The highly successful Sha Yu mech prompted the CCAF to solicit another design employing stealth armor and long range weapons.
The result was the Zhei, or 'Thief' in chinese, produced by Hellespont on Sian.

True to its name, the Zhei sneaks about under the cloak of its Hellespont Lite stealth armor, seeking opportunities to employ its extended range large laser.
The Zhei shares many components with the Sha Yu, and this greatly simplified its design and construction for the engineers.
At first, the Zhei mounted some jump jets for extended maneuverability, but severe interference problems on the sensors from the jets forced the designers to drop them. Engineers decided to use more armor on the mech instead, but they are still trying to work out a jump capable version.

Zhei's were first seen in combat as House Liao units attacked into the Tikonov Reaches as the Word of Blake forces crashed into the Capellan March units defending the region. In many cases, House Liao units landed just hours before or after the defending Davion were crushed.
The Zhei design played a huge part in the attacks, slashing into exposed Word of Blake supply lines and disrupting their communications with their ECM.
The worlds liberated by House Liao now remain in their hands, while surviving Davion troops were repatriated back to the Federated Suns. In effect, the Capellan Confederation has reclaimed the Tikonov Commonality.

The Zhei is fast becoming one of the most popular light mechs around, with its excellent blend of speed and striking power. The relatively low cost doesn't hurt either, as Capellan Home Guards units unable to afford cutting edge Sha Yus use the Zhei as a replacement.