"A RACE TO THE END" BATTLETECH AUDIOBOOK

Unofficial production
A Race to the End is a short story by Loren L. Coleman, initially published as a PDF file via the BattleCorps website. It was later also included in the first BattleCorps print anthology, The Corps.
The seventh company of the Third Donegal Guards was accidentally left behind when House Steiner-affiliated Federated Commonwealth commands were withdrawn from the Chaos March. With six of them killed and four missing in action, only Leftenant Kelly Van Lou and company commander Hauptmann Roland Mills remain in a three-sided fight with local forces and the First FedCom RCT.

[@theblackpantslegion]

I like this

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Many thanks, I just subscribed to you this morning!

[@kennethbedwell5188]

That’s pretty high praise

[@klinktastic]

Like this? Love this!

[@porthosduvallon5301]

You and me both, Tex

[@lightseeker4155]

Tex!!!!!

[@inquisitornero]

Proof that 40k’s loss is Battletech’s gain, another incredible release.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou Nero, really appreciated

[@ChillAssTurtle]

True.

[@Zenoflame]

Woowzers, as a long time Battletech fan I have to say this read is stunningly great. Thank you for this, and I hope Battletech graces for voice narration in the future again.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou my friend. Always good to know that actual fans of the franchises appreciate what I do. I was a little nervous about this one, I'm not going to lie. Delving into a new IP is daunting for me as I know there are die hard fans that could certainly pick it apart. But reading this comment has given me more drive to keep making battletech narrations

[@pat0652]

Yes, Yes....come to the Mech side. Going to promote in the big BT Facebook group right now.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Many thanks dude! Hope it holds up!

[@rubenfernandez9008]

"What forces dare defend this world from the steel talons of the Jade Falcon?"

[@cupofcustard]

*the warden way intensifies*

[@Michael-io3ik]

@@cupofcustard crusaders rule, wardens drool

[@Illitha]

"you dare refuse my batchall?"

[@obrasilius6733]

The heart of 40K was the impossibility of improvement, the slow decay and the downwards spiral into the abyss, and also , the image of humanity trying its hardest not to conquer the galaxy, but to simply survive against itself and the myriad of threats in a inspiring lesson of determination. What is the heart of Battletech? What is the unseen text that give its universe meaning? It had to have one, of course, if not it wouldn´t be a thing for so long, I want to learn, I want to know.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I have to say it's nowhere near as grim dark. I kind of imagine it as a 80's action movie, with giant mechs

[@obrasilius6733]

@@AVoxintheVoid Well, I´m from the 00s, but I played Bro Force soo, I think it may count? Hehehe, well, I´ll have to see into it.

[@cakeboss4194]

The heart of Battletech is: The rule of cool, a fairly immersive take on Humanity's flaws, and of course, Mechs.

[@pat0652]

To me the heart is the Merc unit that you build up, lovingly customize every infantry platoon, tank, and Mech unit, and fight from a rag tag bunch of Security Guards to a regiment that influences major Campaigns...or you take Pirate! The different eras in BT have different vibes: Amaris Civil War -Treachery and tragedy. Early 1st-3rd Succession War/Operation Klondike and Wolverine Civil war - Death, seemingly endless war. Technological decay. Mad Maxish near the borders of the States and the Periphery. In Clan space it is an incredible Tragedy and a Story of the birth of societal fanaticism. 4th Succession War and War of 3039 - Renaissance, UKFrenchGermanemerica, Fuck Yea!!! (Birth of the Federated Commonwealth.). Early Clan Invasion - OH SHIT!!!!!…and…the Telephone Company brings back TOTAL WAR. FedCom Civil War…Tears, lots, and lots of tears. Jihad - Toaster Lovers say “Bitch, MOAR tears”, Cool toys. Controversial in the Fanbase. I mostly like it. Wars of Reaving - Parallel to Jihad - ULTRABLOODY Clan Civil war. The source book is a Masterpiece. Gives rise to the Coolest faction in the game. The Imperio del Escorpión/Scorpion Empire. Early Republic - Ummmm this is an underserved Sandbox for players. I like it. Dark Age - We don’t talk about this. IlClan - Being developed as we speak. Controversial start, but very promising.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

@@pat0652 what a message. Informative and helpful beyond measure 💪

[@cupofcustard]

We are Clan Wolf, children of Kerensky. We carry the honor of his name on our shoulders as our fathers did before. The Remembrance speaks to us of the evil in man's will, of the reasons for Exodus and the Rites of the Traveler. Arcadia is our destiny and our right. Enlightenment is our gift. By the Bloodnames of the founders we must return, return and protect that which is unique among the stars. Terra awaits us as it was written. We are the last of the Wardens, the sole hope for the earth.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

Who is the nastiest mech pilot in the inner sphere?

[@connorriggs1518]

If this is my introduction to Battletech then call me intrigued. Great video really enjoyed it

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thanks Connor, just check it out for the mech designs alone.

[@Diarmuhnd]

Thanks for the fun @A Vox in the Void - Narration , you rock, stay safe & have fun

[@AVoxintheVoid]

My pleasure! First of many if this goes down well!

[@kevinschwager4327]

I‘m super hyped 😂 Battletech is an awesome setting 😍

[@AVoxintheVoid]

It most certainly is, it's super new to me so I hope I haven't butchered names etc! It's like learning the 40k lore and terms from scratch...youch

[@kevinschwager4327]

@@AVoxintheVoid there are so many novels which you can choose from. Man, i‘m just happy that you picked that up. I wish I where you. Someone who has the opportunity to learn the lore from scratch. This is sensational 😊

[@chiragsanghvi5865]

Can't wait..but..it's bed time..will catch this tomorrow. I am sure it will be legendary. Cheers!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Sleep well my friend!

[@TheZombieman87]

As much as I love Warhammer 40K, this was a welcome change of pace. :) Kudos to the author. Pretty good story.

[@cakeboss4194]

This has earned a subscribe from a longtime Battletech fan. I'm listening to this while drawing my custom Orion while eating a homemade grilled cheese.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou my man, love to hear about people painting minis to my work 😀 Edit: and eating grilled cheese

[@cakeboss4194]

Not a mini. Hands aren't stable enough to paint something so small. I'm using a digital art program to make a rough idea of it.

[@franciscopatino4937]

Blessed be your convictions that brought you to us

[@chevypower22350]

This is fantastic! I was brought here because of battletech and I can't wait to hear more. Excellent job sir.

[@davebowman9000]

Coool!! Like the sounds of this one. Hope you do the full anthology, should it be worthy!

[@adams5613]

Digging deep in the memory for this lore. 😁 well done.

[@NerdsIAB]

Now this has me all sorts of excited!!!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I hope you enjoy it sir!

[@ChillAssTurtle]

Your 40k vids were pristine...but this is fucking badass dude i've never heard of battletech before :o look forward to any and all of your future content brother voxxie ;3

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou bud! Glad you enjoyed it. I can see myself investing a lot of time in this universe , hope you'll join me for the ride!

[@ChillAssTurtle]

@@AVoxintheVoid i'm with you to whatever end !,,!,(-_-),!,,!

[@Illitha]

It's such a fun ride. Battletech is probably one of my favorite sci Fi settings

[@garank4971]

Kerensky forever!

[@rob3617]

Please do more Battletech. this was great! if only the official audiobooks had such good production value. the music and effects add so much

[@codius_dak5095]

Keep em coming, that is one of the best fan fics for battletech i have heard in a while.

[@lenoobpwner]

Dude I'm a huge fan of Battletech, and oddly enough, the previous Level Designer in charge of the MWO maps. I LOVE your stuff. If I can ask for a personal request: please more of the Gav storyline and the 40k dogfighthing. You're such a beast

[@Ju66alo4Life]

I would love to hear more battletech stories 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Have you listened to "marabou"? That's my other battle tech/mechwarrior tale

[@Ju66alo4Life]

@@AVoxintheVoid yes I have and I thoroughly enjoyed it 😊

[@Innersphere_Surat]

I subbed, hope you make more like this! Battletech is happy to have you!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I will definitely make more sir

[@robin6469]

Love this, hope to see some more Battletech content from y'all!!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I have one more on the channel 👍

[@robin6469]

@@AVoxintheVoid I noticed! I plan on watching it soon!

[@bardsbizarre]

Excellent work, sir! o7

[@highlordtedpool6081]

Amazing stuff. I really didn't know about Battletech before this.

[@jptaylor8852]

We need more battletech from you good sir! Loved it!

[@LU-nc6oy]

Dope . Dope . Dope . Dope . ❤️❤️🙈🙊🙉🇨🇦

[@OFFICIALSOLARMY]

Feeling weird as I've come to associate mechs with the Tau, still while the space marines may not be keen on a open mind, the fortress that is my mind is open to hearing of new, otherworldly wars in the far not quite grimdark future, where tech battles across countless worlds.

[@Birb_of_Judge]

I truly hope we can see more battletech in the future, because this is absolutely amazing and i don't know how it evaded me so long

[@Mereshot101]

You blew my god damn mind. I didn't even read the title just expected 40k content

[@doublestarships646]

Holy shyt! How did this go under my radar?! Imma try to share this!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I would really appreciate it. I'm going to be revisiting the battletech universe next month 🙂

[@doublestarships646]

@@AVoxintheVoid Powerful narration and strong start! Imma try to get folks like Battle Bound and even other fans outside of Battletech to take a look.

[@wttncfrep3628]

Fantastic work, just found your channel this morning. Love to see Battletech content

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Glad you found your way here sir. Thankyou for the listen and comment

[@wttncfrep3628]

@@AVoxintheVoid I subscribed as well, I'll be checking out some more content going forward. If the quality here is indicative of the rest of your work, then it will be fantastic

[@lightseeker4155]

Please brother Vox more battletech,, fantastic work!

[@sadwingsraging3044]

The peace of Blake be with you.

[@mrcat5179]

Came for the battletech, stayed for the excellence

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou John, good to have you here!

[@DaveTheCrowe]

Another great narration! Very nice to see you dip tour toe in the BT universe. I’m sure you’re about to be inundated with slush submissions. Looking forward to seeing where you go from here.

[@Brenticus]

Wow, that was intense! Great job! Makes me think about adding music to my own narrations! I enjoyed this a whole lot, thanks!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Go for it! i couldn't imagine doing my performances without a soundtrack now

[@Heavysmoker123]

hoping to finish work by then ..I'm pretty sure the emperor wills it anyway

[@AVoxintheVoid]

The mech god's will this one!

[@whatwouldoptimusdo]

I really enjoyed this

[@davebowman9000]

So, what's this world about? In the words of the famous meme: I do not know what's happening, or who is the POV, all I know is I must listen. (Any channel or video you recommend will be listened to/watched)

[@chesterstevens8870]

Battletech's lore spans several centuries in-universe, the best way to describe it is "warfare is diplomacy by any other means, but also with giant robots."

[@kelzurielmihai1851]

Thank you for this!

[@user-yq3fz9ch5q]

Have been reading Coleman since the 80s.

[@gww1138]

Wonderful!!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou sir!

[@LG-rg4ut]

YES!!!!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

💪

[@BohdanKaiba]

Keep up the awesome work!

[@frankcz7672]

Elementar are space Marine scouts Change my mind... For the algorithm...

[@MK-dr5dy]

No more battletech content? This was amazing!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou my friend. Unfortunately there just wasn't the audience for it on my channel. I'd love to delve into it more in the future though!

[@Squiggles01]

I'd be an IS pilot. My Battlemech of choice is the ether a Highlander or the Banshee or Hatamoto-Chi.

[@revlouder5865]

Come on we gotta have more of these they are awesome

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I want to diversify the channel with more material like this but it takes a long time to create them and I can't seem to get people interested in anything but Warhammer material at the moment. It's a shame but hopefully I can change that in the new year

[@revlouder5865]

@@AVoxintheVoid its not that they arnt interested its the yt algorithm in ordor for interest to be gained unfortunately youll probably have to make a new channel so yt can direct the right people (makes sense to me because I consider battletech the lead up to warhammer)

[@WydeFade]

I honestly look forward to the next installment of this if thats within the parameters

[@InquisitorJack]

Just found your channel, great audio! I’m here after the the Ordo Xenos kicked me out. Time to start working on a mercenary outfit and getting my hands on a MAD-5M Marauder.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Thankyou buddy! I'm starting a mechwarrior clan on mechwarrior online. Come join the discord (details in channel description)

[@chainswordappreciator3022]

HELL YEAH BABY! DEPLOY THE ASSAULT LANCE!

[@brendanr2119]

So good, more BT!

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Don't worry there will be!

[@namefinder]

Very cool! You have a new subscriber :)

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Glad to have you here!!

[@nicholas3478]

Great job as always Vox. We need an Atlas/urbie buddy cop type adventure fan fic, one surly has to exist. Sorry missed the premier, maybe next time.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Many thanks Nicholas. I'll have a look!

[@poopsled]

I know it won't do as well as 40k but I hope you do battletech again!

[@sinjin8576]

I now can only picture mechwarrior comms sounding like vox units

[@jackodenthal2392]

You should make more Battletech short stories

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I'd love to! But I'm not sure I have the audience for it. 😕

[@jackodenthal2392]

@@AVoxintheVoid That's fair to be honest. You could also try branching into other fictions, such as Halo for example, and see if they stick. A horror short about the Flood could certainly be interesting.

[@Hascuce]

Its funny that you can pick up a little bit of classic dow 1 guardsman growl in his speech

[@jake8990]

Your voice sounds very familiar, can't tell where I heard it before. Either way I like it.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

Appreciate the comment mark. Glad you enjoy what I do!

[@frankcz7672]

Motherfers... I forgot how much fun I had with battletech...

[@dopeskone]

More of this please

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I would love to, just hasn't proved very popular on my channel unfortunately

[@dopeskone]

@@AVoxintheVoid that's a shame. I shared it in few Battletech spaces. You just keep making what you like. You do good work.

[@AVoxintheVoid]

@@dopeskone I loved creating it and I will definitely revisit the universe at some point. It's a lot of work to create these and I just want to try and maximise my time etc. Thankyou for sharing, means a lot

[@dopeskone]

@@AVoxintheVoid my pleasure.

[@rossdiggle]

More battletech please. It's better fiction

[@jimmybarnes7178]

ooooooooo

[@AdainPryde]

Background music is competing with your voice. Other than that super

[@AVoxintheVoid]

thankyou! This is relatively old for the channel and I'm always learning in regards to sound design. I think I've found the sweet spot now in my narrations. Thankyou for listening anyhow!

[@doublestarships646]

May I ask where this music is from???

[@AVoxintheVoid]

The music is from epidemic sound, a subscription based service that I use for the channel. I can remember one song is called 'guardians' by dream cave

[@leviturek5015]

Does anybody recommend any novels for someone new to Battletech?

[@AVoxintheVoid]

I need that too! 😜

[@pat0652]

Blood of Kerensky Trilogy

[@leviturek5015]

@@pat0652 thank you!

[@pat0652]

@@leviturek5015 Yeah, it is best to start there, then maybe go back or fwd Chronologicaly, but that trilogy is peak Battletech

[@wttncfrep3628]

The Blood of Kerensky or Grey Death Legion are excellent introductions to the setting. Decision at Thunder Rift was the first published novel, set in the hard scrabble Mad Max style late Succesion Wars. One thing to note, Battletech is a setting where time has always marched forward and the early novels are set in the 3020s, while the main story has advanced up to the 3150s. Also the Grey Death Trilogy is available in audiobook format which is nice, and they are slowly chipping away at the 100+ novel backlog.

[@DauntlessChaos]

*laughs in clanner*

[@bronsilverstring5874]

What is this?? Is there more? Can I get more? Do you need voice actors???

[@mfreed40k]

Ugh, please do before the clan invasion and the nonsense after.

[@sessy01]

Ride Cancelled. 0 stars. "Driver smacks of Capellan-like behavior"