The decades following the Arano Restoration, the Aurigan Coalition went from the midst of economic upheaval to industrial renaissance as bits and pieces of the Helm Core trickled into the Periphery. This, along with being a second-tier partner in the New Colony Region treaty between the Taurian Concordant and the Magistracy of Canopus. Being lucky enough to sit out virtually all of the events from the 4th Succession War all the way through the FedCom Civil War, gave the nation time to rebuild, raise a new generation, and lift it's economy. High Lady Kamea Arano took pains during these years to stay strictly neutral with all her long-standing neighbors, but welcomed the expansion as a fresh market for commerce.
Then came the Jihad.
No House, Clan, or even Periphery state was untouched by the Blakist agenda, and the Aurigan Coalition was no different. Deliberately using the Aurigan's previously declared neutrality, they took full advantage to jump in a WarShip taskforce which roamed near the Capellan border with impunity, charging their K-F drives, only to hit the Federated Suns or the Taurians, before pulling back just long enough into Aurigan territory to do it again, before disappearing back into Capellan space. If that is, when they didn't occasionally have a dropship 'mistakenly' land and ground forces help themselves to supplies while outright daring the Coaltion to fight back. In 3077, they got their wish on Bringdam, when a swarm of newly developed Aurigan Battle Armor took them completely by surprise.
Lady Kamea, still having a fondness for the mercenaries who had helped her during the Restoration, had quietly kept tabs on the unit over the decades. Re-hiring her old friends, and with their help, they managed to smuggle in several examples of the Gray Death Standard battle armors along with several models of the all three types of Trinity battle armor. In exchange, the mercenaries received a lance's worth of BattleMechs, all from the same Star League stash that had propelled the Restoration to victory years ago. But the battle armors proved to be a tainted gift, in that several of the advanced technologies in the suits were beyond the ability of the Coalition to re-produce. Rather than just accept this and use what few units she had in what would be a futile resistance, the Aurigans chose another path.
Stripping the designs down to their framework, they compared notes as to the easiest elements they could copy, resulting in a comparably bulkier suit reminiscent of the Gray Death design, but with the arms of the Asterion and claws of the Ying Long - the classic Periphery FrankenMech philosophy, now applied to Battle Armor. Armor plating was made with minimal curved components, and Lady Kamea personally ordered that the units were to be fitted with only the most readily available armaments that could be reproduced virtually anywhere in her realm, along with mimicking the Gray Death unit in forgoing any jump capabilities in order to speed up the design process, production, and speed at which troops could be trained in their usage. In the end, two loadouts were chosen, and both were set into battle against the Manei Domini on Bringdam.
Named after the most elite ancient Greek Hoplite formations, the Epilektoi, or 'The Chosen', the two designs are effectively identical with the exception of their hardpoints and fire control programs. The first design produced, the Mark I, is a dedicated anti-infantry/BA unit, mating twin machine guns, dual anti-personnel mounts - generally laser rifles to ease on the logistics, and four rocket launcher tubes. With the Manei Domini expecting nothing more than unarmored infantry with rifles and the occasional light machine guns, they were torn to pieces by a fusillade of far heavier rounds, and high explosive warheads. Back at the Blakist's dropships, which is where the bulk of their conventional tanks and hovercraft were patrolling, having viewed the Aurigans as 'beneath' requiring BattleMechs to cow - they were treated to the first combat deployment of the Mark II. Dropping half of it's rocket launchers, it swaps the left arm's 12.7mm selective-fire Gatling for a flamer unit. Conventional vehicles saw their crews roasted alive as whole squads of Epilektoi sprayed liquid flame over every surface. Other Aurigan battle armor rushed past the armored units, into the dropships themselves, turning their decks into crematoriums. Additionally, knowing of the many bio-warfare atrocities the Manei Domini had unleashed elsewhere in the Inner Sphere, the Aurigans took no chances, and every single item they could not immediately recognize and secure was put to the torch. Hundreds of tons worth of supplies, possibly seized from the Federated Suns, Taurians, or actually were the Blakist's own, went up in pyres that smoldered for days. All three dropships that had landed on Bringdam were taken for the Coalition as part of the 'tab' that the Word of Blake owed the Aurigans for supplies previously taken.
By the turn of the 32nd century, the Aurigans have occasionally been seen experimenting with an Epilektoi III, and having taken full advantage of the developments in technology and a renewed economy. Now sporting a licensed copy of the Firedrake needler, a light Gauss rifle, and a triple tubed short-range missile launcher normally loaded with Inferno gel warheads, along with advanced composite armor, all of which turns it into a viable multi-purpose type. All other armaments were stripped off, but the suit itself retained the lack of a jump pack, while still sporting it's progenitor's three pointed claws. This appears to be a modification of older units, and not a true new production run. Several of these have been seen in joint field exercises with both the Fronc Reaches and the Caledon Protectorate, and results from these exercises will determine if the new model goes into full production or not. Especially with the markedly large increase to it's price tag. It is speculated that the initial run, if accepted, will make up the royal guard for the Arano household, due to this new model already being affectionately referred to as the 'Mastiff'.
Epilektoi I BattleArmor
IS experimental
BV: 195
Cost: 1,664,000 C-bills
Movement: 3/3
(Burdened by unjettisoned body-mounted missile launchers)
Internal: 4
Armor: 32
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 8
Trooper 2 1 8
Trooper 3 1 8
Trooper 4 1 8
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Swarm Mek Squad 0
Attack Swarmed Mek Squad 0
Stop Swarm Attack Squad 0
Leg Attack Squad 0
Rocket Launcher 2 (Body) Squad 0
Rocket Launcher 2 (Body) Squad 0
Machine Gun (Right arm) Squad 0
Machine Gun (Left arm) Squad 0
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
RL 2 Ammo None 1
RL 2 Ammo None 1
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
BA Standard None
Battle Claw (Left arm) Squad
Battle Claw (Right arm) Squad
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Left arm) Squad
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Right arm) Squad
Epilektoi II BattleArmor
IS experimental
BV: 183
Cost: 1,662,000 C-bills
Movement: 3/3
(Burdened by unjettisoned body-mounted missile launchers)
Internal: 4
Armor: 32
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 8
Trooper 2 1 8
Trooper 3 1 8
Trooper 4 1 8
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Swarm Mek Squad 0
Attack Swarmed Mek Squad 0
Stop Swarm Attack Squad 0
Leg Attack Squad 0
Flamer (Left arm) Squad 3
Machine Gun (Right arm) Squad 0
Rocket Launcher 2 (Body) Squad 0
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
RL 2 Ammo None 1
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
BA Standard None
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Right arm) Squad
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Left arm) Squad
Battle Claw (Left arm) Squad
Battle Claw (Right arm) Squad
