One of the few 'Mechs conceived and created in the post-Star League era, the Hermes II serves the armed forces of the Free Worlds League as a heavy scout. A relatively new design, the 'Mech first came off the production lines in 2798. Early versions bore their autocannon in the center torso, with the various controls and wiring spread out into the right and left torso. The idea failed miserably, however, as even the lightest chest hit would knock out the autocannon. The current design uses a more conservative arrangement, with the autocannon built into the left arm.
         Named after an ancient Greek god, the Hermes II carries its heat sinks on its heels, which makes it resemble the winged feet of its namesake, who was the messenger of the gods.

         Designed to be a heavy scout, the Hermes II is most at home in two terrains: city and forest. When faced with a superior number of enemy 'Mechs in either of these seemingly different environments, the 'Mech is famous for its unusual escape tactic. Instead of trying to fight its way out, the Hermes II starts a fire with its large flamer. The pilot knows that most MechWarriors try to steer clear of flames and that flames usually ruin the effectiveness of enemy infrared devices. The Hermes II pilot will thus usually lay low, waiting until the fire begins to burn brightly, then try to quietly slip away from his pursuers.
         The Hermes II carries a very effective flamer, the Olympian flamer. Far safer than most other liquid-fuel flamer designs, the Olympian uses a flammable gel that is pre-vaporized before contact with the heating elements. The weapon's drawbacks are that the gel is difficult to manufacture and requires more space than conventional fuel flamers.
         The Hermes II communication system, the Irian E.A.R., is an extremely powerful and advanced device. Not only can it talk with distant 'Mechs, it can also uplink with communications satellites or nearby Free Worlds ships using extremely fast data bursts on tight communications bends. This capability makes the Hermes II very inconspicuous to an enemy monitoring communications frequencies, and then hard to track down even if discovered. The E.A.R's considerable bulk is its one disadvantage. It also requires a 'Mech with a fair amount of body surface to serve as a mount for the myriad thread-thin wires that form the system's sending/receiving surface.
         The Irian Weapon Works' autocannon is a reliable, if uninspired, design capable of good long-range hitting power. The Hermes II can only carry 20 rounds of ammunition, however. That would be insufficient for a front-line 'Mech, especially one dependent upon an autocannon as its main weapon, but it is enough to allow a scout to hit and run until help arrives.
         Though the Hermes' distinctive, wing-like heat sinks look unnecessarily fragile, as if a backward fall would snap them off, that is not the case. The two heat sinks are designed to swing away when the Hermes II is prone and face up, then to spring back into place once the 'Mech stands upright again.
         Currently, production of the reliable Hermes II has ceased, due to the destruction of the BattleMech factories at Irian. House Marik hopes to resume production within the next three years.

         Scouts receive little, if any, recognition for their exploits, as their duty is not to draw attention to themselves. The Hermes II has nevertheless won much praise for its nimbleness.
         One instance came in 3011, when intelligence reports to the Duke of Marik pointed to a buildup of Lyran troops for an offensive against the Free Worlds League. What was unknown was which of the planets in a cluster of five border worlds would be the launching point. The duke's strategists decided to secretly land a single Hermes lI on each of the five worlds. Once on-planet, the scouts were to remain hidden until one or another suddenly found itself in the midst of the Lyran buildup.
         Denebola V is a thickly forested world with only one spaceport and city large enough to handle the heavy traffic of a military build-up. Onto this planet dropped Captain Margarita Luhenson, commander of the Dark Shadows, a scout battalion attached to Free Worlds Intelligence. She hiked to a vantage point on a wooded mountainside, then settled down to watch the city below.
         When ship after ship of supplies and troops began using the Denebolan spaceport, Captain Luhenson began transmitting reports to her superiors via micro-satellite. Her transmissions went unnoticed by the enemy, until a Lyran junior grade communications officer stumbled upon her communications. House Steiner then began extensive efforts to trace her down.
         Captain Margarita Luhenson lasted for three weeks after her initial transmission. Often reporting on the run, she evaded patrols, eluded infrared teams, and generally made herself invisible to her pursuers. Several times, she even ventured down the mountain and into the city itself, setting fire to supplies or mugging unsuspecting Steiner 'Mechs. She was finally caught trying to blow up an ammunitions dump.
         Fortunately for Luhenson, the commander of the Lyran forces was so impressed with her skill and sheer audacity, that he did not have her killed. She was in fact treated like an honored guest, then later traded in a prisoner swap. Needless to say, the Marik captain's actions went a long way in blunting the Lyran offensive.

         Members of the Dark Shadows have been given the choice of using the basic Hermes II or a variant first devised by Marik battalion commanders. Dubbed the Mercury, the variant replaces the 'Mech's autocannon with two medium lasers and two machine guns. Two extra heat sinks were also added to the insides of the 'Mech's feet to help with the extra heat. The Mercury is lighter by three tons and is slightly more nimble than the standard Hermes II, while the new weapons array seems to suit some warriors better. There is talk of making this variant available to other owners in the Free Worlds League.

Captain Janos DeVille
         A member of the Fusiliers of Oriente, Janos DeVille was a loyalist in the bitter fighting following Duke Anton Marik's revolt against his brother Janos. DeVille's continued actions as a scout, despite his 'Mech's damaged condition and his own wounds, earned him the respect of both his comrades and his enemies. Later given many commendations for his service, Captain DeVille went on to become one of the founders of the Dark Shadows scout battalion.

Mech Warrior Zahn "The Dreamer" Vinge
         A member of the 4th Defenders of Andurien, Vinge is always full of mystic thoughts and odd beliefs, yet manages to remain an excellent scout pilot. Painted a light brown, his 'Mech Plato is inscribed up and down its sides with quotes from philosophers.