Nightstar

Description
The Introduction Year::2767 genesis of the Nightstar lies in the Amaris Civil War, when it was noticed that unit commanders, most of whom were piloting Marauder BattleMechs, were being targeted by troops loyal to Stefan Amaris. The 'Mech itself was only produced until the first year of the First Succession War, Production Ceased::2786, when both of the factories capable of producing the Nightstar were destroyed or had their engineers die - the Norse-Storm factory was savaged in a Marik raid, while the General Motors engineers on Kathil died in a freak accident. About two hundred and fifty years later, the Nightstar began production in both halves of the Federated Commonwealth and, since then, has become a popular 'Mech in both the AFFS and the LAAF.

Weapons and Equipment
The Nightstar has a top speed of 54 km/h that is provided by a powerful Pitban 285 XL Engine. The Nightstar has a respectable amount of armor for its weight, at eighteen and a half tons, rivaling that of most other assault 'Mechs. To dissipate the waste heat from the 'Mechs impressive arsenal, the Nightstar has fourteen double heat sinks.

The Nightstar is armed to keep an enemy at standoff ranges. To keep an enemy at as long of a range as possible, the primary weapons carried are a pair of Norse-Storm Model 7D Gauss Rifles, each of which can strip almost a ton of armor off an enemy unit. These are backed up by a Defiance 1001 ER PPC that is capable of hitting a target at six hundred and ninety meters. For defense at short ranges, the 'Mech has two Defiance P5M Medium Pulse Lasers and an Exostar Small Laser.

Variants

 * NSR-9FC : Reconfigured for greater speed, the 9FC variant of the Nightstar replaces the two Gauss Rifles with a pair of LB-X Autocannon/10s that are not as destructive as the weapons they replace, but can use both standard and cluster ammunition, making them effective in a variety of roles. The Small Laser has also been upgraded and the Medium Pulse Lasers downgraded, giving the Nightstar a total of three Medium Lasers. To make the 'Mech fit better into the mobile warfare doctrine of the Federated Suns and Federated Commonwealth, the 9FC model has used the saved weight to upgrade its engine, giving it a top speed of 64.8 km/h. BV (1.0) = 1,600, BV (2.0) = 1,929


 * NSR-9SS : Originally developed for use in the arenas of Solaris VII, the 9SS is produced by Norse-Storm. The long-range weaponry of the 9J is removed and replaced with an Ultra Autocannon/20 and an LB-X Autocannon/20. The two guns are each incredibly powerful at short range, enabling the 9SS to obliterate enemies incredibly quickly. Three tons of ammunition for each ensure that this variant of the Nightstar has some staying power. A half of a ton of armor is removed to make way for three jump jets, enabling the 9SS to vault up to ninety meters at a time so that it can more effectively bring its autocannons to bear. Three Medium Pulse Lasers back up the autocannons and provide the only firepower should they run out of ammunition. Also of note is the loss of both lower arm and hand actuators to make space for the weapons and equipment fielded. BV (1.0) = 1,763, BV (2.0) = 2,149

Custom Variants

 * NSR-9J Nightstar Brubaker : The personal machine of Shelly Brubaker, this Nightstar variant replaced the standard weapons with Clan-spec weapons: Two Gauss Rifles, three Large Pulse Lasers, and an ER Small Laser. BV (2.0) = 2,838


 * NSR-9J Nightstar Holt : The personal 'Mech of Holt's Hilltoppers commander Chief George Holt, his customized Nightstar is fitted with Clan tech weaponry, a Gauss Rifle in each arm fed from a combined four tons of ammo supported by an ER PPC in right torso, a Large Pulse Laser in left torso and a ER Small Laser in the head. An Angel ECM Suite protects Holt from modern electronics while Triple Strength Myomer enhance its speed and strength during heavy combat.

Apocryphal Variants
''These variants were introduced in MechWarrior Online, and thus far have not appeared in any canonical media.


 * NSR-9S : A slight modification of the -9SS, the -9S replaces the LB 20-X AC with another Ultra AC-20. 6 tons of ammo feeds both autocannons, although both CASE systems are removed.


 * NSR-9P : Four Ultra Autocannon/5s, one in each arm and side torso, fed by 5 tons of ammo, provides withering firepower, the pulse lasers remain, while a Streak SRM-6 is mounted in the center torso. An Anti-Missile System, fed by a ton of ammo, replaces the head-mounted small laser. 11 Double Heat Sinks is enough for the relatively heat-efficient weapons, although a half-ton of armor is removed.


 * NSR-10P : An Ultra Autocannon/2 and Ultra Autocannon/5 is mounted in each arm, fed by two tons of ammo for each class, the ERPPC remains, while the Small Laser is upgraded to an ER Medium Laser. For protection the armor is upgraded to 17 and a half tons of Light Ferro-Fibrous weave, while a Guardian ECM Suite protects against enemy electronics.


 * NSR-WP Wolf Phoenix : While Shelly Brubaker's Nightstar mounted Clan weaponry, Mechwarrior Online's version on Brubaker uses all Inner Sphere tech. The Wolf Phoenix mounts a Large Laser and Medium Pulse Laser in each arm, with a Streak SRM-4 and Streak SRM-6 in each side torso, fed by 7 tons of ammo. Although the armor protection is decreased by half a ton, the use of a Standard engine allows for much greater survivability.

Design Quirks
The Nightstar has the following Design Quirks:
 * Command BattleMech
 * Good Reputation (1)
 * Variable Range Targeting
 * Difficult to Maintain

Notable Pilots

 * Tancred Sandoval piloted a Nightstar during the FedCom Civil War, up until its destruction during the Battle of New Avalon.
 * Colonel Shelly Brubaker of Wolf's Dragoons piloted a Nightstar during the Jade Falcon Incursion of 3058.