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 Nine: The Day When Heaven Was Falling by Jason Schmetzer: During the Dark Age, an invasion force from Clan Jade Falcon arrives at Hesperus II intent on conquest. The Eridani Light Horse must help the Lyran defenders hold the line…but at what cost?

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.

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

BORN TO TAKE DOWN BATTLEMECHS... Resourceful, ruthless, beautiful, apparently without fear, Scout Lieutenant Cassie Suthorn of Camacho's Caballeros is as consummately lethal as the giant BattleMechs she lives to hunt. Only one other person in the freewheeling mercenary regiment has a hint of the demons which drive her. CAUGHT IN A WEB OF DECEIT... When the Caballeros sign on to guard Coordinator Theodore Kurita's corporate-mogul cousin in the heart of the Draconis Combine, they think they've got the perfect gig: low risk and high pay. Cassie alone suspects that danger waits among the looming bronze towers of Hachiman—and when the yakuza and the dread ISF form a devil's alliance to bring down Chandrasekhar Kurita, only Cassie's unique skills can save her regiment. AND ONLY ONE WAY OUT. All she has to do is confront her darkest nightmares...

THE DAY THE STAR LEAGUE DIED! Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine brings you more BattleMech action from the war-torn 31st century and beyond! Celebrate Star League Day with tales of a long-abandoned ’Mech rediscovered and pressed into service, a quest for vengeance in enemy territory, the resurgence of old ghosts, and the threat of bitter betrayal in the face of long odds. Charge headlong into technical readouts, assassin conspiracies, in-depth equipment articles, playable holiday-themed scenarios, and more—all from BattleTech veterans, fan favorites, and new authors: Michael A. Stackpole Loren L. Coleman Blaine Lee Pardoe Bryan Young Bryn Bills Charles Dalmas Chris Hussey Daniel Isberner Alex Kaempen Craig A. Reed, Jr. Eric Salzman Lance Scarinci David Smith Tom Stanley

HONOR ABOVE ALL ELSE... For MechWarrior Zane, allegiance to the Nova Cat Clan comes above all else. So when he sees his clan disgraced, cast out, and suddenly allied with the hated Inner Sphere, Zane's only desire is to see the Nova Cats returned to their former greatness. For Palmer Yoshio, the Draconis Combine is the only honorable thing in a chaotic galaxy. But when he is forced to train alongside the outcast Nova Cats, he finds that his own notion of honor is a far cry from his leader's. Now, for Zane and Yoshio, the line between friend and foe will be drawn in the blood of the fallen comrades—and neither warrior will be able to look at their universe in the same way again...

TROUBLE ON THE FRONTIER... Using fast and furious hit-and-run tactics, Marcus GioAvanti and his Avanti's Angels mercenaries have earned a tough reputation throughout the Inner Sphere. But the Inner Sphere isn't where their newest job is taking them—because their latest employer resides in that remote and mysterious region of space known as the Periphery... The Magistracy of Canopus has been the target of aggression by the Marian Hegemony, and in hiring Marcus and his gutsy band of can-do commandos, it hopes to retaliate. But the fact that the Canopians are armed with technology that is considered rare in the Periphery is the least of Marcus's problems. Marcus and his "Angels" will have to face the real force behind the hostilities—the religious cult known as Word of Blake. This fanatical group has a scheme deadly enough to trap even the amazing Avanti's Angels...and even all their skills might not prevent their complete annihilation...