Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect multicrossover. Thank you so much for your reviews on my other crossover. It's good to have a warm welcome now that I'm able to update it once more. Thank you very much, and I hope you stick around with me to the end. 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.
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance OST - Emmity Road
Federated Commonwealth
New Avalon
June 8th, 3075
Closing the C-HPG COM link with the WarShip orbiting around Tuchanka, Hanse Steiner-Davion leaned back in his seat with a smile on his face, and it was easy to see why. So far, everything is going as planned, he thought, that grin growing wider as he thought about some other influential people that he knew of. The creation of the Quarian Consensus, the Restoration of the Krogan. All of those events are going exactly as I hoped they would. He knew this as it was his goal to not only protect the Star League and it's member Great Houses, but to ensure they were not only on the military high ground, but the moral high ground as well.
That was one of the myriad number of reasons why everything that had occurred happened the way it did. Having read up on the myriad number of failures that the Council had to perform it's duty, he had decided to show the Council how a true, galactic superpower would handle things in the hopes of sparking change. On top of that, he genuinely felt for people like the Quarians and Krogan, people that had been ostracized by the Council, turned into pariah's by the various policies and blunders that the Council had committed. It will also greatly change the Council Races opinion of the Star League, he thought to himself, rubbing his face with a hand as he continued that train of thought. That might give them the incentive they need in order to actually stand up and show their friends that they won't take this kind of bullshit anymore.
That was one of the reasons why he disliked the Council: by not solving problems such as the Batarian Hegemony and the Genophage, the Council had shown that it was spineless and weak. That had encouraged factions like the Terminus Systems and the Batarian Hegemony to basically take whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. He'd seen this kind of weakness when he was negotiating with the Council after he declined their offer to join their alliance for the reasons that he and the other House Lords had. Once they'd left, he had come up with a plan not only to make the galaxy a better place, but to show the Council Races that the Star League was anything but spineless. Everything that had happened had done so for a reason, all of which were noble ones.
Pulling up a file on his computer's monitor, he looked at the deal that he and Primarch Fedorian had agreed on. When he, and the other House Lords, had worked out the treaties they did with the Council, he had made it clear that while he wouldn't accept an alliance with the Council itself, he would form alliances with individual governments, like the Turian Hierarchy for instance. Given that the Turians were generally approving of the Star League's actions and decisions, it was logical for both sides to begin strengthening relations with each other, which had led to many Turians coming to live in the Star League and the member Great Houses.
Which has led to the deal that we are about to finalize, Hanse thought as he looked over the contents of the documents one more time. Since the Hierarchy was now an unofficial ally of the Star League, and had strengthened relations greatly with them, they were now eligible for the technologies that they were initially prohibited to use. Some of the House Lords wondered if this was a good idea, but the House Lords of the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation, as well as the Khans of the Warden Clans, agreed with the fact that the Hierarchy had earned this singular honor. Now that Fedorian had agreed to the deal, it was Hanse's turn to confirm it. Bringing up the bottom of the document, he used his finger to sign his signature, with the touchscreen responding to his input almost immediately. Within a few seconds, his signature was on the dotted line, and he sent it off for the other Great Houses and Warden Clans to look at. Now the die is cast, he thought as he waited for their response. Time to see if the Hierarchy is going to gain access to the technologies we originally restricted from them.
As he thought this, he noticed a message on his computer. Opening it, he read the words, "The announcement is about to begin. Victor wants you to attend." Nodding at the contents of the message, he sent his reply before walking over to his wardrobe. History was about to be made today.
. . .
At the Citadel, Tevos couldn't believe her ears, even as she watched the news broadcast inside the private meeting room they had been using a lot since the Star League's arrival on the galactic scene. Nearby, Councilor Valern looked as though someone had succeeded in giving him a very bad scare, as his skin was starting to look quite pale. Nearby, Sparatus was as calm as ever, though it was clear that he was surprised by what he was looking at.
It had only been a few days ago when they got word that the Turian Hierarchy had negotiated an agreement with the Star League, leading to the latter faction gaining full possession of the Krogan DMZ, effectively making the Aralak system an occupied Star League territory. What was different this time was that, unlike FRACTURED TERMINUS, where reporters from the Council's news networks had been barred from entry, they were allowed to broadcast what was happening on Tuchanka. Video feeds and images of SLDF WarShips coming into orbit over Tuchanka, while Hierarchy ships returned to Turian space, had filled the holo-screens of every news broadcast in the entirety of Council Space.
That wasn't the only thing that was shocking, though, as Tevos and the other Councilors were quick to learn. Apparently, one of the members of the Star League had been given the star system as a form of gift, with the faction being known as Clan Wolverine. When asked what was going to happen, Clan Wolverine's Khan, a woman named Sarah McEvedy IV, had informed the reporters that with the signing of the agreement, Clan Wolverine had taken possession of the Krogan DMZ, with the intent of inducting the Krogan Clans into Clan Wolverine itself.
What she said next not only had scared Valern greatly, it had caused Tevo's eyes to go wide. On camera, in full view of the Council Races, Khan McEvedy IV had informed the reporters that it was Clan Wolverine's full intent to cure the Krogan of the Genophage, citing that it was a violation of the newly updated Ares Conventions, which banned the use of biological and chemical weapons against both civilian and organized military targets. This meant that, since the Genophage was a biological weapon, it had to be removed, or Clan Wolverine would face serious fines and prosecution for continuing what was, to the Ares Conventions, a war crime. On top of that, she had stated that she opposed the Genophage on ethical and philosophical grounds, stating that the Genophage had driven the Krogan into an age of barbarism. However, having read history, she informed the reporters that, in order to stop another Krogan Rebellion, Clan Wolverine would enforce it's laws and punish any Krogan criminals as though they were members of Clan Wolverine.
Valern, having opposed the curing of the Genophage for a long time, had turned pale when he heard those words. Tevos herself hadn't shown much of a reaction, though she was wondering how Clan Wolverine would pull this off. The Krogan have shown lack of restraint repeatedly in the past, she thought as she listened to more of the news broadcast. I don't know how Clan Wolverine will restrain the Krogan from going on another conquering spree, but if they're confident that they can handle the Krogan, I wish them all the luck they can get. Looking at Sparatus, Tevos noticed that he was calm and resolute, even giving the Khan of Clan Wolverine an approving nod of respect.
She was about to ask Spartaus a question when he noticed how pale Valern was. "Valern," Sparatus remarked. "Are you alright? You look quite pale."
"No," Valern replied. "I am not OK, as you put it. Are the Terrans mad?! They've not only taken possession of Tuchanka, they've announced that they will cure the Genophage! If they do that, the Krogan will go out of control; they'll terrorize the galaxy once again! We have to stop them!"
"We can't," Tevos replied, "and for a number of reasons, Valern. For one, the Turian Hierarchy and the Star League signed an agreement that allowed for this to happen; while the Star League hasn't joined the Council, and likely never will, they are not barred from making stronger relations with the member races of the Council. As a result, if we were to take action against them, we would be violating the treaties we made with them. In addition, their military forces are significantly stronger than our own. We wouldn't have a chance against them."
"You read my mind," Sparatus said to Tevos. "That's exactly what I was thinking. If we were to attempt to stop the Star League, Valern, they would absolutely crush us under their feet. If they can do that to use, the Citadel Council, then it stands to reason that the Krogan wouldn't have a chance if they rebelled. Besides, I'm not worried about the Krogan going on another rampaging war against the Council; I've made a study of the Warden Clans and their culture, and I can safely say that another Krogan Rebellion is an impossibility. The Clan Caste system, combined with their other laws, means that any Krogan that would attempt to attack the Council races would not only be arrested, they would be destroyed in accordance with Clan law."
Tevos nodded in agreement. In addition to what Sparatus had said, taking any form of action against the Star League would also harm the public's opinion of the Council and the current Councilors. According to public opinion polls, the vast majority of the Council Races were fully approving of what the Star League had done, with many citing that what happened was 'a long time coming.' While some people still opposed the Star League, they were now a minority compared to the rest of the galaxy, which was either neutral towards the Star League, or nodding in approval of their actions.
On top of that, many members of the species that were a part of the Council had family members that had moved to the Star League in order to find a better life. Polls indicated that the vast majority of people migrating to the Inner Sphere were Turians, not only due to good relations between the Star League and Turian Hierarchy, but due to the fact that many Turians found the Terrans to be not only interesting, but easy to understand. Most Turian immigrants to the Star League, in fact, usually ended up living in the territory the Warden Clans held ownership of, due to the Clan's society, which was nearly identical to that of the Hierarchy. Next in line were Krogans, who were quickly becoming some of the best mercenaries in the Inner Sphere, with Asari being third in line. As for the Salarians, only those that approved of the Star League emigrated to the Inner Sphere, and that was a small number at that. Beyond that, no other member of the species in the galaxy had emigrated to the Inner Sphere. All of this combined meant that any action against the Star League would not only destroy the Council's reputation, it would also lead to a war that would devastate Council Space, a war that Tevos and Sparatus didn't want at all.
Upon hearing those words, Valern visibly deflated, losing most of his will to keep arguing. While he still saw the Star League as a threat, Tevos and Sparatus had pulled up excellent points to counter his argument. On top of that, he knew from experience that the Star League Intelligence Command was not only the STG's greatest rival, it was vastly superior in terms of it's purpose. With that in mind, Valern and the others could only watch as the Star League solved yet another problem that they had failed to do so for the longest time.
. . .
At Tuchanka, Wrex's eyes were filled with peace and contentment as he sat in the office that he'd been given when Clan Urdnot's new base had been constructed. It had been about three hours since he'd returned to Clan Urdnot's HQ, with the clock on the wall showing that it was roughly 2:55 PM Tuchanka Time. Once he'd returned to the base, he found a number of Krogan that were being treated for the Genophage, with Clan Wolverine's scientists and doctors injecting a grayish colored liquid into the right shoulder of each Krogan that had lined up. Having undergone the same procedure, Wrex knew what it was: the Ambrosia Serum that the New Avalon Institute of Science had created in order to cure the Genophage.
For thousands of years, we've been prisoners of the Genophage, Wrex thought as he watched as each Krogan was cured, with those Krogan walking away with an expression of joy and hope on their faces. Now, thanks to the Star League, the Federated Commonwealth and Clan Wolverine, we're finally free, free to choose our future, free to be whomever we wish to be, and it's all thanks to them. A tear began to run down his face as he began to imagine the future of the Krogan people now. Already, he could see, with his mind's eyes, Krogan children laughing and playing alongside Human and Turian children, accepting each other for who, not what, they were. It was a future where such children could play without the menacing shadow of the Genophage driving a wedge between them. As one Terran song would've put it, the future was so bright, he had to wear shades in order to see it clearly.
Hitting a command on his computer, he watched as the video feed switched from what was going on at the base, to another one at another part of the planet. True to form, once the other Krogan Clans had surrendered, the SLDF had begun to patrol many of the areas that the Turians used to patrol, with SLDF personnel working to make sure that no only did no insurrections occur, but also to make sure that enough food and water got to the other clans on the planet.
That wasn't all, as the video feed he was looking at showed. In addition to enforcing law and order on Tuchanka, the Star League was already hard at work repairing the damage that the Krogan had done to their planet so long ago. IndustrialMechs and Construction vehicles were already getting to work cleaning up the massive piles of rubble that choked most of the planet, with those efforts revealing a large amount of soil that had been hidden from sight for a long time. In addition, decontamination crews were working on using nanotechnology to remove any radioactive fallout that was in the soil and water on the planet. According to surveyors and Star League AI's, it would take a good decade and a half to restore the entirety of Tuchanka to habitable status.
Not all of it was bleak, however, as Wrex was about to find out. Hearing someone walking inside, he looked up to see one of the Krogan that had participated in the battle walk into his office, a jubilant expression on his face. "What is it," Wrex asked.
"We've found something that just gave our homeworld a future," the Krogan replied. "You have to come and see this." It was clear from the excited expression on his face that something good had happened.
"Alright, I'm coming," Wrex replied. "Where do we need to go?"
"We've got a Hermes-II VTOL ready to go," the messenger replied. "It'll take us an hour to get to where we need to go. Khan McEvedy IV personally requested that you come." With that, Wrex got up, turning off his computer before heading to the VTOL landing pads.
An hour later, Wrex hopped off the VTOL, with the vehicle visibly rising as he got off. It had taken him exactly an hour to reach this area, with most of the landscape underneath him zipping along below him. During that time, he'd spotted SLDF demolishing, cleanup and decon crews beginning the arduous task of cleaning up and restoring Tuchanka to full habitability. It was a stark reminder of the mistakes that his people had made, and it reminded him of his vow to not only stop the Krogan that wanted to continue the Rebellions, but to restore Tuchanka to it's former glory. Looking around, he could see where they were. Tuchanka, like any habitable planet, had it's fair share of mountain ranges, with each mountain towering over the rest of the landscape. During the nuclear war, the mountains had been used as shelter for refugees fleeing for their lives, with a number of underground bunkers having been built to shelter civilians from the nuclear fire that raged outside. It was thanks to those bunkers that the Krogan had survived, instead of being driven extinct by their own nuclear war.
Looking around, Wrex knew they were at the Irvorkis Mountain Range, which was a mountain range that extended from the Arctic down to about the middle of Tuchanka's northwestern hemisphere, the same hemisphere that Clan Urdnot was located at. It was rumored that the scientists that had lived before the nuclear war had foreseen the impending cataclysm and had, in order to ensure the Krogan weren't driven into the Stone Age, stored examples of their technology inside each of these bunkers. Rumors also suggested that the same scientists had stored genetic samples of the planet's flora and fauna inside of the same underground bunkers.
Hearing footsteps, he watched as Khan McEvedy IV walked over to him. "Good to see you come, Wrex," she beamed. "I was hoping that you would come. We have made a discovery that will restore hope to the Krogan species."
"I see," Wrex remarked. Almost immediately, Wrex spotted where most of the SLDF personnel were working at: a large rock face that had a conspicuously obvious gatehouse in front of it. Walking towards the gatehouse, he and the Khan carefully picked a path through the people working at the area, as well as around large ravines and craters that littered the area they was in, visible evidence of the nuclear war the Krogan had fought a long time ago. Snow covered the ground, indicative of how high up they were on the actual mountain range itself. Reaching the gatehouse, he noticed SLDF technicians wiring up computers and cables to a computer that was inside the gatehouse. "What's going on," he asked as McEvedy IV caught up.
"We found what we think might be an underground bunker," the lead technician replied, the symbol of Clan Wolverine on the shoulders of his work uniform. "During the Reconstruction, the time period immediately after the Succession War, bunkers like this were found by SLLRC personnel that were scouring the Inner Sphere for any LosTech they could find. They found one on the planet of Helm, as well as a Memory Core that held everything the Star League needed to restore itself to it's former technological level. It was a gatehouse like this one that controlled the entrance to the base on Helm."
"So how do we get inside," Wrex asked.
"That's what we're doing right now," the technician replied. "With your permission, Chieftain, Khan, I would like to open up this facility."
"Go ahead," McEvedy and Wrex replied. With that, the technician input a series of commands into the computer that was hooked up to the gatehouse computer. For a few moments, there was nothing but silence, then a loud rumbling sound occurred, with rocks and boulders tumbling down the side of the hill. Moments later, Wrex watched as part of the cliffside retracted inside, before sliding to the left, revealing a large door that was built into the mountainside. "Just like Helm," he heard McEvedy IV whisper.
Walking up to the door, he watched as it slowly opened up, with motors that were activating for the first time in thousands of years. Walking inside, he found that he was inside a large, cavernous space that had a pair of roadways, railed sidewalks and a number of doors leading inside to other parts of the facility. Moving along, he walked into one of the hallways, using a map he found to make his way to what appeared to be a control center. As he walked along, he found himself passing through a large storage room; to his amazement, the entire facility was still getting power, as lights turned on as he passed through the hallways. Turning inside a room, he noticed a large series of what appeared to be refrigeration units. Pulling one open, he noticed what were a large number of what appeared to be tubes.
When he saw the labels, he realized what these were: genetic samples of the planet's flora and fauna. The rumors were true, he realized with a start. The Krogan scientists that built this place preserved all the flora and fauna of our planet, before the war happened. And that wasn't all, as for the next few minutes, Wrex found more such refrigeration units, as well as large storage vaults of what appeared to be technology the Krogan had lost. However, it wasn't all sunshine, as Wrex found piles of what he realized were the bones of the Krogan that had been trapped in here when the bombs fell. A tear streamed down his face when he saw the skeleton of a child in a small maintenance room.
The crowning moment, however, was when they found a series of monitors inside of the control center. The control center was a large affair, with the room arranged in a manner similar to that of Mission Control on Terra, when Humanity was just starting to explore Luna, Earth's moon. Computer consoles were built into the room, along with a large screen in the back of the room itself. In a showcase of Krogan engineering, the computers came online as soon as Wrex turned on one of them. That was when he noticed a text file that was on one of the computers. "What is it," he heard McEvedy IV ask.
"Look," Wrex remarked, his eyes wide with joy as he read the contents.
Looking at the contents of the file, both Wrex and McEvedy IV saw, what they realized, were the final words of one of the scientists in the area. The text file said, "It has begun. The nuclear war that will undoubtedly drive our species into extinction at the worst, or at the very least into the Stone Age. While it saddens me that hot heads and emotions prevailed over logic and reason, I am heartened by the fact that, through our efforts, we have ensured the survival of our species and it's various cultures.
"To anyone that finds this, I will tell you what you are looking at. When our species became more violent, many of us banded together in order to begin storing technology and wildlife that we knew would be destroyed in the impending catastrophe, forming an order called the 'Preservers.' Our mission was simple: to store and preserve examples of our planets fauna, flora and technology so that, if our species was to survive, our descendants would discover the technology within and restore our people to it's former glory.
"Now that I can hear the sounds of nuclear bombs being detonated, I can say, with certainty, that we have done what we can to ensure our people's survival. To anyone that finds this, you must use the technology within to restore our world to it's former biodiversity, so that the planet does not die out in the end. In addition, you must use said technology to restore our species to it's former technological state. Most importantly, however, you must teach your children to avoid the mistakes that we made, otherwise our species will certainly be driven to extinction by it's own hand. With that said, we leave this gift behind for our descendants so that, one day, the Krogan species might learn from it's mistakes and become what it should have been, a kind but strong species capable of achieving it's destiny: to walk in the light of the stars. This is Chief Scientist Nakmor Hevara, signing off."
Closing the file, Wrex said, "Our planet isn't doomed to die after all. Our world will soon be restored."
"Indeed," Khan McEvedy IV nodded. "It seems that, even though the Krogan of the past was a violent species, some were able to stop their violent tendencies and preserve the future of your species. It's these kind of people that ensured that the Star League would restore itself to it's former glory, and the same kind of people that have ensured the biodiversity of your world was preserved. You should be thankful, Wrex, that they went through this effort."
"I am," Wrex replied. After a moment, he said, "If we get this stuff to your Clan's scientists, they'll be able to get to work restoring our planet's biosphere."
"I know," McEvedy IV replied. "That's exactly what I've ordered the scientists to do." Pointing at a camera feed, Wrex watched as Clan Wolverine scientists placed the viable genetic samples into specially cooled containers before shipping them out of the bunker. Looking at the screen, Wrex knew one thing: Tuchaka was going to survive.
. . .
Back on New Avalon, Hanse Steiner-Davion had a smile on his face as he watched his son, Victor Steiner-Davion, walking up to the podium with his daughter, Katherine Steiner-Davion. Looking down, he made sure his suit was ready to go for the eighth time in a row, before returning his gaze back to the podium. All around him, various people in the city had come to attend what Victor Steiner-Davion announced would be a paradigm shift in the Inner Sphere. The setting of where they were at was also carefully considered. They were currently at the Advanced HyperPulse Generator at New Avalon's Capitol City, which was one of dozens of A-HPG Relays on New Avalon. This particular A-HPG overlooked New Avalon's capitol, with the city gleaming down below the mountain range they were at.
Looking around, Hanse could see that it was more than just the populace of New Avalon's capitol that were in attendance. He could see a number of nobles that were present as well, including a few House Lords that had come to attend this historic proclamation, in particular Thomas Marik of the Free Worlds League and Theodore Kruita of the Draconis Combine. There were also a few people that had migrated from the Council Races in attendance as well.
A moment later, Victor Steiner-Davion cleared his throat, prompting everyone to fall silent. Once everyone was silent, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. Today marks a historic moment in the entirety of the entire Inner Sphere, and it is an honor to see so many foreign dignitaries present for this monumental occasion.
"For nearly a thousand years, the Inner Sphere has been ruled by a neo-feudal system that hearkens back to the 1300's on ancient Terra, with the establishment of the Medieval Ages. This system made use of kings, queens, princes, princesses as well as lords and ladies. When the 1700's came around, this system, thanks to advancements in communication as well as changes in philosophy, resulted in many of these kingdoms becoming democracies and republics. Up to the 22nd Century, this remained the case, with the invention of the Kearny-Fuchida Drive propelling Humanity into a new golden age. However, since our ability to travel outpaced our means of communication, we eventually reverted to the system of governance that is accepted throughout the Inner Sphere.
"Now, thanks to the creation of the Advanced HyperPulse Generator Network, and the creation of the HyperNet, this system of governance is obsolete. As such, my sister and I have come to a decision, one that the People's Council has unanimously agreed to. Now that near-instant FTL communications throughout the Inner Sphere is a reality, we have made the decision to change the government of the Federated Commonwealth, to reflect this newfound reality. As of 3:00 PM today, on July 8th, 3075, the Federated Commonwealth has changed it's government, from that of a neo-feudal government, to that of a Federalist Republic."
When Victor said this, the eyes of everyone in the crowd widened, with many gasping as they began to realize the implications of what this change was going to bring about, while FCDF personnel handed out pamphlets and data pads explaining what the new system would be. While he put on a good act, Hanse knew that this decision had been a long time in the making; once the Advanced HyperPulse Generator had been created, a number of scientific polls indicated that the creation of an advanced FTL communications network would lead to a resurgence of democratic tendencies throughout the Inner Sphere, a prediction that had proven to be correct. When he had returned from the Kerensky Cluster a hero, Victor had, while trying to find the spatial anomaly leading to the UNSC's universe, talked with his father and discussed his plans of reforming the Federated Commonwealth into a Federalist Republic inspired by the United States of America from Earth's 21st Century.
It was something that had never been thought of, so much so that when Hanse had heard about it at first, he had laughed. As his son explained his reasoning for this, however, his smile had gradually vanished, replaced with a realization that his oldest son and daughter had thought this through quite carefully, even improving the system they were going to use by including AI into the government. By the time his son and daughter had finished explaining the changes to him, Hanse knew that Victor and Katherine had carefully worked out the various weaknesses of a democracy and had come up with innovative solutions to various problems. In the end, he had given them his blessing, which was why he was now believing that Victor had made the best decision of his life.
Hearing the gasping in the crowd, Victor waited until everyone had quieted down and read the summary of the documents his sister and he had written up before explain some more. "Now, this decision was not an overnight development," he said to the people gathered at the Relay. "This decision was made when the Kerensky Cluster was successfully invaded and conquered by the combined might of the Great Houses and the Star League, during the time I was searching for the missing fleet that led to the Interuniversal Wormhole we know know of. During this time, my sister and I ironed out the various kinks in the system we were inspired by, leading to the system that we have chosen. Over the next five months, the Federated Commonwealth will begin changing in it's structure and political system in order to smoothly transition to this new form of government. During this time, the FCDF will be at a heightened state to ensure that no unlawful coups occur during this time. As of now, I am no longer Lord Victor Steiner-Davion, but rather President Victor Steiner Davion of the Federated Commonwealth, with my sister becoming the First Lady of the Federated Commonwealth."
When Victor said this, the crowd erupted into cheers, realizing what was going to happen for the first time since the invention of the K-F Drive: democracy was returning to the Inner Sphere, and it was going to be here to stay. Even as the applause continued, Hanse could feel a smile on his face as he looked around at the other House Lords that were attending the proclamation. Thomas Marik had a smile on his face, as did a few other people. Theodore Kurita wasn't smiling, but he was clapping along, indicating his approval of what was going on. Even as the cheering continued, Hanse knew one thing: the Inner Sphere was not going to be the same ever again. A new era was dawning for the Federated Commonwealth, and it was going to be a bright one.
