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Design Overview
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                 Combat Vehicle Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Starlight MBT "Starlit Conclave" Frontline
Designer:           iostaa
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Clan
Technology Rating:  F
Tonnage:            45
Role:               Brawler
Configuration:      Combat Vehicle
Era/Year:           Dark Age / 3094
Rules (Current):    Advanced
Rules (Era):        Advanced
Rules (Year):       Experimental
Total Cost:         5,640,500 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,292

Movement Type:        Tracked
Power Plant:          IronStar 180 XL
Cruising Speed:       43.2 kph  
Maximum Speed:        64.8 kph  
Armor:                VoidPlate Ferro-Lamellor
Armament:             
    1 Shooting Star G20H Hyper-Assault Gauss 20
    1 Starburst L7M ER Medium Laser
    1 Nightsky L3A Laser Anti-Missile System
    1 Kessler M1L Light Machine Gun
Manufacturer:         Helena Collective Manufactory A1, Manufacturing Plant SFF-AL1, Starlit Conclave Arms
    Primary Factory:  Ingvolsand III (HCMA1), Alnabog (MPSFFAL), Apsalar II (SCA)
Communications:       Nebula Weave EC56 with ECM Suite
Targeting & Tracking: Northstar AP77 with Light Active Probe

================================================================================================
Overview:
    Design Quirks: Easy to Maintain, Narrow/Low Profile, Poor Targeting (Short)
    
    Clan Diamond Shark's first forays into the Chaine Cluster created a problem for the Clan,
    namely the uncooperative government of the Empire of the Stars. Instead of tying down
    expensive battlemech assets defending agianst the raids that the Empire conducted, they
    designed a tank that outmatched anything locally available. The Defense-MBT-LF1, later known
    as the Starlight MBT, was overengineered for its design role and saw very limited use. As it
    was pet project of Junior Technician Lyssa Kalasa, who wished to design a vehicle that could
    be used in any role, she faced severe ridicule over the failure and was relegated to
    maintaining the few surviving remains of her failure for the next decade.
    
    In the early 32nd century, the recently renamed Clan Sea Fox started expanding its interests
    in the Chainelane Isles. A new coalition of planets in the Isles, called the Starlit
    Conclave of Apsalara, proved both amenable and wealthy enough to attract the Sea Foxes
    patronage. With the rich germanium deposits of Syrstart providing funds, several enclaves of
    clan refugees from the Wars of Reaving providing expertise, and the Sea Foxes providing the
    resources, the Conclave was able to upgrade the Helenist factories to clan specifications.
    In order to serve the ground combat needs of the rapidly growing Conclave Guard Forces, the
    decision was made to maximize economies of scale and focus on a single multi-role vehicle
    with minimal variants. The Starlight MBT was selected for this role, vindicating the now
    Senior Technician Kalasa, who emigrated to Ingvolstand III to oversee production.

Capabilities:
    The Starlight MBT was designed to be a flexible platform to serve as the primary combat
    element in a theater. The design requirements; ease of transport, moderate cost, extreme
    flexibility, and high crew survivability; led to significant compromises. A 180XL engine
    powers the Starlight up to an acceptable 64.8 kph, while 12.5 tons of steeply sloped
    Ferro-Lamellor Armor grants adequate protection at relatively low cost. The armor is focused
    on the front of the tank, where the three crew operate, while leaving its unmanned turret
    relatively lightly protected. Its active defenses consist of a ECM suite and a Laser AMS,
    while its sensor systems include a Light TAG and Light Active Probe.
    
    The Starlight is well-armed for its size, carrying a ER Medium Laser and HAG/20 in the
    turret, and a pintle-mounted light machine gun. A small extra crew compartment, capable of
    carrying a handful of people and some paramedic equipment, allows the Starlight to recover
    crews from knocked out allied vehicles. When not in use, this compartment makes the interior
    relatively spacious, and sometimes is used to carry extra rations and water for long
    deployments. It's turret has an intentionally flimsy attatchment to the hull, as to vent
    ammunition explosions away from the crew. The ease of turret removal afforded by this
    connection, combined with the spacious interior, make the vehicle remarkably easy to
    maintain at the cost of fairly limited gun depression capability.

Deployment:
    While deployed to defend the Chaine Cluster, the Starlight MBT rarely saw conflict. The
    garrison duty did serve to iron out the teething troubles any new vehicle sees, and the tank
    was ready for mass production by the time the Helena Collective modernized its industrial
    base. As the factories were new, retooling for a new vehicle was not an issue, and Starlight
    MBTs started rolling off the production line in 3113.
    
    Overmatching anything available to their rival states in the Chainelane Isles, it didn't see
    any significant opposition until the Raven Alliance started muscling in on their territory.
    What started as a simple Batchall over the derelict Avatar-class SLS Pioneer in the Paran
    system escalated into a full fledged proxy war between the Fox-sponsored Starlit Conclave
    and the Raven-backed Empire of the Stars. The Pioneer War lasted lasted from 3118 to 3134,
    and saw the Conclave victorious. The Starlight MBT became the symbol of the hard-won unity
    of the Conclave, and was the tip of the spear when securing the first new Conclave colony on
    Apsalar II in 3131.

Variants:
    Four production variants exist. The first is the most common, the standard frontline model.
    The second is a cheaply-made engineering and logistics vehicle, which partly exists to be
    refitted into a frontline model with spares and salvage to replace combat losses. The third
    carries company-level support equipment like a field kitchen and MASH theater. The last and
    least common is an environmentally sealed design meant to defend the Syrstart germanium
    asteroids that are critical to the Conclave economy.
    
    Additionaly, several non-standard field refits have been seen. Most commonly the HAG is
    removed for whatever is available, and standard armor replaces damaged sections of the
    advanced Ferro-Lamellor.

Notable MechWarriors:
    The Starlit Witch, an early production Starlight MBT, was the first to ever be lost in
    action. In 3119, in a battle on the surface of Rondane II, the Witch's lance was caught out
    by a Raven Alliance star on loan to the Empire, and the Witch was disabled early. While the
    rest of the lance was able to disengage, a PPC hit overloaded the capacitors on the main gun
    and destroyed the turret. A later attack on an Empire FOB found the wreck of the Starlit
    Witch in their salvage yard. The vehicle was restored to service, but was irreparably
    damaged on Paran in 3126. Its wreck was taken to the Paranese Museum of Martyrs, where it
    sits on display to this day.
    
    The Born in Fire IV was first commissioned in 3124, and assigned to Captain Josepha Marsana
    as the command tank of her company. The fourth vehicle she commanded, it proved to be the
    most successful, and the last.  It was destroyed in 3128 in an assault on the final defenses
    of Far Reach II, killing Captain Marsana and her crew. She was posthumously awarded the
    Heart of the Guard medal for her service. With an impressive 16 kills in its 4-year service,
    including a Warhammer IIC 2, it was the most decorated command tank to serve in the Pioneer
    War.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  4.50                     
Engine:                                       180 XL                   5.50                     
    Cruising MP:                                4                                               
    Flanking MP:                                6                                               
Heat Sinks (Single):                            10                     0.00                     
Control Equipment:                                                     2.50                     
Lift Equipment:                                                        0.00                     
Power Amplifier:                                                       0.00                     
Turret:                                                                1.50                     
Armor Factor:                                  175                    12.50                     
    Type:                                 Ferro-Lamellor                                        

                                              Armor                                             
                                              Value                                             
    Front:                                      46                                              
    R/L Side:                                   37                                              
    Rear:                                       25                                              
    Turret:                                     30                                              

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                            Location              Tonnage       
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light Machine Gun                                             Front                0.25         
ER Medium Laser                                              Turret                1.00         
Hyper-Assault Gauss 20                                       Turret                10.00        
Laser Anti-Missile System                                    Turret                1.00         
Light TAG                                                    Turret                0.50         
Trailer Hitch                                                 Rear                 0.00         
Bay, Infantry (Foot) (3 troopers)                             Body                 0.50         
ECM Suite                                                     Body                 1.00         
Hyper-Assault Gauss 20 (Ammo 18)                              Body                 3.00         
Light Active Probe                                            Body                 0.50         
Light Machine Gun (Ammo 100)                                  Body                 0.50         
Paramedic Equipment                                           Body                 0.25         

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                                    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 34
TP: CV,  SZ: 2,  TMM: 1,  MV: 8"t
Damage: (S) 3 / (M) 2 / (L) 2
Armor (A): 7,  Structure (S): 3
Specials: AMS, CASE, CR, ECM, FLK1/1/1, HTC, IT0.5, LPRB, LTAG, RCN, SRCH, TUR(3/2/2, AMS, FLK1/1/1, LTAG)
 
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Code Release 2.26.13 (2026-05-15T09:38:57-04:00)