Difference between revisions of "Legacy (Anthology)"
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| − | + | On [[Kesai IV]], 'Mech [[astech]] Olivia kills her abusive "master" Cicero Arne (of the House Davion militia) and escapes into the rock desert in a buggy on 12 April [[2973]]. When the buggy runs out of fuel she continues on foot and by lucky chance finds a wrecked DropShip (with four 'Mech berths) buried under the sand, with the damaged but salvageable ''Grasshopper'' inside that she can reactivate. When mercenaries–the [[Witchwood Warriors]]–attack Kesai IV on 25 April, Olivia joins them for a chance to leave the planet. | |
<div style="clear:both"></div> | <div style="clear:both"></div> | ||
===One Man's Trash=== | ===One Man's Trash=== | ||
| − | + | {{InfoBoxStory | |
| − | + | | name = One Man's Trash | |
| + | | author = [[Philip A. Lee]] | ||
| + | | pages = 24 | ||
| + | | type = Short story | ||
| + | | product = Legacy (Anthology) | ||
| + | | timeline = 27 February - 1 March [[3005]] | ||
| + | | scrollable timeline = [[Start date::]][[End date::]] | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | During a raid by the [[17th Arcturan Guards]], a laser blast had penetrated the cockpit, killed the pilot and partially melted the headrest. The ''Grasshopper'' was salvaged by the [[Silver Hawks Coalition]] defenders and refurbished at the [[Kali-Yama]] Factory Annex on [[Kalidasa]]. Two days later, on 27 February [[3005]], it is given to Sergeant Virgil "Verge" Armstrong of the [[Panther Assault Group]], who doesn't mind the shot up condition as long as he can be a MechWarrior, and no longer just a reserve pilot–even if the 'Mech is ultimately just a walking spare parts depot for Major Szalinski who also pilots a ''Grasshopper''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Armstrong finds a small capsule hidden in the cockpit containing the personal belongings of the previous pilot, one Leutnant Christiane Kühn–a wedding ring, family photos, and an encrypted data crystal. The crystal turns out to contain a note to the Lyran raiders, ordering them to meet an inbound reinforcement regiment, the [[10th Skye Rangers]], at Crater Hollow on 1 March. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Pretending to switch sides, Armstrong walks the 'Mech, which still bears the colors of the 17th Arcturan Guards, to Crater Hollow. His supposed surrender to the Lyran troops is in fact a ruse to allow the Panther Assault Group to maneuver into position for a surprise raid. The ''Grasshopper'' is downed in the ensuing battle, and Armstrong is wounded. He later learns that the expected Lyran reinforcements turned out to be no more than a [[battalion]], a force the defenders can handle. When offered salvaged 'Mechs from the forces at Crater Hollow, Armstrong decides to keep the ''Grasshopper'', which he has come to name "Trash", and have it fixed up instead of switching to a ''[[Warhammer]]'' or ''[[Zeus]]''. | ||
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===Lightning Strike=== | ===Lightning Strike=== | ||
| − | + | {{InfoBoxStory | |
| + | | name = Lightning Strike | ||
| + | | author = [[Geoff Swift]] | ||
| + | | pages = 19 | ||
| + | | type = Short story | ||
| + | | product = Legacy (Anthology) | ||
| + | | timeline = 12 December [[3038]] - 1 March [[3005]] | ||
| + | | scrollable timeline = [[Start date::]][[End date::]] | ||
| + | }} | ||
{{sectionstub}} | {{sectionstub}} | ||
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Revision as of 03:08, 7 June 2018
| |
| Legacy (Anthology) | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Anthology |
| Author | Alan Brundage Aaron Cahall Alex Fauth Jason Hansa Travis Heermann Chris Hussey Robert Jeschonek Kevin Killiany Philip A. Lee Darrell Myers Craig A. Reed Geoff Swift |
| Development | John Helfers (Editor) Philip A. Lee (Editor) |
| Pages | 280 |
| Cover Artwork | Des Hanley |
| Interior Artwork | Franz Vohwinkel |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Product code | 35826 |
| First published | 17 August 2017 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1941582312 |
| MSRP | 11.95 US$ |
| Content | |
| Era | (see text) |
Legacy (subtitle: A BattleTech Anthology) is a print anthology of thirteen short stories from different authors, plus a foreword by editor Philip A. Lee and an "About the Authors" section.
Although described as an anthology, it can arguably be described as a serial novel as the individual short story episodes narrate the overarching story of a single individual BattleMech, a Grasshopper—tentatively called the "Legacy Grasshopper"—as it is passed down from one MechWarrior to the next over a span of three centuries.
Contents
From the back cover
| “ | LIFE IS CHEAP. BATTLEMECHS ARE NOT.
A Draconis Combine warrior struggles with immoral orders in the First Succession War. A House Davion MechWarrior participates in a risky heist as part of Operation Guerrero. A history buff battles the Word of Blake during the Liberation of Terra. What do these MechWarriors have in common? Each one pilots the same BattleMech, a survivor that has been repaired and rebuilt countless times throughout its long and bloody 300-year lifespan. |
” |
Stories
What's in a Name?
| What's in a Name? | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Kevin Killiany |
| Pages | 14 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 27 March 2779 - 13 April 2830 |
Working on prototype #5 of the GHR 'Mech design project in 2779 (the very 'Mech that will become the Legacy Grasshopper), engineer Lucia Cavaletta had a breakthrough design idea and within just sixteen hours hand-built a prototype of a device (a fluidic actuator), solving a design problem that had stymied the team for some time until now. Just as she engraves the masterpiece with her signature after having entered its specifications into the database, the facility is infiltrated and Cavaletta is captured and tortured to death over two hours for information on the project. However, it is later discovered that Cavaletta managed to mislead the intruders into stealing critically flawed design specs for an earlier prototype instead of her most recent invention. Grasshopper had been a relatively obscure naming suggestion by Cavaletta for the GHR project; it is implied that the design was later actually named Grasshopper (instead of Ghost Hunter, an earlier project name) in her honor.
The hand-crafted component prototype she built that night turns up on Le Blanc in 2830, reportedly salvaged from a Draconis Combine "kamikaze" 'Mech (implicitly one destroyed in one of the Combine's Chain Gang missions). The techs note that it is masterfully built, performs well over specifications, and is signed like a piece of art.
Swords of Light and Darkness
| Swords of Light and Darkness | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Travis Heermann |
| Pages | 21 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 11 September 2796 - 17 April 2797 |
During the latter days of the Kentares Massacre, Tai-i Sam Tanaka of the Sixth Sword of Light regiment resolves to hide a fugitive local girl in his Grasshopper to at least give her a few days of relative comfort; intellectually, he knows that he will ultimately be unable to save her life, and will likely be executed for treason for not killing the girl outright.
Flashbacks reveal how Tanaka's morale, and that of his entire unit, was worn down by the atrocious mass murder they were ordered to commit on the entire planet's population, how he tries to reconcile this reality with his bushido ideals of honor and duty, and how he no longer cares about his individual fate.
Fates and Fortunes
| Fates and Fortunes | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Darrell Myers |
| Pages | 19 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 11 October 2840 - 23 April 2843 |
Carl Lipetsk is a tech with the Capellan Cuirassiers BattleMech unit currently stationed on Phact. He is painfully aware of the elevated status of MechWarriors, whereas the supporting armor and infantry units are largely forgotten and the technical staff completely ignored.
Having noted the unique workmanship of a GHR-5H Grasshopper in the unit, Lipetsk had reached out to the manufacturer, Lantren Corporation. On 11 October 2840 he receives a verigraph message from Lantren offering him a full factory overhaul at no cost in return for allowing Lantren to analyze the 'Mech and how it weathered the war until now. The 'Mech is shipped out to Bryant on 27 October, but shortly after takeoff the DropShip carrying it (the Silent Sword) is shot down by Marik raiders and crashlands. Two days later, Carl and Andrea arrive at the crash site and begin salvage operations. They discover the Grasshopper in a damaged but salvageable state. Although not trained as MechWarriors, the two techs attempt to evade approaching Marik 'Mechs and manage to hold them off long enough for friendly reinforcements to arrive. Andrea is heavily wounded in the process, though.
Carl makes restoring the Grasshopper a prestige project for the technical staff, to give them focus and a goal. Owing to frequent damage when the patched-together 'Mech has to be sent into combat, the work is still unfinished when the Lantren Corporation facility on Bryant is destroyed by raiders on 18 March 2843. (Ironically, it is a GHR-5H Grasshopper 'Mech that delivers the crippling blow to the facility.) Back on Phact, where Andrea has since died of her injuries, Carl is saddened by the news that the factory was destroyed and that there will thus be no factory overhaul for the Grasshopper after all. But he resolves to fix the shot-up machine up by himself instead, part for part, for the Chancellor and to honor Andrea's memory.
The Forgotten Places
| The Forgotten Places | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Alan Brundage |
| Pages | 12 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 12 - 25 April 2973 |
On Kesai IV, 'Mech astech Olivia kills her abusive "master" Cicero Arne (of the House Davion militia) and escapes into the rock desert in a buggy on 12 April 2973. When the buggy runs out of fuel she continues on foot and by lucky chance finds a wrecked DropShip (with four 'Mech berths) buried under the sand, with the damaged but salvageable Grasshopper inside that she can reactivate. When mercenaries–the Witchwood Warriors–attack Kesai IV on 25 April, Olivia joins them for a chance to leave the planet.
One Man's Trash
| One Man's Trash | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Philip A. Lee |
| Pages | 24 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 27 February - 1 March 3005 |
During a raid by the 17th Arcturan Guards, a laser blast had penetrated the cockpit, killed the pilot and partially melted the headrest. The Grasshopper was salvaged by the Silver Hawks Coalition defenders and refurbished at the Kali-Yama Factory Annex on Kalidasa. Two days later, on 27 February 3005, it is given to Sergeant Virgil "Verge" Armstrong of the Panther Assault Group, who doesn't mind the shot up condition as long as he can be a MechWarrior, and no longer just a reserve pilot–even if the 'Mech is ultimately just a walking spare parts depot for Major Szalinski who also pilots a Grasshopper.
Armstrong finds a small capsule hidden in the cockpit containing the personal belongings of the previous pilot, one Leutnant Christiane Kühn–a wedding ring, family photos, and an encrypted data crystal. The crystal turns out to contain a note to the Lyran raiders, ordering them to meet an inbound reinforcement regiment, the 10th Skye Rangers, at Crater Hollow on 1 March.
Pretending to switch sides, Armstrong walks the 'Mech, which still bears the colors of the 17th Arcturan Guards, to Crater Hollow. His supposed surrender to the Lyran troops is in fact a ruse to allow the Panther Assault Group to maneuver into position for a surprise raid. The Grasshopper is downed in the ensuing battle, and Armstrong is wounded. He later learns that the expected Lyran reinforcements turned out to be no more than a battalion, a force the defenders can handle. When offered salvaged 'Mechs from the forces at Crater Hollow, Armstrong decides to keep the Grasshopper, which he has come to name "Trash", and have it fixed up instead of switching to a Warhammer or Zeus.
Lightning Strike
| Lightning Strike | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Geoff Swift |
| Pages | 19 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Legacy (Anthology) |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 12 December 3038 - 1 March 3005 |
 | This Section looks to be a Stub This section is a stub (i.e., in need of additional material). You can help us by expanding it. Please remove this tag when that effort is complete. |
Choices and Chances
by Chris Hussey
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The Third Pillar
by Jason Hansa
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Earthbound
by Aaron Cahall
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Underfoot
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Homecoming
by Alex Fauth
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End of the Road
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Epilogue: Where Legends Come to Rest
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