{"product_id":"battletech-the-mercenary-life-9781638610120","title":"BattleTech: The Mercenary Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA COST IS ALWAYS PAID...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNikolai Reed is a trader on a Lyran JumpShip plying the space lanes...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChloe Mason is a hot-shot tech with the Hsien Hotheads mercenaries...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeaving the Northwind Highlanders, MechWarrior Ryana Nikol fills a billet with the Eridani Light Horse...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDisparate lives, but a unified dream that will bring them all together on a fateful course that will span decades, cover hundreds of light years, and involve love, friendship, and loss across a dozen worlds. Each will pay a price along the way, as a cost always comes due.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mercenary Life\u003c\/i\u003e anthology is a compilation of stories written by Randall N. Bills. Including tales from several different characters as they cross paths, and the dream to found a new mercenary command is born. Their unique lives showcase the struggles and trials of the men and women who take up the mercenary mantle from a variety of angles, all bound around that central vision.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe first eight stories of this anthology were originally posted for free alongside the release of \u003c\/i\u003eMechWarrior 5: Mercenaries\u003ci\u003e, acting as the origin stories for the mercenary command within that computer game. This is the first time they have been compiled into a single volume to allow for a Print on Demand physical copy.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdditionally, an all-new ninth story has been added-\u003c\/i\u003eThe Sun Will Rise\u003ci\u003e-along with postscripts for every story that gives the reader insight into how stories are crafted within a shared universe between tabletop, computer games, and fiction that spans more than thirty years and tens of millions of words.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Inmediares Productions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50520445583634,"sku":"9781638610120","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_19c89564-d0dd-41ec-9445-11b723677043.jpg?v=1731084196","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/battletech-the-mercenary-life-9781638610120","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}