Compiled overview of the 40
ton Assassin 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
The purchasing agents for the
Star League's military branch seem to have overstepped their authority
in the case of the Assassin ASN-21 BattleMech.
A new medium
'Mech was not truely required in 2825, but
lobbyists for
Maltex Corporation managed somehow to gain several key contracts for it's production. Despite all the politics involved, the
Assassin turned out to be an almost usable
'Mech. The
Assassin ASN-21 was originally marketed to compete against the
Wasp and
Stinger 'Mechs. Though heavier than these light
'Mechs, it is still a fast vehicle with full jump capabilities and a ever-so-slightly improved weapon
payload. A technical success, the Assassin nonetheless failed to replace the
Wasps and
Stingers. The military felt loyal to the
Wasps and
Stingers, and both were much less expensive.
The
Assassin's weapon mix consists of three systems that are each fine examples of weapon
smithing on their own, but have little strategical value
when grouped together on this
'Mech. The
Assassin's weapons are, one Holly LRM-5 Missile Rack, one Holly SRM-2
Missile Rack, and an arm-mounted Martell medium
laser. The good point of this mix being that the LRM missile system has a plentiful amount of ammo. Great for hunting down light
'Mechs and
bombarding them from long range.
Now, the problems...
The
Assassin also has one of the most
cramped
cockpits in use in the
Inner Sphere. In the past two hundred years, the cockpit's
cooling system has been overhauled several times, but none of these
efforts have been totally successful.
The net result is an uncomfortable, sometimes deadly place to sit for any amount of time.
The Holly short-range
missile rack has also been problematic. The loading mechanism has a tendency to
jam, and this problem has worsened with age. To correct the problem the whole mechanism must be disassembled, a nearly impossible feat in a battle
field situation.
Rather than write off the
Assassin entirely the newly re-designed
Assassin ASN-23 model uses rediscovered
Star League-era technology to give the
'Mech a slightly different role. The pesky SRM rack is removed, creating room for an upgrade to the medium
laser to the readily available Magna 400P
pulse laser. In addition, these
'Mechs mount the
Artemis IV fire-control system to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the Holly long-range missiles. So configured, the
Assassin is once again an asset
on some missions.
The
Assassin 'Mech made its first battlefield appearance while
Houses Marik and
Steiner were battling for
Rochelle in 2980. The fighting on
Rochelle was slow, muddy, and bloody.
Tacticians on both sides agreed that the
Assassin fared well where other
'Mechs failed due to its
seven 100AFVTA model
jump jets keeping it flying above
obstacles.
After the
Assassin's impressive display on
Rochelle,
House Marik reassigned many of these
'Mechs to
garrison duty along their borders. Several
Marik lances of
crack recon troops consist of nothing but
Assassins, though these units are only used in
rear area raiding parties.
The
mercenary unit called the
Amphigean Light Assault Group encountered some difficulties with their
Assassins at the battle for
Sevren while fighting for
House Kurita. In 2990,
Assassins from the mercenary unit
ducked behind
Steiner lines and raided enemy supply bases and rear-area cities for several weeks. Eventually, however, they ran low on ammunition. This left them with only their medium lasers to face the fury of
Steiner's Fifteenth
Lyran Guard. The
Assassins tried to sneak back to
Kurita lines, but only two of them made it.
In battles on
Saffell,
Cylene and
Wheel, there are records of
Assassins running low on
ammunition and falling
prey to rear-guard units. In 3021, realizing that the
'Mech needed more laser-based defenses,
House Davion began production of the
ASN-101 variant. The
Assassin ASN-101 is based on the original
ASN-21 chassis but it trades off half a ton of
armor and two of its seven
jump jets in exchange for three Small
Lasers.
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