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Shamash

Armament:

4 Series 1 ER Small Lasers

Manufacturer:    York OmniMech Y2 Facility

   Location:    (Unknown)

Communications System:    Consolidated Type 2M

Targeting & Tracking System: Consolidated Type V TTS

Overview:

         Weakened militarily by years of feuding with Clan Burrock and deprived of all significant planetary resources, in the latter part of the twenty-ninth century Clan Blood Spirit found itself in desperate need of raw materials. The loss of the Clan's holdings on Foster, a relatively recent acquisition through colonization, as a result of renewed raiding by the Burrocks exacerbated the situation. Clan Blood Spirit concluded that it needed a faster. cheaper vehicle that it could use in the reconnaissance role of the Asshur, one of the original vehicles commissioned by ilKhan Jerome Winson. Aware that Clan Hell's Horses had recently constructed and fielded a new vehicle design, Khan Boques decided the Blood Spirit scientist caste also should begin working on a new, faster, cheaper vehicle that the Spirits could deploy quickly to repel other Clans' incursions into their territory. The Shamash reconnaissance vehicle is the product of that decision.

Capabilities:

         The key to the success of the Shamash is its unrivaled speed. Able to travel at more than 200 kilometers per hour, the Shamash can outmaneuver almost any battlefield unit deployed by either the Clans or the Inner Sphere. In open terrain, it can even keep pace with most VTOL/VSTOL aircraft, most of which are specifically designed for speed.
         Another factor in the phenomenal success of this vehicle was the unique combination of armor and firepower for a vehicle of its size. Mounting four Series 1 extended-range small lasers, the Shamash is able to deliver a withering fusillade of fire almost equal to the attack capabilities of the Asshur, a vehicle almost twice the size of the Shamash. These weapons mounted in the turret give the Shamash a full 360 degree arc of fire for maximum flexibility.
         The final factor that contributed significantly to the Shamash's success was not immediately apparent: the decision to design the vehicle to be operated by a single crew member was made to lower the overall cost of the vehicle and allow rapid deployment. This decision had an unexpected long-term effect on its drivers, however, who, in repeated testing, demonstrated a sharp rise in their overall performance in standard field exercises as well as actual combat and Trials of Position. After months of evaluation, the Clan was forced to accept what was for them a deeply disturbing conclusion. Because Shamash drivers face the enemy alone, rather than with a team of crewmen, they quickly adopt the independent, highly motivated and loyal mindset of a MechWarrior. Like most Clans, Blood Spirit accepts vehicles as necessary to their Clan's survivability but maintains a prejudice against their crews as lesser warriors than 'Mech pilots. The dramatic performances of Shamash drivers, however, may force at least Clan Blood Spirit to reevaluate that attitude.

Deployment

         From the time it first rolled off the assembly line at the York Vehicle Y2 facility, Clan Blood Spirit jealously guarded the Shamash against all Trials of Possession. Unfortunately, the disastrous Absorption War waged by Clan Blood Spirit against Clans Star Adder and Burrock left many of these vehicles in the hands of Clan Star Adder.

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Type/Model:	Shamash Reconnaissance Vehicle
Mass:	11 tons

Equipment:		Items	Mass
Internal Structure:	10 pts Standard	0	1.50
Engine:	60 Fusion	0	1.50
Shielding & Trans Equip:		0	1.00
Cruise MP:	13
Flank MP:	20
Heat Sinks:	10 Single	0	.00
Cockpit & Controls:		0	1.00
Crew:	1 Members	0	.00
Lift Equipment:		0	1.50
Turret Equipment:		0	.50
Armor Factor:	38 pts Ferro-Fibrous	1	2.00