Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover. After some careful consideration, I have decided to turn this crossover into a multi-crossover with Mass Effect. I've been talking with a few people that have been talking with me for some time and, given how well this crossover is doing, I decided to upgrade it into a multi-crossover. This chapter is just a little filler that explains what happened to some people and organizations. While Chief won't be present in the next few chapters, he will have his own time to shine a little later on. Thank you for the support you have shown this crossover, and I hope to see you on the next chapter. As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.


A Second Life - MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries OST

Terra

ONI HQ

June 15th, 2557

If there was one thing that could be said, it was that Admiral Osman was not having a good day. Sitting at her desk, she continued to look at a mountain of paperwork, as well as her watch, distantly noting that the time was 0930 hours. Within a few hours, she was going to have to attend a UEG Congress committee that would decide the fate of ONI, more specifically whether it would continue in it's current state, or whether it would be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up.

If it wasn't for that damned Star League, we would be making sure the Elites were never a threat to us, she growled inwardly, absentmindedly thumping the desk with a fist. After the war, the UNSC transferred it's emergency, wartime government powers back to the United Earth Government, the actual political body that ruled over the territory controlled by Humanity in their reality. As soon as it's power was restored, however, the UEG President, Ruth Claret, and the UEG Congress was faced with the immense task of rebuilding from the devastating Covenant-UNSC War, a war that had cost billions of innocent lives and had left Humanity in this reality at the edge of extinction. It was also well known that, if the Star League hadn't discovered the stable, interuniversal wormhole when it did, the UNSC would be in an even weaker state.

Realizing that the UEG wasn't capable of handling the job on it's own, President Ruth Claret decided to do the one thing no one wanted to do: ask the Star League and the Great Houses for help. In a eloquent and impassioned speech, she asked the Star League and the member Great Houses for help in rebuilding from the war, as the UEG would soon collapse if it didn't receive any form of help, even with the reforms she was pushing through. To everyone's relief, the Star League had agreed to help, but in exchange for financial help, she had to allow the Star League to build military installations so that the Star League could protect the UEG until the UNSC had reached sufficient levels of strength in order to protect the UEG without outside interference. Given the desperate situation that they were in, Ruth Claret agreed to the deal.

What she didn't know was that the SLIC would get it's hands on our business as well, Admiral Osman growled internally. Once President Claret had signed the trade/protection agreement, the Star League Defense Force, and it's intelligence apparatus, had made good on their promise, with military facilities being quickly produced. At the same time, corporations, such as Defiance Industries, came in and completely bought out their UEG counterparts, with only Misriah Armory surviving the mergers and buyouts thanks to some shrewd business decisions.

It wasn't just the UEG and UNSC that benefited from the trade/protection agreement. The newly reformed Covenant, led by Thel 'Vadam, the former Arbiter, also benefited greatly, as it was clear that the Elites wanted to undo the damage they had done to the UEG and UNSC. Thel had begun by paying massive war reparations to the UNSC, from raw materials to help rebuild military and civilian infrastructure, to advanced terraforming technologies that were quickly restoring the worlds the Covenant had glassed to their pre-glassing state. At the same time, President Claret and Thel 'Vadam had begun strengthening ties with each other, so that the tragedy of the Covenant-UNSC War would never happen ever again.

However, when it came to ONI, it was a massive headache all around. Before her disappearance, Admiral Parangosky had tasked Osman with the job of keeping the Elites occupied by a civil war, in order to prevent them from being able to threaten the UNSC and UEG ever again. Unfortunately, the Star League Intelligence Command had, apparently, read Parangosky's mind, as they had foiled every attempt by ONI to destabilize the reformed Covenant, from replacing poisoned food shipments with normal ones, to neutralizing Sangheilians and Jiralhanae that ONI had attempted to support in rebelling against the Arbiter. One particular Sangheilian, 'Telcam, had been assassinated by an SLIC Agent, with the assassination looking like a tragic, and unavoidable, accident.

As a result, Osman suspected that the SLIC had infiltrated every square inch of ONI, from the most basic jobs, to some of the most strategic occupations inside of ONI's divisions, from Section One all the way to Section Three. Personnel that were involved with various secret projects had mysteriously vanished, though she suspected that the SLIC had abducted these people, preventing ONI from destabilizing the Covenant. On top of that, sensitive documents had been leaked onto the newly installed HyperNet, the Star League/Great House's 31st Century equivalent of the 21st Century Internet. The public outcry that had occurred when these documents were leaked onto the HyperNet had caused a storm of resignations, leaving ONI with just a skeleton crew that kept it barely functional.

Taking a sip of some coffee, Osman finished up with the last of the paperwork that she was working on, putting them away into neatly arranged file cabinets before locking them securely. As soon as she closed the last one, she heard a knocking on the door. "Come in," she replied, with an aide walking into the room moments later. "What is it," she asked.

"Ma'am, the committee is going to begin soon," the aide replied. "Should I have the car ready to go for you?"

"Yes," Osman replied. "I was about to leave for the committee, as a matter of fact. Is everything secured?"

"Yes, ma'am," the aide replied.

"Good," Osman smiled, a cold, humorless smile that seemed to lower the temperature of the room by a few degrees. Picking up a briefcase from her desk, she walked out the door, glancing to the left and right as she did so. Moments later, the aide closed the door behind her, leaving the room completely empty and devoid of life.

. . .

Sangheilios

'Vadam Keep

June 15th, 2557

While Osman was having a very bad day at the office, Thel 'Vadam was having a good day. The former Arbiter's facial expression was currently in the Sangheilian equivalent of a smiling human, with his mandibles spread in a similar manner. Finishing the last piece of paperwork on his desk, he deactivated the datapad, setting it down before getting up and walking into a small, visiting room, where he looked outside of the window and at the area surrounding 'Vadam Keep.

It had been roughly four years since the end of the Covenant-Human War, and things had done well during this time. After the war ended, Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Watrinee had carried out exactly what he had declared he would in his speech: he formally rebuilt the Covenant from the ground up, not as a theocracy, but as a neo-feudal government that was inspired by the Federated Commonwealth from the Inner Sphere. He also announced that he had no desire to lead the new Covenant, as he was a military leader, not a politician.

Thel frowned at that memory, remembering the uproar that had caused. When asked who his successor would be, 'Jar Watrinee decided that Thel would be his successor, asking the younger Sangheilian if he would be willing to take up the mantle of First Lord of the Covenant. Realizing the responsibility of such a task, he had surprised everyone when he declined the offer, stating that he wasn't ready for the responsibility and that he was more suited for the military, not a position of leadership. When it was clear that no one else wanted the job, though, he had reluctantly taken up the title of First Lord of the Covenant, becoming Lord 'Vadam in the process.

I never wanted this power, Thel thought to himself as he looked down on the land below him. Still, if no one else wants to do the job, then I will do so, to the best of my ability. At least my decision to pay war reparations to the Humans was the right decision. Not all of the Kaidons are happy, but it is the right choice nonetheless. On top of that, our economy is running smoothly, thanks to my decision to study the Federated Commonwealth's economy.

He frowned again as he remembered what had happened after he became First Lord of the Covenant. After he had reluctantly become the Covenant's new ruler, he announced that they would have to perform a major restructuring of the Sangheilian's economy, as their current economic system was unsuitable and would lead to a major economic depression if change didn't come. While a few Kaidon's disagreed with his decision, many more Kaidon's agreed with Thel's assessment of the Covenant's economy: it needed to change.

Surprisingly, it was Garrett Manfred, the Federated Commonwealth's ambassador to Sangheilios, that came up with the solution. While he was, by no means, an economist, he had suggested to Thel that the newly reformed Covenant could use a Capitalist based free economy to replace the current economy that was being used at the time. It was an economy where businesses could thrive, where people could by the products they wanted, and where those people could form businesses of their own if they wanted. As a source of inspiration, Manfred had suggested that Thel talk to a number of economists, business owners, while studying the economy the Federated Commonwealth used for inspiration. In the end, Thel had decided to use a modified form of the Federated Commonwealth's economy.

It was a decision that immediately paid off. Within a few months, businesses on Sangheilios thrived, with many more forming and booming in the absence of the former Covenant's restrictions. It wasn't just business that boomed either; Thel had also learned that his people's culture was thriving as well, with new ideas and artistic outlets forming, again, in the absence of the Covenant's restrictions. What made him happy, however, was that his people approved of his decisions, which continued to motivate him to do good by them.

What makes me said is that it wasn't a smooth one, he thought to himself. While a lot of Sangheilians were happy with the decisions that he had made, some were disgruntled by what he had viewed as necessary change. One particular Sangheilian, 'Telcam, had vocally protested his decisions, and had gone on to form a terrorist organization called the 'Servants of The Abiding Truth', which had conducted multiple terrorist attacks on his people. The end result was a brief civil war that had lasted a month, with the end coming about when 'Telcam had died due to what seemed like an unfortunate accident.

That was when he learned the truth: the Star League was helping him take care of business. He had learned the truth when SLIC Agent Stennings had visited him at one point, with Stennings using an micro-EMP to destroy any bugs in his office before speaking with him. What Stennings told him had made him very angry, and it was only his discipline as a Sangheilian Warrior that held his anger in check. According to Stennings, ONI had been responsible for 'Telcam's insurrection, as they were attempting to keep the Covenant divided in order to, one day, completely destroy them. To counter this, the SLIC had immediately gone to work exposing ONI's crimes, while destroying any form of insurrection against the newly reformed Covenant. While it didn't make him happy, it did comfort him to know that the Star League had his people's back covered.

Walking over to his desk, Thel's dark mood melted away when he saw a photograph on the table. Picking it up, he looked at the photo, which was a picture of himself and a female Sangheilian standing next to him, with an infant in her arms. Xiala, he thought happily, a happy growl coming from his throat as he brushed the photo with a hand.

Shortly after 'Telcam had been eliminated, Thel had encountered a female Sangheilian that had been suffering abuse from her current husband, who was an ardent supporter of 'Telcam's insurrection. Xiala 'Voram, as she was called, had fled from her husband, and was desperate to find someone that could protect her from him. When she had stumbled onto Thel, she had begged him to help her, to keep her safe from her husband.

Shocked by what he had heard, he had taken Xiala in and gave her a room to stay in his keep. During the next two weeks, the two had developed a strong relationship with each other, while he had tended to the wounds she suffered thanks to her husband's abuse. Eventually, Xiala told Thel that she loved him, as he was a far better man than her current husband, and wanted to marry him. In the end, he'd agreed to marry her as well. When her husband found out, he was furious, but his fury was in vain, as the Elite had been arrested and taken to prison, where Xiala told him that she had divorced him.

Thel smiled when he remembered what happened after that. Once the two had married, both Sangheilians had returned to his keep, where they engaged in the most intimate form of love that they could partake in, an experience that he and his mate deeply enjoyed. Over the past four years, Xiala had laid roughly three eggs, with each one being laid a few months after they mated. They had hatched separately, with the oldest being Quom and the youngest being his daughter Thiala. Quom and Torav, Thel's second childling, were born about a year a part, and were old enough to go to school, while Thiala, the youngest, was too young to leave Xiala's side still.

Hearing a noise, he looked up to see three Sangheilians entering the room. One was his mate, Xiala, who was wearing an elegant green and blue dress, which left her waist exposed, while covering her chest, hips and part of her legs. In her arms was Thiala, who was still too young to eat solid food, as Xiala was still breast feeding her. Next to her were two Sangheilians that he immediately recognized. "Xiala, Bero, Riala," he said a moment later. "Welcome."

"Is this a bad time," Xiala asked.

"No," Thel replied. "I just finished my work for the day." Walking over, he tenderly held Xiala by her waist while saying, "Besides, I will always be able to make time for you, Xiala." A moment later, he gently kissed her, his mandibles interlocking with hers for a few seconds. Pulling away a moment later, he did something similar with Thiala, who gurgled and cooed appreciatively. Looking at Bero, he said, "You're doing quite well for yourself, from what I can see, Bero."

"Thank you," Bero replied. "I was coming to visit an old friend and to see how you were doing. My mate wanted to see you as well."

"Very well," Thel replied, sitting down in a chair nearby. "Come. Sit down, take some time to rest." Motioning to a few other chairs, he watched as Xiala and the others sat down as well. Looking at Riala, he asked, "What happened to you? I don't meant to be rude, I just wish to understand what happened to you."

"It's alright," Riala replied. The reason why Thel asked was simple, as Riala now looked very similar to Bero in a lot of ways. She had horns and bony growths protruding out of her body, but they were smaller than Bero's and where Bero's horns were curved, Riala's were straight. She also had elongated fangs like Bero, and her musculature was more pronounced, though the bulge on her chest armor indicated that she was clearly a female still. "Bero and I melded together when we made love with each other."

"Melded," Thel asked, surprised.

"A result of my shape-shifting abilities," Bero replied. "When I was speaking with the Precursor, he told me that he and his mate would physically fuse together, with their bodies merging more and more until they were, physically speaking, more one being than two, with their minds performing a similar fusion. He called it 'melding', as their bodies were becoming one on a cellular level. When that happens, the DNA of both partners beings to mix, with certain genes being passed between each other.

"When we mated, Riala and I melded together. Her breasts melded with my chest, our torso's melted into each other, our hips and legs fused together, our arms melted into each other's bodies, and our faces fused together, with our eyes melding together in the process. When that happened, I unintentionally gave her a copy of the Flood DNA inside of my body, causing her to gain the same abilities that I gained when I was infected."

Riala added her own words a moment later. "When we fused and he accidentally gave me a copy of those genes, he was extremely worried, afraid that I would be angry."

"And were you," Thel asked.

"No," Riala replied, shaking her head to emphasize her words. "How could I be angry with him? He was still exploring the capabilities of his body, and he had no idea that was going to happen. I told him that he didn't have to worry, and that I wasn't in pain; in fact, it actually felt wonderful, to know that I was physically and mentally fusing with the one that I loved. I can safely say that I have never felt happier than when we fused together. It was a wonderful experience, one that I eagerly wish to experience again."

Bero continued to speak when Riala fell silent. "During our melding, we shared our memories with each other, showing each other who we were, with nothing being hidden from each other. I know of Riala's faults and failings, but I also know of her compassion, kindness and love. If anything, our mental and physical melding strengthened our relationship with each other instead of driving a wedge between each other.

"For a good twenty minutes, we remained in that state, with my seed entering Riala's flesh while she allowed me to experience what it was like to be a female Sangheili, as I could feel the physical sensations of her memories while in that state. When we separated, she grew the bodily features that you see. Now, we will be with each other forever as long as we are careful, since Riala and I are biologically immortal now."

"And did you have…" Thel trailed off.

Thel watched as Bero smiled in reply, just as something gelatinous flowed out from underneath his armor and onto Riala's lap. Moments later, Thel watched as the gelatinous mass of flesh reformed into a Sangheilian childling with bright blue eyes, dark gray skin and two small bumps on the back of the childing's head. "Thel," Riala purred as she picked up her childling. "Meet one of our childlings, Vorana 'Kusovai."

Xiala smiled when she saw the small childling. "She looks wonderful," she remarked. "Almost like a perfect blend of you two."

"She does," Bero replied. Looking at her, he asked, "Would you like to hold her?"

"Certainly," Xiala replied. Picking up Vorana, Bero gently passed her to Xiala, who purred and cooed at the young Sangheilian. Vorana, despite not being able to speak, seemed to understand what was going on, as she hugged Xiala's face, gurgling appreciatively before nuzzling Xiala. A moment later, she handed Vorana over to Thel, who took her into his hands as gently as he could.

When he felt the childling in his hands, Thel was surprised to see that Vorana was looking at him intently, with her eyes not flinching from him for one second. Moments later, Thel felt a slight buzzing sensation, then a small, child-like voice said, Hello, Uncle. It's wonderful to meet you.

When that happened, Thel felt tears rolling down his face. Ignoring them, he said, Hello, Vorana. It's wonderful to meet you too. In reply, Vorana smiled at him, and he felt her happiness through the mental link she was maintaining. Looking at Bero, he said, "Your childling can communicate telepathically."

"I know," Bero replied. "To be honest, Riala and I were surprised when Vorana spoke that way for the first time, since most childlings don't speak until their about a year old. Her very first words to us were 'Mommy, Daddy. I love you.' When that happened, both of us were surprised, but then we realized that when we mated, the DNA that I shared with Riala was transferred from me and Riala into our childling. As far as I can tell, any of our children will be able to transmit the genes that give Riala and I our capabilities. About a few months later, more of her abilities activated; it's only recently that she gained the ability to shape-shift. She tends to tire out after using that ability a few times, but her endurance is increasing in that regard."

"Really," Thel remarked. Handing Vorana back to Riala, he watched as the female Sangheilian cooed at her child, with the two engaging in a short, mental conversation before she stood up, cradling Vorana in her arms as she walked towards the opposite side of the room. Even from over there, Thel could hear her cooing at her child.

While Riala was over there, Bero looked at Thel and said, "So, how goes your stewardship of the Covenant?"

"It's a little rough right now," Thel replied, "but it's starting to smooth out. Ever since 'Telcam disappeared, it's been easier. ONI is no longer as much of a threat as it used to be, but I still keep an eye out anyways. The Star League has been helping the UNSC rebuild since the end of the war. From what I hear, relations between the two are getting stronger every day."

"That's good," Bero replied. "The Universe, or Multiverse rather, needs more people like Hanse Steiner-Davion, Admiral Hood, Alex Woverine and you, Thel. It's people like you, who are willing to bring our races together despite what happened, that the Multiverse needs. I truly believe that to be the case."

"I know," Thel replied. "Still, when the time comes, I will gladly give up my throne to someone who is better suited for the job. After which, I intend to spend the rest of my life with Xiala. When I see her, it's as though nothing else matters but her; she is the reason why I'm able to cope with life after the war. She's my anchor to reality." Realizing she was in the room still, he said, "Uh, you heard that, didn't you?"

"Yes," Xiala replied, "and there's no shame in what you have admitted. To be honest, Thel, you're special to me as well. You're the reason why I decided to keep living."

Thel merely smiled at that, an innocent and happy smile. Looking around, he said, "Anywhere you want to go right now?"

"Some food would be nice," Bero replied, just as Vorana's stomach growled. Thel smiled at that as he got up. It was good to be around people that you loved. Having seen what loss and death was, Thel knew that this is what true happiness was.

. . .

Federated Commonwealth

SLIC Monitoring Station

June 15th, 3058

On the other side of the interuniversal wormhole, Agent Stennings was listening in closely to the meeting between Admiral Osman, the other UNSC Admirals, as well as members of the UEG Congressional Committee that was currently determining whether or not ONI was going to be shut down, or completely overhauled, or a combination of both. Pressing a few holographic icons here and there, he intently listened in on the conversation, with the AI he was working with keeping notes on every significant pieces of information that was being exchanged in the room. So far, from what he was hearing, Admiral Osman was being grilled by the others for her failure to keep the peace, as well as her attempts to instigate a civil war inside of the newly reformed Covenant.

About time they grilled her over the furnace, he thought, a smile forming on his face. ONI has been a nuisance for a long time. If they get shut down, or significantly overhauled, it will be a blow for liberty and against tyranny. Finis ONI. They have no idea what's about to hit them.

He smiled a little more as he remembered the events that had happened since then. After the war with the Covenant had ended with the Hierarch's defeat, the Star League and the newly reformed Covenant, under the command of Thel 'Vadam, had been working on improving relations between the two governments. For about a year, things had gone smoothly, with the Star League and Covenant forming limited trade agreements with each other.

Then, that was when 'Telcam's 'Servants of The Abiding Truth' began to cause trouble inside of the newly reformed Covenant. Realizing that 'Telcam previously didn't have the funding or support for his cause, he, and a handful of SLIC Agents, went to work finding out who was funding 'Telcam's insurrection. He wasn't too surprised when he learned that it was ONI's handiwork, as he knew that they had been pulling stunts like this against the Star League, though each attempt failed miserably in it's goals.

After informing First Lord Hanse Davion of what was going on, the First Lord of the Star League gave him one single order: stop ONI by any means necessary. To that end, Stennings had gotten together a task force with one purpose in mind: to stop 'Telcam's insurrection and to tear ONI to shreds, in order to stop any further acts of state funded terrorism. Once they determined what to do, they immediately proceeded with Operation BROKEN INSURRECTION.

In the first month of the operation, newly recruited Sangheilian SLIC Agents completely infiltrated 'Telcam's insurrection, posing as eager recruits for his organization. At the same time, SLIC Agents embedded inside of ONI went to work finding out who was responsible for funding the organization, using the same tactics as the Sangheilian SLIC Agents. Once they were in position, Stennings gave the order.

That was when BROKEN INSURRECTION became a complete success. In 'Telcam's organization, one Sangheilian SLIC Agent assassinated 'Telcam in his sleep, before making it look as though he had accidentally imbibed too much sleeping medication. At the same time, SLIC Agents embedded into ONI found the people responsible for instigating the rebellion and quietly assassinated them, making their deaths look like tragic, unavoidable accidents. When that happened, 'Telcam's insurrection fell apart, with the organization fracturing into multiple cells that were constantly fighting with each other, before they were destroyed as well.

When he had informed Thel of what had happened, he was deeply infuriated by ONI's attempts to destroy a friendly, legitimate government, and it was only his discipline as the former Arbiter that kept his rage in check. Once he'd calmed down, after nearly completely wrecking his office, he had thanked Stennings for dealing with a mutual problem and had begun talks of reaching a technological agreement. Currently, the talks were underway, and it seemed as thought the Covenant would become a strong ally of the Star League.

Noticing something on the camera feed, Stennings looked to see Osman getting up rather forcefully, before walking out of the room with what seemed to be barely contained rage. Looking at the information the AI compiled, he immediately saw why. Yes, he thought. Looks like the UNSC finally took care of it's own problem. Looking at the AI, which looked like a 21st Century Secret Service agent, he said, "Contact First Lord Davion. I have good news to share."

"Affirmative," the AI replied. Moments later, Hanse Davion appeared on the holographic feed. Putting down something he had been reading, he looked at Stennings and said, "I take it you have good news."

"Yes sir," Stennings replied. "The UNSC and UEG have agreed to completely overhaul ONI. They just stripped Admiral Osman of her position and she is currently awaiting a tribunal. From what I can tell, she'll be court marshaled and dishonorably discharged. In other words, ONI is finished."

"Excellent," Hanse Davion beamed. "ONI was a problem for the UNSC from the very start, and people like Parangosky, Serin, Ackerson and Osman are the ones to blame for some of their problems. What makes me happy is that they have been removed from the equation for good."

"Indeed," Stennings remarked. "So, how are things on your end?"

"Doing fine," Hanse Davion remarked. "Now that ONI has been finished as an aggressor, we can finally focus on solidifying relations with the reformed Covenant and, if all goes well, we will begin sharing some of our more restricted forms of technology with them, such as BattleMech technology and things like that."

"Indeed," Stennings replied. "While BROKEN INSURRECTION was a success, one of it's members did manage to escape our notice."

"I know," Hanse Davion replied. "One Jul 'Mdama if I recall correctly, yes?"

"Correct," Stennings replied. "He was one of 'Telcam's closest friends; they had similar ideologies and they were more than willing to cause trouble. While we managed to get at the root of the problem with the Servants of The Abiding Truth, 'Mdama will most likely use this as an opportunity to gather support and start up his own terrorist organization."

"Indeed," Hanse Davion remarked. "I will speak to Admiral Conners, the head of the SLIC, on contingencies in the event that 'Mdama becomes a problem. If I recall correctly, your dossier on 'Mdama indicates that he has a severe dislike of the Star League, and believes we are the reason why the original Covenant fell apart. If I know 'Mdama, he'll attempt to form his terrorist organization in the Star League. It's the last place most of our agents would look."

"Indeed," Hanse Davion remarked. "I'll speak with Conners on that matter. In the meantime, Stennings, continue focusing on making sure that the UNSC is able to rebuild. While we are more advanced than they are, I have no intention of controlling them from the shadows. They were formed legitimately, and I do not intend to cause any further problems. Understood?"

"Understood," Stennings replied.

"Good," Hanse Davion remarked. "Continue with your operations. Hanse Davion out." With that, the C-HPG COM link ended. Nodding in agreement, Stennings turned back to his monitoring station. He had a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it.