Leviathan

The Leviathan is one of the flagship products of Tiegel's MachtWerk and has been so for roughly 300 years. A monstrous 100 tons Assault Mech designed to be a juggernaut and an anchor amidst battle lines, it is armed with a mix of Ballistic and Energy weapon systems.

## Technical Information

### Armament

* 2x Gauss Rifles
* 8x Medium Lasers
* 2x Anti-Missile Systems

### BV

2617

The Leviathan was designed as a direct response to the introduction of the AS7-D Atlas that suddenly appeared in SLDF Royal Divisions in 2755. Though it had not been deployed in any conflict and remained relatively secret for a time, spies and informants of the Rim World Republics were quick to bring back information about the newly introduced design, which sparked a certain amount of concern. Six years later, the first Leviathans began to enter production and to equip the Elite regiments of the Rim Worlds Army's Imperial Divisions. They re-used several design elements from the highly successful Fire Eel medium Mech, drastically up-scaled and reinforced, and therefore share an aesthetic similarity with them.

The design saw its baptism of fire within the bloody conflict known as the Amaris Civil War, where it was used to destroy SLDF fortresses or as reserves to be used to blunt spearheads of SLDF Assault Mechs. The Leviathan proved capable in combat, able to engage multiple smaller Mechs at once and crush them one by one with extreme prejudice at both long or short range. More importantly than that, it proved very easy to maintain and repair, which became a major factor when Alexander Kerensky's blizkrieg conquered the Rim Worlds Republic, leaving Amaris' loyal troops out of fresh supplies or repair parts. The Leviathans continued to remain operational all the way to the Liberation of Terra and to be a thorn in the SLDF's side even long after other Republican designs had to be retired due to lack of spare parts, with some taking part on both sides of the conflict as Kerensky had managed to acquire scores of complete, not yet shipped models from MachtWerk's warehouses on Tiegel IV. It is said apocryphally that when Stefan Amaris ordered the Matar project, he looked at a Leviathan and said 'make one that's even bigger'.

In the wake of the succession wars, most of the advanced technology which had been used to make the Leviathans was lost, resulting in a severely downgraded variant being produced at MachtWerk for over two hundred years, Despite these downgrades, the Mech's extreme survivability and ease of repair and maintenance ensured that demand always far outstripped supply. The fact that the Mech was also very easy to pilot was also a testament to the rugged, effective but also intuitive design of the Tiegel engineers, Its one biggest drawback however was its underpowered engine. Never fast by any stretch, the over-burdened VanStern 300 suffered poor acceleration and was slow to reach its full flank speed from a stationary position.

When the Clan Invasion began in 3050, the Clans noticed a certain resemblance between the recently re-upgraded Leviathans fielded by the Federated Commonwealth and the Stone Rhinos designed by Clan Smoke Jaguar. Later on, during the height of the FedCom Civil War, Clan Ashen Corsac would conquer Tiegel and gain control over the MachtWerk production plants. This would result in a renaissance where new models of Leviathan with cutting edge Clan technology would begin production, mating its venerable, highly resilient chassis with deadly Clan weaponry and electronics. The new Leviathans would then go on to form the backbone of Corsac Assault units.

## Weapons and Equipment

The Leviathan's main long-range weaponry is made up of a pair of StarkReiter gauss rifles in its side torsos, each fed by 2 tons of ammunition and protected by CASE. These allow the Leviathans to pound its target from long range with relative impunity as it advances. Once the Leviathan has closed the gap - or exhausted its ammunition stockpiles - it can rely on eight Messer Medium Lasers arranged in two Quad arrays in each of its arms. These are kept cool by 12 MehrKalt Double Heat Sinks which fall just short of managing to dissipate the full build-up, ensuring the lasers can keep firing away for a long time before needing a break.

Defensively speaking, the Leviathan earns its name with 17 tons of advanced Ferro-Fibrous PanzerLicht armor, granting it just about the maximum amount of protection possible. This is supplemented by a pair of Anti-Missile Systems, each with their CASE-protected ammunition bins. With one installed in the cockpit facing forward and one installed in the center torso facing rearward, the Leviathan is well protected against missile attacks even from enemies using superior numbers or speed to try and attack it from behind. Rounding up survivability features, the CASE in each side torso and the use of a Standard Engine ensures the Leviathan is as difficult to destroy as can be, and its ease of repair means that any Leviathan that survives a battle might be ready to fight again with fresh armor in just a few hours.

## Variants

* **LVT-B**

This LowTech variant shouldered the brunt of the Succession Wars after the majority of the technologies included in the initial design were lost. Its main weapons are a pair of AC-20s in the torsos with 4 tons of ammo, backed by four LRM5s in the arms with 2 tons of ammunition. The AMS are omitted, 16 Single Heat Sinks replace the older DHSs and Standard armor replaces the Ferro-Fibrous. *Cost: 9'416'000 C-Bill, BV: 1'755*

* **LVT-C**

After Clan Ashen Corsac took over Tiegel in 3064, Clan Tech was introduced to MachtWerk's old Leviathan production lines. The LVT-C upgrades its twin Gauss Rifles to MkII Clan versions, while the 8 Medium Lasers in the arms are upgraded to 'KriegMesser' ER versions. An Active Probe ensures no Mech can hide from a Leviathan on the hunt while 18 StrahlendKalt Laser Heat Sinks are needed to keep up with the increased heat load, armor is returned to Ferro Fibrous (albeit only with 16 tons) and a fifth ton of Gauss ammo is added with the leftover tonnage.. *Cost: 11'904'000 C-Bill, BV:3'203*

* **LVT-G**

This all-energy variant was introduced in 3075 as part of Clan Ashen Corsac's military escalation during the Wars of Reaving/Jihad. Its Chassis is an Obelisk-A serie Reinforced structure, protected by 18.5 tons of PanzerKristall reflective armor. Only a single Anti-Missile system is retained and 21 StrahlendKalt Laser Heat Sinks are required to keep up with the mammoth heat generation of its 3 FeuerSturm Clan ER PPCs and its 6 LanzenReiter Heavy Medium Lasers. *Cost 13.226'000 C-Bills, BV: 3'606*

### Notable Leviathans

* **'Surtr'**

Initially a LVT-A model Leviathan gifted to Hannah Faust in 3044 by Duke Edmund Walter of Tiegel, the Surtr with its iconic flaming sword heraldries would go on to become a highly recognizable figure on the battlefield. It was refitted with a pair of salvaged Clan gauss rifles, armor and a new CASE system after the 3050 Twycross counter-offensive, with the saved weight being used to add 4 tons of comms equipment, 2 tons of additional Gauss ammo, and 2 additional Double Heat Sinks. It would serve as Hannah's command mech in this configuration until 3064 when its Medium Lasers were upgraded to ER variants, the Inner Sphere Double heat sinks swapped to Clan Laser heat sinks, and 2 tons of ammo being swapped for further Laser heat sinks.

## Design Quirks

All Leviathan Models have the following Design Quirks

* Easy to Maintain
* Easy to Pilot
* Poor Performance

The 'Surtr' has the following Design Quirks

* Easy to Maintain
* Easy to Pilot
* Command Mech
* Poor Performance