MechWarrior 4: Vengeance

Ian Dresari's homecoming to Kentares IV becomes a nightmare when his cousin William betrays the family, launching a Steiner assault on the Dresari royal palace under the banner of Katherine Steiner-Davion's Lyran Alliance. Duke Eric Dresari and most of the royal family are killed. William seizes the throne, and loyalists to Victor Steiner-Davion are systematically eliminated. Ian regroups on Kentares' moon with his uncle Sir Peter Dresari and forms the Resistance—a guerrilla force including MechWarriors Casey Nolan, Jen McQuarrie, and Jules Gonzales under commander Elise Rathburn. Operating first from the arctic, they suffer a devastating blow when a high-ranking Steiner officer named Duncan Burke murders Sir Peter. The Resistance debates whether to continue; they push forward, capture a Steiner satellite network, and relocate to the mountains. Moving into the remote Hadra Peninsula, Ian discovers that his sister Joanna survived the palace siege. A brief reunion is followed by further separation as the campaign continues. In Hadra, Ian kills James Kulin—the man who ordered the Dresari family's execution—and defeats Duncan Burke in single combat to avenge Sir Peter. The Resistance also saves the coastal town of Vale from Steiner bombardment before the fighting shifts to urban terrain, where casualties mount. Joanna reveals an old armory cache hidden in the city, enough to outfit four heavy lances of Mechs for a final assault on the Dresari palace—now Steiner's headquarters. Before the search can begin, Joanna's lance is ambushed and she is critically wounded. Ian must choose between rescuing his sister or securing the cache. Either path leads to a final battle at the palace, where William appears in a modified Daishi and issues a personal challenge. Defeating him frees Kentares IV. Who ascends the throne—Ian or Joanna—depends on the choice made in the penultimate mission.