MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Knives in the Dark (An Origins Series Story, #6): An Origins Series Story

By Randall N. Bills

On December 10th you will take the helm of Nik's Cavaliers, a new mercenary command on a mission of vengeance that will stretch across the Inner Sphere.

The MechWarrior 5 Origins series of short stories immerses players in the backstories of the most important Cavaliers characters. Dive back into the universe you love and prepare for the coming action of MechWarrior 5!

All of the members of the Cavaliers have their secrets they must grapple with. But will Brooklynn Jales' haunt the mercenary oufit, or will she finally face down her past?

• Language: English
• Publisher: MechaPub, INc.
• Release date: Dec 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393154228

Book preview

Knives in the Dark

Knives in the Dark

MechWarrior 5 Origins, Installment 6

Randall N. Bills

Knives in the Dark

PALACE OF MIRRORS

REGULUS CITY, REGULUS

PRINCIPALITY OF REGULUS, FREE WORLDS LEAGUE

17 NOVEMBER 3003

I’ve never been summoned like this. Why am I being summoned?

Lady Cameron-Jones walked nervously through palatial corridors large enough to accommodate a BattleMech without the pilot worrying about damaging the walls or ceiling. The wood patterns in the floor were mesmerizing as they marched in variegated, glossy patterns. After a dozen steps, she moved past a set of parallel doors—leading who knew where—and the floor transitioned into a new pattern. Nothing jarring or disruptive. In fact, the first time she’d noticed this, she’d paused, wondering how her eye for detail had failed to realize the change. But the intricate wood inlays simply moved from one pattern to the next in a way that pleased the eye yet dazzled the mind with the hidden puzzles within the design.

She pulled her eyes from the floor, only to have the tall, marching windows on her left catch her attention with patches of bright sunlight between. The lower halves of each framed the picturesque paths and gardens beyond as though paintings of idyllic beauty. The upper reaches of each were stained-glass masterpieces, displaying a myriad scenes of Free Worlds League history. In one window, three leaders held an eagle, depicting the founding of the League as the first, true Great House–led interstellar empire in 2271. In another window, the five Great House sigils surrounded the Cameron Star on a nebula backdrop, the Marik eagle larger than the rest—an obvious nod to the quintessential aid Albert Marik gave to Ian Cameron that allowed the forging of the Star League in 257l. In a third stained-glass window, a ComStar logo with its downward-facing points skewered an eagle, a dire reminder of when Captain-General Charles Marik militarily opposed that pseudo-religious order in 2837. The communications interdiction ComStar had placed on the entire empire ultimately forced the League to its knees, and the Captain-General capitulated to ComStar’s demands nearly two years later.

Lady Cameron-Jones sighed as she settled her attention away from the stained glass. While the artistry was beautiful, her instant recollections of such storied history served as a painful reminder of her noble upbringing, even if she’d not been in this particular palace since she was allowed to run free as a child.

At intervals, small chairs and divans graced cupolas of quiet elegance, as though to allow too-tired-from-walking couples to sit while attendants wordlessly slipped teas into their hands during whispered conversations.

She smoothed her long dress, then held her hands away from the fabric, knowing she was adding wrinkles to the expensive silk. Just need something to do with my hands. If I have that, I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine…

She rounded a corner and finally saw the distant doors. Even from this far