I thought this was a terrific story. Not only were the battle scenes well-written (it really captured the terror of infantry fighting 'Mechs and made the Koshi seem extra-deadly); but the characterization of both the protagonist and the Smoke Jaguar commander were excellent.
I wish more authors in the past made an effort like Mr. Schmetzer did to portray the Jaguars as intelligent, complex characters instead of the constant stereotype of "stupid, sadistic thugs in Battlemechs" that characterized them through the 1990s. I always thought that the Combine-Jaguar conflict could have been explored in really interesting ways in fiction by contrasting two sides in a war both who follow very different rigid, harsh codes of honor. "Fourth Form" succeeds admirably in this.
I hope Mr. Schmetzer will write more fiction about the Jaguars in the future. Thank you for taking a faction that has been used as "straw men" villains for too long and giving them some depth and sympathy.