Where are those LRMs Coming From? - 3028

Deuce climbed out of his UrbanMech's cockpit, and kicked the still-hot dud missile out of his tincan's shoulder joint. It clanked on the concrete below as he jumped back into his seat, cycling his "arm" through a quick range of motion test. Perfect. He slammed the hatch shut, then got back on the horn as he patched himself back into the Mech's systems.

"Jack, Deuce! I got my autocannon freed back up. How y'all doin' over there?"

"Deuce, Jack, they're runnin' fer now. Meet back up at the silo."

Half an hour later, Deuce's Urbie waddled its awkward way into the center of the damaged town, to the civil defense base. Two old Urbies, Deuce and Trey, and Jack's Hatchetman, were all that was left of this urban garrison lance. The blasted Dragons kept probing into the city, and it was only a spirited defense by the local militia, by small fragmented units such as this one, that was keeping the locals from eating rice and singing Kimigayo.

Deuce waddled into his bay, shut down his Mech, and climbed out. As the techs quickly swarmed his Mech, trying to reload and patch it up before the next attack came, Deuce looked at Trey. "What happened to Ace?"

The younger Mechwarrior just nodded to where the Enforcer was being hauled in by a salvage truck, like a giant warrior on its shield. A tarp covered a misshapen lump, what was left of its head.

"Damn..." Deuce looked around for Jack. The officer was looking at the fallen Enforcer grimly. Deuce paused a moment, then asked what he had to. "What're we gonna do, boss? The infantry can't hold forever."

"I know," Jack answered sharply, then sighed. "Sorry. Stress is getting to me." He looked around, feeling slightly helpless. "It's just us to support the defense in this sector. I'm told that we're making headway in other sectors, but for the other units to roll the Dragons back, we've got to keep holding them here."

Trey spoke up. Like Deuce, he was from the Outback, and his accent showed it. "How're we gonna do that, boss? We ain't got no support ourselves. To shoot'em we gotta get in front of'em, and every time we're comin' back more beat up."

"I know that too." Jack's face was tight, his Avalon accent tighter. "If we just had some LRM's, we could drop hell on the Dragons without them ever seeing us. But..." he nodded to the corner, where a broken-down Longbow sat awkwardly. It had been their support Mech, until its gyro had been blown out.

Deuce was looking at the wrecked machine oddly. Something had clicked in his head. "If we had LRM's...how much time we got?"

Jack looked at Deuce oddly. "Time?"

Deuce spun to face Jack. "Time. Til the next attack."

Jack considered the unexpected question. "Well, I don't know...the last one took a while for them to regroup. I guess maybe a day, maybe more if pressure got put..."

Deuce was grinning like a fool. "Then get on the horn to yer boss'n tell the other sectors to put the pressure. I got me an idea."

Trey groaned. He knew all about Deuce's ideas. They were usually crazy, and often dangerous.

Jack knew all about Deuce's ideas too. Like kicking an Urbie's jammed shoulder free, they usually worked. "What's your idea?"

Deuce's grin grew wider as he turned to get the techs. "Yer gonna get yer LRM's."

Code:

BattleMech Technical Readout

Type/Model:    UrbanMech UM-WTF
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3025
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Rules:         Level 1, Modified design

Mass:          30 tons
Chassis:       Standard
Power Plant:   60 Leenex Fusion
Walking Speed: 21.6 km/h
Maximum Speed: 32.4 km/h
Jump Jets:     2 Standard Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 60 meters
Armor Type:    Standard
Armament:     
  1 LRM 20
  1 Small Laser
Manufacturer:  (Unknown)
  Location:    (Unknown)
Communications System:  (Unknown)
Targeting & Tracking System:  (Unknown)

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==Overview:==
The UrbanMech's biggest shortcoming has always been its combination of low speed with a direct fire weapon. This leaves the UrbanMech open and vulnerable to retaliation, and limits its tactical usefulness. The UM-WTF gets around this problem by using an LRM-20 as its primary weapon. This allows the UrbanMech to strike from a hidden position, with the help of other units. This mitigates both the UrbanMech's lack of mobility, and gives it a greater degree of protection in combat.

==Capabilities:==
The original UM-WTF uses an LRM-20 arm pod from a Longbow to replace its AC/10. Three tons of missiles are stacked into the ammo bay, allowing the UM-WTF to keep firing for a long time, supporting other units from afar.

==
Battle History:==
The UM-WTF proved very successful in battle against the Draconis Combine in 3028. Then, it  skulked around the battle zones, supporting the defending militia forces from blocks away.

==Variants:==
The UM-WTF was originally a one-off design, but it has proven so effective that the Draconis March Militia has actually commissioned an optimized version. This "production" version, (actually a field depot mod) removes one heatsink, upgrades the small laser to a medium laser, and adds half a ton of armor.

==Deployment==
The UM-WTF is a popular modification for UrbanMechs among the Draconis March Militia, and is spreading to other parts of Davion space as well.

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Type/Model:    UrbanMech UM-WTF
Mass:          30 tons

Equipment:                                 Crits    Mass
Int. Struct.:  51 pts Standard               0      3.00
Engine:        60 Fusion                     6      1.50
   Walking MP:   2
   Running MP:   3
   Jumping MP:   2
Heat Sinks:     11 Single                    9      1.00
(Heat Sink Loc: 1 HD, 5 LT, 3 RT)
Gyro:                                        4      1.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors:                5      3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA    R: Sh+UA             12       .00
Armor Factor:   96 pts Standard              0      6.00

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Head:                      3          9     
   Center Torso:             10         11     
   Center Torso (Rear):                  8     
   L/R Side Torso:            7        8/8     
   L/R Side Torso (Rear):              4/4     
   L/R Arm:                   5      10/10     
   L/R Leg:                   7      12/12     

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Crits    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 LRM 20                 RA      6   18      8     13.00
  (Ammo Locations: 3 RT)
1 Small Laser            LA      1           1       .50
2 Standard Jump Jets:                        2      1.00
(Jump Jet Loc: 2 CT)
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TOTALS:                          7          47     30.00
Crits & Tons Left:                          31       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,646,125 C-Bills
Battle Value:      521
Cost per BV:       3,159.55
Weapon Value:      170 / 170 (Ratio = .33 / .33)
Damage Factors:    SRDmg = 4;  MRDmg = 9;  LRDmg = 5
BattleForce2:      MP: 2J,  Armor/Structure: 2/3
                   Damage PB/M/L: 2/1/1,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: ML;  Point Value: 5
                   Specials: if