Black Cat

Specifications
Use	Stealth Heavy Gear
Production Code	HACS-01LG-STH
Manufacturer	Shaian HyperionRacetech
Height	4.1 meters
Speed	Walker: 65 kph SMS: 92 kph

Probably one of the most mysterious machines presently in use in any Terranovan army, the Black Cat’s history is shrouded in secrecy.

The tale began in the last days of the War: the allied forces of Terra Nova needed a fast, discreet Gear to infiltrate Earth’s few remaining defense lines — all of them under heavy surveillance — and either report on enemy activity or conduct raids. The machine had to be light, maneuverable and very adaptable. The modern Jaguar proved to be relatively too slow and cumbersome for the job, though its armor afforded at least a decent amount of protection.

Next in line for consideration was the Cheetah: it could run quite fast (65kph) and was considered one of the most agile Gears in service. Mobility won over brute strength and it was decided to fund a crash development program that would start with the Cheetah frame and create the required raider/recon unit. From the start, it was decided that the new Gear would feature some of the best stealth technology available in that field. If it could not carry heavy armor, at least it would not be exposed to enemy fire as much.

Shaian Mechanics set out to build the new machine’s frame, while Hyperion Werks handled the Gear’s stealth systems and outer covering. Racetech, a well-known tire company, supplied the numerous high grade rubberized parts required by the design, even though they did not know much about the project. The Black Cat’s body panels were slightly more angular than its forebears’ and their relative lack of surface features hid a remarkebly complex composite structure.

The exact nature of the materials used for the body panels remains jealously guarded by Hyperion Werk’s engineers and the Northern military command, even cycles after the end of the War. Rumors have it that it would be a radar absorbing variant of the armoplast material already widely used by Terranovan manufacturers, but no one is talking. The final head module was totally different from the one sported by the Cheetah, with new and updated sensors. A superconductive battery, which can be recharged via a small gas turbine, furnishes the energy, allowing nearly complete stealth if necessary.

Usage

Most of the operations conducted by Black Cats during the War remain secret, buried in the files of some shadowy Northern intelligence service department. What few reports came to the public ear were always spectacular tales of daring, and the reputation of the Black Cat grew steadily, even though the total number of people that could claim to have actually seen one from close by is probably in the low hundred.

Stories were often told by soldiers sitting around campfire, of how their unit, stranded in hostile ground and taking heavy incoming fire, was suddenly rescued by a lone black Heavy Gear. It would jump out of nowhere, dancing around the deadly barrage of tracers of the enemy forces, then proceed to cut them down where they stood with autocannon fire and vibroknife slashes. Then it would vanish once more into the night. Such tales were often the fabulations of war-weary spirits, but there is certainly some elements of truth behind them. It was confirmed, long after the War, that some Black Cat pilots had used their machines’ special characteristics to conduct such raids.

The Black Cat does officially exist, but its use is shrouded in secrecy, especially since the end of the War. Black Cats are deployed in remote bases with heavy security, and no one is allowed to step even remotely near. Defenses are rumored to include even deadly minefields, but no one has made it this far: they are always warned off by pleasant but firm guards. Some outraged citizens are accusing the government of a continual cover up, but few people listen to them, especially when they declare that the never-seen Black Cats must surely be guarding a captured alien spacecraft or some such.

The Black Cat is suspected by serious military sources of being used as a very specialized search and destroy unit for various black operations, but no formal proofs of such operations ever being done in the South territories has been found yet. There are no officially acknowledged variations on the Black Cat chassis, though military observers and enthusiasts alike can point out to a dozen potential configurations for the machine. Very few pilots are assigned Black Cats; they are usually veterans who have a very high security clearance.

Media

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