The Sun Will Rise

The Sun Will Rise
Short story by Randall N. Bills
First Publication
Published	12 April 2021
Published in	The Mercenary Life
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
Chronology
Era	Succession Wars era
Timeline	27 October 3013 — 27 May 3014
Series
MechWarrior 5: Origins series (continuation)
Obligation's Forge   —

The Sun Will Rise is a short story by Randall N. Bills. It is a direct continuation of the eight stories of the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries tie-in series MechWarrior 5: Origins, exclusive to The Mercenary Life anthology, released in EPUB and PoD format on 12 April 2021.

Plot Summary

On Irian, Sebastian Spears receives word of the death of Chloe Reed, unexpectedly bringing him to tears. Feeling obligated to Nik's Cavaliers but recognizing that Nikolai Mason blames him for Chloe's death, Spears chooses an indirect method to repay the debt he feels he owes her. As the Cavaliers lick their wounds after Mallory's World, Nikolai struggles with taking over full command of the unit and the death of his wife. Ryana Campbell's attempt at tough love gets unexpected aid when they discover a surprising and exceedingly generous contract to assist a major Federated Suns offensive against Halstead Station. With Spears' fingerprints far too obvious, an angry Nikolai resists until Ryana points out refusing they risk giving up Chloe's dream.

On 23 December 3013, as the combined Federated Suns and mercenary forces on Addicks prepare to depart, Spears attends the early Christmas Eve party for the Davion military forces with fellow Interstellar Expeditions member Countess Alexa McCorkendale. As the pair both recognize that their selfish focus on IE prevents them from either having the passionate love that First Prince Hanse Davion feels for Dana Stephenson, they discuss the Cavaliers involvement in the mission to try and secure even a fraction of the rumored Star League library for Interstellar Expeditions is worth the risk.

Landing with elements of the Crater Cobras, officially the Cavaliers are charged with behind the line raiding to provide openings for the AFFS forces to the hammer defending Ninth Dieron Regulars but secretly to try and access the library. The plan quickly unravels after the discovery of larger than expected Kurita defenders on-world and the arrival of the Coordinator Takashi Kurita himself. Six weeks of brutal fighting ensue as the Cavaliers and the rest of the mercenaries take increasing losses as they aid the Davion forces to claim the First Prince's goal, the hidden books that will make the New Avalon Institute of Science possible. Nikolai exalts in the Cavaliers continued survival and proof they have recovered from Chloe's death.

On De Berry, Spears personally bestows to Nikolai the rights to a landhold upon the world for the Cavaliers to call home, their contract bonus despite the fact they never came close to even getting a glimpse of the Star League library. Uncomfortable, Nikolai questions why Spears would be so generous and why he came in person, leading the older man to comment that he would be dishonoring Chloe's memory if he had not. Both reflect upon the positive impact Chloe Reed had on the lives of so many others as they separate as unlikely friends.

Featured Characters

• Major Barnes
• Ryana Campbell
• First Prince Hanse Davion
• Ran Felsner
• Coordinator Takashi Kurita
• Nikolai Mason
• Countess Alexa McCorkendale
• Ardan Sortek
• Sebastian Spears
• Dana Stephenson
• Beth (mentioned)
• Ian Davion (mentioned)
• Brooklynn Jales (mentioned)
• Elaine Masters (mentioned)
• Duke Aleksandr McCorkendale (mentioned)
• Wilhelm Mouttheim (mentioned)
• Chloe Reed (mentioned)

Featured Units

• Nik's Cavaliers
• Crater Cobras
• Ninth Dieron Regulars

Featured Places

• Addicks
• De Berry
• Galatia III
• Halstead Station
• Irian
• Galatea (mentioned)
• Hesperus II (mentioned)
• Mallory's World (mentioned)
• New Avalon (mentioned)

Featured BattleTech

BattleMechs

• Catapult
• Commando
• Dragon
• Quickdraw
• Shadow Hawk
• Atlas (mentioned)

DropShips

• Overlord-class 'Mech carrier DropShip
• Union-class 'Mech carrier DropShip, King's Bounty

JumpShips

• Merchant-class JumpShip

Notes

• The Sun Will Rise references and integrates with the BattleCorps story Irreplaceable by Jason Hansa, most notably featuring the appearance of Interstellar Expeditions members Sebastian Spears and Alexa McCorkendale at the 23 December 3013 Christmas Ball as a direct corollary to the events of Hansa's work.
• Much like this 2021 story is an expansion upon the original 2019 stories of MechWarrior 5: Origins, the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries DLC expansion Legend of the Kestrel Lancers references the events of this story, with the Federated Suns hiring Nikolai's son's successor unit serve in Operation GALAHAD largely based off the Cavaliers' sterling performance in this story.