Battletech Legends Patriot S Stand

A DESPERATE FIGHT… Under assault and ill-equipped, Alkalurops has come apart since the loss of its communications grid and the inability of the Republic of the Sphere to re-establish it. But in a universe of powerful players, a leader has to grab power fast if she's going to survive... Grace O'Malley's people are valiantly making a stand against Hansen's Roughriders, a band of mercenaries destroying everything in their path. Badly outnumbered, her forces need real BattleMechs operated by trained MechWarriors. And they're not going to be easy to afford, especially since the big mine owners refuse to offer any funds for planetary defense. But Grace will not surrender her homeland, no matter what the price. Even though the ragtag locals are putting up a surprisingly good fight, Loren Hansen remains confident he can defeat them. What he doesn't count on is an opponent determined to write her planet's history in the scorched wreckage of the battlefield...

ONE EMPIRE. TWO RIVALS. Bitter rivalries within the Star League threaten to plunge the entire Inner Sphere into chaos, as Victor Steiner-Davion and his sister, Katrina, maneuver their own forces to the brink of civil war. At the same time, their young brother, Arthur, is beginning to gain his own supporters in the Federated Commonwealth—including the powerful Draconis March, who see their own path to power within the younger warrior. ONE BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY. And even as the clouds of insurrection begin to rumble within her own domain, the cunning Katrina devises a ruthless campaign of destruction that can crush the growing rebellion, rid her of the young upstart Arthur, and strike at the very heart of her hated brother Victor...

LIFE, DEATH, HONOR, FEALTY... Bushido is the warrior code that governs all these concepts. As a MechWarrior of the Draconis Combine, Minobu Tetsuhara is bound by it, a code that demands loyal service to the devious Warlord Grieg Samsonov. When Minobu came upon a strange blue and gold Archer, the field littered with its vanquished opponents, and its weapons empty, bushido dictated that he not destroy an honorable but helpless warrior. For that, he became Dispossessed, stripped of his BattleMech—and his honor. Minobu is then assigned as liaison to one of the Combine’s most elite mercenary units, who treat him with the respect due a fellow warrior, and give him a BattleMech to take the field of battle once more. The skill and power of these mercenaries is unparalleled, but when they refuse to renew their contract due to sabotage from within the Combine, Minobu is instructed to use all means to destroy them. Now, bushido dictates that Minobu oppose his honorable foe, a man whom he has fought alongside in battle, and who deserves far better than betrayal...Jaime Wolf of Wolf's Dragoons.

A LIFE OF DECEPTION… Nearly a century ago, Minoru Kurita abandoned his noble name and heritage when he was adopted by Clan Nova Cat, who utilized his purported psychic abilities to create a powerful new breed of warrior: the Mystic Caste, a secretive spiritual branch of the Clan led by their exalted Oathmaster... From the moment Kisho left the Iron Womb, he has been trained in the Mystic Caste with one goal in mind: to forge his entire being into a tool—not simply as a weapon to fight the Clan's enemies, but as an instrument of strength to bring glory to Clan Nova Cat through his visions. Now he has been chosen by the Oathmaster himself to be his protege and possible successor. But Kisho's great pride masks a great deception: He does not believe any of it. He has walked the path all his life, yet he has no faith in the gifts the Mystic Caste supposedly possesses—and he is running out of time… For Kisho is about to be sent into battle with his warrior brethren to fight alongside the forces of the controversial Warlord Katana Tormark—and the faith he has so long denied may be the only thing that can save them...

POISON COMES IN MANY FORMS… Exarch Damien Redburn has called for the election of his replacement. Paladins assemble from all corners of the Republic, and those vying to be the next Exarch are creating a lively nomination process. But machinations behind the scenes threaten to turn the election into a bloodbath. Paladins Heather GioAvanti and Jonah Levin are both conducting investigations into suspicious activities swirling around the edges of this high-level gathering, including a suspected assassination at the highest level of Republic government. The leads they uncover repeatedly intersect, and it becomes clear that more than one group intends to disrupt the election. Through political influence, assassination, or rebellion, each of these cabals ultimately seeks to place its own man or woman in the Exarch's seat—and whoever controls the Exarch controls the Republic. But Damien Redburn will not allow his successor to be a puppet, and is more than willing to throw a few 'Mechs and a secret agent or two into the mix to get the result he wants—even if what he wants may be a surprise to everyone else...

A PRIZE WORTH THE RISK… Despite years of effort, ComStar has been unable to repair the HPG interstellar communications grid. Now the Republic is taking a hands-on approach to fixing the problem. An active hyperpulse generator can turn its planet into a tempting target. So when ComStar appears close to reactivating the HPG on Wyatt, the Republic takes steps to counter any threats to the world—at a time when ComStar is determined to prove that it's once more a force to be reckoned with... Knight-Errant Alexi Holt is assigned to defend Wyatt for the Republic. But her greatest challenge is to protect Tucker Harwell—a genius possessing unmatched HPG skills—from the invaders who will certainly try to capture him. Both the Oriente Protectorate and Clan Spirit Cat have an interest in Wyatt. The first seeks to control the man who can fix an HPG, the other is a safe haven. Unsavory characters will also step forward. After all, though a reactivated HPG makes Wyatt a target, Tucker Harwell is the biggest prize of all…

POLITICS OF DESTRUCTION… Newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin is still trying to come to terms with the responsibilities of his office. With his recent discovery of treachery in The Republic's Senate, he can trust very few people—and not even his own Paladins have been immune to murderous intrigue... Tensions are heating up between Exarch Levin and the senators determined to fight what they call the "injustice being done to the Republic's government." Some are even agitating for Levin's censure—a move that could accomplish the same thing as the recent attempted coup that killed legendary Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion. One of The Republic's last hopes is the summit of Inner Sphere leaders gathering on Terra. Ostensibly a tribute to the assassinated Steiner-Davion, it also has the potential to halt the escalating violence of the last few years. And although Victor would not have wanted his death to be the cause of more political maneuvering, Levin knows the great man would not begrudge the Republic this one final service to stave off all-out war—if only it isn't too late...

DISSENT FROM WITHIN… Sea Fox Clansmen are space-bound, nomadic warrior-merchants who live and die aboard their naval vessels, going planetside only to negotiate a new deal or for combat—often the same thing for a Fox. Divided into five autonomous Khanates, they are led by the Khan of Clan Sea Fox. Their mission: to make deals and acquire the revenue needed to expand Sea Fox's honor, glory, and power... For more than a decade, ovKhan Sha Clarke has watched his Spina Khanate achieve greater wealth and fame than any other. A burning passion drives him to free Spina Khanate from the shackles of Clan Sea Fox—no matter the cost... Fiercely loyal to Clan Sea Fox, ovKhan Petr Kalasa knows Sha is plotting rebellion, but even he cannot guess the lengths to which the other ovKhan will go to achieve his goal. Attempting to stop his rival, he baits Sha into a one-on-one duel. The result is a disaster that vividly demonstrates how much Petr will have to sacrifice to put an end to Sha's machinations. Yet his suspicions of Sha will not let him rest. Petr has lost one battle, but—as the Clan as his witness—he will not lose the war...