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Design Overview
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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Vagabond VGB-ND4
Designer:           09-Tyba
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            60
Role:               Skirmisher
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Civil War / 3067
Rules (Current):    Standard
Rules (Era):        Standard
Rules (Year):       Standard
Total Cost:         11,745,600 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,483

Chassis:              Norse XT-Light Type AG Endo Steel
Power Plant:          300 XL
Walking Speed:        54 kph    
Maximum Speed:        86.4 kph  
Jump Jets:            None
    Jump Capacity:    None
Armor:                Durallex Heavy
Armament:             
    2 Sutel Precision Line Large Pulse Lasers
    4 Defiance P5M Medium Pulse Lasers
    2 Surefire 444 Anti-Missile Systems
Manufacturer:         Norse-Storm BattleMechs Inc.
    Primary Factory:  Loxley
Communications:       AR-13 Directional Beacon
Targeting & Tracking: Rander Pinpoint-HZ

================================================================================================
Overview:
    Imported from fan-made TRO:3063, organized and directed by Steve Satak. Which of the writing
    team created this mech is unknown.
    
    The Vagabond was designed in 3056 as one of several ?Mechs which would showcase the best of
    Steiner and Davion technology. The prototype included two extended range large lasers and
    five extended range medium lasers, all guided by an early NAIS prototype targeting computer
    and powered by an experimental fusion engine. Unfortunately, the technical excellence it was
    meant to embody faded even as the ?Mech?s construction began.
    
    Repeated delays set development of the new fusion engine back years behind schedule.
    Furthermore, thanks to the dissolution of the Federated Commonwealth, a number of key
    components built in Davion space were no longer readily available. The Lyran Alliance Armed
    Force?s Quartermaster General ordered the items be replaced by Alliance-sourced parts; the
    loss of the targeting computer was mitigated somewhat by switching to pulse weapons, but
    their shorter reach forced the Vagabond to assume a new mission profile.
    
    A final complication was the purge of key personnel from the design team, which had been as
    balanced between the two Houses as the ?Mech?s technology. One by one, however, the Davion
    members of the team were dismissed, transferred or arrested on trumped-up charges of
    industrial espionage. It is a testament to the dedication of the remaining members that the
    Vagabond ever reached production.

Capabilities:
    Despite its origin as a technology demonstrator, the Vagabond eventually developed into far
    more than a showpiece for trade conventions. The design team was tasked with the creation of
    a second-wave BattleMech that could advance rapidly on the field and strike with power and
    surgical precision.
    
    They built the new machine around a reinforced endo steel chassis and a Magna 300-series
    extra-light engine. Only a few machines in this weight class ? notably the Draconis
    Combine?s Grand Dragon and Our Blessed Order?s Lancelot ? are able to outrun the Vagabond on
    open ground.
    
    The Vagabond?s designers met the requirements of precise firepower by installing twin
    torso-mounted Sutel large pulse lasers and a pair of Defiance medium pulse lasers in each
    arm. Sixteen double heat sinks provide ample cooling, assuming the pilot observes proper
    heat management.
    
    The Vagabond carries more than eleven tons of Durallex Heavy standard armor and features an
    unusual answer to the proliferation of missiles in short-range combat. Each arm bears a
    SureFIre 444 anti-missile system, the two units sharing a single ton of ammunition. These
    theoretically give the pilot a 360-degree arc of protection against incoming missiles as he
    approaches melee range; only actual combat experience will demonstrate whether these dual
    systems are effective.
    
    This ?Mech is reminiscent of the Free World League?s Anvil in tonnage, primary weapons and
    movement profile. However, the battery of medium pulse lasers suggests a mission profile
    quite different from that Marik design. The Vagabond appears to be an infighter, and is
    probably very deadly in that role. The heavy emphasis on missile defense points to another
    purpose ? that of hunting battle armor, which is well-known for its ability to fire
    crippling missile salvos.

Deployment:
    As befits a design ordered by the Archon-Prince himself, the Vagabond was on the path to a
    swift, if limited, appearance in the ranks of the Federated Commonwealth. The breakup of
    that state nearly killed the as-yet-unnamed BattleMech, leading to its final and fitting
    designation as Vagabond. It would not reach production until 3063.

Variants:
    One variant is undergoing tests at Norse-Storm. It employs extended range particle
    projection cannons in place of the large pulse lasers to increase the ?Mech?s reach in
    combat.

Notable MechWarriors:
    William ?Bill? Newcastle, D. Eng
    
    Newcastle is the former team lead on the Vagabond
    project. A prot?g? of Dr. Banzai and an esteemed member of the New Avalon Institute of
    Science faculty, Newcastle volunteered to spearhead the development of a design that might
    foster pride in a united Federated Commonwealth. As the political winds changed, Newcastle
    himself came under suspicion.
    
    Tipped off by his Lyran counterpart hours before LIC agents were to arrest him, Newcastle
    immediately rushed to the testing bay to conduct an impromptu ?inspection?. Norse-Storm
    security was shocked when the Vagabond shot out of its isolated testing area and into the
    surrounding wilds of Loxley. By the time they located the discarded prototype, Dr. Newcastle
    had secured passage off world.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                         Endo Steel                 3.00                     
Engine:                                       300 XL                   9.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 5                                               
    Running MP:                                 8                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 0                                               
Heat Sinks (Double):                         16 [32]                   6.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  3.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  184                    11.50                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      20             26       
    Center Torso (rear):                               9       
    R/L Torso:                         14             20       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                  6       
    R/L Arm:                           10             18       
    R/L Leg:                           14             26       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anti-Missile System (Ammo 12)                             RT                1          1.00             
Large Pulse Laser                                         RT                2          7.00             
Large Pulse Laser                                         LT                2          7.00             
Anti-Missile System                                       RA                1          0.50             
2 Medium Pulse Lasers                                     RA                2          4.00             
Anti-Missile System                                       LA                1          0.50             
2 Medium Pulse Lasers                                     LA                2          4.00             

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 42
TP: BM,  SZ: 3,  TMM: 2,  MV: 10"
Damage: (S) 5 / (M) 5 / (L) 0,  OV: 0
Armor (A): 6,  Structure (S): 3
Specials: AMS
 
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Code Release 2.25.5 (2025-11-01T16:12:58-04:00)