Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect Crossover. Thank you for the support that you have shown my crossovers. I deeply appreciate the feedback that you all have been giving me. Concerning my Halo - Terminator crossover, we'll be diverging from the original storyline some more thanks to the events that have taken place. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say that the Covenant are about to have a real, bad day. Either way, keep it up! As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo, MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Electronic Arts, BioWare, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original 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.


SABATON - For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica Cover)

New Elysium V

Free Worlds League/ Periphery Border

May 20th, 3075

The city of Utopia was, according to most people, one of the most beautiful cities in the entire Inner Sphere, and it was easy to see why. The city, which had been built in the year 3062, was the Capitol city of the colony of New Elysium V, which had been established on the planet of the same name about a year before the city was built. New Elysium V, according to planetary surveys, was an alpine/highland planet, which meant that most of the terrain was occupied by mountains, with year round snow on most of the mountains and evergreen trees on the parts that were not snowed in, with a few grasslands thrown into the mix. To many, the planet of New Elysium V was very similar to Tharkad, in that both planets had a large region that had an alpine terrain and climate.

Another reason why New Elysium, the star system holding New Elysium V, was so popular of a tourist trap was it's historical significance. It was in this star system that the Star League had First Contact with the Turian Hierarchy, near the subtropical planet of New Elysium IV that was currently being colonized. Tourists from both the Council Races and the Star League came here to see the star system that had the supreme honor of being the first system where Humanity met the Turians.

That was a fact that Richmond O'Connor could attest to, as the air was chilly, with some snow that was falling down from a slate gray sky. He was currently standing outside of his workplace, along with dozens of others who were on their lunch or smoke break, a much needed respite from managing the insurance policies of millions of people and the myriad number of corporations in the Inner Sphere. While everyone else was in the large, indoor cafeteria, which had a Ferro-Glass ceiling, he was standing outside, enjoying a cigarette that he'd just lit a few moments earlier.

Feeling a cold breeze in the air, he drew his jacket in towards himself, warding off the cold as best as he could. Hearing a similar sound nearby, Richmond turned to the right to see a pair of Turians that were standing nearby, with both Turians shivering slightly as they put on their thicker winter clothes. After that, the two hugged each other, indicating that they were a couple.

The sight caused Richmond to smile slightly. New Elysium was not just another Inner Sphere colony, it was something of an experiment. Both the Free Worlds League and the Federated Commonwealth were unique in that they had drawn up and passed laws that allowed the denizens of the Council Races to come live in the Inner Sphere, as long as they obeyed each Great House's penal codes. New Elysium was one of dozens of worlds that was prepared for the influx of non-human migrants to the Inner Sphere.

It was a well considered plan that worked perfectly. As soon as the laws had been passed, and announced to the rest of the galaxy, Turians, Salarians, Asari and a number of other aliens came to the Inner Sphere to find a better life for themselves. Most were Council citizens that were disgruntled with how the Council or their member governments, were handling things, while most were people that were fleeing from the Terminus Systems for various reasons.

Once those people had arrived at the Free Worlds League or the Federated Commonwealth, they underwent a naturalization process that would allow them to become full citizens of the Great Houses in question. Once they had spent exactly six months in the Inner Sphere, had settled down, and ensured that they remained up to date on each step of the process, they would take a brief test on the history of the Inner Sphere, various laws and regulations, and then they would pledge allegiance to the Great House in question. After that, they would be full voting citizens of the Inner Sphere, Great Houses and, by extension, the Star League.

The laws, thanks to strict enforcement, worked perfectly, with hundreds of aliens coming to live in the Inner Sphere, far from the prying eyes and hands of the Citadel Council and the anarcho-collective that was the Terminus Systems. While these immigrants made up a very tiny portion of the Inner Sphere, it was a portion that was starting to grow rapidly, thanks to a rapidly increasing amount of .

With this growth came new challenges and opportunities. The very first Turian citizens of the Inner Sphere, for instance, needed to undergo trials for an advanced form of CRISPR Gene Editing in order to be able to survive in primarily levo-amino acid environments, with those Turians risking their own health for any future members of their species. This also included Quarians as well, with similar techniques being used to vastly strengthen their incredibly weak immune systems.

Richmond's train of thought was interrupted when one of his friends, Ian MacCallum, came up to him. A shorter man with blond hair and green eyes, Ian originally hailed from the Federated Commonwealth, but had moved to the Free Worlds League due to the nature of his employment as an insurance agent. "Hey, Richmond," he said in his British-like accent. "How's it going?"

"Doing just fine," Richmond replied, his voice tinted by his New York-like accent. "Just another day on the job in my opinion. Nothing spectacular or ordinary about it."

"I hear ya on that," Ian remarked. "I'm kinda glad that I moved to Elysium, you know. The weather reminds me of Tharkad: lots of snow, and a lot of mountainous areas. Not a lot of flat areas, but that's never been a problem for engineers and construction workers. They just either build underground or wherever there's space. I've heard they've even built an entire city inside of a mountain, and that's mind boggling."

"It is," Richmond replied. "I've heard rumors that the Star League has something in the works that will rival the Citadel that the Council has, or blow it away entirely in terms of size and appearance. Still, they're just that so far: rumors, and there haven't been any major press releases on what they're really doing."

"Same here," Ian remarked. Looking around, he said, "Whew. Looks like the weather is frightful."

As soon as he said that, Richmond smiled mischievously before singing, "Oh the weather outside is frightful…" At that, Ian laughed, a loud, hearty laugh that both men took the time to enjoy. Nearby, the Turian couple looked at them before shaking their heads, saying something about human humor as they began heading inside.

Noting the people that were moving inside, Richmond said, "Well, the lunch break is ending. We'd best get back to it. Companies are not going to insure themselves."

"Ain't that the truth," Ian remarked as Richmond put his cigarette out. "Well Richmond, I hope you have a good rest of the day."

"You too," Richmond replied, tossing his cigarette into the garbage before following his friend inside. Despite the frightful weather, he felt good about today. It was calm and peaceful, and who wouldn't want a calm, peaceful day?

. . .

What Richmond and his coworker Ian didn't know, was that peace was about to be shattered. Up in orbit, a number of WarShips were patrolling the region of space that was above New Elysium, with ODN Platforms orbiting underneath them in Low Earth Orbit. One such ship, the FWS Icarus, was inside a Shipyard, where it was being rearmed and rearmored by unmanned drones that were quickly installing new armor plates while reloading missile and weapon racks. While she was small by Inner Sphere standards, roughly 1.8km in size, she made up for this size difference with superior firepower against other ships of her class, and could comfortably hit above her belt against larger WarShips.

Inside the bridge of the WarShip was Captain Osman Konrad, a Free Worlds League native that had migrated from the anti-spinward side of the Great House to Elysium due to military reassignments. Looking out through the Lamellor Ferro-Glass viewport, he idly drummed his fingers on the command chair that he was sitting in, waiting for the drones to finish their jobs. Nearby, his bridge crew fidgeted impatiently, also eager to leave the Shipyard and head out on their patrol path.

Looking at his orders, Osman could see the one reason why he was here: the Mass Relay at the edge of New Elysium V's outer orbit. New Elysium V was seen as the gateway from the rest of Council Space and the Skyllian Traverse into the Inner Sphere and, as such, was heavily guarded by the Star League Defense Force and Free Worlds Military. Normally, they would've destroyed the Mass Relay, but the scientists discouraged this, as they learned that destroying a Mass Relay would cause a tremendous explosion on the same level as a supernova. That would undoubtedly destroy the star system, but on a political level would be seen as a crime in Council Space.

The end result was that the Mass Relay had been activated, but undamaged, with the Star League posting two Naval Fleets there to ensure that nothing could get in without permission. Civilian ships from Council Space that traveled through the Relay had to undergo a thorough penetrating scan from an SLDF WarShip to check for contraband. If nothing of an illegal nature was found, then the ship would be allowed through. If there was contraband, however, the ship would be seized, impounded, and the crew and captain arrested and charged with various misdemeanors and/or felonies.

What gets me is how stupid some Council Races can be, Osman thought to himself as he drummed his fingers on his chair. While the Star League and Free Worlds League had made it clear that they wouldn't take any kind of shit from the Council Races, the same couldn't be said of the Council. There had been nearly 250 attempts over the past ten years to get by the ships without being detected, most of the attempts being from the Salarian's Special Tasks Group, or STG for short. All of them had failed miserably, ending with the Salarians being imprisoned for lengthy terms, and their ships being destroyed as a message to the Council: do not fuck with us.

What was more worrying were the amount of Batarian attempts to gain access to the Inner Sphere. New Elysium V was the only star system in the entire Inner Sphere that had a Mass Relay, making it the only choice for Batarian privateers and traders to use. While the majority of the ships had been legitimate traders looking to gain employment in the Inner Sphere, the rest were privateers and pirates that had no legitimate business being in the Free Worlds League, or Star League for that matter. Those ships were always impounded, with the Batarians in question being deported back to Council Space, usually at gunpoint. It didn't make the Batarians happy, but there was nothing they could really do about it besides having a temper tantrum, since the Star League was vastly more advanced than the Citadel Council or Terminus Systems were.

Hearing some noise next to him, Osman turned to see the newest crew member of the ship at his station. Despite his relative newness to the Star League, Vorentus Rexorian was, by far, one of the best crewmen that Osman had on his ship, and that was no small compliment. The male Turian was always on time, always had his affairs in order and was unquestioningly loyal to the Captain, as well as the Free Worlds League. While his loyalty had been challenged multiple times, any charges of espionage and disloyalty towards Vorentus were dropped almost immediately, as AI's would repeatedly confirm that he was a loyal citizen of the Star League.

Vorentus' being in the Star League was only a reminder to Osman of the galaxy that they lived in. Since the passing of the Species Immigration Act of 3060, Turians, Salarians, Asari and members of the other species flocked to the Inner Sphere, with most looking for better lives or fleeting from totalitarian governments or pirates that wanted them dead. Of all the migrants, however, the Turians and Krogan were the most common, the former due to the extremely warm and cordial relations between the Star League and Turian Council. When it came to the latter, it was usually due to the near-constant demand for mercenaries that would act on the Great Houses or Star League's behalf.

Osman's train of thought was interrupted when Vorentus said, "Sir, the AI is reporting that all armor plating has been retrofitted, and that the weapons systems have been replenished. We've been cleared to leave."

"Excellent," Osman beamed, happy to be finally done with the refit. "McCarter, take us out of the Shipyard and make best speed for the Mass Relay. We're slated to be part of the 10th Naval Fleet guarding the Relay."

"Aye, sir," the AI of the ship, McCarter replied. Moments later, the ship shuddered as the Impulse Engines activated, smoothly pushing the WarShip out of it's yard and into open space, where it turned to follow it's flight path. Moments later, there was a quite humming sound as the Advanced Element Zero Core powered up, reducing the ship's mass and making it easier for the ship to maneuver.

"SLS/FWS Icarus, this is New Elysium V STC," a Space Traffic Controller said over the radio, "turn to heading zero-five-niner and accelerate to one fourth impulse until you are roughly 400km from the New Elysium Shipyards. Once you have cleared restricted aerospace, you are cleared for combat duty."

"Roger that, NEV STC," Osman replied. McCarter, who had received the instructions before hand, smoothly turned the ship to it's new heading, reaching 1/4th impulse in a matter of seconds. The distance counter ticked upwards quickly, reaching 400km's in just under a minute. As soon as they were at that distance, McCarter engaged the AEZC, with the ship disappearing into realspace FTL flight. A few seconds later, they reemerged from realspace FTL flight, with the Mass Relay appearing in front of them.

The Mass Relay was a grand sight, with the massive structure looking like a massive tuning fork, that had the rear end bulge outwards. Inside the bulge, two gyroscopic rings rotated around each other, with a large, blue-white glowing sphere of Element Zero inside of the rings. The entire structure shown with a silvery-gray color, with parts of it gleaming brightly in the light of New Elysium's sun as the Relay orbited the star system in it's slow, 250 year long orbit. Against the background of space, the Mass Relay was gigantic compared to the stars, which were just twinkling points of light in space.

The Mass Relay wasn't the only structure that was in the immediate area, though. Nearby were hundreds of Star League WarShips that were ready to open fire on any hostile ships that tried to come through the Relay. In addition to this, there were a number of fifteen kilometer sized space stations that were present, each one armed to the teeth with the most advanced military hardware that the R&D complexes of the Great Houses had devised.

In other words, Osman said to himself, you would either have to have a death wish or be really insane to take on this fleet. Contacting the Admiral of the Fleets, he said, "Admiral Petrov, this is the SLS/FWS Icarus, we have returned from refitting and area ready for orders. Over."

"Roger, Icarus," Admiral Petrov replied. "Turn to heading one-five-niner and take up position near the SLS/DCS Tokyo. You and the captain of that ship are assigned to contraband duty today. Over."

"Roger that," Osman replied. "Turning to heading one-five-niner, taking up position near the SLS/DCS Tokyo. Let's hope that today is another quiet day. Over."

"Affirmative, Icarus. Admiral Petrov over and out." With that, the SLS/FWS Icarus took up position near the SLS/DCS Tokyo. Once in position, both ships maintained position near the relay, close enough to scan any incoming ships, but not close enough to risk a collision between said incoming ships.

For the next three hours, Osman and the Captain of the Tokyo remained in place, scanning any ships that came through the Mass Relay. None of the incoming ships had any contraband, with most being passenger liners, a few trade ships, as well as some private yachts that were coming to the system on tourist duty. All of that was about to change.

As Osman finished up some paperwork on the bridge, he immediately heard a loud, high pitched beeping sound coming from his holographic readouts. That indicated that someone was attempting to contact him on the C-HPG that his ship was equipped with, and that was usually for emergencies or combat operations. Opening the link, he noticed Admiral Petrov on the viewscreen. "Yes, sir," he asked the Admiral, noting that this was a fleet-wide communication.

"We have an emergency," Admiral Petrov replied, wiping his graying hair and beard before replacing his cap. "As of two minutes ago, I have been alerted to an impending attack on this star system by Batarian Hegemony sponsored pirates by SLIC Agents. One of the fleets stationed here will return to New Elysium V and Elysium IV in order to defend the planets, while the other will remain here to blockade the Mass Relay. Any ships coming through are to be considered hostiles and are to be impounded immediately. Should they fire back, we are to return fire immediately. Admiral Stephen Hackett will have the 5th Fleet move to New Elysium V and IV to defend the planets and warn the populace of the impending attack. Should any ships get through our defensive barrier, the 8th Fleet will protect the planets and all ground forces will be scrambled to stop any military forces that land on the planets. Good luck. Admiral Petrov out."

As soon as the screen winked out, Admiral Hackett came onto the Hyper-COM. "5th Fleet, this is Admiral Hackett, we will split up and head to New Elysium IV and V to warn the populace and protect the colonies. Defend the star system at all costs!" Spotting the new coordinates, the navigators immediately turned the ship around, before it jumped back into orbit around New Elysium V.

Keying his C-HPG COM, Captain Osman directly contacted the governor of the planet. "Governor Allistar, are you there?"

"Yes," Allistar replied. "What's wrong?"

"We're about to be attacked by state sponsored pirates," Osman told Governor Allistar. "I need you to warn the population of New Elysium V and to alert the armed forces on the planet. Evacuate the citizens to the designated underground bunkers and get to a safe location. We'll handle the invaders."

"OK," Allistar replied. "I'll alert the populace immediately. Kick those pirates in the ass for me, will you?"

"We certainly will," Osman replied. "Captain Osman out." With that done, he turned to his crew and said, "All personnel, man your battle stations. We are about to be attacked by state sponsored pirates. I want all weapons online and our ASF's ready to launch."

"Roger that," his XO, Stanley Patrick replied. Almost immediately, the bridge crew and the military personnel aboard the ship complied. Pilots left their lounges and immediately got into their ASF's, SLDF Marines and Navy personnel suited up and grabbed their weapons, while Osman prepared himself to begin making the decisions that would make the difference between victory or defeat in this battle.

He didn't have to wait long, as he got a report on what the enemy forces were via the C-HPG moments later. According to the intelligence that the SLIC had gathered, a large fleet of roughly 750 pirate WarShips was approaching New Elysium, fully intent on ransacking the colony and taking any people on the planet as hostages and, potentially, slaves, as the Hegemony practiced slavery as part of it's culture. The Tenth and Fifth Naval Fleet's orders were simple: destroy all Pirate WarShips and prevent them from succeeding in their objectives. Any Pirates that were either captured, or surrendered, would be interrogated by SLIC Agents to determine what the Hegemony's intentions really were. After reading the intelligence data he'd gotten, Osman closed that holographic screen and brought up the Combat Data Interface, which displayed information on his ship's vital status, while bringing up sensor screens and other important pieces of information.

Just two minutes later, the attack began. C-HPG COM transmissions immediately spiked, indicating the arrival of the pirate forces in the star system at the Mass Relay. While the Tenth Naval Fleet was chewing through them like a kid eating Terran French Fries, half of the OpFor had managed to get past them, and were making best speed towards New Elysium IV and V. Having moved to where Admiral Hackett needed him to be, Osman prepared for the fight of a lifetime.

Seconds later, the Pirate ships exited FTL, appearing near both planets and the defending fleets. As soon as they were in range, the Pirate ships opened fire, sending mass accelerated slugs directly at the SLDF fleets. Looking at his shield readouts, Osman couldn't help but laugh at how ineffectual the Pirate's attack was so far. They're barely making a dent in our shield strength at all, he thought as the shields held strong under the barrage. Still, I can't get too cocky. Quantity has a quality all it's own, after all. "Return fire immediately," he ordered the crew onboard the ship. "Target any large ships with our Light Mass Drivers. Launch all ASF's and begin military action."

As soon as the Star League ships opened fire, the Pirate fleet was doomed. The SLS/FWS Icarus zoomed forwards, blasting a Pirate WarShip into dust before ramming into another one, snapping the enemy ship in half like a twig. Firing it's Naval Gauss Cannons, Naval Pulse Lasers and missile systems, the Icarus was a whirlwind of destruction, with missiles tearing through kinetic barriers and into the unprotected hulls of dozens of Pirate WarShips. One such Pirate WarShip exploded in a brilliant blue-white flash of light, it's Element Zero Core overloading as the ship was torn apart.

Nearby, the other Star League ships ripped through the other Pirate WarShips with ease. The SLS/DCS Tokyo charged forwards, blasting apart a pair of enemy WarShips with it's Light Mass Drivers before tearing into a larger WarShip with it's Naval Pulse Lasers. Composite armor and hulls were ripped apart in seconds, with a number of ships blowing apart as their kinetic barriers tried, and failed, to stop the incoming barrage of energy and ballistic attacks.

As the attack continued, Osman noticed a number of other ships that were completely ignoring the naval battle, heading straight for the planet as fast as possible, indicating that they were troop transports. The majority of the Pirate Transports were quickly destroyed, some by the ODN Platforms that were tirelessly defending the planet, and others by the ODN Batteries on the surface of New Elysium V itself. C-HPG COM reports indicated a similar story with New Elysium IV. I hope the troops are ready for an invasion, he thought as the number of enemy ships began to quickly whittle down.

. . .

Unbeknownst to Osman, the military forces on the planet were fully dug in and ready for an assault, with personnel in bunkers, defensive fortifications and Combat Vehicles, each one ready to kill some pirates. One particularly young SLDF Marine was taking cover behind a Combat Barricade, making sure his MPL Rifle was ready to rock. His blue eyes darted over the grassy landscape that was near where the Pirates would be landing. "Hey Shepard," a flanging, female voice called out to him. "You ready?"

"I am," Shepard replied, getting into position moments later. Lieutenant John Shepard was the newest member of the 50th Marine Division, one of thousands of SLDF Marine Divisions throughout the Inner Sphere. Born on Terra in the year 3057, he had enlisted with the Star League after he had turned 18 years old, receiving his training from Clan Wolverine BattleMasters before shipping out to New Elysium V in order to guard the planet from any incursion. Currently, he and his squad were inside the city limits of Utopia, the Capitol city of New Elysium V, near the entrance to one of the emergency bunkers that had been built in the event of an invasion of the planet. About one kilometer below his feet was an underground complex designed to hold the entire population of Utopia, with enough food, water and supplies to last nearly two decades, a precaution in the event of a long term invasion.

Looking around, he could see his squadmates, Three of the men that he led were Humans, with Eddie, Lockhart and O'Donnell having come from the Free Worlds League, Federated Commonwealth and Capellan Confederation, respectively. The last two members of his squad were a Turian and Sangheilian, with the Turian being Nyreen Kandros and the Sangheilian being Orvas 'Rotramee, a tall, male Sangheilian who had transferred from the Sangheilios Home Guard into the Star League after being approved to do so. He'd heard that there was a new addition to his squad, but he didn't know when that addition would arrive.

Shepard was the CO of the squad, with Eddie and Lockhart being the grunts of the group, as they were trained to use heavy weaponry, such as Support Turrets, as well as other, heavier weapons like Missile Launchers. O'Donnel was the tech specialist of the group, while Nyreen was the biotic of the group, having recently been implanted and outfitted with the most advanced biotic amps the Star League had devised. Orvas 'Rotramee was the CQC specialist of the group, as he was highly agile and, thanks to his training by a number of Sangheilian Sword Masters, he was an artist with the Energy Sword.

Now, all of them were waiting for the enemy to come, ready to see the composition of the OpFor. Until this point, none of them had actually been in a fight, other than the usual anti-pirate operations that were commonplace in the Inner Sphere. This was the first time that they were facing an enemy force from another species and another government that was from outside of the Inner Sphere. I don't know how the others will react, Shepard thought as he braced himself for what was about to happen, but I do know that I'm ready to fight for the Star League and for Humanity, no matter the cost. With that, he got into position, ready to lay down cover fire on any hostiles that came their way.

As soon as he was in position, Shepard heard a COM transmission in his helmet. "To all Star League Defense Force personnel, this is Captain Richard speaking. The Pirates that are attacking us have been determined to be state sponsored Pirates that were hired by the Batarian Hegemony as a first strike force against the Star League. Your orders are to defend the civilians inside of the emergency bunkers and to terminate any Pirate forces that attempt to breach the bunkers. Should you need support, Combat Vehicles and BattleMechs are on standby to provide fire support. Good luck, Marines." With that, the COM link cut out.

"Looks like things are about to get tense," Nyreen remarked, her amber colored eyes looking at Shepard with some excitement and foreboding.

"Agreed," Shepard replied. Looking at his squad, he said, "Nyreen, you'll provide support for Eddie and the others should they need help. Eddie, Lockhart, you lay down as much firepower as you can; take out as many pirates as possible and provide suppressing fire if we need it. Orvas, if any Pirates get too close, I want you to terminate them by any means necessary; use your training to maximum effectiveness. I'll provide support wherever I can while issuing orders. Understood?"

"Understood," the others replied.

"Good," Shepard replied, a grim smile on his face. "Let's hope the Pirates are still using that Common Tech shit that they have. I wouldn't like it if they somehow got their hands on Hyper-Advanced technology." With that, Eddie and Lockhart got into position with their heavy weapons, while Nyreen was encapsulated by a sapphire blue glow as her biotics flared up. Nearby, Shepard got into position, while Orvas made sure his Energy Sword was fully charged and ready. Once they were in position, they began the most tedious part of the operation: the waiting.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long, as Shepard heard a pinging in his helmet, indicating that someone had tripped the perimeter sensors. As soon as that happened, he heard a series of sounds from behind him, indicating that the defenses in that part of the city had fully powered up and deployed. A few seconds later, the Pirates showed themselves.

Looking at the Pirates and their gear, Shepard wondered if they were either being extremely stupid, or if they were extremely desperate, as the Pirate's had a hodgepodge of gear. Some of them had armor and weaponry that looked like it was about to fall apart, with parts of their armor appearing as though it was being held together by duct tape, adhesive and other flimsy means of fixing armor. Others, however, were either former military personnel or were highly accomplished mercenaries, as their armor and equipment looked as though it was brand new or very well taken care of.

Either way, Shepard thought, they're about to get a nasty surprise. Behind him, Shepard could hear someone getting into position with his squad. Turning around, he spotted a male Turian with blue facial paint that matched an equally blue pair of eyes. Said Turian was currently holding what appeared to be a M75 Incisor, as Shepard immediately recognized the distinctive, bullpup shape of the weapon.

He also recognized the Turian using the weapon as one Garrus Vakarian. Garrus was one of the second generation of Turians that were born not in the Hierarchy, but rather in the Star League, making Garrus a full blooded citizen of the Star League. This was because his parents, Castis Vakarian and Zenara Vakarian, had moved to the Star League after the Hierarchy and Star League had begun solidifying and improving relations with each other. Both Turians had settled down in the Federated Commonwealth, where Zenara had given birth to Garrus on New Avalon a few months later. He'd joined the SLDF about two years ago at the age of fifteen, the traditional age that most Turians joined the Hierarchy.

As soon as Garrus was set up, he looked at Shepard and asked, "What are your orders sir? I was assigned to your squad a few weeks ago."

So he's the new squad mate, Shepard thought. Alright, I can make use of his skillset. Looking ahead, he said, "Once the Pirates are in range, Garrus, take out as many HVT's as you can. We don't wan the Pirates to call down fire support on our heads."

"Roger," Garrus replied. "It should also disrupt their command structure." Settling in a little more, he said, "I'm ready. Taking the shot." Moments later, Garrus, and a dozen other snipers, began picking their targets and, once they had done so, opened fire.

None of the Pirates were ready for the violence that the Inner Sphere was capable of unleashing. Fifteen Pirates were promptly terminated as hypervelocity Gauss rounds tore through their flimsy armor and into their heads, with many exploding in gory fashion. Realizing they were under attack, the Pirates immediately threw themselves into cover, before blindly firing at the SLDF Marines from behind said cover. It was a costly tactic that would end up hampering the Pirates considerably.

Taking aim at one Pirate, Shepard pulled the trigger, drilling the man's chest open with a well aimed pulse of light, with the Pirate tumbling over moments later, a tiny, smoking hole in his chest. He was about to switch to another target when a Pirate was yanked out of cover by a pulse of blue energy, allowing Shepard to easily take him out. Looking to his right, he watched as Nyreen began hurling a biotic shockwave at some more Pirates, with the female nodding at him before they reengaged the enemy. Another pirate's head promptly exploded, courtesy of Garrus, moments later, with the headless corpse falling to the ground.

Nearby, other SLDF Marine and Army Command personnel were opening fire as well. Laser beams, plasma bolts and HEAP shells tore through the air, penetrating and killing any Pirates that were on the other end of the Star League's guns. The armor and weaponry the Pirates were using might as well have not existed, as pulse lasers, plasma bolts and HEAP shells tore through the Pirates with ease, while the Star League's superior armor was protecting them.

Still, it was clear that the Pirates knew this, as they began to employ en mass assaults on the bunkers that were located inside of each city. As the minutes ticked by, Shepard noticed that the number of Pirates assaulting the bunker he was at was quickly increasing, and it wasn't just Batarians in the mix. A number of Turian Pirates were present, as well as Salarian, Asari and Krogan Pirates and mercenaries that had been hired by the Hegemony for this particular assault. While their low tech armor and weaponry meant that the SLDF forces here had the advantage in terms of equipment, training and tactics, the Pirates had a much larger force that was invading the planet, a numerical advantage they were attempting to use for the greatest effect possible.

"Incoming Krogan," Garrus shouted as he took out a Pirate with a well aimed shot. "We need some fire support!"

"Roger that," Shepard replied. Keying his COM, he said, "This is Delta 8-1, requesting Battle Armor Support! We have incoming Krogan personnel and their heavily armed and armored!"

"Delta 8-1, this is Battle Armor Lance Sigma 3-1, we read you," a voice replied. "We are en route to your location to deal with the Krogan and any enemy Combat Vehicles in the vicinity. ETA: 2 mikes."

"Roger that," Shepard replied. "Delta 8-1 out." Looking at his team, he said, "Hold out a little longer, people! We have friendly Battle Armor on the way!"

"Affirmative," Lockhart shouted, firing his Support MPL Turret as he spoke. "We've got incoming Vorcha and Varren! They're about to enter the defensive fortifications!"

"Roger that," Shepard shouted. "Orvas, get your Energy Sword ready! We've got fast movers incoming!"

"I hear you," Orvas replied, twin blades of plasma shooting out from the Energy Sword's hilt as he activated it. "About time these cowardly creatures gave me a challenge." As soon as that happened, the Vorcha and Varren smacked into the forward lines of the SLDF forces.

Shepard was about to move when something heavy tackled him, forcing him to react quickly. Moving fast, he wrapped his hands around the head of a Varren, it's mouth dripping with saliva as it attempted to wrap said mouth around his neck. With a grunt of effort, he sharply twisted it's head, snapping the Varren's neck; the creature's body went limp, with Shepard tossing the corpse off of him before picking up his rifle and firing at any enemy contacts. Hearing a shout, he looked up to see O'Donnell fending off a squad of Vorcha, with the technician courageously holding his ground while firing his sidearm, killing a few Vorcha in the process. Firing his MPL Rifle, Shepard neutralized the rest, with O'Donnell shouting, "Thank you," as Shepard reengaged another target.

Orvas was a literal whirlwing of plasma, armor and death, as the Sangheilian was tearing through the Vorcha and Varren with single minded intensity. The young Sangheilian roared loudly as he bludgeoned a Vorcha with his fist, denting it's skull while chopping another one in half with his Energy Sword. A Varren attempted to leap onto him, only for the Sangheilian to grab it out of mid air before squeezing hard; a loud SNAP echoed into the air as the Varren's neck snapped, with Orvas dropping the corpse before moving on to the next target.

Nyreen was a literal storm of biotic energy and limbs, as she tore through her own pack of enemies. Flaring her biotics, she sent some Batarians flying away from her with a single pulse of biotic energy, before using her biotics to launch herself forwards, reducing her mass in the process. One Batarian attempted to attack her, only for Nyreen to seemingly 'phase' through the Batarian, with said alien gasping and gurgling as his body was ripped apart from the inside out. Nyreen promptly put that Batarian out of his misery, as she snapped his neck with ease before using her shotgun to blast apart another Pirate.

That was when a massive explosion tore through the area, sending Pirates, Varren and debris flying everywhere. Looking towards the back, Shepard watched as five people wearing Elemental-IIIa Battle Armor entered the battlefield, firing their weapons all the while. HEAP shells and ATM's flew through the air as the Elementals began to tear through the OpFor, immediately nullifying the Pirate's numerical advantage. Those that had the sense to realize what they were up against almost immediately turned tail and ran, screaming loudly as they tossed their weapons away and ran. The Krogan, however, didn't have this kind of sense, as they charged at the Elementals, their minds clouded by Blood Rage as they charged forwards. What happened next could best be described as a slaughter.

Taking this as a challenge, the Elementals charged forwards as well, using their powerful Jump Jets to boost forwards and engage the Krogan. One Krogan charged forwards, only to be killed when an Elemental punched it in the head, with the Battle Claw tearing through the Krogan's flimsy head plate, crushing it's delicate brain in the process. Another Krogan tried to punch an Elemental, only for said Elemental to decapitate the Krogan with a Battle Claw, with the headless corpse slumping to the ground.

At the same time, more SLDF reinforcements arrived. Looking behind the Pirates, Shepard began to smile when he spotted what appeared to be robots. Looks like the Geth have arrived, he thought as the Geth's military platforms drew closer to their location. A few seconds later, the remaining Pirate forces were caught in an encirclement maneuver, with nowhere to go.

When this happened, the Pirates, realizing that they had been outmatched from the start, made the smartest decision they could: they immediately dropped their weapons. "We surrender," one of the Pirates shouted. "Taking this gig was the worst decision we could've made! Don't kill us, please!"

Walking up to the 50 man group of Pirates, Shepard said, "Surrender accepted. Cooperate, and you will be treated in accordance with the Ares Conventions of 2800. If you do not comply, we have the legal and military authority to perform a summary execution on the spot." As soon as he said this, the Pirates immediately complied, with many lying down on the ground into a submissive position. Keying his COM, he said, "What's the status of the bunker?"

"All good to go," Garrus replied. "The Pirates didn't even get close to it. Any Combat Vehicles they had were destroyed before they could get to our position. UAV scans show that all of the pirates in the area have been neutralized, except for the group in front of you."

"Affirmative," Shepard replied. With that, he began to contact any higher ranking officers for any available vehicles. There were a lot of pirates and he needed IFV's to move them to any holding facilities that were nearby.

. . .

Up in orbit over New Elysium V, the battle had also just ended, with the last Pirate WarShip being destroyed by the SLS/FWS Icarus. Looking at his ship readouts, Osman could tell that the Pirates hadn't been able to get through the ship's shielding at all, as none of the armor plating was damaged. It was a similar story with the other SLDF WarShips in the area, as none of them had been damaged. Still, as per his orders, Osman waited to hear from Admiral Petrov on the status of his battle at the Relay.

Relief poured through him as Admiral Petrov came in on the C-HPG COM. "All SLDF WarShips, this is Admiral Petrov, the battle has been won. The Pirate forces at the Mass Relay have been terminated, with no casualties on our side. We have captured a number of Pirate WarShips and are preparing to ship the prisoners to SLDF Black Sites for interrogation. We've won a major victory, gentlemen. New Elysium IV and V are still in our possession."

Behind Osman, cheers erupted as the crew celebrated their victory against the state sponsored Pirates that had attacked their colony. We've won the battle, Osman thought, but the war has just begun. The Hegemony attacked us without due provocation. It's time to show them the consequences of their arrogance. With that, Osman settled in, ready to ship any POW's to their new destinations. The Star League was going to war.