Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my BattleTech/Mass Effect crossover.

Now that the Reckoning of ComStar story arc is over, we can continue on with the time skips and other things that you guys appreciate. In this chapter, the Fourth Succession War story arc ends, and we're going into an interregnum time period. Things are about to be shaken up dramatically in the Inner Sphere.

Also, I will be closing the poll on my profile this Wednesday. If you haven't voted for any of the choices on the poll, I highly recommend that you do so. Your votes help decide what I will write next.

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, Catalyst Game Labs, WizKids, 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.

MDS Cavalier II

Sian

January 25th, 3030

Onboard the MDS Cavalier II, Shepard looked around to see the others getting ready for the major assault they were going to be conducting today. Nearby, Garrus was making sure his cooling vest was in good condition and ready to go, while Wrex was doing the same. Other MechWarriors in the room were also busy doing final checkups on their equipment.

There were a few new faces as well, though that was due to casualties that the merc company had taken while they'd been away. According to Mason, Shepard's team made up nearly 33% of the talent, and the revenue, that the company made, which meant that they were sorely missed. On a personal note, he was deeply happy to hear that Liara was doing alright, and that she was in the finest health possible.

Speaking of new faces, Shepard could see one that Nyreen was fawning over. Around eight months earlier, most of the people in the crew quarters had been working when Nyreen had collapsed, before lashing out in a primal, pain induced rage. When she regained control of herself, she apologized, before asking to be taken to the infirmary onboard the DropShip.

That very day, she'd given birth to Vorena, her newest, and last, child. According to Chakwas, her body wouldn't be able to handle the stresses of pregnancy after the third pregnancy, though that wasn't a problem since Nyreen and Garrus only wanted around five children. Now, the young, brown eyed infant was in her mother's arms, cooing appreciatively at the attention she was receiving from her mother.

"Aw, ain't that a cute little thing," one of the MechWarriors in the team smiled as he tickled Vorena on the nose. "You've got the cutest kids, Nyreen."

"Thank you," Nyreen beamed. "Of course, they wouldn't be here if I hadn't married a handsome husband." She smirked at Garrus when she said this.

"True," Garrus admitted, shrugging his shoulders. Hearing the intercom announcing the signal for 'General Quarters', he walked over to Nyreen and, once the others were out of the room, said, "This might be it: the final battle of the Fourth Succession War. After that, it's back to regular mercenary work."

"Just come back home, safe and sound," Nyreen purred, gently setting Vorena to the side. A moment later, the two Turians kissed, their tongues wrapping around each other as they rubbed each other's bodies, moaning happily all the while.

Pulling back after a minute of appreciating his mate, both in mind and in body, Garrus said, "I will, Nyreen. I love you."

"I love you too." With that, the two parted, with Garrus walking out of the room, while Nyreen began to breastfeed Vorena.

Down in the 'Mech Bay, Shepard looked his Marauder II over, eyes scanning every square centimeter of the parts of the 'Mech he could see. Fahad really does good work, he thought as he noted the expertly done paint job, and the freshly installed armor plating. That, and Mason's been hiring talented 'Mech Bay technicians for quite some time, so our 'Mechs are getting the red carpet treatment.

That brought his mind back to the mission that they were going on today. Over the course of two years, the Federated Suns, thanks to ComStar being unable to reestablish the FTL communications interdiction, had hammered into the Capellan Confederation's forces with merciless determination. In just two years, numerous planets had either been conquered by the Federated Suns, or had defected to the AFFS in a desperate bid to protect the welfare of their citizens and their infrastructure.

Now, they were invading the Capitol of the entire Capellan Confederation, particularly it's Capitol, the Forbidden City. This battle would be the last of a series of battles fought on the surface of the planet. It was theorized that, if Sian fell to the Federated Suns, the Capellan Confederation would capitulate, and bring an end to the war on the Capellan front. There were also rumors that this would be the end of the Capellan Confederation, and the destruction of House Liao.

If it is, then it's another good example of us changing the future once again, Shepard noted. With House Liao out of the way, and the Capellan Confederation annexed into the Federated Suns, the FedSuns will become, without any rival, the largest Great House in the entire Inner Sphere, and it's only going to become bigger, once the Federated Commonwealth is formed.

Either way, he knew one thing: it would be the death of a repressive regime that needed to be put down for good. The Federated Suns are no saints, and Hanse would be the first to admit to that, but they are, by far, better than the Combine or Confederation. At least the citizens of the Confederation, if it does fall, won't have to live in constant fear of their lives anymore.

As he prepared to get inside his 'Mech, he could see Fahad coming over. "What's up?" he asked. "Anything you need, Fahad?"

"Just came to let you know that your 'Mech's ready to go," Fahad replied. "I have to admit, I never thought that Mason would heed my request for better 'Mech Bay technicians. The old crew were quite sluggish, though it took the new talent to show me how sluggish. They're why your 'Mech looks so good."

"That's good to hear, Fahad. I'll ask Mason to give you a raise at some point."

"That would be nice. I've bloody earned it after working my arse off for the past decade and a half. In addition, we're starting to swim in C-Bills once again. I just hope that ComStar doesn't come after us for… well… you know why."

"I do, and they won't. They'll be too busy sorting things out if the Capellan Confederation falls to the Federated Suns."

"I hear ya. Is it really going to happen? What's your opinion on that?"

Taking a moment to think, Shepard recalled his thoughts from earlier. After a moment, he said, "Honestly, I'll be surprised if they refuse to give in if we take Sian. Given that we've taken a good portion of their infrastructure, along with a large chunk of their territory, they won't be able to sustain any kind of war effort. Plus, their own citizenry would rebel if they attempted to hang on any longer."

"That's what I was thinking," Fahad agreed. "Either way, I can tell any kids that I adopt the tale of how I witnessed the end of the Capellan Confederation at the hands of the Federated Suns. Still, I gotta feel bad for Hanse once this is all over. He's going to be busting his arse getting the new territory consolidated."

"Tell me about it," Shepard nodded. "I also heard that, given that the FedSun's economy recovered from the short recession it had due to the HPG Interdiction, Hanse is reforming the educational system of the FedSuns. If so, then we're going to be seeing a lot more talented people coming around."

"Ain't that the bloody truth," Fahad agreed. Looking around, he said, "Either way, we managed to squeeze some more range out of the LB 10-X. Around ten percent, to be exact."

"Really?" Shepard asked, impressed. "How?"

"Well, the company that manufactures the LB 10-X we have released an upgrade for the weapon system itself," Fahad explained. "Some kind of plasma cartridge that ignites the propellant more efficiently than most systems do. It was a simple refit, but you're going to see a little more range and better accuracy. The rumor mill has it that newer, more energetic, propellants are being made. If so, we might see an even larger improvement."

"That's good to hear," Shepard nodded. "Well, I'd best get to work making sure the interior of my 'Mech is ready. We do have a war to fight after all."

"Aye, we do," Fahad nodded. "Oh, and Shepard? Give those Capellan bastards hell for me, would ya?"

"I'll do what I can," Shepard nodded. With that, the two men went their separate ways. Getting inside his cockpit, Shepard looked around to see if there was anything out of place.

There were a few new additions. For one, some of the controls that used to be mechanical were replaced by touch screens. That, from what he could recall, was because numerous computer manufacturers, particularly those in Lyran and Federated space, were getting reports of breakthroughs in computer technology, particularly memory storage. This had allowed for the development of higher storage computer systems, which in turn allowed for the creation of planetary information networks, computers that could store gigabytes of information and could operate in a standalone fashion.

Shepard knew, though, that this was because of breakthroughs that the teams at NAIS were making by studying the computer technology of his home Universe. We won't get to our tech level until the 3040's, he thought, remembering Engineer Adam's assessment, but we are starting to get into the early to mid 2020's in terms of computer tech.

A moment later, he heard the PA announce that combat operations were about to begin. With that in mind, he quickly got into his cooling suit and, after plugging in his suit to the cooling systems inside the cockpit, connected his neurohelmet to it's cable and began powering the 'Mech up. After a few minutes, the DIC reported that all systems were online and ready for combat operations.

Apparently, Mason and the others had gotten their 'Mechs ready to go, as Mason said, "Shepard, you online?"

"Affirmative," Shepard replied. "My 'Mech's ready to go."

"Excellent," Mason beamed. "Garrus, Wrex, Vega, you guy's ready?"

"Ready and waiting," Garrus replied.

"Ready to pound some Capellans into the dirt," Wrex snickered.

"Good to go," Vega nodded.

"Alright," Mason beamed. "According to Marshal Davion, our objective is to invade Xi-jen Cheng, and to get to the Celestial Palace. We're to assist the 2nd Crucis Lancers in taking the Palace and neutralizing any hostiles in the area. Be advised, we are likely going to be facing the Death Commandos themselves, hardened MechWarriors, so be ready in case something happens."

"Got it," Shepard replied. "We're ready to deploy."

"Alright. Move out!" With that, they began to move their 'Mechs out of the 'Mech Bays and to the exit. Reaching the exit door, Shepard waited for it to fully open, before marching his Marauder II out. There was a short drop as they were hot-dropped out of the 'Mech, then they landed, Jump Jets softening their impact onto the ground.

If there was one thing that Shepard had to admit, it was that Xi-jen Chen was a beautiful city. Much of the architecture, while modern, showed that it retained a connection to the past. There were also some shrines in the area, likely for those that worshiped their ancestors, or wanted to pay homage to the dead. In a way, he felt sad that they were going to be, effectively speaking, desecrating some of these areas in the destruction of the Capellan Confederation.

Moving along the streets cautiously, Shepard kept an eye on his sensors, as well as on the streets outside of his 'Mech. If there was one thing that fighting the Capellans had taught him, it was that the Capellans favored ambushes and traps against a more powerful enemy. As such, his alarm bells began to ring as they moved closer to the Celestial Palace.

Something's not right, he thought as they moved closer to the palace. I think we're walking into an ambush. Keying his comm, he said, "Mason, something's not right."

"I know," Mason nodded. "Marshal Davion, I think we're walking into an ambush. Orders?"

"Continue to advance with the Kestrel Lancers," came the reply. "We're going to have to spring the trap anyways if we're to get to the Celestial Palace. Kestrel Lancers, get ready for a fight!"

Just as Marshal Davion said this, it happened. Suddenly, Shepard spotted hostile contacts coming at them from practically every direction. Looking to his left, he spotted an enemy Striker that was quickly closing towards him. Turning in that direction, he fired the LB 10-X, as well as the ER PPC's on his 'Mech.

The combined assault from the PPC's stripped the armor off of the right arm of the 'Mech, before the LB 10-X tore the arm off entirely, forcing the enemy 'Mech to back up. "Move forwards!" he shouted to Garrus and the others. "We have to break out of the trap!"

"Copy!" Garrus replied, his 'Mech firing both AC/5's as he downed numerous enemy VTOL's that were bearing down on their position. "Wrex, watch my back! Vega, help Shepard!"

"On it!" Vega shouted as he moved to cover Shepard. Circling around where he last saw the 'Mech, he found himself face-to-face with the Striker in question. Too close to use his LRM's, he fired his SRM's before lashing out with a foot from his Stalker.

The combined assault was just enough to tip the balance of the fight in his favor. The powerful blow from his 'Mech's foot actuator, combined with the SRM-6's, caused the enemy 'Mech to fall over onto it's back. Capitalizing on this, he fired the laser weapons he had into the enemy 'Mech's cockpit, killing the enemy pilot.

Meanwhile, Wrex was having fun, while keeping Garrus covered. "By the ancestors!" he shouted as a downed VTOL zipped right past him, before detonating on contact with the ground. "It's raining VTOL's down here! Keep it up, Garrus!"

"Working on it!" Garrus yelled over the comm. "This isn't easy!"

"I know!" Wrex replied. Spotting an enemy Vindicator, he blasted it with his 'Mech's AC/10. "Gonna need to do better than that," he remarked as he scored a lucky hit on it's right leg, sending the 'Mech crashing to the ground.

Eventually, despite heavy fighting, they managed to break out of the enemy encirclement maneuver and proceeded forwards. Looking at his 'Mech's readouts, Shepard could tell that a good portion of the armor on his left arm was ablated. I'll have to be careful with that component, he thought as they advanced forwards. If I'm not careful, I'll end up having my ass handed to me, and I'd rather not lose a good pair of ER PPC's while I'm at it.

Continuing to move forwards, he looked around to see more 'Mechs advancing towards their position. He was about to engage a Flea when an AC/20 round smashed into it from out of nowhere, with the enemy 'Mech falling down before detonating. Looking around, Shepard spotted what his 'Mech identified as a Rommel. "Don't worry, Shepard," the commander of that tank informed him. "We've got your back!"

"Thanks!" Shepard beamed. Keying his comm, Shepard asked, "Mason, are you alright?"

"Busy here!" Mason replied, his breathing heavier than normal. "I could use some help over here! We're facing heavy Capellan metal over here! Can you assist?!"

"Yes," Shepard replied. "Send me your coordinates and I'll be there as soon as I can." Once he got the coordinates, he said, "Vega, Wrex, Garrus, form up on me. We've got to get Mason some help!"

"We're on it!" Vega reported.

With that, they began to move towards Mason's position, which was around a kilometer and a half away. As they moved along, Shepard could see more and more hostile contacts as they got closer to where Mason was at. Please be alright, he whispered to himself. We're coming, Mason. We're almost there.

After an agonizing three minutes of traveling through the city streets, they managed to reach Mason's position. It wasn't looking good, as Shepard could see two 'Mechs that had fallen over, though he sighed with relief when he saw that the cockpits were missing, indicating both MechWarriors had ejected. Mason, however, was continuing to fight on, even though he'd lost his 'Mech's right arm.

Rather than respond with words, Shepard opened fire on the Stalker that was giving Mason trouble, forcing the enemy 'Mech to face him. Mason, capitalizing on this, fired the twin SRM-6 launchers on his 'Mech, stripping copious amounts of armor off the enemy Stalker. Said Stalker was promptly knocked over when Wrex, having circled around, attacked it from behind.

"Thanks!" Mason wheezed out, his breath coming in deep and short gasps as Wrex destroyed the enemy Assault 'Mech. "I thought I was a goner there. Two of my Lance mates had to eject, and I've got a third who's 'Mech is badly damaged."

"What about you?" Shepard asked.

"I'm good. Just lost my 'Mech's right arm, but nothing we can do about that. I've just got to wait for the 'Mech to cool down and then we can go on. Damn thing's running hotter than an oven."

"Take a moment, Mason. Catch your breath. You want us to accompany you to the Celestial Palace?"

"Yeah… that would be wise." A moment later, he said, "Janice, get yourself out of here. I don't want to lose you if I can help it."

"Yes, sir," Janice, the MechWarrior in question, replied. "Shepard, keep him safe. OK?"

"Sure thing." Shepard nodded. With that, they proceeded onward, while the Catapult that was accompanying Mason's Archer left the area, dragging a damaged leg as it did so.

It continued like this for a little while, with Shepard and his team keeping Mason in the center of their formation while moving deeper into the city. As they got closer, Shepard could tell that the Capellans were becoming more and more desperate with each ambush, with the attacking forces getting sloppier as they cut deeper into the city. We're putting the pressure onto them, he noted. That's good. Hopefully, they'll crack before long.

Eventually, they reached the Celestial Palace, which was near the center of the city. The palace was set on top of a small hill, with ferrocrete walls surrounding the entire palace, along with automated defenses that were in place. A single gate was present, along with a ramp that led upwards to the palace itself.

Nearby, however, were ten enemy 'Mechs, each one bristling to the teeth with weapons. As they approached, one of the 'Mechs, an Atlas, advanced towards them, before the MechWarrior inside talked to them. "So, the dogs of the Federated Suns approach at last," the man inside the Atlas sneered at them. "Come here to kill our beloved Chancellor?"

"You have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?"

"Xi Jeng Long, you wretched fedrat."

"I see. As for killing me, we'll have to see about that. You bastards lie, cheat and murder anyone that gets in your way, while brainwashing those that comply with you. Monsters like you don't deserve any kind of mercy. Besides, you're all two-bit communist extremists, and I don't have any patience for that!"

"An amusing outburst from a man that knows so little of our people," Xi Jeng Long chuckled coldly. "We worked for over eight hundred years to build something wonderful, then you come along and tear it all down. You're just as bad as the rest of us, you FedSuns dog. You just refuse to admit it."

"Well, that's the thing," Shepard added. "Unlike you, I regret some of the decisions that I've had to make. I can also say that I didn't stoop to your level by torturing and arresting anyone that disagreed with my opinion. I save innocent lives. You, though, murder them, all for the sake of your totalitarian regime. If you really want to see a monster, then you need only to look in a mirror, Xi Jeng Long."

"I see," Long frowned. "Still, you won't have to debate your opinion against mine for long, as you're about to d -"

Just as Xi Jeng Long said this, a PPC bolt smashed into his 'Mech, forcing the Death Commando into cover. At the same time, nearly eight more 'Mechs emerged into the open. "Sorry we were late Shepard," the friendly MechWarrior leading the two lances replied. "We got held up. MechCommander Richard O'Connolly. Mind if we help out?"

"Yes," Shepard nodded.

With that, the battle began in earnest, with the two sides duking it out with each other for control over the Celestial Palace. At the same time, a pair of APC's, taking advantage of the confusion, drove past the 'Mechs and towards the Celestial Palace. Spotting the APC's, Shepard knew that was the assault team that was assigned to invading the palace.

As time wore on, the Capellan 'Mechs, despite fighting valiantly, began to be whittled down by the FedSuns forces. Fighting against Xi's Atlas, Shepard winced as the last vestiges of armor on his right arm were stripped off by the 'Mech's powerful hand actuators, causing the component to show up as a light yellow color. "WARNING! CRITICAL DAMAGE: RIGHT ARM!" the DIC informed him.

I know that, Shepard replied as he lashed back with the pods on his Marauder II. Looking around, he found that he was fighting the last enemy 'Mech, as all the others had been destroyed. "Give it up!" he told Xi Jeng Long. "I don't want to kill you. Stand down, the battle's lost."

"Fuck you, FedSuns dog!" Xi snarled. "I will not surrender to a beast like you! I will die before I do so!"

"Have it your way," Shepard grunted. Using the foot pedals, he lashed out with a foot, unbalancing the enemy 'Mech before commanding the 'Mech, on a visceral level, to shoulder ram the enemy 'Mech, sending the Atlas tumbling to the ground.

"DAMN YOU, FEDRAT!" Xi roared in rage. "Long live the Capellan Confederation! Long liv -AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!" The enemy MechWarrior's rant was cut off as Shepard stomped on the enemy 'Mech's cockpit, crushing the man to death.

"Thus ends another Death Commando," Marshal Davion noted. "You did the right thing, Shepard. He wasn't going to surrender, even if told to do so."

"I know," Shepard replied. "I just wish he'd been more willing to listen to reason, than to honor."

"I know," Marshal Davion nodded. "Now, we'd best secure the area and -"

"Marshal Davion!" came another comm call.

"What is it?"

"We've breached the Celestial Palace, but most of the guards have surrendered. There's also someone that wants to talk to you."

A moment later, a woman's voice came in over the comm. "Hello?" she asked. "Who is this?"

"I'm Marshal Jackson Davion of the Kestrel Lancers. We're here to secure the Celestial Palace and to arrest Maximillian Liao in order to force a surrender. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "He is dead. I killed him myself. You won't have to worry about him, or his daughter, Romano Liao, anymore. I am Candace Liao, Acting Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation. I stayed behind here after I helped Justin Allard escape. On the behalf of the people of the Capellan Confederation, I surrender to you and your forces. All CCAF forces, stand down. Your lives are worth more than this war. I will be transmitting this message across all HPG's that are still under Capellan control."

A moment later, Marshal Davion said, "On the behalf of the First Prince of the Federated Suns, I accept your surrender, Candace Liao. Ladies and gentlemen, Sian is ours! The head of the Capellan Confederation has been severed from the body! We've won the battle!"

With that, the comms were nearly overwhelmed by a deafening cheer as the Kestrel Lancers cheered their victory against the Capellans. Inside his 'Mech, Shepard sighed happily, slumping back in his seat. We won, he beamed, a relieved, and weary, grin spreading across his face. We won the war! We've changed the course of history forever. The Capellan Confederation is ours!

. . .

On Terra, Myndo Waterly watched as FTL messages to the other worlds held by the Capellan Confederation surrendered to the Federated Suns spread like wildfire. Both of her knuckles were white as she watched the last vestiges of the CCAF surrender to the AFFS. Her face was a neutral mask, but inside, she was fuming with rage as the Federated Suns changed the balance of power in the Inner Sphere forever.

Hearing footsteps, he watched as an orderly came over to her. "Ma'am, is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. "Perhaps a glass of water is in order?"

"No," she replied, keeping her emotions bottled up as much as she could. "Right now, I would like some time by myself."

"As you wish, my Primus," the orderly nodded. With that, he left the room, though it was noticeably faster than when he entered. It was a good thing that he did, as Myndo's emotions boiled over at that exact moment.

Getting up, she picked up a small chair and, snarling with rage, threw it across the room. The wood chair shattered into thousands of pieces, before falling to the ground in a heap. The door opened behind her, though when the guards saw that she wasn't in any danger, they closed the door once again.

Damn you, Hanse Davion, she raged inside as she threw some noteputers onto the ground, though in a manner that would leave them undamaged. For the fifteenth time, she opened her mouth and roared, "DAMN YOU, SHEPARD!"