Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior crossover. Thank you for your support on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for pointing out some of the faction errors. I was able to correct those easily, and I thank for that feedback. For those of you wondering, I am working with a beta-reader that has an excellent knowledge of BattleTech and has been helping me out in areas that I've been struggling in. Shout out to him, as I will be including him retroactively in the previous chapters. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters. As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Beta read by drakensis.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

Reach

Approaching Sword Base

July 21st, 2552

Onboard the Pelican dropship that was taking them to Sword Base, Chief could see the VTOL that was transporting the SLDF Admiral to SWORD Base, the location that Whitcomb wanted to host the meeting at for security reasons. He couldn't blame Fremont for wanting to speak with the SLDF Admiral at SWORD Base; the Insurrection was still a major threat, and the Covenant would also be interested in finding out what was going on, if they found Reach that is. Still, he wondered why he chose SWORD Base as the meeting location, when there were other locations that would work just as well.

Still, it is not my orders to question HIGHCOM, he decided. It is my mission to ensure that the highest military officers of the UNSC remain alive and unharmed. With that in mind, he turned his attention back to the VTOL in question. The VTOL was fairly angular in shape, with it's armor plating and twin engines keeping it flying through the air. It reminded him of the V22 Osprey used by the United States Marine Corps from 21st Century Earth with it's more exposed engines and the main body overall.

While he could see obvious weak points, he noticed that these areas were more heavily armored, indicating that the designers were fully aware of those potential weak points, and had reinforced them as necessary. He didn't know what weapons were on the VTOL, but he was certain that it was armed to the teeth, if the missile racks on the chassis were any indication.

As they flew over the glacial lake in the region, he felt someone nudge him on the shoulder. Looking to his right, he could see Fred-104, and it was clear that he wanted to speak with him. Like John, Fred was a natural leader, but he usually acted as his second-in-command when part of Blue Team. Still, he had led other Spartan teams on his own, and well enough that he was offered his own permanent squad, even though he politely turned down the offer. Using a private COM channel, he asked, "What is it?"

"I've been looking at that VTOL for some time," Fred replied. "What has me confused is the design of the engines and the wings. A well aimed missile could easily tear off the engines and send it crashing to the ground."

"I made the same observation as well," Chief nodded. "However, it appears as though the designers were fully aware of this. Notice the thicker armor plating in those areas. That would prevent a well aimed missile from tearing off the wing, though it would damage the superstructure underneath, if it was UNSC armor plating, though. With this 'Star League Defense Force', they might use a different kind of armor plating than we do."

"I think that's the case," Linda agreed over the same COM channel. "Their armor is different from our own. Keyes said that it defeated the scanners on his ship. We'll have to learn more once we land at SWORD Base." As soon as she said this, SWORD Base came into view.

SWORD Base was one of numerous ONI/UNSC facilities that were built on Reach when the planet's population was high enough to warrant the construction of numerous military facilities, leading to Reach's evolution into the arguable center of UNSC military might. The facility was tall, roughly 590 meters in height, with most of the internal structure inside of a stylish, but high tech and practical building. Surrounding the base was a parking lot, as well as fortified walls designed to prevent any enemy ground forces from invading the base. To the east was a COM relay that allowed the facility to maintain a communications link with the rest of Reach, and to the west was an AA Turret designed to shoot down any enemy VTOL's that got too close to the facility.

Inside was one of the most secure regions of the entire planet, with workers half-jokingly stating that you could fire a gun inside of SWORD Base and no one would know about it. Now that they were approaching, Chief could see why Admiral Fremont had chosen this base for the meeting: it was the most secure facility in the entire region, and it was a long way away from where the SLDF robots were. Moments later, he watched as they flew over the wall, before coming to a landing seconds later. At the same time, the SLDF VTOL came to a landing as well, with the armored individuals getting out, along with the SLDF Admiral.

When it came to the armored individuals, he could tell that they were wearing Powered Armor, and it was of a similar enough design that he wondered if convergent design evolution had taken place. Much of the components looked the same, and he began to wonder if they had energy shielding, since most energy shields were invisible unless something impacted them. As they got out, the SLDF Admiral looked towards him, examining him with both of those blue-gray eyes. As soon as their eyes locked, he nodded at him, before turning his attention towards the base itself. Signaling his teammates with his private COM, Chief and the others moved out, weapons holstered but ready in the event something went wrong.

Nearby, Chernenko watched as the Spartans moved out, each one moving with the fluid grace that only a well trained soldier could achieve. He knew that the one that had looked at him was the leader, and had given him a respectful nod at that. Still, he thought, there is something off about him. As he looked over the armor that the Spartans wore, he had a feeling that the Powered Armor they wore, as he knew Power Armor when he saw it, was not as advanced as what the SLDF had in it's arsenal. Nighthawk-L Power Armor was the most advanced form of Power Armor that the Inner Sphere had, and Elemental IV Battle Armor was the most advanced form of Battle Armor. He had no doubts that an augmented solider in Nighthawk-L Power Armor could easily take on a Spartan with minimal difficult, if they ever came to blows that is.

As he walked forwards, he looked around at the exterior of the location they were at. He made note of the fortified walls, the tall, elaborate structure they were near, as well as the defenses of the location. For a clandestine location, it is unusually ornate in it's design, he thought as he looked around. The walls aren't high enough to protect against 'Mech weaponry, and they do not make use of Ferrocrete. It would be suitable for stopping Combat Vehicles, but even if an attack were to occur, the structure itself would be very easy to target with tank weaponry.

He also had to shake his head at the gear the guards were wearing which was mostly composed of what appeared to be titanium body armor and bullpup automatic rifles. All SLDF soldiers, he knew from his time in the academy, wore highly advanced, environmentally sealed armor that made use of ablative nanocomposites, which were designed to withstand extreme levels of punishment before failing.

While they made use of chemical powered ballistic rifles, they didn't use cased ammunition. they either used the M42D Federated-Barrett Caseless Rifle, Mauser 96 IV Pulse Laser Rifles, or the newer M44 Phased Plasma weaponry designed by Defiance Industries, based off of the Naval Plasma Cannons that the same company had developed. Either way, what the Star League had in small arms was vastly superior to what the UNSC had in it's arsenal

As they approached the doors to the base, they moved inside, with the team moving into what appeared to be a security checkpoint. A weapons scanner was up ahead, and one by one, team moved through. While most of the soldiers wearing Nighthawk-L Power Armor were closely watched, Chernenko wasn't worried. He had chosen this uniform not only for it's appearance, but for it's utility as well. While it was the same standard issue uniform, it had a personal modification that he had the tailor make: parts of the uniform were woven with an advanced nanocomposite that was designed to defeat any attempts at scanning, making those areas perfect for carrying a concealed weapon.

As a result, the machine that scanned him as he moved through didn't even so much as bleep when the scanner went over his right thigh, which was where he always kept an ER Pulse Laser Pistol on his person as a defensive weapon. While useful on the battlefield, it came in more handy in the stateroom, where an assassin might lurk. I must applaud their scrutiny, but they haven't spent billions, or even trillions, of Star League Dollars advancing their scanner technology. Still, he knew enough about them right now that he had to respect them. Always be respectful of an enemy. Never dismiss their capabilities; if you do, they can surprise you, and greatly so.

Once everyone had gone through the scanner, they proceeded through the lobby; here, he could see each of the floors of the building, with bridges bridging the gap between both sides, while an ornate sculpture was in the middle of a water fountain in the area. Instead of heading upwards, they traveled downwards, using an elevator to reach what appeared to be a sublevel. Once the doors opened, they proceeded through a hallway and towards a door, where a pair of ODST's, if that was what Roland called them, were. The room inside was a small, but well furnished meeting room, with lights providing ample illumination, a series of chairs, as well as a holographic projector. Good, Chernenko thought. I can regale them with my little history lesson then, he thought.

When it came to what he wanted to talk to them about, he had already worked out the details during the VTOL trip. He wasn't going to share with them any form of classified technology or information, which was always a sensible idea when you were a high ranking officer in any military. It was also due to a law that the Star League passed, one that he would explain to the UNSC if they asked any questions that were of a classified nature.

He would, however, answer any questions that they had when it came to the history of the Inner Sphere, as well as any questions about how to best assist them in any regard. Since they were, likely, going to be staying here for a long time, if not indefinitely, he knew he would have to share certain technologies with the UNSC. Munitions was another thing they would need, along with food and water, since they only had a limited supply of those resources.

As soon as they walked into the room, he and the others sat down at the seats in the room, with the soldiers in the Power Armor taking up positions near the edge of the room in the event something went wrong. As he sat down, Fremont said, "Gentlemen, welcome. At the moment, you are all aware that, at 0200 hours today, we detected a strange energy disturbance near one of the moons of Reach and, as we all know now, this was due to the arrival of an unknown fleet, commanded by this man here." Turning to Chernenko, he said, "Now, Admiral Chernenko, would you care to share light as to how you came here."

Here we go, Chernenko thought as he prepared his response. Once more, I play the chess game that is backroom politics and negotiation. Let's see if I can make this entire arrangement work. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, as you can clearly tell, it wasn't exactly by choice. We were embarking on a military operation against a known enemy when we activated our FTL drive."

"And that would be?"

"The Kearny-Fuchida Drive, or K-F Drive for short. It is our primary means of FTL flight." Noting the other Admiral's reactions, he said, "I take it you also have FTL flight, yes?"

"We do," Whitcomb nodded. "We call it the 'Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.' It's a hell of a lot easier to call it the Slipstream Space Drive, or Slipspace Drive for short. I take it you use Slipstream Space for FTL flight?"

"No," Chernenko replied. "We do not use Slipstream Space. Would you kindly elaborate for me?"

"Slipstream Space is an 11 dimensional region of space-time that we use for FTL flight," Whitcomb replied. "I don't know all the specifics or science behind it, but that is our primary mode of FTL flight."

"How fast can you travel through this 'Slipstream Space?'"

"Around five to three light years per day."

When he said this, Chernenko frowned. "That is extremely slow, Whitcomb. A standard K-F Drive can travel between 30 to 50 light years in just fifteen seconds. On top of that, they can recharge in just five minutes before jumping. On top of that, recent advances in nanotechnology have allowed us to increase the efficiency, and by direct extension, range of the K-F Drive. The new T-200 K-F Drive is capable of jumping 1200-1400lys in one go. Given how the K-F Drive works, however, we have to perform chain jumps in order to travel that far."

When he said this, the other Admirals were stunned into silence, with Stanforth's jaw actually dropping open partially. It was clear that they had never heard of an FTL drive that could go that far, that fast, in one go. "1400," Whitcomb gasped, pure amazement in his eyes, "and it can do the same in another five minutes! Admiral, you must be joking."

Chernenko's reply, however, made it clear that he wasn't joking. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "I can assure you, that I am very serious about that. In addition to this, we can perform intra-system jumps using the Alcubierre Module, which warps space-time around the ship to allow for FTL flight without incurring relativistic effects. In a straight up contest, your Slipstream Space Drive would be incredibly sluggish and it would be quickly replaced with a K-F Drive, if only to match it in performance.

"As for the medium that the K-F Drive uses, we use an 11 dimensional form of space-time that we call 'Hyperspace.' From what I can tell, while your drives use the same hyper-dimensional version of space-time, we have completely different methods of accessing the same form of hyper-dimensional space. As a result, while your drives travel very slowly, ours travel extremely fast." Once he said this, he knew from the other officer's expressions that what he told them was so strange that it seemed impossible.

"If that's the case," Fremont, having remained calm all the while, observed, "then how did you end up here?"

"We suffered what is known as a 'misjump,'" Chernenko replied. "While K-F Drive travel is reliable, it is not without it's faults. Poor maintenance, spatial anomalies and fluctuating Jump Points can cause a misjump, and it is the middle of the two that brought us here. Most misjumps are nothing to worry about, with a ship ending up a few thousand kilometers or an AU away from it's intended destination. The worst ones, however, can cause any number of problems, from Hyperspace Suspended Animation, to having the crew of the ship forcibly melded to the hull and decks of a JumpShip or WarShip.

"As long as the Drive is properly maintained, and no one does anything stupid, then it is an extremely safe and reliable means of travel. In our case, we encountered a spatial anomaly that apparently caused our drives to not only traverse through space and time, but into a parallel reality, resulting in our unwilling arrival here." Looking at the Admirals, he said, "Now that I've answered your question, I would like to ask one myself. Why are you so… hyper-vigilant? You wouldn't be, unless you were at war with a faction that was kicking you in the ass."

"An astute observation," Stanforth nodded. "Normally, we wouldn't tell you, but given how perceptive you are, and how badly this war is going, I think you have a need to know." As he said this, Chernenko noted how Stanforth seemed to suddenly grow old, with his facial expression becoming weary and tired as he spoke. "Around twenty seven years ago, in 2525, we encountered an alien species, one that has proven to be hostile to us. They glassed one of our colonies and killed basically everyone that was there. In a message to us, they simply said, 'your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument.'

"Since then, we, as a species, have been fighting for our right to live and exist against a genocidal alliance of aliens, which calls itself the 'Covenant.' We've been hyper-vigilant, as you put it, because we've been losing this war, badly at that." Moments later, he pulled up a holographic video of each conflict.

Solemnly, and silently, Chernenko watched as the video played out, with the feed mostly consisting of recordings that soldiers had made during their war against the Covenant. Scenes of death and destruction flashed throughout the footage, including images of living creatures that Chernenko had never seen before in his life. From squat little things that had tanks on their backs, to tall, muscular reptilians that fought like Clan Elementals, to lumbering beasts that were encased in 'Mech grade armor plating.

When the video feed ended, he was silent as he processed this information. Words cannot describe the horrors that I have seen, he thought as the images played through his mind. Such horror… such blatant… evil… There is nothing that I can say that can describe this, other than it being pure, unadulterated evil.

Already, it was made up in his mind that the Covenant had to be destroyed, even if it meant using Age of War tactics, which would include jumping to their worlds and bombarding them with nukes by the fucking gigaton until nothing remained but glass and nuclear fallout. He knew that would be the very last option, with his first one being to jump to each homeworld, abduct each leader of the Covenant's species, and force them to surrender, or risk losing their entire leadership in one, fell blow, resulting in an disorganized, anarchic mess.

That happened when the Succession War happened, and the same could be done here. Force them to surrender, or risk anarchy from within. After a moment he said, "Such… horror. Such… evil. Words cannot describe how I feel upon seeing this. It's like the Age of War all over again, only far worse than that."

"Now you see what we're up against," Whitcomb solemnly agreed. "We have been fighting tooth and nail for our existence. Every time we win a ground victory, we're forced to retreat because the Navy wasn't able to win, or the Covenant got so pissed off that they glassed every square kilometer of the planet's surface. That's why I have to say that we need help, and big help at that. I don't believe we can win this on our own, not without backup."

"I can see why you would say that," Chernenko nodded. After a few seconds, he said, "Well, given that we're practically stuck here for the duration, without a real means of going home, then we're in the same boat as well. We'll have to work out the details, but there is one thing that I can say. The Covenant is the greatest threat to Humanity that I have ever faced. They won't negotiate, they won't listen, they won't communicate and they sure as hell do not show mercy. Since that is the case, we will not parley with barbarians. We will fight fire, with fire. All that I need is an assurance that you will allow me to command my forces as I see fit. I know their capabilities far better than you do, which means that I am the only one that can command my forces competently. Am I understood?"

"Completely," Fremont nodded. "If I were in your position, Chernenko, that is exactly what I would say. That being said, we need to know the capabilities of your 'WarShips' as you put it. What can they do? What are their armaments? What armor do they use?"

"I can answer those," Chernenko replied. "Bear in mind that I cannot answer all of your questions, especially those of a more… classified nature."

"Why is that," Stanforth asked.

"Star League Penal Code, Article 20, Section 50: 'Under no circumstances are Star League personnel authorized to share classified technology or information with a non-allied power of the Inner Sphere or Periphery. Failure to follow this regulation is punishable by a 20,000,000,000 Star League Dollar fine and/or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.' Since everything that I've told you up to this point is public knowledge throughout the Inner Sphere, I have not violated that regulation. If I were to tell you how to manufacture a K-F Drive, though, then that would be a violation of that regulation, and I would be subjected to the penalties involved. Since it's ratification, that regulation has only needed to be enforced twice. Since then, no other violations have been reported, and I do not intend to violate that law in any way."

"Understood," Whitcomb nodded. "Even we have to follow the rules, so we understand completely. So, in terms of your ships capabilities, what can you share without breaking that rule?"

"I can tell you their armaments and their capabilities, since that is common knowledge," Chernenko answered. "All Star League WarShips make use of a combination of energy, ballistic and missile weapons. The most common weapons you will see on SLDF WarShips are Naval Pulse Lasers, which fire a concentrated beam of rapidly pulsing coherent light at an enemy target. We also make use of Naval Gauss Rifles, which fire ferrous slugs at an enemy target, as well as Naval Particle Projector Cannons. I'll have the information on those shared with you.

"I cannot, however, share the information required to manufacture the technology. Given our circumstances, however, I can say that I am the lowest rank required to make exceptions to that rule. Given that we are, effectively speaking, stuck here for the duration, I can say that the UNSC is eligible for that kind of an exemption due to extenuating circumstances. As for what armor our WarShips use, it's different from yours."

"How so," Fremont asked.

"It is not composed purely of titanium alloys, as it seems to be in your case. We make use of what we call Lamellor Ferro-Carbide armor. It's a composite that's designed to shear and/or boil off when struck with weapons fire. As long as the WarShip has armor plating on it still, it will not be damaged, though strong blows will rock the WarShip quite severely."

"Wait a minute," Stanforth interrupted. "You're saying that your WarShip armor is ablative in nature?"

"Yes," Chernenko replied. "Ablative armor was created at the latter half of the 23rd century by the Terran Hegemony in our world. I take it you don't have that kind of armor."

"No," Stanforth nodded. "We make use of Titanium Grade A alloy for armor plating. Works well against ballistic weapons, but it's practically paper maché when faced with energy weapons. Your armor would probably stand a helluva better chance against the Covenant's weaponry."

"What kind of weaponry do they use?"

"Laser and plasma based weapons. Most of their heavy hitting weapons are energy projectors, as well as what we now know are plasma torpedoes."

Chernenko smiled at that. "Lamellor Ferro-Carbide armor is optimized for dealing with those kinds of attacks, including ballistic ones too. We invented Naval Plasma Cannons, which are Gauss Rifles converted to fire plasma, during the late 2800's to early 2900's. As for Naval Lasers, they've been around since the development of the WarShip during the 2300's."

"Finally," Whitcomb growled happily, "a kind of armor that can withstand those kinds of attacks." Catching himself, he said, "Wait a minute, you said you developed Plasma Cannons during the 2900's. Could you elaborate?"

"Yes," Chernenko replied, pulling out a data drive. "I can do that. I think it is time that you learned a little history, gentlemen." Holding it before a data port, he waited for the nanites in the male connector of the drive to reconfigure that portion. Once they had, he plugged it in and brought up the information. "Unlike in your world, where Humanity has remained, more or less, a unified government, the Inner Sphere is quite different. We began FTL flight in the year 2108, when the K-F Drive was developed by the Terran Alliance, based on the equations written by Dr. Thomas Kearny and Dr. Takayoshi Fuchida.

"Once we created the K-F Drive, we began expanding out into the stars under the umbrella of the Terran Alliance. Over time, however, corruption and illegal colonization infested the Alliance, until it severed control of those colonies in what was called the 'Demarcation Declaration', which removed governmental control from all colonies outside of a 30ly sphere around Terra, or Earth as you would call it. This resulted in the formation of the Great Houses, with the lack of FTL Communications allowing for the formation of anachronistic neo-feudal governments.

"Eventually, after a 150 year long conflict known as the 'Age of War', Director-General Ian Cameron began a series of negotiations that would lead to the creation of a multinational cooperative known as the 'Star League', the very same organization that I serve, in an effort to stop the senseless violence caused by the Age of War. July 23rd marked the formation of the Star League, with Ian Cameron named First Lord of the Star League, while being called 'first among equals.' For over 200 years, the Inner Sphere enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity known as the 'Early Star League Era', with the SLDF patrolling the roughly 1000ly sphere of human space known as the 'Inner Sphere.'" As he said this, the hologram changed to show the Inner Sphere, Great Houses, and events that happened during those time periods.

"I take it this didn't last forever," Whitcomb asked.

"An astute observation," Chernenko nodded. "All of this came crashing down when Stefan Amaris, the House Lord of House Amaris, assassinated Richard Cameron and instigated a violent coup of the Star League throne. This resulted in a decades long war known as the Amaris Coup, which ended when General Aleksandr Kerensky liberated Terra and summarily executed Amaris for his crimes. Unfortunately, though, the damage had already been done, as the House Lords of the Inner Sphere temporarily disbanded the Star League, with each one believing that they were the rightful rulers of the Star League.

"This forced Aleksandr Kerensky, and three fourths of the SLDF at the time, to leave the Inner Sphere forever in what is known as the SLDF Exodus. Shortly after this, the Succession War began. For over twenty years, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere fought each other in a war of unprecedented brutality. Billions of people died as the Great Houses unleashed nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in a show of unprecedented brutality."

"How did this stop," Fremont asked.

"It stopped when the true successor to the Star League throne was found," Chernenko replied. "During the fighting, it was discovered that Simon Cameron, the First Lord that was the father of Richard Cameron, had a premonition that this might happen someday, and ratified the Star League Order of Succession Decree, which stated who would take over if the First Lord was killed, along with the ruling House. It was found that, due to their similar ideals, that House Davion was chosen as the successor to the Star League throne in the event that House Cameron was obliterated, with an automated broadcast being done in the year 2806 across the entire HPG network.

"Needless to say, not everyone was happy with this choice; Kenyon Marik protested this agreement, as did Balthazar Liao and the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, Jinjiro Kurita. Richard Steiner, however, looked past his pride and ego and realized that this was a legitimate successor, as he formed an alliance with the Federated Suns and befriended Paul Davion II, who was chosen as the legitimate successor since his father and oldest brother, John and Joshua respectively, had been assassinated by DEST Commandos from the Combine.

"For two years, things were rather tenuous, then in 2808, Ilsa Laio offered Paul Davion II her support in return for a minor territorial concession, which he agreed to, and the Free Worlds League Parliament instigated a bloodless coup that saw the removal of Kenyon as Captain-General of the Free Worlds League, taking control until another Marik that saw reason and logic over pride and hate could be chosen. This resulted in the other Great Houses forming an alliance to force the Draconis Combine to surrender, an action that took two decades to complete, since the Combine, under Jinjiro's control, fought to the last man. Eventually, on January 1st of 2829, Paul Davion II was officially crowned First Lord of the Star League at the age of 39 years old. This marked the end of the Succession War, and the Restoration of The Star League."

There was silence in the room as this fact sank in. It was clear that the Star League had not only successfully stopped a seemingly unending age of war, it had also survived the Amaris Coup and had been reformed once the Succession War came to an end, thanks to the arrival of a legitimate successor. "Wow," Stanforth remarked. "That sounds like the ending of a well written sci-fi novel, only in this case, it actually happened. So, who were you fighting?"

"The Clans," Chernenko replied. "The SLDF-in-exile eventually turned into a caste based warrior society underneath the guidance of Nicolas Kerensky, the oldest of Aleksandr Kerensky's son. While he did save the SLDF-in-exile from tearing itself apart, he did lay the seeds for the Clan Offensive, which started in the year 3048. Since we had recovered all LosTech, technology lost in the Succession War, and not only rebuilt, but advanced, after that, we were more than ready to fend off the Clans.

"That, and we got some advance warning from the Wolf Dragoons, a mercenary company that was also acting as spies for Clan Wolf in the year 3000. We were about to begin Operation: HAMMERFALL, the full invasion of the Kerensky Cluster, when we had the misjump. That constitutes everything that's led up to this point."

"I see," Fremont remarked. Looking at the others, he asked, "Would you excuse us for the time being?" Nodding, Chernenko walked out of the room, with the door automatically closing moments later. Once he was out, Fremont said, "That… was a shit ton of information that was hurled at us. Given how his WarShip fleet mysteriously appeared over Reach, I'm inclined to believe him."

"Are you so certain of that," Stanforth asked dubiously. "I know that we need every advantage that we can get, but can we trust him? For all we know, he's an Insurrectionist that's playing to our heart strings in order to get underneath our skin."

"We really don't have that much of a choice," Whitcomb countered. "First off, the Covenant are kicking our asses in this war, and secondly, we need any allies we can get. We don't have the luxury of turning down a potential ally because he's from another faction. Beggars can't be choosers, after all."

"He's right," Colonel Holland nodded. "At the current rate the war is going, I'll take any allies that I can get my hands on. He might be an Insurrectionist, but given what we know, I think that is out of the question. Besides, have you seen any Insurrectionists that have a fleet of over 250 warships, half of which are capable of beating the shit out of the Covenant's warships?"

"No, to be frank," Stanforth admitted hesitantly.

"Then it's agreed," Fremont decided. "That being said, I had one of our AI's do a biometric readout on him while he was talking. There were none of the indicators that he was lying to us. His pulse didn't even accelerate a notch while he was speaking. She also scanned the information he was presenting to us while he was in the act. None of it has been faked, and there are no signs of any tampering or editing, which an AI will detect with complete accuracy.

"Since that is the case, then my decision stands: we will work with him as an ally and friend. Besides, since we'll obviously be given an exemption to that regulation anyways, we will not turn down this one change to strike back at the Covenant… and make them pay for every innocent man, woman and child that they so brutally, and unjustly, murdered.

"I will inform Admiral Hood of what has happened just an hour ago. Whitcomb, rally the fleet and get them ready for any potential Covenant attacks; if I was them, I would've detected that energy burst a long time ago and changed course to head for Reach. Holland, work with any of the high ranking Army personnel that the SLDF might volunteer. Stanforth, work with Whitcomb on what he's doing. I'll coordinate the general effort to get Reach ready once I've informed HIGHCOM and FLEETCOM."

After a moment, he said, "Chernenko, we're ready now." Once he came back inside, Fremont said, "Admiral Chernenko, given the extenuating circumstances of your current predicament, as well as the current state of the war, we have decided to accept your offer of assistance. So long as you do not, without undue provocation, assault any member of the UNSC or ONI, then you will also have our support."

"That is all that I can ask for," Chernenko nodded. "Thank you."

"No. Thank you, Chernenko. We need all the help we can get in defeating the Covenant. Now that the general decision has been made, we can start ironing out the details, which I'm sure there are a lot of."

. . .

Outside of the facility, Colonel Ackerson was very much trying not to piss himself as he looked at the gigantic machine that had marched over the walls of SWORD Base and into the courtyard, with fourteen others parking outside the base. It had been about ten minutes into the meeting that was going on that they had arrived, though it wasn't a stealthy arrival. About five minutes ago, everyone began to feel a series of vibrations in the ground that had left many worried; when the machines arrived, ONI Security Forces had nearly opened fire, only to learn that these were fifteen of the possibly millions of members of the SLDF Fleet that had arrived over Reach.

Once they had gotten into the courtyard, they powered down and the pilots had gotten out. Much to everyone's relief, they were fellow human beings, though they were as cautious and suspicious as a special operations soldier with years of experience. Currently, most of the fifteen strong SLDF group were in the courtyard, playing a deck of cards while using a crate as a table, as well as a few fold-up chairs. Surprisingly, that helped to break the ice, as a number of ODST's and ONI personnel were also playing cards with them as well. While he met those people, he was more interested in learning about what those machines were.

As for what he was doing, it was what he usually did: work to get the UNSC and ONI an advantage over any potential enemy, and the Star League Defense Force certainly was one such potential threat. Walking over to the machine, which he learned were called BattleMechs or 'Mechs for short, he began looking up and down the legs of the 'Mech. According to one of the 'MechWarriors, the people that piloted the 'Mechs, this particular 'Mech was known as a Catapult IV, and was the SLDF's MRLS (Multiple Rocket Launch System) BattleMech. The arsenal, which consisted of two, Extended Range Large Pulse Lasers, four ER Medium Pulse Lasers and two Advanced Tactical Missile racks sounded impressive to him.

While the UNSC did have laser based weaponry, they didn't have vehicle mounted variants. The armor, which he learned was called Advanced Ferro-Fibrous Armor, sounded impressive. All of that had him work up his courage enough to actually try to get into the 'Mech. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done, as the only way up was a deployable chain ladder, which was currently rolled up inside the chassis of the 'Mech itself. This meant that he was looking at the actual leg structure in order to get inside the cockpit. He was about to find a potential way inside when a hand landed on his shoulder, and a southern accented voice said, "Excuse me, Mr. Ackerson. Just what do you think you're doing?"

Turning around, Ackerson found himself looking at one of the 'MechWarriors that had been playing cards. Apparently, he had spotted Ackerson doing what he was doing and came over to investigate. "I was just looking at the 'Mech itself," he answered, doing his best to sound innocent. "Your BattleMechs are very unusual machines, and the UNSC doesn't have very many like it; in fact, none at all."

"I see," the 'MechWarrior remarked. "Well, if that's the case, then you can look around. Though, if you were trying to get inside, you'd have better luck trying to convince a Jade Falcon Clansman to not issue a batchall. Those things are impossible to get inside without using the chain ladder, and even if you did somehow manage to get inside, there are extremely sophisticated anti-theft systems installed in the 'Mech itself. You'd find yourself ejected sideways before you could say 'motherfucker.'

"Either way, why don't you come play some cards with us. I'm certain that you will find that to be a better alternative than falling off and breaking your arm after trying to climb this behemoth of a 'Mech." With that, Ackerson found himself being pulled over gently, but firmly, over to the other 'MechWarriors, where there were now three crates that were being used for card playing. While he did sit down, he didn't play any cards, instead opting to study the faces of each one of the men.

The one his attention was attracted to the most was the leader of the group, and it wasn't because of his appearance, but rather his method of speech. Unlike the others, the leader of the group didn't use any contractions; instead, he used the full words, with no contractions, whenever he spoke. It bugged Ackerson, enough that he began to get curious. "Why do you speak with no contractions," he asked a moment later, "Mr?"

"Alex," the man replied. "Alex Conners, but call me Alex. As for why I speak that way, the use of contractions is considered 'unclanlike' in my society."

"You're a Clansman," Ackerson asked, using the term he heard earlier while hoping it wasn't a slur. If he insulted the man now, he wouldn't gain any kind of valuable intelligence.

"That is correct," Alex replied. "I am a mercenary by trade, but I will always be a member of Clan Wolf, more specifically the Warrior Caste. Warriors, like myself, are the protectors and rulers of the Clan, charged with leading the Clan, while defending it at the same time. It is a challenging job, but then again, I like a challenge."

"I see. Did you fight in a lot of battles?"

"Yes, I have. When it is time, though, I will tell you some stories about them. I will not hide anything when something happens and I am asked about, but make no mistake Ackerson. My life is not a book to be opened and read by you at will. Do with that as you will." While this was what he meant outside, Alex didn't tell him anything about his battles because he didn't like the man. Ackerson reminds me too much of the Draconis Combine, or rather their DEST Commandos, he thought to himself. He has a hungry look about him, as though he wants to find out every little secret that we all have. While I applaud him for his vigilance, I do not trust him with any SLDF secrets, or Clan ones for that matter.

He could see Ackerson scowling when he heard what he said, much to his amusement. As time wore on, each one of the ONI personnel playing cards quickly learned that it was very difficult to beat Clansmen that not only knew how to play cards, but to play them well. More than a few ONI personnel walked away, surprised by how good the Clansmen were at their game.

Eventually, as they played, he spotted Chernenko walking out the door, along with the UNSC Admirals and Vice Admirals. Standing to attention, he saluted Chernenko, who said, "At ease, son. Have they given you any trouble?"

"No," Alex replied, "though Ackerson here was immensely curious about our society. He kept asking a lot of questions, and he was very curious about our BattleMechs. Dekard caught him trying to get into one, as I suspected all along. Beyond that, there was little trouble."

"Good," Chernenko beamed. "That is what I was hoping for. The good news is that we are now allies with the UNSC and the UEG, which means you will provide them with as much help as possible, aside from willingly handing over classified information without my express permission."

"Got it," Alex replied. "I will make sure I give them any help they can get, so long as they play nicely of course." He meant that last part for Ackerson, who clearly got the message when he bristled ever so slightly.

"I'm certain you will get along famously," Chernenko nodded. "Now that our business here is conducted, I have orders for you. I need you and your men to oversee the fortification of the ODG's on the planet. Reach is defended by a series of platforms known as ODP's in a manner similar to the SDS' (Space Defense System) that we use. Unlike the SDS, however, they rely on wireless power transmission from ground based nuclear power plants known as Orbital Defense Generators. If those fall, the ODP's will essentially be nothing but useless ingots of titanium. Part of the WarShip fleet is sending down supplies to fortify those positions, but I need you men to overseen them to prevent any Insurrectionists from stealing SLDF property. Understood?"

"Understood," Alex replied. "We will ensure that no freebirth criminals get their hands on SLDF equipment."

"Good," Chernenko nodded. "Dismissed." With that, each of the fifteen 'MechWarriors began to head for their 'Mechs, while Chernenko began heading back to his VTOL, along with his bodyguards. It was going to be a long mission, and they needed all the time they could get for it.