Overview:
Starting out in the planet of Franklin, Sarao Steelworks was a civilian vehicle
manufacturer for the Federated Suns during the first Star League Era, before
expanding to manufacturing and supplying Industrialmech parts. Eventually, the
company expanded into building 'mechs themselves; first by gaining a licence
from Eden Corporation to produce their own Crosscut Industrialmechs, and later
on, they started building Wasps for the AFFS.
After the passing of the Preparedness Act of 2735, Sarao Steelworks saw an
opportunity to expand and create their own in-house designed battlemech, The
company's efforts resulted in a 35-ton battlemech known as the Franscisca, in
which the design was quickly picked up by the AFFS.
The DCMS occupation of Franklin during the First Succession War halted the
production of the Francisca battlemech, as the invaders appeared to have
destroyed the "main" battlemech facilities. However, the Kuritans actually
destroyed a near-perfect replica of the facilities, as Sarao Steelworks
actually built their "batttlemech" facilities underground, and duped the
invaders into assuming otherwise, with a little help from the Gorgon batallion;
the actual reason for the halt in production was due to lack of supplies.
After Franklin was liberated and returned to the Davion fold, Sarao Steelworks
started 'mech production once again, starting with the Wasps, and later on with
the Francisca, once the supply lines have been re-established.
Capabilities:
Named after a type of throwing axe used in the Early Middle Ages by the Franks,
the Francisca was intended to be a direct competitor and/or replacement to the
Wasp and Stinger battlemechs currently fielded by the AFFS; although it failed
to completely do the latter, the Francisca was still purchased and deployed in
signifcant numbers. Just like the "Bug 'mechs" that it is competing against,
the Francisca has a top speed of 97.2 km/h, and has comparable jumping distance
courtesy of five jump jets, with one per leg, one per side torso, and one on
the center torso; this arrangement allows the Francisca to "twist" in mid-air
more easily, as well as lessening the stress put on the legs while jumping or
landing. It also helps that the Francisca has 6.5 tons of armor protection,
which is expected since the 'mech is virtually twice as heavy as its
competition.
The Francisca has an eclectic mix of armaments, consisting of two Federated
5-Shot LRM-5 launchers for long-range bombardment, with one per side torso, and
supplied with one ton of ammo; the LRM ammo was initially planned to be placed
in the center torso, but persistent jamming issues led to the ammo bin being
installed on the left torso instead. Backing up the missile launchers are two
arm-mounted ChisComp 39 Medium Lasers, with one mounted per arm, as well as one
ChisComp 32 Small Laser on the head. Finally, the Francisca also has a hand
actuator on each arm, allowing the 'mech to grapple, grab, or punch (or flip
the bird) if the situation calls for it. With only ten heat sinks to keep the
'mech cool, the pilot must keep an eye on the heat gauge.
Deployment:
Prior to the fall of the Star League, the Francisca was often deployed in AFFS
units that were garrisoning worlds on the border with the Periphery, as well as
units that got involved in the Third Hidden War.
In the ranks of the AFFS, the Francisca is primarily deployed in recon lances,
often being paired up with Valkyries or Phoenix Hawk battlemechs.
Variants:
FRC-5B
- A relatively popular variant, this model swaps the two LRMs for two SRM-4
launchers, turning the Francisca into a dedicated close-combat machine.
FRC-5C
-Almost similar to the 5B, but this model drops the Small Laser and shaves off
a half-ton of armor, in favor of a machine gun on the head, for anti-infantry
combat. This variant is often used for city fighting.
FRC-5D
-A minor field modification of the original, this variant drops the LRM-5 on
the right torso, in exchange for a Medium Laser and another heat sink.
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Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 58 points 3.50
Engine: Fusion Engine 210 9.00
Walking MP: 6
Running MP: 9
Jumping MP: 5 Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 LL, 1 RL 2.50
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 10 0.00
Heat Sink Locations: 1 LL, 1 RL
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 104 6.50
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 11 15
Center Torso (rear) 6
L/R Torso 8 11
L/R Torso (rear) 5
L/R Arm 6 10
L/R Leg 8 11
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser RA 3 1 1.00
Medium Laser LA 3 1 1.00
LRM-5 RT 2 1 2.00
LRM-5 LT 2 1 2.00
Small Laser HD 1 1 0.50
@LRM-5 (24) LT - 1 1.00
Free Critical Slots: 34
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 3 Points: 9
6/3j 2 2 1 0 1 0 Structure: 3
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA, IF 1
