Pillager PLG-3Z

       The success of its Victor design led HiIdCo Interplanetary to develop a larger version of that BattleMech for city assaults and defense, either standing alone or as part of a lance. That ‘Mech was the Pillager. Built during the Reunification War, the Pillager enjoyed great success with the SLDF and helped turn the tide of that conflict in the Star League’s favor. The Pillager is the largest BattleMech ever constructed by HiIdCo. The destruction of the facilities that made its advanced systems kept the Pillager out of production from the end of the Second Succession War, but the decoding of the Gray Death memory core provided HiIdCo’s engineers with the knowledge their predecessors had lost. HiIdCo Interplanetary recently restarted production of the Pillager at its plant on St. Ives.

       Built on one of the largest chassis ever designed in the Inner Sphere, the Pillager presents an intimidating sight. The new Vlar 300 XL engine gives the Pillager the same top speed as the Atlas but at half the weight, allowing for the installation of heavier weapons and armor. The Pillager’s main weapons are its two Gauss rifles, a large laser and four medium lasers. The Pillager’s nineteen tons of armor give it excellent protection. Fourteen double heat sinks keep the modern-day Pillager cool–indeed, it is one of the coolest running ‘Mechs on the battlefield. The Pillager is also equipped with jump jets that allow it to leap up to ninety meters.
       The Pillager has a long and colorful combat history, including action in the Reunification War, the Amaris Civil War, and the Succession Wars. According to records of those conflicts, enemy forces tended to flee from the mere sight of approaching Pillagers.

       HiIdCo has already completed four production runs of the Pillager and has begun a fifth. The biggest customer so far has been the St. Ives Compact Military. The St. Ives government has announced plans to sell the Pillager to mercenary units in the near future.