Hello again, eeryone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect Crossover.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback you provided in the previous chapter. I'm very glad to know that all of you enjoyed it.

Now we are near the beginning of the next story arc. The Inner Sphere is enjoying a calm before the storm, and what a storm it'll be.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective property 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.

BattleTech OST - A Welcome Respite

Federated Commonwealth

New Avalon

January 1st, 3045

For the first time in his life, Hanse Davion was at peace, even as he worked at his desk, where he governed half of the Federated Commonwealth. That peace had translated into his work, with his hands quickly, but calmly, doing their work, even as he filled out the last piece of paperwork before closing the computer down. With that done, he walked over to a nearby cabinet, pulled out a bottle of liquor, and poured himself a single drink.

Sitting down in a nearby sofa, he looked at the TV screen, which showed a news broadcast of some of the latest events in the Inner Sphere. The news that was being displayed came from the newly founded Federated Commonwealth News Network, or FCNN for short. FCNN, though, was just one of numerous media outlets that were springing up in the wake of ComStar's demise.

Thinking of ComStar prompted him to think for a minute. Two hundred and fifty seven years, he thought, recalling some history lessons from his time in school. For two hundred and fifty seven years, we were all prisoners of ComStar, and now… we're free. No longer do we have to fear ComStar, for it has become extinct, never to rise again.

Still, he knew that MIIO and the Lyran Intelligence Corps, or LIC, were having a grand time hunting down the last remnants of ComStar. When Anastasius Focht had announced that Myndo Waterly, after some 'convincing', had formally surrendered to the AFFC, ComStar had shattered like a pane of glass. Most ComStar agents within the Federated Commonwealth surrendered without further conflict, knowing that it was futile to do so.

Those outside of the Federated Commonwealth, however, had refused to do so, and had fled to either the Draconis Combine, or the Free Worlds League in order to offer their services to House Marik and House Kurita. As such, MIIO and the LIC were hunting down the last remnants of ComStar in the Federated Commonwealth, while secret teams infiltrated the Free Worlds League and Draconis Combine to do the same. Either way, the Liberation of Terra, as the media called it, had sent shockwaves throughout the Inner Sphere, as it proved that the Federated Commonwealth had the power to shatter the control of the most mysterious faction had in the Inner Sphere.

I'm also glad that Anastasius Focht convinced the maintenance team for the Hilton Head HPG Complex to side with us, and to give our own HPG maintenance teams a few pointers. The training manuals we snagged from ComStar certainly helped out as well. Still, we've only sifted through a small portion of the information we managed to save from ComStar's lackeys. Our surprise attack, and quick capture of Myndo Waterly, ensured that we could save it all from being destroyed.

He finished his drink just as he looked at a noteputer that had a schedule of who was coming to visit him and when. Looks like the next thing on my agenda for today is to meet with Shepard and his team, he noted. Well, they did call ahead and ask if they could come over. Good thing I had enough time to schedule an appointment with them today. I have a few gifts to share with them, since Christmas came a little late this time around. Getting up, he he walked over to the chair behind his desk and sat down. Just as he did, a beeping noise came from the wireless speaker/phone on his desk. "Yes?" he asked.

"Sir, Shepard and his team has arrived," the receptionist informed him.

"Alright, send them in," he nodded. Ending the call, he got up and, walking back to the cabinet where he stored his liquor, pulled out some more glasses and filled them up. No more for me, though, he said to himself. My wife wouldn't appreciate that. Some days, I swear that she knows exactly what I'm doing, even though we're well over seven hundred light years apart from each other.

Just as he sat down, he watched as Shepard came inside, along with Nyreen, Garrus, Wrex, Vega, along with Nihlus and Celicia. Seeing them walking inside, Hanse smiled at them. "Good to see you, Shepard. How are you doing?"

"Fine," Shepard nodded. "A little older than when we first arrived here, but fine." He fingered the hairs on his head that were starting to turn gray in color. "You look quite fine too, Hanse."

"Thank you," Hanse nodded. "I like the gray that's coming into your hair. It makes you look good." As the team sat down, he asked, "So, what brings you here today, Shepard?"

"Just relaxing, before we leave tomorrow," Shepard explained. "Mason felt that we had earned a much needed break from mercenary work, so we decided to come back here and have a little fun. Grunt certainly drunk himself into a stupor yesterday."

Hanse chuckled at that. It was no secret between himself, Ardan Sortek and Quintus Allard that Grunt could drink a considerable amount of whiskey, and other alcoholic drinks, before even getting tipsy. Wrex, however, had managed to send him the recipe for an alcoholic drink that was so strong, it would've knocked even the most stalwart soldier onto his ass due to it's potency, though some ingredients had to be substituted. According to Wrex, it was a drink that his kind called ryncol, with the drink being so powerful that only a few human beings could safely drink it.

Looking at Celicia and Nihlus, he said, "Looks like your kids have grown considerably, since I last saw them."

Nyreen chuckled at that. "Well, they're not kids anymore. They're fully grown adults by my kind's standards. You remember Hanse?"

"We do," Nihlus nodded, with Celicia giving only a slight nod. "You've gotten old, Hanse." At that remark, Nyreen had a mortified expression on her face.

Hanse, though, hadn't taken any offense at all, as he smiled and said, "I might be old, but I can still kick your ass in 'Mech combat. Old age, treachery and all. Still, you're right in that I'm old, but I've still got quite a few years left."

Taking up one of the drinks that Hanse had set out for them, Shepard said, "Here's to those years being fruitful and enjoyable."

"Hear, hear!" Garrus and the others agreed, before taking a sip from the drinks the First Prince had laid out for all of them to enjoy. Wrex particularly smiled at the flavor of the ryncol he sipped.

As the team began swapping stories and challenges with each other, Hanse laid back and looked at the gathering with a smile on his face. It's been a long time since we had something like this, he thought to himself. I really missed the simple things in life, which makes me all the happier to be able to partake in them once more.

He would've continued that line of thought, were it not for Nihlus to speak up a moment later. "I wonder when we'll be able to take on the Clans," he remarked. "From what I've heard, we've, more or less, reached, and in some areas exceeded, their technology level."

"Just three years from now, if memory serves," Vega recalled. "The Clan Invasion began in 3049, during August, in the original timeline. With things having changed quite a bit, though, I don't know when the invasion will begin now. If it happens as it did in the original timeline, however, we'll be more than ready to keep them from invading." Turning to Hanse, he asked, "So, any progress on that front, if I may ask?"

"Sure," Hanse nodded. "It's common knowledge between all of us, so we can talk about that. The room's been swept for bugs anyways." Clearing his throat, he said, "We've been fortifying the planets along the northernmost border of the Federated Commonwealth, especially the worlds that were first hit by the Invading Clans. We took a page out of the Taurian Concordat's playbook."

"I'm not sure I understand," Shepard frowned.

"I can explain," Vega replied. "I did some research in the history archives on the planet. From what I recall, the Capellan Confederation attempted to invade the Taurian Concordat shortly after the signing of the Ares Conventions, claiming that they were not a signatory of the Conventions. For the record, they were right, but they underestimated the fact that the Taurian Concordat has always distrusted anyone from the Inner Sphere, and has prepared for the day that someone tries to muscle in on them."

"Correct," Hanse added. "Despite being bombarded with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the Concordat actually held off the Capellans. Only three worlds were taken, but the fighting ensured that they were ruined. If memory serves correctly, the Capellans were nearly bankrupted by the war, while the Taurians just shrugged and prepared for the next wave."

"Let me guess," Shepard mused. "You're going to replicate what the Concordat did in order to hold those worlds against the Clans?"

"Precisely," Hanse nodded. "We've also been building new JumpShips in order to create a strong logistical network that'll allow those garrisons to receive supplies at frequent intervals. We've also built numerous artillery fortifications on those planets, and laid entire fields of Smart Mines that will only detonate if they detect any Clan personnel that are about to step on them. Amateurs study strategy, professionals study logistics, and the Clans are certainly the amateurs here."

"What about equipment and training for our soldiers?"

"As Nihlus correctly put it, many of the worlds in the Federated Commonwealth are at the tech level of the Clans in a number of areas, and the rest we've exceeded them in. Our 'Mechs and Combat Vehicles have access to weaponry and armor that is as advanced, if not more so, than their own, and our WarShips have greater maneuverability and better armor than theirs. Once the Clans invade, we'll have enough to challenge the smaller Clans on equal footing. As for the training that our soldiers are getting, Melissa and I have someone on that already, so no need to worry about that."

"And their goal of conquering Terra?"

"Is the main reason why we've also fortified Terra. We're also going to be building an SDS at Tharkad, New Avalon and other strategic worlds in the Federated Commonwealth. We won't be able to complete all of them by 3049, but we'll certainly have the ones for New Avalon and Tharkad completed."

"That's good to hear," Shepard nodded. Getting up, he said, "Well, we've got to head back to work tomorrow, so we've gotta go now."

"Before you go," Hanse said to them. "I have a few gifts to share with you. I know it's a little late for Christmas, but better late than never." Pulling out a few boxes from a nearby room, he laid them out on the floor for the others. Giving one to Shepard, he said, "I think you'll appreciate this."

Taking the box, Shepard opened it up and pulled out the contents. To his surprise, it was another Cooling Suit, but there were some major alterations. For one, he could see armor plating in various areas, and the normally exposed coolant tubes were hidden beneath layers of tough, fabric armor. "An Armored Cooling Suit?" he asked.

"Yes," Hanse replied, "and it's not just armored as well. That suit has a built-in life support system in case the one in your 'Mech malfunctions. It's also vacuum sealed, so if the ferro-glass of your 'Mech's cockpit is shattered in vacuum, you won't have to worry about your blood boiling. NAIS created that pattern of suit for all of our MechWarriors, but decided to give you the best of the best. An integrated VI in the Neuorhelmet, which has been up-armored, is the icing on the cake, along with top-of-the-line kinetic barriers. They'll only withstand a few rounds, due to the increased momentum and inertia most modern projectiles have compared to the sand-grain sized bullets your home universe's weapons fire, but it's better than nothing."

Looking at the helmet, Shepard could tell that it was better armored, as Hanse had said. The forehead section, along with the sides, were especially better protected. Trying the helmet out, Shepard found that the up-armored sections didn't inhibit his ability to look to the left and right, or to turn his head. Taking the helmet off, he said, "Thank you, Hanse. I'll certainly put this gift to good use."

"You're welcome," Hanse smiled. Looking at Garrus and Nyreen, he said, "I don't have any gifts for you, unfortunately, but I do have a few for your eldest children."

"That's alright," Garrus smiled. "I'm more than satisfied with what I have. Aren't we, Nyreen?"

"That we are," Nyreen agreed, before the two kissed each other.

Smiling at the display of affection the two were doing, Hanse pulled out a small box, and a large box. Handing Celicia the smaller box, he watched as her eyes widened when she opened it. "A biotic amp?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "NAIS and TIWT discovered four years ago that some of our troops were exposed to Element Zero. A few needed cancer treatments, but most became biotics, necessitating the need to research Biotic Amps for them. Liara allowed NAIS to study her biotic amp, so that we could make amps for them, while she started training them to use their biotics.

"That there, is the most advanced iteration we've ever produced. According to Liara, it's nearly 30% more effective than the most advanced biotic amps from your parent's home reality. So, what do you think?"

"That's… that's wonderful," Celicia beamed. "Thank you, Hanse."

"You're welcome," Hanse nodded. Looking at Nihlus, he said, "I haven't forgotten you either." Handing Nihlus the larger box, he allowed the younger Turian to open it.

Pulling the item out, he watched as Nihlus looked what appeared to be an SMG over in his hands. "What's this?" he asked.

"A Gunther MP-20, fresh off the production line," Hanse replied. "It's the first ballistic weapon we've designed that makes use of the technology that Shepard and your parents brought with them on the Normandy, aside from the M42B that is. We won't be using mass accelerators, they're not strong enough to penetrate modern body armor, but we have refined the tech we've decided to use. May it serve you well."

Looking at Hanse, Nihlus nodded and said, "I'll put this to good use, Hanse. If anyone attempts to break into my 'Mech and kill me, they'll have a nasty surprise waiting for them."

"Agreed," Hanse nodded. As the team filed out, after receiving a few more presents, he smiled as they left. The Federated Commonwealth is forever indebted to you, Shepard, he thought. Should you find a way back home to your home universe, then you can be comforted, knowing that the Federated Commonwealth will stand with you against the Reapers. We will be the immovable and unbreakable wall upon which they will shatter themselves.

. . .

In another system in the Federated Commonwealth, at roughly the same time, Jamie Wolf watched as various members of the AFFC conducted simulator training in preparation for the Clan Invasion. Currently, AFFC soldiers were training for combat against the Clans super soldiers, known as Elementals, with the goal being to not only find ways to defeat an Elemental quickly, but to also determine any weaknesses that could be exploited.

As he watched the soldiers train, he reflected back on the previous two decades of his life. The Federated Suns, now the Federated Commonwealth, has grown so much since the Fourth Succession War, he thought silently. They have not wasted any opportunity to prepare themselves for when the Crusader Clans begin their march to war. Khan Kerlin Ward would be smiling, if he could see how successful our efforts to prepare the Inner Sphere for war have been.

It wasn't just the Federated Commonwealth's growth that had impressed him. In the span of just a couple decades, the Federated Commonwealth, formerly the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonweatlh had gone from using technology that was used in the Age of War, to exceeding the Clans in various areas, while equaling them in others. It was truly impressive to see that growth, which had only accelerated since TIWT had been built.

He could already see a good example of this technological growth with the weaponry the soldiers were training with. One of the men was using what appeared to be a bullpup sniper rifle of some sort. Aiming down the scope, the soldier fired the weapon, a loud KRA-THOOM echoing in the air as the projectile zipped down the barrel at high speed. Moments later, the target, the holographic and barrier manifestation of an Elemental, disappeared, with the computer simulating a clean kill.

Jamie, who'd learned of that weapon, known as the Thunderstroke IV, yesterday, was quite impressed by the display. A bullpup infantry Gauss Rifle capable of penetrating the armor plating used by the Elemental Battle Armor system. Impressive… most impressive.

A moment later, he watched as the simulation came to an end, with the computer announcing the results a moment later. Looking at a holographic projection of the results, he nodded at what he saw. The AFFC won the simulation. Good, good. However, a simulation can only prepare one for the real thing, and that is when we will see if these soldiers can hold their own against the Clans, or crumble.

His line of thought was interrupted when he heard someone coming inside. Turning around, he watched as Natasha Kerensky came inside. "Good day, Natasha," he beamed. "I take it training is coming along well?"

"That it is," Natasha nodded. "The MechWarriors that Hanse and Melissa sent to us for training have done quite well. A few are starting to rival me in terms of skill, and that is a good sign, especially since a few of those especially skilled MechWarriors were once mere amateurs. If progress keeps up like this, the Federated Commonwealth will have a corps of MechWarriors capable of taking on even the most skilled of Clan Warriors." Looking at the simulation results, she asked, "What about them?"

"They are coming along quite nicely too," Jamie explained. "This is the twentieth time that they have won the simulation since arriving here at Outreach. If all goes well, we will have to further increase the difficulty."

"How high is it?"

"Around Alpha-Two, if I recall correctly. That is a small step below the highest one. If they succeed at the highest one repeatedly, then I know that they will be ready for the Clan Invasion."

"That is good to hear," Natasha beamed. "It appears as though Khan Kerlin Ward's hopes of an Inner Sphere ready to combat the Clans has been realized with the rise of the Federated Commonwealth."

"That it has," Jamie nodded. With that, they continued to watch as the soldiers, having completed training for the day, left the simulator and began filing back to the dormitory they were using at the base.

A few hours later, Jamie was at the 'Mech Bay they were using at the facility that Hanse had graciously gifted to them. The freeborn Clan Warrior was currently working on making sure that the cockpit was in good working order. So far, all seemed to be quite well, with everything inside working as it should.

Either way, the technologies that NAIS and TIWT have developed are most impressive, he thought to himself. Their version of Ferro-Fibrous armor is denser, and takes better to shaping, than the Clan version, and their version of Endo Steel is superior to our own. It is a good thing that I invested into those upgrades for my Archer.

Walking outside of the 'Mech, he knew of an additional change to the 'Mech he was piloting. While he couldn't see it, he knew that the laser weapons on the Archer were of a new kind. A few months ago, a new laser weapon system, known as ER Pulse Lasers, had arrived on the market in the Federated Suns.

Compared to standard Pulse Lasers, ER Pulse Lasers had significantly greater range, with the maximum long range being only slightly shorter than that of ER Lasers. They also did greater damage than traditional Pulse Lasers, mainly due to increased power output. The downsides were increased heat generation compared to ER Lasers, though advances in materials engineering meant that the heat increase wasn't drastically greater. In addition, there was a slight reduction in accuracy at maximum range, though the use of the newest targeting computers could rectify that downside easily.

There were also a few new weapon systems that had come out, with one having been LosTech, while the other was a brand new design. Walking up to another 'Mech they had in the hangar bay, a Nightstar, he found a group of technicians that were busy conducting a check on 'Mech itself, with the weapons currently resting in harnesses on workbenches that allowed the technicians to work on them. "Hello," he said to the Chief 'Mech Bay technician.

"Hello," the technician beamed back. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Firstly, what is your name?"

"Patrick Connors, sir," came the reply. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Jamie shook his head. "Just curious as to the weapons onboard this 'Mech, and the armor it uses. I am also curious as to who is piloting this particular Nightstar."

"Ah, I see," Patrick nodded. "This is Natasha Kerensky's newest 'Mech. She got it from Norse-Star Technologies a month ago, and it's just arrived today. I and my team are doing a checkover to make sure that everything was in order."

"And?"

"So far, so good," came the response. Looking up, Jamie could see one of the technicians that were checking over the weapons. "The Norse M-7D Gauss Rifle's in perfect condition. When this baby fires, the enemy is going to get a face full of 180mm, ultra compacted ferrous slug in the face. Said slug is also going to be flying at a velocity of 5.8 kilometers per second, what with the Mass Effect Field inside the weapon reducing the mass of the slug until it leaves the muzzle."

Jamie gave a low, long whistle at that. "Very impressive," he nodded. "That is powerful enough to destroy a Light 'Mech with a single hit, and severely damage a Medium 'Mech."

"That it is," the technician beamed. "I have to feel sorry for the poor bastard that's going to wind up on the wrong end of this thing. There won't be anything left of 'im, save for whatever bloody smear is left behind." He chuckled at the dark humor a moment later.

Turning to leave, Jamie nearly ran into another group of technicians that were hauling away another weapon for maintenance. Looking at the weapon, Jamie found that it resembled an Ultra Autocannon, except for the fact that it had five barrels, rather than the traditional three or two. "What is that?" he asked, having never seen the weapon before.

"I can explain," Patrick informed him. "That's another weapon that recently hit the market; in fact, we were lucky to even find it in the weapons market on this planet. That, sir, is a Rotary Autocannon, with that one in particular being a Rotary Autocannon/2."

"Rotary Autocannon?"

"Yep. Uses the same magnetic loading system as the Ultra Autocannon, but has two more chambers. That, combined with recent advances to materials engineering, means that the weapon won't overheat nearly as fast as an Ultra Autocannon, though it will jam after a long period of sustained fire. From what I hear, NAIS did a retrofit on the Ultra Autocannons with the new materials they used for the RAC's, so the Ultra AC's should benefit from the same improvement in reliability."

That had Jamie's attention, and he could already see the potential applications for such a weapons system. Rapid fire capability means that it will likely be used at medium to short range, though I would not be surprised if a skilled MechWarrior could hit targets well beyond the intended ranges. Already, he could imagine Clan MechWarriors being surprised upon encountering an Inner Sphere 'Mech that used such a weapon.

Walking out of the 'Mech Bay, he looked upwards towards the sky. By now, it was twilight, and the stars were starting to come out in full. Looking towards one particular star, he sat down on a nearby block of ferrocrete. For the first time since I arrived here, he thought, I can safely say that we are ready for the Crusader Clan's invasion.

Instead of feeling a worrying dread whenever he looked towards those stars, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling upon knowing that he had completed his mission successfully. We are ready, and I will fight alongside the freeborn warriors of the Inner Sphere as a fellow comrade of theirs… come what may.