Rhodes Project

The Rhodes Project was a Republic of the Sphere miltary development project, to create combat-ready Ultraheavy BattleMechs.

History

Sometime after the Blackout, when chaos erupted across the Inner Sphere, the Republic of the Sphere was forced to militarize themselves to survive, as they were attacked across all their space by multiple factions. One of their mainstay characteristics was the use of the most advanced technology available, and the creation of new weapons or upgrading of old ones. The most characteristic investigation program was to create a BattleMech bigger than any other, a real mobile fortress. Though it wasn't a new concept: two centuries before, Stefan Amaris attempted the same, with what later was called Amaris' Folly, the Matar, which became a total failure. However, the concept has success probabilities: the Clans later used the Matar's plans to create the Stone Rhino, a incredibly powerful 'Mech. During the Jihad, the Blakists refined it further with the impressive war machine Omega, though it didn't survive the era.

The Republic charged the project to Rhodes Foundry, located on the planet Devil's Rock. The first attempts, like the Orca, failed, and even the first really successful ultraheavy Poseidon only saw limited use. But the final version, the Ares, was the only real one produced in masse, though it failed to prevent the Republic's fall during the Battle of Terra. However, it still was the biggest and most powerful 'Mech ever created to the date.

Rhodes Project BattleMechs

• Orca
• Poseidon
• Ares

Gallery

• 

  Rhodes Project logo

Bibliography

• Technical Readout: 3145