The choice of first pilot for the first BattleMech was a difficult one, and fierce; perhaps too fierce? BattleMechs have been kings of the battlefield for centuries. But it wasn’t always so. In this first installment of a grand new series, the "Proliferation Cycle" looks at the rise of BattleMech technology and a story of the first people to be tapped as the first MechWarriors. Story by Ilsa J. Bick.