Dark Gears were built for the vacuum environment, and the Dark Mamba was originally a modication of the Southern Snakeye Black Mamba. For Dragon, Junkman took the Dark Mamba back to these proverbial roots. He added a series of secondary thrusters, including the main thrusters from a Hades space Gear, mounted below the backpack. Dragon's controls are "fly-by-wire," and managed by an advanced computer array, responding less to specific body motions requested as the overall maneuver requested. This gives Dragon unprecedented... almost scary maneuverability that requires a gifted, creative pilot just to get underway, much less pilot him. It requires a successful Gear Piloting skill with a threshold of 9 to successfully pilot the Dragon the first time. With the system in full operation, the maneuvering jets will kick in to provide the Gear's acrobatic maneuverability as needed if the actuators are incapable of the requested maneuver. If the Jump Jets are used for an actual jump of some sort (over a vehicle or other obstruction, for instance), then the Concealment rating of the Dragon drops by 2 during that round.

Like the Snakeye, Dragon is powered by a gas turbine engine powering a series of superconducting cells. The hybrid propulsion system gives Junkman the option of switching to "whisper" mode by shutting down the turbine and only using the energy stored in the battery. The custom-built engine also includes a heavily insulated armored casing that helps to mask its heat signature and gives it the back armor the standard Black Mamba lacks. A rubberized radar absorbent material (RAM) coating inside all the skirt armor plates and on the soles, coupled with the unorthodox gas turbine/battery powerplant and a rubber-like, lightweight, radar absorbent polymer glazing, gives Dragon very impressive stealth capabilities.

Junkman retained the Snakeye's laser rifle, only opting for the higher power and shock value of the Helios 10MW Gatling Laser Cannon. Junkman also submitted specs for modifications to the Vogel 71mm rocket pack to fire incendiary rounds; he learned the value of incendiary rounds for area suppression during the War of the Alliance. However, the more prosaic anti-personnel weapons have been removed, and replaced with a Haywire Whip and Spike Gun for close-in vehicle combat. Like all duelists, Junkman prefers melee combat and is deadliest when he can use Dragon's speed and maneuverability to make the battlefield resemble the dueling arena. Junkman prizes a Gear's versatility, however, and is constantly adding and removing a series of backup weapons ranging from strings of grenades to an antipersonnel mortar to panzerfausts.

The Haywire Whip is also unusual in that Junkman sacrificed speed of use for range. The whip has a range of 50 meters, however, allowing it to entangle foes at a distance and hold them for artillery fire. The Dragon's whip, nicknamed Erzach's Wrath by Junkman, requires a full round to recover through an integrated winch after it is deployed. Of course, if the whip hits its target with an Entangle attack, this round of recovery only applies when the Dragon releases her prey (or if said prey escapes).

Junkman generally prefers Southern or Badlands hardware if he can get it; the Black Mamba is obviously a Southern Republic design and most of his weapons are of Paxton or Territorial Arms manufacture (when he hasn't rebuilt them himself). The single exception is the sensor and communications suite. Junkman grudgingly acknowledges that the Northern CHAT/8 system is superior to SR designs, and removed one from a Cheetah to incorporate it into Dragon. Junkman also borrowed the design schematics from a Dark Cheetah to incorporate the CHAT/8's key systems on a Dark Cheetah-like retractable tool arm.

Dragon's NNet is Erzach, whom Junkman firmly believes is the living reincarnation of the Terra Novan Prophet of Jerusalemism. Dragon's construction went so well -- in all defiance of the naysayers that swore she would never work -- that not a single design-related defect has manifested itself in the Gear's design. Junkman sees this as the will of God, and has sworn to use Dragon only in doing God's will. He is also firm in his belief of his NNet's origins, and will not allow it to be wiped or modified under any circumstances.

Erzach has been with Junkman a long time, and from Junkman's perspective, is only now reaching his full potential. Erzach shares two of Junkman's personality traits... a Gear to which Erzach is linked receives +0.50 Maneuver. On the other hand, Erzach also shares Junkman's love of scavenging and will happily scan non-moving piles of metal -- debris, mostly -- looking for spare parts.