Shadow Heart

==Description==
The Shadow Heart is the 'Mech of choice for legendary MRBC star pupil Spectre. This variant of the venerable Victor is designed to deliver punishing firepower to a fight quickly and then hang around until the end. Upgrades to the engine allow this 'Mech to keep pace with most heavy designs and prevent it from becoming a sitting duck in the middle of a firefight. This speed does come at the cost of jump jets, the ace-in-the-hole of the original design, and also this 'Mech mounts no heat sinks at all. This means that even the relatively light beam armament of four Inner Sphere Medium Lasers can cause the 'Mech to overheat if they are fired continuously. This problem is offset though, by the inclusion of a single Heavy Gauss Rifle and a Clan Gauss rifle as primary armament. In addition to its speed and firepower, the Shadow Heart is well protected with the maximum amount of armor that can be bolted on to the chassis: 16.1 tons. 
==Armament==
The Shadow Heart's primary weapon is a Heavy Gauss Rifle with three tons of ammunition, which ensures that the 'Mech's heaviest punch will very rarely stop working. For dealing with enemies at increased range, the 'Mech also mounts a Clan Gauss Rifle with two tons of ammunition. When the range is closed enough to allow both Gauss Rifles to fire in tandem, the Shadow Heart has the next best thing to a Fafnir's "big punch" with enough speed and maneuverability to bring it to bear on all target classes. The inclusion of four Medium Lasers is almost an after thought, more designed to give the pilot something to do while the primary weapons reload, though they are effective at warding off attacks from light skirmisher 'Mechs that venture too close. The total exclusion of all heat sinks means that sustained fire from the lasers will rapidly overheat the 'Mech and force a shutdown. Thus, the Shadow Heart is considered an extremely ammunition dependent design, often good for only one battle, despite the extra ammunition it carries. A LAMS system gives the Shadow Heart added insurance against missile attacks, thus increasing its battle longevity.
==Variants==
There are no known variants of this 'Mech, the sole pilot of the design being Spectre.
==References==
Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries
Category:BattleMechsCustom