Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my mechWarrior/BattleTech-Mass Effect crossover. Thank you all for your wonderful support. I greatly appreciate it and the feedback that I'm getting.

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Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties & trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's 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.

BattleTech OST - A Welcome Respite

New Avalon IV

Lycomb-Davion Introtech Plant, Near Novais

September 18th, 3019

The sounds of people finishing up their jobs echoed throughout the facility as Shepard walked inside. Moving along, he checked the uniform that Quintus had provided him about a year ago, which consisted of a dark blue dress uniform that had a gold-yellow sunburst that occupied one of the shoulders. To him, it was a little bit garish in appearance, but that was the dress uniform for the AFFS. At least I'll be able to exchange it for a more casual outfit once we're done with this mission, he thought.

That brought him to the reason why he was here in the first place. Once he had worked out a plan with Hanse, the Normandy had been brought to a nearby building, after which it had been hidden so that no one from the other Great Houses, or ComStar, could find out where it was. Once that was done, Hanse had technicians from various shipyards that were still functional come to begin work on refitting the Normandy with a Docking Collar.

In order to successfully dock the Normandy to a JumpShip, though, certain changes had to be made to accommodate the Collar itself. This was solved, however, when Chief Engineer Adams had an epiphany. Shepard could already feel the memories whisking through his mind.

. . .

Fifteen Months Earlier

"So," Shepard said to Chief Engineer Adams as they entered the Normandy's cargo bay. "You're saying that if we make a modification to the cargo hold, we can install the Docking Collar here?"

"That's pretty much the idea so far," Adams nodded as Kenneth and Kelly walked with him. "The cargo bay can be retrofitted with a Docking Collar without impeding it's normal function. In fact, it'll actually help with it's function, since it's where we store most of our supplies. Since the Normandy can land on a planet, it'll be a good way to put this place to good use."

"You sure about this?"

"Oh, he's definitely sure," Kenneth nodded. "It'll modify the Normandy's gravimetric profiles slightly, but nothing that we can't manage. Besides, it it allows us to conduct FTL flight without having to use the anti-proton thrusters, then I'm all for it."

"Besides," Kelly added, "it's not like we'll be using the Normandy all the time. I know it sounds sad, but it's likely that the Normandy will be taken to NAIS for study. From what I hear, they don't have the technology and manufacturing capability required to build WarShips anymore. A ship like the Normandy would help provide a baseline from which to work from."

"True," Shepard shrugged. "Still, if you think that this idea'll work out, then I won't stop you. Just make sure we can use the cargo bay as we usually would do."

"Don't worry, Shepard," Adams reassured the Commander. "I got to know this baby inside and out when we did – I mean still are doing – the refits on her. She'll be perfectly fine, you'll see."

. . .

Present Day

The memory of that quickly passed into the annals of Shepard's mind as he continued to walk to the DropPad where the Normandy was being retrofitted. From the sounds of it, work on the Normandy was complete, though he wanted to see the ship for himself. Eventually, after moving past workers that looked tired, but pleased with themselves, he entered the DropPad Bay in question.

The facility that Shepard was in was similar in most ways to the old submarine dry-docks of the Cold War, with the top being exposed to the air, while concrete slabs formed the walls and floor of the dry dock. Built into the walls were all the facilities that one could want or need to refit a DropShip.

A starship from another universe, though, was something else entirely, something that pushed the capabilities of the facility and the people inside of it. For one, the Normandy not only needed a refit for the Docking Collar, it also needed repairs to the armor plating on the hull. While the Normandy carried spare armor plates for this sort of thing, most of that armor plating was currently being studied by the materials scientists at NAIS in order to improve the armor that the Federated Suns made widespread use of.

As such, they needed to replace the armor plating that was damaged with something they had readily available. After working out the mathematics, Chief Engineer Adams decided that the best option was to use the Standard Armor that was commonly used on DropShips. While certainly heavier than Silaris Armor, it would do the job until the Federated Suns gained the manufacturing capabilities required to make Silaris Armor.

Walking inside of the DropPad Bay, Shepard could see lifts, cargo crates, forklifts and all of the equipment needed to operate a DropShip facility like this. And it's not even meant for a WarShip, Shepard thought. The Normandy's just barely small enough to fit into this place. He also noted a few cranes, which were currently stowed away on either end of the bay.

Looking at the Normandy itself, Shepard could already see the source of the worker's, and engineer's, pride. The armor plating on the Normandy had been completely replaced with Standard Armor, with the thickness giving the Normandy a kind of 'industrial' look. Underneath, just barely within view, he could see the man sized tube that held the Docking Collar inside of it. It was fairly long, a necessity given the Normandy's architecture, but it looked durable, even from this distance.

He was about to look around some more when a familiar voice called out to him. "Shepard!" he heard Adams shout. "Good to see you here, sir! Come to look at the Normandy?"

"Yes," Shepard replied. "How goes the refitting?"

"Already done," Adams replied, walking over to Shepard with one of the few data pads that hadn't been donated to NAIS for study. "We've refitted the Normandy with Standard DropShip armor, as well as a Docking Collar. She's got more mass than usual, but we think the Tantalus Drive Core can handle the extra work."

"Good to hear," Shepard nodded. "It's a shame we can't use Silaris Armor plating. Much of the spares we had went to NAIS for study."

"It is," Adams remarked. "Though, even if we had all of the spare armor plating, we wouldn't have enough to replace all of the damaged armor on the Normandy. This armor'll have to do for the time being, but I'm confident that we've gotten everything on as tightly as we can."

Shepard nodded at that. Having known Chief Engineer Adams for a long time, he knew that the man was as good as his word. If Adams believed that a refit was going to remain intact and operational, then that would be the case. "So," Shepard asked, "when do we get to have this baby fly again?"

"Whenever the First Prince wants you to," Adams replied. "The inspectors are going over it, along with Kenneth and Kelly, but I've already done the work. They're just double checking, but I'm certain that we've covered all bases."

"I can agree with that," came Kenneth's voice, with the man himself walking out from underneath the Normandy a few seconds later. "We just got the all-clear. The inspector says that the Normandy's as good as she can be. Not that I didn't know that already; after all, Adams, Kelly and I worked on her. She's as tight as a lass can get."

"Good," Shepard nodded. "Then that means that I can speak with Quintus. He'll be leading up the operation to recover the memory core." Moments later, he spotted a familiar flicker of movement. "Speaking of which, here he comes."

Right on queue, Quintus walked into the bay, along with a few armed guards. "Sir," Shepard nodded, saluting.

"At ease," Quintus replied. "You're technically not AFFS, so you don't have to salute me. Still, I appreciate the respectful gesture."

"Is there something you need?"

"As a matter of fact, I came to see if the Normandy was ready to go." Looking at Adams, he asked, "Is the Normandy ready for her mission?"

"Yes," Adams replied. "We just finished completing the hull integrity and air tightness checks. The Normandy's as ready as she'll ever be."

"Good," Quintus nodded, "because that means that, after the test flight we have scheduled today, we can begin the mission tomorrow. Mind if we talk onboard the Normandy?"

"Sure," Adams replied. Motioning for the others to follow him, he walked to a movable stairway that had been rolled over to the airlock to the Normandy. After a few moments, the section of hull in question moved out of the way, allowing the trio inside, leaving Kenneth and the others to head home.

Moving through the ship, Shepard noted how Quintus' gaze lingered on the interior of the WarShip. While Quintus had been inside the Normandy before, it was easy to see why his gaze would linger over the place. Even for a starship, the Normandy's interior is quite interesting to look at, Shepard thought. To him at least, the interior of the Normandy was always a comforting sight.

Eventually, they came inside the War Room. Once the doors were closed, Quintus said, "Now that the Normandy is ready for her mission, we can talk the details in private." Manipulating the holographic projector in the center of the room, he said, "Once the test flight is complete, the mission will begin in earnest tomorrow." Pulling up a region of the Inner Sphere's innermost star systems, he said, "We'll be sending the JumpShips through uninhabited star systems to avoid detection by ComStar or any of the other Great Houses. Once you get to Helm, your primary objective will be to recover the Memory Core inside, as well as any technology you find in there.

"Along the way, you'll be met by a covert agent working for Davion Military Intelligence. He is currently recovering the means by which to enter the Helm Field Library. Should Vega's intelligence prove to be correct, we'll be able to use the device he mentioned to gain access to the Memory Core and recover it. Also, if you can, recover whatever technology you can from within the Field Library. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Shepard replied. "Moving through uninhabited star systems is going to be quite a risk. If anything goes wrong there..."

"I know," Quintus nodded. "Fortunately, that's where you come in as well. If you end up being stranded in one of those uninhabited star systems, the Normandy can use it's Tantalus Drive Core to get to a system controlled by the Federated Suns and call for help.

"As for the details, I will provide you with this." Reaching into his jacket, Quintus handed Shepard what looked like a piece of paper that had a small strip of gold foil on it. Once Shepard took the piece of paper, Quintus said, "Read that once you're on your way. It'll provide you with the relevant details required, as well as the identifying code-word that you should say, and the reply the agent should send."

"Got it," Shepard nodded.

"Good. The mission is now all yours, Shepard. Good luck, and may fortune smile on you." With that, Quintus left the Normandy, while Shepard headed out to grab a much needed rest.

. . .

The next day, Joker was, once again, at the helm of the Normandy. "I hope that armor plating they installed will do the trick," he said to EDI. "I'd rather not find out that the armor plating was ripped off as soon as we went to FTL speeds."

"There is no need to be concerned, Jeff," EDI replied. "Chief Engineer Adams had me check the mathematics and schematics to ensure that the armor plating installed does not come off. The armor will remain on, and should we be attacked, we'll have the necessary capabilities to ensure that we win any engagement. In addition, this is the required test flight. We'll be able to correct for any problems that we encounter today, tomorrow."

"Right," Joker frowned. "I just don't want to get hit by one of those Autocannons of theirs. One hit, and this ship'll be shaking like it's having a seizure."

Behind him, Shepard could understand Joker's apprehension. We're now in another universe that plays by different rules, he reminded himself. Everything has to go smoothly for this to work. One wrong move, and we're all dead people, or worse. The thought hung in his mind like a miasma.

Then there was the ground team. While most everyone had been able to come along, there were three people that were absent. The first was James Vega, for obvious reasons, though he did provide a video recording for the team to watch once they got to Helm.

The two others, however, were Garrus and Nyreen. Shepard could already remember the reason why, with almost perfect clarity. It was a day that would forever remain in his mind, not because of what it meant, but because of the joy that both Turians had on that day.

. . .

Nine Months Ago

Nyreen let out a piercing shriek of pain that echoed throughout the private hospital room they were in. All around, doctors and nurses were on hand to provide Mordin Solus and Dr. Chakwas anything they needed. After all, they were the only ones qualified for what was going on. Nearby, Garrus knelt besides the hospital bed, his talons clutching at Nyreen's. Medical instruments from the Normandy, and those already present in the hospital, provided information on the ongoing medical emergency.

Walking into the room, Shepard spotted the commotion. "I came as soon as I could," he said to the others. "What's going on?"

"It's Nyreen," one of the doctors, fully clad in medical scrubs, facial mask, hairnet and medical gloves, explained to him. "According to Dr. Chakwas, she's gone into labor."

The moment the doctor said this, Shepard immediately understood. "Oh, boy," he smiled. "If all goes well, then Garrus is going to be a dad."

Just as he said this, Nyreen let out another piercing shriek as her uterus contracted – hard. In a single movement, she grabbed Garrus by one of his mandibles and roared, "I WANT PAIN RELIEF!"

"But we -" Garrus began, only for Nyreen to silence him with a withering gaze.

"YOU SHUT UP!" she roared, the pain adding force to her voice. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

"Because you asked me to," Garrus innocently replied. Nyreen looked as though she was about to pop a blood vessel, only to groan and lean back.

"Breath deeply," Chakwas advised her. "Do it twice, then push as hard as you possibly can." Sweating, Nyreen did as told, before shrieking as she complied.

After a few minutes, it was clear that she was getting tired. Breathing in and out, Nyreen looked at Garrus and said, "G-Garrus. I-If I die, promise me that you'll look after our children. T-they have to survive."

"I will," Garrus nodded, "but I know you're too stubborn to die. You're going to live, and you're going to be an excellent mother. I know it." Nyreen nodded, then continued to do the most painful procedure of her life.

Shepard was about to leave when Nyreen let out the longest, ear-piercing shriek that she'd ever done. Moments later, her cries of pain were joined by the cries of something much smaller, two somethings if Shepard's ears were telling him correctly. When he walked over, his heart nearly melted at the sight of what he saw.

In both of Chakwas and Mordin's hands were the first Turian children born on New Avalon IV and the Inner Sphere. Both of them were quite small, though Shepard noted that their carapaces were not whole, but rather were segmented. One of the Turian infants had dark, nearly black, body plates and dark red scales, while the other was similar to Garrus in coloration. While he couldn't tell which was male or female, he had a feeling that he'd know soon enough.

Chakwas, spotting his confusion, said, "Turian children are born without their carapaces fused together. It makes it easier for the mother to give birth to them. They gradually fuse over, with the process ending once they're sexually mature. Also, the horned crest on male Turians doesn't appear until they're fully grown, and only finishes growing once they're adults." As she said this, she and Mordin handed the two Turian infants to Nyreen.

The look on Nyreen's face was that of triumphant joy, with Garrus having a near-identical expression on his face. Moments later, both children opened their eyes, with the dark skinned one having bright blue eyes, while the other had green eyes that were like emeralds. "Our children," Nyreen whispered to Garrus, pure, undiluted joy in her eyes. "Our baby children." Looking at Chakwas, she asked, "Are they boys or girls?"

"Twins," Chakwas replied. "The dark colored one's a boy, the olive colored one's a girl." Nyreen, hearing that, began to emit a deep, rumbling sound, which Shepard realized as a deep purr.

"They'll need names," Garrus said to Nyreen. "What do you want to name them?"

Nyreen, despite being tired, smiled as she looked at her daughter. "Celicia," she decided. "Our daughter's name is Celicia." As though she approved, the infant made a quiet cooing sound.

"That's a good name," Garrus nodded. "What about our son?"

"I've got an idea," Shepard replied. "When the Normandy began it's shakedown run, we had a Turian Spectre aboard. He was a good and honorable Spectre, one of the few that were out there. Unfortunately, he was killed by Saren during our efforts to recover the Prothean Beacon there. I think that we should name your son in honor of that Spectre."

"And that would be?"

"Nihlus," Shepard replied.

Garrus thought the choice over in his head. "I think I should ask my better half." Looking at Nyreen, he asked, "What do you think?"

"I think that will be an excellent name," Nyreen smiled.

In response, Garrus gently look hold of the infant Turian, who looked at him with innocent and pure eyes. As a tear rolled down Garrus' face, he said, "Nihlus, welcome to the family."

. . .

Present Day

The memory faded out of Shepard's mind once more as he looked at Joker. Ever since Nyreen had given birth to Celicia and Nihlus, she had done exactly what a mother should do: nurture and protect them. Despite being only nine months old, the infants were already quite active, and were the cause of more than a few sleepless nights for Garrus and Nyreen.

Those two will make for an excellent husband and wife, Shepard smiled to himself. Garrus'll be a good father. He might not know it, but I can see the makings of a good father inside of him.

All other thoughts were soon pushed to the side as Joker finished the pre-flight checklist. "Final preparations are complete," he told Shepard. "We're ready to go when you are, Commander."

"Take us up," Shepard replied. "Engage the IES system too. I don't want anyone to find out that we've got the only starship in the entire Inner Sphere."

"Aye aye, Commander," Joker nodded. Pressing a few buttons, he said, "Stealth system engaged. Now the only way anyone'll ever hear us is if we all sing the Russian national anthem."

"Don't jinx it," Shepard replied half-jokingly.

Right on cue, Shepard thought he heard someone with a deep, resonant voice singing in Russian. "Too late for that," Joker replied. "Someone's already gotten started, probably just to spite me." Under his breath, he muttered, "Serves me right for saying that." Ignoring that one crew member's display of patriotism, he had the Normandy take off.

As they flew upwards into the air, Chief Engineer Adams came in over the intercom. "OK, Joker," he said. "We did the mathematics, but we need to do a few test flights to make sure that everything's tight and that the ship is flyable. We'll be conducting the measurements now, but we need you to fly to New Avalon's moon so that we can conduct the tests without being spotted."

"Got it," Joker replied. "We'll be out of the atmosphere shortly." Within a minute, the Normandy flew out of New Avalon IV's atmosphere, and into the inky blackness of space. Once more, the stars shone bright and clear for all to see. "Alright," Joker beamed. "Engaging FTL flight."

For just a brief moment, the Normandy's Tantalus Drive Core went to work warping space and time to allow the Normandy to thumb it's nose at Einsten. A brief moment later, they came out of FTL flight, right next to New Avalon IV's moon. A couple minutes later, they were behind the moon.

"Alright," Adams beamed. "Start putting the Normandy through her paces, Joker. We'll measure whatever data we need, and then we'll let you know if any adjustments need to be made."

"Roger that," Joker replied. Turning to Shepard, he said, "You might want to strap down into a seat, Commander." Shepard wordlessly took his advice, with the Commander buckling into the seat for the weapons control station. "Here we go. We're in for a wild ride!"

And a wild ride it was. Before Shepard could ask any questions, he felt Joker putting the Normandy through a series of convoluted maneuvers that caused his vision to spin. There were more than a few times where he felt as though he was going to lose his lunch. For the most part, the motion and inertial dampeners were doing their job, but Shepard knew that, with maneuvers like these, there was only so much they could compensate for.

Eventually, after a few more hair raising minutes of death defying maneuvers, Joker leveled the Normandy out relative to the moon's surface. "Adams," he asked, "you get the info you need?"

"More than enough," Adams replied, the man as calm as ever.

"Please don't do that again," Kenneth weakly asked. "I almost felt as though I was going to lose my luncheon. I might lose it anyways."

"So, you find anything out?" Shepard asked.

"Yep," Adams replied. "As we expected, the increased mass from the armor, and the Docking Collar we installed, is affecting the ship's maneuverability. Fortunately, we can make overnight adjustments to the Tantalus Drive Core to counteract the increased mass of the ship. Beyond that, she's doing extremely well for a ship that survived an inter-universal transit."

"I concur with the Chief Engineer," EDI replied. "The armor and Docking Collar installed onto the Normandy has reduced her overall maneuverability by 15.5%. Fortunately, this is well within the adjustment range for the Tantalus Drive Core. Once the necessary modifications have been made, the Normandy will regain full maneuverability."

"That's good to hear," Shepard nodded. "Anything else? Did we lose any armor from the FTL transition?"

"No," Adams replied. "We installed sensors into the armor to give us an idea of it's integrity. Armor integrity wasn't affected in any way, and the Docking Collar is fully operational. I'd say that, tomorrow, our mission to the planet of Helm is a go."

Excellent! Shepard beamed. That means that we can begin our covert recovery operation to get the Helm Memory Core. "Good work," he told Adams. "Joker, get us back to New Avalon IV, quietly. I'll report in to Quintus that the test flight was fully successful. Come tomorrow, we're going to begin to change the future of the Inner Sphere."