In the wake of the Word of Blake Jihad, everyone had had enough of ComStar's issues and thus it was determined that they could no longer be trusted to have a military force, resulting in the Com Guard being disbanded.
Of course, ComStar being ComStar, they couldn't leave things alone and thus in the early 3130s, Republic intelligence was shocked to discover that ComStar had been producing new mechs and dropships. Even worse, their newest medium mech showed clear design aesthetics based on the infamous Celestial Omnis. After tracking down the source of these new machines, the Republic armed forces quickly crushed Comstar's upstarts and claimed their designs for the Republic's use.
At 55 tons, the Kheper sits in the same weight bracket known for many famous mechs like the Griffin, Wolverine, and Shadow Hawk. Like them, it's built as a multi-role machine that can comfortably perform a wide variety of roles, though its lack of jump jets or hand actuators does cause some restrictions. Only one configuration exists, the KPH-7R, which is considered an Advanced rules mech due to the presence of a variable-speed pulse laser.
Powered by a 275XL engine, it moves at a comfortable 86 kph, though by the time it was first deployed this was beginning to be somewhat on the slow side for a medium mech.
Twelve Nine tons of light ferro fibrous armor provide it with good but not fantastic protection- its arms and side torsos can each absorb a single gauss rifle impact, the legs can take an AC 20 hit, and the center torso can withstand three IS large laser strikes. Given the firepower often seen on a modern battlefield, that means it's not going to stand up long to direct fire in a pitch battle, but it probably won't instantly disintegrate, either.
And that takes us to weaponry. The right arm mounts the mech's main firepower- a tried and true Gauss Rifle fed by two tons of ammunition. Opposite it in the left arm sits an MML-7, also fed by a two ton bin. Together they can force a PSR on a good cluster roll, but most of the time you'll probably fall a few points short. CASE II protects both the GR and the missile ammo. Supporting these weapons as the mech draws closer are a trio of lasers, none of which are the same. First, in the left torso sits an ER Medium Laser that can start poking things once the fight reaches medium range. A little closer and the head-mounted Medium X-Pulse Laser can join the fight. Finally, the previously-mentioned Small Variable-Speed Pulse Laser in the right torso gives it slightly more power at point blank range. This array of weapons only generates 19 heat on a standing alpha strike, so heat doesn't become much concern unless infernos or plasma weapons are on the battlefield or you start taking engine hits. And that's actually a lot of firepower for a purely-Inner Sphere mech its size.
If quirks are in play, this mech has Bad Reputation and Easy To Maintain, so no effect on the actual battlefield. Originally found in the Com Guard, it was quickly turned into a Republic of the Sphere mech and following the Battle for Terra became a mercenary design as many Republic troops left. We'll have to wait and see about whether or not this design ends up getting built by another faction or if the fall of the Republic triggers its fading into obscurity.
Fighting with one is pretty straight-forward: poke enemies at long range and blast them freely at short range. Like most mediums, it works best in a group, especially since it can't jump and consequently gets slowed down by terrain more. Fighting one, also straight forward- shoot it. Observer your unit's range vs those of the Kheper and make decisions based on that regarding getting closer or moving away.
