The heavy mech of choice for many ROMAF mechwarriors, the Garnet represents the epitome of ROMAF combat doctrine and flexibility. Able to accept a wide variety of weapons and equipment, the Garnet has emerged as the foundation of ROMAF's eventual victory over the Sewshan Empire.
However, it took quite a lot of persuasion before ROMAF's High Command could accept the need for a heavy omnimech in the first place. Most traditional thinking tended towards heavy mech designs with varied loadouts, capable of handling any combat situation. Mechs like the Warhammer and the Crusader were epitomes of this concept, able to fight effectively against a variety of opposition regardless of the situation. There was no real reason, they thought, to use omnitechnology on a heavy mech.
It took some of the most desperate battles within the Sewshan empire to change their minds. Mechs like the Warhammer and the Crusader were exposed for their lack of specialization in many situations, and the ROMAF forces suffered heavy losses.
The Garnet soon solved the problem.

Produced around a Geo Core endo steel chassis, the Garnet can mount a great deal of weapons packages. The targeting system had difficulty interfacing with the various loadouts in the beginning, a problem that was only solved just before the turn of the century.
The various loadouts for the Garnet were practically copies of other heavy mechs, which was a great help to warriors adjusting to the new omnimech.
The most common configuration of the Garnet is almost a straight copy of the popular Marauder loadout. With two ER PPCs, two ER medium lasers, and an ultra class autocannon, the mech can tear most opponents apart at range.
The next variant copies the Archer as a fire support vehicle, with two large LRM racks.
Beta is unusual in that it was developed as a close assault unit, and as a city fighter. Jump jets and pulse lasers, along with deadly efficient streak launchers allow this mech to fight in close with impunity.
Gamma uses a gauss rifle, along with SRM packs and some medium lasers. Delta has a ultra heavy class autocannon along with two ER large lasers for all round attack capability. Epsilon is an artillery unit, meant to provide artillery support in a pinch. Iota is a Warhammer clone

Garnets have served the ROMAF well for more than a hundred years. However, the battle in which the Garnet made its name as a mech to be feared came in 2974.
Garnets were by then a known quantity to the Sewshan, but then ROMAF designers managed to develop the Arrow IV pod for omnimechs.
A battalion of Garnets were locked in fierce combat with two entire Sewshan armor regiments, neither side conceding an inch in the relentless assault. Just then, a supply of Arrow IV missile launchers arrived. Desperate to break the deadlock, the ROMAF commander pulled two lances of Garnets and fitted them with the artillery launchers.
Within a minute of the artillery barrage, the Sewshan found their forward positions being smashed by the Arrow IV missiles. Forced to adopt a more open formation to avoid the missiles, the Sewshan were eventually crushed by the Garnets when their lack of concentrated force proved fatal.

Star Colonel Marcel Hallis
A descendent of Franklin Hallis, Marcel feels a driving need to live up to the deeds of his famous ancestor.
His Garnet 'Valiant' is more than a hundred years old, and still in fine working condition. Marcel hopes to one day show the clans what a Hallis can do with a mech.

Garnets account for more than 80% of ROMAF's heavy mech complement, with the other 20% being expensive specialist designs like the Exterminator.
Clan Wolverine also uses the Garnet extensively. Noises have been made about procuring more clan tech to outfit their Garnets.