Ardan knew Hanse was right If someone had forewarned him of all that had occurred within the past year, he wouldn't have believed it And, to add to the confusion, Felsa had made him an uncle. Perhaps that Sortek would also become a MechWarrior one day.

"Hey!" he yelled as Hanse stalked past him toward the hell that was the Gauntlet. "Do you want to be a godfather? My sister asked if you would consider it. I've got a nephew!"

The BattleMasterturned in its tracks. Its arm, heavy with weaponry, came up in a salute. A laser, held high, shot red light into the sky in a celebratory burst

"Of course," said Hanse Davion, Prince of the Federated Suns. "I can never have too many Sorteks in my entourage. Now come along. The Gauntlet needs a workout, don't you agree?"

Grinning, Ardan followed his friend and ruler into the mouth of hell.

GLOSSARY

Autocannon:

This is a rapid-firing, auto-loading weapon. Light vehicle autocannon range from 30 to 90 mm caliber, and heavy ‘Mech autocannon may be 80 to 120 mm or more. The weapon fires high-speed streams of high-explosive, armor-piercing shells. Because of the limitations of 'Mech targeting technology, the autocannon's effective anti-'Mech range is limited to less than 600 meters.

BattleMechs:

BattleMechs are the most powerful war machines ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers more than 500 years ago, these huge, man-shaped vehicles are faster, more mobile, better-armored, and more heavily armed than any 20th-century tank. Ten to twelve meters tall and equipped with particle projection cannons, lasers, rapid-fire autocannon, and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sun-baked deserts to subzero arctic icefields.

BattleMaster:

A formidable assault ‘Mech, the BattleMasterweighs 85 tons and has a maximum speed of 64.8 kph. The firepower that the BattleMastercan generate in one volley is staggering and more than deadly at close range. Its main fire weapon is its right-arm PPC, and its three right-torso and three left-torso medium lasers provide close support fire. Of the six lasers, two are mounted on the 'Mech's right and left rear, making it one of the few models equipped with rear firing weapons. An SRM 6 and two machine guns complete the BattleMaster'sweaponry.

Command Circuit:

The Successor Lords maintain a series of charged JumpShips along important space routes so that the week-long wait for recharge is not necessary. Because it is expensive and JumpShips are so precious, the Command Circuit is reserved only for emergency or top-priority situations such as travel by the ruler himself or for sending a messenger across vast reaches of the Inner Sphere in less than a day.

Company:

A tactical military unit consisting of three BattleMech Lances, or for infantry, three platoons with a total of 50 to 100 men. Infantry companies are generally commanded by a Captain.

ComStar:

ComStar, the interstellar communications network, was the brainchild of Jerome Blake, formerly Minister of Communications during the latter years of the Star League. After the League's fall, Blake seized Terra and reorganized what was left of the League's communications network into a private organization that sold its services to the five Houses for a profit. Since that time, ComStar has also developed into a powerful, secret society steeped in mysticism and ritual. Initiates to the ComStar Order commit themselves to lifelong service.

Corsair:

The Corsair isa 50-ton, medium-thrust AeroSpace Fighter armed with two medium lasers, four small lasers, and two large lasers. It is especially effective at close range, and its compact laser systems make it one of the better planetary atmospheric fighters.

Crusader:

A heavy BattleMech, weighing 65 tons, with a top speed of 64.8 kph. It is heavily armed even for a 'Mech, mounting a laser, heavy machine gun, and massed LRM batteries in each arm, and SRMs on each leg. The Crusaderis capable of delivering a full spread of 42 missiles at optimum 160-180 meter range, with the potential of crippling or destroying even the mighty BattleMaster.

Dragon:

The Dragonis a well-armed 'Mech whose top speed of 86.4 kph makes it one of the fastest of the heavies. Armed with 24 rounds for its LRM and a whopping 40 rounds for its autocannon, the Dragoncan carry on sustained battles without reloading. Even if ammo does run low, the 'Mech's left-arm and left-torso medium lasers ensure that it has other weapons to fire.

DropShips:

Because JumpShips must generally avoid entering the heart of a solar system and they lie at a considerable distance from the system's inhabited worlds, DropShips were developed for interplanetary travel. As the name implies, a DropShip is attached to hardpoints on the JumpShip's drive core, later to be dropped from the parent vessel after in-system entry. Though incapable of FTL travel, DropShips are highly maneuverable, well-armed, and sufficiently aerodynamic to take off from and land on a planetary surface. The journey from the jump point to the inner inhabited worlds of a system usually requires a normal-space journey of several days or even weeks, depending on the type of star.

The Overlordis the largest military DropShip in common use. It can carry a full-strength battalion of 36 'Mechs, 6 AeroSpace Fighters, 84 men (including Pilots, Techs, astechs, and medical personnel). The Overlordcan also carry whatever infantry or vehicles the battalion owns, and sometimes even some family members.

HyperPulse Generator:

The ComStar communications net is composed of a large number of powerful HyperPulse Generators (HPGs) capable of transmitting and receiving an instantaneous signal across a distance of nearly 50 light years. About 50 of these "A" stations are scattered across the Inner Sphere. "B" stations are capable of communications over a 20- to 30-light-year span, and are located at most inhabited worlds of the Successor States. "A" stations transmit their accumulated messages every 12 to 24 hours; "B" stations much less frequently (two or three times per week).

JagerMech:

This 65-ton 'Mech mounts two light and two medium autocannon and two medium lasers. Its top speed is 64.8 kph.

JumpShips:

Interstellar travel is accomplished via JumpShips, first developed in the 22nd century. These somewhat ungainly vessels are made up of a long thin drive core and a sail resembling an enormous parasol, which can be up to a kilometer wide. The ship is named for its ability to 'jump' instantaneously from one point to another. After making its jump, the ship cannot travel until it has recharged by gathering up more solar energy again.

The JumpShip's enormous sail is constructed from a special metal that absorbs vast quantities of electromagnetic energy from the star it is near. When it has soaked up enough, the sail transfers the energy to the drive core, which converts it into a space-twisting field. An instant later, the ship arrives at the next jump point, across distances of up to 30 light years. This field is known as hyperspace, and its discovery opened to mankind the gateway to the stars.

JumpShips never land on planets, and only rarely travel into the inner parts of a star system. Interplanetary travel is carried out by DropShips, vessels that attach themselves to the JumpShip until arrival at the jump point. Most of the JumpShips currently in service are already centuries old, because the Successor Lords have been able to construct very few new ones. For this reason, there is an unspoken agreement among even these bitter enemies to leave one another's JumpShips alone.