Hello everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Halo crossover redux.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.

Just so you know, the reviews page for this crossover is having some problems. Not all of the reviews for the second chapter have come up, even though I approved quite a few guest reviews as well. As such, this chapter is going to receive an update to the Q&A section once the problem is resolved. Stay tuned for the new additions!

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/BattleTech or Halo franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, WizKids, Piranha Games Inc. etc. 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 respective composers and/or artists.

Lama House - Otherworld

Soell System

Arcadia

September 1st, 2515 (2785)

Just as he had said it would be, life for the newly settled colonies proved to be difficult. There was no one that knew this fact better than Kerensky himself, who was having to manage all of the aspects of a colony, from making sure everyone had sufficient food, to ensuring they had medicine to prevent the start of outbreaks. Even his sons, who were now having to work in capacities other than they were trained for, were having a little difficulty adjusting.

Still, it's not as hard as I thought it would've been, Aleksandr thought as he finished looking through a progress report for the colony of Circe. Much of the initial difficulty came from getting enough buildings and infrastructure set up to make sure everyone had food to eat, water to drink and a place to rest. Now, it's all about getting a routine set up.

That led him to look around at the place they were at. Compared to most of the buildings in the settlement, which were made using prefabricated sections and so on, so forth, the building that Kerensky was inside was made from a combination of pre-fab and local materials. While the building looked standard fare on the outside, inside, it was richly decorated with warm wood paneling, some furniture that had been brought over from Terra before the Exodus Fleet had left, as well as windows that allowed some light inside. There was even a fireplace, which was currently being used to warm the living room.

It wasn't just Kerensky that was inside of the building, though. His wife, Katyusha, and both Andrey and Nicholas Kerensky were inside; Alek was currently sitting on a padded chair, while his wife sat next to him in a similar one, and his two sons on a couch wide enough to fit three people. Even before they left the Inner Sphere, it was a family tradition for the Kerensky's to have a private family meeting when it was close to bedtime. Not even their departure from the Inner Sphere had disrupted this tradition, and there was little chance that their unique circumstances would halt it now.

Once they were all comfortable, Aleksandr asked, "So, how is everything going with the two of you?" He motioned to Andrey and Nicholas when he said this.

"Going just fine," Andrey replied. "The colonists are getting settled in quite nicely. Many of them are glad that they've finally set foot on terra firma."

"I agree," Nicholas added. "Traveling through space is fine and all, but eventually, you need to set foot onto the surface of a world. If you don't, you eventually forget what it's like to live on a planet, or even how to live on one for that matter."

"A fair point," Alek agreed. It was then that he noted that Andrey had a look about him, from the direct stare at him, to a slight loosening of the jaw. That indicated to Alek that Andrey wanted to speak to him about something. "Go ahead," he smiled a moment later. "I'm listneing."

Andrey relaxed, before he said, "My brother and I... well... we got into an argument today."

That had Alek's attention, though it was Katyusha that responded. "Why? What was the argument about?"

"Some of the soldiers are having some trouble adjusting, and a few got into a fistfight with each other," Nicholas explained. "No one was hurt, but that left us to the matter of deciding what we ought to do to keep that from happening. I was in favor of putting them into the brig to think over their actions for a few days."

"I see," Alek noted. "What about you, Andrey? I take it you disagreed with Nicholas, yes?"

"Definitely," Andrey answered. "I felt that was too harsh of a punishment, especially when I talked to them. Most of them are worried that the Great Houses will find us again, especially since we're so close to Terra. A few even thought that they ought to bargain with the Great Houses, though even they admitted that it was a bad idea. I decided, as such, to have them do community service."

"I still think that you were being too soft on them," Nicholas disagreed, a slight edge to his words. "Putting them into the brig for a few days would've instantly solved the problem."

"Instantly, yes," Andrey agreed, much to Nicholas' surprise, "but that only treats the symptom. To stop the problem entirely, you need to get to the root of it. Community service will teach them the value of cooperation and compromise, and it'll allow them to see their families, which will remind them why they joined the SLDF in the first place."

"I don't see how -"

"Enough," Alek interrupted, his tone of voice gentle but firm. I think Andrey made the right choice, he said to himself. Nicholas' solution would've stopped the fighting, but it wouldn't have gotten to the root of the problem. Andrey's solution did, which will prevent problems in the long run.

Looking at the two, he said, "I believe Andrey is correct, both in his decision and the reasoning behind it. Yes, putting them into the brig would've solved the problem as you said, Nicholas, but it wouldn't have gotten to the root of the problem, which is fear of the unknown, as well as factionalism that can arise as a result of house alliances. By giving them community service, and having them work together, Andrey struck at the core of the problem and resolved a potential conflict before it could happen. A good leader always looks for solutions that will correct the root of any problem, not ones that only treat the symptoms.

"In addition, I've noticed that this is not an isolated problem. There have been numerous reports of this happening throughout the SLDF-in-Exile military, which means that we have another problem on our hands. As such, the four of us will have to look for solutions to this problem before a civil war opens up. I will not have war so soon after we have landed."

At that, Andrey looked quite surprised, while Nicholas looked as though someone had slapped him in the face. Looking at Nicholas, Alek added, "I understand how you feel, Nicholas. When I was a young man, I thought much the same way you do. My instructor at the academy, however, taught me valuable lessons like that, which have helped me become the man I am today. I'm not angry at you, Nicholas; in fact, I'll probably never get angry at you. What I wish to do is to educate you, so that you can grow and become both a better leader, and a better person. OK?"

At that, Nicholas perked up, now that he realized that his father wasn't reprimanding him, but was actually teaching him a valuable lesson. "I... I understand," he acknowledged. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright," Alek reassured him. "Remember: don't be sorry, be better. Learn from the mistake and move on."

"Speaking of events like what happened today, what have you been up to, dad?" Andrey asked. "I heard hearsay and rumors that you've been working more closely with 343 Guilty Spark. Is that correct?"

Alek nodded. "Yes, the rumors are true. I've specifically been working with him to help bolster our colony. In particular. I've also instructed Dr. Richard Cranston to work with him, and I've decided to give Guilty Spark the clearance needed to access the schematics for the Kearny-Fuchida Drive, along with the HyperPulse Generator."

That caught Katyusha's attention, and she looked worried. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked. "I don't trust Guilty Spark."

"I agree," Nicholas added. "I know that I'm a bit odd at times, but Guilty Spark takes the cake. I've often heard him talking to himself, or even humming a nameless tune at times."

"Same here," Andrey concurred. "Guilty Spark doesn't seem... completely stable. He was, after all, isolated from another living being for over a hundred thousand years. That amount of time on your own can drive even a man with a strong will a little cuckoo at best and insane at worst."

Alek nodded, having observed the same himself one. "I thought as much myself when I spoke with him recently," he agreed. "In fact, it's why I made sure he would have to work to gain access to clearance levels. He is also a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence that far exceeds even our most advanced computers. An AI like him can run trillions of simulations on what a particular piece of technology could do in just a few seconds. In fact, he described a millisecond as being like a year to normal people like us.

"In addition, he is extremely intelligent, even more so than many of our scientists, and he is, first and foremost, a scientist himself. Like us, he wishes to understand the misunderstood, to know the unknown, and to use the light of knowledge to banish the darkness of ignorance and fear. In addition, he told me much about the 'Slipstream Space' that his creators, the Forerunners, used in order to travel tens of thousands of light years every day. If there is someone that can improve the range of both our K-F Drive's and HPG's, while reducing the recharging time of the former of the two, it is him.

"Still, I am fully aware of your concerns as well, which is why I have done what I have so far. Guilty Spark has purpose as long as his installation isn't threatened by anyone, us included. As long as we do not interfere with that purpose, and as long as we do not tamper with the creatures he calls the Flood, then we will have an invaluable ally on our side."

At those words, the others relaxed. "That... that explains quite a bit," Andrey noted.

"I think I see what you mean," Nicholas remarked. "Use his purpose and his motivations in order to get the most out of the agreement. That's clever, I must admit."

"It is," Katyusha agreed. "I'm just happy that you know what you're doing, honey,"

"Me too," Aleksandr replied. As the night wore on, and the family talked with each other, Aleksandr looked at his sons with a smile on his face. I am glad to have been able to help right a wrong, and strengthen my relationship with my sons. My only hope is that, when my time to die comes, that they will put the lessons I've been teaching them since we founded this colony to good use. I will not be Commanding General of the Star League-in-Exile forever. Eventually, one of my sons will take my place. Until then, I will lead them to the best of my ability.

. . .

At Installation 04, Guilty Spark had to admit, the history of the Star League was quite rich. Flying about inside of one of Installation 04's tunnels, he was quietly sorting through some of the data that he'd been allowed access to today. Kerensky is a man of his word, he said to himself as he cataloged the data. I helped him get his fleet settled, and in return, he allowed me access to some of the files he had. Human history after the activation of the Halo Array, I must admit, is quite fascinating.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for all the human lives lost during the Amaris Coup, a relic of who he once was. That… brutish barbarian, he snarled internally. He had no right to do what he did! Yes, I can understand his desire for revenge against the Star League, but that does not give one the right to walk up to one's leader and shoot him dead! I would've have purged him myself if I were there!

Even so, the fact that the conflict happened reminded him of a facet of organic beings that his mentor had taught him: conflict was inevitable, though it was part of his people's responsibility to prevent that conflict from turning into all-out war. That is where we failed, though, he thought to himself. It seems as though war and peace are cyclic in nature. Where did we go wrong in trying to prevent that?

He shook away the sour thoughts, though he showed no shaking motion on the outside. Enough! To dwell in the past is to die in the present. There is nothing that I can do for the Star League, now that it has likely died out. All I can do now is to help Kerensky achieve his vision of restoring the Star League, before returning to the Inner Sphere to punish the House Lords for their arrogance and greed. It will be so satisfying to render justice where justice is due.

There was one thing that had him worried though, and that was Kerensky himself. He is an excellent leader, he noted, but I worry for him. I don't know if his children are capable of shouldering the burdens of leadership, and that is a test of integrity that many people fail, if the Inner Sphere's history is anything to tell by. In addition, he's getting older, and we don't have any piece of equipment that can lengthen his life. Eventually, he will have to pick a successor to carry on in his place.

The thought was enough to get him to consider who would be a good candidate to replace Aleksandr once he was gone. It was obvious to him that, as a military officer, Kerensky would nominate his successor and decide who would take over in his stead. Nicholas Kerensky seems like a potential candidate, Guilty Spark thought. He is older and he was involved with some of the fighting on Erde Tyrenne, or Terra, as the SLDF calls it, during Amaris' occupation. Still, I wonder if he'll be able to handle the stresses of leadership. From what I can tell, he shows some of the signs of psychopathy, including a reduced empathy for others.

That leaves Andrey Kerensky, who seems to be a highly experienced military officer. From what the records have shown, he was a highly important figure during the resistance against Stefan Amaris' unlawful reign of the Terran Hegemony. I think he would be the best one to succeed Aleksandr should he cease functioning due to old age.

Still, Guilty Spark knew that, until that eventuality came, speculating on who the successor would be was little more than a moot point. Never worry about points that are moot, a part of his programming told him. Focus on the here and now, rather than what is in the future. At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a notification. He quickly read through it, before using the teleportation grid to head over to one of the colonies that had been built.

It was here, in orbit, that he saw a showcase of the SLDF's engineering prowess: the Newgrange-class YardShip. It was a behemoth of a ship, with a scan telling him that it was a little over two and a half kilometers long and just over five hundred meters in width. Powerful engines in the rear of the ship were capable of pushing it fast enough to where it could simulate Terra's gravity at it's safest acceleration.

It's real purpose, however, was clearly visible with the two massive bays that were currently open, along with the pair of Essex-class destroyers inside of said bays. The Newgrange-class, as the name suggested, was a mobile shipyard capable of servicing vessels that were just as large as it was. I was even told that it could build a ship of the same size, Guilty Spark thought as he flew in closer to the massive ship. It's tiny compared to a Forerunner ship, but for it's size, it's a remarkable feat of engineering.

Once he flew in close enough, he quickly entered through one of the empty bays, before carefully maneuvering through the hallways of the massive ship. I wonder why they never bothered to research gravity plating, he wondered as he saw personnel pulling themselves along in zero G using handbars and the like. It would've certainly been more efficient. Still, beggars cannot be choosers, and it could be that artificial gravity of the non-centripetal type is still beyond their capabilities. Fortunately, the coordinates are in one of the Grav-Decks, so that won't be any problem.

Soon, after a few minutes of careful navigation, Guilty Spark found himself in one of the Grav-Decks of the ship he was on, the Hephaestus if his memory banks were working properly. Here, gravity was around .95G, nearly equivalent to that of Terra, and much more comfortable for most human beings than zero G was. This particular Grav-Deck, however, had been modified into a laboratory, which was fitting, given that the Hephaestus had recently been modified for experiments involving engineering and science.

As such, Guilty Spark found himself moving past men and women in engineering uniforms, labcoats, HAZMAT suits and other uniforms. He could also see workstations were various experiments were being carried out. Most of these were at Guilty Spark's level of access, though there were some being done in an area where only General Kerensky could go. Putting that out of mind, Guilty Spark entered one of the smaller rooms on the Grav-Deck.

The room he found himself in was an office for one of the scientists that had come along with the Exodus Fleet. The room was well decorated, with wood paneling on the walls, a mahogany desk that was bolted to the floor, as well as a few cabinets and cupboards. Pictures of past scientists were on the walls, including one of a certain 'Albert Einstein' from what Guilty Spark had been told.

The man behind the desk, though, had Guilty Spark's full attention. He was a tall and wiry man, with slightly unkempt hair, light brown eyes and a pale complexion. A labcoat was on his person, along with some blue jeans and a pair of sneakers, all of which were slightly rumpled. The eyes, however, held a fire of genius, as well as a tiny spark of madness that was barely restrained.

This, from what Guilty Spark could remember, was Dr. Richard Ives Cranston, a K-F Drive Engineering Physicist that had come along on the Exodus Fleet shortly before they had left the Inner Sphere for good. According to files that Guilty Spark had on the man, Dr. Cranston was one of the few people that had performed research into improving the capabilities of the K-F Drive, the primary means of FTL flight that the Inner Sphere had. He knew the mathematics, and he was more than crazy enough to try improving upon the technology.

As soon as he saw Guilty Spark, he smiled, showing a set of pearly white teeth. "Guilty Spark!" he beamed. "I was hoping you'd catch my message. I would like to speak with you."

"Certainly," Guilty Spark replied. "How can I be of service?"

"I was wishing to discuss with you some of the things we've been doing," Cranston remarked. "I also wished to inform you that Aleksandr Kerensky just recently cleared me to share with you documents on how the K-F Drive works."

If Guilty Spark had lips, he would've begun pursing them when he heard those words. Accessing the databanks aboard the Hephaestus, he quickly began looking at the documents for the K-F Drive, now that he had the clearance necessary to study them. The tech behind the K-F Drive was one of the few that Aleksandr Kerensky had initially blocked off from him, until he had helped meet the requirements necessary to access the files in question.

The more he looked at the files, the more impressed he became. Very fascinating, he noted. Apparently, the Kearny-Fuchida Drive is what appears to be a Brane Jump Drive. As far as I can tell, it seems to manipulate the laws of what the SLDF calls M-Theory to open a wormhole through what they call the Bulk or Hyperspace. This allows them to transport a ship a certain distance, though it requires a lot of energy to perform this jump.

Out loud, he said, "Ingenious. Dr.'s Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida's mathematical formulas are nothing short of impressive. From the looks of it, your K-F Drive is a Brane Jump Drive."

"That it is," Cranston rejoined. "Which is part of why I had you come over here. I was wondering if there was anything you could do to help us improve the range and recharge times of the K-F Drive. If we can improve both, our ships can spend more time traveling and less time recharging. In addition, I'm wondering if it's possible to improve the drive to where we can jump from any point in space, rather than at specific jump points. Is it possible to do that?"

Guilty Spark had to admit, it was a good question, one that he mulled over for a few milliseconds. To an AI, that was a long time, though it was a blink of an eye to an organic. "I believe that it is possible," he agreed. "I will admit, it will take me some time to find potential solutions, and not all of them might be viable. May I ask a question?"

"Sure," Cranston replied. "You can ask me any question that my field of expertise covers."

"Have you attempted this endeavor before?"

The question, while innocent, was enough to make Cranston frown. Guilty Spark was about to apologize for what he thought was impertinence when Cranston raised a hand to stop him. "Yes," he agreed. "I was one of the engineers that worked on the SLS Manasass. It had a prototype K-F Drive that used a prototype booster that would strengthen the hyperspace field before it reached the drive core."

"What happened to it?" Guilty Spark asked. "It wasn't with the fleet when you all arrived at Installation 04."

Cranston sighed at that. "The ship suffered damage to the drive when it misjumped. Rather than wait for the fleet to catch up and allow a YardShip to perform repairs, the Captain chose to jury rig repairs and make the jump back to the fleet." He frowned as the sour memory came to his mind. "We never saw the ship again. My guess, it either destroyed itself when it jumped, or maybe it did something similar to what our fleet did: ended up in some uncharted region of space… I had someone… dear to me on that ship." His hands brushed over a photograph of a woman as he said this.

Guilty Spark, hearing this, became quiet. He knew that tone of voice that most human beings had, when they lost something or someone dear to them. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically.

"It's alright," Cranston replied. "You weren't there when it happened, and you didn't know. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. Still, I intend to revolutionize the science of K-F Drive science as a means of saying farewell to that wonderful woman. She always dreamed of having a long ranged K-F Drive."

"I think that would be a wonderful way to immortalize her," Guilty Spark agreed. "I will do what I can to help."

"Good," Cranston smiled. "Hopefully, we'll be able to make a breakthrough in a field of science that has stagnated for over six hundred years. It's about time we did, in fact."

(Author's Q&A)

Danny79: An understandable worry. I wouldn't be surprised, except for the fact that Guilty Spark is hyper-aware of his duties as Monitor of Installation 4. If the Capellans tried anything, they would find themselves facing an irate Monitor that would throw them out.

SulliMike23: I agree. Things will become quite interesting in future chapters.

clonezero: Don't worry. Kerensky wouldn't allow a threat like that to be near his people.

Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.

RoyalTwinFangs: They are definitely in the world of Halo now.

Believer218: Just wait and see. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Heart of Shepard: Same here. Plus the internal tension is realistic. You're always going to have sub-factions within a larger group. What matters is that the overarching leader convinces them that working together is for their, and everyone else's, betterment.

Raizen Lord of Twilight: Very true, and it's true for many of their technologies. The UNSC lacks energy weapons, which is something the SLDF could provide. In return, the UNSC could provide artificial gravity.

The True Skull: I understand how you feel, but that's not quite what I'm shooting for. My advice to you is to wait and see. Hold back your judgment until you have more information.

edboy4926: Thank you, and don't worry. That's the actual date for the Halo Universe.

Guest #1: Sooner than most people think. That's when the SLDF will meet the UNSC. Stay tuned for the next few chapters!

Odst Fan: Thank you, and don't worry. We're going to be seeing quite a few divergences, both with the characters and the storyline.

Guest #2: I have. In fact, that sounds like a very interesting idea.

Chronus1326: Well, the next few chapters might have a history lesson or two. Stay tuned!

Feng Lei: Thank you. As for another BT/ME crossover, I might tell another one, though it won't be for a long while.