Three Sides To Every Story
Sarna News
| Three Sides To Every Story | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Keith R. A. DeCandido |
| Pages | 3 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction |
| Content | |
| Era | Jihad era |
| Timeline | 13-14 August 3072 |
Three Sides To Every Story is a short story published in BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction.
Plot summary[edit]
The story consists primarily of a series of opposing news broadcasts regarding the 13 August 3072 Regulan attack on Word of Blake-held Gibson. Mariko Guardado, former Solaris Games commentator, hosts the pirate broadcast Word Against Blake, while Bronwyn Smith hosts the official Word of Blake Gibson news bulletin.
Amidst the invasion, a 4th Regulan Hussars 'Mech, piloted by Walther O'Reilly-Maddox, attacks a particular private residence, killing his target Elsa Granelli. He detects high-end communications equipment in her house that appears to confirm his orders: Granelli was an informant for the Blakists. Smith broadcasts footage of the attack, identifying Granelli instead as a civilian schoolteacher murdered by the Hussars, and Guardado counters with her own assertion that Granelli was a spy.
The arrival of the 52nd Shadow Division and retaking of Gibson changes the picture. Smith claims that Apollyon's force returned in response to the death of Granelli, and Guardado prepares a rebuttal. She records a statement, based on anonymous sources, that the 52nd arrived out of pure luck, happening to choose the planet for their intended refit, but Patricia Bracken stops Guardado from sending the statement. Bracken makes a new claim about Elsa Granelli's allegiance: Granelli was a Regulan spy, not a Blakist spy, and was mistaken for the latter. Guardado and Bracken argue about their goals, how Granelli should be remembered, and the newscaster's obligation to truth.
The story ends with Guardado starting one more broadcast, focused on Elsa Granelli. What she says is left ambiguous.
Featured Characters[edit]
- Mariko Guardado
- Bronwyn Smith
- Elsa Granelli
- Walther O'Reilly-Maddox
- Patricia Bracken
- Apollyon (mentioned)
- Nathan Granelli (mentioned)
- Corporal Baqui (mentioned)
Featured Places[edit]
Notes[edit]
- Three Sides To Every Story shares characters with, and serves in part as a sequel to, DeCandido's story Meiyo.