CLAN HELL’S HORSES
OMICRON KESHIK
Cruel and Unusual
Overview
Unique in Clan space, Omicron Keshik tests new phenotypes, weapons, unit formations, and combined arms tactics on behalf of the Hell’s Horses Khans before these inventions are mainlined into the Horse touman. Led by innovative officers and manned by skilled warriors, Omicron sometimes doubles as a special operations force, conducting trials assigned by the Khans outside the Horse OZ for purposes other than testing the latest equipment under combat conditions. On occasion, allied Khans contract with the Horse Khans to apply Omicron’s testing expertise to weapons invented by other Clans.
History
After the successful decanting of the first sibkin with the elemental phenotype, the Horse Khans ordered the creation of a tactical sandbox for experimenting with this new breed of warrior, Omicron Keshik. By raising Omicron as a keshik rather than a cluster, Omicron reported directly to the Khans rather than through the biases of Galaxy Commanders, allowing tests to be conducted and reported as realistically, rigorously, and accurately as possible. The Khans picked open-minded, adaptive, and loyal Star Colonels to lead Omicron, who in turn selected warriors for their abilities with their weapons and their composure in combat, rather than their bloodhouses, bloodnames, exploits, or ranks. Equally important to Omicron’s success were its top-notch technicians and liaisons with the scientist caste. These staffing traditions continued into the 32nd century, creating a highly professional, versatile, high-tech unit that is cool under pressure, whether testing one new battlesuit weapon in simulation or proving a new assault trinary formation against a heavily fortified enemy position.
As the Golden Century wore on, multiplying battlefield innovations kept Omicron busy. Omicron elementals were the first Horse infantry to wear the Clan Wolf battlesuits that the Horse Khans obtained in trade for the elemental phenotype. Omicron mechwarriors were the first Horsemen to put Clan Coyote omnimech isorla through its paces. And Omicron tankers were the first to crew the Horses’ new Epona omnivehicle. As valuable as Omicron’s testing successes were its failures, like the Rhino assault battlesuit, which kept bad designs and tactics out of regular Horse combat formations.
In the course of these experiments, ideas from Omicron’s own officers, warriors, and techs often found their way into testing. The most successful of these innovations was mechanized battle armor. Realizing that the adaptive gyroscopes at the heart of reconfigurable pod technology allowed omnimechs to maintain their balance while carrying elementals in their battlesuits, Omicron’s lead technician added claw- and footholds and external power hookups to the Horse’s new Nova omnimech. Wildly effective in testing and trials against other Clans, Omicron’s resulting nova and supernova formations swept through the Horse touman and Clan Homeworlds. Even today, approximately three-fourths of frontline Horse stars and trinaries are novas or supernovas.
As the pace of Clan innovation ground to a halt after the Golden Century, demand for Omicron testing lessened. Omicron downsized from the Horses’ traditional three-trinary keshik to a single supernova trinary. Due to the skill of Omicron warriors and the familiarity of Omicron officers with unusual formations and tactics, the Horse Khans began employing Omicron as a special operations team, usually on high-risk trials against slow-reacting Ghost Bear formations that formed the bulk of Horse opposition during this time. Although usually successful, Omicron missions often had unintended consequences. The most dramatic was the Ghost Bear response after Omicron defeated the Golden Keshik and killed the Ghost Bear Khan on Tokasha. Omicron won the engagement, but the Horses lost Tokasha as the enraged Bears vent their fury on the Horsemen’s lines. The Horse Khans disbanded Omicron shortly thereafter.
In the lead up to and after Operation Revival, the Clans experienced a new wave of military innovation, spurred by the challenges of the Inner Sphere. After the invention of Gnome heavy battle armor (from old Rhino assault suits ironically rejected in Omicron tests), the Hell’s Horses Khans resurrected Omicron Keshik in the 3050s. A flood of new technologies and platforms occupied Omicron as the Clans adapted to Inner Sphere tactics and inventions in the wake of Operation Revival, the Battle of Tukayyid, and Operations Bulldog/Serpent. Light and assault battle armor, heavy lasers, advanced tactical missiles, hyper-assault gauss cannons, and eventually protomechs – along with new Horse combat vehicles, second-line battlemechs, and quad omnimechs – all found their way into Omicron’s hands and from there into the Horse touman.
Omicron was one of the last Horse units to leave the Homeworlds for the Inner Sphere, just ahead of Zeta Galaxy. This would prove fortuitous, as the Coyotes had again contracted with Omicron to help test new protomech technologies, just before the massive reaving trials gripping the Homeworlds plunged into their darkest phase. Although Coyote leadership would never see test results, Omicron bought prototypes of the Coyotes’ ultraheavy, quad, and WIGE protomechs with them to the Inner Sphere, enabling the Horses to field the dangerous Procyon Quad and the Svartalfa ultraheavy WIGE protomechs in a few short years. Omicron test pilots would even trial against Lyran units for access to Fenrir infantry and their experience with quad battle armor, which would prove crucial to Procyon Quad training and deployment.
Unlike their protomech forces, Horse omnimech production did not ramp up as quickly in the Inner Sphere due to a number of setbacks during the Horses’ exodus from the Homeworlds. Forced to cooperate with the abjured Wolves just to field primitive second-line battlemech designs like the Cygnus and relying on tech shops rather than factories to produce the rare Balius quad omnimech, the Horse Khans began to look at other options for reinforcing their touman, especially the quadvee. Omicron Keshik tested combinations of quadvees, combat vehicles, and protomechs, and the bulk of its current organization still reflects these formations, along with variations on the traditional Horse mechanized nova.
Since arriving in the Inner Sphere...
CLAN HELL’S HORSES OMICRON KESHIK
Cruel and Unusual
Trinary Supernova Mixed Command
Nova Mixed Command
Tomahawk II X
Gnome (LRM) Point
Heimdall Ground Monitor Tank X
Aithon Assault Transport
Gnome (LRM) Point
Gnome (LRM) Point
Heimdall Ground Monitor Tank X
Aithon Assault Transport
Gnome (LRM) Point
Gnome (LRM) Point
Hellstar
Hellstar
Nova Air Assault
Ammon 2
Visigoth X
Gnome Point
Ammon 2
Visigoth X
Gnome Point
Ammon 2
Visigoth X
Gnome Point
Ammon 2
Visigoth X
Gnome Point
Ammon 2
Visigoth X
Gnome Point
Nova Mixed Artillery
Bowman 4
Buraq (Support) Point
Hadur Fast Support Vehicle
Hadur Fast Support Vehicle
Buraq (Support) Point
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Clan Fast Recon Point
Hadur Fast Support Vehicle
Hadur Fast Support Vehicle
Buraq (Support) Point
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Svartalfa 2
Clan Fast Recon Point
Trinary Supernova Mixed Assault
Nova Assault
Blood Adder X
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Hel (Loki Mk. II) X
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Hellbringer X
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Hel (Loki Mk. II) X
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Hellbringer X
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Star Mixed Assault
Harpagos
Harpagos
Boreas X
Boreas X
Svartalfa 3
Svartalfa 2
Hydra
Svartalfa 2
Hydra
Boreas X
Boreas X
Svartalfa 3
Svartalfa 2
Hydra
Svartalfa 2
Hydra
Nova Cavalry
Axel IIC
R10 Mechanized ICV Omicron
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Enyo Strike Tank
R10 Mechanized ICV X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Enyo Strike Tank (LB-X) “Sholef”
R10 Mechanized ICV X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Enyo Strike Tank
R10 Mechanized ICV X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Enyo Strike Tank (LB-X) “Sholef”
R10 Mechanized ICV X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Trinary Supernova Mixed Battle
Nova Battle
Gargoyle Omicron
Elemental II Point
Stormcrow Omicron
Elemental II Point
Nova Omicron
Elemental II Point
Stormcrow Omicron
Elemental II Point
Nova Omicron
Elemental II Point
Star Mixed Battle
Notos HH
Notos HH
Notos Omicron
Notos Omicron
Centaur
Roc
Procyon Quad
Roc
Procyon Quad
Notos Omicron
Notos Omicron
Centaur
Roc
Procyon Quad
Roc
Procyon Quad
Nova Cavalry
Bellona (XL) Hover Tank
Epona Pursuit Tank X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Epona Pursuit Tank HH
Epona Pursuit Tank X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Hephaestus Scout Tank HH
Hephaestus Scout Tank X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Epona Pursuit Tank HH
Epona Pursuit Tank X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Hephaestus Scout Tank HH
Hephaestus Scout Tank X
Clan Assault Infantry Point
Trinary Supernova Mixed Striker
Nova Striker
Mongrel X
Afreet (Hell’s Horses) Point
Hellion X
Afreet (Hell’s Horses) Point
Arctic Cheetah X
Afreet (Hell’s Horses) Point
Hellion X
Afreet (Hell’s Horses) Point
Arctic Cheetah X
Afreet (Hell’s Horses) Point
Star Mixed Striker
Parash 3
Parash
Hephaestus Jump Tank
Hephaestus Jump Tank
Parash
Hephaestus Jump Tank
Hephaestus Jump Tank
Nova Cavalry
Balac (Support) Strike VTOL
Anhur (BA) Transport
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Balac Strike VTOL
Anhur (BA) Transport
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Donar (Recon) AssaultVTOL
Anhur (BA) Transport
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Balac Strike VTOL
Anhur (BA) Transport
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point
Donar (Recon) AssaultVTOL
Anhur (BA) Transport
Elemental (Fire, AP Gauss) Point