Battletech Icons Of War

SYMBOLS OF POWER… After the Word of Blake exacts an incalculable toll on Clan Wolf, Elemental warrior Garmen Kerensky is tasked by Wolf Khan Vlad Ward to undertake an audacious, top-secret mission in the Clan Homeworlds. While other covert teams help the Wolves evacuate Clan Space, Garmen’s command will steal the most prized relic of Clan history: the body of the Great Father, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, Garmen’s ancestor. But the father of the Clans’ founder is entombed aboard the McKenna’s Pride, a Star League-era WarShip in permanent geosynchronous orbit above the Clans’ capital city, a staunchly guarded vessel that will take ingenuity, a warrior’s spirit, and more than a little luck to reach. Stealing his ancestor’s remains is a tall order under normal circumstances, but the Homeworld Clans are on the verge of open warfare with each other, and this mission threatens to blow Clan society apart entirely. As the elite warrior guards of the Ebon Keshik hunt Garmen, he and his hardened team must navigate the intrigue of the shadowy Dark Caste to have any hope of reaching the Pride alive. But no plan ever survives enemy contact, and Garmen must overcome the forces arrayed against him or risk forever losing the Great Father’s body to the chaos and destruction of the Clans’ internal warfare.

A SPARK OF REBELLION… When the Republic of the Sphere was established, it absorbed a quarter of Capellan Confederation space. Now that the crippled Republic is embattled everywhere, the Confederation Chancellor sends an operative into former Capellan territory to nurture the seeds of rebellion. Freedom fighter Evan Kurst has resisted the Republic's “benevolent occupation” of the world of Liao for as long as he can remember. He has fought side by side with agents from the Confederation, and rallied other fighters to the cause. Until now, his efforts have been in vain. But amid the chaos of the interstellar communications blackout, Kurst sees a new chance to liberate his homeworld and return it to its rightful rulers. The Chancellor's support is assured, and embodied in the person of Mai Wa, the operative sent to ensure Kurst's success. But Mai has betrayed Kurst before, and his biggest problem remains knowing whom to trust in a world where today’s ally is tomorrow's enemy…

VENGEANCE SHALL BE THEIRS… Three years after the massacre of their families on Bromhead, the hard-bitten mercenary unit Hansen’s Roughriders have already exacted revenge against Taurian Concordant forces on the planet Lindsay. But that is only the beginning. When the Second Taurian Lancers—the unit responsible for the massacre—lands on Midale to conduct a supply raid, they run into Colonel Wolfgang Hansen and the entire Roughriders force—all out for blood. And underestimating the Roughriders may be the last mistake the Lancers make. Amid the savage fighting, a Federated Suns liaison officer uncovers evidence of a third party’s involvement in the slaughter—and who may have been behind it. But will he be able to gather the necessary evidence—and eyewitnesses—before the rampaging Roughriders destroy everything in their path? (NOTE: This is the same novella that was distributed to the BattleTech Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign. If you received this story through the campaign, you do not need to buy it here.)

A NEW BEGINNING… Hank Mallory runs the Wolfhounds, an elite, self-sufficient company of the fabled Kell Hounds mercenary unit. But when Callandre Kell gives the order for the Hounds to scatter in the wake of vicious attacks from the Jade Falcons, Mallory and his unit must transform overnight into a brand-new unit or risk being hunted down themselves. Naturally, they head to the Mercenary’s Star, Galatea, to eradicate their previous identity and do whatever it takes to transform into something new…no matter what unusual missions that transformation may require… (NOTE: This is the same novella that was distributed to the BattleTech Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign. If you received this story through the campaign, you do not need to buy it here.)

FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE! Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine surges onward, waging wars that will decide the fate of the BattleMech-dominated future of the 31st century and beyond! Follow a quest for quick cash that yields unusual Star League relics. Commiserate with an aging MechWarrior convinced he is cursed with the devil’s luck—which is about to run out. Listen to the tale of how mercenary commander Ace Darwin obtained his iconic ’Mech—but how much of his story is true? Within these pages, you will visit Terra after the dawn of the ilClan era, venture into the postwar period of the Aurigan Coalition, and travel to the far-flung worlds of the Scorpion Empire in the Deep Periphery. Then you will dive into the intrigue and vice of Solaris VII in the beginning of a new, four-part serial novel. Choose your plan of attack with technical readouts, after-action reports, a deep dive into plasma technology, a treatise on covert-ops poisons, and a look at Free Worlds League politics, along with playable scenarios and more—all loaded into your autocannon by both BattleTech veterans and new voices from the Inner Sphere: Blaine Lee Pardoe Craig A. Reed, Jr. E. Clark Avery Jason Schmetzer James Bixby M. W. Hayden Mark Hill Daniel Isberner Alexander J. Roth Ken’ Horner James Kirtley Wunji Lau Eric Salzman Joel Steverson Stephen Toropov

TRADITIONS RUN DEEP… Other mercenary units fly flags at two flagpoles at their headquarters, one with their unit’s flag, and other bearing the flag of their current employer. However, the Third Regimental Combat Team—a.k.a. the Eridani Light Horse—leaves one flagpole bare, as a reminder of the death of the Star League, and the other pole flies the Light Horse’s unit and regimental flags at half-mast. What triumphs and tragedies shaped the Eridani Light Horse and its traditions? What drove them to become a force to be reckoned with, an elite mercenary unit with one of the longest histories and the deepest traditions in the Inner Sphere? Witness the unit’s origins in the Star League and follow their evolution all the way through the Succession Wars and the Clan Invasion to their downfall in the Dark Age and their resurrection in the uncertain future of the ilClan era. Part Three: Dying Dignity by Chris Hussey: For a raid into the Lyran Commonwealth, the Eridani Light Horse teams up with the Black Warriors, a band of former Star League troops much like the Light Horse. But something about this mission does not add up…

IMBALANCE OF POWER… On the faraway Clan Homeworlds during the Golden Century, Nicholas Kerensky’s vision of the Clans has blossomed into a thriving, varied culture where the warrior is esteemed above all…and MechWarriors, in their armored war machines, are at the pinnacle of Clan hierarchy. The eighteen Clans have existed in relative technological parity as well…until the day Clan Coyote fields a radical new ’Mech that gives them the edge on any battlefield—the OmniMech. Supremely customizable thanks to its modular design, the OmniMech threatens to upend the delicate balance of power among the Clans…and its secrets become a hotly contested prize. In the annual Trial of Possession for the OmniMech technology, the Jade Falcons have won the right to challenge the Coyotes first. But along with the upcoming ’Mech battle, a shadowy force is willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the Falcons succeed…even if it requires the sacrifice of cherished ideals…

TRADITIONS RUN DEEP… Other mercenary units fly flags at two flagpoles at their headquarters, one with their unit’s flag, and other bearing the flag of their current employer. However, the Third Regimental Combat Team—a.k.a. the Eridani Light Horse—leaves one flagpole bare, as a reminder of the death of the Star League, and the other pole flies the Light Horse’s unit and regimental flags at half-mast. What triumphs and tragedies shaped the Eridani Light Horse and its traditions? What drove them to become a force to be reckoned with, an elite mercenary unit with one of the longest histories and the deepest traditions in the Inner Sphere? Witness the unit’s origins in the Star League and follow their evolution all the way through the Succession Wars and the Clan Invasion to their downfall in the Dark Age and their resurrection in the uncertain future of the ilClan era. Part Two: No Tears by Craig A. Reed, Jr.: During the First Succession War, a tragedy borne of spite strikes the Eridani Light Horse on the Draconis Combine world of Sendai, and they will stop at nothing to exact their revenge.