Adam Steiner goes to Dustball to recruit mech pilots. The only one they find is Volten Rayder.

Tybus makes a deal with Kristen Redmond to hand over the planet in exchange for the ability to continue in his smuggling. Tybus also controls Volten Rayder while he pays off his fathers debt.

Volten is sent to the clan trap engineered by Tybus. He and Dustball's 5 mechs are defeated, but The 1st Sumerset Strikers come to the rescue just in time. Kristen Redmond is angered and thinks Tybus double crossed her. She retreats to return with reinforcements.

Tybus places Ryder and the other strikers in prison. There they meet a FedCom spy who knows that Andrew Steiner is alive. The prisoners escape and try to retrieve their mechs. As the clans reinforcements begin attacking Dustball, Stiener convinces Tybus to let them go to save Dustball. Volten convinces Adam to give him the rank of Captain and joins the Strikers. The clan mechs engage the Sumerset Strikers and as they are on the verge of