Hello, everyone, and welcome back to my Mass Effect - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover.
Thank you for the feedback that I have gotten so far for my crossover. I really appreciate it. Just so you know, updates might slow down as I gather more information.
Also, since this story is heavily influenced by 'This Was Easier on The Tabletop', much of the beginning part of this crossover will be heavily influenced by that SI, so shoutout to that author for that wonderfully written BattleTech SI. Either, way, thanks for the support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, 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 – Davion Theme
Unidentified Star System
Unidentified Planet
Unknown Date
Commander Shepard groaned as he awoke, wracked with pain and minor nausea, but at least he was alive. He blearily opened his eyes, expecting to see the wrecked dome. Instead, he found himself looking at the face of a female Turian and the hazy, mustard yellow sky of an unknown world.
What the hell? Shepard pushed off the Turian, Nyreen, before getting up and looking all around him through the thick, dusty air. He and Nyreen stood next to a basalt pillar, while the sunk sank lower over the horizon. It could have been any number of desolate worlds Shepard had visited during his mission to stop Saren.
Shepard's suit beeped, and he checked the readout. 64% on my oxygen, he realized. Better check if I can breathe this atmosphere when my oxygen supply runs out. Unfortunately, the omni-tool determined that the planet's atmosphere was a primordial mixture, with a large amount of nitrogen, some free oxygen, a moderate amount of carbon dioxide, and some methane. Frozen methane, that is. The planet was positively frigid.
Bending down, he sat Nyreen up against the rock column and spoke up. "Nyreen?" Shepard asked over the comms while gently shaking her. "Nyreen, can you hear me?"
Nyreen groaned loudly and opened her eyes. "Uuuuggghhhh," she moaned. "Spirits… What happened to me?"
"I don't know. All I remember is the artifact activating, then I woke up and you were lying on top of me."
Nyreen staggered to her feet and stertched. "Ugh. Give me a moment to recuperate, Commander." Then she looked around. "Where are we, anyway? Where's the rest of the ground team? And the Normandy?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Shepard said grimly. "Can you help me find them?"
"Sure thing." Then Nyreen checked her own suit's readouts. "S'kak, my oxygen's at 64%. We'll have to find them quick."
"Agreed. Let's move out."
. . .
It took the better part of an hour to gather the scattered ground team, with Shepard feeling his heart racing in growing panic as he watched the life support readings on his own suit ticking down. Shepard kept trekking across the alien world's rough terrain, and he felt his foot snag on something, causing him to nearly fall over. Looking down, Shepard spotted a Turian's leg. "Garrus!" Shepard shouted as he hefted his old friend back up, leaning him against a nearby rock column. "Garrus! Wake up! Garrus!" Getting desperate, Shepard smacked the Turian's head in frustration, before getting to work picking up his heavy friend in a fireman's carry. "Nyreen, did you find the others?!" he called out.
"Just did," Nyreen replied tensely. "I rounded up some of the others and get them to help me out. We've got everyone other than Garrus. Is he with you?"
"Yes. "I'm having to carry him right now."
It wasn't long before he found the others. Lights of varying types and shapes leapt out at him from the blood red twilight, with the others quickly coming into view. Nyreen, who was the closest, came over to Shepard and said, "What happened to him?"
"I don't know," Shepard replied as he set Garrus down on the ground. "I found him unconscious a few dozen or so meters from here."
"We need to call in the Normandy! Whatever caused this to happen also shocked our life support systems quite badly! It's down to 40% on my suit!"
Keying his comm, Shepard said, "This is Commander Shepard to the SSV Normandy. Do you read me? I repeat, do you read me? Joker, are you there?"
For a long minute, there was an agonizing silence. Then, a very welcome response came. "Normandy to ground team, I read you," Joker replied, his voice strained, as though he'd been hit in the head. "We're coming your way right now. ETA: 3 mikes."
"You OK?" Shepard asked.
"I don't know," Joker replied, the usual sarcastic wit in his voice having disappeared. "I'm kinds sick to my stomach. Nearly puked before I got your distress call."
"We'll get everyone looked at as soon as possible." Closing the comm, Shepard bent over and leaned on his knees. We're going to make it, he told himself as he looked at Garrus' prone form. We're going to be fine.
About three minutes later, a shuttle came in to pick them up. Shepard and his teammates were about to climb aboard when Shepard realized something. "Where's EDI?" he asked.
"I'm here, Shepard," EDI replied, walking into view. "I reactivated in a location further away. I successfully reinitialized systems, though I still require a checkup." She indicated part of her chassis, which was crumpled.
"We'll get that taken care of," Shepard assured her. "For now, we've got to go."
. . .
It was a relief to get everyone safely aboard the Normandy, with Dr. Chakwas doing her best to check up on the others, while Engineer Donnelly was checking EDI over for any damaged components. Outside, Shepard, who'd gotten checked up already, merely waited with Joker and a few others.
"We've been through worse. I can walk this off," Garrus piped up. "But seriously, what the hell happened at that Cerberus base with that artifact?"
"Hell if I know," Joker said, hanging his head. "I just remember seeing this blinding flash of light, and then everything went black. Next thing I know, I'm waking up with a killer headache and a worst stomach ache."
Shepard grunted. "All I remember was fighting Long, then stopping when the artifact activated. There was this blue-white energy dome that surrounded us, then the next thing I remember, I'm waking up with Nyreen on top of me, and a pretty minor headache, all things considered. EDI, can you tell me what happened?"
"I cannot," EDI told him. "My scanners detected an incoming energy surge. My robotic body then shut down to protect itself from the massive electrical overload."
"Still," Garrus remarked. "I felt like I swallowed a vorganthr. I kept on dry heaving for two full minutes before Chakwas looked me over. According to her, most of my symptoms were psychosomatic, nothing actually wrong with me."
At that moment, EDI stepped out of the elevator, her examination evidently complete. "How are you holding up, EDI?" Shepard asked.
"The damage was merely cosmetic, no internal damage was found," EDI reported.
"Good. But what of the ship? Any serious damage?"
"No, major structural damage, but the armor plating has been severely damaged," EDI said
"We can just replace the plating. No sweat," Joker beamed. "For now, though, we've gotta establish comms and figure out where we even are. I'll see if I can set up a link with... well, anyone who's gonna listen to us." He carefully made his way to the waiting cockpit, EDI helping him along.
Shepard said, "I'll head to the CIC as well. Vega, come with me." They headed toward the cockpit together, with Garrus tagging along, probably out of sheer curiosity.
Up at the Normandy's bridge, Joker punched in a few commands, and the Normandy lurched to life, lifting off and into the sky.
"Anything yet?" Shepard asked.
"No, Commander," Joker said, shaking his head. "This star system doesn't even appear on any of the navigational charts."
"EDI?"
"I have already done a scan of the system, Shepard. No correlation with known systems. We are in unknown territory."
"Can we head to the next star system?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, Commander," EDI said. "Spectral analysis of light from other stars indicates one that is roughly twenty light years away. It will take us one day to reach the star system."
"Do we have enough fuel to get there?"
"We do," EDI reassured him
"Then let's go."
. . .
One day later
"Can you pinpoint the location of that unusual energy signature?" Shepard asked his pilot. The Normandy's crew had detected it earlier, originating from about one billion miles above this system's star's magnetic north pole. The data even suggested sapient life.
"Yes, Commander," Joker replied. "I think it's coming from a planet in this star's habitable zone. I'll see if I can get us closer." The Normandy turned towards the signal's source and leaped into FTL before it re-emerged into normal space near the planet in question. Shepard could see the Earth-like planet out the viewports, and it didn't look that remarkable at first. Then he saw some lights moving along the planet's darker side.
"Is that the source of the signal?" Shepard asked.
"Must be, yeah."
"Commander," EDI added. "I have detected a number of comm signals originating from the planet. Possibly human."
"Human?" Shepard blurted out. "How?"
"Unknown," EDI told him. "I have determined that they are speaking in English as well as in French. Analysis indicates that they are currently in a moderately alert state."
"I see." Shepard nodded. Thinking carefully, he asked, "Can you access this signal, EDI?"
"Yes, Commander. I am covertly accessing it right now." There were a few seconds as EDI worked through the processes required, then she continued, "Commander, I believe I have found a meaningful symbol." She put it on a display screen. The complex symbol featured a long sword pointed upward, with the hilt at the bottom. Behind the symbol was a red-orange background and a yellow-gold sunburst, with a gold-yellow star behind the upper half of the sword. The circular edge of the emblem was black, though there was a white circle inside of the black one.
Shepard didn't recognize this symbol but, James Vega did. "Oh… shit," he whispered.
"What is it?" Shepard demanded.
"Shepard, remember when we played Classic BattleTech together?"
"I do. Why?"
"Because that's the symbol of the Federated Suns, one of the factions in Classic BattleTech." Looking at EDI, Vega asked, "Hey, can you bring up the date?"
"Right away," EDI replied. "The current date according to the signal is June 15th, 3018."
Vega's expression went from shocked, to worried. "Commander," he said slowly, "I think I have a lot to tell you."
"Clearly," Shepard said. "But first, I need to know how we even got here."
"I might have an idea. Could you gather everyone in the War Room? I can explain it there."
"I'll make it happen," Shepard promised. Then he added, "Joker, take us behind that planet's moon. I don't want the locals finding us before we're ready."
Joker pressed a few holographic buttons, and the Normandy lurched into motion once again. "Aye aye, Commander."
. . .
"So, you say the device transported us to another reality," Javik summarized, both pairs of eyes focused on James and the others in the War Room. Instead of a hologram of their galaxy, a map of a roughly circular region was being displayed, with large sections that were in red, blue, green, purple and yellow, with a smattering of other colors outside of the area.
"As far as I can tell, yeah," Vega confirmed, arms folded over his chest.
Javik's face soured. Looking at Shepard, he said, "I… I'm deeply sorry, Commander. If I had only known..."
"Don't blame yourself, Javik," Shepard told him gently. "You had no way of knowing what would happen."
"Yet I should have!" Javik insisted. "It was a relic of my kind! A piece of our Empire!"
Shepard motioned with both hands. "You were a soldier, not an engineer. You admitted it yourself when we found you. Don't beat yourself up over it." Turning to James, Shepard added, "Time for a plan. You're up, Vega."
"Thanks, Loco." James stood before the holoprojector, cleared his throat and began, "That Prothean device must've created some kind of really strange energy outburst, which sent us into a world that I'm very much familiar with. We've somehow ended up in Classic BattleTech board game universe.
"The franchise takes place in an alternate future, where Humanity never encountered the Prothean ruins, or any alien species. Humanity developed FTL travel on its own, and that led to a huge surge in exploration. Humanity settled a region roughly a thousand light years in diameter in the game's lore, a region region generally known as the 'Inner Sphere.'"
Moving the holographic map a little bit, James continued, "The Inner Sphere is divided into several major interstellar nations, each led by a noble house. They are the Lyran Commonwealth in blue, Capellan Confederation in green, Federated Suns in yellow, Free Worlds League in purple and Draconis Combine in red." He motioned to each colored region on the map as he spoke.
"Interesting," Nyreen commented, eyeing the map. "How are they governed? Are they like the Salarian Union or Turian Hierarchy, for example?"
"Kinda like the Salarian Union, yeah, but with some differences," Vega explained. "These are 'neo-feudal' states. So, instead of a democracy or oligarchy, they're an autocracy, with lords and ladies, princes and princesses and other things like that, and the position of rulership is hereditary. The Federated Suns, for one, calls it's leader the First Prince, while the Lyran Commonwealth is ruled by an Archon and the Confederation, a Chancellor, to name a few."
"I'll be damned," Garrus remarked. "Mordin would certainly find common ground with those governments."
"Already have," came the Salarian's familiar voice as he stepped into the War Room. "Neo-feudal societies. Appears anachronistic and inefficient on the surface. Looked deeper. Found unusually high levels of efficiency. Highly effective when FTL Communications not viable or primitive. Very efficient, I must say."
"That it is," Shepard remarked.
James continued, "Now, in terms of technology, BattleTech is quite interesting."
"How so?" Nyreen asked.
"Roughly 500 or so years ago, the Inner Sphere was embroiled into a massive period of warfare known as the Age of War. We're talking a 150 year era of uninterrupted warfare, and casualties in the millions, if not billions. This all came to an end when Ian Cameron, the Director-General of the Terran Hegemony, began acting as a mediator to end the conflict.
"He started by helping the Confederation and Free Worlds League sign and comply with treaties of mutual understanding and cooperation. Eventually, the Federated Suns, Lyran Commonwealth, and Draconis Combine all joined in, wanting a little peace after all that fighting. It wasn't until the mid to late 26th Century that the Star League Accords were formally ratified, with Ian Cameron being elected as First Lord of the Star League."
For the next few minutes, Vega told the team what he knew about the Star League Era, from the rise of the Star League, to its demise in the Amaris Coup, and the resulting Succession Wars that resulted from the Collapse of the Star League. Mordin seemed particularly fascinated by the technology, especially when Vega described it as 'future of the '80's' technology.
When Vega finished, Garrus spoke up again. "So, let me get this straight. We're in a universe where Humanity has advanced technology, despite suffering from tech regression, is in the middle of a series of pissing matches for the Star League Throne, and will have to deal with an invasion of the SLDF-in-exile turned warrior society?"
"Pretty much," Vega confirmed.
"Spirits," Nyreen remarked. "It's like a fleshed out, well written science fiction/adventure kind of novel, or video game, only it's now real." Looking at Vega, she asked, "Are there any planets with dextro amino-acid life forms?"
"Not that I know of." James shrugged.
"And here I thought Vega was just a meathead," Steve Cortez joked. "Glad I was wrong."
"Meathead, really?" Vega said in mock indignation. "You wound me, Cortez. Anyway, based on emblem EDI discovered, we're in Federated Suns territory. Think of them as 21st Century USA or British Empire in space. One of my friends called them noblebright do-gooders, which is fitting since the Federated Suns is one of those few Great Houses that actually wants to make life better for its people, not oppress them like the Capellans or Combine. There is one faction we will have to be very careful about."
"ComStar," Xavora summarized for everyone. "You told us quite a bit about them. Talk about technology worshiping fanatics. They think Jerome Blake is some kind of deity."
"That's right," James confirmed. "They're responsible for manipulating the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, and keeping them from recovering their technology. Fortunately, the Star League made backups in the event that happened." Moving the holographic map, he highlighted four planets, with three in the Inner Sphere and one in the Deep Periphery. "The SLDF created specially designed bases called Field Library Facilities. Each one holds what's known as a 'Memory Core', which is a really high capacity solid state drive.
"The two most important ones are the Helm Memory Core, located on the planet of Helm, and the New Dallas Memory Core, located in New Dallas. Think of these as the ultimate Anti-LosTech devices. The Helm Memory Core, for instance, holds the information to, on first principles, to build the tools to build the factories to build the tools to build Late Star League Era technology, from WarShips to certain BattleMechs and things like that."
"Nice," Zaeed put in. "How do you know all this, anyway?"
"I really got into the lore, and my friends talked about a lot. I tend to pick this kind of stuff up. Why?"
"Because that will be highly important," Shepard said for the others. "If we can get one of the better Great Houses this information, it would radically alter their plans for the future. We might be able to exchange this information to find a way to return home, if possible. Which of the Great Houses do you think will be suitable, Vega?"
"The Federated Suns, sir. They're one of the good guy factions in the Inner Sphere. During this time period, the Federated Suns is led by one of the greatest, if not the greatest, First Prince in the realm's history. I don't remember his name, but they call him the Fox because of how intelligent and cunning he is. He'll be a father too, though I don't remember all his kids' names. He's a good man, Shepard; he's basically BattleTech's version of you, and he has serious military experience as a MechWarrior."
"And what's a MechWarrior?" Grunt asked gruffly. "Does it have to do with combat mechs? I hope not, because they're weak."
Vega grinned. "You'll see." Looking at Shepard, he added, "Since we're doing this, the Federated Suns is the best pick, Commander, as is the Lyran Commonwealth, since they'll eventually merge to form the Federated Commonwealth. Since we're here, it'll be our job to keep it from falling apart, all because of The Bitch, as well as to help the Federated Suns gain access to the Helm, Dallas and Gray Legion Memory Cores. If we do that, then the Clans will have a very hard time indeed."
Shepard frowned. "Who is The Bitch?"
"A crude nickname for Katherine Steiner-Davion," Vega explained. "She took over the FedCom in a coup, and most of the dukes rebelled against her. She tore apart the FedCom in a civil war, mostly because if she couldn't have it, then no one could have it. That's why she's known as The Bitch in BattleTech circles."
"I see." Shepard glanced at the Inner Sphere map. "When we meet the Federated Suns, we might help them out on the technology front. We've got schematics for optical and quantum computers, and we know how to create AI." Looking at EDI, he asked, "EDI, could our technology help the future Federated Commonwealth fight off the Clans?"
"Based on our analysis of the technology of BattleTech," EDI replied, "as well as the analysis of our technology, there is a 92.4% chance that the Inner Sphere will successfully resist the Clan invasion of 3050. There is a 99.8% chance that the Word of Blake will not be able to start its Jihad. Cooperation and sharing of resources will result in a 98.5% chance of long term survival. I believe assisting the Federated Suns will be beneficial to our goals."
"I agree," Garrus piped up. "The NAIS might do that for us, though. If there is Element Zero in this reality as well, we might have a chance of upgrading the Inner Sphere beyond what the Reapers would be able to stop."
"Good thinking," Shepard said. "What about our non-levo amino acid crew members? We'll need to find a way to get them food and medical supplies."
"I've got that covered," Garrus assured him. "The Hierarchy's been researching genetic enhancements to solve that problem for a long time. Recently, any Turians that were either in the military, or had served honorably in the HDF had the option of undergoing genetic therapy to be able to ingest levo amino acid foods and gain nutrition from them, since tests on willing Turians were completely successful. I received the augment after we destroyed the Collectors. Nyreen said she received it shortly before we did, as did Xavora."
Shepard nodded. "Good, that's covered." Then he added, "Any objections to our course of action?"
No one objected. "Then it's decided," Shepard declared. "We'll make contact with the Federated Suns once we've determined where we are in the Inner Sphere. If all goes well, we'll visit threir capital world and speak with the First Prince. EDI, Legion, I want you to see if you can make our communications technology compatible with the HyperPulse Generator Network.
"I also need you to see if we can get the FedSuns schematics for our technology. Nyreen and Kasumi will help you with that. Vega, I need you to download and copy everything BattleTech related into as many backup files as you can without interfering with the ship's functions. Garrus, Nyreen, Xavora, you three will discuss strategies on what to do once we make contact with the FedSuns. The rest of you, dismissed."
. . .
Two hours later, Shepard stood in the Normandy's bridge with James Vega by his side, mentally preparing himself to meet the Federated Suns' leader and make historic first contact. Miranda and Taylor were also at the ready as a part of the official greeting committee.
Meanwhile, EDI had come up with a means of interfacing with the alien planet's HPG network with the radio equipment they had onboard. It was a stop-gap measure, but it would have to do until a more dedicated system could be created. Garrus and his team, meanwhile, had come up with a few diplomatic strategies for their meeting with FedSuns leadership. Grunt and the other soldiers stood to the side as a security detail. Shepard dearly hoped this wouldn't end in gunfire, but he was ready for anything.
Here we go, Shepard thought. Once again, we're throwing ourselves into the deep end, into the total unknown. He took a deep breath and carefully said, "Bring us in, Joker."
"Aye aye, Captain," Joker said at once. "Operation: Throwing Ourselves into The Deep End is a go."
The Normandy rumbled as it slowly lifted off the surface of the planet's moon and accelerated to full speed. Joker estimated it would take 30-40 mintues to reach the FedSuns capital world, and once they drew close...
"Commander," EDI reported. "I am detecting a number of small ships moving in on our position. LiDAR readings indicate these are Leopard DropShips that have been heavily modified for planetary defense."
"Looks like the locals know we're here," Joker remarked. "Think they'll have refreshments for the meet-and-greet? I'm in the mood for doughnuts. Anyone else?"
"Joker," Shepard chided.
"Sorry, sorry," Joker replied. "Still, they could use a better early warning system. This feels so... Turian, you know?"
"You got that right," Vega commented lightly.
Soon enough, Shepard saw one of the modified Leopard DropShips for himself out the view port. The DropShip looked as though someone had taken a brick, cut the front face at an obtuse angle, stuck wings and armor onto the brick, and attached thrusters to the back before deciding it was space worthy. While it looked ugly, Shepard had been informed that the Leopard DropShip was incredibly robust, and was highly favored by mercenary companies.
Then, four more such vessels came into view, all heavily armed. The COM crackled to life as an accented voice said in English, "Unidentified contact, you are entering restricted New Avalon aerospace. Identify yourself, or we will open fire. You have thirty seconds to comply."
Clearing his throat, Shepard declared, "This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. Our intentions are peaceful. We seek diplomacy, not war."
There was a half minute of tense silence as Shepard prayed that the New Avalon defenders would see things his way. Thankfully, the accented voice said, "SSV Normandy, we have relayed your words to HIGHCOM. We are sending you a landing vector and flight path. Do not deviate from this flight path, or you will be fired upon. We will escort your vessel to New Avalon. Understood?"
"Understood," Shepard replied. Right on time, Joker received the flight vector, and plugged them into the Normandy's nav computers. "Maintain speed with them," Shepard told his pilot. "Let's not make them nervous."
"No kidding," Joker replied. "Look at the guns on those things."
As they approached the planet, the ship angled upwards, so that it could safely enter the atmosphere, with the other DropShips performing a similar maneuver. The Normandy rattled and shook as it pushed into the atmosphere of the planet, and soon, the fires of reentry faded away to reveal a beautiful vista of the planet's surface, with green fields, sprawling forests, as well as gleaming cities here and there. Nearby, Vega muttered something in Spanish, probably in awe of this wondrous sight.
The Normandy gradually came closer to New Avalon's surface, away from the cities and angling toward a secluded forest. A fine neutral meeting point where civilians wouldn't get hurt in case things went sideways, most likely.
"Listen closely," Shepard told his crew. "This is a momentous occasion, and we must play it cool. Given what you've said about their weapons tech, we probably wouldn't stand a chance against any laser based weapons. So don't shoot unless you absolutely have to. Understood?"
"Affirmative, sir," Kaidan replied.
"Good." Shepard exited the Normandy through its main door, and from the moment he stepped outside, he finally felt the warmth of New Avalon's sun on his face, and the refreshing breeze on his skin. He stood in a deciduous forest, with trees tall enough to obscure the Normandy from up above.
Looking down, he spotted a number of AFFS personnel, most likely the 1st Davion Guards, each soldier sporting an assault rifle. Nearby were a handful of Combat, as well as towering, robotic war machines, all of which bristled with fearsome weapons. Those must be the BattleMechs that Vega told us about, Shepard realized. A stairwell had been bought along, likely in one of the Combat Vehicles, and set up to where people could get out of the Normandy.
Shepard stepped down a removable ramp and onto the planet's surface, keeping his hands in the air to show that he was unarmed. Once his boots hit the ground, the FedSuns troops used handheld scanners to check him from head to toe, while doing the same for the others in his team. When the FedSuns troops were satisfied with their results, one of the men motioned to Shepard to follow him, and Shepard complied.
Nearby, he noticed another man; while he was also armed and armored, he had an air of authority about him, probably a high-ranking officer. As soon as he was close enough, the men next to him brought Shepard to a halt. One of the men said tightly, "State your identity, please."
Shepard took a breath. "My name is Commander John Shepard of the SSV Normandy. We come in peace."
The man waited a moment, probably sizing Shepard up, before replying, "I am Ardan Sortek, Colonel of the 17th Avalon Hussars."
Right away, Shepard knew who he was dealing with. Ardan Sortek, according to Vega, was the First Prince's right hand man, a man widely renown throughout the entire Inner Sphere for his tactical genius, as well as his unflinchingly valorous performance in combat. Evidently, Sortek was also responsible for helping Quintus Allard, the head of the Federated Suns' intelligence branches at the time, rescue said First Prince from a Capellan plot to install an impostor onto the throne of the FedSuns to make it a puppet state.
In the end, he'd been made the Prince's Champion, though he had simply stated that he was just doing his job, which was to protect the First Prince. Shepard was about to speak when Sortek added, "New Avalon is protected. How did you come here, and why?"
"It wasn't by choice," Shepard explained. "We were attacked by rogue military elements while examining an alien artifact. When it activated, it incapacitated us and brought us into orbit around your planet. I can't explain much more than that."
The whole time, Sortek kept a very close eye on Shepard, probably to find any hint of deception. To Shepard's relief, Sortek said, "I see you are being truthful."
Turning to his men, Sortek added, "You can go now. I doubt our guest will want to tangle with the 17th Avalon Hussars BattleMech Regiment." Turning back to Shepard, he said, "We will now search your ship to determine if there is anything… dangerous aboard. Anything else you want to tell me?"
"Yes. Not all of my crew members are… human. Don't be alarmed by their appearance."
"What do you mean?"
"They're aliens, Sortek."
Sortek paused before saying, "A likely story. It's just as likely that they are surgically altered human beings. Still, if any evidence we find says otherwise, then this just became a lot more complicated."
Turning to his men, Sortek ordered, "Search the ship for anything dangerous, mainly weapons or explosives. I want everything prepped for examination. You are not to discuss what you see in there with anyone but myself, Quintus Allard and the First Prince himself. Anything you see and read will be classified as Sword-One. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," the others replied.
"Good." Turning back to Shepard, Sortek said, "Follow me. If you attempt any form of hostile action, or deviate from my position by about three meters, you will be shot on sight. Am I clear?"
"Perfectly."
"Good. We will be taking you to a temporary holding cell until the First Prince calls for you, or requests evidence to prove your account of events." On cue, three men approached Shepard, with one taking the rear, while the other two stood next to him at the two meter limit. Once they were in position, they began marching, following Sortek while Shepard followed him as well.
Looking at a video feed on his helmet, Shepard could see the 17th Avalon Hussars' reaction to the rest of the crew. Most of the Human crew were received with some suspicion, as was to be expected. It was the non-Human crew, however, that had the most interesting reactions. Liara was the first one out, and it was clear that some of the Guards were a little surprised. She looked the most human among the aliens, after all. In the eyes of Sortek's men, Liara was probably almost... familiar, somehow.
Garrus, Xavora and Nyreen were the next ones out, and it was clear their appearance had the Guards on edge. Some of them had subconsciously reached for their weapons, while the others remained merely wary. It was an understandable caution, but thankfully, nothing negative came of it.
Grunt, Eve and Wrex, the largest aliens thus far, had the Guards reaching for their high caliber weapons, though they refrained from opening fire. Finally, EDI was another shock to Sortek's troops, though for different reasons. Interestingly, a true AI like her, a "robot" as Spheroids would call her, was almost as bizarre as actual, breathing aliens.
The whole time, Shepard took a look around at the BattleMechs. The two 'Mechs in question were the Battlemaster and the Catapult 'Mechs, and he could tell that, despite using Succession War Era technology, they were well maintained. "Your 'Mechs look well kept," Shepard remarked.
"Thank you," Sortek replied. "You have 'Mechs where you are from?"
"Yes. We call it an Atlas, but it's not quite on this scale."
"I see."
Once everyone was out, Sortek keyed his communicator, and several of his men arrived carrying camouflage netting. Old school technique, but very effective when done right, Shepard thought. Then, Shepard and the others reached a waiting APC. The vehicle's troop bay door slid open, and several soldiers piled out to make room. Once Sortek's men confiscated Shepard's team's weapons, the Normandy's crew climbed aboard the APC, and off it went.
During the ride, Shepard could feel the FedSuns guards watching him with suspicion. And Garrus and the rest of the non-human crew drew the most attention, as expected.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours, they came to a stop. For a few seconds, the vehicle was still, then resumed its trek. Next, after another five minutes, the vehicle came to a complete stop. "Stand up, and proceed outside," Sortek instructed Shepard's team. "And no funny business."
Shepard nodded. "Got it." He and his crewmates exited the idling APC, standing in the middle of a military base. Surrounding the nearby buildings stood some towering walls, all with turrets mounted on them. Towards the ground, Shepard could see more vehicles and infantry moving along. Shepard nearly jumped when a large BattleMech, a Catapult, took a few steps past him, its footsteps making loud thumps on the ground. From down here, as a mere foot soldier, Shepard could feel the machine towering over him, its egg-shaped body and boxy missile launchers far more imposing than any tabletop figurine.
Snapping himself out of it, Shepard proceeded with the others towards a large, rectangular one-story building. Shepard recognized it as a decontamination center, complete with a temporary holding cell, most likely for inmates being transferred to any prisons on the planet. Once they were inside, Sortek turned and said, "We will be watching you for the duration of this meeting. Cooperate with all personnel and their orders. Failure to cooperate will be met with lethal force. Understood?"
"Yes," Shepard replied.
"Very well. Step inside and follow all instructions given. Once you are decontaminated, you must remain in isolation for a few days as a precaution."
Shepard entered the building. The room was a large, shower like area, with sterile white floors and walls, as well as a light tan with harshly glowing white lights. Armored guards and decon personnel wearing high tech HAZMAT suits stood at the ready, all armed with cleaning equipment and scanners. One of the decon personnel, likely the boss, approached Shepard and said, "Please remove all armor and clothing for decontamination." At once, Shepard removed his armor and clothing, with the personnel promptly getting to work decontaminating him. The process was a quick and clean one, and soon, Shepard was cleared and given a chance of clothes. His armor was currently undergoing decontamination inside a large, boxy device, most likely a UV/Ultrasound cleaner.
The crew repeated their work with each of Shepard's crewmates one by one, though the non-Human crew members were a little trickier to handle, since their alien biology meant that the Decon Team had to be more thorough. Once Decontamination was completed, they had their gear handed back, but not before they were placed into specially designed holding cells, each having room for four occupants. They had been given spare clothes, though Garrus and Nyreen were being treated with a a bit more respect. "So, what's going to happen to us now?" Nyreen asked, making sure her clothing was on, though it fit awkwardly on her Turian body.
"Now we wait," Shepard told her, once he had put his armor back on. "It's up to Ardan Sortek now. With luck, the First Prince will grant us an audience."
"He'd better," Nyeen grumbled. "I'd rather not be picked apart as some kind of science experiment."
"My thoughts exactly," Garrus put in. "It would be some nasty s'kak to end up being vivisected." Shepard didn't even want to imagine it.
. . .
Ardan Sortek knew he had never seen such a diverse array of species and people before. It had been about ten minutes since they had made First Contact with the unknowns, and already, he had learned much. Their leader, Shepard, seemed professional and reasonable, and his crew clearly trusted him despite how uncomfortable this situation must be for them.
The interrogators had no trouble with Shepard's crew, either. And what about that robot, that gynoid? There's a reason why the development of AI was regulated, he thought to himself. It wasn't banned, exactly, but still, I've never seen anything like this EDI before. With that one, we're looking at a lot of unknown variables.
Then there were the aliens that Shepard had in his crew. Ardan still ad a sneaking suspicion that they were simply human beings that had been surgically altered in order to look alien. It's not the first time that's happened before, he thought. Rumors have it that the Magistracy of Canopus has people that can do exactly that. We'll have to check them over for signs of surgical alteration.
First, however, I will interview Shepard and the crew. In particular, this Vega also seems to know a lot more than he's letting on. I will interview him first, then Shepard. Ardan approached Holding Cell Alpha-2 and motioned to the guards to let him inside. Once inside he said, "James Vega, come with me."
"Coming." James Vega got up from his chair and joined Ardan Sortek, following Sortek and a couple of the guards into an interviewing room. Three of the walls were made out of panels of a light tan material, with what appeared to be cameras built into parts of the walls. The fourth wall had a large, silvered window, making it impossible to see what was on the other side. There was a single table in the room, plus two chairs, each one facing the other on opposite sides of the table. As soon as Vega was inside, he was escorted over to the chair furthest from the window, and sat.
Sortek sat down opposite him and pulled out a recording device. It was an old piece of technology, something that Vega knew was straight out of the eighties. Then, Sortek loaded in a miniature cassette before closing the loading tray and hitting the record button.
Clearing his throat, Ardan Sortek stated, "Interview #935-Delta, Ardan Sortek speaking. Interviewee is a male in his early to mid twenties. Subject is Hispanic in appearance, with brown hair, dark green eyes and a tanned complexion." Looking at Vega, he asked, "Would you state your name and affiliation for this interview?"
"Yes," Vega agreed. "James Vega, Systems Alliance Marines. Rank: Lieutenant."
"Thank you," Sortek said. "According to your previous interviews, you claim to come from a universe that is markedly different from our own, yes?"
"That's correct."
"And how is this parallel universe different?" Sortek asked.
"Well, for one, we discovered sapient alien life that was at, if not higher, than our current level of technological advancement. Our First Contact was with a species known as the Turians, in the year 2157."
"You stated in your previous interviews that you had a hostile first contact, yes?" Sortek inquired
"Yes, but it depends on your point of view," Vega said with a shrug. "From the Turian side of things, we were a species that was about to invoke some horrific catastrophe by breaking Council law. On our side of things, we had no knowledge of the Citadel Council and its laws, so we had no idea that what we were doing was illegal. It got sorted out in the end, but only after a month long war that the Turians call the Relay 314 Incident, and what we call the First Contact War. Nowadays, relations are cool, but cordial, and they've been getting stronger since."
"I see. So the individual that calls himself Garrus Vakarian is not a threat?"
"No, not unless you give him good reason to be," Vega said It's not a good idea to threaten Shepard's crew, you see."
"Very well." There was a moment as Sortek sifted through some papers, then he continued, "You claim to have intimate knowledge of the universe you call BattleTech. That is, this universe. Correct?"
"Yup," Vega said. "And I can prove it. I know that the NAIS has been working on reverse engineering pieces of LosTech. For example, the New Avalon Institute of Science is doing preparatory work on creating a Super Griffin and Super Phoenix Hawk to test out their prototype double heat sinks. Not easy, with double heat sinks being LosTech."
Ardan's posture immediately stiffened. "That is classified as Sword Two," he growled. "How did you know that?"
"When you come from an alternate reality, where another universe is just a game franchise, you learn a lot of interesting things," Vega defended himself. "If I had my Omni-Tool, I could give you the information you need. I'd have to walk you through on how to use it, but that would help clarify things."
"I see," Sortek remarked. Turning to one of the guards, he said, "Inform the NAIS to prepare to examine these Omni-Tools, preferably the one used by James Vega. It's most likely an arm-worn noteputer." The saluted, then left the room to carry out his orders. Turning back to Vega, Sortek said, "Do you have any other proof that you can share?"
"Other than the Omni-Tool, no."
"Hmm. A likely story. We will have to verify that. Your knowledge of top secret information, however, is... disturbing." Sortek leaned a little closer, his eyes hard. "Should your evidence prove correct, however, then this may be the greatest discovery of the 31st century."
Sortek leaned back and relaxed before saying, "That will be all, Mr. Vega. Thank you for your cooperation." He added to the remaining guards, "Begin prepping him for transport to Albion and NAIS. Make sure no can get to his cell without my express permission." The guards merely nodded. Motioning to Vega, they had him stand up before they escorted him back to the holding cells.
Once Vega was gone, Sortek heaved a weary sigh. As if their appearance wasn't strange enough, he thought. Now we have one that claims to have intimate knowledge of one of the projects at NAIS. Well, I hope things are simpler from here on out, though I doubt it.
Within a few hours, he was hard a work compiling a personal psychological profile of each of the Normandy's crew members. Shepard had been highly cooperative, yes, but the look in his eyes told Sortek one thing: this man had seen the horrors of war and had not been broken. Shepard is a survivor, in short. Survivors often make good leaders, something I can relate to.
Most of the alien crew members were tougher to read. While Garrus was the hardest to read, it was clear that he was a soldier through and through. He had shown a level of tactical genius when he explained to Sortek how he would overpower the guards and escape if he was being threatened with violence, as well as how fast he could move when he needed to.
Grunt as an incredibly strong individual, and he was intimately familiar with violence, at least Shepard's better attributes had rubbed off on him. The was true of Wrex and Eve, though the two were undoubtedly more mature and experienced as leaders, both political and religious.
Liara was the oddest of the bunch, and not because of her appearance, but rather how… human she seemed. Liara was an energetic and vibrant young woman, though she had surprised him when she claimed to be merely 109 years old. Another likely story, though one that warrants investigation, he had decided. As for Mordin, he could only describe the man as a chipmunk on decaffeinated coffee.
The strangest interviewee was EDI. Unlike the other crew members, EDI was a sapient machine with a robotic body. The idea of a computer being sapient was something that he'd only read about in dime novels, sci-fi books. EDI had proven cooperative, as she had given him information whenever he asked for it. While he had to cross reference this information to make sure it was legitimate, he had a feeling that the AI was telling the truth.
By evening, the interviews were finally over. Closing up his folder of handwritten notes, Sortek, got up from the desk swung open his door, only to meet an older man with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes standing outside of the door, with a familiar symbol on his jacket. "Quintus Allard," Sortek greeted, blinking. "I wasn't expecting you. Something you need?"
"Coming to check in on you," Allard told him. "When I heard that there was an unidentified WarShip in orbit, I feared the worst. Good to see you're handling it well."
"Thanks." Sortek ran a hand through his hair. "I've never seen anything like it. A man with a WarShip suddenly appears in our space, along with a group of people that he claims are aliens. I still wonder if they're just surgically altered human beings."
"I know. I saw them for myself in the holding cells. Quite surprising, I must admit. I take it you have a plan for sorting that out?"
"I'll have the doctors perform an MRI, and other examinations to see if that is possible. A simple DNA test will tell us if the aliens are really aliens or not."
"Good plan." Quintus cleared his throat. "That's not all, though, is it? Something about the interviews disturbed you, it seems."
"Good guess. One of the interviewees, James Vega, claimed that he had intimate knowledge of our universe, as he put it. He kept citing our top-secret research, such as when he mentioned NAIS' efforts to reverse engineer the Double Heat Sinks, as well as the development of 'Mech prototypes for those Heat Sinks."
Quintus' eyes widened. "Really?" When Sortek nodded, Quintus said, "Shit, that really is a surprise. Do you have a plan for this?"
"I intend to take Vega and the machine calling itself EDI to NAIS to find out. While they seem cooperative, I'll have a full military regiment posted at NAIS to make sure they don't try anything funny."
"What do you intend to do if what they're saying is the truth?"
That had Sortek silent for a few seconds as he pondered the question. He finally said, "If what they say is true, then the universe is a lot stranger than we could have possibly imagined. As for my plan, I'm not sure yet. The First Prince ought to find this interesting, though. He'll want to meet these people in person."
"Is that wise?"
Sortek nodded. "Hanse was a soldier before he became nobility. I'm confident he can handle a few aliens and a robot."
Quintus broke out into a smile. "In that case, I'll begin the preparations. Take care of yourself, Sortek."
"You too, sir." Sortek watched Quintus walking away for a moment, then busied himself with his own prep. This will be the strangest mission I've ever done up to this point, he thought. If it's true, then the Inner Sphere, as we know it, will never be the same.