Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.
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Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/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.
MechWarrior 5: Heroes of The Inner Sphere OST - Surrounded
MDS Cavalier II
Eaton
May 4th, 3035
The quarters for the DropShip were silent as the people inside got some much needed rest. While this was true for most, Shepard was up and about in the gym that was onboard, getting in some much needed exercise. Looking at the clock, he dropped down from the pull-up bar he was using, before throwing his shirt on. 6 o'clock AM, he thought. Time for some food.
As he went to go get some grub, he mentally reviewed the mission they had done days ago for the umpteenth time in his mind. In his honest opinion, Nihlus' performance as a MechWarrior was nothing short of impeccable. He kept his flanks covered, took cover when he needed to, and he was very accurate, even at range, he thought. He's definitely ready to fight as a MechWarrior now.
He also knew of another trainer that Nihlus had. Apparently, when they entered another system that the team was at during Nihlus' training, Natasha Kerensky had heard that he was a MechWarrior-in-training. As such, for the short time they were there, she did a few trial runs with Nihlus to see how good he really was. From what Shepard could recall, she had said, "Nihlus is good, Shepard, but he is no Clan MechWarrior. Still, his training at this stage is sufficient enough that he will pose a worthy challenge for any trueborn. Teach him well, and he may have the skill needed to fight a Clan MechWarrior yet."
If there's one thing I know, that's a compliment, he thought as he finished up his meal. You don't hear that from Natasha Kerensky if she doesn't feel that you've earned that kind of praise. Now that Nihlus' training is complete, I can say that he can hold his own against a Clan MechWarrior. Still, time will tell if he reaches that kind of skill.
He was about to go check on Garrus and Nyreen when the two of them walked right inside. Garrus, while still good looking, was starting to show indicators of his age. His carapace, for one, was starting to get rougher, though it was still quite smooth to the touch. In addition, the scaly skin around his eyes was starting to get wrinkled, though it didn't detract from his handsome image. Some Turians are like fine wine, Shepard thought. They get better looking with age. Garrus, from what I can tell, has a case of the Benjamin Buttons.
Nyreen, though, still looked as beautiful the day that she and Garrus had married and mated with each other. That wasn't surprising, since Nyreen was a full decade younger than Garrus was; in fact, when the two mated the first time, she was only twenty one years of age. From what Shepard could recall, Nyreen was in her mid 40's, and was still as physically attractive as ever.
Then there were the kids. Nihlus, who followed them inside, looked, and behaved, like a second edition of his father, though it was clear he had inherited his mother's eyes, as well as some of her mannerisms. Unlike the two, however, he had the dark carapace that most Turians found to be highly attractive, which also reminded Shepard of how much the younger Turian looked like his namesake. If it keeps up, I'll start expecting that the Nihlus I knew from my home universe reincarnated.
Looking at the trio, he said, "Morning. You doing alright?"
"Fine," Garrus nodded, purring as he held Nyreen close. "We were just talking about how well Nihlus did a couple days ago. I'm proud of the fact that he's done so well for his first time."
"Beginners luck," Nihlus shrugged. "Nothing special about that, but I intend to, as most Humans would put it, 'milk it for what it's worth.'"
"As you should," Nyreen beamed, purring slightly as she nuzzled her son's neck. "Either way, I'm proud of you, Nihlus. There's also one thing that I'm happy about as well."
"Oh?"
"That you and your father got along infinitely better than he did with his own father, Castis."
Garrus' fringe, and parts of his facial plates, flushed blue as soon as he heard that. "Don't tell me you had a talk with Castis."
"Yep," Nyreen replied, smirking slightly. "According to Castis, you and he could get into the most intense arguments over various things. However, he did say that, recently, you were doing very well in mending the strained relationship. You know that, Nihlus?"
"No," Nihlus shook his head, "but I understand how that could happen. Dad does have a fiery personality. Perhaps he and my grandfather just didn't know how to get along properly."
"You'd be right on that," Garrus nodded. "It took a few more talks for us to 'get along properly.' Thankfully, I'm glad to have bridged the gulf that was between the two of us before we got yanked along for the ride, then mated so that we could bring you into this wonderful existence."
"Me too," Nihlus nodded. "Either way, Dad, Mom, I'm glad that the Spirits allowed the two of you to bring me into existence. I'll bet they're smiling at you right now."
"I'll bet," Nyreen beamed, purring as she and Garrus nuzzled each other.
Shepard smiled as he watched the two express their affection and love for each other. Those two are a match made in heaven, he thought to himself. Reminds me of how Liara and I eventually got together. I guess there is a such thing as soul mates after all.
Just as he thought this, Celicia came inside. Like her father, Celicia's body and facial plates were silver colored, but that was where most of the similarities ended. Celicia had Garrus' blue colored eyes, while having the shapely form that her mother had gifted her with, along with her beautiful mind and personality. She was also a biotic, courtesy of an accident that happened when Nyreen took her for a tour of the Normandy.
Spotting Shepard and the others, she asked, in a voice that was slightly deeper than Nyreen's, "Is this a bad time?"
"No, not at all," Shepard replied. "They just came in. Anything you need?"
"Yeah," Celicia nodded. "Mom's been teaching me how to use my biotic capabilities properly. She's quite thorough, I have to admit."
"As I should be," Nyreen nodded. "I'd be a poor mother if I didn't teach you how to protect yourself, and use your abilities. Speaking of which, have you been practicing your biotics as you should."
"Yes."
"Show me."
As soon as Nyreen said that, Celicia nodded, before a blue glow enveloped her body. Moments later, there was a subdued WOMP as she used alternating mass effect fields to slingshot herself to the other side of the mess hall. She seemed to phase through a pillar that was in the way, before emerging on the other side unharmed. Returning back using the same method, she asked, "How'd I do?"
"Very nicely," Nyreen beamed. "You need to use a little less concentration and effort, but beyond that, you're doing very well. Nicely done."
"Thanks," Celicia beamed. "Also, I've got something else to tell you, though…"
"You're not sure if it's appropriate?"
"Yes. It's about…" She made a motion towards her hips as she said this.
"That's alright," Garrus shrugged. "We've seen a lot of shit happen, Celicia. An issue with your body's not going to be too much for us to handle, Shepard included." He also smirked as Shepard did the same, with a knowing chuckle.
"OK," Celicia nodded. Looking at Nyreen, she said, "I've been getting cramps, especially where my labia and uterus are at. Some days, it's bad enough that I have to use the restroom, and blood comes out, along with some kind of goop. Is that normal?"
It became immediately apparent, especially to Nyreen, what Celicia was going through. "You're having menstrual cramps," Nyreen deduced. "That's your body's way of telling you that you're ready to have sexual intercourse with a male. It's perfectly normal; I had the same thing happen when I reached your age."
"That's normal," Garrus agreed. "It means your body's ready to handle having kids."
Hearing that, Celicia sighed with relief. "Thanks," she sighed. "I thought that something was wrong."
"It's alright," Nyreen nodded, hugging her daughter. "Just make sure that, if you do decide to mate with a male, that he loves you not for your body, but for your mind, both would be nice, but the latter of the two is more important. I married, and had sex, with Garrus because I loved his intelligence, his desire to do justice, and his love for who I was. That's why we were able to have you, so when you see a male, ask yourself, 'Will he love me for my body, or for my personality?'"
She was about to continue when the intercom chimed. "Commander Shepard, report to the TACOPS Room immediately. Shepard to TACOPS Room immediately."
As soon as it ended, Shepard looked at the trio and said, "Well, duty calls. See you around."
"You too," the others replied. Walking out of the mess hall, Shepard could tell that Celicia was also saved from a somewhat embarrassing situation by the intercom call. The moment he rounded a corner, he watched as numerous people moved past him, from 'Mech Bay Technicians, to MechWarriors and guards. Perfect timing, he thought to himself.
Moving up the stairs, he soon reached the TACOPS room, where Mason and Ryana were at. "Commander Shepard, good to see you," Mason beamed. "We were just waiting for you."
"So I heard," Shepard nodded. "What do you need?"
"We just finished a conversation with Spears," Ryana explained. "Thanks to the success of our merc company, we have more than enough firepower to take on Black Inferno at their main base of operations on Xinyang. The time's finally come to exact revenge for the murder of Mason's father. That means taking down Inferno and killing Kane, their leader."
"And about damn time too," Mason nodded. "Spears has confirmed that Kane's on Xinyang right now, which is located in the Draconis Combine. According to his intel, Kane's going to be there for quite some time, around a year or so, to be exact. Don't' know how he gets his hands on that kind of intel, but I'll take it where I can get it."
"That much is true," Shepard agreed. "So, a year you say? We'll be arriving at Xinyang at the latter half of that year. Why the long time period?"
"According to Spears intelligence, Kane is having to train up new MechWarriors as replacements for the ones we killed," Ryana explained. "Either way, if what Spears says is true, then we have no reason to doubt it."
"Neither do I," Mason nodded. "Any more intel, Ryana?"
"Spears' people also managed to get an aerial shot of the base somehow. Though the fidelity of the image isn't as good as we hoped it would be, it does give us a chance to formulate a basic plan of attack. This is what the plan's going to be." Highlighting a part of the holographic map, she said, "I'll drop you in here, near what looks like their aerodome; once you've neutralized that threat, you'll proceed to this location here."
Highlighting another structure, she said, "It's some kind of supply depot, as best as I can tell. I can't be specific, so watch yourself there. That building could be storing anything in there. After the depot is destroyed, go ahead and assault the main facility here. I won't sugarcoat it, Commander, this last fortification is going to be a tough one. It'll be heavily defended by Inferno forces, both inside and out. If I'm sure of nothing else, I'll be certain on that."
Looking at the base layout, Mason could see that it resembled a backwards J, with the aerodome near the bottom. "Looks simple enough, but we can't get cocky," he mused. "What about the wildcard himself, Kane?"
"Where he'll be on the ground is anyone's guess. Once I've dropped you off, I'll circle above and try to vector in on his location by scanning their comms. As soon as I've located him, I'll ping you. Any questions?"
"How soon can we launch?"
"That's up to you, Commander. Get us to Xinyang, and I'll have the mission briefing ready when we arrive."
"Then we go now," Mason decided. "Let's not put this off any longer. We have three Lances at our disposal, and enough firepower and training between us to get the job done. It won't be easy, but if we cover each other's rears and flanks, we'll come out of this in one piece."
. . .
The trip to Xinyang took them around nine months to complete, partly due to the distance they had to travel, and partly due to the time it took to reach the planet itself. By the time they got there, however, everyone was more than ready to get to work. Mason seemed the most motivated of all, since he knew that he was approaching one of the two men that had killed his father.
As such, Shepard was inside of his Marauder II, making sure that everything was ready to go. Checking over the internal systems, he noted a change that Fahad had made. Looks like he installed a more advanced Targeting/TrackingSystem, he thought. Good. That'll make targeting hostiles at range with the ER PPC's and the new Autocannon much easier.
There was also another change that he noted as well. From what he could recall about four months ago, the Lyran Commonwealth markets had recently gotten new weapon systems that MechWarriors and Combat Vehicle gunners were gushing over. The new weapons, while few in number right now, were a combination of Ultra Autocannons and LB-X Autocannons, but that wasn't what made it so special. The special part, was that new classes of Ultra Autocannon and LB-X Autocannon were available now.
As such, Fahad had managed, thanks to a stroke of good fortune, to install an Model SH, 120mm, Ultra AC/20 onto Shepard's 'Mech. "It's just like a normal AC/20," Fahad explained, "but the velocity is much higher thanks to the new propellants and the design of the shell itself. Plus, you can fire them more rapidly thanks to their magnetic loading system.
"Just be careful, though; Ultra Autocannons can jam if you fire them for long periods of time, courtesy of the loading system overheating. In other words, fire four shells, then give the gun a few seconds to cool. You do that, and the gun won't jam at all."
Finishing his checkup, Shepard smiled as all systems were displayed in a nice, forest green color. I'll be certain to remember that advise, Fahad, he thought to himself. Thanks to the Endo Steel chassis and Ferro-Fibrous armor installed, we saved enough weight to mount a larger ammo bay. I can carry the same amount of ammo that I could for the LB 10-X AC I had previously. At least the twin barrels will allow the gun to operate without overheating so often.
As he thought this over, he made sure his neurohelmet and cooling suit was on before he strapped himself in. Just as he did, Mason came in over the comms. "Shepard, you ready?"
"Affirmative," Shepard nodded. "Bravo Lance, report in."
"Garrus here, all systems good to go."
"Nihlus here, Online and ready. LB 20-X is a go."
"Vega reporting. 'Mech is ready to rock."
"Good," Mason beamed. "This is it, people. We're about to finally kill that bastard, Kane, and wreck Black Inferno while we're at it. Don't get cocky, however. We're going to be facing some of the toughest, and most fanatical, MechWarriors in the Inner Sphere. Keep your Lancemates flanks and rears covered, and we'll all come back home in one piece."
"Oohraah!" The others shouted. As soon as they did, Shepard began guiding his 'Mech out of the 'Mech Bay and towards the exit. A moment later, he stepped off of the DropShip and onto the surface of Xinyang.
The region they were in was a forest, though it was currently in the middle of summer, as well as in a rocky region. Trees were everywhere wherever the ground permitted them to grow, and the sun was just starting to set. The sky was a wonderful blue color, which masked the devastation that was going to be happening today.
Shepard remembered more about Xinyang as he looked around. From what he could recall, Xinyang had large bodies of water, but not much else that was noteworthy. The planet didn't have enough fertile soil to support it's population, which necessitated food imports. Beyond that, it was relatively peaceful, since few raids, if any, happened here.
"Alright, we're on the surface," Mason informed Ryana. "Take off, and begin vectoring in on Kane's location. Time to send that bastard to Hell, where he belongs!"
"Affirmative to that!" Ryana agreed. "The Inferno aerodome should be straight ahead. Watch yourself."
"Copy that. Bravo Lead, take point. We'll provide fire support where necessary. Time to put my new Atlas to good use."
"Solid copy," Shepard replied. "Bravo Lance, advance on the Inferno aerodome. Neutralize all hostiles and reduce the facility to scrap metal." With that, he and his Lance began to advance forwards.
As soon as they neared the canyon, they spotted some defenses up ahead. Shit, looks like Black Inferno's been upgrading, Shepard thought as he spotted the armament on the turret: a pair of LB 10-X's. "Be advised, hostiles have long range weaponry," he added. "Weapons free." With that, he took aim and fired his right ER PPC.
The bolt of charged particles tore through the air at a fraction of the speed of light, tearing into the turret and destroying both weapons. There was an explosion as the ammo was ignited and detonated, causing damage to the surrounding structures. A moment later, a Scorpion tank drove into the area, firing on them with it's new LB 5-X Autocannon. In response, Shepard fired his new Ultra AC/20.
Compared to a standard AC/20, the shell from the Ultra AC/20 was much faster. To Shepard, it was a veritable streak of yellow light, with the shell smashing into the enemy tank's armor plating. It was a direct hit on the rear of the tank, with the ICE inside exploding as the high velocity APFSDS shell tore through the armor plating and into the engine. The tank came to an immediate stop, with Nihlus exploiting this by firing his Victor's SRM launchers, causing said tank to explode into a fiery mess.
That got Black Inferno's attention, as when the team exited the canyon, they had more hostiles to contend with. Shepard could hear the LB 5-X's on Garrus' 'Mech firing, with several enemy VTOL's falling to the ground and exploding on contact. Just then, his DIC immediately flashed an alert. "New Target: Centurion."
"Nihlus, you get the Blackjack. I'll get the Centurion," he ordered.
"Wilco," Nihlus replied calmly. While he went after the Blackjack, Shepard turned to engage the Centurion. Rotating his 'Mech slightly, he allowed the LB 10-X shell the enemy 'Mech fired to ricochet off the sloped armor on the right torso, before he fired the Ultra AC/20.
The effect was nothing short of devastating. With just one hit, much, if not all, of the armor on the enemy 'Mech's center torso was completely torn off by the powerful shell, which was a HEAT shell in this case. The enemy MechWarrior, realizing what he was going up against, quickly backed off, only for Shepard to fire his twin ER PPC's, blasting the enemy Medium 'Mech to pieces. An explosion from behind told Shepard that Nihlus had dispatched the hostile Blackjack with equal ease.
"All hostiles down," Shepard reported. "Mason, orders?"
"Destroy the aerodome."
"Copy that." With that, Shepard began firing on the aerodome with his ER PPC's and Medium Pulse Lasers, in order to conserve ammo for his Ultra AC/20. The others started doing the same, with Garrus using his Large Pulse Lasers to cut apart some of the buildings, while Mason's Lance began to do the same.
Eventually, the aerodome was nothing but a pile of rubble. "Good work," Ryana informed them. "The aerodome's been completely demolished. Nicely done; now approach the storage depot, but cautiously. We don't know what's in storage there. Could be armor, 'Mechs, anything."
"Copy that," Mason nodded. "You hear that Shepard?"
"Affirmative," Shepard nodded. "Vega, Nihlus, you two will approach the storage facility first. Garrus, you and I will cover them with our longer ranged weaponry. Mason will do the same thing we are. Understood?"
"Copy," Garrus, and the others, agreed. With that, Nihlus and Vega began to warily approach the storage facility, with Shepard and Garrus keeping a distance. Mason was up close and personal, along with another of his MechWarriors, while the ones with longer ranged weaponry kept their distance.
That caution wasn't necessary, as Vega promptly said, "No hostiles present here. I've also spotted ComStar's symbol on the supply depot. Not surprising, since we know that ComStar's been helping Inferno out, but I'm also seeing a lot of cranes and cargo crates all over the place."
"Why would they need that?" Nihlus asked.
"My guess: it's for all the LosTech that they've been taking from those settlements. They're probably doing the same thing here."
"Either way, we won't let them continue with that shit," Shepard decided. "We're coming in now. Don't target the supply depot unless we know for certain that it holds nothing valuable. Understood?"
"Copy," Vega replied.
Once he got closer to the facility, Shepard could tell that Vega was right. No hostiles were present at all, though that alone caused the hairs on the back of his neck to heckle slightly. I don't like this at all, he frowned. "Mason, is this unsettling you?"
"Yeah," Mason nodded. "I think we might be walking into an ambush. Keep your guard up."
Reaching the facility, Shepard began doing a penetrating scan of the facility with his 'Mech's sensors. As soon as he did, he noticed a 'Mech that was still in storage. "Vega, did you see this?" he asked.
"Let me see," Vega replied, maneuvering his 'Mech to get closer. "Well, I'll be damned! Garrus, I think we found an upgrade for your Rifleman!"
"What is it?" Garrus asked.
"Looks like ComStar, and Inferno, managed to recover a fully intact, Star League era RFL-3N-2, a Rifleman II! It's the Assault version of the standard Rifleman. We scored big this time!"
"Let me see," Garrus replied, while one of Mason's MechWarriors took his position. Scanning the building, he was silent for a moment before saying, "Looks like the Spirits are being kind today. I guess I won't have to stick with a stock Rifleman anymore, well, mostly stock that is."
"We'll definitely mark that for salvage," Mason beamed. "Let's keep going. I don't like how there are no hostiles present here."
"I hear you on that," Nihlus agreed. "My neck scales are already heckling." With that, they continued to cautiously proceed forwards.
As they did so, Ryana reported in. "Commander, I've got a location of Yamata, the man that was helping Black Inferno. He seems to have taken refuge in the main fortification. I've also got Kane's location as well, and he's also at the main fortification. Be advised, there are a lot of hostiles present. My guess is that they did a strategic retreat from the supply depot and are waiting for you all there. Go get him!"
"With pleasure," Mason nodded. Switching comm frequencies, he told the others, "We're going to soften them up from range first, then move in for the kill. Shepard, Garrus, you two use your long range weapon systems to destroy any Combat Vehicles and 'Mechs from a distance, if possible. I'll direct my Lance to do the same."
"Copy that," Shepard nodded. "It's time to bury this asshole into the dirt for good."
"Multiple LRM Carriers detected," Ryana reported. "They're headed in your direction!"
"Mark them as priority targets," Mason ordered.
Just as he said this, the LRM Carriers came into view, each one packing multiple LRM-20 Launchers. Right on cue, the Catapult in Mason's Lance, along with the man himself, fired at the LRM Carriers with their own LRM launchers. At the same time, Shepard opened fire with his ER PPC's, while Garrus fired with his LB 5-X Autocannons and Large Pulse Lasers.
As they did so, Garrus spotted a swarm of contacts. Looking up, he watched as nearly twenty hostile VTOL's began approaching. "Oh!" he heard Nihlus shout. "That's not fair!"
"For them, it's not," Garrus snickered. "But for me, it's the best card to play." A moment later, he switched to the last cluster shells he had and fired them at the enemy VTOL's. A moment later, the storm of explosive submunitions reached them.
It was like the Fourth of July, only with explosions and shrapnel instead of fireworks and firecrackers. VTOL's began to fall out of the sky like flies, with each one exploding as they impacted the ground. In around twenty seconds, all of the enemy VTOL's were down. "Like shooting fish in a barrel," Garrus beamed.
"Looks like a mix of ComStar and Black Inferno forces," Vega observed as he fired his LB 10-X Autocannon at an enemy Locust at range. "I guess they didn't want to take any chances with Yamata around."
With that, they continued to pummel the enemy forces at range. A moment later, Mason clicked his communicator twice, which was the non-verbal signal to move forwards and engage. Hearing that, Shepard pushed the throttle to maximum, while firing his ER PPC's and Medium Pulse Lasers all the while. Nihlus and Vega, along with the others moved forwards, with Garrus and the other MechWarriors hanging back in the rear to provide fire support.
Spotting an enemy Commando, Shepard fired the Ultra AC/20 again, using only one shell in order to conserve ammunition. The enemy 'Mech's lightly armored chassis was no match for the powerful shell, as the enemy 'Mech fell over, destroyed. Moments later, it's Fusion Engine detonated, destroying anything that was too close.
As they began to climb up the slopes of a hill, Ryana came in over the comm. "Commander! DropShip inbound! Intercept course! Looks like Yamata's brought in the cavalry!"
"Copy that," Mason replied. "Everyone, lock and load! We've got heavy metal incoming!" Hearing that, everyone quickly mopped up the hostile targets and waited for Kane and his elite corps of mercs to come closer.
It wasn't long before Kane came in over the comm. "We finally meet face to face, Commander," Kane snarled menacingly. "I've been waiting for this moment. I'm going to gut you and your 'Mech, just like I did your father."
"Come try it, asshole!" Mason snarled in reply. "I'm not going anywhere! You're going to pay for what you did, and not just to my father, but to everyone that ComStar ordered you to attack! Today, I'll make sure that the people you killed can rest easy, knowing that I killed their murderer!"
"Then you'd better fight," Kane taunted him. "It will end with me victorious either way. Time for you to die, just like your daddy did." As soon as he said this, Kane and his mercs came over the lip of the hill's slope.
Immediately, Mason knew he was going to be facing a tough fight. From what he could tell, Kane was piloting a King Crab, which, from what he recalled from his father's training, was specifically designed to take on Assault class BattleMechs, like the Atlas he was currently in. A quick scan showed that the enemy 'Mech was mounting a pair of LB 20-X AC's, an LRM-15 and a Large ER Laser. In addition, it was mounting Ferro-Fibrous Armor. Many of the other 'Mechs were also Assault 'Mechs, and they too mounted the latest tech that was available.
Seeing that, Mason knew that tackling Kane was a two man job. "Shepard, with me!" he ordered. "The rest of you, target Kane's Lance! Keep them off our backs!"
"Copy that!" Vega replied. "Time to kill this asshole!"
With that, the fight was on. It was a battle that would be remembered by Shepard, not just for it's purpose, but also for it's intensity. Few fights he had been in were as intense as this; in fact, this fight was the most intense one that he had ever fought in. Never before had the stakes been higher. In this battle, every member of Mason's Cavaliers would later claim that this, along with another battle in the future, would be one of their finest hours.
Laser beams, Autocannon shells and missiles flew through the air as though it was raining those munitions from the sky. Moving with Mason, Shepard opened fire on Kane's King Crab, firing two Ultra AC/20 shells at the right arm, while targeting the left arm with his ER PPC's and Medium Pulse Lasers. Knowing what Shepard was attempting to achieve, Mason did the same. If we can destroy both of his 'Mech's arms, Mason thought to himself, We can, effectively, cripple his big guns.
Meanwhile, Garrus, Nihlus, Vega and the rest of Mason's Lance were fighting like mad to achieve the upper hand. Twisting his Victor's torso to the right, Nihlus narrowly avoided the stream of missiles that whipped past his 'Mech like a swarm of angry hornets. Getting up close and personal with the enemy Awesome, he smashed his 'Mech's left hand actuator into the enemy 'Mech's cockpit, cracking the armor that was there and forcing the enemy MechWarrior to back off. Firing the LB 20-X, he blew off more armor as he backed up.
Vega was also fighting like crazy. While Garrus fired on the enemy 'Mech, Vega fired the LB 10-X on his own Victor, tearing off armor plating on the enemy Kintaro he was facing. Firing his SRM's, he blasted off more armor, before adding a solid smack to the enemy 'Mech's left center torso. Backing off, he took cover behind a large boulder, with the enemy's own weapons smashing the rock to pieces.
"You're a good pilot, and so is your friend, but not good enough," Kane taunted Shepard and Mason as he fired his LB 20-X's at them. "When I'm done with you two, you and your friend's naked corpses will be hanging from these fortress walls."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Shepard snarled. "I've survived horrors that were more terrifying than you, Kane! You… you're just practice compared to them!" As he said this, he fired his own Ultra AC/20 at Kane's 'Mech.
It was at this point that Mason sensed that they had passed a critical tipping point in the battle. More and more of the Black Inferno 'Mechs were being destroyed, while his and Shepard's 'Mechs, despite having a good chunk of their armor ablated, were still fighting on. Kane, once both of his 'Mech's arms were blasted off by Shepard and Mason, shouted, "No! I will not be defeated by you!"
"You are being defeated, and you will be defeated," Mason growled. "Time for you to die." With that, he fired the Gauss Rifle mounted on his Atlas.
It was the killing blow. With most of the armor ablated from the enemy King Crab's center torso, the ferrous slug from the Gauss Rifle tore through whatever was left and smashed through the cockpit. Kane didn't even have time to react, before his body was liquefied by the force of the kinetic impact. To add insult to injury, the ferrous slug ricocheted and tore into the Fusion Engine. A few seconds later, it exploded.
"Thus ends the life of a murderer, and a psychopath," Shepard finished. "At least you can rest easy now, Mason, since your father's murderer is dead."
"I agree," Mason nodded. "It's not just my father that'll rest easy either. It's everyone that he killed, and would have killed, that'll rest easy." Looking around, he asked, "SitRep?"
"All good," Garrus replied as he used the last amount of ammo in his LB 5-X Autocannons to destroy the last hostile contact. "All hostile contacts are down, and we razed the fortress while you handled Kane. Unfortunately, Yamata got away."
"We'll get him another day," Mason decided. "He can run, but he has nowhere to hide now. Eventually, I will catch him. Either way, Black Inferno is no more." Contacting Ryana, he said, "Ryana, all hostiles are down. I'm requesting a salvage operation. We also found a Rifleman II for Garrus."
"Copy that, Commander," Ryana replied. "That is a very rare find indeed. Salvage team is on the way. Estimated salvage time: 8 hours."
"Good," Mason nodded. With that, he and the others took up formation as they waited for the DropShip to arrive. The bastard that murdered my father is dead, he thought to himself. Once Yamata, the man that ordered my father's death, is dead, then I can come up for air and breath. It's been a long, hard road, but I'm almost at the end.