The book's canonical resolution is unclear due to the fact that the far-reaching implications of the plot never materialized in other publications and had no impact on the overall timeline, it is explicitly established that the SLS Manassas was destroyed one way or another before any party could investigate its experimental jump drive. Complicating matters is the fact the ship's captain had a falling out with Aleksandr Kerensky for incompetence and insubordination in the 31st century, the Clans remember him as a war criminal while Star League propaganda covering up the true events led to the Inner Sphere believing him to be a hero.Īlthough it is technically within the scope of established technologies for the BattleTech universe, fans have voiced mixed feelings about the 'time travel' story arc which some feel violates the aesthetics and feel of the setting. For the Star League era vessel, being held in jump stasis effectively amounts to a jump ahead in time when she emerges in the Clan Occupation Zone in 3058, right in the middle of an Inner Sphere espionage mission carried out by ComStar's Explorer Corps. On the eve of Operation Exodus, the SLS Manassas, a WarShip with an experimental advanced KF drive, suffers a misjump that delays its emergence at the destination system by almost three centuries.
