Mercenary's Star (novel)
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- This article is about the novel. For the mercenary "homeworld", see Mercenary's Star.
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| Mercenary's Star | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Novel |
| Author | William H. Keith, Jr. |
| Pages | 367 (original) 416 (reprint) |
| Cover Artwork | Jim Holloway (original) Boris Vallejo (reprint) |
| Interior Artwork | Jane Aulisio (reprint) |
| Illustrations | Duane Loose |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | FASA (original) Roc Books (reprint) |
| First published | June 1987 (original) November 1992 (reprint) |
| ISBN-10 | 0451451945 |
| Content | |
| Era | Succession Wars era |
| Timeline | 3025-3026 |
| Series | Saga of the Gray Death Legion |
| Preceded by | Decision at Thunder Rift |
| Followed by | The Price of Glory |
Mercenary's Star, by William H. Keith, Jr., is the second book of the Saga of the Gray Death Legion. It narrates the newly minted unit's first mercenary contract, supporting a struggling rebellion on the planet Verthandi.
The novel was made available on BattleCorps on 26 October 2010 as a PDF file (text only, without cover, pictures, or any other interior artwork except for the usual BattleCorps frame graphics). The PDF copy includes a disclaimer stating that it was created from a pre-final edition text that might differ from the printed version and that canon-wise, the print edition trumps the PDF edition.
Contents
From the back cover (1992 edition)
| “ | Galatea. The Mercenary's Star. Even the most down on their luck units can find work here. Leading the newly-formed Gray Death Legion is proving to be a hard task for Grayson Death Carlyle, so when a good job comes their way, he is only too happy to take it. The job: train the local resistance on the planet Verthandi to resist their Draconis Combine masters.
But things do not go well almost from the moment the Legion arrives at Verthandi. And Grayson may find that repeating his successes of the past may not be so easy this time. |
” |
Summary
The Gray Death Legion has arrived on Galatea, the Mercenary's Star, but find they cannot secure a contract, as they are both relatively small (despite additions to their roster from Galatean recruits) and lacking a reputation. Desperate for virtually any contract, Grayson Carlyle accepts a contract with one Citizen Devic Erudin from Verthandi, the third planet of the Norn system, a former Lyran Commonwealth planet that had to be surrendered to the Draconis Combine around 3015. A local guerilla force has been fighting the Combine forces for the past decade, but the Combine's iron grip on Verthandi is tightening. The Gray Death Legion is to break through the blockade, smuggle a consignment of arms and equipment to the rebels, and provide cadre duty for at least 900 hours in-system according to the initial contract. Most Gray Death Legion members have misgivings about the contract because if the mission fails they will be stranded on Verthandi as insurgents and at the mercy of the excessively cruel Draconis Combine. However, when given the option to back out, none of the mercenaries do so.
The freighter DropShip Phobos is repainted to resemble a Union-class military DropShip. Brought to Norn by Renfred Tor's JumpShip Invidious, the Phobos under captain Ilse Martinez assumes the forged identity of the DropShip "Li Tao" from the freighter "Chi Lung", but a spy on Galatea has alerted the Draconis Combine authorities at Verthandi of their arrival. On 25 October 3025, the Phobos is intercepted on approach to Verthandi but manages to break through, suffering severe damage and the loss of the Legion's two Chippewa aerospace fighters in the process. One of the Chippewa pilots, Sue Ellen Klein, survives and is captured by Combine forces.
Featured characters
- Grayson Carlyle
- Lori Kalmar
- Ilse Martinez
- Governor-General Masayoshi Nagumo
Featured places
Featured BattleTech
BattleMechs
Aerospace Fighters
DropShips
JumpShips
Other
- unspecified LoggerMechs and PickerMechs (IndustrialMechs) refitted with weapons
- Galleon tanks
- Mobile HQ
Covers
Original 1987 cover.
1992 reprint. Art by Boris Vallejo.
German book cover
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