ASN-21b Assassin
Landing squarely in the top five of my favorite 'Mechs of all time is the much maligned Assassin. People see that name and they want it to do what it isn't designed to do: kill other 'Mechs and takez their lootz. But that was never the Assassins job; it is just a really big, really fast light strike/scout 'Mech. And that job it does well.
But we do better for the old 'Sissie, can't we my brethern? Can I get an amen?
AMEN!
Rock on; well, first and foremost, as much as I dislike XL engines (and ya'll know how much I hates them on IS 'Mechs, I dos), to make the Sissie into a formidable BattleMech while retaining that oh-so-lovely lovely 7-11-7 (free slurpy in your choice of 51 flavors with every order of extra-large nachos and self-serve fill-up, 5 gallon minimum!) movement profile, we had to use an XL.
But, at least that freed up enough weight to give us something interesting to work with, blimey if it don't. We're a bit worried about losing internal volume, but with what I have planned, it shouldn't take all that much space, so we also give 'Sissie Gurl endo-steel internals and seven full tons of ferro-fibrous! Seven tons! I'd buy that for a dollar, and I bet you would too.
Now ole 'Sissy can take a Gauss Rifle hit to the center torso, the right and left torso, and both legs without going internal, while the arms can easily shed a single PPC or AC-10 shot. We've even got enough plating on the rear that a single medium laser has less of a chance than an ice cube in Hades to burn through.
Weapons-wise, I want to keep things simple and in line with what 'Sissy Gurl already had. We kept the LRM-5 in the left torso (24 shots), but we upgraded that SRM-2 to a -4 rack and move it to the center torso, storing the ammo (25 shots) next to the LRM bin. Why, you ask? Good question, because even though the Sissy carries an XL, I don't want to risk burning out the entire center torso and head with an ammunition explosion, so I CASE the left torso just in . . . well, just in CASE.
OK, we've got seven tons and three crits left; that's after including the extra space the Sissy gets from not having a right hand OR a right lower arm actuator. An ER Large Laser provides a solid weapon, and we add a flamer in the left arm for anti-personnel/urban demolition work. Well, we are all out of love, we're so lost without you . . . sorry about that; we are now out of crits and tonnage! We are finished.
Heat is a problem on a full jumping alpha, but really? When are going to use the LRM and SRM against the same target? With the flamer to boot? We can deal with the heat. Armor? Check! Speed and Mobility? Check and check! Weapons? Check, check, check and check! Where is that durn waiter?
Sissy now packs a punch, plus she remains the ever-mobile female dog that she always had the potential to be. And with her thick hide, she can afford to take damage that would have put the old Assassin deep in an unmarked grave somewhere in New Jersey. Hum? Wonder if White Castle is still open?
Until next week, fellow MechWarriors. Live long and blast your foes brains all over the inside of his cockpit!
Assassin II ASN-21b
Mass: 40 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/E-F-E
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 7,477,913 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,193
Chassis: Maltex 40 Endo-Steel
Power Plant: VOX 280 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 75.6 km/h
Maximum Speed: 118.8 km/h
Jump Jets: Lox Lift Series 1
Jump Capacity: 210 meters
Armor: 100 AFTVA Ferro-Fibrous w/ CASE
Armament:
1 Martell ER Large Laser
1 Holly LRM-5
1 Holly SRM-4
1 Zippo Flamer
Manufacturer: Royal BattleMech Works
Primary Factory: Terra
Communications System: Garret T15 B
Targeting and Tracking System: Garret 500S
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Equipment Type Rating Mass
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Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 67 points 2.00
Internal Locations: 1 HD, 1 LT, 3 RT, 3 LA, 4 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Fusion Engine 280 8.00
Walking MP: 7
Running MP: 11
Jumping MP: 7 Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 3 LT, 3 RT 3.50
Heat Sinks: Double Heat Sink 10(20) 0.00
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 125 7.00
Armor Locations: 1 LT, 3 RT, 4 LA, 4 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
CASE Locations: 1 LT 0.50
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 12 15
Center Torso (rear) 7
L/R Torso 10 15
L/R Torso (rear) 5
L/R Arm 6 12
L/R Leg 10 15
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Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
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ER Large Laser RA 12 2 5.00Flamer LA 3 1 1.00
LRM-5 LT 2 1 2.00
SRM-4 CT 3 1 2.00
@LRM-5 (24) LT - 1 1.00
@SRM-4 (25) LT - 1 1.00
Free Critical Slots: 0
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 4 Points: 12
7j 2 2 1 0 2 0 Structure: 2
Special Abilities: CASE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA