Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my BattleTech/MechWarrior - Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all for your wonderful support and feedback. I greatly appreciate it, and your efforts to do so.
You've been hoping to see Shepard's act of retribution against ComStar, and I have delivered it to you. Weekend updates are very rare, if they happen at all, for me, so this is a rare treat for all of you. This is just the first of Shepard's actions against ComStar, so expect a lot more action to happen in the next chapter.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, WizKids, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
A New Dawn: Bred For War Edition - Crusader
SSV/FSS Normandy
Caph
October 12th, 3028
With the plan decided, Shepard and the others had to get to the star system of Caph, where a part of the encoded message that had been received earlier had detailed that the Federated Suns had a JumpShip waiting for them. Getting to Caph, though, was a month long journey, due to the fact that they had to wait for the K-F Drive on their DropShip to recharge before it could make each successive jump. As such, it was a long, and fairly tedious, journey.
Once they got to Caph, though, Shepard could see the JumpShip that Hanse had arranged for them just before the HPG comm blackout. It looked like your standard JumpShip, but he had a feeling that Hanse had a special surprised arranged for them. "Looks like that's the JumpShip we're heading for," Shepard noted. "Go ahead and hail them."
"Aye, Commander," Joker nodded. Keying the comms, he said, "JumpShip Bravo-Niner Fie, this is the FFS Normandy. We are here on a rescue mission to Terra."
A response was immediate. "Normandy, this is the JumpShip Sojourner, we are standing by on the First Prince's orders. Our K-F Drive and Fusion Batteries are charged and ready. You may begin docking procedures immediately."
"Roger that," Joker nodded. "Docking in t-minus four minutes."
"Fusion Batteries?" Shepard asked Vega, who was in the cockpit with them.
"Lithium Fusion Batteries," Vega explained. "They're another way to recharge a K-F Drive without damaging the internal components. The downside is that they take equally as long to recharge, but they can dump the energy that's stored inside them into the drive's capacitor core almost instantly without damaging the drive."
"That's useful. Are there more on other JumpShips?"
"Yes, but Lithium Fusion Batteries are LosTech, which means if they're damaged, there are no replacements. Fortunately, thanks to our efforts, they'll soon re-enter production in the Inner Sphere, though how soon is a mystery still."
"I see." As they moved closer, Shepard opened the comm and said, "Sojourner, this is the Normandy. Are your Fusion Batteries fully charged?"
"Affirmative," the Captain of the JumpShip replied. "We'll make the jump to Terra, after which we'll recharge the K-F Drive with the charge in the batteries. Once you're back with the info you need, we'll be ready to.
"Good to know," Shepard nodded. "Any ideas on where we'll be jumping?"
"We done the calculations and we figured that we could use a Pirate Jump Point that's just outside of the Oort Cloud," the JumpShip Captain replied. "If our calculations are on the money, then we'll come out nice and intact. If they're not, well..."
"I get it. I know what happens when a misjump occurs. Let's hope that luck, and the orbital mechanics, are on our side."
It wasn't long before the Normandy docked to the JumpShip, with the Docking Collar quickly attaching to the required hardpoint on the JumpShip. A few minutes later, they performed the jump from Caph to Terra.
Once more, Shepard felt the gut-wrenching sensation that came with jumping through hyperspace to the destination in mind. A moment later, that sensation faded as the JumpShip emerged from hyperspace and into the Pirate Jump Point that was just outside the Oort Cloud. From this distance, Sol, the star that Earth orbited, looked exactly like any other star would: a faint point of light off in the distance.
"Well," Joker beamed. "We made it. Looks like the Captain's calculations were right on the money."
A moment later, the JumpShip Captain came in over the comm. "Whew!" he whistled. "That was lucky. There's a reason why we don't use Pirate Jump Points, though I'm glad that it turned out alright in this case. We'll go ahead and recharge, while you guys get to Terra and do whatever it is that you guys came here to do."
"Roger that," Shepard nodded. Looking at Joker, he asked, "You ready?"
"More than ready," Joker nodded. "I'll get us to Earth. The IES system should hide us from ComStar's thermal sensors, but we'll have to move behind Earth's moon to remain undetected. The Kodiak that we have should allow us to sneak in, though I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "I'll be down in the cargo bay with the others, getting ready for battle. Time to see if that weapons training that Hanse and Sortek gave us will help out on this mission."
. . .
Around five minutes later, Shepard was down in the cargo hold with the rest of the team, making sure his weapon was ready. The entire cargo bay was silent as they prepared for what they knew was going to be an assault on, arguably, the most influential faction in the entire Inner Sphere. As such, they knew that they had to get this right; there wouldn't be any second attempts.
As he checked over his rifle, a Federated-Barrett M42B Automatic Rifle that Hanse had trained him to use, Shepard remembered the plan for what they were going to do once they got to the surface. According to EDI, their best chance at assaulting the Hilton Head HPG Complex was to sneak into the facility's 'Mech Bay via the ventilation system. Once inside, they could use various tools to hack through any automated doors to get to the security system, which EDI would reconfigure to list ComStar personnel as hostiles.
At the same time, she would upload a computer virus that would disable the HPG, while triggering a catastrophic overload of the capacitors that provided the necessary power needed to operate the FTL transmitter. This, combined with the reconfigured security system, would distract ComStar long enough for her to mine the data and allow the team to get out of there.
Either way, it was not going to be an easy mission by any means. First, they were going to have to land at a part of the beach where there were few, if any, patrols, before moving on to the large fans that provided ventilation for the 'Mech Bay. It certainly won't go off without a hitch, he thought, but that's why we've got guns.
That reminded him of his equipment as well. While N7 armor was well made, it was not designed to stop 6mm slug rounds designed to penetrate thick body armor. As such, thanks to Mason, they'd managed to get their hands onto body armor that was manufactured for soldiers in the Free Worlds League. While not as advanced as what ComStar had, it was the most protective armor that one could find in the Great Houses.
The non-human personnel had to wear armor that was made to custom specifications by the engineers at NAIS. Garrus, Grunt and Wrex, thanks to their stronger-than-human musculature, could wear heavier armor than a normal human being, which offered greater protection as a result. Nyreen had opted for lighter, but still quite protective, armor that would allow her to use her biotic abilities to great result.
"Good thing we're ready to take on an army," Garrus remarked as he adjusted his armor, making sure it fit comfortably over the cowl around his neck. "This armor feels great. It's like I'm wearing a door made out of Endo Steel."
"It's supposed to," Shepard remarked. "Speaking of which, you know how to use that AEC?"
"The Advanced Electronic Codebreaker?" Garrus asked. "I do. Quintus taught me how to use one himself. The man can make one of those dance to his tune." For emphasis, he pulled the item out.
To most, it would've looked like a standard noteputer, with the addition of some electrical leads that were designed to be connected to electronic components. In actually, it was a high-powered espionage device that could trick a digital keypad into showing the code to unlock a door or a crate between one to ten minutes. The best part, though, was that it wouldn't trigger an alarm, making it ideal for breaking in without alerting everyone as to what was going on.
"Good," Shepard nodded. "That'll make things much easier. Just make sure you return it to him safe and sound. It is LosTech, after all."
"Don't worry. I plan on returning it used, but undamaged," Garrus nodded.
"Good. Nyreen, you ready?"
"Yes," Nyreen replied, her body blowing with a blue-white aura as she said this. "I can't wait to give ComStar a taste of their own medicine."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. Looking at the team, he said, "We're on borrowed time, so I'll keep it brief. We're going to go in, reconfigure the security system, and get the information that ComStar has on Liara's location. Then we're going to bug out, while EDI's virus not only stops the FTL comm interdiction the Federated Suns is suffering from, but also destroys the capacitors for the HPG. That should force ComStar off our backs for a while."
"Agreed," EDI, as she was going to use her platform on this mission, nodded. "It will also disable the other HPG's on the planet, which will slow ComStar down greatly."
"Good. If anyone wants to back out, now's the time." When no one even showed a hint of backing out, he said, "Then let's roll." Turning to Cortez, he asked, "You ready?"
Cortez, who'd been assigned to Shepard at the beginning of the Reaper War as their shuttle pilot, nodded. "I'll get you in nice and quickly, Commander. EDI's flight plan should allow us to avoid being detected by their LiDAR and RADAR systems."
With that, Shepard and the other members of the ground team loaded up onto the Kodiak. Powering up the engines, Cortez waited for Joker to open the Cargo Bay Doors before smoothly guiding the vehicle out of the ship. "Stealth system engaged," he informed Shepard. "We're going to go near-FTL for a few seconds, then we'll return to normal sub-light flight before enter atmosphere, that way we don't generate a large heat bloom. We'll fly manually for the rest of the way."
"Sounds like a plan," Shepard agreed.
There was a muted hum as the Kodiak, using it's element zero core, began moving at 25% of the speed of light without incurring relativistic effects. After three seconds, the core brought them out of the near-FTL speeds around a few kilometers before they would begin atmospheric reentry. The vehicle began to bank as Cortez expertly guided them in on the manual flight system.
This was the hardest part, as they could be detected long before they reached the surface. I hope EDI's analysis is on the money, Shepard thought. The Kodiak might have it's kinetic barriers adjusted to stop Autocannon shells, but once it's down, an AC/5 shell is all that's needed to blast us into burning debris. His hands tightened on the M42B in his hands as they flew down to the surface.
Fortunately, EDI's analysis was exactly on the money, as there was no sign that ComStar had noticed them as they began to land near the beaches of what once was South Carolina's coast. Up ahead, Shepard spotted the beach that led directly to the HPG Complex, which was exactly where Hilton Head Island was at. In the near-dusk, since they arrived just before night, the HPG's dish seemed dark and menacing, especially since it was operated by a manipulative group of people.
Looking at a thermal readout of the place, Shepard could see a number of automated defenses, from turrets sporting Lasers, to ones sporting PPC's and AC/10's. Good thing they can't see us visually, or thermally, he thought. We'd be completely wrecked by now if they could.
"I'll drop you off around seven hundred meters from the complex," Cortez informed Shepard. "Once that's done, I'll power down and wait for you to signal me to pick you up."
"Noted," Shepard replied. A few moments later, the Kodiak landed on the ground with a muted THUMP, just as the doors opened. "Go, go, go!" Shepard ordered.
Almost immediately, everyone inside of the Kodiak piled out and took up formation near the vehicle, with Shepard jumping out last. Scanning the area, he could see that there were no hostiles nearby, though he checked to make sure with his goggle's thermal imaging mode. Once he was satisfied that no one was present, he had the team begin making the 700 meter trek to the ventilation system.
As they proceeded along, Shepard looked around at the surroundings using the night vision mode on his goggles. Despite the centuries that had passed, it was clear that ComStar had done a good job tidying up much of the planet, and this beach was no exception. He figured that, during daylight, the beach was a beautiful tan-white color, and that the ocean was a gorgeous sky blue color. Well, that's one thing they do right, he thought to himself. They cleaned up the pollution as best as they could.
As they advanced along, he noticed that there was a ten meter high cliff that was to their left. For the most part, it looked perfectly natural, but he could see areas that had a slightly artificial look, for lack of a better word. Interesting. It appears as though ComStar's been extending this part of the cliff outwards. I wonder why...
Eventually, as they got closer, he began to notice a distinct smell. Sniffing slightly, he found that it reminded him of something he'd smelled before while inside of a Geth ship. "Garrus, you smell that?" he asked.
"I do," Garrus nodded. "That's 'Mech coolant. My guess: someone either had a leaky cooling vest, or they recently did maintenance on a 'Mech."
"Either way, that means we're getting close," Vega beamed. "We should reach the vents very soon."
"Roger that."
Eventually, just as Vega had said, they managed to reach the vents for the 'Mech Bay. They jutted out from a nearby wall, with the vent covers themselves about a half-meter above the ground, while they jutted out around a meter from the wall itself. The acrid odor of 'Mech Coolant was now unmistakable. Apparently, one of the vents was undergoing maintenance, as a team of mechanics were working on the vent cover, which was broken up into it's constituent components. A single guard was nearby, and while he was keeping as best of a watch as he could, it was clear that he was tired, as the man made sounds that sounded like yawning.
"OK," Shepard noted. "Kadian, you'll freeze the guard. Garrus, you shoot the hostiles."
"Got it," Kaidan nodded. A moment later, he used his abilities, his biotic aura flaring moments later.
The Acolyte standing guard was promptly frozen in place, unable to move before Garrus, using his M42B, which was in it's Close-In mode, to kill the guard with a single headshot. The others were about to run when Garrus fired in rapid succession, the Sound & Flash Suppressor on his rifle reducing the loud gunshot to a quiet coughing sound. Both maintenance personnel dropped to the ground dead, their heads weeping blood and brain matter.
With the team down, they proceeded inside, weapons at the ready. Proceeding forwards, they found that their vent intersected with a larger one that led underground. Dropping down into that one, they found that this vent proceeded south on a level course for twelve meters, before it began to sharply slant downwards. Another vent shaft intersected the one they were in, with that one proceeding west.
Motioning with his hand, Shepard ordered the team to head through the west vent which, according to Quintus' intelligence, would lead directly to the 'Mech Bay. Motioning again, with his hands, he warned the others to get ready in case there were 'Mech Bay technicians and guards inside. Once the others nodded, he gently pried the vent cover off, before pulling it into the vent and, with Wrex's help, set it gently onto the ground. With that, they proceeded inside.
The 'Mech Bay was much larger than any that Shepard had ever seen before. Looking around, he spotted a number of BattleMech Gantries, with pathways that would allow each one to move towards the exit. The lightest 'Mechs were the closest to the walls, while the heaviest 'Mechs were concentrated towards the center. From Firestarters to King Crab's, it looked like there were roughly 80 'Mechs inside this single bay alone.
"Wow," Wrex whispered. "There are a lot of King Crab 'Mechs in here. If I didn't know better, I'd be wondering why ComStar had a lot of these in their possession."
"Me too," Vega nodded quietly.
"We gotta keep moving," Kaidan whispered. "We can sight see later." Moving down to the ground floor via a series of stairs, the team proceeded down towards the ground, eyes peeled for any sign of life. Fortunately, it appeared as though everyone was either having a holiday, or was fast asleep, as the cavernous facility was completely empty. The only signs of life were a pair of guards that were near a double door that had a keypad nearby.
"Garrus, you have the honors," Shepard remarked.
"Thank you," Garrus replied. Raising his rifle, which had the Flash and Sound Suppressor installed on the barrel, he fired two, three round bursts at each of the guards. There was a muted coughing sound as the rifle fired, sending bullets towards each of the guards. Both guards, caught off guard by the attack, fell to the ground dead, their armor and helmets perforated by 6mm AP rounds. "Contacts down."
"Good." Shepard nodded. "Move up."
Moving towards the door, Garrus, took out the AEC and, opening up the keypad for the door, connected the leads and pressed a few buttons. "It'll take us around five minutes to get through this door," he told the others. "Until then, keep an eye out."
"Agreed," Shepard whispered. For the next five minutes, there was silence as the AEC went to work tricking the keypad into giving Garrus the combination. It wasn't long before he removed the leads and, closing the keypad's cover, punched in the code, with the doors opening moments later. "We're in," Garrus beamed. "Keep moving."
"Got it," Shepard nodded. With that, they moved inside, using any shadows present to their advantage. Eventually, after some close calls, and a few false alarms, they managed to get to a door that was marked, in white stenciled words, "SECURITY CONTROL ROOM. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." Again, Garrus used the AEC to crack the code on the door.
A moment later, the door opened up, allowing the team inside. Peering inside, Shepard spotted a large room that was lined with computer consoles, monitors and chairs inside. On the opposite wall, the symbol of ComStar, a thirteen point Star with two downward points that were elongated, was visible. "What do we have?" he asked Kaidan.
"Fifteen people," Kaidan replied. "Seven of them are technicians, but the rest are guards. Any ideas?"
"Yeah," Wrex nodded. "Flash grenades." A moment later, he pulled out a cylindrical grenade, which was comically small in his large hands.
"Good idea," Kaidan nodded. "Everyone, flashbangs. We'll throw them on my mark." Pulling his out, he counted down before giving the signal. As one, they threw the grenades inside the room.
There were a few startled shouts from the personnel inside before loud banging sounds and bright flashes of light drowned those out. Moving inside once the flashing stopped, Shepard and the others immediately moved in, silenced weapons coughing as they fired on the guards and personnel. At the same time, Garrus closed the door behind them.
A ComStar Security Officer that lunged for the alarm button never made it, as his chest promptly sproouted four holes inside of it, courtesy of the AP rounds Shepard had loaded into his rifle. Another guard tried drawing his weapon, only to be gunned down by Kaidan. Nyreen, using her biotic abilities, seemed to 'phase' through a guard, appearing on the other side as the guard, poisoned by her biotic capabilities, slumped to the ground, loud choking sounds coming from him as he jerked and contorted in sheer agony.
That move alone was more than enough to cow the others into surrendering. "Don't shoot!" one of the technicians inside shouted. "Don't shoot! Please!"
"I don't need to," Shepard snarked, before pistol-whipping the tech in the head, knocking him cleanly out. "EDI?"
"I'm on it," EDI replied, walking over to a console. Pulling out a cable that was discretely hidden in her arm, she plugged it into one of the consoles. After a few seconds, she said, "I've disabled the alarms for the base. Uploading the computer virus now. Initiating data-mine."
There was a couple minutes of silence as EDI dug through ComStar's information archives. A moment later, she said, "Data-mine complete. I have Liara's location."
"Where's she at?" Shepard asked, a worried tone in his voice.
"According to ComStar records, she is currently being taken to the planet Taussen in the Versailles System. It is located only a month's journey away from New Avalon."
"What?" Kaidan asked, surprised. "You're saying that ComStar has bases inside the Federated Suns?"
"Yes," EDI nodded. "I have downloaded their locations for delivery to MIIO for detailed analysis. In addition, I have downloaded the schematics and technical readouts necessary to manufacture HPG Relays, and the data required to manufacture several other LosTech designs."
"What about the computer virus, the comm blackout, and the automated defenses?" Shepard asked.
"The virus is rewriting the defenses IFF codes as we speak; it has also transmitted orders to the other HPG stations in the Federated Suns to cease the communications interdiction. Another virus I've uploaded will prevent them from conducting HPG blackouts in the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth. In addition, the capacitor cores for the HPG Relay will undergo a catastrophic detonation within ten minutes." Another few seconds passed, then she said, "Defense IFF programming rewritten."
Just as she said this, Shepard watched as a video monitor showed the chaos that was about to unfold. Without warning, the base defenses inside of the facility began targeting and firing on ComStar personnel and vehicles that were in the base. Those caught out in the open were promptly terminated, while those that were closer to cover quickly managed to get into cover, before firing back at the turrets.
"Alright!" Shepard shouted. "Everyone, back to the evac point! Go loud!"
With that, everyone began to run towards the exit of the building as fast as they could. Bursting out into the open, Shepard's ears and eyes were assailed by the sounds and sights of battle, with Autocannon shells, Lasers and PPC bolts flying everywhere as the automated defenses began firing on all ComStar personnel in the area.
The Acolytes were so distracted, in fact, that none of them paid much attention to Shepard and the others. Those that did fired their laser weapons, but were gunned down before they could do any major damage to the armor the team wore. Up ahead, he could see that the virus that EDI had uploaded had also opened the gates, allowing them to get outside. "Cortez!" he shouted.
"I'm on my way," Cortez replied. "That's quite the lightshow you got there, Shepard. ComStar's comm channels are going nuts over what they believe is a systems malfunction."
"Can you pick us up?"
"I'm coming in right now." Moments later, the Kodiak flew overhead, before coming to a hover over the ground as the door opened.
"Go, GO!" Shepard shouted. Almost immediately, Garrus and the others leaped into the Kodiak's troop bay, with Shepard jumping in once everyone was aboard. "Get us to the Normandy, DOUBLE TIME!"
"Hang on!" Cortez shouted. A moment later, the Kodiak began to zoom off through the air and towards the sky. As they flew on, he said, "Shit! We've got AeroSpace Fighters coming towards us!"
"Can you outrun them?"
"I can. This thing can fly pretty fast once we're in space."
As they began to fly towards the atmosphere, they were about to exit when Joker said, "Uh, guys, we've got a problem."
"What is it?" Shepard asked.
. . .
Up in the cockpit, Joker knew that the Normandy's guns were going to be needed once again. Up ahead, he spotted what the Normandy's scanners identified as a York-class WarShip that was partially entering the atmosphere to catch up to the Kodiak shuttle. While it was moving quite slowly, and could be outmaneuvered, he knew that the WarShip carried more than enough guns to turn the Normandy into a cloud of free floating particles, and sported armor that could easily withstand a Thanix Cannon blast. In other words, he had to find a weakness to exploit if he was gonna get everyone out alive and well.
"We've got a York-class WarShip bearing down on you," he told Shepard.
"Fuck," Shepard growled over the comm. "EDI, any ideas?"
"Yes," EDI replied. "While the hull of the WarShip is heavily armored, the weapons control module has thinner armor plating. A well aimed shot with the Thanix Cannon will disable the module, allowing us to escape to the Jump Point."
"Well, it's a good thing we got the Thanix Cannon," he sighed. Maneuvering the Normandy, he spotted the area where he guessed the fire control module was at. Hitting the firing icon, he said, "Give 'em hell, girl!"
A moment later, the Thanix Cannon charged up, before firing directly at the ComStar WarShip. The semi-solid ferrous alloy slug shot out of the muzzle at a fraction of the speed of light, crossing the distance between the Normandy and the WarShip in an instant. Seconds later, it smacked into the armor plating.
In a stroke of luck, the round happened to hit a weakness in the armor plating there: a section of armor that wasn't as well maintained as the other sections. Punching through, it ricocheted into the fire control module, obliterating the delicate components inside before hammering through a deck and into one of the rooms aboard the WarShip. Outside, there was a very brief flash of fire as the oxygen released combusted, before it went out, with the vacuum of space depriving the fire the fuel it needed to burn.
"Take that, you manipulative bastards!" Joker whooped. "Shepard, get your shuttle inside now! Cargo Bay door's open!"
"Roger that," Shepard replied. Moments later, the Kodiak, which had been flying fast, zipped into the cargo bay. As soon as Cortez sent the indicator that he was inside, Joker closed up the cargo bay doors.
"HAHA!" he shouted. "We're home free! Engaging FTL drive!" With that, he engaged the Tantalus Drive Core. A minute of FTL flight later later, he decelerated and emerged next to the JumpShip. "Normandy to Sojourner, we're docking now. Jump as soon as we dock!"
"Roger that," the JumpShip Captain replied. "K-F Core recharged and ready." As soon as the Normandy docked, the JumpShip immediately made the jump to Caph.
Inside the cargo bay, Shepard smiled with relief as the others cheered on the success of their mission. "We made it!" Garrus cheered, hugging his wife as she hollered and whooped. "We nearly got caught, but we made it!"
"That's one for the history books!" Vega crowed.
"It might not get that far," Kaidan admonished the latino marine, "but it was a solid mission nonetheless. Good to see that you've still got it, Shepard."
"That it is," Shepard beamed. Sitting down on the floor of the Kodiak's troop bay, he smiled at their victory. Now we know where ComStar's taken you, Liara, he thought. Time to bring you home.