compiled overview of the 35
ton Talon 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
Fast, well armed, and heaviliy armored, the
Talon was designed to complement the
SLDF's
Mongoose light command
'Mech. Though the
Talon weighs ten tons more than the
Mongoose, it is just as fast as the smaller
'Mech. After witnessing the
Talon's impressive combat trials in the fall of 2669, the
Star League High Command ordered the
'Mech into full-scale production. In may of 2670, the
Talon reached the first frontline light
'Mech companies.
With a top speed of more than 130 kph, the
Talon is one of the fastest of the
Star League-era
'Mechs, surpassed only by the
Hussar and the
Hermes. To achieve this speed, the design team used a Vox 280 XL
engine, one of the most efficient
fusion plants produced. To help the
Talon withstand combat, the design team gave it the maximum armor protection possible for its chassis. In addition, the
Talon carries three impressive weapons.
The
'Mech's primary weapon is an extended-range
PPC, which gives the
Talon excellent striking power at all ranges. Rounding out the
Talon's weapons are two medium
lasers. Because all its weapons are energy based, the
Talon can remain in the feild for extended periods of time without needing ammunition reloads. This capability makes the
Talon a valuable asset of any light
'Mech company.
During the
First Succession War many of the Houses formed raiding companies of combined
Mongoose/
Talon lances consisting of one
Mongoose and three
Talons. The
Talons provided long-range fire support with their
PPCs while the
Mongoose advanced, sweeping the surrounding areas with its
Beagle active probe in search of camouflaged enemy positions. If the
Mongoose ran into something it could not handle, it would
speed away under the covering fire of the
Talon.
Unfortunately,
missions like this were extremely dangerous even when
everything went according to plan. Once things fell apart, the
lance commander's
'Mech was invariably the first to fall, depriving the unit of its leader at the time they needed him most.
As the meat grinder of the
Succession Wars progressed, more and more
Talon/
Mongoose raiding companies were lost. In 2815 the last
Talon production facility vanished in a
thermonuclear fireball, and by 2830 the last known
Talon had been cannibalized for parts.
In 3056
Blackstone opened a new
Talon production line, though the company has yet to begin full-scale production they recently announced plans to produce at least two runs of the
Talon.
Eighteen
Talons currently help patrol the Jade Falcon-
Lyran Alliance border. The
'Mechs have yet to see combat, but that could change soon.
Note: Information used here was the domain of FASA before they split the rights between Wizkids LLC and Microsoft (table-top gaming and video games respectively). Copyright of the fluff text is in limbo, but names of persons, places, & things are without any doubt the property of Wizkids LLC. Use of any terms here related to the BattleTech trademark are not meant as a challenge to Wizkids LLC's rights.