V5.00ˆÿÿZEmperorEMP-6EÑ njreêDêD°ApA@@MA 7 7 5 3 1— 3 && , ?< Imperator-A7 Magna Mk III? Imperator-A7 Magna Mk III9 Magna Mk I9 Magna Mk IOdSperry Browning????77 9Ïßd  ????77 9Ï   OÏìÿThe Emperor is one of the oldest known Battlemechs in existence and is found throughout the Inner Sphere and Periphery. Produced in very large numbers during the reign of the Star League, the basic hardiness and heavy armor of this assault mech has ensured a sizeable number remain operational 500 years later. Unfortunately the Emperor has not aged as gracefully as some other mechs and most surviving examples have been relegated to garrison, militia and second line units where their shortcomings are less apparent The original Emperor EMP-6A was constructed by StarCorps Industries for the SLDF and was equipped with many advanced technologies which have since been lost in the destruction wrought during the Succession Wars. In order to prevent these technologies from falling into the hands of the League's member states, as was standard practice at the time, only the SLDF had access to EMP-6A production. The Emperor soon gained a fearsome reputation from its exploits on the battlefield. The member states' desire to beef up their militaries with Battlemechs eventually resulted in StarCorps negotiating an agreement with the SLDF to produce a model without the more sophisticated elements of the original design in order to satisfy the overwhelming demand for 'mechs. The new EMP-6E was produced side by side with the original on Son Hoa and offworld until the destruction of the factories during the Second Succession War after several thousand had been constructed. Ironically, the very aspects of the EMP-6A which made it superior to the 6E eventually proved its undoing as slowly but surely the knowledge and resources to maintain and replace the sophisticated systems disappeared, rendering the 6A extinct. The 6E however survived and was used primarily as a fire support platform during assaults. Its heavy armor, efficient heat dissipation systems and ample ammunition supply gave it a reputation as a solid and persistent opponent, if somewhat lacking in outright destructive power compared to a Marauder or Stalker. ÁIn recent years the Emperor has not been involved in many large scale actions between the Great Houses, primarily because of the nature of the units it is usually assigned to. Countering enemy raids is the Emperor's main present day function, recently one ancient Emperor distinguishing itself in defence of the Liao capital during a Marik raid in 3022. Serving with the Chesterton Reserves the EMP-6E disabled a Firestarter, Hermes II and a Rifleman while defending an industrial complex, the latter after suffering an all too common hip actuator failure. Though immobilised, the old Emperor managed to bring to bear enough firepower to penetrate the autocannon magazine of the Rifleman, blowing it apart. Another noteworthy action involving an Emperor occured in the Taurian Concordant in 3024. An Emperor and a Battleax were tasked with delaying the advance of a lance of pirate mechs attempting to raid an isolated water purification plant while reinforcements were enroute. The Battleax's first two salvoes disabled a pirate Jenner but caused an immediate shutdown, leaving the EMP to deal with the remaining mechs. Absorbing many a missile and laser bolt first a Wasp and then a Commando fell under long range fire before the remaining mech, a Quickdraw, attempted a Death from Above attack. The Emperor bore the brunt of the attack on its left arm which was promptly severed and caused the targeting systems to short out. Without weapons and the Quickdraw regaining its feet a few metres away the Emperor somehow managed to close the gap and land a kick on the QKD's left leg, collapsing it completely and causing the pilot to surrender when prompted by a tap to the cockpit with the Emperors now somewhat battered foot. While these two skirmishes demonstrate the Emperors continued usefulness, despite its problems, it would be a desperate commander who committed one to action against a Warhammer or Marauder. ÿNo official variants are thought to have been produced before the factories were destroyed in the Second Succession War but local modifications are not uncommon. Often the large lasers are removed along with some heat sinks and salvaged LRM 10s installed. This arrangement generally allows the Emperor pilot to stand off from any fighting and play a purely fire support role, reducing the amount of manoeuvring to a bare minimum and sparing the mechs temperamental actuators from further strain.  +That the EMP-6E has survived almost 500 years of combat is a testament to the resilience of the design, however very few examples are in full working order and the targeting and tracking systems in particular tend to be unreliable in this day and age simply because replacement parts are non existent. The knee and hip actuators are also known to be prone to seizing and it is generally regarded as unwise to keep the Emperor at its maximum speed of 54 kph for any length of time. Compounding the problem, most House militaries don't consider the spending of precious assault mech specification parts on Emperors as a worthwhile investment. On the contrary, an Emperor is often stripped of its large lasers to repair a battle damaged RFL-3N Rifleman, for example. Because of this, most Emperor's have been allocated to planetary militias, garrison units and training academies where any mech is better than none and wear and tear is kept to a minimum. The only places an Emperor is likely to be seen in front line combat is in the Periphery and amongst the various bandit groups which plague the region. Despite these problems, many an unwary pirate raider has fallen foul of an Emperor's guns and its sheer size often gives light and medium mechs a good reason to avoid it. ‡Originally mentioned in the original TR3025 as an ancient & outdated mech , the EMP eventually made it into TR3058 as a highly advanced machine. I've created a TR for what the 3025 version might have been had it made it into the revised 3025 TR, in keeping with the fluff which indicates while the EMP is available, its not very desirable and relegated to 2nd line positions as a result.  [ none ]StarCorps IndustriesSon HoaGMArcShield VII Mk 5Titan Super TZ-7EATelestar Model XTD-67A1Starlight Seeker LX-4K (Unknown)