Compiled overview of the 100
ton Atlas 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
The sight of BattleMechs lumbering across the terrain is a familiar one among the worlds of the Inner Sphere. Nevertheless, the sight of an
Atlas still manages to make even experienced
MechWarriors break out in a sweat. The AS7-D
Atlas was designed as a last-ditch attempt to ensure the superiority of the
Star League's Regular Army over
the growing armies of the House Lords. General
Aleksandr Kerensky himself set down the specifications for the
Atlas, calling for "a 'Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that
fear itself will be our ally."
Ugly and
foreboding are two apt descriptions for the
Atlas. Though some
'Mechs might be taller and heavier, none have the
Atlas's aura. Considerable effort went into making the
Atlas's weapons as visible as possible to give an opposing
MechWarrior plenty of opportunity to see that he is
out-gunned, and not being paid enough to die. Designers spent an entire year fashioning the
head/
cockpit to create
a perfect merging of function and gruesomeness. The end result resembles a mechanized
headless horseman with his
jack-o-lantern skull. The design is accentuated by huge stooping shoulder cowlings and a hunched back with every line leading the eye inward towards the machines frightning visage.
MechWarriors nicknamed the
Atlas "
Death's Head".
The AS7-D
Atlas was one of the first
'Mechs to mount such a large and devastating gun as the
Defiance 'Mech Hunter Class 20 Autocannon. Even though it carries only ten rounds of
ammo, the mere threat of such a large cannon is often enough to send lighter
'Mechs scurrying. This weapon's only problem is that it lacks a cooling jacket and can overheat easily.
The
Atlas's long-range
missile delivery system is a unique design. Upon discovering that the twenty launching tubes of the
Far Fire LRM-20 would not fit into the 'Mech's torso, the designers modified the launcher to use only five tubes with a feed system that can shoot four
salvos within ten seconds. The feed system is fairly reliable, and techs need only worry about shielding the ammo from heat emitted from the nearby
reactor.
Reloading is quick, as each missile tube has its own ammunition clip. Completely loaded, the missile system can shoot twelve salvos of twenty missiles.
The
'Mech's armor is thick, and the forward torso and legs are especially well protected.
Someone once calculated that if a battalion of Stinger 'Mechs engaged an Atlas, the Atlas would retire for repairs an hour later, leaving only one
Stinger still able to move.
(...uhm, ya, right! The Atlas does pack an impressive 19 tons of Durallex Special Heavy Armor, but this guy was just kissing General Kerensky's ass. No one 'Mech can withstand a battalion of anything. Fuck, just ask an Ewok!)
Four Defiance B3M Medium
Lasers and a TharHes Maxi short-range missile 6-pack make the
'Mech a decent close-range fighter, but it's true close-range weapon is it's mellee ability. The
Atlas' strong Foundation Type 10X internal structure gives the arms and hands enormous power. This has created many horror stories concerning
Atlases lifting light sized
'Mechs
with one hand and fling them to the ground as though they there were mere
toys.
The main drawback of the
Atlas is its slow
speed. Intelligent opponents will retreat before the forbidding machine, hoping either to draw it into tight quarters, such as a city or woods, or sucker it into water or mud. Once there, the
Atlas's lack of mobility and
jump jets is a fatal flaw.
The AS7-K
Atlas is a formidable new re-design that incorporates an
extra-light engine,
Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment, and an impressive array of weapons.
The AS7-K trades the Class 20 Autocannon for a Dragon's Fire
Gauss rifle. The arm mounted medium lasers have been upgraded to Victory Nickel Alloy extended-range large lasers. The two rear-facing, torso mounted mediums are now
Victory Heartbeat medium pulse lasers. The Yori Flyswatter
anti-missile system complete the design's arsenal. the only sacrific for these upgrades was the scraping of the short-range missile 6-pack. That, and the price tag jumped from 9.5million to over 22.5!
The
Atlas was first used against
Stefan the Usurper. In the final battles to gain control of
Earth's major spaceports, the
Atlas was instrumental in securing
beachheads to allow troops to land safely.
General Kerensky's second-in-command, General
Aaron DeChevilier, spearheaded the final assault on the Usurper's last stronghold, the Imperial City. He continually exposed his
Atlas to enemy fire, yet marched on as if the laser bolts, missiles, and cannon shells were nothing more than the annoying
buzz of flies. When
DeChevilier's
Atlas pushed over the concrete outer wall surrounding the Imperial Palace,
Kerensky headed for the Usurper's palace gates in his
Orion.
Considering the
Atlas's raw power, it is no wonder that
Kerensky wanted all
Atlases to accompany him into his self-imposed
exile. Ironically, more than two thirds of the pilots who refused to join him were
Atlas pilots. The remaining
Atlases (and those still being produced by
Yori Mech Works and
Independence Weaponry on the planets
Al Ma'ir,
Hesperus and
Quentin) continue to inspire terror wherever they tread.
Note: Information used here was the domain of FASA before they split the rights between Wizkids LLC and Microsoft (table-top gaming and video games respectively). Copyright of the fluff text is in limbo, but names of persons, places, & things are without any doubt the property of Wizkids LLC. Use of any terms here related to the BattleTech trademark are not meant as a challenge to Wizkids LLC's rights.