compiled overview of the 75
ton Orion 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
The ON1-K
Orion is an
ancient BattleMech design. Created by the
Terran Hegemony as the first true
heavy 'Mech, the
Orion has acted as the
brute force of major offensives for nearly five hundred years. Even today, the
Orion is still a formidable
'Mech.
The original design was created to ensure the continued dominance of the Hegemony's
'Mechs. Commissioned in 2570, the
Orion first saw action in the bloody
Reunification Wars along the
Periphery. The original
Orion, the 1-C, did not have long-range missiles, and sported a Class 5
autocannon instead of the Class 10 it carries today.
The longevity of the
Orion is due to the simple, efficient placement of systems within the
'Mech's
roomy body.
Techs enjoy working on
Orions, marveling at the ease with which they can locate and replace faulty systems.
The
Free Worlds League is the only
Successor State currently manufacturing
Orions. The other States only occasionally produce spare parts for their
Orions.
The
Kali Yama Class 10 Autocannon is a temperamental weapon. To the mystification of
technicians who work on these
'Mechs, the autocannon ammunition
feed system, which draws new rounds from the
'Mech's torso, fails on a fairly regular basis. Oddly enough, if only nineteen rounds instead of twenty are placed in the weapon's clip, the autocannon does not
jam. The autocannon itself is placed
awkwardly, restricting right arm movement, and can be jarred out of alignment when struck accidentally.
The
DeathBloom15 long-range missile system is mounted on the
Orion's left shoulder. The system launches fifteen missiles in a very concentrated pattern, which is effective against both ground and air vehicles. Unfortunately, the
control cables of the missile launchers travel through a narrow shoulder area. Thus, the shoulder is subject to excessive heat, and the actuator and missile system frequently shuts down.
The other missile system, the
Irian Weapon Works Class 4 SRM, consists of four tubes mounted around the medium
laser on the left arm. Shooting short-range missiles, the system holds twenty-five rounds. Instead of four holes around the medium laser, the
Orion sports six holes,
the bottom two holes serving as hookup points for
coolant hoses so that excess heat can be purged by coolant trucks.
The
armor protection of the
Orion is excellent. It carries a total of 14.5 tons of armor spread across its squat frame, far more than many
'Mechs its own size. The center torso is the best protected, while the rear torso is least protected. The armor coupled with its speed makes the
Orion a formidable opponent.
The
Orion BattleMech has a long, colorful
history of battles, both large and small. In October of 2779, for example,
Earth was liberated from the hands of
Stefan the Usurper. General
Aleksandr Kerensky, in his olive-drab
Orion, accomplished the final act of this liberation by kicking open the thick
palace gates. All who witnessed this act understood the
fate of Stefan and his family.
In 2787, one of
Minoru Kurita's initial acts as "First Lord of the
Star League" was the virtual genocide of
Eblar. After fighting off the
garrison of
Federated Suns 'Mechs, a
regiment of
Kurita Orion pilots poisoned the sole water supply of the planet's largest city. Millions died.
During the tenth battle for the
Lyran planet of
Hesperus II,
Orions played a major role in the rout of
Kurita forces. The relief force, led by
Kommandant Katrina Steiner, left the planet from one hemisphere and dropped onto another hemisphere so swiftly that the enemy was caught totally off guard.
The
Fifth Defenders of Andurien of the
Free Worlds League is composed almost entirely of
Orions. Veterans of many campaigns against the
Lyran Commonwealth, they are one of the few units that do not apply new color schemes according to the type of battlefield in which they will fight. They choose to remain a royal purple, and have earned the nickname "
The Hunters".
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.