VICTORY AT ANY COST… Jump into your BattleMech cockpit, fire up your fusion engine, and charge into the fray with two all-new BattleTech novellas from Philip A. Lee and bestselling writer Blaine Lee Pardoe. A Splinter of Hope: Violent expansion of the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine has cost recently crowned First Prince Julian Davion both his mentor and countless Federated Suns worlds. To rally his people, he funnels the fires of justice into an ambitious yet risky campaign to retake a vital system: New Syrtis, the occupied capital of the Capellan March. However, the Capellan people have fought dearly for their prize and will do anything in their power to hold onto it. Will Julian’s gamble preserve the future of the Federated Suns, or is the invasion doomed before it even begins? The Anvil: Khan Malvina Hazen of Clan Jade Falcon is known throughout the Inner Sphere as a merciless, bloodthirsty tyrant. The next target for her scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners tactics is the Lyran Commonwealth world of Coventry: a persistent stain on the Jade Falcons’ history. But not all Falcons follow Malvina’s lead. Ordered to take Coventry at any cost, Galaxy Commander Stephanie Chistu wishes to see her Clan victorious, but no victory is worth the Jade Falcons losing their very soul. To stand up to tyranny and find an honorable path forward for her Clan, she must balance the razor’s edge between duty and honor—or die trying.

The Federated Suns stand at the edge of a precipice… Violent expansion of the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine has cost recently crowned First Prince Julian Davion more than just countless strategic worlds. The war’s toll claimed a mentor and close friend, and righteous vengeance burns bright. To rally his people and preserve the future of the Federated Suns, Julian funnels the fires of justice into an ambitious yet risky campaign to retake a vital system: New Syrtis, the lost capital of the Capellan March. Success would dislodge an ancient enemy from their strategic foothold in Suns space, but failure may cost Julian the nation he inherited. However, the Capellan people have fought dearly for their prize and will do anything in their power to hold onto it. Will Julian’s gamble save the very soul of the Federated Suns, or is the invasion of New Syrtis doomed before it even begins?

BODY OF SECRETS... The first body that turns up in Farway, a secluded town on the planet Denebola, is from out of town. When the Denebola Bureau of Investigation and the legate's office from the other side of the planet decide to help identify the murder victim, Sheriff Hank Ketchum knows he’s in over his head. Enter infamous police detective Jack Ramsey, on leave after his most recent case, an encounter with a notorious serial killer who kidnapped Jack’s son. With the help of the talented local medical examiner, Amanda Slade, Ramsey digs into the case and discovers evidence that puts Farway at the heart of a conspiracy that reaches far beyond the sleepy backwater town. But who's the greater threat—the Clans, the Word of Blake, or the legate’s own intelligence operative? As the investigation deepens and the pool of suspects continued to widen, Ramsey and Ketchum race against time to catch a twisted villain who always seems one step ahead of them…and if not stopped, could destroy everything they hold dear…

A PLANET IN PERIL… The independent world of Son Hoa should be doing well for itself: its BattleMech factory is fully functional, and business is booming. But the planet and its neighboring planets are under constant attack, and Aden, an intelligence agent from Clan Sea Fox’s Watch, has been assigned to discover who’s behind the raids and if there’s a more sinister plan afoot in the region. Allying with a trio of cast-off spies with nowhere else to go, Aden and his new team must uncover who’s funding the raids and why, before their plans come to fruition. Working alongside them are fellow Sea Fox Merchant Commander Janelle, a former Warrior now trading across the stars, and the Screaming Eagles, a storied mercenary unit with a troubled past now hoping to restore their tarnished honor. Joined in a common mission, the Sea Foxes and Screaming Eagles are committed to defending Son Hoa, but will they find allies or enemies awaiting them on the weather-torn planet?

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR Major Michael Crown, leader of the Crown Crusaders mercenary battalion, has finally hit the big time: not only are the Crusaders fighting in the campaign to liberate the capital of the Federated Suns’ Capellan March, they are under the command of the First Prince himself, Julian Davion. But when battle plans against the Capellan Confederation go awry and the specter of blame falls on the Crusaders, Michael must make a desperate deal to prove his loyalty to the Federated Suns and save his unit from extinction. That deal leads to an unusual post in the distant Davion Outback, where true friends are hard to come by and devious enemies could be masquerading in plain sight. Michael and the Crown Crusaders must navigate the untamed wilds of the Periphery March if they are to have any hope of surviving long enough to regain the First Prince’s trust and cleanse the stain on their honor. (NOTE: This is the same novella that was distributed to the BattleTech Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign. If you received this story through the campaign, you do not need to buy it here.)

A PRIZE WORTH THE RISK… Despite years of effort, ComStar has been unable to repair the HPG interstellar communications grid. Now the Republic is taking a hands-on approach to fixing the problem. An active hyperpulse generator can turn its planet into a tempting target. So when ComStar appears close to reactivating the HPG on Wyatt, the Republic takes steps to counter any threats to the world—at a time when ComStar is determined to prove that it's once more a force to be reckoned with... Knight-Errant Alexi Holt is assigned to defend Wyatt for the Republic. But her greatest challenge is to protect Tucker Harwell—a genius possessing unmatched HPG skills—from the invaders who will certainly try to capture him. Both the Oriente Protectorate and Clan Spirit Cat have an interest in Wyatt. The first seeks to control the man who can fix an HPG, the other is a safe haven. Unsavory characters will also step forward. After all, though a reactivated HPG makes Wyatt a target, Tucker Harwell is the biggest prize of all…

TO STRIKE AT THE HEART OF A CLAN... An awesome mission has been assigned to Task Force Serpent: to destroy Huntress, homeworld of Clan Smoke Jaguar, the Inner Sphere's greatest menace. But the invasion has suffered a serious blow: Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion has been struck down by an unknown assassin. With the fate of the entire Inner Sphere in jeopardy, only one other daredevil warrior is brave—and reckless—enough to bring the enemy to its knees... REQUIRES A WARRIOR WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING FOR VICTORY... She is General Ariana Winston of the famed Eridani Light Horse mercenary brigade, and now commander of Task Force Serpent. The battle ahead is dangerous and uncertain, but Winston and her courageous comrades have the upper hand with hard-earned battle skills honed to fighting-edge perfection—and a secret weapon that could destroy Huntress for all time...

LYING IN WAIT… The Highlanders defeated Anastasia Kerensky the last time she attacked Northwind—although she retreated with most of her troops intact. Now dispersed among several planets, the Highlanders will need a bigger edge if they are to end Kerensky's threat completely. A rumor places Anastasia Kerensky on Northwind. If that's true, the Steel Wolves must also be close by. Determined to locate them, Paladin Ezekiel Crow and Countess Tara Campbell order a reconnaissance—unaware that their enemy may be closer than they think. With her forces on standby, Anastasia believes there is little the embattled Republic can do to stop her from finally conquering Northwind. What she doesn't realize is that she has allies she never imagined—and enemies she never suspected. It's a moment of truth for Crow, Campbell, and Kerensky, when lies emerge from the shadows, and the fate of a world hangs in the balance.

THE PRICE OF PEACE… The Raging Bears have begun their occupation of the planet Vega with the hope of restoring order on a planet beset by violence and civil ruin. But their bold move to stabilize Prefecture I for the Republic of the Sphere may be the chance their enemies have been waiting for… While the military takeover of Vega was no great challenge, setting up a new planetary government and restoring the infrastructure of civilization have proven far more difficult for the peacekeeping forces of the Rasalhague Dominion. An underground resistance stubbornly refuses to cease its operations, and Galaxy Commander Isis Bekker suspects the Draconis Combine is secretly supporting the rebellion. As the Combine threatens them from without, the Bears also find themselves plagued by betrayal and deception from within. Unless they can expose the dissenting elements in their clan, they may end up as fodder for destruction…or usher in a new understanding of what it means to be Clan, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since their return to the Inner Sphere…

BEYOND THE WALLS… They are the Fidelis, a brotherhood of warriors whose devotion to honor and courage on the battlefield is unmatched. Their existence known only to a former exarch, they are a fighting force to be reckoned with—a force three knights must consider as they undertake missions that could save the Republic…or cripple it. Lady Crystal Synd embodies the vision of the knight-errant. Devoted wholeheartedly to the Republic and its citizens, she believes in her mission. But what she must do to accomplish it will test her mettle as a knight—and as a human being. Hunter Mannheim is descended from a long line of military leaders, and feels he must continue the tradition of excellence in service and sacrifice in battle. But what he must sacrifice in the name of duty may be more than he can bear. Kristoff Erbe is a man burdened by shame. His father was a collaborator who served as commander of a “re-education camp” for those who defied the fanatical Word of Blake. To this day, Kristoff searches for a way to redeem his family honor. Three knights. Three dreams. For each, one chance lies outside the walls of the Fortress Republic…