Sniper (short story)

This article is about the BattleCorps story. For other uses, see Sniper.


SniperEPUB.jpg
Sniper
Product information
Type Short story
Author Jason Schmetzer
Pages 23
Interior Artwork Bradley K. McDevitt
Publication information
Publisher BattleCorps
First published 26 June 2006
Content
Era Succession Wars era
Timeline 12 January 3026 + ca. 2 days
Followed by Panzer

Sniper is a short story by Jason Schmetzer that was published online on BattleCorps on 26 June 2006. It was also published in print in the third BattleCorps print anthology, Weapons Free, as well as republished in EPUB format together with its sequel story, Panzer, under the summary title of Sniper in 2012.

Teaser text[edit]

BattleCorps[edit]

Private Frederick Jones. Known as "Sniper" to fellow members of Halsten's Brigade. Put him in a Schrek PPC Carrier, point him at the enemy, and he'll take them down. Leaving him with nothing but dreams of how things could have gone wrong, until the next enemy comes along....

EPUB[edit]

It is the year 3027, and the Inner Sphere is at war. Thousand of worlds, controlled by the feuding lords of the Successor States. Centuries of near-constant warfare have left the feudal realms exhausted and near collapse, but none will surrender.

National armies clash on hundreds of worlds, and proxies bought for coin—mercenaries—fight on countless more. Mighty MechWarriors lead their BattleMechs like the ancient knights of old, but they are not the only soldiers. Fusion-powered tanks, heavily armored and nearly as powerful as ’Mechs, roam the battlefields, and few are as deadly as Halsten’s Brigade, in the service of House Steiner’s Lyran Commonwealth. Even fewer are as deadly as gunner Sniper Jones, the man even MechWarriors fear.

Sniper collects two previously-published short stories from BattleCorps.com: "Sniper" and "Panzer."

Jason Schmetzer is the author of more than 40 published short stories and novellas, as well as four BattleTech sourcebooks and a novel. His work crosses genre and game boundaries, working with both print and electronic publications. He holds an MFA in fiction writing and works during the day as an advertising copywriter. He is also editor of the BattleCorps fiction website.

Plot summary[edit]

Though only a Private by rank, "Sniper" Jones is a respected member of his tank crew and his entire unit for his marksman skills. In battle with House Marik forces on Poulsbo, Jones' tank discovers an enemy Union DropShip forming a strongpoint. In the morning, the entire tank unit is sent out to destroy it. The battle is fierce, but the tanks narrowly succeed thanks in no small part to Jones' shooting. Jones survives, but his tank is totaled and both his tank commander and the new driver who replaced a previous casualty are killed.

Featured BattleTech[edit]

BattleMechs[edit]

Vehicles[edit]

DropShips[edit]