Re: 6th Company Post Hoff.
The next hour or so the Wild Stallions all get familiar with the X-3s. Lance Commander Evans considered it important that the Stallions get up to speed to understanding what they were capable of, since they would be educating the Academy's cadets in its usage.
A half hour is used for verbal operations and options of the Power Loaders that are not available to normal mechs. The remaining half hour is spent to allow the Stallions a chance to test the Power Loaders out.
A loaded X-3's mobility was nothing to brag about for a light mech. It was on par with a Panther or Blackjack, but with the exception of the Urbanmech, was slower than most light mechs in use in the inner sphere.
Claims to 'heavy' armor were just claims, and hard to prove till the fighting started, regardless, it was still a light mech and battle harden mercs would remember that there were limitations on how much a light frame could handle.
The one area that the Power Loader seemed to shine was it's payload of weapons. The Omni Corporation has developed specific 'light' weapons to fit out the mechs. Innovating new lighter auto cannon and missile options, that were fitted with a munition explosion friendly safty magazine to spare lethal ammo explosions from smearing a crater on the landscape where a mech might have once stood.
Cowboy gets to test out their Ballistic Assault Rifle. A light weight rapid firing short range ballistic cannon capable of firing single rounds or double round burst.
Cade gets to test out their BFM, a hand held weapon that looked a little like a bazooka, that fired a single rocket to deliver a notable payload to the target instead of multiple smaller warheads.
Caitlings Power Loader was loaded out with a bunch of missiles that looked like LRMs but something they called LRRs. Long Ranged Rockets. 'Guidance' was removed, from the LRMs which were designed with stabilizing fins to 'fly straight' allowing them to target like SRMs. The shorter effective range Negating the need for a lock arm period, making them effective even at near point blank ranges.
Thantos to test out their Energy sniper rifle, which test fired to be much farther than any Large Laser they've used before.
Lance Commander Evans, goes through basic drills with the Stallions showing how hand held weapons can be exchaged in the field. {done between two adjacent mechs during the intiative phase} A useful process to share weapons in the field. The process to 'dump' torso modules is shown, very similiar to 'dumping' ammo, except the entire weapon system is ditched.
The 'Smart' Actuator is explained to the Stallions. The default setting seems to be 'Combat Loaded', and a reduced 'Skimish Load'. The actuator is capable of reducing unecessary 'torque' to channel energy to move a lighter load faster. She explains that for the most of the X-3's the loss of 5 tons of equipment is necessary to use the Smart Acutators to gain 'skirmish' speeds.
The Skirmish speeds put them on par with Johan's old Valkyrie, though with a much reduced payload in weapons. Commander Evans explains this is acceptable if weapons are damaged and are just dead weight... or if limited weapons are being shared between pilots because of equipment damage in the field. The greater mobility will help offset the reduction in firepower.
After the hour is up... she gives a brief lecture on the Power Loaders variants. The lighter scout with it's EW suite, the heavier non-jumping Assault variant with it's melee weapon, and the converted Assault mechs with out the melee weapons which are the Power Loaders Command vehicle.
After this, It's late enough that classes are over and Millie indicates that the male members of the Wild Stallions may use the showers for the next half a hour. Mille departs to catch an early dinner and will clean up 'later', after confirming that the members of the unit know where the Cafeteria is.