Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Halo crossover redux.
Thank you all for the support and feedback for the previous chapter. I deeply appreciate it.
With this chapter, I decided to do a time skip up to the year 2525. For those of you wondering what this year is, it's the year the Covenant/UNSC War began and when the events of the book Contact Harvest begin and end. For those of you waiting for the Covenant to arrive, stay tuned!
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 original composers and/or artists.
Algolis
Weapons Testing Facility T12A, Vehicular Testing Range
September 12th, 2525 (2795)
For most, the sight of seeing BattleMechs at the VTR for the facility on Algolis would've been quite the sight, with the massive vehicles moving around with the skill and precision of a living being. For Evan Holes, M.E, the sight of BattleMechs on the combat range was a dream come true, even though said dream had come true around five years ago. Even so, it warms my heart to know that we succeeded in achieving our project goals.
Looking around inside of the servicing bay that was there, he could see how much it had changed in the eight years that had passed since the beginning of the UNSC and SLiE's joint vehicle upgrade/design program. Code named Operation FALCON WHITE, the program's goal was for the UNSC and SLDF to work together, with the goal being to not only reverse-engineer the advanced weapons and systems both sides used, but to also advance them as well. It had been eight of the most exciting and intellectually stimulating years of Evan Holmes' life.
Now, I get to see the works that I have done. He smiled at the thought. The service bay was filled with a mixture of BattleMechs and Combat Vehicles, with the 'Mechs taking up most of the room. Each of the 'Mechs was painted in the olive drab and gray color scheme the SLDF and UNSC preferred for their vehicles, with only their differing symbols separating them. All around, technicians were hard at work, with some performing repairs, while others were making refits for testing purposes.
Next, Evan wandered over to Jared Greaves, who was busy welding the components of a 'Mech cockpit display. "Jared!" Evans called out over the noise. "How's everything going?"
"Going nicely," Jared replied, his bass voice powerful enough to be heard without him shouting. "We've finished installing the new Ferro-Fibrous armor onto the King Crab that we're working on. The new formula is significantly less bulky than what the SLDF originally used. In fact, its as compact as SLDF Standard Armor, which really gives us a lot more room to work with."
"That's good to hear," Evan said happily. "What about the Endo-Steel chassis? I heard that we made some major improvements to the materials used, though I must admit, vehicle chassis design isn't my strong suit."
"It's not mine either," Jared agreed. "Mitchel Reeves, though, is the expert there, and he says that they've cut down the bulkiness of Endo-Steel by about 75%. Much of the compaction involved refining the manufacturing process, as well as introducing nanomaterials such as graphene into the design. Quite the trick, given that the carbon in the graphene would normally melt into the steel. Took them about four years to work out how to do that."
"I can imagine. So, what about the computers inside the 'Mechs? That's your specialty from what I recall."
"Well, we replaced the older targeting/tracking systems with new versions designed by our friends in Applied Heuristics and Acheron Security. In addition to that, we installed a new Targeting Computer, which should allow SLDF and UNSC MechWarriors to engage targets out to a range of six to eight kilometers. I'll imagine they'll engage targets at a closer range though, depending on their skill level."
"I hear ya on that," Evan said. "Reminds me of the Advanced Combat and Maneuvering Skills Project that was created while we were working on these 'Mechs. From what I hear, the UNSC is focusing on building dedicated BattleMech regiments that will work alongside regular armored vehicles and infantry. Correct?
"As far as I know, yes," Jared said. "I met with one of the new UNSC MechWarriors and his SLDF instructor. They allowed me to see how good the new trainee was."
"Oh?" Evan asked
"You wouldn't believe how good the kid was. That kid was plinking moving targets at a range of three kilometers on a repeated basis. To add an additional challenge, the instructor turned off the rangefinder and lead calculator for the weapon systems the 'Mech was controlling, and he still managed to nail his targets, though he had to fire more slowly and he missed a few shots."
"Damn," Evan whistled. "Now that is what I call good gunnery skills."
Just as Jared would've replied, they heard a clanking sound from Evan's left. Looking in that direction, Evan turned to behold a tank that began moving out from its servicing bay. Outwardly, it resembled the historic M1 Abrams tank from ancient Terra, but with some notable differences. For one thing, the twelve tubes mounted in the front armor were gone, with two missile banks on either side of the turret. That turret had a large cannon, as well as the emitter lens of a laser. It was also equipped with a laser AMS system of SLDF design.
"What's that thing?" he heard a technician ask.
"That's the Marsden II-B," Jared explained. "The UNSC challenged us to see if we could make a tank that was better than the M808B Scorpion. This is our answer to it. In fact, the UNSC has ordered a lot of Marsden II-Bs in order to replace the aging Scorpion. From what I hear, about 75% of the Scorpions have been replaced with the Marsden II-B. The Grizzly tanks, though, are receiving major refits as we speak."
"What's it got for weapons and armor?" Evan asked.
"It's got a Misriah Armory M350 LB 10-X Hyper-Velocity Autocannon as it's main gun. It's secondary weapons are two Misriah Armory M25 Streak SRM-6 with the new Artemis VII Fire Control System, as well as a HWS ER Small Pulse Laser. The LB 10-X has two tonnes of ammo, which is roughly fifty rounds given that the UNSC has also been working with us to make the ammo lighter. The Streak SRM-6s have around the same amount of missiles as ammo. As for armor, it mounts 15.5 tonnes of Ferro-Fibrous Armor, which gives it a stellar amount of protection. It even uses one of the new HRUNTING 260 XL Fusion Engines, as well as a Buzzkiller Laser AMS."
"I'll bet," Evan remarked as the shiny new tank rumbled through the service bay and into the test range
. . .
This is my new favorite tank, Garret James thought as he sat comfortably in the Marsden while it motored across the VTR. He always loved commanding a new ground vehicle chassis, especially tanks. He swore he was born to drive these things. The interior looked reminiscent of that of the historic T-14 Armata used by the Russian Federation, with the crew being located inside of an armored compartment near the front of the tank. Inside, the place was stuffed with electronics, though it wasn't as cramped as one might think it to be.
To his right was the other member of the crew of the vehicle. A dark skinned man with brown eyes and black hair, Connor Williams was a very reserved individual, which was fine with Williams. After all, as a tank commander, short and abbreviated instructions were the norm.
Out of habit, William rubbed the back of his head, where he felt a small metallic nub there. Never knew the UNSC had advanced cybernetics until four months ago, he said to himself. In fact, it had come as a surprise to the SLiE that all UNSC personnel were outfitted with Neural Interfaces, which allowed their IFF systems to work the way they did, while also allowing vehicle crews to control their vehicles to an astonishing degree. In fact, it was thanks to the neural interfaces that UNSC tank crews used that the Scorpion could be controlled by a single person.
The SLDF, though, determined that such a system might tax the average SLDF tank crew too much, and so decided to go for a compromise. This compromise led to all SLDF Combat Vehicles requiring, at the minimum, two operators per vehicle: a commander/driver and gunner respectively. To assist them in their duties, the commander/driver was required to wear a specialized helmet that would allow them to see a 360 degree camera feed that was compressed to around 160 degrees, just like the video feeds that Neurohelmets displayed for MechWarriors.
Distancing himself from those thoughts, he asked Williams, "You OK? We're about to begin the test."
"Fine," Williams replied in his usual curt manner. "Systems green. Ready for testing."
"Roger that," Garret affirmed. Keying his comm, he said, "VTR Command, this is Bravo 2-1. We're go for vehicle test."
"Affirmative," came the response. "All vehicles, be advised, active testing being performed. Clear Testing Area 24-B. Repeat: clear Testing Area 24-B." A moment later, VTR Command said, "Bravo 2-1, you may begin tests."
"Roger, VTR Command," Garrett confirmed. Looking at William, he said, "This is it. We're go for the test. Scanning for hostiles." With that, he used his specialized helmet to begin checking the 360 degree feed for any hostile contacts. "Launching UAV."
Outside of the tank, a small compartment opened, and a drone shot up into the air via a small explosive charge. Coming to a stop around 500 meters above ground, it held itself in position via small rotors before conducting a scan of the area. A moment later, it sent back telemetry to the Marsden II-Bs systems and by extension, to Garret.
True enough, when he saw the feed, he spotted the targets they would be engaging today: a pair of remotely operated Scorpions, as well as a single Grizzly. "Gunner, sabot! Traverse right!" he ordered.
"Identified," Williams replied as Garret began to drive the tank. The hum of the XL Engine increased as he began driving the tank towards a hillside, where they could depress the main gun while still protecting the tank. While he was confident in the Ferro-Fibrous Armor's ability to protect them, it was still widely believed that the best way to protect a tank was to avoid being hit at all. "Lasing Target," William added.
"Fire!" Garret shouted.
"On the way," Williams reported, depressing the trigger stud on his control stick. Outside, there was a loud KRA-THOOM as the Hyper-Velocity LB 10-X fired an APFSDS shell right at a Scorpion tank. The hypersonic projectile flashed across the test field and smashed right into the Scorpion's central chassis. The entire tank vanished in a fireball as the shell pierced its fuel tank, and the battered Scorpion ground to a halt.
The other tanks, controlled by a Smart AI, immediately took evasive maneuvers. The Grizzly, spotting the Marsden II-B, fired one of it's M310, 120mm guns at the vehicle. While the shot from that shell missed, the other one didn't as it smacked into the armored turret for the Marsden II-B.
Inside, Garret heard a loud CLUNK as the Grizzly's HEAT round smacked into the armor plating. Thankfully, the Ferro-Fibrous Armor installed easily stopped the round, though William wasn't worried. The test would stop long before any of them were in danger, with the test stopping if the Grizzly or Scorpion were destroyed, or if the Marsden II-B lost enough armor to be considered unsafe to test with. "Target, traverse left!"
"Traversed," Williams reported.
"Engage targets!"
"Firing," Williams replied. As Garret quickly gunned the throttle, William fired a MAHEM shell at the other Scorpion, scoring a direct hit on one of the turret's ammo compartments. There was an explosion as the blow-out panel was blasted off, preventing the Scorpion's turret from exploding at the cost of destroying half of it's ammo loadout. Firing again, William smiled as the remotely operated Scoprion's turret was blasted off, rendering the tank useless.
By now, the target was within range of the Marsen II-Bs Streak SRM-6s and small pulse laser. Switching to the missiles with a mental command, Williams fired the Streak SRM-6s once he heard a lock-on tone, tearing apart some of the armor plating located on the Grizzly's right center chassis and right tracks. The Grizzly, in response, fired one of it's missiles, which was blasted out of the air by the Laser AMS. In retaliation, Williams fired the HVLB 10-X Autocannon again, blasting off the turret.
A moment later, an AI announced, "Testing complete. Winner: Marsden II-B."
"Well, would you look at that," the Commander inside of the VTR Command Center noted. "Looks like the UNSC made a really good investment when they ordered this particular variant of the Marsden II to replace the aging Scorpion. Nicely done, you two."
"Thanks." Garret couldn't help a cocky grin as he shoved the throttle forward once again and cruised back to the service bay in high spirits.
. . .
A few dozen light years away, at the Soell System, Aleksandr Kerensky was quite happy with the state of affairs in the SLiE. Working at his office within the SLDF HQ, he finished signing the last pieces of paperwork that he had to complete for the day. Now I'm finished for today, he knew, unless something else comes up.
Then he heard a beeping coming from the door. Aleksandr checked his desktop computer's security feed and spotted his sons Andrey and Nicholas standing outside the door. "Come in," he said. Once the door opened and the two were inside, he asked, "What can I do for you, my sons?"
"Its more like what we can do for you, sir," Andrey replied. "We have good news."
"And that would be?"
"Mind if we engage the lockdown first?" Nicholas asked.
Alek nodded and pressed a small button beneath his desk. At once, the armored panels for the windows, as well as a low-yield EMP field, were deployed, frying any unshielded electronics inside, while preventing eavesdroppers from listening in. "Continue," he told them after the soundproofed door had closed.
"We found him," Nicholas growled. "The bastard that tried to destroy Omicron VII and, by extension, Soell III's main colony." As the two younger men sat down in the chairs before Alek's desk, he pulled out a manila folder, which Alek picked up and began reading. "A few weeks ago, one of my agents within the Insurrection managed to worm her way into the United Rebel Front's top ranks," Nicholas explained. "In doing so, she managed to find out where Colonel Watts is located at: Eridanus II's asteroid belt, specifically an asteroid called Eridanus Secundus."
Alek reviewed a series of computer-enhanced photographs from the agent. From what he could tell, the asteroid in question was one of a significant number that was large enough to house a settlement inside of the asteroid. In addition, the asteroid was highlighted, making it easy to spot out of all the other ones in the photo. "Interesting," he said. "How did your agent find the URF base?"
"Well, as it turns out, the asteroid has a TransportShip that is ferrying food and water to the asteroid, known as the Laden, enough to allow a small city to thrive. Also, she noticed a few luxury goods, particularly Sweet Williams cigars and Procyon wine. Only former UNSC officers get cigars and wine of that type, which means that there had to be a high ranking officer there. Once she got there, she confirmed that Robert Watts was present at the base."
"There's more, I take it," Alek presumed.
"Correct," Nicholas agreed. "My other spies have managed to infiltrate a grand total of nearly 24 Insurrectionist cells that have been in hiding ever since Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, and ever since Operation: TREBUCHET began. The folder you hold also contains the locations of each of the Insurrectionist cells."
Alek, having reached that section, also pored over its contents. After a moment, he put down the manila folder and said, "Congratulations, Nicholas. It appears as though Operation: SHATTERED INSURRECTION has succeeded in finding the Insurrectionist cells plaguing UNSC space. What do you propose we do?"
With that, Andrey spoke up. "Both Nicholas and I worked out the general plan, thanks to the schematics that our spy was able to leak to us. Our plan is to have a small team of SLDF Blackhearts infiltrate the Laden by posing as crew members. They'll board the Laden at the Eridanus II space docks, where we learned that the Laden will be undergoing a routine engine re-certification.
"Once the ship has docked to the station, the undercover Blackhearts will leave the ship and gather in a location that the agent has marked out. There, they will equip their Nighthawk Power Armor suits and assault the building that Watts is located in. Once they've captured him, they'll head for a Bug-Eye that is currently inside of the asteroid belt and bring him in for interrogation. Given that ONI is also after him, and that they were kind enough to share some of the intel they have on the Innies, it will be a joint operation."
As they discussed the finer details with him, Alek could clearly tell that the two had put a lot of time and effort into making sure this plan would work. This plan could potentially end a very annoying thorn in the side of the Star League, he noted, remembering the numerous failed attempts at destroying the UNSC/SLiE alliance the Innies had attempted since their failure at Omicron VII. "Very well," he decided. "Inform Major General Haven that you will need the SLDF Blackhearts for this mission, and that you have my authorization to do so."
"Thank you," Andrey replied. With that, he got up and left the room once Alek disabled the security measures. Nicholas, however, remained seated.
"Yes?" Alek asked as he reinstated the security measures.
"I've got more to share with you, sir," Nicholas explained.
"Do tell."
"I've spoken with Aaron DeChavilier and a few other SLDF officers," Nicholas continued. "The Insurrection's been attempting to cause more disruptions and schisms within the SLiE. Now before you ask, we've already rounded up the Innies trying to cause this trouble and dealt with them appropriately."
"Good," Alek noted, a slight smile on his face. "We have enough things to worry about without the Insurrectionists adding more to the plate. How goes your infiltration of ONI?"
"It's been difficult, but we're making excellent progress. Parangosky has, for some time, been thinking that ONI's being infiltrated by outside forces. She's been conducting surprise investigations into various members of ONI and it's sections. Two of our agents had a surprise inspection, but fortunately, they weren't found out."
"Good," Alek remarked. "What have you managed to get from your agents inside of ONI thus far?"
"Besides the usual intel gathering operations, we've managed to steal some of their technology. In addition, we've got more intelligence coming in from our spies in the SPARTAN-II Program and our scientists are beginning a series of human trials to determine how we can augment the SLDF Blackhearts with the cybernetic and genetic enhancements the Spartans have without killing or crippling them in the process. It's much easier since we have a number of microfilm copies of Halsey's notes."
"That is excellent news," Alek remarked. "Soon, ONI will not have a monopoly on supersoldiers. What of the MJÖLNIR Powered Armor that ONI's Section 3 has been developing?"
"We're still working on acquiring the schematics," Nicholas replied. "Halsey's been quite protective of it, and I think she suspects that we know what she's up to, though she doesn't know that we do. Either way, we'll get our hands onto the schematics for the armor and the technologies it makes use of."
"Agreed," Alek concurred. "Either way, you have done extremely well, Nicholas. Continue your intelligence gathering operations. In addition, try to acquire some scientists from ONI to accelerate progress. If you have to make it to where they died due to tragic accidents, make it so."
"Yes, sir."
He was about to get up when Alek said, "Also, I wanted to know how your daughter was doing."
"Anastasia?" Nicholas asked. When Alek nodded, Nicholas said, "She's doing quite well, and she's quite energetic for being eight years old. Certainly gives me some headaches given her antics, but I wouldn't want it any other way. She's the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing."
Alek nodded. It appears as though having a daughter has inspired Nicholas to do what he can to protect the Star League, he noted. "That is exactly what I felt when I learned of you and Andrey being born. Never let go of that feeling, and do not let ONI find out about her."
Nicholas' expression hardened. "I won't let them get within a light year of her. I can promise you that."
"Good," Alek finished. With that, Nicholas left after the security system was disabled. With that done, Alek looked at some files on his computer. Most of the them were on the SLiE's population, which was booming as people that were dissatisfied with the UEG or wanted to start a new life can and settled down. This had also resulted in an economic boom, as those people brought along their expertise and skills with them.
Then there was news from the SLIC concerning UNSC WarShips. It appears as though they've upgraded all of their ships with the Lamellor Ferro-Carbide Armor we jointly developed with them. Alek noted. To him, that was good news, especially since Capital grade PPC's and Lasers were being mounted on UNSC ships.
Seeing a message on his notifications, he opened it and looked at the summary. From what he could tell, Dr. Richard Cranston, working alongside Guilty Spark and some UNSC scientists, had managed to make improvements to the new T-30 K-F Drive. "We've boosted range from 400 light years per jump to roughly 450," the message read. "Misjump probability reduced to 10^-9%. Can now jump outside of standard Jump Points. Be advised: artificial gravity must be switched off to prevent safety systems from engaging."
In response, Alek typed back, "Noted. Continue work on the K-F Drive. Refit status?"
The reply came instantly. "20% for all SLDF WarShips. Guilty Spark's assisting UNSC engineers with Slipstream Space Drives. Major progress has been made."
"Understood. General Kerensky out." With that, he turned off the monitor. Time for that medical appointment, he decided as he left the room.
(Author's Q&A)
Nitro54: Very soon. Just wait and see. We're almost there.
edboy4926: Thank you.
RoyalTwinFangs: Thank you, and yes, they will be making Nighthawk Power Armor again.
Danny79: I don't know. I guess the SLDF thought it could defy the laws of physics. Either way, thank you for the feedback.
Believer218: Yep. It's standard practice for the SLDF to spy on other intelligence gathering agencies.
Just a Crazy-Man: That it does.
SulliMike23: Yep. And that is correct. In fact, in that chapter, it's what nauseated him.
The True Skull: Well, if you read the chapter, and you likely have, then you'll know that when the SLIC found out about the flash-clones, that would definitely ring alarm bells. And while ONI is good, they're not perfect. They're going to have holes in their security that they don't know exists, which is quite realistic. No one is perfect, though I understand where you're coming from.
ideal man: Probably not.
Memer557: I'm sorry to hear that the chapter flopped in your opinion. As for the points you've raised, I'll say this. First off, while Dumb and Smart AIs are good, they are not perfect. There are always security loopholes that they won't immediately pick up, and a crafty spy can easily spot that and exploit those weaknesses. In addition, ONI is good at infiltrating other organizations, so it stands to reason that they would infiltrate the SLDF. Still, I understand where you're coming from, and I appreciate you pointing these things out.