Goliath out of the Box

Goliath out of the Box
Product information
Type Short story
Author Randall N. Bills
Pages 8
Publication information
Publisher BattleCorps
First published 23 October 2004
Content
Era pre–Star League
Timeline 02 April 2457
Series Highlander Chronicles
Preceded by Isolation's Weight
Followed by Occum's Choice

Goliath out of the Box, written by Randall N. Bills, is a short story published on BattleCorps as the second in a loosely grouped series known as the Highlander Chronicles.

Teaser text

Randall N. Bills brings us a tale of 2457: the early days of the Northwind Highlanders. A great glimpse into the days before the Star League ruled.

Plot summary

A reinforced tank company from the 2nd Kearny Highlanders is fleeing back to their landing zone after running into a force of HAF Mackies during a raid on Ningpo. The Highlanders speculate that the Maskirovka intentionally withheld intel on the HAF garrison, hoping to see how the new Terran superweapon performs in the field. With Hegemony ECM jamming their communications, the mercenaries send their lone hovercraft ahead to the LZ, then turn back to make a stand against a pursuing Mackie, hoping the faster hovercraft can make it back to the DropShip and get offworld to let the rest of the Highlanders know that the Maskirovka betrayed them. The Mackie takes the Highlander tank company apart with ease.

Featured characters

  • Captain Heather Lewis
  • Darren Callwell
  • Captain Bellup (mentioned)

Featured places

Featured BattleTech

'Mechs

Vehicles

Spacecraft

Notes

  • The Suvorov heavy tanks haven't been given official statistics, but since they're being overtaken by a 3/5 Mackie, their movement profile is probably similar to that of the Behemoth (2/3).
  • The ECM employed by the Terran Hegemony to block Highlander transmissions must be a primitive prototype under game rules, since the Guardian ECM didn't debut until 2600. It may be the Squealer I ECM system featured on the Torrent Heavy Bomber, which had been fielded by the Terrans since the twenty-first century.