BattleTech Anthology Series

IN THE 31ST CENTURY, LIFE IS CHEAP… A Draconis Combine warrior struggles with immoral orders in the First Succession War. A House Davion MechWarrior participates in a risky heist as part of Operation Guerrero. A history buff battles the Word of Blake during the Liberation of Terra. What do these MechWarriors have in common? Each one pilots the same BattleMech, a survivor that has been repaired and rebuilt countless times throughout its long and bloody 300-year lifespan. BATTLEMECHS ARE NOT. The seventy-ton GHR-5H Grasshopper can outmaneuver and outlast some of the most fearsome enemy 'Mechs, making it an invaluable asset to battlefield commanders. Even an incapacitated Grasshopper will be rebuilt to fight another day, with a new pilot at its controls, because MechWarriors can be replaced, but 'Mechs cannot. In BattleTech: Legacy, thirteen all-new stories chronicle the fortunes and tragedies of a single 'Mech across several tumultuous points in its wide-ranging combat history. Veteran BattleTech authors Kevin Killiany and Craig A. Reed, Jr. bookend this exciting collection, while other familiar names and new blood explore important moments in this 'Mech's history of constant, unmitigated warfare that leaves no corner of the Inner Sphere untouched.  

COMBAT IS THEIR BUSINESS… And business is good in the 31st century as the Third Succession War rages on battlefields ruled by the almighty BattleMech: ten-meter-tall humanoid machines of pure destruction. Continuous warfare between the five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere has led to a steep technological decline, forcing the nobility of these vast interstellar empires to rely on mercenaries to augment their standing armies and gain crucial advantages against their enemies. However, that House nobleman may be paying your unit's bills one day, but sending you straight into a trap tomorrow. BattleMechs may be the kings of the battlefield, but money, power, and machinations are just as important in victory as an autocannon barrage. This anthology of hard-hitting BattleTech action includes six short stories that demonstrate how Machiavellian nobles, greedy pirates, and desperate mercenary units can change the course of Inner Sphere history. Take up the cause and charge your way through war-torn tales by veteran BattleTech authors such as Chris Hussey, Philip A. Lee, and Craig A. Reed, Jr.

ALL OR NOTHING...   On 1 May 3052, twenty-five Galaxies from seven Clans clashed with twelve armies of ComStar's Com Guards on the pastoral planet of Tukayyid. For twenty-one days, one of the largest campaigns in BattleMech warfare unfolded to decide the fate of the Inner Sphere.    The Battle of Tukayyid is one of BattleTech's most pivotal conflicts. Now, explore this crucial campaign through eight different points of view—from the enigmatic ComStar, whose relatively untested forces are the Inner Sphere's last defense against the seemingly unstoppable Clans, to each Clan, as their leaders and MechWarriors attempt to achieve victory on their own terms.   The fate of the Inner Sphere hangs in the balance…and it all comes down to one planet…   Featuring stories by Jason Schmetzer Michael J. Ciaravella Randall N. Bills Blaine Lee Pardoe Steven Mohan, Jr. Bryan Young Chris Hussey Joel Steverson

A COST IS ALWAYS PAID…   Nikolai Reed is a trader on a Lyran JumpShip plying the space lanes…   Chloe Mason is a hot-shot tech with the Hsien Hotheads mercenaries…   Leaving the Northwind Highlanders, MechWarrior Ryana Nikol fills a billet with the Eridani Light Horse…   Disparate lives, but a unified dream that will bring them all together on a fateful course that will span decades, cover hundreds of light years, and involve love, friendship, and loss across a dozen worlds. Each will pay a price along the way,as a cost always comes due.   The Mercenary Life anthology is a compilation of stories written by Randall N. Bills. Including tales from several different characters as they cross paths, and the dream to found a new mercenary command is born. Their unique lives showcase the struggles and trials of the men and women who take up the mercenary mantle from a variety of angles, all bound around that central vision.     The first eight stories of this anthology were originally posted alongside the release of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, acting as the origin stories for the mercenary command within that computer game. This is the first time they have been compiled into a single volume to allow for a Print on Demand physical copy.   Additionally, an all-new ninth story has been added—The Sun Will Rise—along with postscripts for every story that gives the reader insight into how stories are crafted within a shared universe between tabletop, computer games, and fiction that spans more than thirty years and tens of millions of words.  

THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE…   In the 25th century, humankind is locked in a seemingly endless cycle of warfare as each of the Great Houses seeks to expand their holdings at the cost of the others. But in 2438, the Terran Hegemony perfects a battle system unlike anything seen in combat before—the Mackie, the very first BattleMech. With it, the Hegemony quickly reigns supreme on the battlefield.   The Mackie's arrival sets off a desperate arms race among the Great Houses, each desperate to possess the BattleMech's secrets. Some houses will use military force to steal them, others resort to stealthy espionage teams to infiltrate highly secured BattleMech facilities. Still other Houses will use diplomacy, or even corporate espionage to get their hands on the coveted plans or the men and women who can build a BattleMech.   Now, collected for the first time, stories by celebrated BattleTech authors Ilsa J. Bick, Herbert A. Beas II, Christoffer Trossen, Randall N. Bills, Chris Hartford and Jason M. Hardy, Jason Schmetzer, and Blaine Lee Pardoe—who wrote a brand-new novella about the creation of the Coyotl, the first OmniMech—tell how BattleMechs were invented in one complete volume.   Welcome to The Proliferation Cycle.  

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  

SOMETHING LURKS IN THE SHADOWS… During the chaos of the Word of Blake's Jihad, the MechWarriors of the Federated Suns will go to any lengths to defend their nation from the Blakists' unholy terror—including making deals with the devil. But that devil might just be a literal one: an all-black Marauder, hidden for several decades, that carries an aura of dread that infects everyone who encounters it. Many blame it for causing unexplained disappearances, technical failures, and even madness. But what is the so-called Dark One? Is it merely a ghost story told to scare pirates on the edge of the Periphery, or does something truly evil live beneath its cold, blackened armor? This anthology collects the first three of Lance Scarinci's stories about the Dark One, along with a brand-new fourth story exclusive to this volume.  

DREAMS OF 'MECHS AND MERCS… Katie Ferraro dreams of nothing more than being a MechWarrior. Orphaned at a young age, she learns everything she can about 'Mech repair from her mentor and adoptive father. On the distant planet of Jerangle, though, her chances of fulfilling her dreams are slim. But when she finds an abandoned Kit Fox in the jungle, she realizes her dreams might not be so far away. As she goes to work on the 'Mech in secret, she makes a name for herself as a talented tech, but waits for the right moment to reveal herself to be what she always dreamed of: a MechWarrior. With her newfound 'Mech, Katie forms her own mercenary unit. She's too young to be a leader and too brash to be a tactician, but she'll do anything in her power to keep her unit together long enough to take their next job. These five Fox Tales, including a brand-new one published only in this collection, tell the fascinating, infuriating, and funny stories of the rise of the everyone's favorite new mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere: The Fox Patrol.