From the back of the book:
"Nearly three hundred years ago, the Star League was torn apart when the ambitious House Lords launched the Inner Sphere into endless war. The Great Father Aleksandr Kerensky led our forefathers, the remnants of the noble Star League army, away from that empty conflict. In turn, his son Nicholas forged us into the Clans: a society founded on unity, strength and skill. With each generation we evolved, awaiting the day when we would return to the Inner Sphere to save it from itself.
Now is the time of the Return. Some among the Clans insist that conquest of the Inner Sphere is the only Way, but we know that this path will only lead us into the chaos of the past. Our true mission is far more noble: we must act as the Wardens of the Inner Sphere until the time is right and humanity is truly reunited. Only then will the true Star League have returned to the Inner Sphere.
- Ulric Kerensky, ilKhan of the Clans"