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

Thank you all for your wonderful support in the previous chapter. I'm happy to see that all of you loved the action in the naval battle. My favorite part in writing that chapter was when the Tharkad came to the rescue with the Pocket WarShips in tow. I always liked the idea of a Pocket WarShip, so it was a joy to add that in there.

We're now into the second chapter of the Clan Invasion story arc. Things are going to ramp up from here on out, though the Clans are going to be in for quite the surprise.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

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, Piranha Games Inc., WizKids, 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.

Federated Commonwealth

Bensinger

March 16th, 3050

Inside the Command Center for the base they were at, Shepard and the others were looking over the losses, as well as the POW's, that had been taken during the battle the previous day. All around them, workers and technicians were busy carrying out their orders, with some conducting repairs on the defenses, while others were gearing up to replant the Smart Mines that had been detonated. Either way, it was a busy day, and not all of the work was pleasant.

356 people dead, he noted, a frown on his face as he saw the names of those that had perished in the line of duty, and in the protection of their people. 356 people that gave their lives so that we could win this battle. The statistics showed that it was the infantry that had suffered the most losses, while the rest were from MechWarriors that had been caught by their Clan enemies without backup.

While he was sad at the losses they had suffered, he was immensely proud of how the infantry had conducted themselves in combat. No one had fled from the battle at the sight of the Elemental Battle Armor that the Clans shock troopers used. Instead, they had hunkered down and fought back with a brutal efficiency that would've made even the most battle hardened Turians impressed with their resolve. It's that resolve that won this battle, and it's the same resolve that'll ensure that the Clans won't succeed in their goal of 'liberating' Terra and the Inner Sphere.

He was interrupted when he spotted Javik coming over. No one in the CIC reacted to his arrival, as everyone on base had been briefed by MIIO that they would be working with non-humans. As he returned back to looking at their losses, he heard Javik say, "It never gets easier, Commander. All you can do is fight on for those that died, and ensure that their sacrifice will never be in vain."

"I know," Shepard replied, bowing his head slightly before lifting it and standing up fully. "It's a lesson that I've had to learn the hard way. The day I stop caring about the people we lose is the day I become like Cerberus, or the Reapers, and I will never let that day come."

"Good," Javik nodded. "You are right not to do so. For every Prothean that was killed, I ensured that I slayed twenty of the Reaper's servants. While that memory stone I have in the Normandy holds pain, it also holds the last images of the faces of those that I served along, and those that died alongside me."

"Why keep it around?"

"For the same reasons that you honor the dead: so that I remember who they were. It would be a dishonor to the dead if I were to forget their faces."

"That's a bit ironic, coming from the guy who asked me if a trillion ghosts cared about honor."

"Being around you, Shepard, and around the Humans of the Federated Commonwealth has been an… enlightening experience, Shepard. I know more now about how life was like during the Prothean Empire's apex. Perhaps we were more like the Federated Commonwealth. We might never know, though I can say, with certainty, that it has been an honor to serve with you, Shepard, and it will continue to be an honor to do so."

Hearing that, Shepard turned and looked at Javik in all four of his eyes. He didn't see a single hint of sarcasm or any hint of a lie. Nodding, he said, "I'm glad that it has been an honor for you, Javik, and I hope it continues to be an honor as time goes on." Wanting to change the topic, he asked, "So, how do you like the Awesome you're piloting?"

"The Inner Sphere certainly knows how to design it's BattleMechs," Javik shrugged. "If we had any during my time in the Prothean Empire, then the Reaper's ground forces would not have stood a single chance. That being said, I wish we had their WarShips. I doubt that a Reaper could stand up to one for very long."

"I agree. Any advice you can share with the techs on the Awesome?"

"Only to ensure that it never shuts down from excessive heat. However, I can say that they did an excellent job with my 'Mech. Even when firing as quickly as I could, I only received a warning on the heat after a long period of time."

"Good to know."

Just as he said this, he watched as the base commander came up to him. "Commander Shepard, you have a moment?"

"Sure," Shepard nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"One of our POW's was wanting to speak with you," the base commander informed him. "Oddly enough, it isn't Morgan Folkner that requested to speak with you. It's one of the Elementals, a certain Gavin Calbot. Apparently, he spotted Nyreen during the battle, and he's been quite curious since then."

"Alright," Shepard shrugged. "I might as well speak with him. Besides, they're what are known as bondsmen at this point. I still don't like the fact that they are, technically, slaves."

"Not exactly," Javik, who was following the two, shook his head. "In Clan society, bondsmen, especially those that are members of the Warrior Caste, do not remain in the Labour Caste forever. It is after a certain period that they are restored to the caste that they used to be a member of."

"I know, but I still don't like it," Shepard frowned. With that, they proceeded to head to a nearby vehicle, which would take them to a penitentiary that was currently housing the prisoners.

. . .

The penitentiary, in this case, was close to the domed city that they had successfully defended two days ago in the battle. The building was shaped like an H, with the wings holding the cells for the prisoners, while the middle bar connecting those wings held the canteen, work/exercise yards, as well as administrative and storage rooms. Surrounding the facility was a ferrocrete wall shaped like a square, while guard towers were stationed at regular intervals to prevent a prisoner from escaping. Topping the wall was a line of electrified razorwire, a precautionary measure in the unlikely event a prisoner managed to scale the fifty meter tall wall.

It was in this penitentiary that the POW's from the earlier battle were being held. What surprised Shepard was that, according to the guards, not one of the bondsmen had attempted to escape. Instead, they did things that were common to the Labor Caste, such as cleaning laundry, picking up trash, performing repairs to their cells, and things like that. Still, the guards kept their vigilance up night and day, knowing that all it took was a single slip-up for the Clanners inside to get ideas.

As such, when they arrived at the base, they found the POW that wanted to speak with them inside of a booth made of bullet-resistant glass that was reinforced with thin ferro-steel wire, a security measure in case any inmates tried to get out that way. The Elemental in question was sitting on the inside of this booth, with a two way intercom that allowed him to talk with anyone that he wished to speak to. The orange jumpsuit that he wore didn't even conceal the massive amount of musculature the Elemental had.

Sitting down on the other side of the speaker, Shepard cleared his throat. A moment later, he said, "The base commander said that you wanted to speak with me. Why is that?" While he said this, he took a good look at Gavin Calbot, since he was much closer.

Despite the man's massive frame, he was also quite handsome for an Elemental. While he was bald, it didn't detract from his finely sculpted facial features, as well as the strong chin that he had. Dark blue eyes gazed at Shepard's own with an intensity that few could match.

A moment later, the Elemental spoke up in a voice that was deep and rough, similar to how some people Shepard had heard speak when he met them. "You, freeborn, are quite unusual. I have heard much about you, Shepard, and your exploits in the Inner Sphere from some of the guards. Some claim that you are not of this universe, while others claim that you lead aliens. I wished to speak to you in the hopes that I could clarify the rumors that surround you."

Shepard frowned. He knew that something like this was going to happen at some point, though he didn't expect it to be very soon. There's no harm in telling him, he decided. After all, unless we're forced to surrender him back to the Clans, there's not much he can do. Besides, that's info that MIIO might release, since we're more than capable of defending ourselves now. Clearing his throat, he said, "The rumors are true, yes."

"Interesting," Gavin noted, cocking an eyebrow in the process. "You are a very interesting fellow, Shepard. The ComStar Acolytes that Clan Smoke Jaguar captured and interrogated claimed that you were the very harbinger of the doom of their order. They even claimed that you could lead aliens that followed you faithfully to the ends of the Inner Sphere. It is good to see that their stories were true, but exaggerated in some ways."

"I see," Shepard nodded. "Is there some other reason why you wished to speak with me?"

"Yes," Gavin nodded. While he seemed calm, Shepard noticed a few facial ticks that indicated that he didn't like the idea, though he would hold to Clan tradition as trained. "I wish to serve you, as your bondsman, Shepard."

That got Shepard's attention, and fast. He wants to serve me as though I was his Khan, he noted. Is this some kind of a trick, or is there more to this story than meets the eye? Taking a moment, he asked, "Why is that, if I might ask?"

"Is it not obvious, Shepard? You proved your skill and resolve in the battle that happened not two days ago. You defeated foes that would've normally destroyed you, even if you were working with help. I saw you when you were on your own, against a Summoner, with no one to help. Despite being caught alone without help, you defeated that Summoner and showed your true prowess in battle. As a Clansman, I must respect that, both out of moral obligation, and out of the traditions of Clan Jade Falcon.

"In addition, there is a certain kind of… aura about you. It is, admittedly, difficult to describe, but people follow you, as though you have an aura that tells them that you are a leader that they desire to be under. Even some of the soldiers in this place follow your orders as though you are their leader, though you are not. You have the ability to command others, and the drive that a leader needs to be successful."

Shepard had to admit, those were legitimately good reasons for wanting to serve under him. He's right in that people tend to listen to me, and that I defeated a Thor on my own without help. Still, what's his real game? "Are you a member of the Clan Watch?"

"Bah! As if I need to resort to such dishonorable tactics! I do not wish to fight my enemy in the dark, with a knife in hand and a lie ready, Shepard. I would rather face my opponent in the field of battle, fight him despite being disadvantaged, and look him in the eye as I tear the life out of said opponent. That is the way we Elementals have always fought, and it is the way that we will always fight, come what may."

"I see," Shepard noted. "One moment, please?" Turning off the intercom for a moment, he asked, "Is he telling the truth?"

"I have reason to believe he is, yes," was Commander Terrence's reply. "My prison guards have been trained in behavioral analysis, so they can tell if someone is practicing deception. According to the ones with us, Gavin Calbot has not been displaying signs that he's been practicing deception. He could just be very good at masking his true intentions, but I don't think that's the case here."

"Is it even possible to fulfill his request?"

"Well, since I am, currently, the highest ranking officer on this planet, I'd say it is possible. I'll clear it with the First Prince. I heard that he's currently at Tharkad with his wife, Melissa Steiner. Good thing we made sure the HPG was fully functional."

"Do it. If we can have an Elemental on our team, then that would go a long way towards understanding how they fight."

. . .

True enough, Hanse was at Tharkad, or more specifically, the Tharkad Institute of Science and Engineering. The First Prince was currently visiting the institution to look at the most recent piece of technology recovered from the front lines of the Clan Invasion, though he was here to see how his wife was doing. So far, the trip was turning out to be quite invigorating for him.

I'm also proud of my son, Victor, he thought as he recalled some of the combat footage that had come back, via HPG. Just twenty years old, and he's already fighting like a veteran. Shepard, before he left for the impending war, taught him well, along with myself.

Even with that reassurance, he still felt more than a little nervous for his eldest son. Fighting against the Clans, according to Vega, was no joke at all, and it was very likely that he could get seriously injured in that fighting. Still, he knew he had trained his son as best as he could, both for the field of battle, and the backrooms of politics and governance. I just hope my daughter, Katherine, and my other son Peter, do just as well as Victor is. More than once, he remembered what Vega had said about his eldest daughter's actions in an alternate timeline.

Banishing the thoughts, he looked directly at some of the tech that had been recovered from the front lines of the Clan Invasion. As part of their plans to deal with the Clans, a series of Command Circuits had been created in order to ensure that troops, 'Mechs and supplies could get to the front-lines quickly, with minimal delay. That also included tech that was coming back to TIWT and NAIS for study and reverse-engineering.

That had led him to speak with Professor Ludwig von Schmidt, the head of the Materials Engineering Department at TIWT. Nearby was Dr. Walter Sauer, who headed up the Mechanical Engineering Department, and had a Major's Degree in Robotics. The two of them formed an odd pair, as Schmidt was solemn and phlegmatic, while Sauer was volatile and voluble. Rumor had it that Sauer could rant for hours over the failure of a Myomer bundle, damning it's ancestry back to the manufacturing plant where it was first made, while Schmidt would patiently comment 'Yeah.'

Clearing his throat, Hanse asked, "So, what do we have?"

"Well," Sauer, who was brushing the mop of blond colored hair that he had into a presentable appearance, "we have acquired ourselves a suit of Elemental Battle Armor. I must admit, even though they are clearly not as advanced than we are, the Clans have done a fucking beautiful job with that armor. Never saw such a myomer layout in my entire life. Take a look."

Walking over to where the Battle Armor was in one of the many workshops present at TIWT, Hanse took a closer look. Upon inspecting the armor, he could see why some members of the Periphery erroneously thought they were fighting aliens. The visor of the armor, combined with the trapezoidal missile pods, curved armor plating and the large Battle Claw on the left arm, made the armor extremely intimidating to look at. Said visor had a hole, courtesy of a laser beam that had pierced through it, which had resulted in the death of the Elemental piloting it.

Turning to Schmidt, he asked, "What about the armor plating?"

"It is quite creative, despite it's obsolescence," Schmidt replied, his tone of voice cold and calculating. "There is just enough armor to withstand a single hit from an LB 10-X Autocannon at medium range. While it is not my field of expertise, the electronics are certainly primitive, though they are quite well made. I am certain, however, that we can do far better than the Clans can."

"I see," Hanse nodded. "Sauer, Schmidt, how long do you think it would take to make Battle Armor of our own, given our tech base?"

The two scientists conversed with each other in German for a minute, before Sauer turned back to Hanse. "At our current tech level, I wouldn't be surprised if we reverse-engineered Battle Armor in a year and a half. Manufacturing the armor will be limited for about another year and a half, after which, it would be a plentiful sight within the Federated Commonwealth. Would certainly scare the shit out of the Combine's warriors."

Hanse laughed with the two for a minute. "That it would," he nodded, a smile on his face. "That it would." Nodding, he said, "Carry on with your studies of the armor. I want to have our forces be able to use Battle Armor as soon as they can." With that, he left, while allowing the two scientists to go to work tearing apart the Battle Armor, in order to learn how to make their own.

. . .

A few hours later, Hanse was inside the military command center underneath Mount Asgard. He was currently inside of the War Room, which held a holographic map of the Inner Sphere, as well as the Periphery. Right now, the map was highlighting the Federated Commonwealth in gold yellow, while the invading Clans were highlighted in green, red, white and silver gray.

Looking at the map, Hanse could see how far each of the Invading Clans had come into the Inner Sphere. So far, they've made little progress into the Federated Commonwealth, he noted. We lost the system Here, as well as Damian and Thule, but the defenses at the other worlds are holding strong at the moment. We also destroyed any tech the Clans could use at the conquered systems in our territory to prevent it from falling into Clan hands.

The same, though, couldn't be said of the Draconis Combine. The Combine is getting hammered by Clan Shadow Jaguar, he noted to himself. They've already lost all systems all along the Combine/Periphery border, and reports from our spies indicate that they're projected to lose more territory. We'll have to shore up the defenses along the FedCom/Combine border, just in case Clan Shadow Jaguar gets any ideas.

As he thought this over, an idea came into his head. It might be possible to use one of these Trials to force Clan Wolf to side with us in this conflict. I know they are of the Warden philosophy, and that they got dragged into a war they didn't want, despite having some Crusader elements within their ranks. That might work out, as long as we play our cards right.

His thoughts were interrupted when an aide came inside. Turning towards the man, he asked, "What is it?"

"Commander Shepard wishes to speak with you," the aide replied. "He is currently on channel two. You can talk to him from the holo-table."

"Thanks," Hanse nodded. Proceeding towards the holotable as the aide walked out, he hit the call button. A moment later, the words, "Establishing Connection. Please Wait…" appeared in the air.

That brought Hanse back to another change that they had done to FTL communications systems. With ComStar no longer existing, they had to rework how FTL communications were processed and handled. As such, looking for ideas, he had talked with Shepard on how the Alliance, and the Council Races, handled FTL communications. It turned out, that was a smart idea. According to Shepard, military and political communications were given top priority in Council Space, with commercial communications coming in second, while all private communications came in on the lowest priority. Hanse, seeing the sense in that, had decided to do the same.

That had led to the hiring of Interstellar Communications LLC, which used a proportional fee inspired by the FedCom's flat tax to get the money it needed, all at a suitable rate, of course. Hanse hadn't hired them because they had high capacity, but because, in the five years since ComStar's decline, they had shown themselves to be a reliable and dependable service. As such, it wasn't long before a holographic video screen came up, with Shepard clearly visible. "Commander Shepard," Hanse smiled. "I heard you were wishing to speak with me. How goes the war?"

"Fine," Shepard nodded. "We held the base here against an attack by Clan Jade Falcon." Frowning, he said, "We lost some people, though."

"I know," Hanse frowned, though he sympathized with Shepard. "Such is war, unfortunately. So, what's the call for?"

"I was wanting to get your opinion on something," Shepard explained. "We have a Clan Elemental by the name of Gavin Calbot that's wishing to serve under my command in the war against the Invading Clans. It sounds like he's telling the truth, but I wanted to get some advice from you on the matter."

Hanse nodded at that, a thoughtful expression coming onto his face. That is a legitimate reason to call me, he noted, and I was fully available at the time, so… why not. Still, if what he says is true, then we have to be very careful. This 'Gavin Calbot' could be a member of the Clan Watch.

After some thought, he realized he had a solution. "I see," he noted. "In that case, go ahead and bring him aboard Shepard, but be careful. Make sure there are no outbound transmissions from your base, and from your DropShip. If there are none for the duration of the war, then we'll know that Calbot is telling the truth. If there are, then you are free to shove your boot up his arse and kick him out of the airlock. Understood?"

"Understood," Shepard nodded. "Thanks. I just needed some advice."

"Any time," Hanse nodded. "You did help me ensure that the Federated Commonwealth would stand for over a thousand years, if all goes well." With that, the communications link went quiet.

Turning back to the holographic map of the Inner Sphere, he continued to think. It's going to be a rough war, but I am certain that we will stop the Clans, he thought. As long as we continue to fight on, the Clans will be forced to concede to us, and we will have achieved victory.