Type/Model:    Crab CRB-20-B
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3025
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Rules:         Level 1, Modified design

Mass:          50 tons
Chassis:       Hollis Mark 1A Standard
Power Plant:   250 Magna Fusion
Walking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86.4 km/h
Jump Jets:     None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type:    Bulldog Standard
Armament:      
  1 Ceres Arms Smasher PPC
  3 Ceres Arms Medium Lasers
  1 Exostar Small Laser
Manufacturer:  Cosara Weaponries
  Location:    Northwind
Communications System:  Dalban Series K
Targeting & Tracking System:  650 RND

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==Overview:==
     The Crab was designed as a medium-weight raider and stay-behind fighter.
First built in 2719, fewer than 1,000 of these 'Mechs were delivered before
the outbreak of the Succession Wars. The Crab received favorable initial
reports, but experts saw the 'Mech's inability to jump as a limitation on its
usefulness as a raider.
     The Crab possesses good speed overall and can survive for weeks without
resupply. All of its weapons are energy-based, which makes the Crab run
slightly hotter than other 'Mechs of its weight class. The Crab might well
have become the standard medium 'Mech of the SLDF, had events not forced
General Kerensky and his loyalists to leave the Inner Sphere.
 


==Capabilities:==
     When first delivered to the field, the Crab contained little new
technology. Except for the targeting system and the communications equipment
every major component on the Crab was first tested and proven on another 'Mech
design. Technicians dream of assignment to a Crab, because it requires less
than half the maintenance time of other 'Mechs in its class. In fact, the
slang term "Crab walk" is synonymous with easy duty. Only the 'Mech's
communications equipment gives its technicians any significant problems.
     The Dalban Series K communications network provided the Crab with a
superior C3 suite. The system houses seven microprocessors, each capable of
performing its own special duty as well as duplicating the operations of the
other six. More than a communication system, the Dalban network can identify
the 'Mech's exact location on a planetary surface, as well as the locations of
any known units on the planet. The system keeps its information current by
monitoring all radio frequencies and short-wave bands and taking in data feeds
from satellites and other military communications systems. When operating
behind enemy lines, the system can forecast enemy troop movements,
differentiating between suspected positions and known positions, and can
project a path for arriving at any destination. Though not foolproof, the
system does give the pilot an excellent recon report prior to his beginning
patrol. Unfortunately, the system is difficult to maintain; the last known
K-series qualified technician died some years ago, and so maintenance of the
system has come down to guesswork. The depredations of the Succession Wars,
however, have rendered this less of a drawback than it might seem. The
military-communications infrastructure, command posts, orbital satellites,
high-altitude surveillance drones and such on which the K series suite
depended have largely been destroyed, rendering the system's more esoteric
functions useless.
     Most pilots consider the Crab's armor protection acceptable, though the
replacement of its composite armor with the homogenous steel now used has
reduced the Crab's survivability somewhat. Its arms
and legs are well protected and even its weakest points can withstand a direct
PPC blast without a breach.
     The 'Mech's weapons systems are serviceable, if uninspired. Its matched
set of large lasers, housed in its claws and forearms, provide an excellent
arc of fire but are easily damaged during hand-to-hand fighting. Pilots tend
to use the huge weapons as clubs, knocking the focusing mirrors out of
alignment and rendering the lasers inoperable. Though readjustment is easy to
perform, it requires the pilot to spend several minutes outside the cockpit
with his head buried in the 'Mech's elbow.
     To provide a secondary line of defense, designers added a medium Ceres
Arms laser and Exostar small laser to the center torso and head, respectively.
The medium laser is well protected from the engine, and heat sinks allow an
unrestricted flow of heat through the center torso and out the back. The
head-mounted small laser is normally used only as a last resort. Ineffective
at long ranges, it works best against soft targets, such as infantry and
rioting civilians. The cockpit is well insulated from the heat of the engine
and the small laser. Pilots appreciate the relative comfort of piloting a
Crab.
     The 'Mech's ejection seat varies from the standard design, giving the
pilot two methods of escape. If an explosion is imminent, the top hatch is
blown back and the seat is jettisoned through the roof of the 'Mech. Seat
thrusters stabilize the seat's descent to a controlled fall, and the pilot
lands roughly 200 meters from his machine. If no explosion is likely, the seat
is rotated 90 degrees and fired out the back. The pilot lands 20-50 meters
from his 'Mech after a much shorter and gentler ride.

--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Crab CRB-20-B
Mass:          50 tons

Equipment:                                 Crits    Mass
Int. Struct.:  83 pts Standard               0      5.00
Engine:        250 Fusion                    6     12.50
   Walking MP:   5
   Running MP:   8
   Jumping MP:   0
Heat Sinks:     17 Single                    7      7.00
 (Heat Sink Loc: 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 CT, 2 LL, 2 RL)
Gyro:                                        4      3.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors:                5      3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA+LA    R: Sh+UA+LA       14       .00
Armor Factor:  144 pts Standard              0      9.00

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Head:                      3          9      
   Center Torso:             16         18      
   Center Torso (Rear):                  7      
   L/R Side Torso:           12      14/14      
   L/R Side Torso (Rear):              5/5      
   L/R Arm:                   8      14/14      
   L/R Leg:                  12      22/22      

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Crits    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 PPC                    RA     10           3      7.00
2 Medium Lasers          LA      6           2      2.00
1 Medium Laser           CT      3           1      1.00
1 Small Laser            HD      1           1       .50
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                         20          43     50.00
Crits & Tons Left:                          35       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        4,032,874 C-Bills
Battle Value:      961
Cost per BV:       4,196.54
Weapon Value:      901 / 901 (Ratio = .94 / .94)
Damage Factors:    SRDmg = 17;  MRDmg = 8;  LRDmg = 2
BattleForce2:      MP: 5,  Armor/Structure: 4/4
                   Damage PB/M/L: 3/2/1,  Overheat: 1
                   Class: MM;  Point Value: 10