’re piloting isn’t. So it’s worth pointing out the number one threat to any drone, enemy electronic counter measures. Just like the C
3 networks the RAF has started heavily flirting with the link between controller and drone is easily interrupted by ECM fields. If that link is severed the drone becomes a metallic ragdoll until the connection is reestablished. It’s more likely to become a smoldering hulk or captured. If operations are outside the Fortress the latter is not an option. Period. Except when we want it to happen. More on that soon.
While the technology enabling modern drones is pretty slick, it’s not perfect. To reflect this, all piloting and gunnery skill checks need to add one to the target number. Penalties for small cockpits are ignored though. Wait, what does any of that gibberish even mean? Who’s been messing with my damn presentation slides? Anyway, the long and the short is that operating a machine that’s hundreds of clicks away via a control signal swimming though the electromagnetic stew that is the modern battlefield isn’t quite the same as being there.
Anyway, now that we’ve skimmed the basics time dive into an overview of an actual drone. We’ll touch on more mundane units like the
Revenant later on. I want to start by discussing the unit that truly shows what a ’Mech can do when you don’t have to concern yourself with keeping a meat sack inside alive, the
Celerity.
CLR-02-X-D – The suitably named fifteen ton quad was initially developed under ComStar. No expense was spare in their attempt to squeeze every last ounce of speed out of the ultra-light frame. Literally. A 240 rated XXL fusion engine powers this wee beastie. ComStar managed to create a ’Mech that could maintain a 259 kph [24 hexes] running speed. Using an XL gyro and endo steel frame, sufficient mass was freed to install a MASC system enabling boosts up to 345 kph [32 hexes]. Once the necessary drone equipment was installed, there was only room for a meager payload in the vestigial head. ComStar opted to make their drone into an obnoxiously difficult to hit Improved C
3 spotter. Not an OmniMech, their techs did make the effort to make swapping out the C
3 computer for other electronics relatively easy though there’s not much evidence this was done. Finally, ComStar took the adage “speed is armor” to heart essentially neglecting actual protection. One ton of armor spread out across the frame leaves something to desired. A small laser will breach almost every location and even the actuators are left exposed. As an FYI, this isn’t just for your edification. The Republic still has caches of ComStar
Celeritys. Most are used for simple spotting or scouting. But some are packed away in DropShip cargo holds for a special trip outside Prefecture X. Occasionally after a false flag operation, one of these older
Celeritys replete with ComStar markings are left behind wrapped around a tree or at the base of a convenient cliff.
CLR-03-O – The Republic technicians took ComStar’s odd little quad project and pushed it to completion. The ’Mech’s guts remain the same, keeping the same ludicrous speed down the MASC enhanced acceleration. A half ton of armor has been added with the torso protection redistributed. Still, all but the center torso can be penetrated by a medium laser. In reality it’s still barely enough to brush off saplings and road grit. The most pronounced change is the full Omni-fication of the chassis. Two tons of pod space isn’t much, but it gets the job done. And before anyone asks, yes, there are battle armor attachment points. I don’t know if it was some joke by the guy working up the mockups, but lo, there they are. I have yet to talk to a suit jockey willing to give it a go. One last tweak our nerds made was to improve the communications system on this model providing some protection against enemy electronic counter measures. I still wouldn’t recommend prancing through hostile ECM fields willy nilly.
The initial configuration of the
Celerity Omni’ takes cues from its ComStar progenitor in terms of payload as well. A C
3 slave unit and TAG take up the entirety of the available mass making the -O and adept spotter. As long as you can keep it well away of those pesky ECM bubbles it’s a right excellent force multiplier that should give opponents fits trying to squash it.
CLR-03-OA – The second configuration is the first to actually mounted weapons. A pair of Clan tech improved one-shot SRM 6 launchers are tucked into the head. The -OA is primarily used for harassment and head hunter attacks where the intent is to get in, neutralize the target, and get out. Or at the very least sow a bit of confusion. Depending on the mission parameters, it can be worth considering taking inferno rounds in one or both racks. Heck, I even witnessed a training exercise were a commander loaded up smoke rounds to setup a screen without taking up precious ammo bin space in the rest of the force.
CLR-03-OB – If you’re mission involves fielding multiple
Celeritys it’s worth making one of them the -OB configuration. An Angel ECM suite is the solitary piece of kit in this configuration and it can make the difference between a successful mission and a compromising failure. With the Angel active in electronic counter-countermeasures hostile ECM bubbles are nullified maintaining the umbilical link with the controlling unit. In the absence of enemy ECM, the Angel ECM can block all manner of probes and other means of detection allowing the team to slip toward the target unnoticed.
CLR-03-OC – The -OC rounds out the “electronic marvel” configurations. A Beagle active probe coupled with the
Celerity’s speed enable deep probing well ahead of friendly forces. During routine defensive patrols it covers massive chucks of territory is short order. The torso-mounted remote sensor dispenser lets the -OC setup detection screens to boot. And yes, let’s all bask in the mental image of a fifteen ton pup dropping synthetic road apples. Cripes y’all are juvenile. As an added bonus, this same suite of gear makes the
Celerity -OC into a solid spotter for indirect LRM fire and artillery attacks.
CLR-03-OD – The CLR-03-OD has unfortunately had to make a name for itself within the Prefecture X as an insurgent hunter. Twin ER flamers make this the second offensively-geared configuration. Its small size and incendiary loadout make the -OD ideal for slipping into resistance pockets and making short work of soft targets. Not that such work is honestly any less noble than racing across the battlefield torching conventional ground pounders. The Republic has to deal with enemies both outside and behind the Wall.
CLR-03-OE – Last and most indubitably not least, the final Omni’ configuration. Two Clan-grade medium lasers, one ER and one improved heavy provide a wallop on par with ‘Mechs twice its mass. Admittedly that gets us comparing the
Celerity to such classic heavy hitters as the
Locust and
Spider. If you can't think of horrible things to do with a backstabber traveling in excess 340 kph then you need to leave this room now. It is worth pointing out that the range on both lasers is sufficient to attack an enemy protected by an ECM suite. Just be sure you don’t let the targets ECM bubble interrupt the linkup while positioning for a shot.
The Republic Armed Forces also fields a pair of very specialized, non-Omni’ versions of the
Celerity that are definitely worth mentioning.
CLR-04-R – The first of these Non-Omni’ models is the pokey puppy of the bunch. The engine is reduced to a 225 XXL fusion and the MASC has been pulled dropping the top speed to 248 kph (23 hexes). Pathetic. The armor has even been reduced to a single ton. All this weight reduction goes toward this
Celerity’s sole puerpose in life, a one-shot TSEMP cannon. Best case this can actually swing the tide of battle but it’s not without drawbacks. Not only do you have one chance to actually use the weapon but the after effects of the TSEMP will actually temporarily sever the control link. Pick your moment well.
CLR-05-X – What can you do with a ’Mech when there’s no pilot onboard to worry about? Turn it into a guided missile. Keeping the engine and MASC of nearly all other models, a supercharger has been added for burst in excess of 430 kph [40 hexes]! Completing the package for this four-legged abomination to self-preservation are a set of spikes on each side torso and a thin coat of impact resistant armor. Going full tilt, this drone will deliver an impact greater than a pair of improved heavy Gauss slugs. Thanks to the impact resistant armor and the weird physics in this universe the
Celerity can not only survive the theoretically terminal impact but barely take a scratch. Quite frankly if I were opposite a lance of these ’Mechs I’d be terrified once I witnessed the carnage they’re capable of.
So there you have it, the Republic’s odd little drone in all its glory. The
Celerity is mind-numbingly expensive and unconventional but with a skilled set of hands back at the control couch it can be worth every C-bill. Throttle up, don’t get hit, and don’t get distracted while sipping your coffee because obstacles have an annoying habit of springing up while you’re cruising over 250 kph. Happy remote piloting.
