CHH: OMICRON KESHIK

[Natasha Kerensky]

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

[Kojak]

Very cool, I always like to see more Hell's Horses units. I really like what you've put together here. Are the X configs designs of yours or just a placeholder?

[Natasha Kerensky]

Very cool, I always like to see more Hell's Horses units. I really like what you've put together here.

Thanks, K.  That means something coming from the creator of Tau's epic saga.

This started as an attempt to put together an experimental Clan cluster with no battlemechs that could still go toe-to-toe with a frontline omnimech cluster.

Then I got the idea that the universe needs weapons testing units, and of course the Horses have the most varied and unusual toys of any Clan for test and evaluation in the current era.  When more fluffed, Omicron will also be testing elstars, tankwarriors, and other phenotype tweaks.  Man over machine in the Horses, after all.

I'm most proud of Trinary Mixed Services.  I think those stars could go toe-to-toe with omnimech stars in the same speed classes.  Zellbrigen has to go out the window, but I like having a couple harder-to-hit, short-ranged, critting protomech points to keep the opposition at arm's length from a few points of more vulnerable, longer-ranged, hole-punching tanks/or quadvees.  I used two quadvees to stiffen four tanks behind ten protomechs, all with the same speed.  That should be enough units, firepower, and armor to reliably challenge an omnimech star despite the omnis' inherent advantage in toughness.  But you could replace some tanks with more quadvees and/or the quadvee point with a battlemech to further stiffen.

Trinary Supernova Cavalry and Nova Air Assault are a pretty standard collection of the possible variations on Horse novas.  But Nova Mixed Artillery and Rogue Mixed Star are each kind of different and interesting.  Nova Command is my attempt at an omnimech/protomech nova.

No idea on the dropship transport for all this.  It's going to be a mess.

In the fluff, I got greedy and made Omicron responsible for or involved in most major events in Horse history, from the Elemental phenotype and nova formation to killing the Ghost Bear Khan and enraging the Bears on Tokasha to making off with the experimental protos before the Homeworlds collapsed that led to the Procyon Quad and Svartalfa.

Are the X configs designs of yours or just a placeholder?

Just placeholders for future experimental configurations on those canon omnimechs/vees/tanks.  (I figure a weapons testing unit should have experimental configurations.)  I'll post on the design boards and link back here if/when I get around to finishing them.

[truetanker]

Hey Natasha?

You've got those experimental modules yet?

TT