Revenant (Individual Orion BattleMech)

(Redirected from Aleksandr Kerensky's Orion)
This article is about the individual 'Mech. For other uses, see Revenant.
Protector (MWO Hero 'Mech) redirects here.


One of the most famous BattleMechs in history, Revenant is the Orion piloted by both legendary Commanding General of the Star League Defense Force Aleksandr Kerensky and, some two centuries later, by future Draconis Combine Coordinator Theodore Kurita.[1][2]

Notably, the Revenant moniker was only applied during Kurita's use of the 'Mech.[2] Kerensky may never have bestowed his 'Mech with a name, though apocryphally a MWO Hero 'Mech was created for Kerensky's Orion with the designation ON1-P "Protector" (see MWO Hero 'Mech below).

Operational History[edit]

Service with Aleksandr Kerensky[edit]

Aleksandr Kerensky would first choose to pilot an Orion in 2718, and while occasionally piloting other 'Mechs including briefly an Atlas II in combat during the New Vandenberg Uprising,[3] he would form a lifelong bond with the Orion. Mindful of its age and ever seeking an edge in combat, the methodical Kerensky would order multiple upgrades be performed on the 'Mech, resulting in substantial modification over its service life, including some of the Star League's most advanced and experimental systems[1]

Kerensky would pilot his Orion during the Rim Worlds Republic campaign and last stages of Operation LIBERATION, most notably combat during the assault of the Star League's capital, Unity City. There, he became a main target of the Rim Worlds forces, and on at least two occasions was almost overwhelmed and saved by his bodyguards.[4]

As the tyrant Stefan Amaris wasn't found in the capital after it fell, Kerensky led the search from his Orion, finally finding him in the Imperial Palace in the Canadian wilderness. There, on 29 September 2779, Kerensky would dramatically kick open the palace's gates with his Orion, with the General's aide Aaron DeChavilier's Atlas following him. In the palace's courtyard, Kerensky accepted Amaris's surrender, putting an end to Amaris-Kerensky Civil War.[5][2]

When Kerensky later initiated Operation EXODUS, he took his Orion with him to the Draconis Combine system of New Samarkand where the Exodus fleet gathered. By this point, the heavy wear and tear of decades of fighting had left it barely functional. This led Kerensky himself to order it stripped of its advanced systems and left it abandoned, with lots of useless equipment, at an asteroid junkyard in the system in September 2784 before his EXODUS fleet departed the Inner Sphere.[1][2][6]

Service with Theodore Kurita[edit]

Little more than a gutted shell, the remnants of Kerensky's 'Mech lay untouched for some two centuries, until it was recovered by a Kuritan exploration mission on the system led by Florimel Kurita at some point during the Third Succession War,[2][6] prior to 3018.

With the LosTech decline of the Succession Wars era preventing them from replicating Kerensky's unique loadout, which they were probably unaware of, House Kurita technicians (with the help of equipment procured from a Free Worlds League factory said to be the only one at the time still producing Orions) instead restored the 'Mech as a more mundane ON1-K variant, bestowed by Florimel Kurita as a gift to the young Theodore Kurita upon his graduation on 18 May 3018.

Theodore Kurita for his part was honored to receive the 'Mech that had originally belonged to the legendary General Kerensky, and named it Revenant.[7] He even researched the original paint scheme in order to restore it and, after authenticating it, applied the dark olive paint himself, only exchanging the Star League markings for those of the Draconis Combine.[7]

The outbreak of the Fourth Succession War found Theodore Kurita in command of the Legion of Vega on Marfik with his 'Mech, where a Lyran Commonwealth invasion specifically sought to capture the Kurita prince. Eventually, he opted to switch 'Mechs with his subordinate Sho-sa Esau Olivares and escaped on the DropShip Arctic Fox with Olivares's Victor in late September 3028. Piloting the Revenant in Kurita's stead, Olivares meanwhile led Kathleen Heany's forces on a merry chase as a diversion, until the 'Mech was finally destroyed in an artillery barrage on or shortly after 27 September 3028.[8][2]

Museum Piece[edit]

While the 'Mech as such was ultimately unsalvageable, at least its cockpit was removed and ended up in a BattleMech museum on Solaris VII.[9] In 3145 that world's Wolf Empire garrison received a surprise batchall from the Scorpion Empire's Seeker Galaxy specifically to secure the Museum. The shocked Wolves granted them Clan honors; elements of the Second Seeker Cluster subsequently defeated elements of the defending Ninth Wolf Cavalry, loading the priceless artifacts including the Great Father's 'Mech's cockpit before departing Wolf Empire space.[2]

Technical Characteristics[edit]

Starting out as a standard Star League era ON1-K model, Kerensky's Orion initially mounted an Armstrong Class 10 Autocannon, Harpoon-15 LRM launcher, two Starfish medium lasers and a Holly 4 SRM Launcher. Frequent tinkering and upgrades led to substantial modification over its service life.[1]

One of the most notable modifications saw the removal of the LRM-15 launcher and Autocannon/10 to add an experimental Snub-Nose PPC in the left torso and an Artemis IV Fire Control System for the SRMs. Fitted in a gimbal mounting controlled by myomer bundles, the Snub-Nose PPC could be skewed by Kerensky toward the centerline of the 'Mech to deliver precision fire at point-blank range. After extensive structural reinforcement, the right torso was fitted with a Gauss rifle in the former location of the autocannon. The medium lasers from the original model were retained. Finally, ferro-fibrous armor and CASE were used for added protection for the SRM reloads and against Gauss rifle detonation.[1][10]

These and other upgrades paled in comparison to the extensive changes Kerensky had had made in the cockpit, with a custom Studebaker-T19 command and control interface wrapped around the Orion's standard SLDF command couch and Neurohelmet system. A masterful system only possible during the height of the Star League, the S-T19 included "smart-assist" software capable of automatically identifying and bringing forward communications and tactical displays to assist Kerensky in determining when a particular combat command needed strategic guidance or needed his attention. However, the brutal fighting against the forces of Stefan Amaris eventually meant the S-T19 system could no longer function without crashing the 'Mech's control systems. This was a key factor in Kerensky's decision to order the 'Mech be abandoned.[1]

With Kurita technicians unable to replicate the advanced and experimental systems it once mounted, when restoring it Theodore Kurita they did so as the Succession War era standard ON1-K variant. The Revenant would mount a KaliYama Class 10 Autocannon/10, KaliYama Death Bloom LRM-15 launcher, two Irian Weapons Works medium lasers and a Irian Weapons Works SRM-4 launcher.[2]

MWO Hero 'Mech[edit]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

MechWarrior Online Legends created a Hero 'Mech named ON1-P Protector based on Kerensky's Orion. It should be noted, however, that despite its valid license this game, like all computer games, is in no position to add canonical content to the BattleTech universe. Consequently, the name and configuration it gives for Kerensky's Orion is apocryphal.

The ON1-P Protector as described by MWO features Double Heat Sinks. In the place of the regular model's autocannon, it carries a Gauss rifle and the LRM-15 was replaced with a PPC. The SRM-4 launcher was moved from the arm to the left torso. The medium lasers in each arm remained unchanged.

Apocryphal Content Ends

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 BattleTech: Legends, p. 17: "ON1-K Orion"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 BattleTech: Legends, p. 57: "ON1-K Orion - Revenant"
  3. The Star League, p. 81
  4. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 105
  5. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 107
  6. 6.0 6.1 Heir to the Dragon, ch. 6, p. 31
  7. 7.0 7.1 Heir to the Dragon, ch. 8, p. 39
  8. Heir to the Dragon, ch. 27, pp. 128–133
  9. Solaris VII: The Game World - Player's Handbook, p. 26: "International Zone - Points of Interest"
  10. Record Sheets: 3050 Unabridged (Inner Sphere), p. 204

Bibliography[edit]