’Mech of the Week: TR-X* Trebaruna
Supposedly named after an ancient goddess of death, battles, and protection (perhaps a variant of the Irish Morrigan), the
Trebaruna does its name service. A walking avatar of death, the 95-ton quad mounts impressive amounts of armor and weaponry.
Though not as much as the similar
Sirocco. (To be fair, only one design mounts more armor than that beast.)
This design almost didn’t see the light of day. The Word of Blake was in the process of designing it when the approaching Allies caused them to scrap their plans. Discovered in one of their databases, the design was offered to all members of the Coalition, though the Federated Suns, Draconis Combine, and Lyran Commonwealth have decided not to develop it at this time. (A note in the TRO entry suggests that the Lyrans are expected to create a variant. Based on their love of big guns, I forsee a Heavy Gauss load of some sort.)
The Republic version, the TR-XB is based around a standard skeleton and uses standard plate armor to grant 82% coverage. All forward locations save the head can sustain two Gauss Rifle shots, and the center two Class-20 blasts. The rear torsos can absorb a large laser blast. The design also uses the same engine as the
Sirocco, giving it the same ground speed. Leg-mounted improved jump jets allow for surprising mobility (for its size). An extra-light gyro and ten double heat sinks were also installed. Weaponry consists of a Gauss Rifle with two tons of ammunition in a CASEd torso, and three Light PPCs in the other torso. All tied to a targeting computer.
The next variant, the TR-XJ, is built by the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth, one of the former Free Worlds League states. The main changes are the replacement of the three Light PPCs and the targeting computer with twin Snub-Nose PPCs, and another heat sink. And two tons more armor, all light ferro-fibrous, bringing the armor ratio to 98%, four points off the
Sirocco (and more than an
Atlas). Now the legs are one point off taking two Class-20 hits, the center torso can withstand two short-range Heavy Gauss slugs, and the rear torsos can take an Inner Sphere PPC blast (though not any more).
The third variant, the TR-XL was created by the Capellan Confederation, who appear to have found their own copies of the Blakist research cores. It mounts eleven double heat sinks, uses a light fusion engine with a standard gyro, and standard armor to 90%. The center can take three standard Gauss slugs, while the side torsos actually have less armor than the -XB. The weapons load shows that this is meant to be an up-close brawler. It mounts a LB-20 X autocannon and twin plasma rifles, with three tons of autocannon and three tons of plasma ammo. CASE is installed in the left torso to allow the pilot to survive an explosion (though that leaves the machine without any weapons and missing both left side legs).
A final variant saw the light of day during the Pax Republica period between the end of the Jihad and Gray Monday. An ER PPC is placed in the turret, while an Improved Heavy Gauss sits in the opposite torso. Six tons of ammo feeds that beast. Armor is 25.5 tons of Hardened plate, left in a 9, 28/9, 24/9, 23 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, legs respectively). Underneath that tough exterior are the brittle bones of composite internal structure.
Using one of these designs is a matter of maneuver. Use the jump jets to avoid obstacles and get out of spots you don’t like. The first variant has a slight minimum range problem. So either keep at range as a sniper, or close and really hurt them. The second variant loses one part of the minimum issue, thought as your foe stumbles through your Snubbies’ medium and longer ranges there is a loss of impact.
The final variant is meant for confined spaces. Use cover to get close up. Where your opponent will start crying for mommy as you rip his machine apart. Just watch your own armor. As mentioned above, losing the left torso is likely to be fatal.
Fighting one follows some simple guidelines. First if you can get to his sides or behind him, do so. All his weapons are forward facing. Pound him with Gauss Rifles or PPC fire. Stay at longer ranges against the TR-XL. The LB-20 is painful enough, but the Plasma Rifles have a bad habit of cooking your ammunition off. Or shutting you down. I’d probably also stay at longer ranges against the TR-XJ. Snub-Noses become little better than medium lasers at their long range (though that also corresponds to medium range for the Gauss).
The TR-XB is the trickiest. He has a lot of long range guns. You might be tempted to close within his minimums. This requires a bit of finesse. First, he can jump, so he can make quick adjustments. Second, if you do want to be within minimums, stay at two hexes. Being one hex away in his front only means he gets to kick you.
That never feels good.
