Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback in the previous chapter. I greatly appreciate it.
Also,, like I did with my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover, I am going to be putting an Q&A, along with notes, at the bottom of the page. That way, I can respond to your reviews and questions there. In addition, I am also more than willing to hear ideas from each one of you that leaves a review. Please, go ahead and do so in said reviews.
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, 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 belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Federated Commonwealth
New Avalon
July 10th, 3050
Inside the military command center inside Mount Davion, Hanse rubbed at his face as he looked at holographic readouts of the Clan Invasion. Around him, dozens of personnel were busy at work, making sure that the machine that was the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth was running smoothly. In addition, armed guards were carefully watching the area for any signs that something wrong was about to happen.
Hanse smiled at that, even as he looked the guards over. It does me proud to see the 1st Davion Guard doing their best to ensure that I am safe, even though we are, practically speaking, on one of the most secure planets in the Inner Sphere. Still, he felt that their vigilance wasn't fully warranted, though he welcomed it anyways.
With a sigh, he turned back to the holo-table, where a holographic image of the Inner Sphere was being displayed. It's been a hard four years, he thought. Four months of fighting against the Clans, but I am proud to say that our defenses have been holding out. Plus, we've been acquiring new tech from the salvage that we've collected thus far.
Still, it hasn't been without losses. We lost around five star systems to the Clans, but we managed to destroy any tech they could've salvaged. Still, it's been a hard conflict, and we're not at the end yet.
His gaze was then drawn towards the Draconis Combine. Of all the Great Houses in the Inner Sphere, the Combine was suffering the most from the Clan Invasion. The northern section of the Combine had fallen to Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Smoke Jaguar. Projections indicated that, within four years, much of the Combine would be under Clan control, and the thinnest part of the Federated Commonwealth itself would be assailed.
Making matters worse was that the Combine had refused to ask for help. In their pride, they believed that they would be rescued by a kind of kamikaze, much like what had happened during Japan's feudal days on ancient Terra. Hanse, however, knew that this was a silly idea, especially given the fact that there was no such thing.
Arrogant and prideful bastards, he grumbled. They'd sooner commit seppuku rather than bend their pride and ask us, the so called 'yellow bird' for help. Apparently, the Dragon's pride makes him think that asking for help is a sign of weakness.
That brought Hanse back to something that Shepard had said. "Some people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness," Shepard had told him. "That's just being stupid and stubborn. No matter how strong you are, allies always make you stronger." To Hanse, that was the most sensible thing, when it came to allies, that he'd ever heard.
That reminded him of a decision that he'd made. After careful consideration, he had decided to conduct negotiations with the Free Worlds League, with the goal of allowing the Free Worlds League to gain access to their tech, in exchange for helping them fend off the Clans. I know that we don't have the best track record with them, he thought, but it's the most sensible solution that I can think of right now. Besides, the way the agreement is set up, we can use that to leverage some form of control over them. With that, he turned to head back towards the elevator.
A few hours later, Hanse was talking with Ardan Sortek inside of the room where he governed much of the Federated Commonwealth from. Nearby, Quintus was sitting in one of the sofa's. Ardan was quite old by now, though he still continued to serve in his capacity as the Prince's Champion. Both he and Hanse were standing near the holo-table, where the latter was discussing his idea on how to stop the Clans would work.
"Let me get this straight," Sortek said to Hanse. "You plan on doing what ComStar would've done at the Battle of Tukayyid in the original timeline?"
"Yes," Hanse nodded. "In short, my goal is to turn the Clans' own traditions against them. By challenging them to fight us at Pinnacle, we can put them into a position where we can inflict the greatest amount of damage against them. In addition, we can convince the Warden faction of Clan Wolf, and maybe even the other Warden Clans, to come over to our side. They can be protectors, but not as superiors, but rather as equals."
"I see… And you would do it like this because?"
"Because it would be the ultimate insult to the Clans: that they were defeated by freeborn warriors that were better trained, and armed with more advanced technology, than they were. Plus, it will give us enough time to build up our WarShip fleets to the point where we can directly invade the Clan Homeworlds. As it stands, we only have enough WarShips to defend the Federated Commonwealth; we need more if we're to invade the Kerensky Cluster."
Ardan nodded at that. "Quite reasonable." Turning to Quintus, he asked, "What do you think?"
"I think it's an excellent plan," Quintus nodded. "Hanse is also correct in that we could challenge one of the minor clans, Clan Snow Raven, if I recall correctly. If we're going to be invading the Kerensky Cluster, then we need to have a much larger WarShip fleet. Challenging the Clans to a Trial of Combat, where we decide the terms of the engagement, would also be beneficial to us."
"Exactly," Hanse nodded. "In addition, I've also heard that research into Battle Armor came along far faster than we expected. With the new computers, and new testing methods, they were able to quickly work out how to manufacture Battle Armor. It's in limited production right now, but it should enter full production in eight months time." Smiling, he said, "There's also another advantage that we can put to good use in this battle as well."
"Oh?"
"Shepard and his team. They have the most experience when it comes to fighting the Clans, along with the Wolf's Dragoons and Kell Hounds. In addition, they have a few Clan Warriors as bondsmen from previous battles with the Clans."
"A sensible choice."
"I agree. There's also another mercenary company that's migrated to the front lines that I'm looking at."
"Oh?"
"Morgan's Marauders."
It took Ardan a moment to remember what Hanse was referring to. "I remember them," he noted, a thoughtful expression on his face. "They were responsible for helping Kamea Arano, the princess and daughter of Tamati Arano II, restore the Aurigan Coalition when the Espinosas attempted to replace it with the Aurigan Directorate. I take it you hired them as well?"
"Yes," Hanse nodded. "They helped restore a legitimate Periphery nation to it's rightful position, so why not. The Aurigan Coalition is also one of the few Periphery powers that were willing to make a trade agreement with the Federated Suns. They've benefited greatly from our alliance with them. Kamea Arano was most insistent that I bring Morgan's Marauders along for the ride."
"Good," Ardan nodded. "They are a highly reputable mercenary group. Right?" He directed the last question towards Quintus.
"That you are," Quintus nodded. "So, let's recap what we've discussed. We're going to challenge the Invading Clans to a Trial of Possession at the Pinnacle system, where we will use our more advanced technology, and various tactics, to defeat the Invading Clans. Should we win, we will not only humiliate the Crusader Clans, we will convince the Warden Clans to come over to our side, or at the very least open negotiations with them. Am I missing anything?"
"Nope," Hanse shook his head. "You're still as sharp as ever, Quintus."
"Good," Quintus beamed.
"I'll set up a contract with Morgan's Marauders so that they can participate in the Trial of Possession we will wage against the Crusader Clans," Ardan decided. "I'll see you all later." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind himself.
Looking at Hanse, Quintus asked, "How's your heart doing?"
At that, Hanse subconsciously pressed a hand against his chest. Thanks to Vega, he knew that, in the original timeline, he would've died of a heart attack brought on by a video that a member of House Liao would've sent him two years ago. With the destruction of House Liao, that event had been averted, though he knew a heart attack could come at any time given his age.
"It's doing fine so far," he reassured his old friend. "Ever since I turned seventy, I've been getting regular checkups to make sure that it's working as it should."
"And has it?"
"According to the doctors, there's a heart murmur, but it's not very noticeable. What has them concerned is that I'm starting to suffer from early stage congestive heart failure. At my age, though, that's to be expected; I'm getting old, Quintus. My organs are doing good still, but there are bound to be some problems that will develop. The fact that no life threatening ones have cropped up yet is an indicator of how strong I still am. Still, regular checkups won't hurt a thing at all. In fact, such checkups will catch any problems while they're still small and manageable. At any rate, I'll be going in for a heart transplant at the hospital in two weeks time."
"I know. You had the doctors take a freshly deceased cadaver's heart, wash it clean of all it's cells, which left only the protein scaffolding, and then seeded it with stem cells from your body. How's that coming?"
"According to the doctors, the new heart will be ready by the time surgery day rolls around," Hanse beamed. "Regenerative medicine is a wonderful thing. No chance of organ rejection, since the new organ is made of the patient's own cells."
"Agreed," Quintus nodded. After a moment, he said, "Well, I'd best get to work now. Stay healthy and safe, Hanse."
"You too, Quintus," Hanse nodded. With that, the head of MIIO left the room, while Hanse went back to work to ensure that the Federated Commonwealth continued to run smoothly and efficiently.
. . .
A similar story was going on at the Blackjack system, where Shepard and his team were currently refitting their 'Mechs. Looking at his Marauder II, Shepard whistled when he saw the technicians remove the last piece of Ferro-Lamellor armor plating. Said armor plating look as though it was a chicken breast that had been in the oven for far too long, with massive gouges and molten trails carved into the material.
The Clans have been fighting us like mad, he noted to himself. Ever since they found out that our forces were more advanced than theirs, they've pulled out all the stops. They're still fighting us in accordance to their traditions, but they are still really hammering at us. Some days, I wonder if they're holding back even more forces.
He was jarred from his musing when he heard someone coming towards him. He was about to turn when a voice said, "Good day, Star Commander Shepard. I take it that all is well?"
Shepard turned to look at the person in question. Ever since he'd been released from custody, Gavin Calbot had fought alongside Shepard and his team as though they were fellow Warriors, as tradition dictated. At Hanse's recommendation, he'd checked to make sure that Calbot wasn't discreetly sending back information to the Clans; so far, Calbot was as good as his word. Not a single unauthorized transmission had been detected by the VI onboard the Cavalier III.
The biggest reaction, however, was with the non-human members of the mercenary company. Shepard had been worried that Calbot might take offense to Garrus and the others. That brought him back to a memory from some time ago.
. . .
Three Months Earlier
Walking down the steps to the cargo bay, Shepard thought he heard an odd sound. Stopping for a moment, he listened carefully to the sound, which he identified as people cheering someone on. Confused, he decided to take a closer look for himself. Walking down another flight of steps, he entered the 'Mech Bay.
It was there that he saw the reason for the cheering and shouting. Most of the crew were gathered in the 'Mech Bay, with all of them forming a circle around a pair of combatants in the center of the room. In the center of the room was Grunt, and the newest member of the mercenary company: Gavin Calbot. Calbot was coated in a layer of sweat, which glistened in the powerful lighting in the bay, while Grunt wore a smile, though he too was also sweating profusely. Nearby, he could see Garrus and the others forming part of the circle.
Walking up to Garrus, Shepard asked, "What's going on?"
"Calbot encountered Grunt today," Garrus explained. "He talked with Mason about what was going on, and he told him the truth about you and me. When Grunt challenged him to a fight, Calbot agreed and they decided to have a spar here in the 'Mech Bay."
"Ah, I see," Shepard nodded. "Why a spar here, though?"
"Calbot wants to see if Grunt really is a trueborn by Clan standards. If Grunt wins, then Calbot will accept that fact. If not, well…"
"I get it."
Any further conversation was promptly interrupted when Calbot, seeing an opportunity, charged forwards, lashing out with a fist towards Grunt's face. Grunt, however, put the fighting lessons that Wrex, and a few martial arts experts, had taught him to good use. Leaning back and to the left, he narrowly avoided the blow to his face.
Reaching up with both hands, he grabbed Calbot's overextended arm and, pulling hard, flipped Calbot over his back and slammed him into the ground, before attempting to stomp lightly on his head. Calbot, seeing the attack coming, rolled, before he attempted to trip Grunt up. He underestimated how much strength was needed, though, and Grunt had shifted his stance to counter such a move. As such, Grunt's feet were as unyielding as iron.
That was when Grunt finished the fight. Just as Calbot turned to face him, he lashed out with a fist, catching the Clan Elemental in the chin with the blow. The force staggered Calbot, sending him reeling back, before Grunt added a right hook into the mix. The blow, more powerful than any that Calbot had encountered as of yet, sent the Clan Elemental crashing to the ground, his eyes fluttering as he fell unconscious.
"And the winner is Urdnot Grunt, by KO!" Fahad, who was mediating the fight, shouted. "Nice job, Grunt!"
"Thanks," Grunt nodded. Rubbing at his face, which had more than a few bruises, he said, "Damn, those Elementals are no joke. They fight with the ferocity of a Krogan." Taking a rag from Celicia, he wiped his face, before grabbing a jug of water from one of the crew. He promptly upended it over Calbot's face, splattering the Elemental with the cold liquid.
Immediately, Calbot woke up, spluttering loudly as he instinctively fought off what his body erroneously thought was a dangerous threat to survival. Looking around with a slightly dazed expression, it wasn't long before he realized what had happened to him. "Surats!" he muttered to himself. "I never thought I would live to see the day that I was bested by an alien, much less a trueborn alien." Standing up, he nodded to Grunt and said, "I concede the fight to you, Grunt. You are truly a trueborn and, as such, are worthy of the Clans."
Grunt smiled. "Good to hear that. You fought quite well yourself. It takes a lot to crack my jawbone, let alone bruise me. I'll be fine though. My kind heals quite fast."
Calbot laughed. "That you do, since I can see the bruises already fading away. I believe that you and I, along with the rest of the non-humans, will get along just fine!"
. . .
Present Day
As the memory left the forefront of his mind, Shepard recalled what had happened since. Calbot, true to form, had gotten along quite well with Grunt, Wrex and the others. It was Garrus and Grunt that he had the strongest relationships with. Grunt, since he had beaten him fair and square in the Trial they'd fought, and Garrus due to his species' militaristic mindset. He was also quite polite to Nyreen, though he admitted that the fact that Nyreen was a biotic was somewhat unnerving, though he would do his duty regardless.
With that in mind, Shepard answered Calbot's question. "All good here," he nodded. "That's the last panel of armor that needs to be replaced. I have to admit, your fellow Clansmen put up a really stiff fight."
"I would be disappointed if they did not," Calbot nodded. While his manner of speech was odd, Shepard knew that it was in accordance with Clan traditions. "Still, your new technologies, especially this 'Element Zero' intrigue me. I have never heard of a substance that could increase or reduce the mass of an object based on the type of field emitted. Much of the science flies over my head, to be honest."
"I know," Shepard nodded. "I'll bet that your Scientist Caste would go absolutely bonkers if they found the stuff themselves. I can already imagine a few trying to work out how to use it."
"I can as well," Calbot nodded. "Still, I am not a member of the Scientist Caste, but of the Warrior Caste." After a moment, he asked, "Say, have you heard of the way Clan society is structured in our view?"
"I've heard something about it from a Clansman I overheard back at Bensinger," Shepard shrugged. In actuality, Vega had filled him in fully on Clan society, though he didn't want to give that away to Calbot. "I didn't quite catch all of it though. Something about a caste system or something?"
"That is correct," Calbot nodded. Unaware that Shepard had known about the Clan's caste system, he said, "Allow me to educate you on the matter." He cleared his throat, before speaking as though he was an imperious ruler, addressing his people.
"Five, Nicolas proclaimed was the foundation
"Upon which our true society was to be built.
"Laborers, to till the land, to do the tasks:
"They shall have our undying gratitude,
" For they are the muscle behind us all.
"Merchants, to buy and sell with fairness:
"They shall have our commerce and respect,
"For they are the bones upon which we are built.
"Technicians, to build and fix the machines:
"They shall have our admiration,
"For they are the fingers with which we grasp life.
"Scientists, to create, to discover:
"They shall have our awe and attention,
"For they are the mind of our society.
"And above all, the Warriors who protect:
"They shall have our cooperation and worship,
"For they are the blood and soul of us all."
Hearing that, Shepard could see why the Warrior Caste was so well respected in Clan society. From what he had just heard, and from what Vega had told him well over three decades ago, the Warrior Caste was the ruling class of society, with the other castes supporting them, and and each other. "Interesting," he noted, keeping the fact that he knew about Clan society hidden. "Sounds like something that the Clans wrote down."
"You would be correct," Calbot nodded. "That was the Clan Remembrance, which is our history in poetic form. That verse, verse 67 if I recall correctly, details the society that Nicholas Kerensky, our founder, laid out for us. It is how Clan society has always functioned, and it is how it shall always function."
"I see," Shepard nodded. Changing the topic, he asked, "How's the new Battle Armor working out for you?"
Calbot's attention went towards the Battle Armor in question, which was currently inside of a single occupancy Battle Armor Bay that was installed inside the 'Mech Bay. To Shepard, it looked like a blend of the Inner Sphere Standard Battle Armor from the original timeline, and the Clan's Elemental Battle Armor. The helmet had angular armor plating, while the arms, torso and legs were curved. A pair of trapezoidal pods were mounted over the shoulders.
That, from what Shepard recalled was the Mountain Lion Battle Armor. Compared to it's Clan counterpart, the Elemental, the Mountain Lion was lighter by 250 kilos, but could jump 120 meters thanks to it's jump jets, and could move at around 20.2 kilometers/hour, courtesy of major refinements to the myomer technology that was used for Battle Armor. The armor was powered by a series of advanced, rechargable power packs that made use of nanomaterials like graphene, allowing those batteries to power the armor for a very long time.
It was the weapons and armor, combined with the advanced electronics inside, that made the Mountain Lion superior to it's Clan counterpart. The armor was an advanced composition known as Lamellor Armor. It was similar to the Advanced Armor in the original timeline in that it was 20% bulkier than standard armor, but it provided 70% more protection compared to the standard armor used on the Elemental. In addition, it made use of Synth-Jel, a more advanced, synthetic version of the Harjel used in Clan Battle Armor.
The weapons, however, were nothing short of stellar. The first was a new weapon system prototyped by TIWT shortly before the Clan Invasion, and was now in full production: the Man-Portable Plasma Rifle. The weapon was designed to use a series of plastic-foam cartridges that were converted into plasma using a laser heating process. That plasma was then compacted by a mass effect field, before being launched at a velocity of Mach 4 through a ceramic-matrix nanocomposite tube by graphene nanocomposite coils in a manner similar to a Gauss Rifle.
The resulting superheated, ultra-dense bolus of plasma was capable of inflicting the same amount of damage against armor and infantry as a Medium Pulse Laser. The downsides were that the weapon used ammo, though thanks to the fact that the plastic-foam cartridges were also compressed using mass effect fields, ammo was a non-concern in the hands of a careful and skilled infantry combatant, or Battle Armor user. As for the other weapons, they consisted of an Advanced SRM-2 Pack, specifically developed for the Mountain Lion, as well as a Micro Pulse Laser mounted inside of the Anti-Personnel Weapon Mount.
Looking at the armor in question, Calbot said, "I must admit, you freeborn have a nasty imagination. I would never have imagined that your Scientist Caste would develop a plasma based weapon for Battle Armor. Is it the same for BattleMechs?"
"Yes," Shepard nodded. "The Plasma Cannon is still in the limited production phase, but it's already showing a lot of promise. I've heard that it inflicts the same amount of damage as an Ultra AC/10. Plus, they're developing Heavy and Light variants of the weapon system."
"Surats. I would definitely not wish to be on the muzzle end of such a weapon system."
The conversation would've continued except for the fact that the intercom chimed. "Commander Shepard to the TACOPS Room. Repeated: Shepard to TACOPS Room." There was a click as the intercom cut out.
Turning to Calbot, he said, "Duty calls. See you around, Calbot."
"And you as well," Calbot nodded. With that, Calbot went to examine his new Battle Armor, while Shepard went up to the TACOPS room. Whatever was going on, he knew that things were going to be interesting.
(Author's Notes & Q&A)
Guest: Not really, no. Mass Accelerators, from what I understand of the actual science, wouldn't have as much range or damage. Not only are the projectiles really small, they burn up fast in an atmosphere due to compressive heating. Gauss Rifles firing 150mm slugs, as mentioned in a previous chapter, would have more range and damage output. Still, I appreciate your question.
SulliMike23: Yep. The first paragraphs of this chapter have the answer to that question. As for how things'll turn out with an Elemental around, we'll wait and see.
galacticarmor2 Alt: Interesting idea, but I've got a different one selected. I'm certain you'll like it.
edboy4926: In the upcoming chapters, QEC's are going to see their fair share of reading time.
MarauderPrime12: Thank you.