POLITICS OF DESTRUCTION… Newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin is still trying to come to terms with the responsibilities of his office. With his recent discovery of treachery in The Republic's Senate, he can trust very few people—and not even his own Paladins have been immune to murderous intrigue... Tensions are heating up between Exarch Levin and the senators determined to fight what they call the "injustice being done to the Republic's government." Some are even agitating for Levin's censure—a move that could accomplish the same thing as the recent attempted coup that killed legendary Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion. One of The Republic's last hopes is the summit of Inner Sphere leaders gathering on Terra. Ostensibly a tribute to the assassinated Steiner-Davion, it also has the potential to halt the escalating violence of the last few years. And although Victor would not have wanted his death to be the cause of more political maneuvering, Levin knows the great man would not begrudge the Republic this one final service to stave off all-out war—if only it isn't too late...

Newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin is still trying to come to terms with the responsibilities of his office. With his recent discovery of treachery in The Republic's Senate, he can trust very few people—and not even his own Paladins have been immune to murderous intrigue . . . Tensions are heating up between Exarch Levin and the senators determined to fight what they call the “injustice being done to The Republic's government.” Some are even agitating for Levin's censure—a move that could accomplish the same thing as the recent attempted coup that killed legendary Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion. One of The Republic's last hopes is the summit of Inner Sphere leaders gathering on Terra. Ostensibly a tribute to the assassinated Steiner-Davion, it also has the potential to halt the escalating violence of the last few years. And although Victor would not have wanted his death to be the cause of more political maneuvering, Levin knows that the great man would not begrudge The Republic this one final service. Now, if only it isn’t too late . . .

With her family discredited by a traitor, Katana Tormark plans to regain her clan's honor by challenging House Kurtia's right to rule the Combine, openly challenging their authority and pushing them into a conflict with the Republic, but now she faces a new threat from Warlord Mitsura Sakamoto, who has his own scheme to seize control of the Combine. Original.

POISON COMES IN MANY FORMS… Exarch Damien Redburn has called for the election of his replacement. Paladins assemble from all corners of the Republic, and those vying to be the next Exarch are creating a lively nomination process. But machinations behind the scenes threaten to turn the election into a bloodbath. Paladins Heather GioAvanti and Jonah Levin are both conducting investigations into suspicious activities swirling around the edges of this high-level gathering, including a suspected assassination at the highest level of Republic government. The leads they uncover repeatedly intersect, and it becomes clear that more than one group intends to disrupt the election. Through political influence, assassination, or rebellion, each of these cabals ultimately seeks to place its own man or woman in the Exarch's seat—and whoever controls the Exarch controls the Republic. But Damien Redburn will not allow his successor to be a puppet, and is more than willing to throw a few 'Mechs and a secret agent or two into the mix to get the result he wants—even if what he wants may be a surprise to everyone else...

ONE WAR ENDS...AND ANOTHER BEGINS... 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?

A DANGEROUS NEW ENEMY APPROACHES… Two decades after the events that nearly brought the Successor States to the brink of all-out war, the Great Houses exist in an uneasy peace. But now, from out beyond the Periphery comes a new threat. A swift-moving military force of unknown origin. Nothing the Inner Sphere has can stop them. Their power, speed, and ferocity are unparalleled. Some of the finest warriors and ablest units have challenged them and been crushed. No force has faced them and won. They are the Clans! A military juggernaut whose sole reason for existence is battle. A race that selectively breeds itself for combat. Humanity’s only hope is an alliance of mortal enemies. The Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine, interstellar empires at war for 300 years, must now stand side-by-side—or face certain destruction.