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	===Part I - 3056 (Chapters 3 through 24)===		===Part I - 3056 (Chapters 3 through 24)===
−	On 7 November [[3056]], the ''[[Scout (JumpShip class)|Scout]]''-class JumpShip ''[[Telendine]]'' has been awaiting clearance for fourteen days already while waiting at a [[Jump Point]] in the Salford system. Master and Commander Reston Bannin, a merchant, is fuming as he has a DropShip packed with valuable, but perishable [[Cholobara]] wine sitting down on the planet. Against his wishes he is assigned "military cargo" instead, namely a ''[[Leopard]]''-class DropShip carrying a [[DEST]] team under ''Sho-sa'' Yubari Takuda and [[Vost Lance|Garber Vost's mercenary unit]], bound for a classified destination. Like the ''Raiden'' did 546 years earlier, the ''Telendine'' misjumps out of Salford and has to be abandoned. Its lifeboat and the DropShip descend on Kaetetôã, noting the derelict hulk of another ship (the ''Raiden'') in orbit. They manage a crash landing on-planet.	+	On 7 November [[3056]] the ''[[Scout]]''-class JumpShip ''[[Telendine]]'' has been awaiting clearance for fourteen days already while waiting at a [[Jump Point]] in the Salford system. Master and Commander Reston Bannin, a merchant, is fuming as he has a DropShip packed with valuable, but perishable [[Cholobara]] wine sitting down on the planet. Against his wishes he is assigned "military cargo" instead, namely a ''[[Leopard]]''-class DropShip carrying a [[DEST]] team under ''Sho-sa'' Yubari Takuda and [[Vost Lance|Garber Vost's mercenary unit]], bound for a classified destination. Like the ''Raiden'' did 546 years earlier, the ''Telendine'' misjumps out of Salford and has to be abandoned. Its lifeboat and the DropShip descend on Kaetetôã, noting the derelict hulk of another ship (the ''Raiden'') in orbit. They manage a crash landing on-planet.
	During the first night on the alien planet, the 27 remaining survivors form three distinct groups: Twelve DEST soldiers, eleven mercenaries and the four crew from the spaceships. Mercenary leader [[Garber Vost]] confronts Takuda with allegations that the Draconis Combine failed to fulfill their part of the mercenary contract, namely the safe insertion and extraction clause, and declares the contract null and void under the radically changed circumstances. He goes on to suggest that the surviving women should be dealt out to the best men to ensure survival on this new world, which all agree they have no chance to leave again.		During the first night on the alien planet, the 27 remaining survivors form three distinct groups: Twelve DEST soldiers, eleven mercenaries and the four crew from the spaceships. Mercenary leader [[Garber Vost]] confronts Takuda with allegations that the Draconis Combine failed to fulfill their part of the mercenary contract, namely the safe insertion and extraction clause, and declares the contract null and void under the radically changed circumstances. He goes on to suggest that the surviving women should be dealt out to the best men to ensure survival on this new world, which all agree they have no chance to leave again.
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	===JumpShips===		===JumpShips===
	* ''[[Leviathan (JumpShip class)|Leviathan]]'' (''[[Raiden (Individual Leviathan-class JumpShip)|Raiden]]'')		* ''[[Leviathan (JumpShip class)|Leviathan]]'' (''[[Raiden (Individual Leviathan-class JumpShip)|Raiden]]'')
−	* ''[[Scout (JumpShip class)|Scout]]'' (''[[Telendine]]'')	+	* ''[[Scout]]'' (''[[Telendine]]'')
	== Explorer Corps context ==		== Explorer Corps context ==

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{{InfoBoxProduct | image = Far Country.jpg | name = | type = Novel | author = [[Peter Rice (person)|Peter Rice]] | development = | primarywriting = | pages = 367 | cover = [[Boris Vallejo]] | interiorart = [[Rick Harris]] | illustrations = | publisher = [[Roc Books]] | productioncode = | year = October 1993 | ISBN10 = 0451452917 | ISBN13 = | MSRP = | content = | era = [[Clan Invasion era]] | timeline = [[3056]] | series = | precededby = | followedby = }} ==Overview== '''''Far Country''''', the only [[BattleTech]] book written by [[Peter Rice (person)|Peter Rice]], is notable for its unorthodox storyline which has only tenuous connections with the established universe. It is the only [[canon|canonical]] source where sentient [[alien]]s play a significant role, something many fans feel should have no place in the fictional BattleTech universe. As a consequence, its canonicity is often questioned (see below). Other noteworthy aspects of the novel include the introduction of two new starship classes and a new APC type into canon, and some details on hyperspace jumps and the cockpit layout of a [[LAM]]. The book's protagonists are marooned in an unknown star system with no chance whatsoever to return to or communicate with known space, effectively separating them from the rest of humanity. The story therefore has no impact on the fictional history of the BattleTech universe. As far as everyone else is concerned, the protagonists simply vanished in a jump accident and are presumed dead.<ref>''Explorer Corps'', p. 24: the loss of the JumpShip ''Telendine'' in a misjump in 3056 is quoted as a reason for the Draconis Combine Admiralty to abandon the practice of commandeering civilian vessels for military purposes</ref> In what may or may not be a nod to this novel, an in-universe hit film or holovid titled "Far Country" was mentioned to exist.<ref>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 165: [[Spreading the Glories, Incorporated]] profile</ref> {{BCNovel|on 23 January 2010}} == From the back cover == {{quote|[[Sho-sa]]'' [[Yubari Takuda]] leads a [[Draconis Elite Strike Team]], one of the [[Draconis Combine|Combine's]] elite commando units. Well versed in techniques of conventional and unconventional warfare, even [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarriors]] respect and fear the prowess of these deadly warriors. ''A follower of the ancient [[Bushido|code of the samurai]], ''Sho-sa'' Takuda firmly believes in the superiority of the Combine warrior culture and has always maintained that it would produce a harmonious and prosperous society — if only the realm could be freed from the pressure of foreign aggressors. ''But when a [[JumpShip]] malfunction catapults Takuda's team and a company of [[mercenary unit|mercenary]] MechWarriors beyond known space, he finds long-held beliefs challenged. For the warriors find themselves on a planet inhabited by a primitive [[Tetatae|alien race]], a race enslaved by the descendants of another group of humans — from the Draconis Combine.''}} == Canonicity == Because of the sentient aliens featured in ''Far Country'', the novel's [[Canon|canonicity]] is sometimes questioned. However, it does meet the current criteria for [[Canon]] and BattleTech [[Line Developer]] [[Herbert A. Beas]] has confirmed its canonicity, with the caveat that the authors and developers deliberately ignore the Tetatae and shall not revisit them. The impact on the BattleTech universe is minor, given that the Tetatae only (theoretically) exist in a place that has no connections to the known universe whatsoever. :''(see also this article's [[Talk:Far Country|Talk page]])'' == Plot Summary == ===Prologue - Year 2510 (Chapters 1 and 2)=== During the [[McAllister Rebellion]], troops are moved from the distant edges of the Draconis Combine, including the 2452nd Battalion of the [[5th Galedon Regulars]] on [[Salford]] under ''[[Chu-sa]]'' Tokashio Hamata. On 9 November [[2510]] he oversees his troops being loaded on ''[[Vulture (DropShip class)|Vulture]]''-class [[DropShip]]s and embarks one of them, the ''[[Hideyoshi Toyotomi]]''. The DropShips take off and dock with the ''[[Leviathan (JumpShip class)|Leviathan]]''-class [[JumpShip]] ''[[Raiden (Individual Leviathan-class JumpShip)|Raiden]]'' which is supposed to bring them to [[Brailsford]]. However, the jump fails, effectively wrecking the ''Raiden'' and damaging all DropShips to some degree. They find themselves stranded in an unknown star system. Two locations, a planet and a large moon, are identified as being habitable for humans. The initial plan is to release the DropShips after six days of drift so that they can complete the voyage under their own power, but late on day five the ''Raiden''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fusion core has to be scrammed. The ship is slowly breaking up and the DropShips must be released. One DropShip is trapped by a deformed [[Docking collar|Hardpoint]] in the process and ruptures its hull when trying to yank free. Four DropShips are clustered together, the others fan out. One ship brushes another while maneuvering; locked together and out of control they spin towards the planet for two days with no hope of survival. [[Lifeboat]]s carrying the JumpShip crew follow the surviving DropShips to the planet, later known as [[Kaetetôã]]. ===Part I - 3056 (Chapters 3 through 24)=== On 7 November [[3056]] the ''[[Scout]]''-class JumpShip ''[[Telendine]]'' has been awaiting clearance for fourteen days already while waiting at a [[Jump Point]] in the Salford system. Master and Commander Reston Bannin, a merchant, is fuming as he has a DropShip packed with valuable, but perishable [[Cholobara]] wine sitting down on the planet. Against his wishes he is assigned "military cargo" instead, namely a ''[[Leopard]]''-class DropShip carrying a [[DEST]] team under ''Sho-sa'' Yubari Takuda and [[Vost Lance|Garber Vost's mercenary unit]], bound for a classified destination. Like the ''Raiden'' did 546 years earlier, the ''Telendine'' misjumps out of Salford and has to be abandoned. Its lifeboat and the DropShip descend on Kaetetôã, noting the derelict hulk of another ship (the ''Raiden'') in orbit. They manage a crash landing on-planet. During the first night on the alien planet, the 27 remaining survivors form three distinct groups: Twelve DEST soldiers, eleven mercenaries and the four crew from the spaceships. Mercenary leader [[Garber Vost]] confronts Takuda with allegations that the Draconis Combine failed to fulfill their part of the mercenary contract, namely the safe insertion and extraction clause, and declares the contract null and void under the radically changed circumstances. He goes on to suggest that the surviving women should be dealt out to the best men to ensure survival on this new world, which all agree they have no chance to leave again. Over the following days, edible plants are identified, solving the food problem. Garber Vost seeks to assume overall command. To this end, he wants to salvage the [[BattleMech]]s from the crashlanded ''Leopard''. Mistrust and tension build up among the survivors. A DEST patrol encounters a large, birdlike alien who speaks to them, introducing himself as Dakodo of the [[Tetatae]] species. Dakodo tells the survivors that other humans had arrived on the world centuries earlier. He recognizes the Draconis Combine's dragon symbol. While the Kuritans befriend the alien, a nearby mercenary patrol shoots another Tetatae specimen and wounds Dakodo. He is brought back to camp and his injuries are treated while the mercenaries apparently eat the one they shot. Later, Dakodo recounts the history of his species, how they separated into primitive plains dwellers and slightly less primitive forest dwellers (like himself), and how the first humans came five hundred years ago. The humans fought both among themselves and against the peaceful Tetatae, and took to enslaving Tetatae. Three human settlements remain on the planet, but their technology level is low; they have no aircraft. Vost and his mercenaries, especially LAM pilot Brian Seagroves, are excited to hear that and secretly decide that they can rule the planet by hiring out the superior firepower of their 'Mechs. The mercenaries agree to have Seagroves reconnoiter the human settlements with his LAM, and for the time being the estranged survivors cooperate to free the LAM from the hulk of the broken DropShip. Seagroves is then ordered by Takuda to make a high pass, avoiding contact as much as possible, while Vost secretly orders him to fly over the settlements as low as possible to inspire awe. Defying both, Seagroves lands the LAM in a plaza in one of the settlements (Usugumo, the city of traders) and makes contact. He is excited to see an abundance of gold used on the buildings, and is treated with utmost respect by the residents. Tensions about how to proceed flare up again. Based on Seagroves' (incomplete) report, Takuda decides to send patrols to the three entrenched cities which are obviously fighting each other to scout them out. In the meantime, the remaining BattleMechs are to be recovered. Vost irritates everybody by insisting that his ''[[Panther]]'' be retrieved first, although it is the 'Mech that is most difficult to reach. Because of this, the patrols return before any of the 'Mechs are free, and report on their findings. Besides Usugumo, a merchant oligarchy where wealth defines status, there are the cities of Osio (run by a centralized dictatorship) and Amatakaze (religious fundamentalists with a pure Shinto/Buddhism philosophy). Vost calls for an impromptu election in an attempt to have himself elected as overall leader, but one of the DEST soldiers subtly threatens him not to press the matter for the time being. The mercenary faction subsequently decides to secretly finish the retrieval of their 'Mechs and use them to attack the DEST command post. ''[[Locust]]'' pilot Holly Goodall and her tech Sagiri Johnson have second thoughts about the planned murder, however, and decide to warn Takuda and his men. Later that night, two DEST teams attempt to capture the mercenaries with tranquilizer guns. Reston Bannin happens to stand in the way atop his DropShip. He is hit and stunned, but falls to his death into the hangar bay. A firefight ensues between the DEST troopers and the mercenaries who are caught red-handed while trying to power up their 'Mechs. The ''Phoenix Hawk LAM'', ''Panther'' and ''[[Javelin]]'' escape while Holly Goodall in her ''Locust'' manages to kill the other ''Locust'' pilot, Collis Brank, with a cockpit hit. On the following day, the remaining nine DEST members together with Goodall, Johnson, DropShip pilot Parker Davud and JumpShip engineer Mark Jacobs, take the two remaining ''Locust''s out of the DropShip wreck. At this point they are swarmed by cheering and excited Tetatae because of the birdlike look and movement patterns of the ''Locust''s: While the other BattleMechs have a largely humanoid shape and were thus associated with the human newcomers by the Tetatae, the ''Locust''s vaguely resemble the Tetatae body and are regarded as divine beings who will bring back the balance that the humans have upset. Takuda and his men, being the riders and masters of the ''Locust''s, immediately gain godlike status with the primitive aliens, much to Takuda's dislike. Discussing the damaged ''Locust'' they discover that Marc Jacobs is actually a [[dispossessed]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]. While the DEST troopers are also qualified 'Mech pilots, they are more useful outside of the damaged machine while Jacobs has no particular role or function. He is therefore allowed to pilot the surplus 'Mech. They come under attack from the mercenaries while evacuating the DropShip, but escape into hidden caves with guidance from the Tetatae. ===Part 2 - 3056 (Chapters 25 through 50)=== Takuda has patrols infiltrate the three city enclaves with help from the resident Tetatae servants. In Usugumo, a female DEST trooper is taken captive as the inhabitants cannot accept a woman being in command. The Usugumo are also reported to be about to hire the mercenaries. The next mercenary attack against Takuda's faction is repulsed by luring the attackers into various types of pit and other traps (built by the resourceful Tetatae workforce under directions from the DEST experts) while a DEST team infiltrates the prison and frees the captive, stealing a steam-driven Usugumo tank in the process. Combined, these events considerably lower the mercenaries' reputation among their potential employers. In response, they led a Usugumo attack force against Takuda's men and the Tetatae, only to be repulsed again. Both LAM pilot Brian Seagroves and ''Javelin'' pilot Kendall Pesht begin to make their own deals with the residents from all three cities behind Vost's back. However, the cities in turn approach Takuda's camp as well, and a secret coven of leaders from all three cities decides to play all factions against each other with hopes that the newcomer factions will eliminate each other. Once the mercenaries begin to realize their precarious position they decide on a demonstration of their power, and begin to destroy some defenses at Osio and Amatukaze. Takuda attempts to exploit the situation by attacking the mercenary 'Mechs but this time his forces are driven off. However, in the aftermath of his failed attacks human and Tetatae recruits flock to Takuda's banner (against his wishes) as they regard his party as an alternative to the unsatisfying life in their cities. A combined effort from the cities, supported by the mercenaries, eventually threatens to overrun Takuda's position and inflicts severe casualties among his followers. Inspired by a Tetatae legend about another human settlement in the mountains they eventually begin to move off in that direction, pursued by the mercenaries who manage to destroy one of the ''Locust''s. Vost, who is also qualified as a LAM pilot, switches 'Mechs with Seagroves for a recon run but does not realize the LAM is almost out of fuel, as Seagroves disabled the warning light during a previous mission. The resulting crash destroys the LAM, presumably kills Vost and effectively ends the pursuit of Takuda's group. Seagroves and Pesht return to the warring cities to work as mercenaries. High up in the mountains, Takuda and his followers eventually arrive at the resting place of the DropShip ''Hideyoshi Toyotomi''. They review the last log entry which describes how the survivors mothballed the ship and committed ''[[seppuku]]'', as the crew had been unable to contact any other humans and no women had survived the planetfall. Over time, Takuda and the refugees who came with him manage to bring the DropShip back to flying condition by scavenging parts from the remaining ''Locust'', produce fuel and eventually lift off towards the second habitable world in the unknown system, the moon they have come to call Far Country. While they take off, circles of fire can be seen around the human settlements, and the ''Panther'' and ''Javelin'' are stalking each other.<ref name=FCp363>''Far Country'', p. 363</ref> == Featured characters == * Dakodo (of the [[Tetatae]] species) * [[Brian Seagroves]] * ''[[Sho-sa]]'' [[Yubari Takuda]] * [[Garber Vost]] == Featured places == * [[Kaetetôã]] * [[Salford]] * [[Brailsford]] (mentioned) == Featured Units == * 2452nd Battalion, [[5th Galedon Regulars]] (in [[2510]]) * [[Draconis Elite Strike Team]] 6654 * [[Vost Lance]] == Featured BattleTech == ===BattleMechs=== * ''[[Javelin]]'' * ''[[Locust]]'' * ''[[Panther]]'' * ''[[Phoenix Hawk LAM]]'' ===Vehicles=== * [[Chi-Ha]] APC ===DropShips=== * ''[[Leopard]]'' * ''[[Seeker]]'' (mentioned as modern successor to the similar ''Vulture'' class) * ''[[Vulture (DropShip class)|Vulture]]'' (''[[Hideyoshi Toyotomi]]'') ===JumpShips=== * ''[[Leviathan (JumpShip class)|Leviathan]]'' (''[[Raiden (Individual Leviathan-class JumpShip)|Raiden]]'') * ''[[Scout]]'' (''[[Telendine]]'') == Explorer Corps context == Around 1993, [[FASA]] planned to expand the [[BattleTech]] universe through a new story arc dealing with the exploration of the [[Periphery]] under the aegis of [[ComStar]]'s [[Explorer Corps (ComStar)|Explorer Corps]] in search of [[Strana Mechty]], the [[Clan]] homeworld. This would have expanded the game's scope beyond the known human sphere of influence, with possible encounters of [[aliens]]. The core product of this new line would have been the ''Explorer Corps Campaign Set'' which was originally planned to be a boxed set. ''Far Country'' was to be the first of several novels in the Explorer Corps setting; author [[Peter Rice (person)|Peter Rice]] was said<ref>according to [http://www.classicbattletech.com/forumarchive/index.php/topic,57959.msg1386842.html#msg1386842 this posting] (dead link) (archived) on the [[CBT Forum]]; posting also copied to this article's [[Talk:Far Country|Talk page]] for reference</ref> to have had a contract for a second "Explorer Corps" novel. FASA ultimately did not follow up this plan, however. Instead of the boxed campaign set, ''[[Explorer Corps (sourcebook)|Explorer Corps]]'' was eventually released as a sourcebook and no further "Explorer Corps" novels were published after ''Far Country''. An advertisement for ''The Far Country'' in the [[1993 Update Flyer]] reads: {{quote|''In this Explorer Corps novel, a misjump traps a crew of mercenaries and DEST commandos on an uncharted planet. There they encounter a strangely hostile alien race, and realize that humans have been there before — and may still be around.''}} [[Sam Lewis (person)|Sam Lewis]], in a 2022 interview, described ''Far Country'' as an experiment that he had green-lit because the author wanted to try something different, but which he later regarded as a failed experiment.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMKQ_zW4cnE "Sam Lewis Talks BattleTech" interview with Renegade HPG] (YouTube video uploaded 02 February 2022)</ref> ==Far No Longer== Late on 31 March 2021 (so that it was already [[:Category:April Fools Products|01 April]] for some fans), former Line Developer [[Herb Beas]] started an unofficial and strictly private, ''i.e.'' noncanonical, story titled [https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/far-no-longer/ ''Far No Longer''] in the fan fiction section of the [[BattleTech Forum]]. The story turns the original premise on its head: A misjump to [[Pleione]] amidst ongoing fighting in [[3153]] brings a human mercenary force to a deserted world which is discovered to apparently be Pleione some 5000 years in the future. It is discovered that Tetatae empires have colonized the former Inner Sphere long since; humans seem to have wiped themselves largely out and what remains of them are reservations of low-tech humans living without space travel technology on a small handful of worlds, supervised by an advanced Tetatae civilization with Tetatae versions of BattleMechs, power armor, and "Warpships" that functionally serve as JumpShips but seem to work differently. ==Foreign-Language Editions== ===German=== A German edition, translated by [[Reinhold H. Mai]], was published by [[Heyne]] in 1995 as ''Fernes Land'' (ISBN 9783453077836).<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/943688825 first printing of ''Fernes Land'']</ref> The book had a second printing in 1995 under the same ISBN.<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/94462376X second printing of ''Fernes Land'']</ref> This was also republished as an EPUB by [[Ulisses Medien & Spiel Distribution GmbH|Ulisses Spiele]] in 2017 as ''BattleTech Legenden 22 : Fernes Land'' (ISBN 9783957526779).<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/1144862078 ''BattleTech Legenden 22 : Fernes Land'']</ref> ===Russian=== A Russian edition, translated by I. Novitsky, was published by [[Армада]] (Armada) in 1996 as ''Далекая страна'' (ISBN 5763201507). <ref> Science Fiction Lab Book description for [http://fantlab.ru/edition39431 Далекая страна]</ref><ref> National Library of Russia description for [https://webservices.nlr.ru/util/?method=recordFormat&vid=07NLR_VU1&sysid=005356676&format=037&base=NLR01 Далекая страна (1996)]</ref> A reprint was published in 2003 (ISBN 5710768308) by [[Дрофа]] (Drofa) as part of a different series produced in collaboration with [[Армада-пресс]] (Armada-Press). <ref> Science Fiction Lab Book description for [http://fantlab.ru/edition42272 Далекая страна]</ref> ==Covers== <gallery> Image:Fernes Land.jpg|1996 German edition. Art by FASA. Image:BattleTech Legenden 22 - Fernes Land.jpg|2017 German edition (reprint). Image:Далекая страна.jpg|1996 Russian edition. Image:Далекая страна-2003.jpg|2003 Russian edition (reprint). </gallery> == References == <references /> [[Category:Novels]] [[Category:BattleCorps publications]] [[Category:Classic BattleTech novels]] [[Category:Works by Peter Rice]] [[Category:German Editions]] [[Category:Russian Editions]]

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