V5.00ˆò KMarauderMAD-4Tò m3 þD þD A€AÀ@MH 6 6 4 3 21 4 ,   " :Magna Hellstar:Magna Hellstar? Pontiac Light<Diverse Optics Type 27P<Diverse Optics Type 27P:::<Ï:::<????  âÿçMarauder. The mere mention of the name puts fear in the hearts of MechWarriors. Its familiar hunched over profile and turret-mounted autocannon have been the bane of soldiers since the days of the hated Star League. Despite this ill-conceived pedigree, when the Taurian Concordat "acquired" the plans to make it towards the end of the League's life, it put the superior machine into production. The centuries since have seen its advanced technologies fade away, incapable of being maintained, but the Marauder has remained the premier Taurian command BattleMech in heavy and assault lances. Only the more nimble Griffin competes with it in that role, but when maximum firepower is more important than mobility the Marauder has won their private competition. The rise of the upgraded Griffin threatened to derail this trend though, as the Griffin 3T could average nearly as much damage over time as the standard Marauder. Morton Grenadine, Taurus Territorial Industries' chief executive officer, saw the trend and worried that future sales of the Marauder could suffer. To cut this trend as quickly as possible, he tasked his engineers with upgrading the Marauder. As with the Commando and the Griffin, cost was a major issue as the TDF had little spare money to use in BattleMech procurement.fCosting a mere half-million C-Bills more than the Marauder 3R, the 4T version was born in less than a year and went into final testing in early 3056. New freezer heat sink technology allowed the engineers to trim several tons of weight off the design, most of which was used to increase armor levels to the maximum load the Marauder frame could carry. Some of the saved weight was used to upgrade the old Martell medium lasers to newer Diverse Optics pulse weaponry though, along with the inclusion of CASE hardware to protect the autocannon's ammunition. The resulting Marauder 4T could fire all of its long-range weaponry without overheating, an impressive expansion of its offensive capabilities. Morton Grenadine was reportedly overjoyed at the demonstration put on by the first prototype, when it destroyed a Griffin 3T without taking a single armor breach in return. The initial demonstration also showed the capability of the Marauder's upgraded electronics systems to easily coordinate large units while not distracting the pilot more than needed, making it look like the superior command BattleMech once again.nGrenadine sent the prototype and the first partial run of Marauder 4Ts to the TDF, which promptly sent them to the Concordat Jaegers for battlefield testing. Needing to clear a number of worlds in what was quickly becoming the New Colony Region, the Jaegers' third battalion soon deployed for action. On a dozen worlds, including a heavy battle over the remains of a Star League factory on Detroit, the Marauder 4Ts proved to be capable of easily destroying any pirate 'Mech that crossed them. But more often than not, the new Marauders rarely had to do so as their improved tracking and communications systems allowed the commander to route allied forces to intercept and deal with the enemy unit without involving the command lance. In one instance however, a mixed company of pirate vehicles and BattleMechs hiding in a ravine ambushed the Jaegers' command lance. In less than a minute, only the Marauder 4T in command still stood, surrounded by the remains of the ambushing force. Instead of attempting retreat or surrender, the commander charged the pirate commander's Warhammer, firing all his weapons. While heavily overheated and having taken heavy damage doing so, the Marauder finished the battle by placing its Magna Hellstar particle cannon over the Warhammer's cockpit at point blank range and showing the pirate a taste of Hell. When the heavily wounded Marauder turned to deal with the other pirates, they were in full retreat, unwilling to fight the BattleMech that had executed their commander. An old Marauder never could have survived the battle, and ROMs of it have been used in numerous marketing campaigns since. The battlefield testing also found a number of flaws in the new electronics systems, but TTI engineers soon ironed those out for inclusion in the new production. Patches were also shipped to all units in testing, bringing them to full combat readiness.»Morton Grenadine has placed plans in motion to outfit the Marauder with a larger XL engine he plans to acquire from the young Alpha Trading Corporation, but so far the design is a mere dream. Current projections suggest that it will be forced to lose heat dissipation and armor to maintain its offensive weaponry, but Grenadine hopes to market this faster Marauder 5TC to the Taurian regiments that pride themselves on speed above all things. Brigadier James Howard Commander of the Concordat Jaegers' third battalion, he instantly fell in love with the Marauder 4T shipped to him and used it throughout the campaign in the New Colony Region. It was his lance that was ambushed on Detroit, and he showed his bloody mindedness that day. He also showed an utter unwillingness to ever surrender, a trait his superiors have duly noted. He still pilots the original Marauder sent to him for testing, even though it took months to repair after Detroit, and considers it his guardian angel.9Marauder 4Ts have been shipped to every regiment in the Taurian Concordat, where many battalion and regimental commanders have begun adopting them. They are still outnumbered by their chief rival, the Griffin 3T, but have begun to make headway in returning the Marauder to the heights of its pre-3050 popularity.  >C:\Program Files\HeavyMetal\Pro\Bmps\Unseen\3025 Marauder1.JPGTaurus Territorial IndustriesTaurus / TC (TTI)VlarDurallex Heavy with CASE GM MarauderO/P 4000 COMSET O/P 1600 ARB (Unknown)