Merchant Factor Stephens knew this was not the normal way for a ‘Mech to be produced. In order to ensure the Thresher Mk II (or Thresher II—the Clan had yet to decide on an official moniker) was ready as soon as possible, the scientist caste had been largely bypassed and only the Technician Caste was […]

“Hey,” greeted Cadet Daphne. Killbourne’s arid climate often meant temperatures soared into the 30s during the height of the summer, with students at Killbourne Academy given time off in the afternoons for a time-honored tradition known as a ‘siesta.’ Only some students could nap as the barrack’s woefully insufficient air conditioning meant that the temperature […]

“Alright, we need a slogan for this thing,” Carm said, laying down the marketing shots for Vining Engineering and Salvage Team’s latest product, the Great Turtle. “It’s gotta be something catchy, short, and sexy, but gets the point across.” Dugan picked up the holoshots of the Great Turtle and shook his head. “And what is […]

“Zeke! ZEKE! Bring the camera!” Michelle Baldwyn shouted at her cameraman, but not too loud lest she spook crowd members who understood they were about to be filmed. “The duel’s starting!” Although technically illegal under the laws of Ashio III, the underground ‘Mech dueling ring nonetheless drew a crowd, and with it, commerce. Normally the […]

ROM was wrong. The covert attempt to eliminate New Hessen’s AeroSpace assets had clearly failed as the 33rd Division attempted a combat drop near the capital city of Buchvaal. Worse, ROM had failed to correctly estimate the planet’s force composition. Not only had the remnants of all three Ceti Hussars chosen New Hessen to reconstitute, […]

“How… how is she so… old?”  Star Captain Jimigan sighed. This question had consistently led down a circular path that began with him signing a request for a new recruit to be assigned to the 93rd BattleMech Cluster’s Third Trinary. MechWarrior Sinyan was the fourth, and he desperately wanted to avoid another unnecessary fatality. “Star […]

“Welcome to Throttle Stop, I’m Haremy Darkson. For centuries, the fastest thing on two legs was this,” the camera pans up to the Locust he was standing beside. “You can have some variety with a Spider or a Cicada, but then you’d be paying twice as much for a ‘Mech that only has a quarter […]

“Why the hell do they have us stripping these relics anyhow?” Helen asked. It had only been a day since news came down from the college that NAIS would receive several Blackjacks for evaluation, but when Hanse Davion made a proclamation, people tended to move fast. BattleMech engineering lead Jameson looked honestly surprised. “You mean […]

“Shit,” Private Enzo cursed at the red blinking light on his Sentinel’s command console. “The missile launcher is jammed again.”  “Again?” Enzo’s lancemate, Corporal Fritz-McCarrol, maneuvered his Crab close to where Enzo’s Sentinel stood on the firing range and brought its cockpit to within a few meters of the Defiance Streak SRM-2’s exhaust port. “Doesn’t […]

Sergeant Bixonnen had fallen and couldn’t get up. It wasn’t entirely her fault. Being struck by counter-battery fire isn’t expected to be a walk in the park for anyone, let alone a 60-ton walking death machine. What complicated the issue for her was that her Yeoman didn’t have arms–not really. Although labeled arms on her […]

“All I’m saying is, if the WOBbies are gone and the good times are here, why are we retooling a ‘Mech factory in the ass-end of Moscow?”  Undago sighed, once again reminding his comrade that peace was never sustained without force of arms. “And besides, you still want a paycheck, right?”  “Hah, you got that […]