Three Sides to Every Story
Sarna News
Three Sides to Every Story | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Keith R. A. DeCandido | |
| Publication | |
| Published | July 2009 |
| Published in | BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction |
| Publisher | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Illustrator(s) | |
| Pages | 3 |
| Chronology | |
| Era | Jihad era |
| Timeline | 13 August 3072 — 17 August 3072 |
Three Sides to Every Story is a short story by Keith R. A. DeCandido that was 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 Fourth 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 Fifty-second 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 Fifty-second 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
- Precentor Manei Domini Apollyon (mentioned)
- Nathan Granelli (mentioned)
- Corporal Baqui (mentioned)
Featured Units[edit]
- Fourth Regulan Hussars (mentioned)
- Fifty-second Shadow Division (mentioned)
Featured Places[edit]
Notes[edit]
- Three Sides to Every Story shares characters with, and serves in part as a sequel to DeCandido's short story Meiyo.