Gun Hazard: A Mercenary's Iron Legs

Gun Hazard: A Mercenary's Iron Legs  is a novel which was released on June 7, 1996. A Mercenary's Iron Legs is an expanded universe supplement to  Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard. Although the novel is a partial adaptation of the video game, it is mostly comprised of new story content. As the subtitle implies, the novel revolves around the members of the Kernelight Association, such as Luven Al-Habi and Akihito Sakata. It also focuses on the relationship between Albert Grabner and Leros Arendal. Although a large segment of it is set before  Front Mission: Gun Hazard, there are parts of it which are set during the video game. In these segments, the focus shifts to the other characters seen in the video game.

Summary
A Mercenary's Iron Legs  begins two years before the events of  Front Mission: Gun Hazard  in January 2062, and ends before the video game does in December 2064. The story of  A Mercenary's Iron Legs  can be split into three acts.

1. Albert and Leros begin qualification training to become soldiers of NORAD's Norwegian branch. Around the same time, Luven starts working for the ARS Army and is tasked to recon a Zohar Alliance weapon codenamed "Galeon".

2. Dr. Akihito Sakata completes development of an experimental shield that can block energy fired from particle beam weaponry. Upon meeting mercenaries from Kernelight Association, he decides to test it out in live combat against them.

3. In their efforts to locate the Society's headquarters, the Kernelight mercenaries search for clues at several of their bases. They soon begin to notice connections between the development of the ATLAS orbital elevator and the Society.

Major Sub-plots

 * Albert's friendly rivalry and eventual friendship with Leros.
 * Leros' suspicions of Ark and his ambitions to govern Norway.
 * Luven's motivation to join the ARS Army and defeat the Zohar Alliance.
 * Akihito's regrets on the world's abandonment of the ATLAS Project.
 * The fall of the Middle East due to scarcity of natural resources.
 * The depth of the Society's corruption among governments worldwide.

Trivia

 * Leros' appearance in the novel correlates with that of Karen Meure's in the manga adaption of  Front Mission . Both character have suspicions of horrible events to come, and both end up being victimized of the said events.
 * The events of the novel strongly correlate with the events of the manga adaptation of Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard . This was likely done as both products were simultaneously planned during the development of  Front Mission: Gun Hazard.
 * There are seven black-and-white (B&W) illustrations inside the novel.