Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect multicrossover. This chapter took a little bit of thinking on my part to make it work out, but I'm pleased with the results. There's also an emotional part at the end of this chapter, so stick around for that. 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 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.


New Avalon

SLDF HQ J

une 27th, 3075

Inside the HQ of the Star League, Thomas Marik, Hanse Steiner-Davion and the other House Lords paced back and forth as they waited for news on the status of the Star League – Hegemony War. The other people in attendance, mostly Admiral Hood and R'tas Vadum, the right hand man of Thel 'Vadam, calmly sat at the table in the room, looking at the hologram as, one by one, the star systems in the Terminus Systems were conquered by the SLDF one by one. So far, all was going well, but the Hegemony and Terminus Systems had not yet surrendered to the SLDF.

Looking at the map some more, Victor could see that only a few star systems were left until the SLDF had full reign of the Terminus Systems. It had been a tense few days, but so far, the SLDF was singlehandedly trumping the entire Terminus Systems, with reports indicating that the pirates and Hegemony's military forces were fully outmatched by the military might and professionalism of the SLDF Naval and Army Commands. So far, there were few, if any, casualties to begin with, and other reports indicated that many of the pirates and mercenaries were outright surrendering to the SLDF, while others, who stubbornly refused to accept reality, continued to fight on only to be destroyed in the end.

"The invasion is commencing as planned," Dimitry Kerensky, who was also inside of the room, informed the House Lords. "Within three to four hours, the entire Batarian Hegemony will be under the full control of the SLDF. 90% of all star systems in the Terminus Systems have been taken by the SLDF, and the remaining 10% will fall under our control within the same time period. In short, this war is going well."

"Indeed," Thomas Marik nodded. "It warms my heart to see the Batarian Hegemony punished for it's crimes against the galaxy and the SLDF." After a moment, he asked, "What about the slaves the Hegemony has?"

"We're liberating them as we speak," Dimitry Kerensky replied. "The Hegemony certainly didn't treat them well at all. Many of them are in critical condition and more than a few are suffering the effects of malnutrition and disease. We're treating them as best as we can, but we'll need to get them to the Inner Sphere for treatment once the war is over."

"And the terms of surrender?"

"Unconditional surrender, sir. I've given them the ultimatum already and it's now their choice to either surrender, or die fighting for a sick, bloated and corrupt regime. Either way, the Terminus Systems are finished."

As soon as Dimitry said that, an HPG COM call came up on the screen. Opening it, Dimitry watched as an image of Admiral Carter came up on the screen. "Sir, I have good news," the Admiral informed Dimitry. "The Batarian Hegemony has unconditionally surrendered to the Star League Defense Force, and the Terminus Systems have done the same. We've won the war, sir."

There was a relieved sigh from Marik and Hanse as they heard those words, with Admiral Hood and R'tas nodding as well. "That's a relief," Hanse Steiner-Davion nodded. "What are the casualty reports?"

"Only a handful of casualties," Carter replied. "I've already arranged for them to be buried with full military honors at their homeworlds. Beyond that, the Hegemony posed very little threat at all to the Star League. Their technological status, combined with their poor implementation of tactics, meant that taking the Terminus Systems was a simple operation. As of now, the Terminus Systems are an occupied territory, and we are instituting temporary martial law. Once the last embers of the old regime are gone, we can begin rebuilding the Terminus Systems and induct them as a non-voting member of the Star League."

"Excellent," Marik beamed. "We've payed a price for victory, and now rebuilding begins. I can only hope for the day that the Terminus Systems not only gets back on it's feet, but leaves behind the last vestiges of barbarism."

"Indeed," Hanse agreed. Looking at the others, he said, "Now comes the fun part: deciding how to rebuild the Terminus Systems. We'll need to bring them up to our technology level, since they'll be a permanent member soon, but what concerns me will be the inevitable resistance cells popping up. They'll try to push us out."

"We'll be ready for them," Admiral Carter firmly declared. "General, we'll continue to keep our military forces in the Terminus Systems in order to stop any resistance cells. During this time, we'll provide protection detail for the construction crews that will be coming by. We've also found a large contingent of slaves that the Hegemony had. Orders?"

"Begin liberating the slaves," Dimitry replied. "Set up bases where they can get food, water and anything to wear. Make sure military personnel are present to stop the spread of anarchy. Any Batarian VIP's are to be taken to New Avalon to be tried and sentenced for their various crimes."

"Affirmative, sir," Carter replied. A moment later, the COM link ended, leaving the House Lords, UNSC and Covenant delegates to determine what was to be done.

. . .

Serpent Nebula

Citadel June

27th, 3075

Onboard the Citadel, Tevos stared intently at one of the many holographic TV's in the private meeting room inside the Council Chambes, her eyes looking directly at the newscaster. Nearby, in separate chairs, Sparatus and the new Salarian Councilor were also looking directly at the screen, with Sparatus having a slight smile on his face. Nearby, Valern looked nervous, as though someone had told him that he was due for a court hearing for some unknown crime.

Valern was the new Salarian Councilor, as Maelan had died due to complications caused by liver disease as well as an untreatable brain tumor. When it was clear that a new Councilor needed to be selected, the Salarian Union held a vote to determine who the new Salarian Councilor would be. The lucky winner was Valern, mostly due to his cunning as a politician, as well as his time in the Salarian's Special Tasks Group, or STG for short. Needless to say, he was the natural pick for the job.

Still, the news that all of them were hearing about now was something that Tevos had thought would never happen: the Star League had just conquered the entirety of the Terminus Systems. The Terminus Systems had always been something of a black mark on the Council's record, a reminder that the Council's authority wasn't absolute. On top of that, no one had attacked the Terminus Systems for a number of reasons, with one of the first being that an attack of sufficient size might motivate the pirates and mercenary groups to band together into a cohesive coalition that would be able to fight back. On top of this, such a war would be prohibitively expensive, and it was clear that the Terminus Systems wanted nothing to do with Council Space, resulting in a stalemate of sorts.

That had, apparently, changed with the arrival of the Star League, as the news report was indicating. Apparently, the Star League had pulled off the impossible: they had not only successfully invaded the Terminus Systems, they had actually conquered it in what they called a blitzkrieg, which Tevos learned was a German word meaning 'lightning attack.' What was more shocking was that the Star League had sufficient military power to strike all of the star systems located in Terminus Space simultaneously. The operation's name, known as FRACTURED TERMINUS, plainly stated the Star League's intent when it came to the Terminus Systems, and that was to conquer it and bring law and order to a lawless frontier.

So far, public opinion of the Star League's assault was, to the Council's shock, overwhelmingly positive. According to public opinion polls, the species living in Council Space had been about to write up a petition demanding the Council to declare war on the Hegemony for it's crimes, as well as to restore law and order to the Terminus Systems. When news came out that the Star League had done just that, and succeeded, public opinion of the Star League skyrocketed, with only a handful of people remaining negative towards the Terran's alliance.

As she looked more at the screen, Sparatus' broke the silence in the room. "Well, I'll be," he remarked. "They pulled it off. They did what we were not able, or in this case not willing, to do: they invaded the Terminus Systems and restored law and order. I never thought I would live to see the day."

"Me neither," Valern remarked. "Still, this development only proves one thing: the Star League is the greatest potential threat that the Council has faced. It's clear that the Terrans need to be regulated, forcibly if need be."

"We can't do that," Tevos chided Valern. "For one, they never joined the Citadel Council in the first place, meaning that they are a rouge power that can do as it pleases. I must also remind you that they have reacted with hostility towards the Council for attempting to meddle in their affairs several times now. All we can do is watch, and hope that they don't come for us next."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Sparatus reassured the others. "The Star League has shown that they're not really interested in meddling in our affairs that much to begin with. They've kept to themselves for the most part, and they've been thriving on internal trade. Besides, their technology is significantly more advanced than our own. I must remind you that, when we made First Contact, I pointed out that if we attempted to restrict them, we might instigate a war that will annihilate the Council in it's entirety."

"That's why they must be regulated," Valern growled, pulling out a data pad moments later. "Look at this report from Saren Arterius, our best Spectre. According to his report, the Terrans made use of advanced mechanized walkers that are not only use an exotic form of shielding, but are equipped with tons of armor as well. They also make use of weapon systems that kinetic barriers have no defenses against. This is clearly a species that does not know the meaning of restraint."

"Are you so paranoid that you've taken leave of your senses," Sparatus growled, aghast at what Valern was suggesting. "It's clear to me that you haven't read the full history of the Star League, or have decided to cherry pick various incidents in order to prove your point. If you even bothered to read their history, then you would know that they do know the meaning of restraint, and have used this well for centuries."

"You would support the Star League," Valern growled. "If we had done that with any other species, the Council would be in complete disarray!"

"Councilors, calm yourselves," Tevos spoke up, her voice catching their attention. "What's done is done, Valern. There's nothing we can do about the Star League; if they don't want us in their affairs, then there's nothing we can do about it. I don't personally agree with Sparatus, but his reasoning and logic are sound, and that's why we are keeping out of the Terran's affairs." Looking at the time, she said, "Besides, we can't be quarreling with each other all the time. The Hegemony's government is officially in exile now, if it hasn't been completely deconstructed already, and the Terminus Systems is now an occupied territory. All we can do now is wait and see what happens." The others fell silent at that, pondering Tevos words as they watched the news some more.

. . .

Kar'shan

Processing Facility

June 27th, 3075

Zorana Xianis couldn't believe her eyes, even as she, and dozens of other nearly naked people watched as human troops began entering the processing facility. Looking through the transparent view ports in the metal cage that she, and nearly thirty other Turians, were inside of, she could clearly see the symbol of the SLDF on their armor. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw some of the soldiers walking towards her, her heart racing as she realized what was going to happen.

It had been roughly two weeks since she, and most of the people with her, were captured by Hegemony privateers and taken to Hegemony space, where they were stripped of most of their identity and forced to become indentured servants for the Hegemony. Once they'd made sure she was healthy, they'd tossed her into this cage with other Turians and given just enough water and food to survive. Even now, she heard her stomach growling, prompting her to look down at her emaciated body, which had some nasty shit caked onto her legs and feet, as well as parts of her back.

Then, she'd heard from the guards that the Hegemony was under attack by the Star League, the coalition that the Terrans had formed well over four hundred and fifty years ago. According to the guards, all communications with the outside world had gone completely black, with repair crews finding that the interior of each COM buoy had been melted into slag, with no hopes of repairing them anytime soon. On top of that, the economy had crashed, resulting in a major economic depression in the Hegemony.

Shortly afterwards, the attack began, with the SLDF invading the planet that she, and the others, were on. Zorana had heard the sounds of weapons discharge off in the distance, with the sound growing louder as the SLDF drew closer and closer to the processing facility. A few minutes later, the guards had all fled the facility, leaving her and the others trapped inside of these boxes.

Now, she could see SLDF personnel walking towards the cages, weapons in hand as they approached. "Are they here to rescue us," One Turian coughed out, his eyes bloodshot due to lack of sleep as well as a myriad number of diseases. "I hope they are. I'm really, really sick."

"Me too," an Asari moaned, a number of sores on her pale blue body. "My head feels like it's about to explode, and my stomach hurts really, really bad."

"I think they are," Zorana, who was also ill, reassured the others. "They're heading for the door controls." With that, the other slaves walked towards the door, despite being ill, dehydrated and starving, with a few being helped along towards the door. They backed up slightly as an SLDF Army soldier walked towards the cage, weapon in hand as he peered inside.

Outside of the cages, Corporal Adrian Hasek-Davion looked inside the cages, completely aghast at the living conditions inside. Such monstrosity, he thought as he saw just how bad things were. They've got no running water, no food, no sanitation, and it's clear that the Batarians didn't care one bit about their welfare at all. All he could do was shake his head at the level of inhumanity that the Batarians had shown their 'indentured servants.'

A moment later, one of his squadmates called out to him. "We're ready to open up the cages. How bad is it?"

"Awful," Adrian remarked. "They're in the most squalid conditions that I can ever imagine. Get them out now!" There was some silence, then the doors to the cages opened up. As soon as they did, he couldn't help but gag as the smell roiled over him like some foul miasma. Looking at the aliens inside, he could see that most of them were completely covered in filth, with most having a moderate to severe case of malnutrition. He could also tell that many of them were sick, with only exacerbated the squalid conditions that they were in.

A moment later, one of the Turians, a female from the looks of it, walked up to him, her arms wrapped around her chest in an effort to keep warm. "Are… are you here to rescue us," she asked, her voice tired and weak as she struggled to get the words out."

"Yes," Adrian replied. "We're here to get you out of here. You don't have to worry about the Batarians anymore. We've gotten rid of them; we are emancipating this entire planet." As soon as he said that, the formerly enslaved aliens had a myriad number of reactions. Most sat down on the ground, with many crying as they realized that, for the first time in their lives, they were finally freed from the monsters that had enslaved and mistreated them. Others, realizing that they were free once again, began to cheer, though the rest remained silent.

The female that he'd talked to, however, came up and hugged him, crying softly as she realized she was, once more, the master of her own destiny. "Thank you," she whispered to him, tears streaming down her face and onto the armor that Adrian wore. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Adrian replied, patting her on the back as he returned the gesture. "It's the least we could've done. Only a truly indecent human being would support this kind of horror." Looking around, he said, "Come on. We've got an FOB set up where you can get some much needed food, water and where we can get you cleaned up as well."

"Take us there, please," the female begged him. "Please get us away from this horrible place."

"Affirmative," Adrian nodded. Keying his COM, he said, "This is Charlie 4-1, requesting transport for multiple noncombatants, over."

"Roger that," came the reply. "This is Badger 4-9, we are inbound on your location. ETA: 2 mikes."

"Roger that," Adrian replied. "Charlie 4-1 over and out." Closing the COM link, he said, "We have an IFV inbound to transport you out of here." With that, he waited for the IFV to arrive.

When the Badger-V IFV arrived, Adrian was amazed at how quickly the emancipated aliens rushed into the vehicles, clearly wanting to get away from the place where they were being 'processed.' It was a five minute drive to the FOB, where a number of SLDF ships were taking off and landing, delivering food, water and medicine to those that needed it the most. Passing through the gate, the IFV came to a stop in the designated parking area, where the doors opened to let everyone off.

Zorana nearly stumbled as she got out of the IFV, coughing as she got up. Reaching out, she felt an armored hand help her up, before an SLDF soldier carried her in bridal style over to a domed ferrocrete structure, where a number of the ill and filth covered aliens were being cleaned up and treated. Once inside the warm interior, the soldier carried her over to a cleaning station, where a number of people were on standby to help her get cleaned up. "Thank you," she said to the SLDF soldier.

"It's the least I could do," the man replied before walking over to another booth, mostly likely to get all the filth off of his armor. As she looked around, Zorana felt a pair of robotic arms gently lift her emaciated body, before streams of water and soap began breaking down the feces and filth that coated her body like a fungus. A relieved sigh came from her as she felt more robotic arms cleaning her off, the sensation causing her to relax as the cleaning brushes massaged her sick, aching body. Looking down, she watched as the brownish colored filth was washed down the drain, never to be seen again.

It took her a grand total of fifteen minutes to be fully cleaned off, with the men and women outside of the booth helping her over to a bed, where a scanner went to work identifying the source of her illness. Walking over, a doctor said, "Looks like you have a moderate fever, and you've got a number of diseases that would normally be STI's, as well as a moderate case of malnutrition. We've got you on a nanite treatment course, and we'll be getting you some food in a few here."

"Wait," Zorana groaned as she gently held the man's arm before he could leave. "Please, stay with me," she begged him weakly. "You have no idea of how horrible it was in there. Please don't leave me." There was a moment of indecision in the Human's eyes, before he nodded and sat down in a chair next to her, gently holding her hand as she felt the nanites entering her body. Moments later, Zorana fell asleep, her chest rising and falling as she entered, for the first time in two weeks, a calm and dreamless sleep. Her last thought before unconsciousness claimed her was that, thanks to people like the doctor with her, she was free.

. . .

New Avalon

SLDF HQ, Meeting Room

June 27th, 3075

Looking over the reports that were coming in, Hanse Steiner-Davion and the other House Lords were shocked by the inhumane treatment that the Batarians had down to the people they had unlawfully captured for indentured servitude. He already knew that the Batarians were horrible people, but this… this kind of horror was on another level entirely. More than once, he wanted to wipe out the Batarian species, only to remind himself that singular action would make him as bad as they were.

I cannot believe this, he thought as he and the others looked at the incoming reports. Such inhumanity, such rampant mistreatment and horror, such… evil. It's no wonder the Council Races wanted the Hegemony punished for it's crimes: the Batarians were pulling this kind of stunt for hundreds of years. Good thing we gave them their just desserts.

Apparently, Theodore Kurita was just as angry, as he looked at Hanse with a deadly calm expression and said, "Excuse me for a moment." When Hanse nodded, Theodore Kurita walked to the door and stepped outside. Even through the door, Hanse could hear the young Coordinator of the Draconis Combine roaring and yelling a myriad number of foul Japanese curses, all of which were directly at the Batarians and their foul culture and use of slavery. After a few minutes of shouting, he walked back inside. "I needed that," he remarked, his voice slightly hoarse from all the shouting.

"That's alright," Hanse replied. "I was about to do the same, but you said exactly what I was going to say. Still, the level of pure… evil that the Batarians showed… Now I know for certain that we made the right choice. Even my conscience agrees with me."

"And mine as well," Thomas Marik replied. "This… this indentured slavery. This isn't the work of a species of intelligent beings. This is the work of a species of monsters, monsters that have no regard for the value of life."

"I agree," Maximillian Liao nodded. "This is a violation of basic species rights on a fundamental level. We have to ensure that this travesty never happens ever again."

"Agreed," Hanse replied, "which is why the SLDF will keep the place under control until law and order is fully established. It's clear that, if we leave them alone, they'll repeat the horrors of the past and cause a repetition of this horrid practice. We will have to teach the Batarians that slavery is no longer tolerated." Looking at Dimitry Kerensky, he asked, "What about the former slaves?"

"They're being treated as we speak," General Kerensky replied. "Still, the photos that I'm seeing… let's just that I'm relieved that we were able to free these people. This is on a level of horror that only the Holocaust of ancient Terra can surpass. The Batarian's weren't just enslaving people, they were murdering them. Even more justification for why we invaded."

"Agreed," Theodore Kurita nodded. "However, we can't just leave them there to fend for themselves. We'll have to provide them with shelter and jobs so that they can begin healing the trauma from what happened. What should we do?"

"I have an idea," Maximillian Liao suggested. "My proposal is that we ask them if they want to live in the Star League, given that their own governments failed to protect them when they needed them most. Not only is that the right thing to do, it will also show the Council that we're willing to do what they were either unable or more likely unwilling to do. Besides, I have to feel for those people; they went through far more than they deserved."

"That's an excellent idea," Theodore nodded. "I have a feeling that they will all say yes."

"Then it's settled," Hanse decided. Looking at General Kerensky, he said, "General, inform the ground troops to begin searching for any remaining holdouts by the Batarians. Also, have them inform the emancipated slaves that they are more than welcome to live in the Great Houses of the Star League as full citizens. As for me, I have to, regrettably, go. I have other matters to tend to."

"Yes sir," Dimitry replied. With that, Hanse Steiner-Davion left the room, with the doors automatically closing behind him.

"I wonder where he's going," Maximillian remarked.

"I wouldn't worry," Thomas Marik replied. "Hanse Steiner-Davion is a very busy man, and his duties often require him to be in other places. Besides, it's not easy being the First Lord of the Star League. There are a lot of responsibilities when it comes to preventing unnecessary war and keeping the peace." Maximillian Liao had to agree, even as he continued to work with the others.

. . .

What they didn't know, was that a few hours earlier, one of the first Krogan to be recruited into the SLDF had arrived at New Avalon, on orders from Hanse Steiner-Davion himself. Sitting in the waiting chair near the First Lord's office, Wrex tapped his feet absentmindedly as he waited for the First Lord to come back from his current meeting. Nearby, he could see 1st Royal Guards standing nearby, fingers on the trigger in the event the life of the First Lord was imperiled.

I have to admit, Wrex thought as he picked up a holo-magazine to read, they're dedicated to the defense of their leader. To think that the Star League is more of a multinational military coalition, rather than a true government. Could've fooled me if I hadn't known better.

As he read the contents of the holo-magazine, he couldn't help but think about what was going to happen to his people. Ever since the Genophage had been unleashed, Wrex knew, as every other Krogan did, that his species was slowly dying out. It wasn't due to the greatly reduced fertility rate, though that was a major factor, it was due to the fact that the Krogan were unwilling to change at first. They still wanted to wage war against the Turians, Salarians and each other. He'd been one of the few that realized the insanity of this scenario.

If only it wasn't for my stupid father, he thought, a growl coming from his throat as he clenched his hands, causing the screen to warp slightly. Nearby, the guards looked in his direction, only resuming their normal stance when they realized that Wrex was having a bad memory. Looking at the guards, he couldn't blame them for their reaction; no one wanted to find out what happened if a Krogan went into a blood rage.

Still, he couldn't help but growl at the memory of his father. His father had been one of the Krogan that still wanted to rebel, though Wrex knew that was a suicidal concept. Unlike his father, who wanted to wage more war, Wrex wanted his people to focus on reproducing for at least a few generations, that way, they would sustain their population. His father didn't take kindly to that, so he attempted to assassinate his own child, while disguising it as a negotiation. I survived that, he thought, but it showed me that most Krogan weren't willing to change. Then the Star League came along.

He smiled at that. In his honest opinion, the Star League, more specifically the Federated Commonwealth, were the only ones that were capable of reversing the damage the Genophage had done. Wrex had learned that Hanse Steiner-Davion believed that the Genophage had only forced the Krogan into barbarism, resulting in their constant state of violence. While he didn't drop any hints, Wrex had the feeling that Hanse Steiner-Davion was hard at work finding a cure for the Genophage, while keeping the STG from finding out. I wonder when he'll tell me what's going to happen, he thought.

He was soon going to find out, as Wrex heard someone approaching him. Looking up, he was surprised to find himself looking at the First Lord of the Star League himself. "Wrex," Hanse Steiner-Davion said, "welcome to New Avalon. I assume your time here was pleasant."

"Yes," Wrex replied., putting the holographic magazine down and shaking Hanse's hand. "Your species might be squishy, but they certainly know the meaning of hospitality. Few people have treated me with more respect than your kind have."

"Indeed," Hanse replied. "Now, I know you're not one for pleasantries, so I'll get straight to the point. I called you here not for a new assignment, at least no per se; I called you here because I want to show you something. You remember what I said about the Genophage, yes?"

"That it was a violation of the Ares Conventions," Wrex replied.

"Correct," Hanse beamed. "Not only that, it is probably the most evil thing one species can do to another. My father once said that one of the greatest evils a species could perpetuate was denying another species the right and hope of a future. That is why I hate the Genophage: it's effectively denied your species a future outside of war. To that end, I want you to come with me to the New Avalon Institute of Science. I'm going to show you something that will give you hope. Would you like to come see?"

When Wrex heard that, he was surprised to feel both of his hearts beginning to race. "Y-yes," he replied, not sure what to make of what he was hearing.

"Good," Hanse replied. "Follow me. My hovercar is waiting to take us there." Nodding in agreement, Wrex followed Hanse Steiner-Davion out of the palace, where he was able to barely fit himself into the First Lord's hover limousine.

The trip to the NAIS facility didn't take long, as the palace was just a stone's throw away from the actual building itself. Looking around, Wrex spotted the large, rectangular building that was nearby; the NAIS was shaped almost identically to the historic Pentagon Building on Terra, with sections of the facility split into five quadrants, each one dedicated to areas of science that would leave a Salarian's head spinning. It also looked quite similar, but Wrex knew that the NAIS was, probably, the strongest building on New Avalon, a necessary requirement given the experiments going on inside.

Pulling up to the building, Wrex and the others got out, with Hanse leading the way. Once his identity was confirmed, Wrex was allowed inside the building, where he was able to look around to see what was going on. All around him, he could see Terran scientists and engineers running or walking about, with FCDF and SLDF personnel guarding each door in the facility. The walls were a warm tan color, with the floors being made of black marble that had long, white lines like cracks running through it. The ceiling seemed composed of metal tiles, but Wrex knew that behind the walls were solid slabs of Advanced Ferrocrete that were rated for a direct hit from a 150 megaton thermonuclear bomb, while the actual ceiling was composed of solid Endo Titanium, which was rated for a similar detonation. The foundation was also designed to absorb shockwaves from a nuclear detonation, as well as to prevent earthquakes from destroying the facility.

Walking through the hallways, Wrex could see long slabs of what appeared to be mirrors. In actuality, these were one way windows that were designed to allow scientists to see outwards, while preventing any eavesdroppers from looking inside to see what was happening. On top of this, the windows were made out of Lamellor Ferro-Glass, and the labs had sophisticated counter-espionage technologies built inside of them, rendering any form of espionage a moot point. From what Wrex could recall, if the Salarian STG even managed to get inside of the facility, they wouldn't be able to learn anything, before being hauled and tossed out by the guards, with only the clothes on their backs.

A moment later, Hanse turned to the right, to a part of the massive complex that was labeled 'Bioscience', with the words in green. Once they went through another security checkpoint, Wrex found himself surrounded by doctors, neurologists, scientists, bioengineers and a number of other personnel that were experts in xenofauna, biotechnology, genetic engineering and other complicated scientific topics. After walking down another hallway, the two men entered what appeared to be an observational chamber. Coming to a stop, Hanse turned around and said, "This is what I wish to show you."

"What, an empty room," Wrex asked.

"Not that," Hanse replied. Pressing a button, he caused the windows in the observation room to become transparent. "This," he pointed out.

Looking inside, Wrex found that he was looking at what appeared to be an operating room. The walls were a sterile white color, along with the floor, and powerful lights were built into the ceiling, casting the place into artificial daylight. Everywhere he looked, he could see medical equipment, holographic EKG readouts and a number of other things. What really caught his attention, however, were the people inside. All around, Wrex could see doctors and surgeons working around what appeared to be a clutch of eggs inside of an incubator, with a female Krogan standing nearby with baited breath. Before he could ask what was going on, the eggs began to move.

What Wrex saw brought tears of joy to his eyes. The eggs jostled and jerked around, until one of them cracked wide open, revealing an infant Krogan that tumbled out onto a padded surface. Moments later, the infant's eyes opened wide, before letting out a cry of life as it began to move around. Moments later, the nine other eggs that were present hatched as well, with infant Krogan spilling out of them before moving around as well. Nearby, the female Krogan's eyes were wide with joy and wonder, with the female crying as she held her children in her arms for the first time in her life. Turning to Hanse, Wrex asked, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes," Hanse replied, a smile on his face as he replied. "What you are seeing is the end goal of Project AMBROSIA. When we learned of the Genophage, we 'persuaded' a Salarian scientist that worked on the Genophage, one Dr. Mordin Solus, to work with us to create a cure. He had his misgivings at first, but after we explained to him our future plan to ensure that there wouldn't be another Krogan Rebellion, he reluctantly agreed to assist us, while allowing us to monitor him so that he wouldn't, as we Terrans put it, 'spill the beans.'

"Once we got to work, we created a revolutionary genetic engineering method that uses advanced nanotechnology to modify and repair genes with a precision far greater than Advanced CRISPR Gene Editing. During testing, we pitted this newfound, nanite based gene editing process, which we call NanoGene Editing, against the Genophage, with the intention of finding out if it could remove the gene responsible for the Genophage, while preventing the Krogan species from reproducing at an unsustainable rate. What you are seeing is the end result: a Krogan female that can finally have the honor and privilege to be a mother, without having to worry about if her children will be stillborn due to the horrors of the Genophage."

Looking through the viewport once again, Wrex realized what Hanse Steiner-Davion had done for his people: he had given them a future, a future where Krogan children could run and play alongside Terran children, without the monstrous Genophage preventing them from being happy. Turning to Hanse Steiner-Davion, he said, "I… I don't know what to say. I…"

"There's no need for you to say anything," Hanse replied. "Having seen what your species has gone through, I can sympathize, because our species went through similar events, with the Succession War, the Amaris Civil War and the Star League-Crusader Clan War. Ever since I learned of the Genophage, all I wanted to do for your people was to give them the one thing that the Council, in it's provincial, myopic lack of vision, had taken from you: a future to enjoy."

Nodding in agreement, Wrex looked through the observational viewport once again, tears of joy streaming down his face as he gazed at the mother down below in the operating room. What made him happy was that she was happy, as the female Krogan was cradling and cooing to her children, despite the fact that she was very tired from the experience. Turning back to Hanse, Wrex said, "Thank you, for what you've done for our people."

"It's the least I could do," Hanse replied. "Only a fool would allow the Genophage to continue to exist after learning about it, and I'm no fool. However, we have to find a way to prevent the Krogan from going on the warpath again, and I intend to do that through education and higher learning. All of that is meaningless though…"

"Unless someone can show them the way," Wrex finished, realizing what Hanse was getting at. "I know what you mean. Unless there's someone that can show them there's a better path, we'll just end up repeating the mistakes of the past and vindicating the Council's fear of another Krogan Rebellion."

"Exactly," Hanse nodded.

For a long few moments, Wrex remained silent as he pondered Hanse's words. He'd once been the leader of Clan Urdnot on Tuchanka, before the incident with his father drove him to begin roaming the stars. In fact, he still was the leader of Clan Urdnot, as his brother Wreav had become the Chieftain Regent, which was a position he would hold until he died or he came back to Tuchanka to lead once again. He also realized why Hanse had shown him this: out of all the Krogan in the galaxy, he was one of the few that knew they couldn't keep going in the manner they were living in. They had to change, or the Krogan species as a whole would die out, leaving only their name to history.

The moment he realized what Hanse was asking of him. Turning to Hanse, he said, "I know what you are asking me to do. I… I'm not ready for the responsibility. I'm just a mercenary now, a 'MechWarrior. What do I know of leading a Clan after all this time?"

"That's why I think you're the only one that can do this," Hanse replied. "You are one of the few Krogan Battlemasters that not only knows what to do, but is more than willing to see it through, even if it costs you your life. I think the reason why you became a 'MechWarrior was because you believed that, even after everything that has happened, your species can still rise above it's barbarism and achieve it's destiny, which is to live alongside other species not as inferior beings or superior beings, but as people willing to accept other species as other living things, no greater or lesser than yourself. That's why I've shown you this, not because you're the best, or smartest, or strongest, but because you love your people and want to pull them out of the darkness of barbarism and into the light of reason and logic."

The moment Hanse said this, Wrex realized what the First Lord of the Star League was getting at, which was the reason why Hanse was the First Lord of the Star League: he wanted to serve his people. Wit that in mind, Wrex thought over those words for another few moments before coming to a decision. "Alright," he replied. "If there's no one else that's suitable, then I accept. Just remember, Hanse, that I'm only doing this for my species. If you attempt to backstab me…"

"Perish the thought," Hanse replied. "My only desire for your people is to see them pull themselves out of the Dark Age Era and into the Star League Era. I don't intend to backstab you one bit."

"Good," Wrex replied. "I'll begin preparations for returning home to Tuchanka. Speaking of which, you know the Turians are patrolling the Krogan DMZ. What do you intend to do about them?"

"Oh, don't worry," Hanse replied, a sly smile appearing on his face. "I've already attended to that affair. Just worry about heading back home to Tuchanka, I'll handle the rest." With that, Wrex turned and left the room as he felt, for the first time in his life, a flicker of hope. Soon, the Krogan would learn that, for the first time in their lives, they had regained something that they had lost centuries ago: a future.