This particular weapon evolved from a Herc-mounted weapon developed in the post-Starsiege era. The Hellstar Vehicle Mortar (HVM) appeared on Hercs from approximately 2900 to 3300, primarily the Talon Mk. III, Skullsplitter, and Perdition-class Hercs. In the corporate wars of the 33rd century, the Unitech Giant-class Herc also incorporated a version of this weapon.

When the Blood Eagle first moved into the wilderzone, they brought Hercs and related equipment with them. Against the lightly-armored tribesmen, the mortar-equipped Hercs proved extremely effective. Years passed, however, and the Hercs broke down far from the supply lines of the Empire. Lacking the Herc platform to carry it, the Blood Eagle discontinued use of the mortar.

Once the Blood Eagle adopted the powered armors of the tribes, they revisited the weapons they have used on Hercs to see what they could modify for their use. The Hercules mortar was one such weapon, miniaturized and re-engineered for use with powered armor. It rapidly became one of the most feared weapons in the wilderzone. Nothing else in the tribal arsenals has the capacity to deal as much damage.

The weapon works like the grenade launcher, but on a much larger scale. The propellant is far stronger than ordinary chem propellants, making use of a surprisingly stable mix of hypervolatile compounds. A large percentage of cuprous oxides present in the mixture gives mortar shell smoke trails their characteristic green color.

With a thermal splash radius of ten meters, this weapon is capable of clearing a room, destroying heavy equipment with a single shot, or scattering a group of enemy warriors like rag dolls. Warriors equipped with mortars can rain destruction upon an enemy base from a reasonably safe distance. Most mortar round do not incorporate a shrapnel design, as the effectiveness of shrapnel against armor shields is minimal.

Some veteran tribal warriors have mastered the skill of "mortar jumping." This action involves the warrior firing a shell at her feet and letting the blast carry her over a significantly greater distance than use of the armor jets alone would permit. It sounds suicidal, I know, but such is the kind of bravery one finds among the barbarians. It is a typical example of how the tribals find new uses with their core of admittedly unsophisticated technologies.

Given the mortar's unmodulated weight of almost one metric ton and the weight of its ammunition, only the heavy Myrmidon class armor possesses the capacity of lifting this weapon (even with T-grav nodes reducing the mortar's effective mass).

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