Highlander
"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!"
- – Average Highlander Mechwarrior before performing a Highlander Burial
Sometimes, just shooting an enemy 'Mech to death isn't enough. You want to get up close and personal, and send a message few will forget. And you want to do so by channeling your inner Demoman and rocketing across the battlefield.
You, my good sir, need a Highlander.
Overview
The Highlander is an Inner Sphere Assault BattleMech from the world of BattleTech that clocks in at 90 tons, is built on a Star League XT frame with a GM 270 fusion engine, and was originally intended to defend cities and installations. However, the combination of its weight and possessing HildCo Model 10 jump jets with a 90-meter range (meant to be used to clear obstacles in urban warfare and such) meant that even in initial trial runs it found use in bringing death from above by slamming feet-first into the enemy. Originally a desperation tactic, these 'Highlander Burial' maneuvers would be soon adopted into later iterations of the design, with the Highlander's legs being reinforced so they could survive multiple high-speed impacts with other 'Mechs. Thus it became a viable tactic for picking off certain targets and would be refined by Mechwarriors into an art form.
Highlanders have been around since the days of the original Star League, so despite being primarily associated with the Inner Sphere some members of The Clans have held onto some from their original exodus and later upgraded them to be IIC variants with better weapons. In fact, a custom one was known to be used by the last, asshole Khan of Clan Widowmaker who was responsible for killing Nicholas Karensky.
After the fall of the League, the Inner Sphere was stuck with an inferior variant, though compared to other mechs from the same time period it weathered the storm better than expected. ComStar of course held onto some original Highlanders and refused to share how to make them, the selfish bastards.
The Highlander is most famously used by the Northwind Highlanders mercenaries, who are considered the masters of the Highlander Burial.
Armament
Other than its own weight, the Highlander's standard loadout is more ranged-oriented. For its main weapon, the 'Mech utilizes an M-7 Gauss Rifle for taking on heavier targets, while for a secondary it possesses a Holly-20 LRM-20 launcher used to supplement its Rifle at long range. However, it also possesses a set of weapons intended for defending itself from close range - namely a pair of Harmon Starclass medium lasers and a Holly-6 SRM-6 launcher. A CASE system protects the two tons of ammunition needed for the Gauss, LRM, and SRM, while 12 heat sinks maintain mech temperature.
In terms of defense, a standard Highlander is protected by 15 tons of Grumman-3 Ferro-Fibrous armor.