RIPE FOR THE TAKING… Dissatisfied with Archon Melissa Steiner’s leadership of the Lyran Commonwealth, Vedet Brewer, Duke of Hesperus, overthrew her rule in 3143 and claimed the mantle for himself—only to be unceremoniously removed from the position two years later. Brewer and his troops fled to the far reaches of Lyran space to lick his wounds and reevaluate his future, wandering the Commonwealth in search of potential allies and opportunities. His travels finally led him and his First Hesperus Guards to one of his old haunts: Melissia, a former Lyran provincial capital, a world he has not returned to in two decades—the perfect place to put down new roots. But the Clan Jade Falcon occupiers have already departed, and in their absence, two opposing factions vie for dominance: one seeks a new future for Melissia, the other desperately clings to tradition and the old ways. All political avenues have failed, and a grinding war between commoners and aristocracy is their only discourse. For an opportunist like Brewer, there is a clear path forward, but a ghost from his past calls everything he knew into question, and players in the shadows will stop at nothing to keep him from interfering in their carefully laid plans for the planet. Can Brewer muster the strength and courage to take advantage of this crisis, and plant the seeds of a new power capable of standing in defiance of the Archon?

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…

ANCIENT EVIL STALKS THE KURAI FOREST... The planet Dumaring in the Draconis Combine had been at peace for decades, until strange raids began against the populace’s livestock. A dutiful warrior and officer of the DCMS, Chu-i Uchida, was tasked with ending the attacks, but his hunt for bandits led him into the foreboding Kurai Forest. What he found in the dark wood would defy explanation and leave him a shadow of his former self. Now, only his son can regain his honor, clear his name, and find the truth…no matter how horrifying it may be...

A NEW ERA IS DAWNING… The Illician Lancers: a mercenary outfit with centuries of honorable tradition, yet somehow always missing the limelight. Especially recently, after their mission failure during the liberation of New Syrtis in 3147 tarnished their once-sterling reputation and left them languishing on the Capellan border. Can Colonel Luciana Araya Morales overcome the shame of those events and restore the Lancers to their former glory? Meanwhile, as Clan Wolf prepares for its invasion of the cradle of humanity, Ya’el Labov, saKhan of the Sea Fox Khanate, hunts for new opportunities in the currents wafting from Terra. Rumors that the Clan Wolf Khan is using mercenaries as part of his attack plan set the wily saKhan’s mind to spinning. How can he take advantage of this, and make Clan Sea Fox’s star rise even further? Two people with very different goals are about to embark on a shared mission that, if successful, will change much in the Inner Sphere. And if they are not, their alliance may be doomed to failure before it can even begin…

A PACK DIVIDED… Clan Wolf has gone to claim Terra to fulfill the promise made by Aleksandr Kerensky centuries ago. But for those left behind, their story is a very different one… Star Captain Jacinda of Clan Wolf Is one such warrior. Stuck on Campbelton in the Wolf Empire due to injury, she commands a sibko training facility while stewing over her lost chance to go with the Wolf touman to attain glory in the campaign for Terra. But heroism comes in many forms, and when a new invader targets Campbelton, Jacinda is able to unleash her primal warrior nature, and defend the Wolf’s pups against all comers…

LEGENDS OF THE STAR LEAGUE... The great Star League general, Aleksandr Kerensky. Colonel Archer Christifori, a man with a score to settle. Neilson Geist, on Christmas patrol. MechWarrior Joanna of Clan Jade Falcon. A Sandoval scion. An eleven-year-old girl. Northwind Highlanders. A prisoner of war. They all have two things in common. A universe torn apart by unending warfare. A mission to stand up against the darkness. This compilation contains a selection of eighteen of 2004's best BattleTech fiction pieces, as well as an all new story about young Kerensky by Loren L. Coleman! Includes stories by some of the most celebrated BattleTech authors: Randall N. Bills, Loren L. Coleman, Blaine Lee Pardoe, Robert Thurston, and Michael A. Stackpole, along with stories by new favorites such as Ilsa J. Bick, Jason M. Hardy, Kevin Killiany, Steven Mohan, Jr., Louisa M. Swann, and Phaedra M. Weldon!

UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF A LOST WORLD… Interstellar explorer and freelance treasure hunter Dr. Brooklyn Stevens has made the find of a lifetime—an entire planet thought lost for centuries. Jardine was supposedly wiped off the maps of the Inner Sphere during the hard-fought Succession Wars, but the verdant forested world she and her adventuring partner just crash-landed on tells a much different story. And so do its inhabitants. Dr. Stevens and her partner soon find themselves between two very different groups: one whose members are an unholy amalgamation of man and machine, the other a hardy group that lives off the land. Both groups are soon after Stevens and her knowledge about Jardine—one side to protect the planet from those that would seek to reclaim it, the other intent on killing anyone who knows of its existence. Caught between both sides, Brooklyn must uncover the mysteries of Jardine…and stay alive long enough to tell the universe about it…