NEVER SURRENDER… Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine brings you more heavy-hitting action and heroism in the war-torn BattleMech-dominated future of the 31st century and beyond! A young Periphery volunteer struggles against marauding pirates who have long overstayed their welcome. A small-but-growing mercenary unit faces off against a formidable foe capable of destroying their dreams. A Star League MechWarrior wrestles with an exciting career opportunity on the eve of the war that will change the face of the Inner Sphere forever. Experience the costly Jade Falcon assault on Arc-Royal, return to an idyllic paradise haunted by a specter of the past, and follow a Clan Wolf bondsman’s quest to reunite with his son. Then lurk in the shadows with more cloak-and-dagger plots in the continuation of the four-part serial novel set on the game world of Solaris VII. Arm yourself with technical readouts, playable scenarios, an in-depth look at the weaponization of gift giving in the Draconis Combine, a glimpse into Clan Sea Fox’s customer service, an article on the importance of battlefield salvage, and more—all from elite BattleTech authors and recruits who have earned their stripes: Craig A. Reed, Jr. Tom Leveen Bryan Young Julian Michael Carver E. Stephenson Auerbach Charles Gideon J. D. Neal Curtis O. Thompson Aaron Cahall Étienne Charron-Willard Matthew Cross Jim Hauser Wunji Lau Eric Salzman Paul Sjardijn Tom Stanley Joel Steverson Chris Wheeler

JUMP BACK INTO THE COCKPIT! Picking up the battle standard for BattleTech fiction, Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine continues the tradition of hard-hitting stories set in the war-torn interstellar future of the 31st century and beyond. Fire up your ’Mech’s fusion reactor, secure your neurohelmet, and wade into battle with stories from the merciless front lines of the Clan Invasion and other eras, conspiracy theory articles, game scenarios, and more from veteran BattleTech authors, fan favorites, and some new recruits. Featuring: Michael A. Stackpole • Blaine Lee Pardoe Kevin Killiany • Craig A. Reed, Jr. • Chris Hussey Jason Hansa • Lance Scarinci • Michael J. Ciaravella Patrick Wynne • Aaron Cahall

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…

THE FINAL ENGAGEMENT… The minions of Maximilian Liao are about to deliver a crippling blow to the forces of Prince Hanse Davion—discovering a way to use Hanse’s own technology against him. Half a galaxy away, assassins stalk Hanse's wife, Melissa Steiner, and her mother, Archon Katrina Steiner, in the passageways of their own palace. Invasion is imminent. The only ’Mech force capable of stopping that invasion—the Kell Hounds mercenary unit—is trapped in a game of search and destroy with the most fearsome Kurita unit ever created. Even if they come back in time...how many would make it? In a world where ten-meter-tall war machines are the soul of battle, assassins are state policy, and a spy’s loyalty is always for sale, the only thing certain is death. Who can you trust? And in the bitter end, how will you be betrayed?

SHE FOUND THE LOST PLANET… Intrepid interstellar explorer Brooke Stevens has seen many strange and unique sights in her lifetime, but this one may be the most incredible one of all. Tasked by the organization Interstellar Explorations to locate an entire world, she located the previously “lost” planet of Jardine. BUT WILL SHE LIVE TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT? Once there, however, she stumbles upon a powerful ComStar faction, the Word of Blake, that will do anything to keep Jardine’s location a secret—including terminating any outsiders with knowledge of their concealed base. Now Brooke and what’s left of her team—a taciturn tech and a native of Jardine whose tribe was wiped out by brutal Manei Domeni cyborgs—must brave the hazards of the jungle planet and journey to the heart of the Word of Blake’s operations in hopes of finding a way off the planet…before their relentless enemies bury them on it…

ALL IN THE FAMILY… For more than a year, “divine leader” Daoshen Liao has relentlessly pushed his Capellan Confederation forces in their invasion of the Republic. Now the time has come for the next stage of his conquest—a conquest that will begin not with an enemy, but with his own family... Raised among royalty in the Magistracy of Canopus, where the superiority of women is a cultural axiom, Danai Liao-Centrella possesses all the confidence necessary for her to ascend through the Confederation ranks, despite having to contend with the constant machinations of her maniacal brother, Daoshen. But when her latest mission ends in defeat and personal disgrace, Danai will face the greatest challenge of life. Chancellor Daoshen rewards her failure by giving her a battalion of her own and a brand-new battlefield. And Danai is about to learn that in service to the state, even family comes second to safeguarding the Capellan Confederation…

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…

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...

’MECHS AT THE READY… Betrayed by his own House and stripped of his rank, exiled Mechwarrior Justin Allard is given one last chance to save his honor—by risking his life in the gladiatorial arenas of Solaris VII. But his newest Game World opponent—more skilled at 'Mech-to-'Mech combat than any other rival—raises the stakes even higher. It's Philip Capet, former mechwarrior in the Davion military—until he was kicked out by none other than Justin Allard before his own unfortunate fall from grace. Both Justin and Philip face fierce battles, but in the Inner Sphere, where nobles have schemed for centuries to win the ultimate power, those who interfere with the Successor Lords are sometimes called heroes. And sometimes called victims…