Battletech Front Lines

HONOR. DESPERATION. JIHAD. Inhuman cybernetic soldiers invade a peaceful world, bringing terror and misery in the name of a new flag. A young soldier, part of the most maligned military machine in history, struggles to find meaning in his service. And the prince of a star-spanning empire discovers that not even he can protect the people he loves. Ten stories of combat, honor, betrayal, and death fill the pages of Front Lines: BattleCorps Anthology Volume 6. Readers will recognize familiar names in BattleTech lore among the authors: Steven Mohan, Jr., and Blaine Lee Pardoe, who welcome newer writers such as Jason Hansa, Christopher Purnell and Craig A. Reed, Jr. These writers have shaped the direction of the BattleTech universe. In 2009, with these stories, they told the stories that demonstrated the indomitable will that has carried BattleTech readers across more than 25 years of publication.

HONOR. DESPERATION. JIHAD. Inhuman cybernetic soldiers invade a peaceful world, bringing terror and misery in the name of a new flag. A young soldier, part of the most maligned military machine in history, struggles to find meaning in his service. And the prince of a star-spanning empire discovers that not even he can protect the people he loves. Ten stories of combat, honor, betrayal, and death fill the pages of Front Lines: BattleCorps Anthology Volume 6. Readers will recognize familiar names in BattleTech lore among the authors: Steven Mohan, Jr., and Blaine Lee Pardoe, who welcome newer writers such as Jason Hansa, Christopher Purnell and Craig A. Reed, Jr. These writers have shaped the direction of the BattleTech universe. In 2009, with these stories, they told the stories that demonstrated the indomitable will that has carried BattleTech readers across more than 25 years of publication.

TRADITIONS RUN DEEP… Other mercenary units fly flags at 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? Witness the unit’s origins in the Star League and follow their evolution all the way through the Succession Wars and the Clan Invasion to their downfall in the Dark Age and their resurrection in the uncertain future of the ilClan era. Part Six: Failings in Teaching by Daniel Isberner: A former Light Horse soldier has retired to the classroom, instructing House Davion recruits at the New Avalon Institute of Science, but the true war lies in the past he cannot reconcile…

PEACE MAY SELL…BUT WHAT IF NO ONE’S BUYING? On 21 May 3052, the seemingly unstoppable military juggernaut of the invading Clans was defeated in a pitched campaign on the quiet world of Tukayyid. This astonishing victory bought the weary armies of the Inner Sphere a fifteen-year stay before the invasion can resume. But despite the truce, the fire driving the Clans’ centuries-long quest to conquer Terra, the birthplace of humankind, and rebuild Inner Sphere civilization in their warmongering image has not been extinguished. Conflict still rages above the truce line, and the Clans are biding their time until the tide of war can surge up and flood the Inner Sphere once more. Slack Tide collects nine stories that chronicle the life-and-death struggles still being waged in the wake of Tukayyid’s so-called peace. Fan-favorite authors such as Jason Hansa, Philip A. Lee, and Craig A. Reed, Jr. spin tales of undercover operatives seeking to gain the secrets of Clan BattleMech technology, Inner Sphere MechWarriors attempting dangerous escapes from Clan-controlled planets, and mercenaries fighting to protect the only things that truly matter to them—themselves and their loved ones. The Clans’ invasion may have been temporarily halted, but the true battles for the future of the Inner Sphere have only just begun…

JUMP BACK INTO THE COCKPIT! Picking up the battle standard for BattleTech fiction, Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine continues the tradition of hard-hitting stories set in the war-torn interstellar future of the 31st century and beyond. Fire up your ’Mech’s fusion reactor, secure your neurohelmet, and wade into battle with stories from the merciless front lines of the Clan Invasion and other eras, conspiracy theory articles, game scenarios, and more from veteran BattleTech authors, fan favorites, and some new recruits. Featuring: Michael A. Stackpole • Blaine Lee Pardoe Kevin Killiany • Craig A. Reed, Jr. • Chris Hussey Jason Hansa • Lance Scarinci • Michael J. Ciaravella Patrick Wynne • Aaron Cahall

STRENGTH VS. HONOR For more than a decade, the Republic of the Sphere’s army hid in silence behind the mysterious, impregnable Wall of Fortress Republic. But now the Wall has come down, and Paladin Max Ergen, commander of Operation Eruptio, has his sights set on an invaluable prize. His target: Dieron, a Draconis Combine military district capital, a former Republic world harboring secrets from past wars. His troops have spent years training in isolation behind the Wall, and they are hungry for battle, ready to remind the Inner Sphere that the wounded Republic is still a force to be reckoned with. But Dieron is also the fortress of Warlord Kambei Okamoto, one of the Combine’s top military officials, and he and his Dieron Regulars are committed to holding the line and defending their home against Republic aggression, no matter the cost. Although the Republic may have surprise and numbers on their side, the Combine troops boast the strength of an impregnable redoubt—and the keen edge of their own unimpeachable honor. And when these two forces clash, the battle for Dieron will be a titanic one indeed…

SOMETIMES THE BEST PRIZES AREN'T FOUND ON THE BATTLEFIELD... In the 25th century, the Free Worlds League is fighting for its life against the encroaching Lyran Commonwealth and its new weapon, the BattleMech. With a new, untested leader on the FWL throne, a precarious plan is hatched to gain the Great House the edge it needs to fight off the invaders. Using guile and seduction, a small team of infiltrators plans to take the information the Free Worlds League desperately needs, and the men who possess it, into their arms in one fell swoop...but how can they create a scenario where these technicians will come over of their own free will?

AGAINST ALL FOES… For too long, the people of the Lyran Commonwealth have only reacted to attacks by their enemies. Now, Archon Melissa Steiner launches an intricate gambit that will secure the safety of her subjects—and secure her own power against those who wish to take it… Trillian Steiner has always been a loyal warrior and supporter of the archon. But when she is ordered to strike against the Free Worlds League, victory is not her only goal. The leader of the campaign—the politician and business magnate Vedet Brewer—has been consolidating power within the Commonwealth for years. And now the archon has decided to rider herself of two threats with one move. For Trillian is there not to ensure success but, through a web of machinations, to guarantee the duke’s downfall—before the worlds he conquers become the foundation of an attempt to take over the entire Commonwealth. And in the chaos of war and the never-ending struggle for power, Trillian’s strength and devotion will be sorely tested…

PAWNS ARE MEANT TO BE SACRIFICED… After his victory on New Aragon, Duke Aaron Sandoval has the embattled Republic in his debt. But Sandoval's hidden agenda has more to do with his own power than any loyalty to the Republic of the Sphere, and he'll spare no expense to achieve his ultimate goal. When the Duke becomes the target of an assassination attempt, he realizes his efforts to build a coalition against the invading House Liao are failing. Many planetary governors prefer capitulation to war. What he needs is a new ship and a new approach. To launch his campaign, Sandoval sends his nephew Erik, fresh from the front lines of the campaign against the encroaching Capellan Confederation, to Shensi. His job is to convince the governor to join his uncle’s alliance instead of making peace with Liao. Although Erik is honored to be the Duke’s strong right hand, he's convinced that Aaron’s arrogance is getting the better of him. But what Erik doesn't yet realize is that his own uncle will sacrifice anyone to achieve his dreams of glory...even a member of his own family…

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…