SHE FOUND THE LOST PLANET… Intrepid interstellar explorer Brooke Stevens has seen many strange and unique sights in her lifetime, but this one may be the most incredible one of all. Tasked by the organization Interstellar Explorations to locate an entire world, she located the previously “lost” planet of Jardine. BUT WILL SHE LIVE TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT? Once there, however, she stumbles upon a powerful ComStar faction, the Word of Blake, that will do anything to keep Jardine’s location a secret—including terminating any outsiders with knowledge of their concealed base. Now Brooke and what’s left of her team—a taciturn tech and a native of Jardine whose tribe was wiped out by brutal Manei Domeni cyborgs—must brave the hazards of the jungle planet and journey to the heart of the Word of Blake’s operations in hopes of finding a way off the planet…before their relentless enemies bury them on it…

LOST IN THE FIRES OF WAR… Freelance explorer Dr. Brooklyn Stevens made her career finding lost artifacts from Inner Sphere history, but a job offered by the academic organization known as Interstellar Expeditions gives her a chance at the find of a lifetime: a missing planet, one lost in the ravages of the brutal Succession Wars. But the world of Jardine did not die in planet-scouring fire…it was entirely erased from stellar maps—and Brooke’s employer wants to know why. But someone wants this planet to remain hidden—and will go to any length to ensure that Brooke’s quest ends in tragedy. SHROUDED IN SECRETS… But when she finds the long-lost planet of Jardine, Brooklyn finds more than she bargained for—a lot more. She and her partner soon find themselves between two very different groups: one whose members are an unholy amalgamation of man and machine, the other a hardy village of natives that live off the land. Both groups are soon after Stevens and her knowledge of Jardine—one side to protect the planet from those that seeking to reclaim it, the other intent on killing anyone who knows of its existence. Caught between both factions, Brooklyn must uncover the mysteries of Jardine…and stay alive long enough to tell the universe about it…

UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF A LOST WORLD… Interstellar explorer and freelance treasure hunter Dr. Brooklyn Stevens has made the find of a lifetime—an entire planet thought lost for centuries. Jardine was supposedly wiped off the maps of the Inner Sphere during the hard-fought Succession Wars, but the verdant forested world she and her adventuring partner just crash-landed on tells a much different story. And so do its inhabitants. Dr. Stevens and her partner soon find themselves between two very different groups: one whose members are an unholy amalgamation of man and machine, the other a hardy group that lives off the land. Both groups are soon after Stevens and her knowledge about Jardine—one side to protect the planet from those that would seek to reclaim it, the other intent on killing anyone who knows of its existence. Caught between both sides, Brooklyn must uncover the mysteries of Jardine…and stay alive long enough to tell the universe about it…

LEGENDS OF THE STAR LEAGUE... The great Star League general, Aleksandr Kerensky. Colonel Archer Christifori, a man with a score to settle. Neilson Geist, on Christmas patrol. MechWarrior Joanna of Clan Jade Falcon. A Sandoval scion. An eleven-year-old girl. Northwind Highlanders. A prisoner of war. They all have two things in common. A universe torn apart by unending warfare. A mission to stand up against the darkness. This compilation contains a selection of eighteen of 2004's best BattleTech fiction pieces, as well as an all new story about young Kerensky by Loren L. Coleman! Includes stories by some of the most celebrated BattleTech authors: Randall N. Bills, Loren L. Coleman, Blaine Lee Pardoe, Robert Thurston, and Michael A. Stackpole, along with stories by new favorites such as Ilsa J. Bick, Jason M. Hardy, Kevin Killiany, Steven Mohan, Jr., Louisa M. Swann, and Phaedra M. Weldon!

A PLANET IN PERIL… The independent world of Son Hoa should be doing well for itself: its BattleMech factory is fully functional, and business is booming. But the planet and its neighboring planets are under constant attack, and Aden, an intelligence agent from Clan Sea Fox’s Watch, has been assigned to discover who’s behind the raids and if there’s a more sinister plan afoot in the region. Allying with a trio of cast-off spies with nowhere else to go, Aden and his new team must uncover who’s funding the raids and why, before their plans come to fruition. Working alongside them are fellow Sea Fox Merchant Commander Janelle, a former Warrior now trading across the stars, and the Screaming Eagles, a storied mercenary unit with a troubled past now hoping to restore their tarnished honor. Joined in a common mission, the Sea Foxes and Screaming Eagles are committed to defending Son Hoa, but will they find allies or enemies awaiting them on the weather-torn planet?

A DARK WAR FOR THE THRONE… Yori Kurita, the Dragon, Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, rules her nation with an even hand and is reveling in her victories over the hated Federated Suns. Though the Dragon’s troops occupy the Suns’ capital for the first time in history, her own reign rests on a shaky foundation. Due to her checkered ancestry, many detractors call her a puppet ruler, a pretender to House Kurita’s throne, and some will stop at nothing to end her rule and take back the Combine—including eliminating anyone who gets too close to the truth. Russell Blaylock, a detective for the Civilian Guidance Corps, has seen plenty of murder cases throughout his distinguished career. When his investigation of a murder with ties to the Palace puts him in the crosshairs of the Internal Security Force and their shadowy war of brinksmanship with agents from the rival Order of the Five Pillars, he soon draws the attention of the Coordinator herself. In a quest for the truth, Yori reactivates a long-dormant bureau, the Office of Special Investigations, and tasks Blaylock and his team of investigators and security with solving this case before the conspirators’ deadly plans can be carried out. But the Combine’s capital brims with visitors for the celebration of the Coordinator’s anniversary, Yori’s well-equipped, well-prepared enemies could be anyone, anywhere, and they could strike when least expected. Can Blaylock and his team hunt them down before they eliminate the Coordinator and bring the Combine to its knees?