LOYALTY. VALOR. DESPAIR. JIHAD. A massive invasion fleet is destroyed almost to a man. Legions of soldiers, confident of victory, are cut down before they even reach the ground. Those that do make landfall are bombarded and shattered and rained with nuclear fire. Elsewhere, veterans long retired from combat are called back to duty by desperate times. Explorers comb unknown worlds for hints to explain deadly evils. Seventeen stories of combat, honor, betrayal and death fill the pages of Fire for Effect: BattleCorps Anthology Volume 4. Savvy readers will recognize now-familiar names in BattleTech lore among the authors: Steven Mohan, Jr., Kevin Killiany, Phaedra Weldon, Jason Schmetzer, Jason Hardy and Herbert Beas. These writers have shaped the direction of the BattleTech universe. In 2007, with these stories, they took the fictional storylines of the BattleTech universe to new and violent heights. Worlds rose and fell, and empires toppled. Armies of BattleMechs and fleets of WarShips fought and perished. And beneath all of it, the spidery tendrils of the Word of Blake sowed mistrust and conflict in every realm...

BURIED IN THE ASHES OF WAR… Freelance explorer and treasure hunter Dr. Brooklyn Stevens has made her career finding lost artifacts from Inner Sphere history, but during the waning days of the FedCom Civil War, a job offered by the academic organization known as Interstellar Expeditions affords her the chance to pursue the find of a lifetime: a missing planet, one lost in the ravages of the brutal Succession Wars. But the world of Jardine did not only die in fire—it was erased from stellar maps entirely, and Brooke’s employer wants to know why. She must hunt down the only known link to this forgotten world: a dangerous predator native to Jardine, whose initial discoverer was silenced under mysterious circumstances. Someone wants this planet to remain buried—and they will go to any lengths to ensure that Brooke’s quest to uncover the truth of Jardine’s disappearance ends in tragedy...

ALL OR NOTHING... On 1 May 3052, twenty-five Galaxies from seven Clans clashed with twelve armies of ComStar’s Com Guards on the pastoral planet of Tukayyid. For twenty-one days, one of the largest campaigns in BattleMech warfare unfolded to decide the fate of the Inner Sphere. The Battle of Tukayyid is one of BattleTech’s most pivotal conflicts. Now, explore this crucial campaign through eight different points of view—from the enigmatic ComStar, whose relatively untested forces are the Inner Sphere’s last defense against the seemingly unstoppable Clans, to each Clan, as their leaders and MechWarriors attempt to achieve victory on their own terms. The fate of the Inner Sphere hangs in the balance…and it all comes down to one planet… Featuring stories by: Jason Schmetzer Michael J. Ciaravella Randall N. Bills Blaine Lee Pardoe Steven Mohan, Jr. Bryan Young Chris Hussey Joel Steverson

LOST IN THE FIRES OF WAR… Freelance explorer Dr. Brooklyn Stevens made her career finding lost artifacts from Inner Sphere history, but a job offered by the academic organization known as Interstellar Expeditions gives her a chance at the find of a lifetime: a missing planet, one lost in the ravages of the brutal Succession Wars. But the world of Jardine did not die in planet-scouring fire…it was entirely erased from stellar maps—and Brooke’s employer wants to know why. But someone wants this planet to remain hidden—and will go to any length to ensure that Brooke’s quest ends in tragedy. SHROUDED IN SECRETS… But when she finds the long-lost planet of Jardine, Brooklyn finds more than she bargained for—a lot more. She 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 village of natives that live off the land. Both groups are soon after Stevens and her knowledge of Jardine—one side to protect the planet from those that seeking to reclaim it, the other intent on killing anyone who knows of its existence. Caught between both factions, Brooklyn must uncover the mysteries of Jardine…and stay alive long enough to tell the universe about it…

DANGER FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE… MechWarrior brothers Morgan and Patrick Kell have successfully faced their first challenge in forming their new mercenary unit The Kell Hounds, toppling a criminal kingpin from atop his illegal empire on Galatea. But while enjoying their recent success, the brothers Kell, along with the capital city of Galaport, come under threat by a new enemy—Bishop Arlington Poore, a religious zealot who wants to bring the entire planet under his repressive theocracy—and is willing to starve millions to do it. Soon enough, the newly-formed Kell Hounds have their first job—put down this uprising as quickly as possible. But when a madman has converted thousands of civilians to his side, how will Morgan and Patrick quash his misguided crusade without shedding innocent blood?

THE SWORD OR THE PLOWSHARE... The destruction of the interplanetary communications net has isolated planets across the Republic of the Sphere. On Mirach, a widening schism in the military between those who would remain loyal to The Republic and those who would break away threatens the peace and prosperity that have lasted for generations. Once a formidable MechWarrior, governor Sergio Ortega now believes that diplomacy will win the day. His sons, Dale and Austin, are also stalwarts of The Republic and aspiring MechWarriors. Facing growing civil unrest, they urge a military show of force before events spiral out of control. But Mirach has no BattleMechs, and their pacifistic father is slashing military spending. But when power-hungry forces within the government begin plotting to overthrow it by any means necessary—including assassination—Austin must rebel against everything he’s known to fight for the safety and freedom of Mirach…even if that means facing off against his own father...

VENGEANCE SHALL BE THEIRS… Three years after the massacre of their families on Bromhead, the hard-bitten mercenary unit Hansen’s Roughriders have already exacted revenge against Taurian Concordant forces on the planet Lindsay. But that is only the beginning. When the Second Taurian Lancers—the unit responsible for the massacre—lands on Midale to conduct a supply raid, they run into Colonel Wolfgang Hansen and the entire Roughriders force—all out for blood. And underestimating the Roughriders may be the last mistake the Lancers make. Amid the savage fighting, a Federated Suns liaison officer uncovers evidence of a third party’s involvement in the slaughter—and who may have been behind it. But will he be able to gather the necessary evidence—and eyewitnesses—before the rampaging Roughriders destroy everything in their path? (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.)

NEVER BET AGAINST THE KELL BROTHERS… Since their first appearance in the Warrior Trilogy, the Kell Hounds have become one of the most storied mercenary units in BattleTech. Now, New York Times-bestselling author and Kell Hounds creator Michael A. Stackpole goes back to the Hounds’ beginnings, when Morgan and Patrick Kell were just two smart, ambitious brothers—with a plan to revolutionize the world of mercenaries forever… A RACE AGAINST TIME… If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…: Fresh off saving Prince Ian Davion of the Federated Suns, Morgan Kell returns home to find his paramour, Veronica Matova, has vanished without a trace. Desperate to find her, Morgan tasks the Hounds to track her down—and uncovers a conspiracy to destroy the Kell Hounds’ reputation using Veronica as a hostage. While Morgan races against time to locate her, Patrick engages in a dangerous game cat-and-mouse with their unknown adversaries, pulling every trick in the book to stay one step ahead of whoever wants to take the Kell Hounds down. But these shadowy enemies don’t realize who they’re dealing with…and no force in the Inner Sphere will help them once Morgan Kell finds them…

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 Three: Dying Dignity by Chris Hussey: For a raid into the Lyran Commonwealth, the Eridani Light Horse teams up with the Black Warriors, a band of former Star League troops much like the Light Horse. But something about this mission does not add up…

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…