Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Mass Effect - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover.
Thank you so much for the feedback from the previous chapter. I'm glad that all of you enjoyed it.
This is the next chapter of the 'Reckoning of ComStar' story arc, which details Shepard's roaring rampage of revenge and rescue against ComStar for abducting Liara. The next chapter will be the last chapter of that particular story arc. Either way, I am very happy to know that you appreciated the last chapter.
Also, I have a poll on my profile for any crossovers you want to see me write in the near-future. You can vote up to eight choices, so when you've got time, feel free to vote. I would greatly appreciate it.
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, 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.
MechWarrior 5: Heroes of The Inner Sphere OST - Surrounded
Northwind
Federated Suns
October 19th, 3028
Onboard the Normandy, Shepard was walking towards the War Room, a spring in his step as he walked along. Part of this had to do with how well the ground mission had gone, with the team having accomplished all of their objectives, while dealing a major blow to ComStar's operations. In addition, he now knew where they had taken Liara.
I know where you are now, he thought to himself as he walked through the various rooms to enter the War Room. Don't worry, Liara. I'll be coming to rescue you. ComStar will learn never to mess with us again.
Entering the War Room, he looked inside to see everyone that had come inside for the meeting. It wasn't just the ground team for the Normandy either; Mason and Fahad, along with Ryana, had come aboard in order to learn the specifics about what was happening. As of now, they were still in the dark, though Shepard knew it was time to break the news. "Is everyone here?" he asked.
"That we are, mate," Fahad beamed. "Did you succeed?"
"Succeed?" Garrus smirked, before laughing for a moment. "We had a spectacular mission."
"I agree," Vega beamed. "We pulled the rug right out from underneath ComStar. They didn't even see the attack coming, much less knew how to react to it. Still, I'll bet you a million Davion Bills that we won't get a chance like that ever again."
"Indeed," Shepard nodded. "If I know ComStar, they'll make sure that weakness isn't exploited again."
"You got that right."
"You managed to get everything you needed?" Mason asked.
"Yep," Shepard nodded. "We know where they're holding Liara now. According to EDI's data, Liara's being held on the world of Taussen in the Versailles system."
"That can't be right," Ryana, who was still appreciating the beauty of the Normandy, frowned. "The Versailles system doesn't have any populated planets, as far as I know. Why would ComStar be interested in that system?"
"I can explain," EDI replied. "During my analysis of ComStar's internal server network, I learned that they modified almost all of the maps of the Inner Sphere, causing a handful of systems to appear uninhabited. The Versailles system was one of five systems that was intentionally removed by ComStar during the Second Succession War."
"They altered the star charts?"
"Correct. According to Quintus' intelligence, and Vega's knowledge, the Versailles system has a single habitable planet in it's star system, known as Taussen. It is one of ComStar's centers of BattleMech production, but it also has a prison for individuals that attempted to disrupt ComStar's control through direct, or indirect, means."
"They have prisoners there?" Mason asked, surprised.
"Bloody hell," Fahad groaned. "That prison must hold some of the people responsible for not only opposing ComStar politically, but scientifically as well. I know of a bloke that claimed to have invented advanced armor plating, only to disappear within a day of his discovery. Now that I know what you just told me, I think ComStar abducted him."
"That is very likely the case," EDI agreed. "Records indicate that ComStar has actively abducted individuals that began making genuine progress towards reversing the state of technological decline within the Inner Sphere. This is due to their fear of not only losing control, but also due to their fear that, should the Inner Sphere regain the technology of the Star League, another war similar to the First Succession War will begin."
"Now that's a load of bullshit," Kaidan growled. "Hanse made it clear to me that he never ever wanted something like the First Succession Wars to begin. In fact, many of the Great Houses today feel that the First and Second Succession Wars wasted too many lives, with the Capellans and Combine feeling otherwise."
"Well, they aren't known for being logical at times," Vega shrugged. "Either way, we know where Liara's being held, and we have the schematics for the HyperPulse Generator. All we have to do is rescue Liara and get to New Avalon before ComStar's forces there find out what's happened."
"They still don't," EDI added.
"What do you mean?" Fahad asked. "I thought they would've warned their folks via HPG by now."
"Before we left the facility, I uploaded a virus that causes all of the signals for an HPG to be distorted or garbled. My estimation is that, by the time we arrive at Liara's location, the virus will have been removed from the system. In effect, it will be quarantined in a 80 light year radius around Terra."
"I take it you did more than that," Shepard remarked, remembering that EDI would often do something else in an attempt at making a joke.
"Yes," EDI added. "I also flooded their computer networks with several petabytes of explicit images."
When Mason heard that, he let out a cough, before it became a long moment of impressed laughter. "Oh, now that is a treat!" he beamed. "I know what you did!"
"I'm glad that you do," EDI admitted. "Although, I do admit that it was part of a joke."
Shepard, who was also smiling, said, "Well, good to hear that you got the last laugh on them, EDI. Anyways, did you determine what kind of defenses we'll be facing at Taussen?"
"Yes," EDI replied. "Taussen is not as heavily defended as Terra was, though we will have to be careful either way. Taussen does not have any WarShips in orbit at the moment, though that might change should ComStar send forces there to secure their assets. Most of Taussens orbital defenses consist of Anti-DropShip Batteries that are installed on the planet's moon, Taussen IIa."
"Are the Wolf Dragoons coming on this mission?"
"Yes. Now that HPG communication has been restored in the Federated Suns, I have learned from an encrypted communiqué that the Wolf Dragoons will be targeting the Anti-DropShip Batteries on Taussen IIa, which will allow us to land on the planet and rescue Liara. I have also pinpointed the prison complex, and have drawn up a schematic that the Hilton Head Complex had in it's computer network."
A moment later, a holographic image of Taussen appeared, along with the prison complex they were going to be assaulting. According to the schematic, the Toyama Holding Center, which was where ComStar sent some of the people that had tried to disrupt their power, was shaped in a manner very similar to that of the East State Penitentiary in what was historic Pennsylvania. Basically speaking, the prison was shaped like a six point star, with two of the left points being elongated, with an outer wall that was designed to prevent escape.
"That's a pretty well designed prison," Shepard noted. "Look at all of this barbed and razor wire on the ferrocrete walls, along with the surveillance systems. We'd have to knock out the power to this place to keep them from locking the entire prison down."
"Agreed," Mason nodded. "It's going to be tough getting inside. So, anyone have any ideas?"
"I do," Vega suggested. "Look at these cylindrical areas on the schematic. I'll bet those are power generators for the prison. If we knock those out, we'll not only shut down any automated defenses that they have, we'll also be able to get inside with greater ease and rescue Liara."
"That's smart," Garrus beamed. "We cut those off, and keep the defenses from firing at us."
"From what I can tell, that's the best plan of action," Shepard remarked. "So, if anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears." When no reply came, he said, "Then it's settled. The Wolf Dragoons will knock out the orbital defenses, and we'll head to the planet and rescue Liara, along with anyone else that ComStar's abducted."
"We might not be able to rescue them all," Fahad frowned. "We're only one DropShip, and we're not designed to house that many people."
"I'll bet Hanse has figured out a solution to that problem, now that he knows about Taussen," Shepard shrugged. "Either way, we have a mission now, and it's time to complete it. Good luck, everyone. You're gonna need it."
. . .
Taussen
Versailles
December 19th, 3028
While the others were en transit to Taussen, Liara was busy cooking up a plan of her own to escape. Looking around, she could see the 5x5 meter prison cell that she was imprisoned inside, along with other individuals that had defied ComStar's attempts at keeping the Inner Sphere under control. There was not much in her cell, aside from a metal toilet that was clean, along with a small mirror and medicine cabinet and a single bed.
It had been two and a half months since the attack on NAIS, after which she'd found herself in this prison cell. Since then, she had been heavily monitored by the prison warden that was in charge of the ComStar prison 24/7. She didn't like the fact that she was being watched like a rat that was inside of a cage.
In addition, they had doctors that had been poking and prodding at her quite a bit lately. It was clear, however, that they'd been ordered to ensure that she was alive and unharmed, as none of their experiments had gone underneath her skin, aside from the removal of her biotic amp. It makes sense, she thought. They want to know if I'm really an alien, or a genetically engineered human being. Once they have their answer, they'll likely attempt to euthanize me for autopsy, or find out more about my origins before doing so.
Still, it wasn't all bad, as once she'd been cleared of any contagions she might have, they had allowed her some socialization with the prisoners. It was likely due to their desire to find out more about her species interacted socially, though she knew that she was being carefully watched by the guards. It had prevented incidents from happening, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before they allowed things to start happening. She fully knew the vices that many a Human prison system had.
That was why, after modifying the bug that they'd installed into her orange jumpsuit, she began to devise a plan of escape. It had taken quite some time, but she had managed to make a small inner circle that knew about her plans to bust out of the joint. Her first supporter in that regard was Dr. Alexandria Wright, a Lyran scientist that had discovered how to manufacture Endo Steel, before ComStar abducted her to keep that knowledge a secret.
Hearing the buzzer, she watched as the door to her cell opened, allowing her to walk with the others towards the exercise yards. This was the part where she had to play along in order to remain undetected, with years of training, particularly in stealth, having taught her that. Like the other prisoners, she was being watched by ComStar guards that were armed with Laser Pistols and Stun Batons.
After a few minutes of walking, she entered the exercise yard. It was a large open space that was surrounded by chain-link fencing that had razor wire at the top. Guards in towers were watching the place with an eagle eye, while other inmates were playing various sports. While it was a sunny day, the fact that the ground was covered with snow indicated that it was winter.
Once she and the others had begun to spread out, she quickly moved towards an area that the guards couldn't easily see, allowing her to sneak to a small shed that was present. It was originally meant for a backup power generator, but it had been repurposed as the laundry room by the warden. Liara had been assigned to that task at the prison, something that the prisoners called a 'Cadillac Job', meaning an easy job that was enjoyable.
After a couple minutes, she was joined by a few other people. Alexandria was the first, a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, but a wit that would make a Salarian turn green with envy. The second was Townsend, a brown haired man that was massive, courtesy of gigantism, but had a mind similar to Alexandria's. The third, and last, member of the group was Richard, a man that, while physically unimpressive, was very good at convincing others to do what he wanted them to do, which was fortunate since he was also a kind-hearted man that had a family on the outside.
To recruit these people, Liara had done what Shepard might've done in her position: she'd proven that she was a stand-up individual that fought the system's vices. Richard was the first to be attracted to her, and it wasn't long before Townsend and Alexandria had followed suit. Now, despite the size of their group, they were ready to begin the first step of their plan. "Is everything ready?" Liara asked.
"Yes," Townsend nodded, keeping his voice low. "I've loosened one of the vent covers in my cell to get to the ventilation system in the back to get the rest of you to the security station. It'll be a tight fit, but we'll manage."
"Good," Liara nodded. "Alexandria?"
"I've got the lockpicks suitcased," she replied. "I'll be able to pick the lock."
"Alright. Richard?"
"The other shot-callers have agreed to hand over their muscle for the operation. We'll have the goon squad tied up while the rest of the prisoners break free and scatter across the planet, if all goes well. What about you?"
"The guards don't know about my biotic capabilities," Liara explained. "They think that those were disabled when the amp was removed. They are about to find out that an amp is not a prerequisite for my species to use their abilities."
"I can't wait to see the surprise on their faces when that happens," Richard beamed.
"I agree," Townsend nodded. "ComStar has had this coming for a long time. I'm just happy that I'll be able to get revenge for what they did."
"Me too," Alexandria agreed. "They took me away from my husband and kids. I'll show them why that was a big mistake."
"Agreed," Liara nodded. "We'd best get a move-on. I'd rather not call a heat-wave down onto our block simply by being hard to find." With that, they left and began to mingle with the other prisoners.
They were about to head inside when they heard the loudspeakers announce, "Lockdown! Lockdown!" With that, everyone began to move inside, with the guards pushing them to get into their cells.
"What's going on?!" Townsend asked.
"I don't know," Liara replied. "I think we -" She was promptly interrupted by the sound of the wall exploding outwards as a massive foot smashed through it At the same time, all of the lights in the prison went dead, the doors freezing in place before they could fully open. By the Goddess, Liara wondered internally. What's going on?
. . .
What Liara didn't know was that, true to his nature, Shepard had come to rescue her. Getting his armor and equipment on for the mission, Shepard checked over his M42B to make sure it was operational. Once he was happy with it's condition, he moved towards the Kodiak with the others when his comm unit pinged. "Go ahead," he replied.
"Commander, I've got some good news," Joker replied. "Apparently, Hanse took the initiative when we sent him the message a couple months ago. It took some time, but he's managed to get a fleet of DropShips ahead of us in short order. They had to use a Pirate Jump Point to get into position, but they're waiting for us to begin the assault."
Shepard beamed. "I knew that Hanse wouldn't let us down! What's the plan?"
"They're going to rescue the prisoners that ComStar has at the complex, while we rescue Liara and get her back home. That way, we not only rescue anyone that ComStar saw as a threat, but also complete our original objective."
"That's a good plan," Shepard nodded. "EDI, has Mason landed ahead of us?"
"Yes," EDI confirmed. "The Cavalier II has landed on the planet's surface. His lance is projected to arrive at the same time that we land at the prison in the Kodiak."
"Good. Everyone, load up!" With that, he and his squad quickly got into the shuttle. "Cortez, take us out."
"Aye aye, Commander," Cortez nodded. A moment later, the Cargo Bay doors opened, with the Kodiak taking off moments later. Moving towards the planet, Cortez said, "We'll be there in a couple minutes, Commander."
"Noted," Shepard replied.
A couple minutes later, they had re-entered the atmosphere and were flying towards the prison. Sure enough, he could see the walled complex that was the Toyama Holding Center. Now that he saw it in person, he frowned at the drab exterior, and the walls. It's a cage, he thought to himself. A high tech cage, but a cage nonetheless.
"We're about to land, Commander," Cortez informed him.
"Alright, get ready people!" Shepard shouted. "We're going to be breaking into a prison that has armed guards, and they know we're coming if Mason's started his attack by now. No more sneaking around, just run and gun. We clear?"
"We got it," Garrus nodded.
"Alright then," A moment later, the shuttle shuddered as they landed. As soon as the doors opened, he shouted, "MOVE!"
Almost immediately, everyone piled out, with their feet sinking into inch-deep snow as they landed. Moving up, Shepard could immediately tell that Mason's attack was going off without a hitch. The man, using his modified Archer, had smashed a hole into the wall, before firing on the prison's power generators, cutting the prison's power supply off. Since the lights were out, he assumed that the Wolf Dragoon's assault on the city's power supply had gone off quite nicely as well.
Entering the yard, Shepard found himself looking at a strange sight. To his shock, the prisoners, realizing what was happening, had immediately overwhelmed the guards in a surprise attack. He watched as a massive prisoner was smashing his fist into the face of a guard, splattering the ground with blood, while another was shanking a guard with a makeshift metal shiv. Other guards were fighting to restore order, but it was clearly a losing battle, since Mason had also destroyed the guard towers when he marched onto the prison grounds.
The larger prisoner, looking towards Shepard, let out a surprised shout, then bellowed, "Shepard! Over here!"
Running over, while gunning down a guard, Shepard asked, "What's going on? Have you seen a woman with blue skin and a tentacle crest?"
"I know her!" the man shouted. "Name's Townsend! Liara was here a few minute ago, but one of the guards took her deeper into the prison. They're were going to try and get her off planet in a DropShip, but a 'Mech took it out! I think the warden plans to use her as leverage!"
"Shit!" Shepard shouted. "Garrus, Wrex, Kaidan, you come with me! We'll shoot the warden if he tries to make off with Liara! We're not letting ComStar escape this time!"
"Got it!" Garrus nodded. Following Townsend, they came to the door to the rest of the prison, which had been forced open by the guards when the power was disabled. Moving inside, Shepard and the others began moving through the place towards where EDI had indicated the warden's office was at.
Looking around, Shepard could see row after row of prison cells. They had these people caged up like animals, he frowned, his hands tightening on his rifle in anger. If they've done anything to Liara, I will personally kill them myself! Shaking his head, he advanced deeper into the prison.
Reaching the cafeteria, they took cover and looked inside. True enough, there were guards inside, with the tables inside having been converted into cover for them. "Garrus, flashbangs. Kaidan, you'll get rid of their cover. Wrex, do what you do best."
"On it," Wrex beamed. A moment later, Garrus tossed in a flash-bang, with laser beams shooting through the door as he exposed his arm. One beam clipped his arm, only for the armor to protect him perfectly.
The moment the flashbang went off, Shepard and the others stormed into the room, firing their weapons. A guard fell to the ground dead, his body armor perforated by AP ammunition, while another's head exploded as a laser beam intercepted him, causing the water in his head to flash-boil. Others found themselves being hurled like nine-pins by Kaidan and Wrex's biotic displays.
Charging forwards, Wrex smashed shoulder first into a ComStar agent, knocking the man over while sending him flying a few meters away, before the man's chest exploded as Wrex pumped him full of shot. Kaidan, using his biotics, snapped the neck of a guard, before using a biotic singularity to pull the others into the air, making them easy pickings for Shepard and Garrus. With the guards down, they began to advance.
As they did so, Shepard thought he heard the sound of a fight up ahead. "You hear that?" he asked Wrex.
"Yeah," Wrex replied. "I think Liara's kicking ass in the warden's office." Reaching the room, which was marked, "WARDEN OFFICE", Shepard motioned to Wrex, who kicked the door down with a powerful blow from his foot.
Looking inside, Shepard found that Wrex was right. Liara, despite being outnumbered eight to one, was using her biotic abilities to her greatest extent. To an uneducated person, she would've appeared to have been a goddess of battle, her jumpsuit's color muted by the indigo aura of dark energy that surrounded her form.
The same couldn't be said for the prison warden, and his guards. They were being flung around like ninepins, with one guard having his brains splattered all over the wall, while two of the guards were frozen in place. The rest were already dead, their bodies having been crushed by the power that was on display.
Hearing the door opening, Liara turned towards what she thought were attackers, only to stop when she spotted Shepard's face, which was clearly visible through his helmet's faceplate. "S-Shepard!" she beamed. "You came!"
"I never leave a squadmate behind," Shepard replied. Spotting the prison warden, he said, "One moment," before striding over to the man.
The warden raised his hands to shield his face, but was instead, picked up by Shepard and slammed down onto his desk. After that, Shepard proceeded to beat the man to a bloody pulp; blood splattered the walls as Shepard, despite the warden's pleas for mercy, mercilessly hammered the man, while breaking his legs to keep him from escaping him. "Tell Myndo Waterly that this is for NAIS, Liara, and all the people that you fucking bastards stole from the Inner Sphere!" With another blow, he knocked the man out cold.
Backing up, he said, "We're getting out of here."
"Shepard, what about the others?" Liara asked.
"They're going to be rescued," Shepard replied. "Hanse sent DropShips to retrieve the prisoners that are here. The Wolf Dragoons are going to cover them while we, and Mason, get out of here."
"Finally," Liara breathed, sagging to the ground from exhaustion, before Wrex hoisted her over his shoulder. "Finally, I'm free!"