Aleks' death never sat right with me either. And the reason is simple. The guy is in a Gyrfalcon- and from the book, as well as the dossiers for the MWDA figures, we know this Mech carries twin ER large lasers and twin Ultra AC-2 (or LB-2X, depending on the particular version). It's very reminiscient of a smaller, faster, jumping Rifleman in it's layout- and the same idea, it's not really something you want getting in a fistfight, what with it's ability to reach out 25 hexes or so and slap it's target around.
So, with such a massive range advantage over... well, almost ANYTHING... what exactly made Aleks think the best idea was to not only get into a slapfight with his target, but to get right up in the face of a Mech packing an AXE? Almost any other Mech, and maybe you can make some kind of argument, but a HATCHETMAN? Really?
If that's the smartest the Jade Falcons can breed in the 3130s, maybe it's time to pack it in and glom onto a Great House for protection. It sure worked for the Cats and Wolves, after all.