Difference between revisions of "Dispossessed"
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==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| − | The word carries a strong stigma. In the feudal societies that had formed after the fall of the [[Star League]], especially in the [[lostech]]-ridden final years of the [[Third Succession War]] at the beginning of the [[ | + | The word carries a strong stigma. In the feudal societies that had formed after the fall of the [[Star League]], especially in the [[lostech]]-ridden final years of the [[Third Succession War]] at the beginning of the [[thirty-first century]], a BattleMech virtually guaranteed its owner wealth and status. In many respects it was the equivalent to a medieval knighthood, and at the same time the actual arms and armor of the MechWarrior. Serving as a MechWarrior could result in a noble title, land grants and fiefs. Often, families or whole fiefs were dependent on the income of a single MechWarrior. |
Conversely, losing the 'Mech in battle or to a technical breakdown meant a sudden and drastic fall in social status, causing great grief. Many ''Dispossessed'' join conventional military branches (especially infantry or armor units), hoping that one day they can acquire a BattleMech through salvage. | Conversely, losing the 'Mech in battle or to a technical breakdown meant a sudden and drastic fall in social status, causing great grief. Many ''Dispossessed'' join conventional military branches (especially infantry or armor units), hoping that one day they can acquire a BattleMech through salvage. | ||
Revision as of 11:13, 23 May 2014
Dispossessed describes the state of having lost or otherwise not having a BattleMech at one's disposal in the BattleTech universe. It is typically used to contrast against the status of an active MechWarrior (pilot).
Description
The word carries a strong stigma. In the feudal societies that had formed after the fall of the Star League, especially in the lostech-ridden final years of the Third Succession War at the beginning of the thirty-first century, a BattleMech virtually guaranteed its owner wealth and status. In many respects it was the equivalent to a medieval knighthood, and at the same time the actual arms and armor of the MechWarrior. Serving as a MechWarrior could result in a noble title, land grants and fiefs. Often, families or whole fiefs were dependent on the income of a single MechWarrior.
Conversely, losing the 'Mech in battle or to a technical breakdown meant a sudden and drastic fall in social status, causing great grief. Many Dispossessed join conventional military branches (especially infantry or armor units), hoping that one day they can acquire a BattleMech through salvage.
Although typically meant in a permanent sense, the term can also be used to describe a temporary separation of a MechWarrior from his 'Mech, for example because a superior Lord denies the right to pilot a 'Mech (as it happened to Minobu Tetsuhara) or because the 'Mech and its pilot are shipped separately (the reason why Kai Allard-Liao piloted a borrowed 'Mech on Twycross).
The term has also been used to describe aerospace pilots who had lost their fighters.[1]
References
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3025, p. 162