I only have one recommendation here, but it's a really really good
one. Among the best stories I've ever read, period, fanfiction or otherwise.
The Suomi Warders stories
by Dave Waino are about a small mercenary unit from the Free Worlds League, albeit a small unit with some pretty heavy corporate backing. Like most
Battletech fanfic, it's all about the original characters. I like that. Your milage may vary - but for what it's worth, I think most of the key cast
members are really well-fleshed out. Their leader is heir to a business empire...which doesn't mean, though, that he's been without tragedy in his
life. The stories are episodic, but the greater arc explores that history to its ultimate conclusion. Two words: "Starcade Massacre".
It's not perfect storytelling. The early prose is a little rough, and narrative-wise it suffers a little from what
I'd consider the Battletech fanfic tendency to focus on a small military unit...and yet have them function to ridiculous levels of lethal efficiency with
deep financial and technological resources. But of course that's something the animated series itself was guilty of...and the unit history as defined by
the author addresses those points, really. It's not mere happenstance that the character who runs the merc company is rich - that's pretty much
essential to the overall plot.
Best thing about this, though? The stories are complete.
Finished. Done. The original Suomi Warders arc is 19 chapters, and there's an additional two-part tale set a few years after that. Very satisfying, I
think.
(EDIT: The author also has a one-shot on the linked page, Angel Six, which is pretty good - the character from that has a cameo in the later Warders stuff, but
it isn't essential reading. An interesting notion in and of itself though.)
-- Acyl
one. Among the best stories I've ever read, period, fanfiction or otherwise.
The Suomi Warders stories
by Dave Waino are about a small mercenary unit from the Free Worlds League, albeit a small unit with some pretty heavy corporate backing. Like most
Battletech fanfic, it's all about the original characters. I like that. Your milage may vary - but for what it's worth, I think most of the key cast
members are really well-fleshed out. Their leader is heir to a business empire...which doesn't mean, though, that he's been without tragedy in his
life. The stories are episodic, but the greater arc explores that history to its ultimate conclusion. Two words: "Starcade Massacre".
It's not perfect storytelling. The early prose is a little rough, and narrative-wise it suffers a little from what
I'd consider the Battletech fanfic tendency to focus on a small military unit...and yet have them function to ridiculous levels of lethal efficiency with
deep financial and technological resources. But of course that's something the animated series itself was guilty of...and the unit history as defined by
the author addresses those points, really. It's not mere happenstance that the character who runs the merc company is rich - that's pretty much
essential to the overall plot.
Best thing about this, though? The stories are complete.
Finished. Done. The original Suomi Warders arc is 19 chapters, and there's an additional two-part tale set a few years after that. Very satisfying, I
think.
(EDIT: The author also has a one-shot on the linked page, Angel Six, which is pretty good - the character from that has a cameo in the later Warders stuff, but
it isn't essential reading. An interesting notion in and of itself though.)
-- Acyl