Diamond Shark Makeover

[DeJaVu]

SHADOW HAWK IIC

Type/Model: Shadow Hawk IIC 5
Mass: 45 tons
Chassis: NCIS Endo Steel Type M
Power Plant: Consolidated Fusion 270
Walking Speed: 65 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97 km/h
Jump Jets: Northrup Starlifters M45
Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor Type: Alpha Compound Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: 2 Zeta-series X Plasma Cannon
3 Tau-II Anti-personnel Gauss Rifles
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries
Primary Factory: Twycross
Communications System: JNE Integrated
Targeting & Tracking System: Build 3 CAT TTS


It’s nice to have friends in low places. I got this tidbit from my friend Jimmy when his Detectives ran an op in Lyran space. He was kind enough to pull schematics from the memory core he’d stolen and forward them to me.
The Diamond Sharks, who I’m told are the most Lyran of the Clans, are building a new version of their second-line Shadow Hawk IIC. The sales information was not appended, but Jimmy insists he’ll get it for me. This new Shadow Hawk is clearly designed for use in the Inner Sphere—it’s one of the most frightening antipersonnel BattleMechs I’ve ever seen.
With all the speed of a midrange medium ’Mech and the mobility of a light, the new Shadow Hawk IIC is easily capable of overrunning any Inner Sphere infantry formation at will. A pair of incredibly powerful Zeta-series plasma cannons are the ’Mech's main armament. In the hundreds of years of the Succession Wars we never created anything as deadly to the infantryman as a focused gout of plasma. A trio of high-speed antipersonnel Gauss rifles back these weapons up, easily as dangerous as machine guns.
Without the sales data I can’t make any guesses to its deployment, but with past practices I’ve heard about, it’s not unlikely that they’ll be selling this BattleMech to the Inner Sphere, which means infantrymen everywhere have a new and deadly threat.
Jimmy’s information also provided another variant is making its appearance in the Inner Sphere, or at least in the near Periphery. Clan Hell’s Horses have apparently brought a bundle of new Shadow Hawk IICs into their conquests in the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone. I showed my granddad the specs, and he whistled. From him, that’s high praise.
Bad news for someone, though.
An extra-light engine gives the Hell’s Horses variant enough spare tonnage to turn it into a brute. Something called a hyper-assault Gauss fills most of the left torso. I have no idea what it is, but I don’t like the name. A mixture of lasers round out the arsenal, giving this medium ’Mech the punch of one of our heavies. It seems that the vehicle Clan can create some powerful BattleMechs as well. There’s a reference here of a battle on a Periphery world called Sigurd where a Star of Shadow Hawk IICs took on and defeated a frontline Clan Wolf Star.
I guess that’s good enough for them. I’m just glad they’re on the other side of the Sphere from us.