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Design Overview
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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Shishiku ((Perrin42's Mech)) SHS-1SW
Designer:           The Grand Poobah
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            95
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Civil War / 3067
Rules (Current):    Standard
Rules (Era):        Standard
Rules (Year):       Standard
Total Cost:         8,900,775 C-Bills
Battle Value:       2,121

Chassis:              Earthwerks VOL 
Power Plant:          Pitban 285 
Walking Speed:        32.4 kph  
Maximum Speed:        54 kph    
Jump Jets:            None
    Jump Capacity:    None
Armor:                Mitchell Argon
Armament:             
    2 Tiegart PPCs
    4 Diverse Optics Type 30 Large Lasers
Manufacturer:         Unknown
    Primary Factory:  Unknown
Communications:       Colmax 90b
Targeting & Tracking: Cat's Eyes 5

================================================================================================
Overview:
    Although Takashi Kurita's hatred of mercenaries, especially Wolf's Dragoons, bordered on
    madness his son Theodore was more realistic. Mercenaries had played a part in almost every
    war in the history of the Inner Sphere, and their utility in supplementing regular House
    units could not be ignored. Theodore secretly commissioned a new BattleMech design shortly
    after the battle of Luthien, one specifically designed for sale to mercenary units. It was
    hoped that this would attract more mercenary units to the Draconis Combine and repair
    relations that had been damaged by Takashi's thirst for vengeance.
    
    The job to design the new merc 'Mech was given to the Maltex Corporation on Nirasaki, a
    small manufacturing plant on the border of the Federated Suns. The engineers at Maltex
    looked first at what every mercenary unit holds most dear - money. There are many costs
    related to 'Mechs even beyond the initial purchase price - general maintenance, supplies,
    repairs, reloads, and even potential replacement. They set out to create a design that had
    very low operating costs with high survivability and the Shishiku was born.
    
    Development and testing of the Shishiku went more smoothly than anyone could have imagined.
    Using standard hardware easily accessible anywhere made testing and integration go like a
    breeze - the only advanced technology used was the double strength heat sinks and those had
    been in wide production since shortly after the discovery of the Gray Death memory core.
    Many of the other components were taken from their existing Hatamoto-Chi design - armor,
    PPCs, and communications system, among others. The use of standard building materials and
    weapons (rather than extended range models) kept the costs down and significantly eased
    maintenance. Overall, the development and testing of the Shishiku was determined to be a
    resounding success.
    
    What kept the project from proceeding to production was the Coordinator himself, Takashi
    Kurita. Although Theodore had become the Gunji no Kanrei, Deputy for Military Affairs, he
    did not feel that it would be wise to further stress his relationship with his father.
    Although there was evidence of a stroke that had affected the Coordinator's thinking, he was
    still the Coordinator and his opinion of mercenaries was widely known. The prototype was put
    in storage and the project itself shelved for nearly a decade. It was only when Theodore
    became Coordinator that it was pulled out of mothballs and put into production.

Capabilities:
    Despite the focus on cost effectiveness, the Shishiku certainly didn't suffer in terms of
    battlefield effectiveness. Its 95-ton frame carries a frightening battery of energy weapons
    along with as many double heat sinks as could be shoehorned onto the frame. The 285-rated
    Pitban engine drives the 'Mech to a maximum speed of approximately 52 kph, standard for
    designs in its weight class, and the chassis is protected by 18 tons of standard armor. This
    makes it very survivable and quite capable of forming the anchor in any heavy formation.
    
    It is the weaponry that really makes this design shine however.   Again, the designers
    looked at cost before anything else. One major recurring cost that mercenary units have to
    endure is replacing expended ammunition, and a significant cause of 'Mech losses is
    ammunition explosions. For this reason they decided to go with an all-energy loadout; while
    this reduces some flexibility in terms of special ammunition and indirect fire capabilities,
    the specific energy loadout they decided on was considered "sufficient".
    
    To say the least, the energy batteries are "sufficient". Each arm contains a Tiegart
    particle projection cannon, both posing a significant threat to any target. Each of these
    are backed up by a pair of Diverse Optics Type 30 large lasers, each one an imposing weapon
    in its own right. Together these weapons are capable of stripping a 'Mech of nearly three
    tons of armor in the matter of a few seconds. The most significant drawback is the intense
    heat generated by these weapons, but the Shishiku mounts 21 double strength freezers that
    can dissipate over 75% of the heat generated.

Deployment:
    As a mercenary 'Mech, the Shishiku has seen Combat across the Inner Sphere. It is still
    rather rare, however, as Maltex doesn't have the manufacturing capacity to build the
    Hatamoto-Chi and the Shishiku full time. It is rumored that some examples have made their
    way into DCMS regular formations, unusual for a design that was developed for and marketed
    to mercenaries.
    
    It should be noted, however, that these 'Mechs are only sold to units that are currently
    working for the Combine. Although it is a relatively low cost design compared to
    contemporary units of its weight class, almost any 'Mech purchase is a significant
    investment.   While some units see a disturbing shadow of the old Company Store syndrome,
    most see the Shishiku as too great of a prize to pass up.

Variants:
    There are no factory variants of the Shishiku produced. Despite the commonly available
    components, sometimes mercenary commands must simply make do with what they have available,
    resulting in all sorts of odd conglomerations of weapons.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  9.50                     
Engine:                                     285 Fusion                16.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 3                                               
    Running MP:                                 5                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 0                                               
Heat Sinks (Double):                         21 [42]                  11.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  3.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  288                    18.00                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      30             44       
    Center Torso (rear):                              15       
    R/L Torso:                         20             29       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                 10       
    R/L Arm:                           16             32       
    R/L Leg:                           20             39       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Large Lasers                                            RA                4         10.00             
PPC                                                       RA                3          7.00             
2 Large Lasers                                            LA                4         10.00             
PPC                                                       LA                3          7.00             

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 51
TP: BM,  SZ: 4,  TMM: 1,  MV: 6"
Damage: (S) 4 / (M) 5 / (L) 2,  OV: 1
Armor (A): 10,  Structure (S): 8
Specials: ENE
 
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Code Release 2.24.13 (2024-05-02T16:46:03-04:00)