Battletech Innocent And Defenseless

MERCS VERSUS MERCS… During the years of the Star League, few mercenary units served with such honor and distinction as the Eridani Light Horse. Stalwart allies of the Star League and the ideals it stands for, the men and women of the Eighth Recon Battalion are about to have their own ideals tested on the world of Radstadt. For when an invading mercenary force assaults a massive Draconis Combine prison complex, the Light Horse warriors are faced with the choice of risking their lives to defend convicted prisoners. And while the Eridani Light Horse has never shied from a mission or a challenge, repelling the invaders will try them in ways they could never have expected…

Covert Operations... Edwin Amis, new commander of the Eridani Light Horse, faces a tough decision: Should he openly defy Sun-Tzu Liao, the First Lord of the Star League? The First Lord has sent Star League troops as "peacekeepers" to the St. Ives Compact to prevent open rebellion by angry citizens—but they're not seeking peace. Amis knows the mission is only a guise for reclaiming territory for the Capellan Confederation, and he's ready to station counter-forces on Milos, close to the heart of the Capellan capital. But on Milos, things are already escalating—Death Commando Chen Shao and his ruthless partner, Nessa Ament, have secretly murdered a dissident's family in cold blood. Now both forces are at each other's throats in what could erupt into full-scale war unless Amis can find a way to defuse the situation before more blood is shed...on a planetary scale...

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.

TRADITIONS RUN DEEP… Most mercenary units fly flags on 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? Now, collected for the first time, nine of BattleTech’s finest authors bring the legacy of this storied unit to life like never before. Witness the Eridani Light Horse’s origins in the Star League, and follow their evolution all the way through the Succession Wars and the Clan Invasion to their downfall during the Dark Age and their resurrection in the uncertain future of the ilClan era. Featuring stories from: Joel Steverson Craig A. Reed, Jr. Chris Hussey Randall N. Bills Jason Hansa Daniel Isberner Alan Brundage Jason Schmetzer Michael J. Ciaravella

MASTERS OF WAR… The battlefields of the 31st century are commanded by the BattleMech, twenty-meter-tall, 100-ton bipedal engines of destruction. Piloted by MechWarriors, commanded by neo-feudal officers, owned by national governments and bands of mercenaries, loyal to one of the interstellar Successor States or the martial Clans, these ’Mechs make every other ground combat vehicle obsolete. This is the warfare of fusion-powered giants. This is BattleTech. The Chaos Irregulars are mercenaries, born on the battlefields of the planet Acamar at the dawn of the Word of Blake’s horrific Jihad. Orphans of shattered mercenary battalions, they were forged in the crucible of combat into one of the most reliable mercenary battalions in the Inner Sphere. Chaos Born: Book Two of the Chaos Irregulars continues the story of the battalion’s first few contracts, battling intrigue, betrayal, and other mercenaries. First published on the BattleCorps fiction site, these stories comprise the first half of a duology that culminates in Chaos Born: Book One of the Chaos Irregulars.

On 25 October 3069, the extremist Word of Blake attacked the capital world of the Free Worlds League and declared the League’s leader, Captain-General Thomas Marik, a fraud. House Marik fell into disgrace and, after eight centuries of existence, the Free Worlds League shattered. Three captains-general now vie to reunite the realm:Anson Marik of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth prides himself on possessing Marik blood and seeks to rule on its strength. Lester Cameron-Jones of the Regulan Fiefs knows the Marik bloodline is defunct; only a new royal house can resurrect the League. Jessica Marik of the Oriente Protectorate is on a mission to redeem her father’s name: the false Thomas Marik, the man who helped destroy the League. They will all find the price for their ambitions is higher than they could ever have imagined. Who will be willing to pay?

After graduating from high school, aspiring artist Amanda "Zero" Walsh begins a relationship with a drummer, which helps her come to terms with her feelings about herself, her falling out with her best friend, and her parents' personal problems.