Shades and Spirits

Shades and Spirits
Short story by Philip A. Lee
Publication
Published	1 August 2012
Published in	Interstellar Expeditions: Interstellar Players 3
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
Pages	4
Chronology
Era	Dark Age era
Timeline	12 June 3095 — 15 June 3095

Shades and Spirits is a short story by Philip A. Lee that was published as introductory fiction for Interstellar Expeditions: Interstellar Players 3.

Plot Summary

Wade Laurence Beauregard, who holds five doctoral degrees, leads an Interstellar Expeditions dig team complete with the usual train of security personnel, volunteers and Dig Gypsies. As of June 3095 they have found a large abandoned facility on an otherwise uninhabited planet that turns out to hold a treasure of information and equipment pertaining to the mysterious Minnesota Tribe. Beauregard is overjoyed upon finding what he regards as the "Rosetta Stone" of the tribe's history.

However, the Rosetta Stone datapad is stolen from his tent. As he discusses the situation with his security chief, mercenary Oleg Spector, both IE DropShips are suddenly attacked and destroyed by a Thera-class WarShip and multiple Spectral-series aerospace fighter. This is when Spector openly admits to Beauregard that the attackers are Word of Blake, who paid good money for the secret to stay buried and only needed to authenticate the Rosetta Stone noteputer that Spector had stolen. Beauregard manages to kill Spector and retrieve the noteputer, but then has to watch helplessly as the camp is destroyed by carpet bombing or even a nuclear strike (that implicitly kills Beauregard).

Featured Characters

• Professor Wade Laurence Beauregard, Ph.D, a scientist with Interstellar Expeditions
• Oleg Spector, a mercenary and [[Word of Blake] plant, contracted by IE as Head of Security
• Lorenzo "Renzo", a private expedition volunteer

Featured Units

• 331st Royal BattleMech Division (mentioned)

Featured Places

• Uninhabited System (22.7 LY Coreward from McEvedy's Folly)

Featured BattleTech

DropShips

• Unspecified-class DropShips, Howard Carter, Grave Robber

WarShips

• Thera-class carrier WarShip, FWLS Corinth

Notes

• This story seems to confirm a connection of some sort between the Minnesota Tribe (confirmed to have been Clan Wolverine refugees) and the Word of Blake. However, it is implied the research team was wiped out to a man and all data and evidence they found was destroyed, leaving the Inner Sphere in the dark about their find.