1988 · FASA
From the back of the book:
"When Morgan and Patrick Kell first formed the mercenary Kell Hounds in 3010, few thought they'd survive for long. When Katrina Steiner gave them a contract, the Hounds wasted no time becoming one of the most feared and respected merc units in the Inner Sphere.
It was not the first or last time that the fate of the Kells would become intricately bound up with House Steiner. Morgan Kell helped to save Katrina's life during an assassination plot even before she became Archon. Then it was an inheritance from Katrina's husband Arthur, a cousin of the Kells, that permitted the brothers to finance their dream of founding a merc unit. Much later, Patrick Kell gave his life to rescue Melissa Steiner, heir to the Lyran throne and Hanse Davion's fiancee, when she was kidnapped by agents of the Draconis Combine.
The Kell Hounds played key roles in Davion history, too. They were there when Yorinaga Kurita killed Ian Davion on Mallory's World. They held off the Second Sword of Light long enough for Davion forces to recover the Prince's body, but Kurita escaped.
From that day, Yorinaga Kurita and the Kell Hounds were destined to face one another in a series of climactic battles. When Morgan and Yorinaga dueled in one of these, a legend was born. The mystical nature of that battle left Morgan so shaken that he disbanded most of his regiment and joined a monastery.
The Kell Hounds survived under the leadership of Patrick Kell. After Yorinaga killed Patrick on Styx, Morgan Kell came out of exile to rebuild his unit. He knew it was only a matter of time before he and Yorinaga would meet again on a day of final reckoning.
