The
Cygnus.
With a name that it shares with a constellation-with said constellation in turn being named after a Swan-one might imagine the
Cygnus to be a graceful unit, like its namesake.
It's not.
Developed near the closing of the Jihad, the
Cygnus is a 95-ton Clan Assault Battlemech. And it does not take the term "Assault" lightly. Produced by the unlikely bedfellows of Clan Wolf-In-Exile and Clan Hell's Horses, this machine was developed to fill holes in both Clan's Toumans, due to significant losses in material for both sides. Interestingly, this battlemech shares a development history with the
Hellstar; Due to being operationally similar in terms of movement profile, tonnage, and even internals, the two machines work well together. More on that later.
The standard variation on the
Cygnus, produced circa 3075, is built upon an Endo-Steel structure and powered to the speed of 64 kmph by a 380 XLFE; These traits remain the same for all Cygnus variations, with the only variations on all models being armament, heat sinks, and armor.
The baseline model mounts a decent 280 pounts of armor, with durable front and rear armoring, capable of taking two Clanspec ER Medium Lasers to the rear in all torsos and still have untouched internal structure. The front, as usual, suffers slightly from this, but not to an intolerable degree-it's still a 95-ton battlemech, after all. 15 DHS cool the close-combat focused loadout, consisting of four Medium Pulse Lasers-two per side torso-, and twin arm-mounted Ultra AC/10s, with six total tons of ammo feeding them. This setup is backed up by a targeting computer, reinforcing the already accurate Pulse Laser fire and making the Ultras that much more accurate, except for when one double taps.
The
Cygnus 2 proudly channels the power of the
Dire Wolf D, mounting twin Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifles in the 40 class, fed by eight tons of ammo each. Four ER Medium lasers replace the Medium Pulses of the original. However, to mount the massive primary weapons, this battlemech loses four DHS and the targeting computer of the original-but happily retains the armor. A simple and satisfying-if highly expensive BV-wise-configuration.
The third and final 3075 configuration, the
Cygnus 3, is a seriously confusing machine. Built for the true HAGR-20 enthusiast, the
Cygnus 3 mounts four(!) HAGR-20s, one in each arm, and one in each side torso. To do this, it goes to the base ten heat sinks, and loses sixteen points of armor, meaning it is unable to take the same punishment as the standard. That said, it's a dakka-fied machine. Four chances for massive amounts of 5-point sandblasts? If you pull off a full alpha, chances are whatever you shot at will be feeling it, and likely confused and angry at the gale-forced wind of HAGR fire. The visual image is... Entertaining, to say the least.
Jumping ahead 15 years, the
Cygnus 4 hits the scene like a ton of really, really angry bricks. Gone is any semblance of range or tact; It is replaced with a staggering loadout of two LB-20X Autocannons, one per arm, supported by eight tons of ammo, meaning you'd be crazy not to give this thing cluster munitions. For backup weaponry, a battery of four Heavy Medium Lasers reside in a 2x2 setup in the side torsos, alongside the token twin ER Medium Lasers. For what seems to be an afterthought, twin ER Small Lasers were added to the CT. What's more, the
Cygnus 4 mounts the maximum armor possible on a 95-ton frame, with the majority on the front. Fifteen total DHS, a throwback to the original, poorly attempt to keep this machine cool. What's more, the Cygnus 4 costs literally one point more on the BV2 scale compaired to the
Cygnus 3, meaning in a 3090+ game, the choices between these two models always boils down to "What do I need more?".
What do you do when you have a
Cygnus? You push. A lot. The
Cygnus is a nasty unit in any semi-mobile 3070+ assault lance or star, having just enough speed to keep up with the favored heavies of the era and a lot of the other hard-hitting 4/6 assaults at the same time. While mobility is certainly not all the
Cygnus has going for it, the Standard and 4 are both hampered by a (Relatively) close-range armament, with obvious ramifications, but that just means you have to single some poor sod out and mug him in a dark alley. The 2 and 3 can get away with firing at range, but near-or-complete ammo dependence hampers the effectiveness of both units. While the
Cygnus is certainly a terror in the short-term trials loved by Clans, possessing a highly alarming rate of damage, it does work exceedingly well with its sister design, the
Hellstar.
As both 'mechs evidently share a large number of components as well as an operational history, the
Hellstar and
Cygnus were produced by the same methods; Cooperation between two Clans in a very sour spot, the Exiled Wolves and the Hell's Horses. With the
Hellstar backing up the
Cygnus with accurate long-range fire while the
Cygnus advances on the hopefully pinned down prey, the two assaults can compliment one another's roles quite well. While said cooperation does not happen in the lore to my knowledge, it is still an option, albiet a dezgra one; But with the Falcons using melee weapons, and
Hellstars whacking Blakists with arm-guns, who cares that much about dishonorable combat against... Anything, anymore?
What do you do when you see a
Cygnus? I'd recommend using speedy units on the 2 and 3, which have limited close-range options-you won't outrange a HAGR with much. However, for the standard and 4, long range is the unit's bane. A 4 is nearly completely useless in an open field, aside from being a "No-fly" zone for anything without ferro-lamellor. Not to mention, the firepower of the 4 and Standard will atomize any light foolish enough to stand in front of them. For these, simple, overwhelming firepower will be needed, preferably in the form of ranged fire or Artillery.
You'll likely only see a
Cygnus in the hands of Clan Hell's Horses or Clan Wolf-In-Exile, but stores of them are likely present in limited numbers for other factions. (I actually lack any books that would tell me what RATs this battlemech is on, so if anyone can fill me in on that, I would appreciate it).
The final one is the squishy green non-Battletech version of a
Cygnus 3. Just so everyone knows.
