The Serval IIC was one of the earliest battlemechs to fully incorporate what we would regard as modern Clan technology. Entering service with Clan Smoke Jaguar in 2830, the Serval IIC is (unsurprisingly) based on a prior star league design, in this case an obscure design that failed to reach mass production due to the Amaris Coup. Building on the original mech's strengths, Jaguar engineers produced an exceptionally fast, rugged design, well suited for harassing attacks and heavy scouting, though perhaps lacking the raw punch that their warriors would begin to demand. Just as unusual for a Jaguar design, the Serval IIC was brought fully to fruition through peaceful cooperation from otherwise rival clans, with the Jade Falcons trading their improved laser technology, and the Ice Hellions their advances in myomer acceleration systems for shares of the finished product. This allowed the Serval IIC to enter service as a finished design fairly rapidly, while also ensuring its early spread among the clans.
The Serval enjoyed a few decades as one of the Clans' premier striker battlemechs before competing designs would begin to overtake it, however its relatively light firepower would gradually lead to slower, but better armed machines supplanting it among most of its users. The Ice Hellions kept the Serval in front line service the longest, and are said to have even partly based their front line Wolf Hunter (later Ice Ferret) omnimech on it, though even they would shift the mech to second line duty before the start of the 31st century.
Every clan has fielded the Serval IIC to some degree over the decades, though the Smoke Jaguars and Ice Hellions have always been the most prolific users. The mech hasn't been produced since the mid 30th century, and the destruction of the Jaguars and Hellions, as well as the widespread fighting and devastation of the Wars of Reaving has rendered the machine virtually extinct, with no more than four Servals currently known to exist among the Homeworld clans. More may exist among the former Ice Hellions who were absorbed by the Goliath Scorpions, or perhaps among one of the inner sphere clans, but this is unlikely.
Variants:
There have been several attempts over the decades to refit the Serval IIC with additional or otherwise more destructive weaponry, most of them proving unsatisfactory due to problems with the subpar power distribution system in the mech's weapon arm. Though perfectly adequate for the existing autocannon and lasers, fitting a heavy energy weapon in the arm inevitably leads to overloads that can cripple the entire arm and its weapon systems.
Serval IIC
Base Tech Level: Standard (Clan)
Level Era
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Experimental 2830-2831
Advanced 2832-2834
Standard 2835+
Tech Rating: F/X-F-E-D
Weight: 40 tons
BV: 1,582
Cost: 3,509,125,947 C-bills
Movement: 8/12(16)
Engine: 320 XL
Double Heat Sinks: 10 [20]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 67 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 105/137 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
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Head 3 9
Center Torso 12 15
Center Torso (rear) 5
Right Torso 10 13
Right Torso (rear) 4
Left Torso 10 13
Left Torso (rear) 4
Right Arm 6 10
Left Arm 6 10
Right Leg 10 11
Left Leg 10 11
Weapons Loc Heat
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Ultra AC/5 RA 1
ER Medium Laser RA 5
ER Medium Laser RA 5
Ammo Loc Shots
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Ultra AC/5 Ammo RT 20
Ultra AC/5 Ammo RT 20
Equipment Loc
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ECM Suite [Clan] HD
MASC LT
