Tornado

Description
The P12 Tornado is a Power Armor (Light) suit, created by ComStar in the late twenty-ninth century to equip their special forces units with added protection. The Tornado is based on the Star League Defense Force Nighthawk suit which, though they had acquired several, ComStar at the time was unable to produce. The Tornado is custom-fitted to the wearer, which makes them unusable by anyone else without major adjustments and also means the user must maintain their physical condition. The advantages of the suit make up for this drawback, as it increases the wearer's strength, allowing them to hit hard and faster than unarmored infantry while avoiding the bulk of full battle armor. It also incorporates stealth armor and an adaptive Camo System which mimics the effects of a combination Camo/IR/ECM Sneak Suit, hiding the Tornado from all types of sensors. The armor is also good enough to stop small-arms fire and even heavy weapons like a Flamer from hurting the wearer. A built-in HUD system provides a wealth of information on the suit and surrounding environment, including low-light and visual magnification gear, though some chose to forgo the protection and electronic aids for unimpeded hearing and vision. The suit does not aid mobility in any way though, so a Tornado squad is no faster than a comparable squad of foot infantry, though it does include two connection ports at the waist allowing modified weapons to draw energy from its military power pack.

The P12 Tornado was used multiple times throughout the thirtieth and thirty-first century by ComStar and its intelligence service ROM, particularly against the Draconis Combine, though in the wake of the ComStar Schism these suits also fell into the hands of the Word of Blake. During the infamous Operation Odysseus, Blakist special forces wearing Tornado suits were able to overpower the unarmored guards protecting Terra's SDS in advance of the main invasion force, and were later instrumental in securing the Titan Shipyards. While ComStar still maintains their P12 "Hurricane" models, the Word of Blake changed the designation of their Tornado suits designation to "G12" and altered the software and user interface, not only to prevent possible ComStar infiltration but to also enhance situational awareness so that users were less inclined to remove the helmet. Additionally they increased production of their Tornado suits, though not for their personal use since it had fallen out of favor for the SLDF Nighthawk suits which the Word of Blake could now build on their own. Instead these new "G12"s were used to equip Blakist marines and security troops as well as being sold to the Free Worlds League, with Free World Defense Industries producing their own versions of the suits on Gibson.

Weapons and Equipment
In a similar fashion to the Nighthawk it is based on, the Tornado mounts no integral weapon systems. It does, however, incorporate two Armored Gloves, allowing the wearer to use standard infantry weapons. The gloves also permit the wearer to perform anti-'Mech swarming attacks and to use the handholds on OmniMechs. The suit functions without the gloves as well, so a trooper can remove them to improve his or her manual dexterity at the expense of protection.

Variants

 * G13 : As newly built Nighthawk suits supplanted the Tornado as the PA(L) of choice for Blakist black ops, most G12s became hand-me-downs to regular infantry and marines. To better suit this more direct combat role, the Word of Blake began producing the G13 variant, based on the Achileus. Though retaining the stealth armor it removed the camo system in favor of a modular weapon mount in the right arm. BV (2.0) = 14
 * G13 (David) - This Tornado uses a "David" Light Gauss Rifle in the modular weapon mount. BV (2.0) = 15
 * G13 (Flamer) - This variant uses a Flamer in the modular weapon mount. BV (2.0) = 13
 * G13 (Grenade Launcher) - This variant uses an Automatic Grenade Launcher in the modular weapon mount. BV (2.0) = 9
 * G13 (MG) - This version uses a Machine Gun as its weapon. BV (2.0) = 13
 * G13 (Small Laser) - This variant uses a Small Laser. BV (2.0) = 18


 * G14 : Following requests to build a Tornado suit better able to support squads of G12s, G13s and unarmored infantry, the G14 model was designed which, instead of a camo system or weapon mount, featured an armored cargo bay able to carry 210kg of mission-specific equipment. BV (2.0) = 8


 * Hurricane P17 : This custom Tornado refit was produced by ComStar and developed under the supervision of Adept Kiran Michaelson-Lewis. The most surprising aspect of the suit is the fact it incorporates Clan technology, using Clan-built Stealth Armor for protection and removing the Camo System to make room for a single AP Gauss Rifle in the right arm and 10kg of armored cargo space in the main body. The P17 also featured improved motor systems allowing for a much higher ground speed than its relatives, reaching nearly 30 km/h.  How ComStar was able to acquire the technology necessary to build these suits is unknown, although they apparently spared no expense, and how many were actually built remains a mystery, with officially only a handful ever produced and deployed in a hunter-killer Level II unit.


 * G17 : While some units of the Word of Blake Protectorate Militia and a few Protectorate planetary militias were granted Tornado suits for their own special forces, TerraSec, Terra's planetary militia, began work on a prototype variant of their own around 3074. The G17 suit was equipped with Clan-spec Improved Stealth armor, VTOL Equipment able to cover 210 meters in a second, and an Extended Life Support system.  The project was spearheaded by Doctor Roger Fennault, a student of Doctor Devon Cortland who pioneered many Manei Domini designs. Prototypes of the G17 proved useful in several raids against Coalition command and logistical units during Operation SCOUR. If it had been produced in large numbers, Republic intelligence believes the battle of Terra would have been much more costly.

Design Quirks
The Hurricane P17 variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Difficult to Maintain
 * Non-Standard Parts
 * Prototype

The Tornado G17 variant has the following Design Quirks:
 * Bad Reputation
 * Difficult to Maintain