Heir Apparent
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 | Apocryphal Product Although the subject of this article is an official BattleTech product, it does not meet the current criteria for Canon. Its content may or may not be canonical for the BattleTech universe, and for the purpose of the Sarna.net BattleTechWiki is considered apocryphal. |
Heir Apparent | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Novella by Michael A. Stackpole | |||
 | |||
| Publication | |||
| Published | 7 February 2017 5 February 2025 | ||
| Publisher | Harebrained Schemes Catalyst Game Labs | ||
| illustrator(s) | Jenn Tran | ||
| Pages | 114 (PDF edition) | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Era | Succession Wars era | ||
| Timeline | 15 October 3000 — 15 November 3000 | ||
| Series | |||
| |||
Heir Apparent is an original BattleTech novella penned by Michael A. Stackpole, the first of four parts of a serial novel. It was offered as a backer reward for Harebrained Schemes' successful BattleTech Video Game crowdfunding campaign, and was released in electronic format on 7 February 2017 to backers who had pledged at least 50 US$ to the project.
The title was eventually released for general sale by Catalyst Game Labs on 5 February 2025, with a new cover (see Notes) and adding an overall series title, The Crown Ascendancy, to the novel's title.
Contents
From the Back Cover[edit]
| “ | AN UNFAMILIAR BATTLEGROUND...
A man on the run, Walter de Mesnil has found sanctuary with the mercenary company Angleton's Angels, who have taken an unusual mission on the planet of Maldives, in the nascent Aurigan Coalition. Their job is to train the heir of the planet in BattleMech operation, enough to allow him to survive a “mission” in the wilderness as part of his ascension to rule. But 'Mech battlefields have nothing on the sinister plots and machinations of a ruling class to keep what they have—or the simmering rage of an oppressed population. And when rebellion erupts on Maldives, Walter's jaunt into the forest becomes a deadly fight for survival... and if he doesn't return the heir apparent back in one piece, the next grave will be his own...'' |
” |
Plot summary[edit]
 | This section needs a plot summary. |
Featured[edit]
Characters[edit]
- Daniel Allard (mentioned)
- Justin Allard (mentioned)
- Quintus Allard
- Stephan Andrich
- Hake Angleton
- Aaron Doukas
- Chris Eck
- Laurie Eck
- Abigail Litzau
- Alexandra Litzau
- Ivan Litzau
- Sophia Litzau
- Walter de Mesnil
- Richard Oglethorpe
- Wen Xu-Tian
Places[edit]
- Maldive (called "Maldives" in the series' first two novellas but referred to as "Maldive" afterwards; not to be confused with nearby Valdives)
- Galatea (mentioned)
- Itrom (mentioned)
Technology[edit]
BattleMechs[edit]
Vehicles[edit]
- Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
Aerospace Fighters[edit]
DropShips[edit]
- DropShips of undetermined classes (Vulture's Egg)
Cover Gallery[edit]
Original cover for HBS release
Revised cover for CGL release
Canonicity[edit]
- This fiction was written for a computer game that derives from the Microsoft license, not the core BattleTech license. This is due to the main IP used to produce the BattleTech tabletop game is notably a separate from the IP used for video games ever since Microsoft Game Studios acquired FASA Interactive (not to be confused with FASA itself) in 1999.
- When he was Line Developer, Randall N. Bills had explicitly stated that the storyline of Harebrained Schemes BattleTech game was planned to become fully canonical; this would presumably extend to the novellas offered on the sidelines as well.[citation needed]
- With it's reprinting, Line Developer Ray Arrastia expressed on Catalyst Game Labs Official Discord that:
| “ | Heir Apparent was reprinted from the HBS version. It has mistakes with canon, as the game was a big departure from canon. We may look into fixing the text, especially the next installments. We’re not changing canon to fix the mistakes. | ” |
| — Ray Arrastia[citation needed] | ||
- Additionally with it's reprinting Fact Checker Eric Salzman, stated that:
| “ | Didn't go through fact check. (Since it's a reprint).
The only major canon continuity issues I found when reviewing it on my own (the original releases) were that the world's name is wrong (there's one on the map named Maldive and one named Valdives), that the Taurian-Canopian war is described as brutal and destructive (when it was mostly just embarrassing, and had no recorded engagements on Maldive), and one book mentions someone, in the early 3000s, having Battle Armor experience. |
” |
| — Eric Salzman[citation needed] | ||
Notes[edit]
- The BattleMechs on the original HBS cover are drawn using the Piranha Games Inc. art style that had also been used by Harebrained Schemes for their game. It would seem, however, that the artist was only given the "basic" mesh models from the game without any of the various possible weapon loadouts. The 'Mechs in the picture have no visible weapon ports, barrels or launchers whatsoever, unlike their counterparts in the story which were fully equipped with what seem to be standard configurations.