Battletech Legends The Dying Time

A MISSION WHERE TRUST IS IN SHORT SUPPLY... Only days after the demise of legendary warrior Grayson Death Carlyle, the mercenary forces of the Gray Death Legion are called into action. Their mission is to protect Hesperus II in the Isle of Skye. With civil war raging, it is vital that the planet's famous Defiance BattleMech production facilities not fall into the hands of the enemy. Seeing the Lyrans and Davionists at each other's throats, the Skye separatists have seized the opportunity to instigate a new rebellion, and they too threaten the safety of Hesperus II and its factories. Now commanding the Legion is Grayson's widow Lori Carlyle. But what she doesn't realize is that her troops are little more than pawns in the continuing hostilities between the factions of Victor Steiner-Davion and his ever-cunning sister, Katrina—and that the Gray Death are about to enter a battle they are meant to lose. But if there is one constant in the universe, it is that pawns are made to be sacrificed...

Days after the death of legendary warrior Grayson Carlyle, the Gray Death Legion is called on a mission to protect Hesperus II from rebels. But soon they realize they are pawns in the continuing war between Victor Davion-Steiner and his sister Katrina, and that they are about to enter a battle that they are meant to lose.

TARGET: TERRA The world of Northwind has been ravaged in the fierce battle between the Highlanders and the Steel Wolves—and now the Clan warriors have set their sights on Terra. The fate of the birthplace of humankind now rests in the hands of three very different MechWarriors: Ezekiel Crow: Betrayer of the Highlanders—and on the run from both political and military enemies. Anastasia Kerensky: Ruthless leader of the Steel Wolves—and if she has her way, the next Conqueror of Terra. Tara Campbell: embattled Countess of the Northwind Highlanders—and Terra’s only hope in its most desperate hour. A desperate three-way race ensues to see who will be the first to reach Terra…and who will ultimately claim it….

THREE SIDES TO EVERY WAR… In 3069, the extremist Word of Blake group attacked the capital of the Free Worlds League and declared its leader, Captain-General Thomas Marik, to be a fraud. House Marik fell into disgrace, and after eight centuries, 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, and the very man who helped destroy the League. The world of Marik becomes a battleground as the three contenders prove they will go to any lengths to further their causes. But only Jessica Marik appears to remember that the Free Worlds League was forged not through military might alone, but also through alliances of trust. They will all find the price for their ambitions is higher than they could ever have imagined. Who will be willing to pay to achieve their dream?

A PACK DIVIDED… Anastasia Kerensky has declared the Steel Wolf Clan to be mercenaries, re-christening them the Wolf Hunters. The combination of autonomy and wealth will make them more than a match for any MechWarrior battalion suicidal enough to challenge them. But the real challenge comes from within the Clan itself. Star Colonel Varnoff believes Kerensky has betrayed them all—and with a loyal faction of Steel Wolves at his side vows to destroy all the Wolf Hunters. Meanwhile, others who do not agree with Anastasia’s decision strike out on their own. Some join other mercenary units, another finds his purpose on the gaming world of Solaris VII. But one thing is for certain: as the Republic of the Sphere continues to fall apart, new factions and rivalries arise as the leaders of each planet left on its own adapts to this dangerous new universe. And the surest way to protect a planet is by hiring mercs…because the best defense is a good offense…

CLAWS THAT CATCH… As a reward for her loyalty and cunning, Katana Tormark has been granted the rank of Warlord of Dieron—a somewhat dubious honor. For even as she is given her new title, she is also given a nearly impossible task to prove her worth—one that may usher in a new era of interplanetary chaos... Barely three generations ago, the Draconis Combine ceded control of dozens of planets to the Republic of the Sphere. But now, with Terra locked behind its impenetrable Fortress Wall, these same planets are left to fend for themselves. Some go on as if nothing has changed, while others find themselves pawns in a deadly game of territorial sovereignty. These are the planets Katana must take over if she is to reestablish the historic Dieron Military District. If she can manage this with minimal resources and the very subtle support of the Coordinator, then she will become a full-fledged warlord of House Kurita. But Katana’s enemies inside and outside the Combine see the ensuing confusion as a chance to destroy her once and for all...

ALL IN THE FAMILY… For more than a year, “divine leader” Daoshen Liao has relentlessly pushed his Capellan Confederation forces in their invasion of the Republic. Now the time has come for the next stage of his conquest—a conquest that will begin not with an enemy, but with his own family... Raised among royalty in the Magistracy of Canopus, where the superiority of women is a cultural axiom, Danai Liao-Centrella possesses all the confidence necessary for her to ascend through the Confederation ranks, despite having to contend with the constant machinations of her maniacal brother, Daoshen. But when her latest mission ends in defeat and personal disgrace, Danai will face the greatest challenge of life. Chancellor Daoshen rewards her failure by giving her a battalion of her own and a brand-new battlefield. And Danai is about to learn that in service to the state, even family comes second to safeguarding the Capellan Confederation…

With his friends and family dead and his father's regiment destroyed, Grayson Death Carlyle, a MechWarrior, must learn to fight for justice in a world turned hostile. Original.