HOLD THE LINE!Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine is your best fortification for holding firm against the enemy on the unrelenting, BattleMech-dominated battlefields of the 31st century and beyond!A washed-up Steel Viper pilot in a fragile, ultralight 'Mech runs headlong into Society forces in the Clan Homeworlds, and must use his wits to escape. A Lyran infantry unit deprived of BattleMech support at a vital juncture must hold its position and confront these thundering war titans alone or die trying. And as the Battle of Terra rages around him, a conspiracy theorist in Australia may have stumbled onto real military secrets-but will anyone believe him before it's too late?In this issue, you'll go on a ride-along with a Canopian marshal investigating foul play at a local mining operation. You'll dive headlong into the War of 3039, where Miller's Marauders must make a desperate gamble to escape disaster on Harrow's Sun. And finally, you'll participate in a branth safari on Lopez, where the vicious, dragon-like creatures are not the deadliest hunters present... Shore up your defenses and arm yourself with an in-depth look at the merits and dangers of combat journalism, a rundown of the most popular light machine guns in the Inner Sphere, and a treatise on the Capellan Confederation's most frighteningly effective training unit in history. Then venture to a new battlefield with planet digests, technical readouts, playable scenarios, and more, from BattleTech luminaries and some new blood:James BixbyJason M. HardyKelvin CasingScott R. PyleAdam NeffJack TrimbleEric SalzmanRussell ZimmermanAlayna M. WeathersAlex FauthChris HartfordChris HusseyDaniel IsbernerEdward McEneelyMike MillerCraig A. Reed, Jr. Zac SchwartzEd Stephens