Battletech - For The Promise (A Legends Short Story) (Patreon)

Sarna synopsis:

The story follows Poltergeist Precentor Sigma Damien Lucille of the Fifty-second Shadow Division, during a special operation on the planet Helm in early 3069.

Seventeen days before the main events, Lucille led a boarding operation against the Explorer-class JumpShip, Sacajawea, which was found abandoned near Nestor's Zenith jump point. The vessel showed no signs of crew activity, despite being fully operational. Inside, the Word of Blake boarding team found only a single video message left by Sir Paul Masters, the former CO of the Knights of the Inner Sphere, who confirmed the crew's evacuation and condemned the Word of Blake. All JumpShip logs and navigational data have been erased, preventing further pursuit.

In the present, Lucille commands a BattleMech lance advancing on Helm's planetary capital Helmdown in search of Masters. Lucille deploys his forces to each quadrant of the city while taking the southern approach himself. The assault on the city begins after Master's fails to respond to demands for surrender. The attack causes widespread destruction and civilian casualties. After several minutes of utter destruction, Masters finally reveals himself to stop the atrocities.

Piloting his PXH-3M Phoenix Hawk Roc, Masters engages Lucille's GRF-3M Griffin in single combat outside the city. A prolonged duel ensues, during which Lucille receives confirmation that Masters' DropShip has been captured along with its crew. Ultimately, Lucille kills Masters by disabling and destroying the Phoenix Hawk. He then orders his forces to withdraw. The story ends with Lucille turning toward the captured DropShip, preparing to resume the broader search for those people Masters helped escape, as the data and prisoners aboard the DropShip are secured.