Battletech Legends Freebirth

A MYSTERY WRAPPED IN AN ENIGMA... "Dispatch Horse to the planet Huntress!" The orders to investigate the secret experiment being done by the Falcons on the Smoke Jaguar homeworld came down from the Jade Falcon Khan herself. But does the covert mission require the natural bravery of a freeborn warrior—or do Horse's genetically engineered comrades consider him expendable? The perilous trek is dead-ended by a crash landing—right into a Smoke Jaguar trap. His 'Mech confiscated, his DropShip down, his Trinary imprisoned, Horse is duty bound to the enemy Jaguars—and closer to the core of the strange secrets of the Falcon stronghold than he ever imagined. For the Clan, the consequences could be explosive. For Horse, they could be fatal...

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

AS THE CLANS PLAN THEIR INVASION... As the Khans of the Clans gather on Strana Mechty to plan a new invasion of the Inner Sphere, Jade Falcon Khan Marthe Pryde strives to rebuild her Clan to its former glory. She bloods new warriors and wins others in Trials from other Clans, but she cannot waste any fine warrior—even those who are freeborn. She gives a Trinary composed entirely of freeborns to a freeborn Star Captain and allows Diana, the freeborn daughter of a Jade Falcon hero, to compete for a bloodname. TWO OF THEIR OWN CLASH IN BATTLE... The Khans of the Steel Vipers—long-standing rivals of the Falcons—use these radical moves against Marthe, attacking her in the Grand Council. In the midst of this war of intimidation, the Inner Sphere accomplishes the unthinkable—an invasion of Clan space. But even that cannot stop Marthe Pryde or the Steel Vipers as their ripening conflict explodes into war...

A DEFEATED WARRIOR... For years, Star Commander Joanna has had to live with the shame of the Jade Falcon defeat at Twycross, and the nightmares of the heroic Aidan Pryde flaunting his bloodname in her face. A LAST CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION. Now, with the arrival of the new Star Colonel Ravill Pryde, who will lead them against the Wolf Clan, Joanna must once again fight for her chance to recapture the glory of her victory at Tukayyid. But will her advanced age bring her to defeat again, or will being a Jade Falcon be enough for her to take on the legendary Black Widow in a repeat battle at the Great Gash on Twycross?

THE COMPLETE STORY OF CLAN JADE FALCON’S MOST REVERED WARRIOR! THIS BOX SET CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING NOVELS: WAY OF THE CLANS In the 31st century, the BattleMech is the ultimate war machine. Ten meters tall and armed with devastating weapons, it is an unstoppable engine of destruction. In the 31st century, the Clans are the ultimate warriors. The result of generations of controlled breeding, Clan Warriors pilot their BattleMechs like no others. In the 31st century, Aidan aspires to be a Warrior of Clan Jade Falcon. To win the right to join his Clan in battle, he must succeed in training that will forge him into one of the best warriors in the galaxy—or break him completely. In the 31st century, Aidan discovers that the toughest battle is not on the field, but in his head—where failure will cost the ultimate price: his humanity. BLOODNAME Truebirth: Born in the laboratory, these genetically engineered soldiers train to be the ultimate warriors. They are the elite pilots of the Clan's fearsome BattleMech war machines. Freebirth: Born of the natural union of parents, these too are soldiers, but pale imitations of their Truebirth superiors. Despised for their imperfections, they fight where and when their Clan commands. Aidan has failed his Trial of Position, the ranking test all Truebirth warriors of the Clan Jade Falcon must pass. He is cast out. Disgraced. But with a Bloodname, all past failures are forgiven. With a Bloodname comes respect. With a Bloodname comes honor. Aidan will do anything to gain that name. Even masquerade as the thing he has been taught to despise. A freebirth… FALCON GUARD In 2786, the elite Star League Defense Force fled the Inner Sphere, abandoning the senseless bloodshed ordered by the Successor Lords. Now, almost three hundred years later, the Clans, heirs of the SLDF, turn their eyes back upon their former home. Nothing will stop them from raising the Star League banner over Earth once again. For two years, the Clans’ BattleMech war machines have overwhelmed the armies of the corrupt Successor Lords. Now, on the doorstep of Terra, the Clans must fight one final battle, a battle that will decide the fate of humanity for all time. For Star Colonel Aidan Pryde of Clan Jade Falcon, the battle is more than a question of military conquest. It is an affirmation of the superiority of the Clan way, a way of life that he has sworn to uphold despite his fear that the noble crusade has fallen prey to the lust and ambition of its commanders. But amid the chaos and carnage of battle, he is about to be tested in a way he never thought possible…by a person he has never even met…

A DANGEROUS DECEPTION... Truebirth: Born in the laboratory, these genetically engineered soldiers train to be the ultimate warriors. They are the elite pilots of the Clan's fearsome BattleMech war machines. Freebirth: Born of the natural union of parents, these too are soldiers, but pale imitations of their Truebirth superiors. Despised for their imperfections, they fight where and when their Clan commands. Aidan has failed his Trial of Position, the ranking test all Truebirth warriors of the Clan Jade Falcon must pass. He is cast out. Disgraced. His rightful Bloodname denied him. But with a Bloodname, all past failures are forgiven. With a Bloodname comes respect. With a Bloodname comes honor. Aidan will do anything to gain that name. Even masquerade as the thing he has been taught to despise. A freebirth.