Author Topic: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]  (Read 2482 times)

roosterboy

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2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« on: 20 October 2013, 04:05:11 »
"Kneel and face those whom you have betrayed."

On the eve of Operation REVIVAL, the Clans battle for the right to invade the Inner Sphere. Can Clan Fire Mandrill, the most divided Clan, unite long enough to stray from the path of self-destruction? Story by Philip A. Lee.

[era]CI[/era]

Sharpnel

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #1 on: 20 October 2013, 04:23:12 »
finished reading it just moments ago. You just have to love those silly Fire Mandrills
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joechummer

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #2 on: 20 October 2013, 13:22:07 »
Glad you liked it. That story arose from a personal challenge I gave myself awhile back, which was to write one BattleCorps story from  the perspective of each Clan, even the Home Clans. Not counting BC stories I've already got in the can or stories from forthcoming products, so far I've had stories with point-of-view characters from eight different Clans published. All told, the Mandrills have been the most challenging to portray because they're so disparate, and I didn't want to turn them into a caricature.


Philip A. LeeManaging Editor of Shrapnel, the Official BattleTech Magazine. Author of BattleCorps stories A Wolf in the Eyrie, Half of a Warrior, Seeds of Loyalty, Whispering Death, Fragments of History, A Living Epitaph, Double Down, So Costly a Sacrifice, Rain Dance, Quail Hunting, A Show of Force, and A Keystone Arch, Seven Years' Bad Luck, High Value Target, The Face of the Enemy, Horn and Fang, and A Measure of Clarity
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wantec

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #3 on: 21 October 2013, 11:49:36 »
Just finished reading it, very well done. I think it gave a good perspective on how the separate Kindraa could function together and what it took for them to work together on important items.
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Daishi411

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #4 on: 22 October 2013, 14:17:46 »
I really liked how your were able to portray the loremaster as being terribly self-conscious of how his clan acts and appears. It's a burden that has not come out as prevalently in other clan characters, many of whom belong to clans that should make them stop and think twice (which isn't the clan way necessarily, but I like how it goes away from the homogenous posturing clanner who believes as long as he/she is doing it in the name of clan and kerensky they couldn't possibly in the wrong...ever) 
"Warriors, not war machines, are the backbone of the Hell's Horses. While others worship the BattleMech as the ultimate weapon, the men and women of this Clan see even this awesome piece of technology as the tool it is. We have held to this philosophy since the days of our first Khan, who knew that the value of the common soldier far outstripped the brute force of the BattleMech. It is one reason our Clan possesses fewer mechs than most, and has led many to underestimate our fierceness and courage. Our survival against all challengers when others have fallen proves the folly of such arrogance, and testifies to the wisdom of our founders."
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joechummer

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #5 on: 22 October 2013, 16:54:56 »
One of the difficulties in writing this story was finding the right protagonist. Super early drafts had the focus on a completely different character altogether, but that ended up not working out really well, and the Loremaster was little more than set dressing. Once I rewrote the story from the perspective of the Loremaster, everything fell into place.


Philip A. LeeManaging Editor of Shrapnel, the Official BattleTech Magazine. Author of BattleCorps stories A Wolf in the Eyrie, Half of a Warrior, Seeds of Loyalty, Whispering Death, Fragments of History, A Living Epitaph, Double Down, So Costly a Sacrifice, Rain Dance, Quail Hunting, A Show of Force, and A Keystone Arch, Seven Years' Bad Luck, High Value Target, The Face of the Enemy, Horn and Fang, and A Measure of Clarity
Twitter: @JoeChummer
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Demos

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #6 on: 25 October 2013, 03:53:21 »
Great story, great read!

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CungrVanck

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Re: 2013-10-20 A Keystone Arch [Philip A. Lee]
« Reply #7 on: 16 December 2013, 16:09:57 »
This was an excellent story and I really enjoyed it.  Thank you!

 

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