Many small manufacturers entered the BattleMech industry as tensions mounted near the time of the fall of the Star League. In this period, HartfordCo, a known manufacturer of fine communications and targeting systems, began constructing 'Mechs from their home planet of Bryant near Earth. Their single contribution to battlefield technology was the Cicada, which went into limited production in 2840.
         With Bergan Industries holding almost a total monopoly on the contracts for small recon 'Mechs, HartfordCo proposed a 'Mech heavier than the Locust made by Bergan. It would be armed with the well-proven Magna laser systems, and be as fast as the Locust but weighing twice as much. Most important, the price was right. Star League took a limited contract for the Cicada, shipping it to replace many of the Locusts lost in border areas.

         The Cicada's speed is one of its major assets. As a light recon 'Mech, it can cover great distances in a short time. Moreover, the 'Mech's armor and weaponry make it a serious foe in circumstances where a Locust might fail. The reliability of the weapons and their tracking systems is also well established.
         The HartfordCo heat sinks proved to be of an inferior design, however, tending to wear out and fail to perform to full capacity after extended use. If not repaired, the sinks will vent only 60 percent of the heat transferred to them, which could lead to serious overheating in a combat situation. Though many Cicadas currently in use have replaced the original heat sinks with modular sinks, a number of defective HartfordCo sinks are still in use.

         The number of Cicadas produced was limited, due to the size of the manufacturer's facilities on Bryant. With the fall of Star League, the proximity of the facilities to all of the warring Houses made the planet the target of many raids. That is how many of the Cicadas stored on Bryant found their way into the arsenals of all five Successor Houses.
         One of the Cicada's most outstanding combat performances occurred in 2930 when House Kurita's Galedon Regulars engaged House Davion on the planet Xhosa. Reinforced with several Cicadas, one Kurita light recon lance managed to hold the city of Tar for several days before the Davion forces took control. Historians have compared the engagement to the Battle of the Alamo on Earth or the Battle for Kervil during the Reunification War. A small band of lightly armed defenders held off several lances of crack troops for several days.
         As the Cicada's reputation grew throughout the Successor States, it also brought too high expectations. In one of a long series of battles on the planet Oriente, crack troops of Liao's Northwind Highlanders tried to take the planet from House Marik. Attached to Marik's Fusiliers of Oriente's 5th Brigade were several lances of Cicada 'Mechs defending a lake area. Unfortunately for the defenders, most of their Cicadas were equipped with the inferior HartfordCo heat sinks. While the Cicadas fought a prolonged battle on the shores of Lake Mirrorshade, their heat sinks began to give way, and several 'Mechs overheated at critical moments. When it was over, many Marik troops lay dead.
         In 3000, two Cicadas attached to House Steiner's 32nd Regiment of the Lyran Guard more than proved their worth at a series of battles on Kobe, however. As a raiding force, the two Cicada pilots managed to penetrate a border defense line, rushed to the rear area, and then made their way to the Kurita command bunker some 58 kilometers behind enemy lines. Finding the bunker only lightly defended, MechWarriors Jason and Thurd were able to capture the commanding officers. This led to a victory for the Steiner forces and commendations for the two Cicada pilots.

         Only a few experimental models were built during the first production run of the Cicada. Of these, one was not equipped with the small laser system but carried two Hotseat flamers. Another version mounted a Donal PPC on the center torso and two Sperry/Browning machine guns on the legs. Both variants saw very limited productions yet some still appear on the Successor State battlefields, especially of House Liao, which has both variants in their training academy as test models.

Lieutenant Alcatraz Jason
         Alcatraz currently commands the Fusiliers of Oriente's 5th Brigade advance recon lance. A small man with sandy hair and a loud laugh, he earned his reputation during the battles for Oriente when he and another MechWarrior piloted their Cicadas behind enemy lines. Since that day, House Marik makes sure that Jason's 'Mech receives only the best in repair parts.

MechWarrior Arnold J. Thurd II
         After his service in the battles for Oriente, Thurd was transferred to the Defenders of Andurien's 4th Regiment light assault lance. As Thurd is a drinker, he was transferred for his heroism on Oriente rather than promoted. Though known for his carousing, his reputation as a fast-thinking combat pilot is unsullied.

MechWarrior John David John
         Currently assigned to the attack lance of House Davion's Crucis Lancers, 7th Regiment, young John John comes from a long line of service to House Davion, including several of his brothers. He earned distinction in a series of battles on the planet Kasai against crack units from House Kurita. Despite his 'Mech's overheating problems, John was able to pin down several Kurita units after his company commander was killed. For taking the command that led to several tactical victories, he was given command of a light attack lance and his defective heat sinks replaced.