Stalker STK-MRK

         A well-known assault ‘Mech, the Stalker was first produced in 2594, just prior to the Reunification War. To make it as effective as possible in all kinds of combat, the Stalker’s designers gave it a varied array of weapons with differing optimal ranges. Though the Stalker ended up with far more weapons than could safely be fired in a single salvo, the variation in range and type gave the ‘Mech’s pilots unprecedented choices of response to enemy fire. The Stalker also had a top-of-the-line fire-control system; the advanced computer system determined a target’s range and suggested the optimum mix of weapons. The original Stalker design represents BattleMech technology at its height.
         Few modern Stalkers retain the original computer equipment so vital to this ‘Mech’s proper operation in battle. The latter-day Stalker is still a fearsome ‘Mech, but without the advanced computer, pilots must be cautious not to overuse their ‘Mech’s tremendous firepower. Also, the immense amounts of waste heat generated by the lasers often overwhelm the Stalker’s twenty heat sinks.
         A popular and common design, the Stalker is being upgraded with the Star League technology currently being incorporated into other Successor State ‘Mech designs. The most promising version appears to be the model nearing production in the Free Worlds League.
         Irian BattleMechs Unlimited has almost finished retooling its plant on Shiro III to produce the STK-5M Stalker. This redesign attempts to address the Stalker’s heat problems by using double heat sinks. Though the final model carries three fewer sinks than its predecessor, their double configuration allows them to dissipate much more heat than the original heat sinks. This model also carries the advanced Octagon Missile-Magnet Narc missile beacon, greatly improving the accuracy of its missiles and those of its lancemates. The STK-5M replaces the original’s pair of Magna large lasers with a single Diverse Optics Sunbeam extended-range large laser and adds a ton of armor for greater protection.

         Stalkers often lead major advances flanked by other heavy ‘Mechs, using their superior firepower to blow holes in the enemy ranks. With a maximum speed of 54 kilometers per hour, the Stalker is one of the slowest ‘Mechs on the battlefield, making it perfectly suited for steady advances and dogged firefights.
         In urban battles, where most fighting occurs at close range, the Stalker is a particularly deadly opponent. It can use its lasers and SRM-6 to demolish enemy ‘Mechs at ranges from 30 to 270 meters, and can also be employed to clear a path through buildings and fortifications. The ‘Mech’s heavy armor allows it to crash through hardened walls without taking serious damage. A favorite tactic of many Stalker pilots is to wait inside a building until another ‘Mech comes into range, then step through the wall and into the street behind it. Often, the Stalker appears behind its intended victim and fires before the other ‘Mech can turn.
         The Stalker can absorb tremendous amounts of abuse before being forced to retreat, and most Stalker pilots prefer to take the fight to the enemy rather than to adopt a defensive position. Because of its highly efficient short-range firepower, a Stalker usually attempts to close with the enemy and concentrate its attack on the heaviest ‘Mech.

         All of the Successor State militaries build their heavy cavalry units around the Stalker. Most often the heavy cavalry appears in the first line of battle, followed by medium lances. Light lances take up the rear to engage stragglers or dispatch damaged opponents.
         When playing a defensive role, the Stalker is usually deployed with ‘Mechs that carry long-range weapons, such as Archers.
         At the Battle for Saffell in 2787, House Kurita used Stalkers to halt the advancing Federated Suns forces. The heavier Kurita units retreated under a rain of long range fire from Davion Archers and Trebuchets, and the Davion ‘Mechs advanced steadily despite a fierce bombardment from the Kurita Stalkers’ LRMs until the besiegers reached the fortification walls. There, they found most of the Stalkers waiting for them. The Stalkers’ heavy armor had allowed them to survive the Davion attacks, and they offered stiff resistance to the Davion main column.
         During the Battle for Hoff in 3022, Wolf’s Dragoons deployed several heavy lances led by Colonel J. Elliot Jameson in his Stalker. At Tarn Hill in the Johnson Sector, Colonel Jameson’s command lance was attacked by a full company of Eridani Light Horse ‘Mechs. Outnumbered but not outgunned, Jameson’s lance began systematically destroying the heaviest of their opponents. Jameson’s own first charge crushed an enemy Rifleman, and a short-range salvo of medium lasers and SRMs stripped most of the armor from a nearby Griffin. The suddenness and brutality of the attack surprised the Eridani, who fell back in confusion. Though Colonel Jameson’s Stalker took heavy damage to its armor, it left the field reasonably intact.