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 […]

Another explosion rocked MechWarrior Creden’s Hellfire as his star continued a fighting retreat. The Blood Spirits had launched their assault on York soon after the bulk of the Star Adder touman had left to attack the Snow Ravens, leaving a contingent of solahma and second-line clusters to defend the planet.  Both Creden and his ‘Mech […]

“MechWarrior Donovan! Report to ‘Mech bay 12 for your new assignment.”  Donovan immediately excused himself from his Starmates and left the mess hall heading down the corridor that would lead him to the ‘Mech bays. They’d only just been discussing his mysterious assignment, a new ‘Mech design that would replace his aging Mist Lynx. Donovan […]

“You’re gonna be fine! I’m tellin’ ya, Dex has got you covered with a real Star League ‘Mech. You’ll eat this Drac dropout for breakfast.”  Tychon’s words didn’t do much to assuage Vic’s growing unease. He needed this fight to go well–Dex had promised to have his arena license reinstated if he could beat Matsumoto’s […]

“Alright, Striker Lance, we’re two clicks out from the city of Harmony, but the Marshal has called for the city’s fall by the 21st,” Corporal Benson’s radio crackled as Captain Mohaney repeated exposition already discussed during this morning’s briefing. “That’s why we’re sending you in with your new Kintaros. The hope is that you’ll be […]

Private Eastman wasn’t sure why he was even here, in the middle of Lee’s massive forests waving his Ostscout‘s arms around in an attempt to find a Capellan invasion force. The Fifth Davion Guards already had complete air superiority after the Davion aerospace forces had ambushed the Liao fighters in orbit, so there really was […]