BattleTech Series

ALIVE OR DEAD… Just a few months after their universe-shaking campaign on Helm, and the distribution of the Helm Memory Core, all Grayson Carlyle and his Gray Death Legion want is to settle into their new home on Glengarry. But they barely touch down on-planet when a Lyran Commonwealth general contacts the GDL, intent on hiring them to track down and capture Draconis Combine agents behind a daring raid on Lyons. Tracking the Kurita raiders to the Draconis border system of Valdis—better known as Wheel—Grayson and his people have their work cut out for them. The system's main feature is literally a wheel-shaped deep-space station and recharge facility at the Valdis star's zenith jump point. Its structure means a direct assault with BattleMechs will be extremely risky, both because of the tight quarters and the very real danger of an errant shot or missile depressurizing and destroying the entire station. Also, Grayson will be splitting his force, with Lori Kalmar providing a decoy operation on the nearby mining planet Valdis I, otherwise known as Rock, to draw the Combine's attention away from Wheel. It's a high-risk operation on both ends, but Grayson and the GDL have their orders, and they intend to capture the Draconis operatives one way or the other…even if they have to risk destroying the entire space station to do so…  

THE DREAM REALIZED… After a grueling campaign,  Clan Wolf has finally achieved the dream of Aleksandr Kerensky, the Great Father of the Clans, and returned to the birthworld of humanity. After defeating both the Republic of the Sphere and Clan Jade Falcon in a devastating campaign, the banner the ilClan, Clan of all Clans, flies proudly over Terra, ruled by the first permanent Khan of all Khans: ilKhan Alaric Ward. But as Alaric soon discovers, it is one thing to conquer, but quite another thing to rule. Beset by problems both internal and external, the Wolves, still weakened from the brutal fighting to conquer Terra, finds itself on the defensive from a rising insurgency, a Capellan Confederacy poised to invade, and rivalries between his own people as they all enter uncharted territory of founding a new Star League to rule the Inner Sphere. With threats multiplying at a relentless pace, can those who believe in the ideals of the Star League succeed in rebuilding what has been lost, or will the ilKhan strike out with his newfound power, and risk engulfing the Inner Sphere in all-out war?   

A RACE TO VICTORY… Terra. Birthplace of humankind. Cradle of the Inner Sphere. For centuries, it has been the Clans' ultimate prize. As prophesied by their founder, Nicholas Kerensky, the Clan that conquers Terra shall ascend above all others to become the ilClan, ruler over the rest of the Clans. And its leader shall become the ilKhan, and will lead the Inner Sphere into a new era. And now, nearly a century after the Clan Invasion, two Clans race to be the first to reach Terra. On one side is Alaric Ward, Khan of Clan Wolf, a brilliant warrior and complex mix of the best of the Clans and the Inner Sphere. He comes to save the Inner Sphere from itself, intending to construct a new empire among the stars. His main adversary is Chingis Khan Malvina Hazen, the brutal, ruthless leader of Clan Jade Falcon. Forged in a tradition where only the strong survive, she leads her touman not to save the Inner Sphere, but to raze it to ashes and rebuild it according to her own twisted vision. All that stands between them and a decisive victory that will reshape the Inner Sphere forever is the impenetrable barrier shielding Terra from invasion, not to mention the forces of the once-mighty Republic, which has no plans to surrender without a vicious fight…the only question is, who will reach Terra first?   

A TEST OF LOYALTY… Clan Jade Falcon's war efforts draw closer to Terra, but to conquer this ultimate prize, the Falcons' vicious Khan, Malvina Hazen, must be able to trust all of her warriors to carry out her commands without hesitation—no matter how much death or collateral damage they will cause. For Malvina, victory is the only thing that matters, and those who stand in her way suffer swift and brutal elimination. Star Captain Archer Pryde is an unconventional Falcon MechWarrior who chafes at carrying out his Khan's terror tactics, but he delivers results in combat, so Malvina has turned a blind eye to his beliefs so far. But when civilians on a conquered world revolt against their Clan masters, innocents are caught in the Falcons' crosshairs. Archer and his fellow MechWarriors must prove their mettle to Star Colonel Nikita Malthus, the Khan's vindictive advisor, by carrying out their scorched-earth orders to the letter. But are these orders a betrayal of what it means to be a true and honorable Jade Falcon? With both his loyalty and honor in question, Archer must run the gauntlet between duty and principles, or risk his own destruction.  

SYMBOLS OF POWER…   After the Word of Blake exacts an incalculable toll on Clan Wolf, Elemental warrior Garmen Kerensky is tasked by Wolf Khan Vlad Ward to undertake an audacious, top-secret mission in the Clan Homeworlds. While other covert teams help the Wolves evacuate Clan Space, Garmen's command will steal the most prized relic of Clan history: the body of the Great Father, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, Garmen's ancestor. But the father of the Clans' founder is entombed aboard the McKenna's Pride, a Star League-era WarShip in permanent geosynchronous orbit above the Clans' capital city, a staunchly guarded vessel that will take ingenuity, a warrior's spirit, and more than a little luck to reach.   Stealing his ancestor's remains is a tall order under normal circumstances, but the Homeworld Clans are on the verge of open warfare with each other, and this mission threatens to blow Clan society apart entirely. As the elite warrior guards of the Ebon Keshik hunt Garmen, he and his hardened team must navigate the intrigue of the shadowy Dark Caste to have any hope of reaching the Pride alive. But no plan ever survives enemy contact, and Garmen must overcome the forces arrayed against him or risk forever losing the Great Father's body to the chaos and destruction of the Clans' internal warfare.  

THE WARRIORS OF TOMORROW…  The battlefields of the 31st century are ruled by the BattleMech; twelve-meter-tall, 100-ton bipedal engines of pure destruction. Piloted by MechWarriors, commanded by neo-feudal officers, owned by national governments and band of mercenaries, these ’Mechs make every other ground combat vehicle obsolete.  This is the warfare of fusion-powered giants.  This is BattleTech.  THRUST INTO BATTLE TODAY… Allegra Greene is no stranger to the military; her father is a general, after all. But when she enters the Nellus Military Academy, she finds far more than she expected. She finds a group of friends that will keep her going, challenging training, and instructors that push her to the edge and beyond. Unfortunately, that's not all she finds, and soon the endemic politics and warfare of the Inner Sphere reach the Nellus Academy. And when their spaceship is hijacked and crash-lands on a remote moon, Allegra and her friends find themselves in a life-or-death struggle just to survive!  

NO PRICE TOO HIGH… On the besieged planet of Northwind, the Highlanders are fighting a tenacious invading force from the Capellan Confederation, led by a regiment from the legendary McCarron's Armored Calvary, with support from Warrior House Imarra. The first round went to the Capellans, who seized the city of Tara and the invaluable HPG located within it. But their position is precarious with the revelation of the Grey Watch, a legendary Highlanders fighting force that revealed itself when Northwind was in danger of falling, and turned what could have been an all out Capellan victory into an uneasy stalemate. The arrival of a Draconis Combine fleet, recent allies of the Confederation, shifts the balance even further. Will the reinforced Capellan force finally bring Northwind back under the rule of the Celestial Throne, or will Countess Tara Campbell, Captain Declan Casey, and Knight of the Republic Maeve Stirling find a way to lead the embattled Highlanders to victory?  

BETWEEN HAMMER AND ANVIL... For Ezra Payne and the Stealthy Tiger mercenaries, professionalism is everything. Hired to assist in the bitter, bloody fighting on the planet Hall, they quickly earn a decisive victory for their employer. They settle afterward in for a needed period of rebuilding, and a few months’ peace before moving on to the next contract.  But their respite does not last. More mercenaries, hired by the Allied Mercenary Command itself, land on Hall. They believe the Tigers’ employer to be league with the Word of Blake, a shadowy interstellar organization that worships technology, and which has been building its own empire among the worlds around Terra.  The Tigers want nothing of this battle, but war rages across the Inner Sphere. The hard-fought cease-fire cannot last, even on Hall, and when every faction is embittered and fueled by fervor, peace has no chance at all.  As a new conflict erupts, will the Stealthy Tigers’ BattleMechs be enough to save them? Or will the looming threat of renewed war engulf them in its fiery embrace?

SURROUNDED BY THE ENEMY…
 In the 32nd century, the Republic of the Sphere is beset on all sides, its enemies seeking the most important weapon in the Inner Sphere: interstellar communication. As the forces of the Capellan Confederation advance toward the heart of the crumbling Republic, they are laser-focused on the one goal that will give them the upper hand and destroy the Republic once and for all: the planet of Northwind. Homeworld of the famed Northwind Highlanders mercenaries, Northwind is not only the site of a century-old betrayal, it also boasts the only working hyperpulse generator along the line of the Confederation's advance. Sang-shao Lindsey Baxter and the Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry have been tasked with taking Northwind at all costs, and the besieged Republic is unable to lend further support to the defending XII Hastati Sentinels. Northwind will be easy pickings, and other sharks smell blood in the water. The Highlanders' honor remains strong, but will it be enough to survive the coming storm?  

NEVER BET AGAINST THE KELL BROTHERS…   The Kell Hounds are one of the most storied mercenary units in the Inner Sphere. Now, New York Times-bestselling author and Kell Hounds creator Michael A. Stackpole goes back to the Hounds' beginnings in these three short novels, when Morgan and Patrick Kell were just two smart, ambitious brothers—with a plan to revolutionize the world of mercenaries forever…   Not The Way the Smart Money Bets: Morgan and Patrick Kell land on the mercenary planet Galatea to start their new unit, the Kell Hounds. But a few obstacles in their way, including the biggest one, a ruthless crime lord named Haskell Blizzard. But the Kell brothers have faced long odds before, and come out on top every single time. When the chips are down, the smart money is always on the brothers Kell.   A Tiny Bit of Rebellion: Galatea's capital city, Galaport, is threatened by a new enemy: Bishop Arlington Poore, a religious zealot who wants to bring the entire planet under his repressive theocracy—and is willing to starve millions to do it. The Kell Hounds now have their first job: put down this uprising, and fast. But when a madman has converted thousands of civilians to his side, how will Morgan and Patrick end his misguided crusade without shedding innocent blood?   A Clever Bit of Fiction: When the Archon hires the Kell Hounds to provide security for war games with Prince Ian Davion's forces in a show of combined strength between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns, Morgan Kell thinks it's a chance to relax while getting to know the mercurial leader of the Federated Suns. But when a powerful group of raiders lands on Zavijava, he finds himself facing two threats—stopping the invaders from wrecking the planet while protecting Prince Davion. Trouble is, before the fighting is over, Morgan may have to make a dangerous choice…with the possible fate of three Great Houses lying in the balance…   If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…: Morgan Kell returns home to find his paramour, Veronica Matova, has vanished without a trace. Desperate to find her, Morgan tasks the Hounds to track her down—and uncovers a conspiracy to destroy the Kell Hounds' reputation using Veronica as a hostage. But these shadowy enemies don't realize who they're dealing with…and no force in the Inner Sphere will help them once Morgan Kell finds them…

WHEN AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE... Since their appearance in the Inner Sphere in 3005, the mercenary regiments known as Wolf’s Dragoons have proven themselves the masters of the battlefield, the equal of any regiment of any of the five warring Successor States. MEETS AN IMMOVABLE OBJECT... Now under contract to House Marik’s Free Worlds League, the Dragoons have undertaken their most daring mission yet: an attack on House Steiner’s impregnable Hesperus II BattleMech factories. Success on Hesperus will make the Dragoons into living legends…but few enemies have survived House Steiner’s fanatical defenses. The Steiners know how important the ancient BattleMech factories are to their nation—and not even the fearsome reputation of Wolf’s Dragoons will make them blink.

DANGER AT EVERY TURN... It is 3072, and holy Jihad rages in the Inner Sphere. Soon after they launched their war in 3067, the mystical Word of Blake sprung out from their base on Terra and claimed dozens of worlds, creating a Word of Blake Protectorate. While many of those worlds joined voluntarily, some others hosted resistance movements. On one such world, Ruchbah, the resistance hired mercenary help. Captain Jeremiah Youngblood and his Crescent Hawks have an enviable legacy to live up to. Not only are they trying to find their own place in the Inner Sphere, outside of the deep shadows cast by the elite Kell Hounds, but some still remember another Jeremiah Youngblood and another group of Crescent Hawks. Can the new live up to the reputation of the old? Can they survive, almost alone on a hostile world where the Word of Blake holds almost every advantage?

SEMPER FIDELIS In the year 3060, the reborn Star League has destroyed Clan Smoke Jaguar, conquered their home world Huntress, and scattered the few remaining Jaguar warriors to the winds. Now the League seeks to end the Clan invasion for good by using former Smoke Jaguars against their own people. Meanwhile, two bitter enemies seek to salvage a future for the last Jaguars in existence: Trent, who betrayed his wayward Clan to help them regain their honor, and Paul Moon, a disgraced warrior torn between his pledged loyalty to the Star League and a duty to the Smoke Jaguar civilization he was born to protect.  But power-hungry predators lurk in Clan space, waiting for the right time to strike the vulnerable Star League forces. And to the victor will go the spoils: the priceless artifacts of a destroyed Clan and the sacred genetics of the final generation of Smoke Jaguar warriors. Trent and Paul Moon must fight tooth and nail against would-be conquerors to save the soul of the surviving Jaguar people before they are consigned to the annals of history. But will their divergent plans tear the survivors apart, or lead them toward freedom?

SHE FOUND THE LOST PLANET… Intrepid interstellar explorer Brooke Stevens has seen many strange and unique sights in her lifetime, but this one may be the most incredible one of all. Tasked by the organization Interstellar Explorations to locate an entire world, she located the previously "lost" planet of Jardine. BUT WILL SHE LIVE TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT? Once there, however, she stumbles upon a powerful ComStar faction, the Word of Blake, that will do anything to keep Jardine's location a secret—including terminating any outsiders with knowledge of their concealed base. Now Brooke and what's left of her team—a taciturn tech and a native of Jardine whose tribe was wiped out by brutal Manei Domeni cyborgs—must brave the hazards of the jungle planet and journey to the heart of the Word of Blake's operations in hopes of finding a way off the planet…before their relentless enemies bury them on it…  

A HERD DIVIDED… For the entirety of its existence, Clan Hell's Horses has been underestimated by its fellow Clans. The inclusion of tanks and infantry alongside their BattleMech forces has often unfairly forced the Horses into lopsided alliances with other Clans. As competing Clans race headlong to conquer Terra, the birthplace of humanity, the Horses must focus on survival rather than the glory of conquest. But many Horses want more, and they refuse to be shouldered aside as Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf reap the rewards of their campaign toward Terra. Star Captain Peter Cobb, a controversial rising star and military scholar, sees a new trail for the Hell's Horses to blaze. This path would put the Clan on a fiery trajectory to earn the victories and respect they rightfully deserve, and push the Clan toward a prosperous future. But few embrace his controversial ideas and, divided by distrust and ambition, the leadership of his Clan lacks the will to ensure that the Hell's Horses will be strong enough to survive the tumultuous conflicts ahead. Caught between the bloody agendas of two rival Khans—a political maneuverer and a bellicose warmonger—Peter must find a way to restore the soul of the Hell's Horses without sullying his honor, or risk dooming his entire Clan to extinction in the face of a rising power unlike any the Inner Sphere has ever seen…  

FAR FROM HOME…   Exarch Devlin Stone, hero of the Word of Blake Jihad and architect of the Republic of the Sphere, has returned only to find his beloved nation under siege and in danger of breaking apart. As threats bear down on the Republic from all sides, Stone and his inner circle must move fast to bolster Terra's defenses from all who seek to conquer the birthplace of humanity.   However, not all of his allies have heeded Stone's call to arms. Former Exarch Damien Redburn, who left Terra to defend the Republic's borders from the rapacious Clan Wolf, was cut off when the walls of Fortress Republic rose. Without support or reinforcements, Redburn, the Fidelis, and Countess Tara Campbell's Highlanders have held the line against the Wolves for years, but the never-ending campaign has pushed all of them to their breaking points.   Is Stone's return genuine, or a carefully crafted hoax? Can Redburn be brought back into the fold, or has he gone rogue for good? In the end, Stone, Redburn, and their allies must each decide their path before tensions can erupt in a clash that could shake the very foundation of the Republic...  

DANGER FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE… MechWarrior brothers Morgan and Patrick Kell have successfully faced their first challenge in forming their new mercenary unit The Kell Hounds, toppling a criminal kingpin from atop his illegal empire on Galatea. But while enjoying their recent success, the brothers Kell, along with the capital city of Galaport, come under threat by a new enemy—Bishop Arlington Poore, a religious zealot who wants to bring the entire planet under his repressive theocracy—and is willing to starve millions to do it.  Soon enough, the newly-formed Kell Hounds have their first job—put down this uprising as quickly as possible. But when a madman has converted thousands of civilians to his side, how will Morgan and Patrick quash his misguided crusade without shedding innocent blood?  

ON THE HUNT AGAIN… It is the Dark Age—3139—and the famed mercenary regiments of Wolf's Dragoons have returned to the employ of House Kurita after a century of bitter enmity. Somehow, mercenaries and Kuritans must find a way to work together in a combined invasion of the Dragon's oldest enemy, House Davion. Thrust into the middle of this new conflict, Colonel Henry Kincaid is surprised by the commonalities—duty, honor, expediency—the Wolves and Combine forces share. But as the Wolves' lightning tactics and unstoppable drive brings world after Davion world under the Dragon's banner, old hatreds arise anew, and with them come insidious plots engineered to cause the mercenaries' downfall. Throughout the campaign, Colonel Kincaid struggles to rectify what he thought he had always known about the Kuritans with the truth he discovers while actually working with them. But when his forces are trapped on a Davion world with no way to escape and the regiments of House Davion closing in, can he pull another bit of genius from his hat, or will the battalions of Wolf's Dragoons be destroyed?

FOR THE GOOD OF THE STATE…  Danai Centrella-Liao rose to prominence on the gladiator world of Solaris VII before being sent to McCarron's Armored Cavalry, where her victories on innumerable battlefields garnered her the position of shàng-xiào of the Second MAC. Her brother, Capellan Chancellor Daoshen Liao, now uses Danai as a powerful chess piece in his relentless quest to conquer Terra—despite her opposition to his ruthless tactics. On the remote world of Sheratan, a violent resistance has formed, threatening Daoshen's march toward Terra. Assuming command of the Liao forces there, Danai discovers that diplomacy is sometimes a dead-end. But achieving peace may cost more than she is willing to pay… As Daoshen's ambitions grow ever more expansive and his tactics ever more destructive, Danai is promoted to jiāng-jūn of the MAC to keep her out of Daoshen's way. Robbed of any real power, Danai is forced to reckon with the Celestial Wisdom's overreach and its cost to the Confederation in treasury, faith, and blood. There are eyes on Daoshen's crown. Rumors of a mad king. And a plot to have Danai ascend to the Capellan throne… In the end, blood will rise… For the good of the state…

STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON... The Inner Sphere is a realm of constant combat, as the Successor States to the mighty Star League vie for the ancient and conflicted First Lord's throne. Their ancient feuds are thrown into even greater conflict with the coming of the Clans in 3050, invaders from beyond the Periphery. Not even the hundreds of worlds of a Successor State can field an army large enough for their leaders' egos, and so legions of mercenary armies ply their trade across the Inner Sphere. From lone paladins in a single BattleMech to multi-regiment mercenary brigades, soldiers of fortune often turn the tide. The band known as Lennox's Light Horse is one such band. And on the eve of one of the largest conflicts in the Inner Sphere's history—the Word of Blake Jihad—Andrew Lennox's mercenaries are just trying to survive and prosper. Edge of the Storm gathers four previously-published short stories from BattleCorps.com: "The Gulf of Reason," "Sound and Fury," "Monster" and "Toil and Trouble."  

TO REFORGE A NATION… The once-mighty Federated Suns has been weakened by years of conflict on both sides of its border. Its proud capitol, New Avalon, has been held by its mortal enemy, the Draconis Combine, for years, forcing First Prince Julian Davion to rule his fractious nation on the run.  But at long last, the time to liberate New Avalon from the Dragon is at hand. And despite very different opinions as to how they retake the Davion family's seat of power, Julian and his Prince's Champion, Field Marshal Erik Sandoval, must work together to free the planet, the first step to rebuilding their proud nation. Yet liberating New Avalon is only the first step. While the First Prince attempts to hold the marches together and the Prince's Champion battles Draconis Combine forces on nearby worlds, new threats lurk around every corner. Facing dangers both at home and abroad, both men must fight to preserve the Davion throne while ensuring their own rivalry doesn't spark a brand-new conflict—one that could tear the Federated Suns apart all over again…  

AN OATH PLEDGED IN BLOOD… In the 32nd century, the Republic of the Sphere is beset on all sides. As the Capellan Confederation's mighty military penetrates the crumbling Republic, they target the one goal that will let them destroy the Republic once and for all: the planet of Northwind, homeworld of the famed Northwind Highlanders mercenaries. Northwind boasts the only working hyperpulse generator along the line of the Capellan Confederation's advance. Sang-shao Lindsey Baxter and the Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry have been tasked with taking Northwind at all costs, and the besieged Republic is unable to support the defending XII Hastati Sentinels. Northwind should be an easy conquest, allowing the Capellans to use it as a launch point for the next phase of their campaign. But the arrival of a Draconis Combine fleet, recent allies of the Confederation, further shifts the balance of power. Will the Capellan force finally bring Northwind back under the rule of the Celestial Throne, or will Countess Tara Campbell, Captain Declan Casey, and Knight of the Republic Maeve Stirling find a way to lead the outnumbered Highlanders—who have pledged to defend the planet to the last 'Mech—to victory? This omnibus collects both novels in the Highlander Covenant duology—Grey Watch Protocol and Paid in Blood—along with the short story "Perceptions of Victory."

A GALAXY AFLAME...   The universe has gone dark. Interstellar communications has been lost across the Inner Sphere, threatening the corporate giant ComStar—and maybe civilization itself. Risking everything on a last chance for survival, Comstar has kidnapped the engineering genius Tucker Harwell, hoping he can unravel the mystery of the blackout. But Tucker isn't just working on why it happened...he's also trying to figure out who's behind it.   Meanwhile, Khan Malvina Hazen solidifies her hold on a purified Clan Jade Falcon while hunting for the next enemy to crush under the talons of her brutal Mongol Doctrine. Hundreds of light-years away, Clan Wolf is carving out territory along the Lyran Commonwealth/Free Worlds League border—and Alaric Wolf is primed to make his moves in the halls of power.   Plans years in the making begin to come together across hundreds of star systems, and secrets hidden for decades will finally be revealed while an empire goes up in flames…

THE RULES OF THE GAME HAVE JUST CHANGED… Morgan and Patrick Kell have just landed on Galatea, the mercenary planet known for its brutal arena 'Mech combat games. They intend to found their own merc unit, building it from the ground up, but there are a few obstacles in their way. The first is a corrupt general fronting for the second, a local crime lord named Haskell Blizzard who crushes anyone he sees as a threat. And the Kell boys offering lucrative contracts for the best Mechwarriors and techs on the planet is a definite threat to his illegal empire. But what Blizzard doesn't know is that the Kell brothers have faced long odds before, and come out on top every single time. And with the help of some old and new friends, they're going to take this crime lord down using his own tactics against him. When the chips are down, the smart money is always on the brothers Kell.

BLACKOUT NO MORE! As the new ilClan era dawns, Clan Sea Fox aims to be the leading broker of communications across the Inner Sphere. To fix the inoperative HPG network, they assign one of their most elite Watch operatives, Kenja Rodriguez, to a mission that may be the key to restoring communications throughout the universe. Kenja's first priority is to capture the one man in the galaxy with the skills and knowledge to repair the blackout: Tucker Harwell. But before she can take him to VoidBreaker Station to begin repairing the vast HPG network, she must find him first. Unfortunately, she's not the only one looking for him. It's a race against time and unknown enemies as Kenja hunts down the one man who can transform the Inner Sphere…before her enemies get to him first…  

A SECOND CHANCE... A ruthless predator is stalking Star Colonel Richard Bekker of Clan Ghost Bear—time. Once he was a rising star, the hero of the Damian disaster. But all that ended on the world of Tukayyid where Bekker's bright future—and the entire Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere—were stopped cold. AND POSSIBLY HIS LAST... Two decades later, Bekker is a warrior with an undistinguished history that hides a shameful secret. Even worse, in a culture that prizes youth, he is old, old enough to be relieved of duty. And when Clan warriors are relieved they don't retire—they're turned into cannon fodder. Then Bekker is challenged to a Trial of Possession by the head of a new bandit kingdom, a man who seems little better than the terrorists Bekker is tasked to hunt. A man named Devlin Stone. And maybe, just maybe, the Trial will offer him a chance to win the greatest prize imaginable—a new place in the universe.

FLIGHT INTO THE UNKNOWN…   100 million dead. 500 million wounded. One billion homeless.   The worst war in human history is over—and has left the Star League shattered. Jealousy and infighting from the five Great House Lords over who will be the next First Lord has the entire Inner Sphere already teetering on the brink of all-out conflict again.   Against this grim backdrop, Aleksandr Kerensky, commanding general of the Star League Defense Force, faces a terrible choice. Stay, and see the mightiest military ever known subsumed into the Great Houses, lighting a conflagration that may burn even brighter than the terrible Amaris Coup. Or do the unthinkable… To save the Inner Sphere, Aleksander—along with his sons, Nicholas and Andery—must leave it behind. He marshals the largest fleet ever assembled to carry millions of people on thousands of JumpShips to head into the unknown. Exodus!   But though the Great General strives to make a fresh start for his people far from the Inner Sphere, old habits and allegiances are difficult to leave behind. Soon the Kerenskys and their followers face threats both external and internal as they search the endless black for a new world upon which they can forge a Star League-in-Exile…or die trying.  

THEY'RE COMING… Spring, 3050. Rumors fly throughout the Inner Sphere about some strange invading force. Unstoppable, these mysterious attackers carve through any military unit they face with ruthless efficiency. And they're driving deeper into humankind's domain with each passing day. Virentofta, in the Draconis Combine, is guarded by the mercenary Seventh Hell's Brigade. When reports of these dreaded raiders reaches the planet, the Brigade's colonel wants to cut and run. But he called for the vote too late. The invaders have arrived. Their ships are inbound this very minute. And soon, the men and women of the Brigade will be in the fight of their lives against an enemy they've never heard of, but which certainly sounds ominous...a force called the Smoke Jaguars…  

THE TRUE FATE OF CLAN WOLVERINE… Every member of modern Clan society knows of the Not-Named Clan, the Clan that was erased from history for perpetrating acts of heresy against the Way of the Clans. But what truly happened to Clan Wolverine? Long before the Clans invaded the Inner Sphere in 3049, their ancestors escaped the brutal Succession Wars by braving uncharted space and forming a new society, only to plunge back into the ravages of war once more. The year is 2822. The Pentagon Civil War is long over, and Operation Klondike saw ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky’s twenty Clans victorious over the petty warlords who had conquered the Pentagon worlds. But with no true enemies left to fight, the nascent Clans have lost their laser-sharp focus, and begun straying from the ilKhan’s vision. Khan Sarah McEvedy, leader of the progressive Clan Wolverine, sees the dangerous path the ilKhan is steering his Clans onto, but she cannot follow them without compromising her beliefs or her honor. Unsure whom to trust among the scheming Clans, she must navigate the political waters of the Grand Council with caution and resolve, or suffer the deadly consequences. As her enemies seek to engineer her Clan into the ultimate scapegoat, Khan McEvedy must do everything she can to ensure her Clan survives, or they will all be hunted down and destroyed. Written by BattleTech veteran Blaine Lee Pardoe, Betrayal of Ideals tells the complete story of the true history of Clan Wolverine.

THE SWORD OR THE PLOWSHARE...   The destruction of the interplanetary communications net has isolated planets across the Republic of the Sphere. On Mirach, a widening schism in the military between those who would remain loyal to The Republic and those who would break away threatens the peace and prosperity that have lasted for generations.   Once a formidable MechWarrior, governor Sergio Ortega now believes that diplomacy will win the day. His sons, Dale and Austin, are also stalwarts of The Republic and aspiring MechWarriors. Facing growing civil unrest, they urge a military show of force before events spiral out of control. But Mirach has no BattleMechs, and their pacifistic father is slashing military spending.   But when power-hungry forces within the government begin plotting to overthrow it by any means necessary—including assassination—Austin must rebel against everything he's known to fight for the safety and freedom of Mirach…even if that means facing off against his own father...