Difference between revisions of "Shrapnel (anthology)"

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{{InfoBoxBook
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{{InfoBoxProduct
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| image = Shrapnel.jpg
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| image               = Shrapnel.jpg
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| name = Shrapnel
+
| name               =  
−
| publisher = [[FASA]]
+
| type               = Anthology
−
| year = 1988
+
| author              = [[Tara Gallagher]]<br />[[William H. Keith, Jr.]]<br />[[James Lanigan]]<br />[[Mark O'Green]]<br />[[Bear Peters]]<br />[[Susan Putney]]<br />[[Michael A. Stackpole]]<br />[[Ken St. Andre]]
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| production code = 8611
+
| development         =  
−
| ISBN = 1-55560-082-4
+
| primarywriting      =
−
| MSRP = ???
+
| pages              = 128
−
| type = Anthology
+
| cover              = [[Jeff Laubenstein]]
−
| primary writing =  
+
| interiorart        =
−
*[[Elizabeth T. Danforth]]
+
| illustrations      =
−
*[[Tara Gallagher]]
+
| publisher          = [[FASA]]
−
*[[William H. Keith, Jr.]]
+
| productioncode      = 8611
−
*[[James Lanigan]]
+
| year                = 1988
−
*[[Mark O'Green]]
+
| ISBN10              = 1555600824
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*[[Bear Peters]]
+
| ISBN13              =
−
*[[Susan Putney]]
+
| MSRP                = 18.00 US $
−
*[[Michael A. Stackpole]]
+
| content            =
−
*[[Ken St. Andre]]
+
| era                = [[Succession Wars era]]
−
| product development =  
+
| timeline            = ca. [[2980]] &ndash; [[3028]]
−
(Editorial staff)
+
| series              =
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*[[L. Ross Babcock III]]
+
| precededby          =
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*[[Donna Ippolito]]
+
| followedby          =  
−
*[[C. R. Green]]
 
−
| illustrations = [[Jeff Laubenstein]] and others
 
−
| pages = 128
 
 
}}
 
}}
−
 
+
'''Shrapnel''' (subtitled '''Fragments from the Inner Sphere''') is a collection of graphic artwork and short stories set in the [[BattleTech]] universe in the "Classic" era from [[3025]] to the [[Fourth Succession War]] that begins in [[3028]], with some pieces of fiction reaching back as far as approximately [[2980]].
−
'''Shrapnel''' (subtitle: '''Fragments from the Inner Sphere''') is a collection of graphic artwork and short stories set in the [[BattleTech]] universe in the "Classic" era around [[3025]] up until the [[Fourth Succession War]] that begun in [[3028]].
 
  
 
==Content==
 
==Content==
−
Besides an introduction from [[Jordan K. Weisman]] and "ContribuTech", a three-page rundown of BattleTech designers, authors, artists and editors listing their respective contributions by [[George O'Dajungle]], the book contains the following short stories:
+
Besides an introduction from [[Jordan Weisman]] and "ContribuTech", a three-page rundown of BattleTech designers, authors, artists and editors listing their respective contributions by [[George O'Dajungle]], the book contains the following short stories:
−
 
 
−
===Old MechWarriors never...===
 
−
:''(by [[Ken St. Andre]])''
 
−
 
 
−
Trev-R is an old [[Solaris]] arena [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] and down on his luck when he happens to save Vayil Oonthrax, son of Baron Irvxx Oonthrax, from some muggers in an ill-reputed area of Xolaris City. The boy turns out to be a fan of Trev-R and aspires to become an arena MechWarrior himself, so he secretly enlists Trev-R to train him. Long before he is ready to fight, young Oonthrax receives an [[Atlas]] and a heavily rigged battle is arranged where bribes and sabotage are to ensure the boy's victory, while his opponent is set up to lose the fight and quite possibly his life. Only a few days before the event does Trev-R find out that none other than he himself is the "useless old veteran" who is going to be sacrificed by Baron Oonthrax and Arena Master [[Kandar Kant]]. His very life at stake, Trev-R feverently prepares to turn the tables in his favour. If he lives, this may be his last chance to make a profit and get off the Gaming World.
 
−
 
 
−
The exact timeframe of the story is indeterminate as no dates are provided.
 
−
 
 
−
===Black Cats cross your path===
 
−
:''(by [[Tara Gallagher]] and [[James Lanigan]])''
 
−
 
 
−
The [[Black Cats]], an all-infantry [[mercenary unit]], defend a city against a rather unprofessional [[BattleMech]] company posing as the [[Black Widow Company]] and prove that even infantry can down a 'Mech with ingenuity and some luck.
 
−
 
 
−
The exact timeframe of the story is indeterminate as no dates are provided.
 
−
 
 
−
:''This story was previously published as an introduction in the [[CityTech]] rulebook.''
 
−
 
 
−
===Think like a Liao===
 
−
:''(by [[Susan Putney]])''
 
−
 
 
−
[[Tormana Liao]] is the enstranged son of [[Maximilian Liao]], Chancellor of the [[Capellan Confederation]]. Having married [[Hanya No Cha]], who was born on [[Brazen Heart]], the secret prison colony in the Sarna Commonality, he has constantly failed to please his father or at least live up to his expectations, and has consciously stopped trying by now. During a public parade on [[Liao]] on 10 January [[3026]], Tormana fails his last chance to reconcile with his father despite the urgings of his elder sister [[Candance Liao|Candance]] and his godmother [[Chandra Ling]]. He also inadvertedly insults the father of a Davion regimental commander working for [[Michael Hasek-Davion]] during the event. It sickens him that people constantly seek for a deeper meaning in his every word and action, and constantly assume him to be scheming simply because he is a Liao, although he really has no political ambitions whatsoever and really only wants to serve his beloved nation as a good soldier.
 
−
 
 
−
He then transfers back to the planet Kali in the [[Algol]] system aboard the [[DropShip]] ''Thunderfist'', where he serves with the Ariana Fusiliers. A message with the Brazen Heart emblem is slipped under his door a mere six hours after his arrival on Kali eleven days later, calling him to come alone to coordinates some sixty kilometers from his post at Warex Base. Enroute in his ''[[Vindicator]]'', he already muses if he might be walking into a trap when suddenly another ''Vindicator'' appears and deactivates Tormana's 'Mech with a remote control. The other pilot explains that he has been surgically altered to take Tormana's place as a Doppleganger on Maximilian Liao's orders. Even if Tormana would somehow manage to return to base alive he would be killed by agents there if he did not give the correct passwords. However, the Doppleganger is unaware of the note when Tormana mentions it and claims he simply followed him out of the base. He discards Tormana's warnings about a possible trap as a trick, but just when he is about to kill the helpless Tormana they suddenly receive a radio transmission from a nearby [[House Davion|Davion]] strike force. The note had indeed been a trap and only having his 'Mech deactivated before arriving saved Tormana. Now 21 enemy [[BattleMech]] are moving against the unsuspecting Liao base.
 
−
 
 
−
Since the atmosphere is not breathable, both Tormana and his Doppleganger will die if their base is destroyed and they have to cooperate to save the base, and thereby themselves. They agree on a truce: Tormana provides the secret passwords to his [[ComStar]] trust accounts and other personal information while the other man reveals his [[Maskirovka]] connections and passwords. Thus, if the Doppleganger lives, he can take Tormana's identity; if Tormana lives, he can pose as his own Doppleganger to avoid being murdered.
 
−
 
 
−
Using Tormana's intimate knowledge of the barren planet and its peculiar natural anomalies, the two men proceed to prepare an ambush for the Davion force but they have to remember that they are mortal enemies at the same time, as only one of them must return to their base alive.
 
−
 
 
−
:''In the story, Algol is described as a system with four suns and Kali as a barren and inhospitable planet without even a breathable atmosphere. However, official (canonical) material from the [[WizKids]] homepage describes Algol as a G5V sun with 9 planets (no multiple suns are mentioned, although not expressly ruled out either), and the fourth planet as a veritable breadbasket world. It must therefore be assumed that Kali is another planet in the same system.''
 
−
 
 
−
===Dance of Vengence===
 
−
:''(by [[William H. Keith, Jr.]])''
 
−
 
 
−
This story is told through flashbacks during a honor duel to the death between Chu-i Salvadore Tyrell and Sho-sa Victor Garreth during a reception on [[Kajikazawa]]:
 
−
 
 
−
Tyrell's Raiders had been a Kurita auxiliary force of company size, originally from Kajikazawa, under the command of Salvadore's father. They were later attached to the Second Benjamin Regulars as auxiliary reserve troops on the planet of [[New Wessex]]. The bataillon commander, Sho-sa Victor Garreth, had ordered the company to guard an important river crossing against a [[House Steiner|Steiner]] force of ostensibly equal strength. However, the attacking force turned out to be not a company, but a heavy regiment, and crushed the defenders in short order, killing Salvadore's sister Theresa in her [[Shadow Hawk]] and forcing Salvadore himself to eject from his [[Centurion]] which was also destroyed.
 
−
 
 
−
Upon returning to his base on foot after three days in the wilderness, Salvadore Tyrell found the survivors of his unit had been hanged for cowardice in the face of the enemy for alledgedly retreating from a fight with roughly equal numbers, after having suffered only light damage, against explicit orders. Their remaining [[BattleMech]]s had become property of the Second Benjamin Regulars, who had already lifted off-planet.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Dispossessed]] and with no options, Salvadore returned home to plot his revenge against Victor Garreth, the treacherous commander. Almost a year later he was contacted by Duke [[Hassid Ricol]] and hired to create the Red Duke's personal 'Mech company which he came to call "Tyrell's Terrors" after his father's 'Mech (a [[Dragon]]). After Ricol's return from a venture in the [[Free Worlds League]] (presumably the recovery of the [[Helm Memory Core]]), a meeting was arranged on [[Kajikazawa]] where Salvadore finally gets his chance to confront Garreth.
 
−
 
 
−
No dates are provided but references to other events suggest Tyrell's Raiders were destroyed around 3025 and the duel to take place shortly after the recovery of the [[Helm Memory Core]].
 
−
 
 
−
:''The story is consistently named "Dance of Vengence" [sic] in both the table of contents and in its title.''
 
−
 
 
−
===And then there was the time...===
 
−
:''(by [[Mark O'Green]])''
 
−
 
 
−
While an [[Slayer]] [[AeroSpace Fighter]] pilot boasts about his exploits, namely a dogfight with the [[Stuka]] of famous [[Karl Stephens]] and how he ''could'' have shot him down, the rather bored and distracted thoughts of his female attendance provide a stark contrast to his story.
 
−
 
 
−
No detailed dates are given, but references to a discussion of the Kurita pilot with [[James Doogan]] of [[Wolf's Dragoons]] suggest the event to take place during or after the Dragoons' employment with the [[Draconis Combine]].
 
−
 
 
−
===Dispatch===
 
−
:''(by [[Elizabeth T. Danforth]] and [[Michael A. Stackpole]])''
 
−
 
 
−
Military mail traffic consisting of short orders and brief reports illustrates how [[Snord's Irregulars]] embarrassed the Second Free World Guards on an extraction raid to the Kincaid peninsula on [[McAffe]] in [[3020]] despite being expected to raid the facility. In this raid they reclaimed various pieces of art previously lost to [[House Marik]] forces.
 
−
 
 
−
===Legion Team===
 
−
:''(by [[William H. Keith, Jr.]])''
 
−
 
 
−
[[Tracy Maxwell Kent]] is a [[Phoenix Hawk]] pilot with the [[Gray Death Legion]]. During a raid on [[Shionoha]] she commands the light 'Mechs of the training cadre (two [[Locust]]s, [[Stinger]]s and [[Wasp]]s each) on a mission to destroy an undefended factory, when they stumble right into a strong enemy force and find themselves surrounded. The resulting engagement will later be celebrated as the Victory at Mifune Pass for the Legion, but it is an ordeal to teach Tracy what it means to take command and is in fact only won by sheer luck.
 
−
 
 
−
The story takes place after the Legion had to fight [[House Marik|Marik]] forces on [[Helm]], but no exact date is provided.
 
−
 
 
−
===Where lies the Honor?===
 
−
:''(by [[William H. Keith, Jr.]])''
 
  
−
On the poor backwater Kurita world of [[Kawabe]], Corpsman Yancey of the [[Civilian Guidance Corps]] becomes increasingly irritated over the dishonourable and despotic behaviour of his sworn master, Prefect Vander Hassan. The execution of a peddler who only tried to keep his family fed is one injustice too many, and Yancey finds himself trapped between his oath to his master and his honor to serve the people of his homeworld.
+
*'''[[Old MechWarriors Never...]]''' ([[Ken St. Andre]]): Down-on-his-luck [[Solaris Games|Solaris VII Arena]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] Trev-R learns that he may lose his life in an upcoming rigged arena fight.
  
−
The exact timeframe of the story is indeterminate as no dates are provided.
+
*'''[[Black Cats Cross Your Path]]''' ([[Tara Gallagher]] and [[James Lanigan]]): The [[Black Cats]], an all-infantry [[mercenary unit]], defend a city against a rather unprofessional [[BattleMech]] company posing as the [[Black Widow Company]] and prove that even infantry can down a 'Mech with ingenuity and some luck.
  
−
===Natasha Kerensky: A biomedical report===
+
*'''[[Think like a Liao]]''' ([[Susan Putney]]): After a falling-out with [[Maximilian Liao|his father]], [[Tormana Liao]] finds his life threatened by a doppleganger bound to supplant him.
−
:''(by [[Tara Gallagher]] and [[James Lanigan]])''
 
−
Excerpts from a secret service file on [[Natasha Kerensky]], including an interview by [[Misha Auburn]] dating 7 April 3023 and references to biomedical reports, reveal that the "Black Widow" has repeatedly undergone plastic surgery between approximately [[3007]] and [[3026]] but little more. The interview transcript raises more questions that are answered as Kerensky is obviously skilled in evading all questions about her past and seems to toy with the interviewer, adding to the overall mystery surrounding her.
 
  
−
===Painting the town===
+
*'''[[Dance of Vengeance]]''' ([[William H. Keith, Jr.]]): Past antagonism and the destruction of [[Tyrell's Raiders]], a minor [[mercenary unit]], in a devious scheme culminate in a honor duel to the death between ''[[Chu-i]]'' [[Salvadore Tyrell]] and ''[[Sho-sa]]'' [[Victor Garreth]] during a reception on [[Kajikazawa]].
−
:''(by [[Mark O'Green]])''
 
  
−
In an attempt to capture [[Theodore Kurita]], who is (falsely) rumoured to be around, a mysterious group of ''[[Marauders]]'' without insignia or markings, and sporting the exceptionally rare original armour of the design without any patches, attacks a Kurita outpost. After the destruction of all Kurita tanks and vehicles, five Kurita soldiers take up the fight, making ingenious use of paint grenades and utility chemicals found at a paint factory they had been guarding.
+
*'''[[And Then There Was The Time...]]''' ([[Mark O'Green]]): While an ''[[Slayer]]'' [[AeroSpace Fighter]] pilot boasts about his exploits, namely a dogfight with the ''[[Stuka]]'' of famous [[Karl Stephens]] and how he ''could'' have shot him down, the rather bored and distracted thoughts of his female attendance provide a stark contrast to his story.
  
−
The exact location or timeframe of the story is indeterminate as no dates are provided.
+
*'''[[Dispatch]]''' ([[Elizabeth T. Danforth]] and [[Michael A. Stackpole]]): A sequence of military mail traffic consisting of orders and brief reports illustrates how [[Snord's Irregulars]] embarrassed the [[2nd Free Worlds Guards|Second Free World Guards]] in [[3020]] through a successful objective raid on the Kincaid peninsula on the world of [[McAffe]], despite being positively expected to raid the facility where a trap was set for them. In this raid they reclaimed a collection of various pieces of art previously lost to [[House Marik]] forces. The last message is a sarcastic message to [[Janos Marik]] himself by [[Cranston Snord]], thanking him for the items on behalf of his daughter.
  
−
===The race is not to the swift===
+
*'''[[Legion Team]]''' ([[William H. Keith, Jr.]]): [[Tracy Maxwell Kent]] is a ''[[Phoenix Hawk]]'' pilot with the [[Gray Death Legion]]. During a raid on [[Shionoha]] she commands the light 'Mechs of the training cadre (two ''[[Locust]]s'', ''[[Stinger]]s'' and ''[[Wasp]]s'' each) on a mission to destroy an undefended factory. However, on their way to the target they stumble right into an enemy staging area and find themselves surrounded by strong forces. The resulting engagement will later be celebrated as the Victory at Mifune Pass for the Legion, but it is an ordeal to teach Tracy what it means to take command and is in fact only won by sheer luck.
−
:''(by [[Bear Peters]])''
 
−
Captain Cyrus St. George is leading his unit, the Swords of St. George Comany (Keshii's 131st Bataillon, 33rd Marik Militia), in an attack on [[Solaris]] by his regiment and the mercenary unit [[Seguin's Strikers]]. The raiders encounter far more resistance than anticipated, including Lyran regular units and [[Hansen's Roughriders]] and the attack turns into a retreat under heavy fire. With the regimental command structure coming apart around him, St. George tries to organize an orderly retreat of his forces while taking heavy losses from superior enemy firepower and air superiority.
 
  
−
:''St. George's command lance consists of his own [[Shadow Hawk]], a [[Crusader]], a [[Wolverine]]-6M and a [[Wasp]]. A matching picture is printed depicting these 'Mechs; the same picture is found on the [[Ral Partha]] "Medium Lance" package cover and the [[List of BattleTech novels#Black Thorn Blues|Black Thorn Blues]] novel. Similarly, the story's final scene features the picture of a Hansen's Roughrider [[Atlas]] and a [[Cicada]] racing by that was also used as a cover.
+
*'''[[Where Lies the Honor?]]''' ([[William H. Keith, Jr.]]): On the poor backwater Draconis Combine world of [[Kawabe]], Corpsman Yancey of the [[Civilian Guidance Corps]] becomes increasingly irritated over the dishonorable and despotic behavior of his sworn master, Prefect Vander Hassan. The execution of a peddler who only tried to keep his family fed is one injustice too many, and Yancey finds himself trapped between his oath to his master and his honor to serve the people of his homeworld.
  
−
The exact timeframe of the story is indeterminate as no dates are provided.
+
*'''[[Natasha Kerensky: A Biomedical Report]]''' ([[Tara Gallagher]] and [[James Lanigan]]): Excerpts from a secret service file on [[Natasha Kerensky]] that include references to a biomedical report from [[Chukchi III]], [[3020]], an interview by [[Misha Auburn]] dating 7 April [[3023]], and various other material reveal that the "Black Widow" has repeatedly undergone plastic surgery between approximately [[3007]] and [[3026]] but little more. The interview transcript raises more questions than are answered as Kerensky is obviously skilled in evading all questions about her past and seems to toy with the interviewer, adding to the overall mystery surrounding her.
  
−
===Final exam===
+
*'''[[Painting the Town]]''' ([[Mark O'Green]]): In an attempt to capture [[Theodore Kurita]], who is (falsely) rumored to be around, a mysterious group of ''[[Marauder]]'' BattleMechs without insignia or markings, and sporting the exceptionally rare original armor of the design without any patches, attacks a Kurita outpost. After the destruction of all Kurita tanks and vehicles, five Kurita soldiers take up the fight, making ingenious use of paint grenades and utility chemicals found at a paint factory they had been guarding.
−
:''(by [[Bear Peters]])''
 
  
−
Under the watchful eyes of Professor of 'Mech Deployment and Assault Strategy Sizigmund MaqAloo, a retired General, Cadet Willis Crawford beats the computer at the tactical plot simulator at Princefield Academy with a bold and innovative maneuver. The professor acknowledges his success but points out that it entirely depended on the computer's predictability; against a human opponent the simulated operation would have cost him his DropShip. Crawford remains certain of his skills, however, and his younger friend and classmate [[Anton Marik]] reassures him that between them, they can "lick anything"...
+
*'''[[The Race Is Not To The Swift]]''' ([[Bear Peters]]): Captain Cyrus St. George is leading his unit, the "Swords of St. George" Company (Keshii's 131st Battalion, [[33rd Marik Militia]]), in a raid on [[Solaris]] by his regiment together with the [[mercenary unit]] [[Seguin's Strikers]]. The raiders encounter far more resistance than anticipated, including Lyran regular units and [[Hansen's Roughriders]], and the attack turns into a retreat under heavy fire. With the regimental command structure coming apart around him, St. George tries to organize an orderly retreat for his forces while taking heavy losses from superior enemy firepower and air superiority.
  
−
===Judas blind===
+
*'''[[Final Exam]]''' ([[Bear Peters]]): At the Free Worlds League's renowned [[Princefield Academy]], Cadet [[Willis Crawford]] beats the computer at the tactical plot simulator with a bold and innovative maneuver under the watchful eyes of retired General and Professor of 'Mech Deployment and Assault Strategy Sizigmund MaqAloo. The professor acknowledges his success but points out that it entirely depended on the computer's predictability; against a human opponent the simulated operation would have cost him his DropShip. Crawford remains convinced of his skills, however, and his younger friend and classmate [[Anton Marik]] reassures him that between them, they can "lick anything", foreshadowing [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|future events]]...
−
:''(by [[Michael A. Stackpole]])''
 
  
−
Six weeks after the [[Kell Hounds]] withdrew from [[Murchinson]], [[Patrick Kell]] returns to the planet for a covert mission. He meets [[Takara]], the "Little Dragon", and enacts an intricate plan to secure the books that House Kurita could recover at [[Halstead Station]]. Patrick and Takara have different agendas and do not trust each other. They cheat and betray each other over the course of the operation which ultimately ends in a decisive success for the Kell Hounds because of a detail Takara had not known, including the capture of the [[Union]]-class DropShip "Fukushu" (which the Kell Hounds rename to "Nuada Argetlan"). After all that happened, Patrick finds himself hoping that Takara would come with him.
+
*'''[[Judas Blind]]''' ([[Michael A. Stackpole]]): Six weeks after the [[Kell Hounds]] withdrew from [[Murchison]], [[Patrick Kell]] returns to the planet for a covert mission. He meets a mysterious woman named [[Takara]], the "Little Dragon", and enacts an intricate plan to secure the books that House Kurita could recover at [[Halstead Station]]. Patrick and Takara have different agendas and do not trust each other. They repeatedly cheat and betray each other over the course of the operation which ultimately ends in a decisive success for the Kell Hounds, including the capture of the ''[[Union]]''-class DropShip ''Fukushu'' (which the Kell Hounds rename to ''[[Nuada Argetlan]]''), because of a single detail Takara had not known. After all that happened, Patrick finds himself hoping that Takara would come with him.
  
−
:''The story presents one Tai-sa Harrison Ukita as the [[ISF]] Colonel who secured and shipped books from Halstead Station to Murchinson and how Patrick Kell arranged for the Kell Hounds to secure the books and a Kurita DropShip from the 27th Dieron Regulars. Another source (the [[Kell Hounds (sourcebook)|Kell Hounds sourcebook]]) relates an interview with one Chu-sa (Lt.Col.) Imorie Sanders who tells an entirely different story about how the Kell Hounds took the books from the 36th Dieron Regiment.''
+
==German edition==
 +
Through their ''Phoenix'' imprint, [[FanPro]] published a German edition of ''Shrapnel'' in 1997. Unlike the original FASA publication which was in sourcebook format, the German edition was a 216-page book the size of a paperback novel. The ContribuTech section and the rich color art from the US edition was missing. Instead, the stories got new, original illustrations by [[Hartwig Nieder-Gassel]] depicting, among others, Patrick Kell, Salvadore Tyrell (implicitly), "Boots" Hill, and the unit insignia of the [[Black Cats]] mercenary unit. These illustrations are [[apocryphal]] as they were only printed in the German edition which is not a considered canonical source in and of itself.
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:Schrapnell.jpg|German edition cover
 +
Image:BlackCatsSchrapnell.jpg|"Black Cats" artwork (German edition only)
 +
</gallery>
  
 
[[Category:Books]]
 
[[Category:Books]]
 +
[[Category:Anthologies]]

Revision as of 11:47, 5 November 2015

Shrapnel.jpg
Shrapnel (anthology)
Product information
Type Anthology
Author Tara Gallagher
William H. Keith, Jr.
James Lanigan
Mark O'Green
Bear Peters
Susan Putney
Michael A. Stackpole
Ken St. Andre
Pages 128
Cover Artwork Jeff Laubenstein
Publication information
Publisher FASA
Product code 8611
First published 1988
ISBN-10 1555600824
MSRP 18.00 US $
Content
Era Succession Wars era
Timeline ca. 2980 – 3028

Shrapnel (subtitled Fragments from the Inner Sphere) is a collection of graphic artwork and short stories set in the BattleTech universe in the "Classic" era from 3025 to the Fourth Succession War that begins in 3028, with some pieces of fiction reaching back as far as approximately 2980.

Content

Besides an introduction from Jordan Weisman and "ContribuTech", a three-page rundown of BattleTech designers, authors, artists and editors listing their respective contributions by George O'Dajungle, the book contains the following short stories:

  • Legion Team (William H. Keith, Jr.): Tracy Maxwell Kent is a Phoenix Hawk pilot with the Gray Death Legion. During a raid on Shionoha she commands the light 'Mechs of the training cadre (two Locusts, Stingers and Wasps each) on a mission to destroy an undefended factory. However, on their way to the target they stumble right into an enemy staging area and find themselves surrounded by strong forces. The resulting engagement will later be celebrated as the Victory at Mifune Pass for the Legion, but it is an ordeal to teach Tracy what it means to take command and is in fact only won by sheer luck.
  • Where Lies the Honor? (William H. Keith, Jr.): On the poor backwater Draconis Combine world of Kawabe, Corpsman Yancey of the Civilian Guidance Corps becomes increasingly irritated over the dishonorable and despotic behavior of his sworn master, Prefect Vander Hassan. The execution of a peddler who only tried to keep his family fed is one injustice too many, and Yancey finds himself trapped between his oath to his master and his honor to serve the people of his homeworld.
  • Natasha Kerensky: A Biomedical Report (Tara Gallagher and James Lanigan): Excerpts from a secret service file on Natasha Kerensky that include references to a biomedical report from Chukchi III, 3020, an interview by Misha Auburn dating 7 April 3023, and various other material reveal that the "Black Widow" has repeatedly undergone plastic surgery between approximately 3007 and 3026 but little more. The interview transcript raises more questions than are answered as Kerensky is obviously skilled in evading all questions about her past and seems to toy with the interviewer, adding to the overall mystery surrounding her.
  • Painting the Town (Mark O'Green): In an attempt to capture Theodore Kurita, who is (falsely) rumored to be around, a mysterious group of Marauder BattleMechs without insignia or markings, and sporting the exceptionally rare original armor of the design without any patches, attacks a Kurita outpost. After the destruction of all Kurita tanks and vehicles, five Kurita soldiers take up the fight, making ingenious use of paint grenades and utility chemicals found at a paint factory they had been guarding.
  • The Race Is Not To The Swift (Bear Peters): Captain Cyrus St. George is leading his unit, the "Swords of St. George" Company (Keshii's 131st Battalion, 33rd Marik Militia), in a raid on Solaris by his regiment together with the mercenary unit Seguin's Strikers. The raiders encounter far more resistance than anticipated, including Lyran regular units and Hansen's Roughriders, and the attack turns into a retreat under heavy fire. With the regimental command structure coming apart around him, St. George tries to organize an orderly retreat for his forces while taking heavy losses from superior enemy firepower and air superiority.
  • Final Exam (Bear Peters): At the Free Worlds League's renowned Princefield Academy, Cadet Willis Crawford beats the computer at the tactical plot simulator with a bold and innovative maneuver under the watchful eyes of retired General and Professor of 'Mech Deployment and Assault Strategy Sizigmund MaqAloo. The professor acknowledges his success but points out that it entirely depended on the computer's predictability; against a human opponent the simulated operation would have cost him his DropShip. Crawford remains convinced of his skills, however, and his younger friend and classmate Anton Marik reassures him that between them, they can "lick anything", foreshadowing future events...
  • Judas Blind (Michael A. Stackpole): Six weeks after the Kell Hounds withdrew from Murchison, Patrick Kell returns to the planet for a covert mission. He meets a mysterious woman named Takara, the "Little Dragon", and enacts an intricate plan to secure the books that House Kurita could recover at Halstead Station. Patrick and Takara have different agendas and do not trust each other. They repeatedly cheat and betray each other over the course of the operation which ultimately ends in a decisive success for the Kell Hounds, including the capture of the Union-class DropShip Fukushu (which the Kell Hounds rename to Nuada Argetlan), because of a single detail Takara had not known. After all that happened, Patrick finds himself hoping that Takara would come with him.

German edition

Through their Phoenix imprint, FanPro published a German edition of Shrapnel in 1997. Unlike the original FASA publication which was in sourcebook format, the German edition was a 216-page book the size of a paperback novel. The ContribuTech section and the rich color art from the US edition was missing. Instead, the stories got new, original illustrations by Hartwig Nieder-Gassel depicting, among others, Patrick Kell, Salvadore Tyrell (implicitly), "Boots" Hill, and the unit insignia of the Black Cats mercenary unit. These illustrations are apocryphal as they were only printed in the German edition which is not a considered canonical source in and of itself.

  • German edition cover

  • "Black Cats" artwork (German edition only)

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