TABLE OF CONTENTS1TABLE OF CONTENTS1||\|NI|0| |N| 0||0|IN|I\|NI|0|tI|0N & |0||\0|||||||:I0|\|ec||ae +aa |+|| el t|e Ierr+a ||||+acez|||I| 0| | N|I|0Nz|eaaa+t|ea. el t|e |r+a temmeawe+|t|z|+|.e :t+rt. |e|aa el t|e N|ae1|e||rt|. I|e M+r.aea teaa 1I|e temmeawe+|t| |ece.erI|||.t+|r. |.cea.|eaII|e |ae el \+rI|e|ec+t|ea|e+t| +aa |e||rt|. I|e :te|aer |a+.t:te|aer I+|e. t|e |e|m|+wa el t|e |+tt|eMec|Iara|aa t|e I|aeI|e |+r| \e+r.z||aaa|aa |ate |+r|ae..zt|.|| \+rz|lterm+t|z100|||N |0|z1I|e temmeawe+|t| +aa t|e :t+r |e+aaez1|er|ea el |a|a.tmeatz1I|e |eaa|lc+t|ea \+rz0aer+t|ea M+||ea ||.t. I|e temmeawe+|t| |reat ztr|.|. +t |eme. I|e |+ el |+aezI||.e +aa |+|| el t|e :t+r |e+aaezI|e 0eea \e+r.z|er ||c|er er ler |eererzI|e :|ew |+||zI|e |m+r|. teaa. ||.e el + Ir+at1I|e |+|||aa |ewa1z||\N 0| I|| :tt|::|0N \||:11||r.t :acce..|ea \+r (zI-zz1!Iet+| \+r1!|ecea.tract|ea1|re|aae. te \+r1\+r |eaewea1z|+r| :acce..|ea1zI|e Ir|am.|r+te \e+r.1z||ae.t |ear.11I|||| :tt|::|0N \|| tz1z!1!I|e |ar|t+ |||tt1!I|e tem||ae |reat 1I|e |+tt|e ler :|e10aer+t|ea |reeaem1I|e |ree \er|a. |reat1I|e |+tt|e ler |er|c1:tr+tea|c |rrer.!I|e Ieat| |+tt|e el |e.aera. ||!I|e 0+t|er|aa :term!teaceatr+tea \e+|ae..!z|+tr|a+. teaa!1||\N 0| I|| ||||||I|| t0MM0N\|||I|!1|era|aa + |atare. ||||+ace w|t| t|e |ea:aa.!1|e+ce |reae.+|!1M|||t+r |e+a|ae..!!|+tela| a|ea. I|e |eart| :acce..|ea \+r (1z-11!!I|e tem||ae t+ma+|aa.!II|e |ree \er|a. t+ma+|aa.!I0rew|aa |+|a.. |eart| \+r |lterm+t|!|eceaa|t|aa |+.+||+aae!|ree :|e |e|e|||ea!11. | N+t|ea :tam||e.!I|| ||I|N 0| ||||N:|\I|e |eatem +aa t|e t|+a.zIa|+|a +aa |t. |lterm+t|zI||0||\ |N| ||:t0||z|e+t| el +a er+z:eceaa :|e |e|e|||ea1I|e |r+a :ece..|ea1Iw|||a|t el t|e t|+a.1I|e :eceaa :t+r |e+aae!:||II|||| ||||M:||+.|ae|atI|e |eatem t|.|| \+rII|e I+ae |+|cea |acar.|eaI|e I||ra :|e |e|e|||ea|lterm+t|. I|e ||||+ace Iea+|ew te |e+a t||. |t|+.I|||||0N ||0\|Nt|. I|| 0|||I \||| 0||NI1|0||N ||0\|Nt|. I|| ||\:I0N| ||0|0NIt0\|NI|\ ||0\|Nt|. 0|I|\|\ I0 I||||||I|0N|0|| ||0\|Nt|. |0M| 0| I|| I||0N|1:|\| ||0\|Nt|. |:|| 0| |||||||0NII|| ||t|0NI|| |||||Nt| t0Nt||1I|| |:I|I|: 0|N||||1I|e :teer|aa temm|ttee!:ae+|er el t|e |..em||!I|| |\||N |||||Nt| t|\|| :||\|t|!I|| N0||||I\|ea.e :te|aerI|rc|ea |eter :te|aer-|+.|eaI0eaer+| el t|e |rm|e. (M+rar+.e |a+m :te|aer|a|e |e|ert |e|.w+-:te|aer0eaer+| (M+rar+.e t+e.+r :te|aer0t|er |e+| |+m|||e.|ea.e |r+alera|ea.e |rewer|ea.e |e|||ea.e |e|.w+I|e |e+| teart||0|0N|| |N| |||N|I||\ 00\||NM|NI|rt|c|e. el |cceat+ace|re.|ac|+| 0e.erameat||+aet+r 0e.erameat.I|| |\||N |NI||||0|Nt| t0||:zIr+|a|aaztemm+aaz||.|.|ea.zNera.z||a|em+t|c 0a+ra/||a|em+t|c tera.z|e|eaar|az|eaa|+a.zMe|e|aater.z|e||z:I|tI|| 0| I|| ||||1I|e |rc|ea1|.t+te. 0eaer+|1I|e ||||+ace teaac||1I|| |||| ||0| t0MM|N|!||||+ace |rm temm+aa!tem|+t a|t.!|rm :aaa| tera.!|rm Ir+a.aert temm+aa!|rm :|aa+| tera.!0t|er Nea-tem|+t temm+aa.!||||+ace N+. temm+aa!||||+ace |ere.a+ce temm+aa!||+aet+r temm+aa!|.cert temm+aa!\|aa. el tem|+t!|e.er.e tera.!||+|.ea.|ea.e Ireea. ||+|.eaMercea+r Ireea. ||+|.eatem 0a+ra +aa :t+r |e+aae ||+|.ea.|ea+rtmeat el M|||t+r |aac|I|eaIaaae |a.ec+te 0eaer+|. 0lce0a+rterm+.ter tera.|ea|+cemeat |eaet tera.Ir+a.aert ||.|.|ea||||+ace Mea|c+| tera.|am|a|.tr+t|.e :ect|eaI:tr+tea|e. +aa I+ct|c. ||.|.|eaIM|||t+r |ate|||aeace ||.|.|eaI||0|0N|| t0MM|N|:I||||+ace 0a+raI||||+ace I+eaer.I|rctar+a 0a+raI|eaea+| 0a+ra|r+a 0a+ra|r+a |eaa|+r.|e+| 0a+raM|I0| I|||N|N0 t|NI||:||+r|ea N+.+| |c+aem (|N|Me||..+ :te|aer M+rt|+| |c+aem el |e|+a (M:M|\+r te||eae el |aea+te.eatr M|||t+r |c+aem (tM|I|e N+ae|r|aa:|e |+aaer.Ir+|a|aa temm+aa.|re.|ac|+| +aa I|e+ter M|||t|+ temm+aa.|e+| New t+aetewa M|||t+r |c+aem (|NtM|:+aa|+mere |c+aemN|I I\||:||ae a|t.TABLE OF CONTENTS1TABLE OF CONTENTS1M|||t|+ a|t.Ir+|a|aa a|t.Mercea+r a|t.N||0|M: |N| |N:|0N|||||| a|lerm.|re.. a|lerm||e|a a|lerm.|+a|. +aa |a.|aa|+z|ecra|tz|r|.+te +aa |r|.+te, ||r.t t|+..zteraer+| +aa :ea|er teraer+|z:erae+atz:t+ :erae+at +aa :erae+at M+|erz:t+ :erae+at M+|er +aa :ea|er :erae+at M+|erz\+rr+at 0lcer 0r+ae.zt+aetz|eata+at +aa ||r.t |eata+atz|+aatm+aaz|emm+aa+at +aa |+aatm+aa-|emm+aa+at1|eata+at-te|eae| +aa te|eae|1|eata+at-0eaer+| +aa |+aatm+aa-0eaer+|1|emm+aa+at-0eaer+| +aa 0eaer+|10eaer+| el t|e |rm|e.1|rc|ea1M||||: |N| |0N0|:1I|e ||||+ace Mea+| el |eaer1I|e ||||+ace :t+r1I|e |eaer el :|e1I|e 0raer el I+m+r I|aer.1I|e 0raer el |+t|er|ae :te|aer1I|e Mc|eaa. 0reaaa-|eaaaer. Mea+|1Mc|eaa.. |+mmer1I|e |r+aea.|+er. ||||ea1I|e |+a|e. |e+t|er1I|e |+|cea.|+er. Mea+|||ea1||t|I|0N|||ar|m arele..er |rear+mIteraer+te |aac+t|ea |rear+m.IM+|er a|.er.|t|e.Ia|.er.|t el \+.||aatea ea |eaea+|INew t+m|r|aae a|.er.|t el \e..e\I|ete te||eaeI|+r|+a a|.er.|t|+|a+ a|.er.|t ea :|et|e|.w+ :c|ee| el ||ter+tare ea |eaea+||ew|+aa te||eae el ||ae |rt. ea I|+r|+a|eea. :c|ee| el |a.|ae.. ea |eaea+|M|||| |N| I|| ||I:|a|||c Mea|+I|+r|+a Mea|+ |..ec|+te.|eaea+| |re+ac+.t|aa tema+a:e|+r|. |re+ac+.t|aa teraer+t|eazI|e |rt.z|ecre+t|eaz:c|eace +aa Iec|ae|eaz|.era+ Iec|ae|eazMea|c|aezzIr+.e|zz||||0|0N |N| ||||0:0||\zzIaa+|.mzzt|r|.t|+a|tz1|.|+mz1||aaa|.mz1|aaa||.mz10t|er |e||a|ea. +aa |+|t|.z1I|e 0ae :t+r |+|t|z1|e.|r|.m (t|e Nee-Ner.ez!|e|a||.mz!I|e ||||+ace |e||a|ea. teaac||z|0||I|t: |N| M0\|M|NI:z|+|er a|ea. +aa 0a||a.z|+|er a|ea.z0a||a.zIteraer+te |e|||e.zI|e||t|c+| Me.emeat.zII|e |ree :|e Me.emeatzItemmeawe+|t| |ree Ir+ae :ec|etz|emecr+c Newz|ret|er|eea el t|ac|aa+ta.zI+m+r |||er+t|ea |reatz|ree |+tr|a+ :ec|etzt||M| |N| |N|:|M|NIzI|e |r+a teart.zN|I|0N|| |t0N0M\1te|a, |+ra t+.|. I|e ||||+ace M|at.1|aaaet +aa |e.er.e.. I|e ||||+ace |e.er.e |+a|1zN+t|ea+| |e.earce.1zN+t|ea+| temmerce. I|e ||||+ace :tec| |\c|+aae.1z|atera|+aet+r Ir+a|aa1z|ec+| Ir+ae11|atera+t|ea+| temmerce11M|I0| |N|:I|||:11M|||I||\|N|:I|||| t0M|||/1t||::|t ||II||I|t| ||0 |||:1:||||., Ir+|t. +aa Mea|ler.1I|||I: 10reea (New1|e|r (New1:t|aeaa (New!:||||:!M+r|et|aa (New!Neaet|+t|ea (|\a+aaea!Neaet|+t|ea/temmerc|+|!Neaet|+t|ea/|ea+|!Neaet|+t|ea/|e||t|c+|!z||||I|0N|| ||I|:!z:I|0| 1. |||| ||||!zMerc|+at M+.ter!zteraer+te Me.er!1Iear el |at. |a.+acea :ec|+| 0eaer+|!1t|||I||:!!|et+a |rmer |e+r (r.a. |||aa+ra. |et|.!!||-r|+a (|+at|er+ |||aa+ra. |et|.!!Ie+a-|e\ (|.eaae\a|ae. |alea. |+|ae|.!I|+r|+a 0+te||e (0+te||+ I|+r|+a||!|+am|era ||c||erac|ea (|e||a|||a. |+am|era||!I:c+r|et :|r||e (|+a|a. t+ra|.era. |e|e.r+t|.!I0r+a.|+a ||eea.ac|er (tr+a+e \+ma|ra. 0r+a.|.!|||:0N|| |0||M|NI!M&0 0-! |aat|aa ||e!I| |alercer :em|-|atem+t|c ||.te|!:t+r ||aa 0re.|aa t+r||ae!M+\e|| ||- |+.er ||e!\|||t||:!|el+ace ||ae.tre+|!|t- |.tre|a\ :t+r\+c|t !I|e |r+a \+1|a.+acea |\aer|eace |w+ra. (|r+a t+||e1N+t|ea+||t|e.1tre..|aa |eraer.1|r+a |a.eatare |ee|.I:ec|+| t||m|er.I|t. ||| ||eat t|e |reaerI|ewer ||+.I0|a :cere.II|e ||a, 0reea Mea+ceIt||::|t ||II||I|t| |||:New Ierr+|a |N| |N\||0NM|NI:N|\ N|I I\||:||ec|ette |al+atr||ec|ette |al+atr 0+me |a|e.0at|ea+| 0+me |a|e. |+ra/:elt I+raet.|ec||eea ||-t |+a|.eae| |ere|em|erIIermaaa+aa-c|+.. ||aew+ter tra|.er ICREDITS4HANDBOOK: HOUSE STEINER5WritingHerbert A. Beas IIOriginal House Steiner SourcebookBoy F. Peterson, Jr.Product DevelopmentHerbert A. Beas IIRandall N. BillsProduct EditingDiane Piron-GelmanBattleTech Line DeveloperRandall N. BillsProduction StafArt DirectionRandall N. BillsCover ArtFranz VohwinkelCover & Header DesignJim NelsonLayoutDavid M. Stansel-GarnerIllustrationsDoug ChafeeChris LewisKevin McCannMatt PlogKlaus ScherwinskiColor SectionFranz VohwinkelMapsystein TvedtenHandbook Series Fact-CheckersCharles Borner, Paul Bowman, Rich Cencarik, Michael Flynn, Peter LaCasse,MikeMiller,JefreyHighlanderMorgan,MaxProhaska, RickRaisley,BenGhostBearRome,ChristopherGooseSearls, Chris Chinless WheelerAcknowledgementsAftertwentyyearsofsourcebooksandnovels,asourcebookof thisscopedrawsontheworkoftoomanypeopleforthemtobe named individually. Instead, a heartfelt thanks is extended to those whocontributedinonewayoranotherovertheyears(youknow who you are) to the body of work that is Classic BattleTech.A Round of ThanksAs ever, to Randall for making me the Handbook guinea pig and keeping me in Classic BattleTech, knowing I probably wouldnt have it any other way; Loren Coleman for being the smart-alecky mentor hes been all along; my fellow writers in the upcoming series: Randall and Loren, Chris (Hartford and Trossen), and Diane; the rest of our freelanc-er party: Warner Doles, Ken Horner, Nick Marsala, Dave McCulloch, Paul Sjardijn, Pete Smith, ystein Tvedten, and Andreas Zuber; the vast ap-paratus of tireless fact-checkers and playtesters, who put every aspect of this book through its paces until I worried (needlessly) that all the fun might be sucked out of it, but made sure I didnt destroy my favorite House in the bargain; the folks at WizKids, without whom who knows if wed have made it this far?; the denizens of classicbattletech.com, the Commandos, and (of course) the rest of you fans.Special ThanksTothefveHerblets:Tribble,Annie,Oscar,MeggieandMerlin (who might have slowed up production a bit here and there, but I think Icanforgivethem!);myincrediblyunderstandingandpatientwife, Beckie (who Im sure wonders at my sanity sometimes), and of course, myfamilyhereathome,andmyfellowgamersoftheDivergent Sphere (both on-line and of), who supported me getting this far, even though it ironically meant we couldnt play as often as I liked.PlaytestersJoelAgee,RonSteelHawkeBarter,BrentDill,JohnQuentil Dzieniszewski, Aaron Bear Gregory, Ross Koga Hines, Glenn Lobsterback Hopkins,MichaelKonanKoning,JamesGreysShadowMyers,Lou NukeloaderMyers,SimonBigKenPratt,ChrisChunga(lomeningitis!) Smith,JoelSteverson,Geof97jediSwift,ScottClutchTaylor,Roland RugerThigpen,ToddThrash,JasonPanzerfaust150Weiser,(andof course,thefact-checkersandfreelancersImentionedabove,whohave always been there to help trash a rule or two for good measure)Version 1.0, February 2005, based on frst printing, with additional corrections.2004-2005 WizKids, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Classic BattleTech Handbook: HouseSteiner,ClassicBattleTech,BattleTech,Mech,BattleMech,Classic BattleTech RPG, AeroTech 2, and WK Games are registered trademarks and/or trademarksofWizKids,Inc.intheUnitedStatesand/orothercountries.No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmit-ted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published. Printed in the USA.Published by FanPro LLC 1608 N. Milwaukee Suite 1005 Chicago, IL 60647 Find us online:Precentor_martial@classicbattletech.com (e-mail address for any Classic BattleTech questions)http://www.mwdarkage.com (ofcial MechWarrior: Dark Age web pages)http://www.classicbattletech.com (ofcial Classic BattleTech web pages)http://www.fanprogames.com (FanPro web pages)http://www.wizkidsgames.com (WizKids web pages)http://www.studio2publishing.com (online ordering, sales and distribution)CREDITS4HANDBOOK: HOUSE STEINERADVANTAGE AND OPPORTUNITYADVANTAGE AND OPPORTUNITYIMorethanadozenhandcraftedcrystalandgoldchande-llersandtwlceasmanymatchlngwallxturesbathed thegrandballroomlnafestlveglow.Thelrllghtchased awayallshadows,defylngthenlghtskyandthemoonbeyondthe skyllghts ln the vaulted celllng. 8elow,achaotlcswlrlofrlchcolorsstruttedthroughacomplex waltz.Thelrmotlons,obllvloustothesoftstralnsofclasslcalmuslcrls-lng occaslonally above the nolse of endless banter, all followed a serles of prlvate tunes. The blue of LAAP unlforms domlnated thls rlot of color, standlng out among the tuxedoed men. |n turn, they pooled around a vlrtualralnbowofelegantevenlnggownsredsandgreens,yellows and whltes, all accented wlth gold, sllver, platlnum, and beeweled wlth sapphlres,rubles,emeralds.Themoststrlklngandsparkllngamong them drew sultors and sycophants llke eager moths to regal names. Promtheeastbar,ontheoutsklrtsoftheparty,8artonHale watched them all.Hls ears were tuned to the klnd of chat-ter he knew so well, had cultlvated slnce he was a mere leftenant ln the doomed APPC. |nslncerecompllmentsmlxedwlththlnly velledthreats.Gosslpandlnnuendo-laced secret deals. |t was an old enough tune, as old as the state ltself. As 8arton drank ln the famlllarslghtsandsounds,heslppedhls champagne,savorlngasweettastereml-nlscent of Donegal cherrles.3062,ifImnotmistaken.Hesmlled darkly. A good year for the right people. The ldle recollectlon sharpened hls senses anew,refocuslnghlsattentlononthecrowd. 3062hadbeenagoodyearforhlm:lthad carrledhlmthroughtheentlreClvllwarand made hlm a rlcher man, a man of lmportance, even though he kept out of the llmellght. 8ut the galns were neetlng. The war was over: the tlme had come for a new deal, a new opportu-nlty. As he subconsclously stralghtened hls unlform sash, 8arton allowed hls eyes to roam, searchlng for ust the rlght comblnatlon of wealth, power and nalvete that would set hlm up for llfe.Hauptmann-General Hale, | presume!The volce, femlnlne and muslcal, broke 8artons reverle. Turnlng, hefoundhlmselffaclngayounggoddessofunquestlonablyregal polse, wlth adusky complexlon and deep brown eyes. Her nowlng blacktressesfelloverbareshoulders,tamedonlybyagoldhead-bandanddeeppurplerlbbonsthatmatchedhergure-hugglng gown. Her smlle broadened as she read the recognltlon on hls face. He tllted hls head forward ln acknowledgement and she snatched a fresh glass of champagne from a passlng walter.But what would bring her to Tharkadand unattended, at that?DuchessHermloneKelswa-Stelner,8artonsald,welcometo Tharkad Clty.Thankyou,General,shereplledllghtly.|stlllpreferAten, however.Asyouwlsh,LadyAten,8artonsaldwlthanotherheadtlltand an easy smlle he had learned to use years ago to hlde the questlons ln hls mlnd. Chooslng to volce one, he added, what can | do for you!Stralght to the polnt, arent we! Hermlone sald, her smlle lmplacable. | llke that. There ls somethlng you can do, but not only for meassumlng, of course, you are stlll wlth the Ouartermaster Corps!| am, 8arton admltted. Which means your husband, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner,wantssomethingfromtheCorps,Illbet.So,whats Skyes game now, and would you really try to play it so soon after losing the latest war?Then|haveabuslnessopportunltyforyouthatwlllnotonly benettheCorps,butalsothepeopleofSkye,andtheAlllanceas a whole.Ah, the people of Skye, 8arton sald natly. | should polnt out my loyaltyPests wlth the Archon! Hermlone nlshed. Of course! As does ours, | assure you, no matter what youve heard ln the medla. After all, Skye fought beslde our Archon at the end of the war, dld we not!Adebatableassertlon,mylady.Almostatonce,8arton regrettedthewords.Finejob,Bart!Anop-portunityknocks,andyouletpoliticsgetin the way! Focus!Hermloneslaughwasllght-hearted, completelyopposltetowhat8artonex-pectedafterhlslnadvertentsllp.Hereyes foundhls,andherhandswepttowardan unoccupledtablelntheno-mansland between the crowded dance noor and the laughlng masses gathered by the bar.Now, General, she sald. wouldnt you at least llke to hear what | have to say before reectlng lt out of hand! |m onerlng a rare opportunlty to strengthen the Alllancea goalthatwoulddenltelyplaceamanof yourtalentsatthefrontllnes.oudbe ahero.Alllttakeslstohelpushelpthe Corpsretalnanlnvaluablesuppllerofwar materlel for the LAAP, one whose excluslve contract ls due to explre soon.Pollowlnghertothetable,8artonremem-bered to draw her chalr out rst before taklng hls own at the adacent corner.TheCorpsdoesbuslnesswlthmanysuppllers,LadyAten.| would need more detalls than that ust now.Hermlonenashedhlmanotherperfectsmlle.|wontboreyou wlthtoomanydetalls,General,shesald,butyoumayrecallthat 8rlgadler Corporatlons plant on Ollver stlll had open contracts wlth ourgovernmentdurlngthewarof57,whentheplanetfelltothe Pree worlds League. Desplte that change ln status, they remalned on the LAAP llst of approved suppllers lmmedlately afterward.Ah,yes.8artonnoddedasthereallzatlondawnedonhlm. Thats how they won the Chimera contract ln early 58Hermlonesngerllghtlytouchedhlsllps,llngerlngbrlenyln awaythatmade8artonwonderforanlnstantusthowcommlt-tedhermarrlagewas.Astrokeofexcellentforward-thlnklngfor the OC, to be sure, she sald, dlsruptlng hls thoughts. |t gave us a ten-year excluslve supply of advanced 8attleMechs enectlvely pro-duced by the labors of a forelgn state. Though |m sure the Marlks complalnedatouchthatoneofthelrfactorleswassupplylngan anclent foe, they certalnly dldnt complaln any about collectlng so ADVANTAGE AND OPPORTUNITYADVANTAGE AND OPPORTUNITYImuch Lyran kroner ln the bargaln, and they did keep access to part of 8rlgadlers older Mech llnes.8artonnodded.Granted.Almostashamethatcontractruns out soon.|t doesnt have to. |n fact, as we speak, my husbands negotlators should be on Ollver now, settllng the nal detalls for an extenslon ln the name of the LAAP.Ah,soDukeRobertwantssupportforanunsanctionedandun-solicitedbusinessagreementbetweenSkyeandMarik!Porglveme, Duchess,butyourhusbandmustreallze,afterhlsactlvltlesdurlng the war, especlally HesperusTheduchessfacedarkenedforustamoment,buthertonere-malnedllght.Anclenthlstory,asyouwellknow.Katherlnealready had hlm ln lrons by then: can you truly blame a man for retallatlng! Anyway, our new Archon magnanlmously freed hlm, and now,weseeachancetoatleastpartlallyrepayour debt to the current admlnlstratlon.8arton frowned and looked away, trylng to keep a stralght face. Thls was hardly falr: lf Duke Pobert had serlously lntended to negotlate, why would he send thls young thlng to do the ob! He brleny scanned theroom,taklnglntheabundanceofelegant gownsandcrlspunlforms.Menandwomenof powerandstatlon,chatterlngaboutfashlon, gosslp, current events. How many of them, he wondered, were havlng conversatlons llke thls, goldenopportunltlesbelngpltchedbywould-bepowerbrokerstrylngtocutthelrteethlnthe real buslness of the Lyran Alllance!ou thlnk thls ls a scam, General!Hermloneswords,spokenwlthdlsturblng sharpness,snappedhlmbackhome.Hergaze recapturedhlsandheldlt.8artonlnstlnctlvely shook hls head. Denlal of accusatlons had become secondnatureslncethewar,anlnstlnctthathad savedhlmfromlnvestlgatlonsandcourts-martlal.Besides, heremlndedhlmself,scamorno,thereisalwaysopportunity for those with eyes to see it. Even a would-be power broker with a pretty face can provide one. Polllnghlstonguearoundthelnsldeofhlsmouthaslfmull-lng lt over, 8arton declded to play lt out a llttle further. Porglve me, Duchess, he sald, but there ls a hlstory here.weareslavesofhlstoryonlywhenweallowourselvestobe, 8arton. | oner you an opportunlty that a man of your posltlonwho hastheearoftheheadoftheOuartermasterCommandlsldeally sulted to take on, not ust for career advancement, but for the good oftheentlreAlllance.Ourmllltarylsashambles,andwhoknowslt betterthanyou!SuppllersllkeDefHesareoverworked,asenemles all around us contlnue to grow stronger. we need all the help we can get,evenfromfactorlesllke8rlgadler,andhere,wecancontlnue todeprlveaposslbleenemyofwarmaterlelforourowngaln.|am talklng about a ve-year extenslon of an extant contract, admlttedly wlth certaln modlcatlons.Aha, 8arton thought. Heres the catch. Modlcatlons!Hermlones face remalned stern, her eyes narrowed. She leaned forward,hervolcedropplngtoawhlsperbarelyaudlbleoverthe soundsofsllverware,rlnglngglassesandaseaofdronlngconver-satlons.8artonlnstlnctlvelydrewcloser,closeenoughtocatchher dellcate scent of lllac.Skyelshurtlngasmuchfromthewarasanyotherprovlnceof the Alllance, she told hlm frankly. 8ut not ust mllltarlly. 8uslness ls down across the board, partlcularly shlpplng, dlstrlbutlon, free trad-lng.AcontractextenslonstlpulatlngshlpmenttoSkyeportsofcall would stlmulate trade along the League border and boost local traf-c, whlch would denltely lmpact the local economy.Thatsall!TheLAAPeasllycanaccommodateyou:thereareOC depots ln those reglons, after all.Hermlonenodded,Lasy,yes,butwedontwantLAAPwatch-men all the tlme. |ll not lle to you, 8arton. Many ln the provlnce stlll seethegovernmenthereastherealenemy:thelastthlngelther of us needs ls the specter of Katherlnes rule from the current admlnlstratlon.8arton smlrked. Oh, the LIC would have a feld day with this one! How could you put an ace in my hand so easily, Robert?Securltysnotmyarea,mylady,hesald.And you dont really expect the Hlgh Command to slm-ply trust Skye as a mlddleman ln an arms trade.8utyouhaventheardthebonusesyet, theduchesscutln,asubtleedgelnher volce.Theextensloncallsforatenper-centprlcelncreaseperunltameansto keeptheLeaguehappyaboutthelrfactory supplylngbrand-newChimerastoaforelgn power.However,myhusbandlspreparedto coverhalfthecostoftherstthreeyearssupply from8rlgadler,meanlngtheLAAPwlndsup paylng onlyPlfty-ve percent of normal retall. 8ut where does he get that klnd of kroner!Personal estate, a wellsprlng of supporters who mlghtultlmatelyquestlonltsuselfsuchthlngswerefound outbut what they dont know wont hurt them, wlll lt!Andyourhusbandlspreparedfortheeventualltythat noneofthesenewmachlneswlllndthelrwaylntothehands of Skye-loyal unlts! Thats a lot of money to lnvest ust to drlve up border trade rates wlth no hard galns.Hermlonefrownedandshrugged.|fthatlstheLAAPswlsh, though lt would be a shame to allow such ne unlts to rot when the realm needs all the support lt can get.A sad fact of todays polltlcal landscape, my lady, 8arton admlt-ted. Like you really expected it to be otherwise? 8ut that was ust one bonus: you mentloned bonuses.Thesmllereturned,evenashervolceremalnedlow.Hermlone reached out and lald a warm, dellcate hand on 8artons. The other bonuses are more personal, my dear General Hale. One, of course, ls the matter of certaln prlvateand very dlscreetstock optlons wlth 8rlgadler. |m sure a man of your experience must know that an-nouncement of a contract renewal llke thls ls sure to drlve up market prlces. An lnvestor ln the rlght place at the rlght tlme mlght nd hlm-self ln a most proftable posltlon.ADVANTAGE AND OPPORTUNITY8artons eyes wldened as the trap slammed shut. Damn it! How did they fnd out? |nstlnctlvely, he trled to pull hls hand back, but Hermlones stsuddenlyclosedaroundltwlthunexpectedstrengthfromsucha small glrl. |nstead of breaklng free, all he managed to do was erk hls arm. Hlselbowcrashedagalnstaforgottenplate,clatterlngsllverwareand toppllng a nearby water goblet that promptly soaked through hls sleeve andsentshlversalonghlsarm.Severalnearbygownsandunlforms glancedhlsway,dlsplaylngmlldcurlosltylnsearchofascandalthat found an LAAP omcer holdlng hands wlth the Duchess of Skye.Just great!Couldanyofthemknowaswell!Thesuddenquestlonsethls stomach on re, lled hls ears wlth the sound of hls own raclng blood and made hlm long for a fresh glass of anythlng to erase the sudden taste of ash ln hls mouth. Hermlones eyes, meanwhlle, locked on to hls own, her lnnocent smlle replaced by a predatory grln. |seewehaveanunderstandlng,General,shesaldquletly, whlchmeans|dontneedtotellyouwhatthenalbonuswould beforamanlnyourposltlon.Letsnotcompoundthesltuatlonby maklng a scene.Right!Idealontheirterms,orkissmycareerandverylikelymy freedomgood-bye. How!How doesnt really matter, does lt! she whlspered back, her llps close to hls ear. what matters ls that there are regulatlons and laws agalnst thls sort of thlng, arent there! et you pulled lt on durlng a war wlth no one the wlser, made a real kllllng on the Donegal Stock Lxchange,fromwhat|hear.|sltsohardtodosoagalndurlngthe peace, whlle slmultaneously strengthenlng our great realm!8arton narrowed hls eyes and forced hlmself to relax. Duke Robert; the man must have spies everywhere. The look ln the duchess eyes was uncompromlslng.Thlswasnoldlethreat.Thellstofcrlmeshecould be plnned for could ruln a career lf ust one stuck. Connlct of lnterest. vlolatlon of procedure. |nslder tradlng. wartlme proteerlng.Treason! es, even that one could apply now, couldnt lt!Allrlght,mylady,hemuttered.Hereachedforafreshcham-pagne glass as Hermlone released hlm. Okay,DukeRobert,youhaveme,butthatdoesntmeanIcant sweetenthedeal.Blackmail,afterall,getsoneonlysofarinthis game.Asmllecameto8artonsllpsasanewthoughtstruckhlm.As hls eyes met Hermlones once more, her obvlous confuslon chlpped away some of the stern resolve she had radlated ust moments ago. Hereachedoutandtookherhandlnhls.Drawlnglttohlsllps,he gave her hls most lecherous wlnk.ounowhavemyundlvldedattentlon,Duchess,hesald.Lets see how far youre willing to go. My ladyINTRODUCTION & FOREWORD9Hlghness8efore|begln,|wouldrstllketoexpressmydeepestandhumblest gratltudeforchooslngmetopreparetheforwardtothlslatest,mostdenl-tlve volume about the Lyran people and natlon ever produced to date. |ndeed, partlclpatlonlnthecompllatlonandedltlngofthlsworkhasbeenattlmes overwhelmlng,yetdeeplyrewardlng,forme.|onlyhopethatthefrultsofour laborsnotonlymlne,butthoseofthevarlouslumlnarles,ournallsts,andof course,youresteemedcourthlstorlan,whohelpedmakethlsproductlonpos-slblemeet wlth your approval.Moreover, let me assure you that what you hold ln your hands ls as rellable an account of Lyran hlstory, culture and tradltlons as was ever producedand |saythathavlngrevlewedthedeclassledComStarverslon.whllegenerally sound,|foundthatdocumenttocontalnsuchlnexpllcableerrorsthat|could not help but shake my head ln plty at the Orders shortcomlngs. The suggestlon thatPobertMarsdenhelpedfoundtheCommonwealtheventhoughhehad notevenbeenborn,orthelrcompleteomlsslonofthePlmworldscampalgn durlng the Star Leagues fall, were partlcularly amuslng lapses, as was the total confuslon over Allstalr Marsdens locatlon and the events surroundlng hls death on Menkent. were lt not for the fact that many hlstorlans and edltors slnce (even some of our own nest lumlnarles!) have repeated ComStars errors, such lncon-slstencles would be truly laughable.8ut | dlgress.Once agaln, Hlghness, | thank you for the opportunlty to contrlbute to thls denltlve volume on the hlstory of our natlon. | hope lt meets your approval.8ertram P. HabeasAsslstant Ldltor, Hlstorlcal Archlves and Pesearch TeamCheskwa School of Llteraturel November 3067The past four decades have seen some of the most tremendous upheavals ln the long hlstory of the |nner Sphere. The rlse and fall of the Pederated Commonwealth, the sunderlng and reunlon of much of the Capellan Confederatlon, the lndependence and conquest of the Pree Pasalhague Pepubllc, the beglnnlng and end of the Clan |nvaslon, the reblrth of the Star Leaguethe llst goes on. There ls no ques-tlon that we llve ln lnterestlng tlmes.Now, nally, peace has comeunsteady, but there nonetheless. A tlme of renectlon has arrlved, not ust for those of us ln the Lyran Alllance, but for those llvlng anywhere humanklnd has settled. Among the war-torn worlds of the Successor States, ln the near and dlstant terrltorles of the Clans, and even ln the Perlphery, where rogues and honest folk allke struggle to make a llvlng, the turmoll of recent years has touched all, brlnglng us close to an abyss and then pulllng us back. |n tlmes llke these, we as a people need to remember what went before, and how we came to be where we are now. we need to renect on our hlstory before we can look to the future, to avold the mlstakes of the past and transcend the obstacles yet to come.Thls volume ls the latestand, hopefully, most completerevlew of the Lyran Alllance. Porged orlglnally as the Lyran Commonwealth, an amalgam of three mercantlle powers that arose from the decay of the Terran Alllance, the Lyran natlon has grown to become one of the ve su-perpowers of the |nner Sphere, as much through lts lndustrlal and economlc strength as by any force of arms. Through war and peace, we have come a long way, and wlth any luck, we shall contlnue to do so ln the centurles ahead. As we enter the latter half of the thlrty-rst century, we must not forget about the dawn of our natlon, so that we may know ourselves and reallze our destlny.Honored students of hlstory, | bld you welcome. Pead these words ln the splrlt of understandlng, and know how we have come to be the people we are today.8ertram P. Habeas, l5 November 3067HANDBOOK HOUSE STEINER1HISTORY OF THE LYRAN ALLIANCE11If one were to take the totality of human existence and addupallourcollectivetriumphsandourcollectivefail-ures, one would be left with a single, inevitable conclusion: that we have come so very far, and yet have learned so very little. Such a shame our lives can be summed up by such a stupid proverb.Attrlbuted to Allstalr Stelner, ca. za6