SOMETHING LURKS IN THE SHADOWS... During the chaos of the Word of Blake's Jihad, the MechWarriors of the Federated Suns will go to any lengths to defend their nation from the Blakists' unholy terror-including making deals with the devil. But that devil might just be a literal one: an all-black Marauder, hidden for several decades, that carries an aura of dread that infects everyone who encounters it. Many blame it for causing unexplained disappearances, technical failures, and even madness. But what is the so-called Dark One? Is it merely a ghost story told to scare pirates on the edge of the Periphery, or does something truly evil live beneath its cold, blackened armor? This anthology collects the first three of Lance Scarinci's stories about the Dark One, along with a brand-new fourth story exclusive to this volume.