Omega (BattleMech)

Manufactured in small numbers by Skobel MechWorks from their facilities in the Russia region of Terra prior to the fall of the Word of Blake, the Omega represented the first truly viable superheavy BattleMech design to appear on the battlefield. Although the Omega was a prototype, almost thirty of the huge 'Mechs were produced by Skobel prior to the Superheavy manufacturing wing of their Russian facility being destroyed during Operation SCOUR. The bulk of these 'Mechs were deployed in and around the Devils Peak command post used for Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais' final stand, but some Omegas also saw service around Hilton Head and in Cairo.

Although the concept of a superheavy 'Mech had already been explored by the Terran Hegemony centuries before, and later by Amaris forces, with the Matar as example, and the Clans polished that concept launching the Stone Rhino, it wasn't until the Word of Blake overcame the problems associated with such a massive design that the Omega became viable. Featuring an Endo Steel skeleton larger and bulkier than any seen before, oversized actuators and a new myomer system that involved both larger fiber bundles than standard and the use of hybrid myomers, the Blakists were able to overcome a number of flaws discovered by those who had explored the Superheavy 'Mech concept in the past. The resulting internal structure was far larger than would be viable for any conventional BattleMech, but in the case of the Omega, resulted in a working superheavy design that stood half again as tall as the 100-ton King Crab, from which the designers had evidently taken a number of cues.

The Omega was powered by an extralight Vlar 300 engine, but other than the unusual internal structure, myomers and actuators, featured relatively mundane armor, cockpit and weapon systems. The weight and nature of the Omega as a superheavy design demanded the use of a Heavy Duty Gyro, but even with the added weight from the enhanced gyro the Omega featured a spacious frame for fitting weapons and equipment into, and each Omega boasted an Improved C3 Computer. Wrapped in twenty-seven tons of armor and with the arms and torso areas protected by CASE II, each Omega was a rugged machine capable of weathering huge amounts of fire, and the combination of weapons made it capable of acting as a lethal defense unit and even as a serviceable anti-aircraft platform. However, as might be expected from such a huge 'Mech, the Omega also proved slow and cumbersome, and all of the prototypes produced by Skobel are believed to have been destroyed in action. The only known exception was in planet Solaris, where, after the Jihad, the Kuritan stables possess at least a functional Omega, which was sometimes used in the arena Ishiyama, to face assault Mechs.

Weapons and Equipment
Each Omega mounted an Imperator Code Red LB 10-X Autocannon in each arm, with an M-7 Gauss Rifle mounted in each of the three torso areas. The autocannon were each supplied with two tons of ammunition, while a total of ten tons of ammunition for the Gauss Rifles was distributed around the torso areas of the 'Mech. The superheavy construction of the Omega made it the first 'Mech capable of mounting an Inner Sphere standard Gauss Rifle with ammunition and CASE II in the center torso.

Variants

 * SHP-5R : Developed as part of the Republic's research into superheavy designs, this Omega model replaces the Endo-Steel skeleton of the original with a standard superheavy skeleton. The Gauss Rifles were also replaced with Heavy PPCs, but this model is considered inferior to the original.

Quirks
The Omega has six Design Quirks:
 * Command BattleMech
 * Distracting
 * Hard To Pilot
 * Obsolete/3079
 * Prototype
 * Rumble Seat