The Word of Blake milita sought another speciality mech to fulfill the role of a mech assassin, but still more than capable of battlefield action.
Even with the re-introduction of the null-signature system onto the battlefield, it was too difficult to produce for their existing Exterminator and Spector mechs.
Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais ordered Word of Blake technicians to comb through the best House technologies for the new headhunter design, and the result was the Vampire, one of the deadliest designs ever to grace the modern battlefield.
An unlikely combination of omnitechnology, stealth armor, and targeting computers, this is one state of the art showpiece design.

The designers did not need to look too long before they had their first design consideration pinned down, the stealth armor system developed by the Capellan Confederation.
Virtually the equal of the null-sig system in purpose, the stealth armor was quite a bit cheaper and easier to produce, which fit the bill for the purposes of the Word of Blake.
Next up was the speed of the mech. A minimum speed of 90 kph was set in order to ensure that most mechs could be caught by the Vampire. An XL engine was used in order for adequate weaponry to be mounted. Jump jets were almost a mandatory requirement, but they decided to mount them on a case by case basis. However, they did use specific mounts to facilitate the inclusion of jump jets, saving a lot of downtime.
Weapons were a bit of a problem. The one flaw the designers found for the stealth and null-sig systems was that they prevented the efficient venting of heat with the heat-bafflers, which meant that designs employing both these technologies and laser armanent often suffered from heat problems.
Autocannons were an obvious solution, but they wanted the mech to have a real punch as well, which was quite difficult with its lack of spare mass for heavier autocannon calibers.
The theft of design plans from Achernar Battlemechs for the RAC/5 autocannon by ROM agents was a godsend(or Blakesend) to the Vampire design team.
They easily incorporated the weapon into the mech, and included a targeting computer to increase its chances of hitting a target.
And this was just for the primary configuration.
Other configs used a variety of LRMs, medium lasers, smaller ACs, and TCs in different combinations.

The Vampire was seen in action only once, in a raid by anti-Word of Blake elements on Terra on one of their bases.
A guerilla fighter managed to commandeer a prototype Vampire primary variant from the base hanger, and proceeded to cover the retreat of his comrades as they tried to depart with supplies seized from the base.
In an awesome display of the mech's abilities, the Vampire fought off an entire lance of light and medium Word of Blake mechs in a series of brilliant hit and fade actions.
The climax of the battle came when the Vampire faced off against an Initiate, then tore its opponent apart as it pushed the RAC/5 cannon to its limit, while using the targeting computer to aim straight for the center of the Initiate, ripping through the center torso and destroying the mech.
The Vampire retreated with heavy damage, and has remained in the hands of the guerillas until Operation Grand Slam.

Adept XII Luc Lossey
A former member of the 208th Division, Luc managed to escape into the wilds of the Gunnison Mountain Range after their betrayal and pursuit by the Shadow Lancers.
Although dispossessed, he fought with the resistance groups for a long time, never losing hope in their final victory.
Frank Meronac passed the Vampire to him after the spectacular raid, and Luc acquited himself with courage and skill afterwards, determined never to lose a mech again.
Luc's faith was vindicated with the liberation of Terra, and he was honored for his steadfast contribution to the cause. Hailed as a hero, he found himself transferred to the 278th Division on Tukayyid, to face the Clans in the "Lestat", as he had named his Vampire.

The loss of the prototype and its performance records set back the mech-hunter program by several months. By the time the Word of Blake was about to start tests for a new prototype, Operation Grand Slam commenced.
With the liberation of Terra, Comstar and the rapidly reformed SLDF have managed to recover plans for the Vampire, as well as the performance records and the sole working prototype from the guerilla war survivors.
Precentor Martial Victor Steiner-Davion has not decided whether to produce these deadly mechs, though it appears that Ian Calderon is urging him to do so. Unlike the Totenvogel with its infamous history, the Vampire has no such baggage. In fact, its service with the Resistance has left it more as a symbol of freedom than anything else.
Only one Vampire, the original prototype, has been deployed. Repaired and rearmed, it now serves proudly in the 278th Division(The Khan Killers).