Difference between revisions of "Masters of War"
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| − | {{ | + | {{InfoBoxProduct |
| − | | image | + | | image = Masters of War.jpg |
| − | | | + | | name = |
| − | | author | + | | type = Novel |
| − | | | + | | author = [[Michael A. Stackpole]] |
| − | | publisher | + | | development = |
| − | | | + | | primarywriting = |
| − | | | + | | pages = 289 |
| − | | | + | | cover = (no attribution) |
| − | | era | + | | interiorart = |
| − | | timeline | + | | illustrations = |
| − | | | + | | publisher = [[Roc Books]] |
| − | | | + | | productioncode = |
| + | | year = 3 April 2007 | ||
| + | | ISBN10 = 0451461371 | ||
| + | | ISBN13 = 978-0451461377 | ||
| + | | MSRP = | ||
| + | | content = | ||
| + | | era = [[Dark Age era]] | ||
| + | | timeline = [[3136]] – [[3137]] | ||
| + | | series = [[MechWarrior: Dark Age Novels]] | ||
| + | | precededby = [[Dragon Rising]] | ||
| + | | followedby = [[A Rending of Falcons]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
| + | '''''Masters of War''''', by [[Michael A. Stackpole]], is the twenty-fifth novel in the [[MechWarrior: Dark Age Novels|MechWarrior: Dark Age]] series. It was first published in April 2007 by [[Roc Books]] and was later republished in May 2022 by [[InMediaRes Productions, LLC|Catalyst Game Labs]] as a [[BattleTech Legends]] title. | ||
| − | ' | + | The novel covers [[Clan Wolf|Clan Wolf's]] migration through the [[Republic of the Sphere]] and [[Alaric Ward|Alaric Wolf's]] battles with [[Anastasia Kerensky]] and her [[Wolf Hunters]]. |
| − | == From the | + | == From the Back Cover == |
| − | {{quote|''As [[Clan Wolf]] launches a daring campaign of reprisal against [[The Republic]], three warriors will find their destinies intertwined on the field of battle | + | {{quote|''As [[Clan Wolf]] launches a daring campaign of reprisal against [[The Republic]], three warriors will find their destinies intertwined on the field of battle and in the fight for their futures...'' |
| − | ''[[Alaric]] is a legend among the Wolves. But his lust for victory may mean his undoing | + | ''[[Alaric Ward|Alaric]] is a living legend among the Wolves: fearless, ruthless, merciless. But his own lust for victory may mean his undoing, unless he learns to see beyond himself – and recognize what a true warrior fights for.'' |
| − | ''[[Verena]] is the new commander of a ragtag merc force. Her desire for greatness will uncover her own superior abilities | + | ''[[Anastasia Kerensky|Anastasia]] is a former Wolf Clan warrior, now leading a band of [[Wolf Hunters|mercs]] against her onetime comrades. She knows that to lead, she must prove not only her ability but her complete separation from the Wolves. And there is only one way for her to do so – in combat.'' |
| + | |||
| + | ''[[Verena Wolf|Verena]] is the new commander of a ragtag merc force. Her desire for greatness will uncover her own superior abilities and draw her ever closer to a final confrontation in which mercy is unheard-of – and only death awaits the unworthy...''}} | ||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
| − | + | [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Melissa Steiner II|Melissa Steiner]] hatches a complex and risky plot to secure the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] for the coming [[Dark Age]] wars. Believing the greatest threat is a united and resurgent [[Free Worlds League]], the Archon looks to duplicate the [[Arc-Royal Theater]], where the melding of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile|Clan]] and [[Kell Hounds|Inner Sphere]] forces created a powerful and lasting buffer between the Commonwealth and the invading Clans. Her idea is to convince [[Clan Wolf]] to move its entire ''[[touman]]'' and people to the border between the Commonwealth and former Free Worlds League, with the bait being the many wealthy worlds available for the taking. Her cousin, [[Trillian Steiner|Trillian]], thinks the idea extremely dangerous, but the Archon believes the gamble is worth the danger. | |
| − | [[ | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | [[Clan Wolf]] [[Khan of Clan Wolf|Khan]] [[Seth Ward]] accepts the proposal and challenges three of his ''[[ristar]]''s to design a strategy for moving the entire Clan without inviting attacks of opportunity. [[Star Colonel]] [[Alaric Ward|Alaric]]'s audacious proposal wins: invade the [[Republic of the Sphere]], drive straight for [[Terra]], and become the [[ilClan]]. Their enemies will be forced to unite against them, leaving a path open to the Commonwealth's [[rimward]] border, and only after reaching the border will the Wolves' assault be revealed as a feint. | |
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| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
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| + | Meanwhile, [[Colonel]] [[Anastasia Kerensky]] and her [[Wolf Hunters]] have been hired by business interests in [[Prefecture IX]] to defend against possible Clan Wolf and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacks. Mercenaries are being hired all over, including [[Verena Wolf|Verena]], a former [[Steel Wolf]] who was rejected and cast out by Kerensky. Verena uses her reputation as a former Clanswoman to secure a position commanding an undisciplined company of misfits. Her unit barely cohesive, she is assigned to protect the world of [[Baxter]], which is under assault by forces led by [[Star Colonel]] [[Bjorn Wolf|Bjorn]], one of Khan Ward's three ''ristars''. Through a combination of luck and daring she is able to bait Bjorn into an ambush and kill him. As the most senior of the surviving commanders in the field, she is proclaimed a hero and a champion to the people. Business moguls turn her into a media darling and she receives a promotion, a new 'Mech (a ''[[Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)|Mad Cat]]''), and an overwhelming amount of exposure and responsibility. | ||
| − | == Featured | + | Star Colonel Alaric is assigned the world of [[Yed Posterior]]. His [[Binary]] easily takes the planet, but insurgency tactics prevent him from controlling it. Realizing the goal is not to win the planet, but rather the planet's resources, he neutralizes the insurgency by refusing to launch a counterinsurgency. By changing the rules of the game he gave his opponents no chance to win. This type of high-level gamesmanship was useless, however, against an opponent like Anastasia Kerensky. Arriving with three [[battalion]]s, she bids everything against Alaric's tiny force, as she does not care about [[zellbrigen|Clan honor]] but rather quick victory. When Alaric devises an insurgency of his own, Kerensky destroys the dikes protecting the city, flooding his defenses. Thoroughly beaten, the Star Colonel surrenders to the Wolf Hunters. |
| + | |||
| + | Anastasia Kerensky sees exceptional potential in her captive, so she breaks him. Sleep deprivation, stimulants, mind games, physical torture—after two days Alaric is stripped of his pride, his confidence, even his megalomania. While Kerensky does not know Alaric's background, she does know that he was the only Wolf warrior without a [[Bloodname]] at the funeral for [[Victor Ian Steiner-Davion]], that he planned Clan Wolf's strategy, and that his soldiers see him as an almost mythic figure. His potential seems limitless, ''if'' he can learn that war is more than gamesmanship. But Kerensky does not want him as a [[bondsman]]—she wants to release him back to the wild. Anastasia understands that in the far future the Wolves and the Wolf Hunters will inevitably meet in an epic battle, and what better opponent than a future-Khan that she has already broken? | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Featured Characters== | ||
| + | {{div col|colwidth=25em}} | ||
| + | * [[Star Colonel]] [[Alaric Ward|Alaric]] | ||
| + | * [[Colonel]] [[Anastasia Kerensky]] | ||
| + | * Star Colonel [[Bjorn Wolf|Bjorn]] | ||
| + | * Star Colonel [[Donovan Wolf|Donovan]] | ||
| + | * [[Edward]] | ||
| + | * [[Hestia]] | ||
| + | * [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine Wolf]] | ||
| + | * [[Kennerly]] | ||
| + | * [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Melissa Steiner II|Melissa Steiner]] | ||
| + | * [[Selvina Woods]] | ||
| + | * [[Khan of Clan Wolf|Khan]] [[Seth Ward]] | ||
| + | * [[Verena Wolf|Verena]] | ||
| + | {{div col end}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Featured Places== | ||
| + | {{div col|colwidth=25em}} | ||
* [[Baxter]] | * [[Baxter]] | ||
* [[Castor]] | * [[Castor]] | ||
| + | * [[Domain]] | ||
| + | * [[Koniz]] | ||
* [[La Blon]] | * [[La Blon]] | ||
* [[Nusakan]] | * [[Nusakan]] | ||
* [[Skondia]] | * [[Skondia]] | ||
| + | * [[Tharkad]] | ||
| + | * [[Unukalhai]] | ||
* [[Yed Posterior]] | * [[Yed Posterior]] | ||
| + | {{div col end}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Featured BattleTech== | ||
| + | ===BattleMechs=== | ||
| + | {{div col|colwidth=25em}} | ||
| + | * ''[[Assassin]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Axman]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Blackjack (BattleMech)|Blackjack]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Caesar]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Centurion (BattleMech)|Centurion]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Cicada]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Clint]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Dire Wolf (Daishi)|Daishi]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Dervish]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Hermes]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Jade Hawk]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Koshi (BattleMech)|Koshi]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)|Mad Cat]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Gargoyle (Man O' War)|Man O' War]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Mercury (BattleMech)|Mercury]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Stormcrow (Ryoken)|Ryoken]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Spider]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Vindicator]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Mad Dog (Vulture)|Vulture]]'' | ||
| + | {{div col end}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Combat vehicles=== | ||
| + | * [[Zhukov]] Heavy Tank | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Spacecraft=== | ||
| + | * ''[[Conquistador (DropShip class)|Conquistador]]''-class [[DropShip]] ''[[Thylacine]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Monarch]]''-class DropShip ''[[Baron's Pride]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Overlord (DropShip class)|Overlord]]''-class DropShip ''[[Jaeger]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Overlord-C]]''-class DropShip ''[[Romulus (Individual Overlord-C-class DropShip)|Romulus]]'' | ||
| + | * ''[[Visigoth]]'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Covers== | ||
| + | <gallery> | ||
| + | File:Masters of War (2022 cover).jpg|2022 cover. Art by [[Tan Ho Sim]]. | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
[[Category:Novels]] | [[Category:Novels]] | ||
[[Category:MechWarrior: Dark Age novels]] | [[Category:MechWarrior: Dark Age novels]] | ||
[[Category:Works by Michael A. Stackpole]] | [[Category:Works by Michael A. Stackpole]] | ||
Latest revision as of 05:57, 9 January 2024
| |
| Masters of War | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Novel |
| Author | Michael A. Stackpole |
| Pages | 289 |
| Cover Artwork | (no attribution) |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Roc Books |
| First published | 3 April 2007 |
| ISBN-10 | 0451461371 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0451461377 |
| Content | |
| Era | Dark Age era |
| Timeline | 3136 – 3137 |
| Series | MechWarrior: Dark Age Novels |
| Preceded by | Dragon Rising |
| Followed by | A Rending of Falcons |
Masters of War, by Michael A. Stackpole, is the twenty-fifth novel in the MechWarrior: Dark Age series. It was first published in April 2007 by Roc Books and was later republished in May 2022 by Catalyst Game Labs as a BattleTech Legends title.
The novel covers Clan Wolf's migration through the Republic of the Sphere and Alaric Wolf's battles with Anastasia Kerensky and her Wolf Hunters.
Contents
From the Back Cover[edit]
| “ | As Clan Wolf launches a daring campaign of reprisal against The Republic, three warriors will find their destinies intertwined on the field of battle and in the fight for their futures...
Alaric is a living legend among the Wolves: fearless, ruthless, merciless. But his own lust for victory may mean his undoing, unless he learns to see beyond himself – and recognize what a true warrior fights for. Anastasia is a former Wolf Clan warrior, now leading a band of mercs against her onetime comrades. She knows that to lead, she must prove not only her ability but her complete separation from the Wolves. And there is only one way for her to do so – in combat. Verena is the new commander of a ragtag merc force. Her desire for greatness will uncover her own superior abilities and draw her ever closer to a final confrontation in which mercy is unheard-of – and only death awaits the unworthy... |
” |
Summary[edit]
Archon Melissa Steiner hatches a complex and risky plot to secure the Lyran Commonwealth for the coming Dark Age wars. Believing the greatest threat is a united and resurgent Free Worlds League, the Archon looks to duplicate the Arc-Royal Theater, where the melding of Clan and Inner Sphere forces created a powerful and lasting buffer between the Commonwealth and the invading Clans. Her idea is to convince Clan Wolf to move its entire touman and people to the border between the Commonwealth and former Free Worlds League, with the bait being the many wealthy worlds available for the taking. Her cousin, Trillian, thinks the idea extremely dangerous, but the Archon believes the gamble is worth the danger.
Clan Wolf Khan Seth Ward accepts the proposal and challenges three of his ristars to design a strategy for moving the entire Clan without inviting attacks of opportunity. Star Colonel Alaric's audacious proposal wins: invade the Republic of the Sphere, drive straight for Terra, and become the ilClan. Their enemies will be forced to unite against them, leaving a path open to the Commonwealth's rimward border, and only after reaching the border will the Wolves' assault be revealed as a feint.
Meanwhile, Colonel Anastasia Kerensky and her Wolf Hunters have been hired by business interests in Prefecture IX to defend against possible Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon attacks. Mercenaries are being hired all over, including Verena, a former Steel Wolf who was rejected and cast out by Kerensky. Verena uses her reputation as a former Clanswoman to secure a position commanding an undisciplined company of misfits. Her unit barely cohesive, she is assigned to protect the world of Baxter, which is under assault by forces led by Star Colonel Bjorn, one of Khan Ward's three ristars. Through a combination of luck and daring she is able to bait Bjorn into an ambush and kill him. As the most senior of the surviving commanders in the field, she is proclaimed a hero and a champion to the people. Business moguls turn her into a media darling and she receives a promotion, a new 'Mech (a Mad Cat), and an overwhelming amount of exposure and responsibility.
Star Colonel Alaric is assigned the world of Yed Posterior. His Binary easily takes the planet, but insurgency tactics prevent him from controlling it. Realizing the goal is not to win the planet, but rather the planet's resources, he neutralizes the insurgency by refusing to launch a counterinsurgency. By changing the rules of the game he gave his opponents no chance to win. This type of high-level gamesmanship was useless, however, against an opponent like Anastasia Kerensky. Arriving with three battalions, she bids everything against Alaric's tiny force, as she does not care about Clan honor but rather quick victory. When Alaric devises an insurgency of his own, Kerensky destroys the dikes protecting the city, flooding his defenses. Thoroughly beaten, the Star Colonel surrenders to the Wolf Hunters.
Anastasia Kerensky sees exceptional potential in her captive, so she breaks him. Sleep deprivation, stimulants, mind games, physical torture—after two days Alaric is stripped of his pride, his confidence, even his megalomania. While Kerensky does not know Alaric's background, she does know that he was the only Wolf warrior without a Bloodname at the funeral for Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, that he planned Clan Wolf's strategy, and that his soldiers see him as an almost mythic figure. His potential seems limitless, if he can learn that war is more than gamesmanship. But Kerensky does not want him as a bondsman—she wants to release him back to the wild. Anastasia understands that in the far future the Wolves and the Wolf Hunters will inevitably meet in an epic battle, and what better opponent than a future-Khan that she has already broken?
Featured Characters[edit]
- Star Colonel Alaric
- Colonel Anastasia Kerensky
- Star Colonel Bjorn
- Star Colonel Donovan
- Edward
- Hestia
- Katherine Wolf
- Kennerly
- Archon Melissa Steiner
- Selvina Woods
- Khan Seth Ward
- Verena
Featured Places[edit]
Featured BattleTech[edit]
BattleMechs[edit]
Combat vehicles[edit]
- Zhukov Heavy Tank
Spacecraft[edit]
- Conquistador-class DropShip Thylacine
- Monarch-class DropShip Baron's Pride
- Overlord-class DropShip Jaeger
- Overlord-C-class DropShip Romulus
- Visigoth
Covers[edit]
2022 cover. Art by Tan Ho Sim.
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