Blood Will Tell
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| Blood Will Tell | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Novel |
| Author | Jason Schmetzer |
| Pages | 288 (POD) |
| Cover Artwork | Ken Coleman (art) David Allen Kerber (design) |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Catalyst Game Labs |
| First published | 19 May 2021 |
| ISBN-10 | 1-63861-018-5 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-63861-018-2 |
| MSRP | $5.99 (EPUB) $14.95 (POD) |
| Content | |
| Era | Dark Age era |
| Timeline | 30 August 3148—28 September 3149 |
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Blood Will Tell is a novel by Jason Schmetzer that was published in EPUB and Print on Demand on 19 May 2021. An unabridged audiobook edition narrated by Liisa Lee was released on 27 December 2021.
From the Back Cover
| “ | TIES THAT BIND
Danai Liao-Centrella is many things: Solaris gladiator; proud military commander; successful diplomat. All of those roles pale beneath perhaps the heaviest responsibility of anyone in the Capellan Confederation: to speak the truth to its ruler, Chancellor Daoshen Liao. He is the undeniable dictator of hundreds of worlds. Mighty armies move at his command. Billions of lives hang on his every decision. Against that, she must speak the truth. And the truth is, the war with House Davion must end. Because there is a greater danger looming: the Republic of the Sphere, hiding behind its impenetrable fortress. When that wall comes down, the Confederation must be ready. It cannot be distracted. Danai will pay whatever price necessary to make Daoshen see that. And that price will be heavy. It will force her to take on a role unlike any other: servant of the people. In the Confederation, the people are the heart of the state. When — not if — the wall falls, Danai and her regiment will be ready. They'll have to be ready, because behind the wall the Republic regiments are finally ready to come out of hiding. On worlds like Elgin, Hall, and Liberty, Republic forces are prepared: well-trained, and armed with weapons the Capellans have never seen. When BattleMechs clash, Danai will have to choose between serving the Chancellor or serving the people. |
” |
Plot Summary
After making a tentative truce with Julian Davion on New Syrtis, Danai Liao-Centrella is recalled to Sian by her father, Chancellor Daoshen Liao, while she sent her regiments to the Confederation's staging grounds on Liao to prepare to face the Republic. Enroute to Sian, Danai transmitted a message to the Chancellor informing him of her armistice with House Davion, which he recieves by 3 October 3148, prompting arguements in the royal court, particularly the objections of the Chancellor's cousin Ki-linn Liao. Shortly afterward in protest of the peace with House Davion, Ki-linn Liao and several of her Thugee cultists immolated themselves on the steps of the Summer Palace, an action Daoshen accused Danai of causing, and in the process making peace a political impossibility as Ki-linn insured the footage was planted and leaked beyond the control of the Capellan Broadcast Service to censor.
Believing Danai requires tutelage in administering a world and seeing the bgger picture, and to understand her responsibilities, Daoshen sent her distant cousin Wilhemina Liao to tutor her in leadership and how to be a proper Duchess, after Daoshen names her Duchess of Castrovia. With The Wall of Fortress Republic falling, together Wilhemina and Danai arrived on Hall aboard Danai's flagship, the DropShip Gladiator, on 3 February 3149. Upon arrival Danai immediatley began a rapid operation against the Republic defenders, defeating them but not without small groups escaping to form an insurgency.
Despite the protests of the civilian advisors sent with Danai to Hall to help with the populations transition to the Capellan caste system, Danai attempted a lighter touch, making contacts among the former civilian government and with Wilhemina's help attempting to make the transition softer than is typical to a newly conquered world. The remnants of the Republic forces responded to Danai's presence however by destroying the motorcade containing Wilhemina, inciting Danai to rage that led to several costly engagements that nearly cost her life. After defeating the Republic resistance force, she prepared for the next battlefield of Liberty, and acquainting herself with a new mech, a Black Knight in an attempt to learn from her mistakes on Hall and try new tactics. Before departure however, she restated her orders to preserve the citizens' of Hall's rights to the Capellan administrators.
Arriving on Hall, Danai engaged the Republic's forces, coming up against Stone's Fury which impressed and terrified her with their fielding of suicide drones not previously encountered. After securing Liberty, Danai was immediately and abruptly recalled to Liao, by her father who had arrived to Liao in secret. After a brief argument, Daoshen declared his intention to send a probing mission to test the Wall's coverage of Terra, despite Danai's urging of caution.
Featured Characters
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Featured Units
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