In Desperate Times, and especially in Spetsnaz and Devon’s Demons (gasp! Spoiler!), I have mechs. If you’re new to sci-fi and you’re wondering what mechs are, have a look at the image below. This is taken from Battletech, one of the most popular RPG and tabletop games and computer games franchises in history.
A battlemech, and humans for scale
Mechs aren’t robots however, they’re piloted by one or more humans. Sometimes this role is Jock, Jox, or – in my case – pilots. They’re the 22nd century equivalent of tanks on steroids, an infantryman’s nightmare!
Just like tankers throughout history, mech pilots can’t be equipped with the same weaponry and body armour as infantry. The close confines of the mechs (or tanks) as well as their role, mean that bulky weapons and armour would be more a deadly hindrance than a help.
As you’re all no doubt aware, my artistic skills are utterly mediocre. So I’ve been scanning the internet to match images to those that refuse to come from inside of my mind, and voila two pictures below. One is of how I think a mech pilot would look, and the other gives a good idea as to how the weapons that they are issued with would look like. It’s a light, simple-to-use sub-machine gun that can fill the air with lead very quickly and hopefully buy the pilots enough time to escape. I’m being all-inclusive when I say ‘pilot’ by the way. All gunners and co-pilots also fall under this moniker.
 The main portrait is how I think of pilots. |
 A beautiful design by rmorystudios |
Matthew Sylvester 
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