Book excerpt: PEACE MAY SELL…BUT WHAT IF NO ONE’S BUYING? On 21 May 3052, the seemingly unstoppable military juggernaut of the invading Clans was defeated in a pitched campaign on the quiet world of Tukayyid. This astonishing victory bought the weary armies of the Inner Sphere a fifteen-year stay before the invasion can resume. But despite the truce, the fire driving the Clans’ centuries-long quest to conquer Terra, the birthplace of humankind, and rebuild Inner Sphere civilization in their warmongering image has not been extinguished. Conflict still rages above the truce line, and the Clans are biding their time until the tide of war can surge up and flood the Inner Sphere once more. Slack Tide collects nine stories that chronicle the life-and-death struggles still being waged in the wake of Tukayyid’s so-called peace. Fan-favorite authors such as Jason Hansa, Philip A. Lee, and Craig A. Reed, Jr. spin tales of undercover operatives seeking to gain the secrets of Clan BattleMech technology, Inner Sphere MechWarriors attempting dangerous escapes from Clan-controlled planets, and mercenaries fighting to protect the only things that truly matter to them—themselves and their loved ones. The Clans’ invasion may have been temporarily halted, but the true battles for the future of the Inner Sphere have only just begun…