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

I am so sorry to have kept you all waiting for so long. Getting this chapter written was much more challenging than I thought it would be. I wrote two other chapters that I thought would be suitable, but they turned out to be really crappy. I'm deeply thankful that my beta-reader was able to help me figure out how to create a chapter that not only advanced the story, but made sense also. Either way, I've gotten the chapter written out, and I'm finally able to keep pressing forwards.

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, WizKids, Catalyst Game Labs, 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 4: Vengeance OST - Stutter Shark

Rasalhague

Main Operating Base Echo

November 25th, 3050

It was another tiring day at Rasalhague, but more so for the First Prince than most would think. Ever since the Clan Invasion had begun, Hanse had been working long hours with only the minimum amount of sleep required to maintain a clear and sane mind. I'm getting too old for this shit, he thought to himself as he looked at the holo-map inside of the office provided to him by the CO of the base.

What tired him out wasn't the fact that there was fighting. It was the fact that he had to deal with a considerable portion of political bullshit coming his way. Many of the Khans of the Clans had, effectively, slammed the door shut in terms of bargaining, especially Jade Falcon, as the Federated Commonwealth had refused their first Trial during the attack on Bensinger.

There was only one, however, that he had managed to make some headway with in that regard: Ulric Kerensky. From what Vega had told him, Ulric Kerensky was a political mastermind, a brilliant strategist and was a warrior that was a caliber above most. Shepard's probably the only one that is of the same caliber as Ulric Kerensky, he noted, a slight smile on his face.

For the past few months, he had mainly focused on building a rapport with Ulric. Earning his respect, if not his trust, is the first step in being able to bargain with him. Once we've got enough of a rapport, then we can focus on bargaining for the future of the Inner Sphere, and of Terra, since we have it by right of conquest.

This led him to absentmindedly glance at the Pinnacle star system, with his mind going over what made that system special to the Federated Commonwealth. It's one of the systems that recently began to be mined for heavy metals, he recalled. In addition, it's on a route that leads directly to one of the regional capitals in the Federated Commonwealth. Defending Pinnacle from the Clans will allow us to ensure that the regional capitals remain secure.

Then there's the agreement that I want Ulric to agree to. I won't be able to get the Clans to leave the Inner Sphere alone permanently, but I can buy us enough time to build up a respectable WarShip fleet. That way, when the Clans continue their invasion, we can not only finally throw them out of the Inner Sphere, we can invade the Kerensky Cluster.

That, however, is going to be a long way off, considering the fact that we've got to also build SDS systems in other strategic systems. If we can build more shipyards, we'll be able to further accelerate our plans in that regard, but those shipyards will need protection, and vice versa. For most, the conundrum that the First Prince was facing would've had them tearing their hair out. Hanse found the conundrum stimulating.

Stimulating as it was, though, he decided that it was probably best to grab a quick break. Standing up, he walked over to his desk, where there were a few data pads. Picking one up, he examined the data that the 'pad held inside.

It was a medical diagnosis of his heart, which had been replaced a few months ago. That heart murmur was a failing heart valve, alright, he noted as he put the data pad down. My old heart was pretty much running on fumes. My new one, however, is purring like a kitten. It's got plenty of years left in it. That, combined with the medical treatments I'm getting, means that I'll probably live to around two hundred years of age.

Then there was the photograph sitting on the desk. Picking it up, he looked at the image, which was that of himself standing next to a younger man with dark brown hair and green colored eyes. Victor, he thought, a smile on his face as he brushed the photograph with a finger. You are my greatest gift to the Inner Sphere. Focusing his thoughts, he put the photograph down and walked back to his desk. With that in mind, he began shelling out a few ideas for some plans that he had.

. . .

In another part of the Inner Sphere, near the front-lines of the Clan Invasion, Ulric Kerensky was looking through the latest reports that had graced his desk with their presence. Dark green eyes scanned each of the documents, hunting for details, while his mind sorted out the useless information from what he needed with the skill of a political genius. It was thanks to his skill as a political mastermind, as well as his skill as a warrior, that he had been able to rule over Clan Wolf for so long without any challengers succeeding in contesting his position of power.

Looking over the latest reports, he frowned slightly at some of the details. It appears as though the Inner Sphere was much more advanced than we gave them credit for, he thought, his mind analyzing each detail with the utmost scrutiny. The reports also indicated that the Wolf's Dragoons were fighting alongside the Inner Sphere, much to the chagrin of numerous members of Clan Wolf's Warrior Caste.

Still, such things were not lost on him as he recalled the previous battles where his warriors had fought against the Inner Sphere. Their reports indicated that the freeborn warriors of the Inner Sphere seemed to know exactly where they were at any given time. In addition, their artillery shells and missiles were able to fire from much further range than expected, allowing them to destroy half of their forces without directly engaging them.

'Mech and Combat Vehicle combat was noted to be quite difficult as well. The reports indicated that the armor on Inner Sphere 'Mechs was much tougher than usual, with most Clan forces requiring nearly twice the number of shots needed to remove the armor on a single component. In addition, Inner Sphere weapons were hitting at much longer ranges than expected, with one report indicating that a Dire Wolf had been hit at well beyond what most would consider that weapon system's maximum range.

The scary part, in his opinion, was the overall strategy that the AFFC was using to either slow them down greatly, or halt them in their tracks entirely. Reports from the front indicated that one common strategy the AFFC employed was to have a smaller force attack, giving the appearance of an under-defended planet. Lying in wait, however, would be a much larger force. By the time the Clan elements attacking the AFFC noticed something was up, the larger AFFC force would employ a pincer maneuver, before pummeling them to death with artillery.

The same applies to their WarShips as well, Ulric noted. Their WarShips have some kind of energy barrier that deflects all kinetic attacks, but does little to stop laser beams. Their armor, however, is superior to our own. From what I recall, most AFFC WarShip fleets employ a copy of what the ground forces do: lure an opponent in, before swarming them with much larger forces. They've also been changing up their strategy as well, to account for our adaptation to those strategies. Sometimes they employ stealth, other times they use brute force.

Their warriors are also fighting with much greater precision and skill than we expected as well, he noted. That's likely due to the Wolf's Dragoons; Khan Kerlin Ward did order them to train the freeborn of the Inner Sphere for combat against the Clans. However, I did not expect them to fight us with this much skill and tact. Either way, we will have to fight this war much more carefully than before, otherwise we will not be able to get to Terra.

There was one thing that irritated him the most, though: the rivalries and infighting that the other Clans were having. It is one thing to deal with freeborn warriors that have better weapons and greater skill than expected. It is something else entirely to have to deal with trueborn that cannot see further than what's direct ahead of them.

A low growl of irritation came out of his mouth, with the sound uncannily similar to that of a growling wolf. How can those Kerensky damned Crusader Clans be so blind? Yes, the Draconis Combine is starting to crumble under our assault, but it is entirely different when it comes to the Federated Commonwealth. You have to change your tactics when dealing with a faction that is more advanced than you, and has soldiers trained by trueborn to fight against you. He sighed with frustration as he absent-mindedly ran a hand through his silvery-white hair.

That wasn't the only source of his frustration either. Logistics is another problem I'm having to deal with, he thought ruefully. I know that Clan Wolf is better at logistical support than the other Clans, but even this invasion is proving to be a challenge. The other Clans are starting to grind to a halt as they approach Luthien, and I've heard reports of parts and ammunition shortages. In short, we're going to have to completely rethink our invasion strategy if we're going to have any long term advantage. To make matters worse, the freeborn of the Inner Sphere are also raiding our supply lines, further slowing down our invasion force.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one that was frustrated, as a moment later, he heard the door chiming. "Come in," he replied a moment later, but not before making sure he had his concealed weaponry ready. A moment later, the door opened, with another man walking inside. This man was tall, like Ulric, but his hair was black in color, and his brown eyes flashed with an intensity that few Clan trueborn had.

Ulric recognized him for who this warrior was: Garth Radick. "Garth," he said curtly. "I take it that all is going well?"

"As well as can be expected," Garth replied, hints of anger and frustration in his voice. "I must admit, I never thought that the freebirths of the Inner Sphere could be so damned willy and deadly."

"Frustrated, I take it?"

"You can bet your ass I am!" Garth snapped. "We are fighting freebirths that have more advanced weapons and BattleMechs than we do. They should be still attempting to recover the lost technology of the Star League, not destroying us at every turn! What in Kerensky's name happened between the SLDF Exodus and the beginning of Operation REVIVAL?! It does not make sense!"

Ulric carefully considered his words, spoke placatingly. "Perhaps something happened to give the freeborn of the Inner Sphere the ability to recover all of the lost technology of the Star League, and then advance beyond it. It would make sense, after all; it explains how they have technology that is more advanced than our own."

Garth sighed, though from the way his body became more slumped, it was clear that some of the pent-up frustration and anger had vented itself. Ulric could understand Garth's frustration, even if he disagreed with his politics. Garth was a strong, almost fanatical, supporter of the Crusader philosophy, which preached that the Inner Sphere had to be liberated from it's barbaric traditions and ruled using the traditions taught by Nicholas Kerensky and the Clans.

Ulric, though, knew that this clashed with the philosophy he followed. This philosophy, known as the Warden philosophy, preached that the Clans true goal was not to invade the Inner Sphere forcibly. Rather, it was to protect the Inner Sphere from the Crusader Clans, while remaining aloof from the rest of the Inner Sphere. The two differing mentalities had caused numerous clashes in the past, with trueborn warriors arguing over which ideology was better, and who was right and wrong.

Because of this, part of him wondered why he had chosen Garth Radick to be his SaKhan, the person that was his second-in-command for Clan Wolf. The answer, Ulric knew, came in the form of an adage from ancient Terra: 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' By having Garth Radick as his SaKhan, he could get different viewpoints and opinions, while being able to keep a very close eye on Garth's actions, thereby preventing an insurrection by the Crusader elements of his Clan.

The other reason is that Garth is an excellent warrior in his own right, Ulric reminded himself. A brilliant tactician is what he is, even if the cannot see further than what is in front of his very nose. That is where I come in, however; I can plan for what to do years ahead of the present, a gift that some that share the bloodname of Kerensky have. Either way, I have one more thing to do today, something that might tilt the battle in our favor. Looking at Garth, he said, "We will speak at a later time. For now, return to your fellow warriors, Garth. They will be needing you in the days ahead."

"That I shall, my Khan," Garth nodded. With that, he stepped outside, with the doors closing a few moments later. Once Garth was outside, Ulric walked over to the holo-table and hit an intercom. "Wolf-4, I would like to speak with the First Prince of the Federated Commonwealth. Open a comm channel." For the next two minutes, he stood there, waiting for the call to go through. Apparently, Hanse was in a talkative mood, as moments later, the man's image appeared over the table.

Having spoken with Hanse quite a bit since the beginning of the Clan Invasion, Ulric had found Hanse to be something of a fresh breath of air after speaking with him on multiple occasions. The man was quite reasonable and polite, though behind those blue eyes was an intellect and wit that would make more than a few members of Clan Jade Falcon turn as green as their totem animal with jealousy. He is as sharp as the talons of a Jade Falcon banker, he noted to himself. His reputation as the 'Fox' is well deserved, if the records we were able to access are any indicator of his political skill. There was another reason why Ulric respected Hanse as well: he was a MechWarrior of great skill. He was also a father of three freeborn individuals.

Opening up the message, he watched as an image of Hanse Davion appeared over the holotable. The man's hair was beginning to turn gray in certain areas, though the man's blue eyes held a vigor that one normally associated with youth. "Ulric Kerensky," Hanse said politely. "To what do I owe the pleasure?

"I wished to speak with you concerning a possible offer," Ulric replied. His voice was as calm and collected as ever, though Hanse noted an undercurrent of tension in the man's voice.

"What kind of offer," he asked.

"I wish to declare a Trial of Possession for Pinnacle."

Hanse was quiet as he considered Ulric's words. Internally, however, he was starting to smile. Ulric is doing exactly what I was going to challenge him to do, he noted. If I play the advantages that I've got right, this could work out quite well for the Federated Commonwealth. We might even be able to halt the Clan Invasion for good.

On the other side of things, Ulric could see Hanse considering his words carefully. Many times in the past, he has refused a Trial of Possession, he noted internally. Given those past refusals, I would not be surprised if he refused yet again.

As such, he was a little surprised when he heard Hanse say, "Alright. A trial for the Pinnacle System is definitely acceptable. As a courtesy, I should inform you of the forces that are defending that planet."

"Please do so."

"I have roughly six BattleMech Regiments, along with twenty battalions of infantry personnel, all supported by appropriate numbers of artillery, Combat Vehicles, AeroSpace Fighters and the like."

That had Ulric's attention. That is a considerable military force, he noted. The other Clans would have to pull similar forces to the planet in order to achieve parity in terms of force. He knew from experience, though, that if a smaller Clan force took on a numerically superior force and won, they typically gained more respect and honor for using only what was needed as the bare minimum to win, rather than going all-out.

With the location decided, Ulric considered his next words carefully. It was clear to him that Hanse was intending to stop the Clans from reaching Terra, though even this audacity surprised him a little. With that in mind, he began to speak with Hanse on setting the conditions of the Trial of Possession.

An hour later, most of the conditions of the Trial of Possession had been set, though there was one detail that the two couldn't quite agree on: what would happen after the Trial of Possession. In addition to handing over some Clan trueborn as bondsmen, Hanse wanted an armistice that would last for thirty years. A few months would be sufficient, Ulric noted. However, Hanse finds that unacceptable. Once more, we play the game that is politics.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Surely, a few months is more than suitable for winning this Trial of Possession. Is it not?"

"I'm afraid not," Hanse frowned. "For one, we can't recover from the battle in a mere 'few months.' In addition, it can take a few months to move the resources we have to the front-lines. Beginning the assault anew in a few months would mean we would have little time to prepare for more trials of combat. Surely, even you can appreciate the value of fairness?"

"I can," Ulric nodded. As the two went back and forth on offers, counter-offers and vice versa, Ulirc was starting to get a better idea of how Hanse approached politics. He pauses before making every offer, he noted. Every word is carefully considered, and he chooses his terms quite carefully as well. That is a sign of an intelligent politician.

Finally, after a few more minutes of bargaining and debate, Hanse said, "How about this? If you successfully defeat us in the Trial of Possession, then we will allow you to have Terra, no strings attached. If you lose, however, you will have to agree to a ten year armistice."

Ulric considered the offer thoughtfully. "I believe that will be suitable," he decided. "Ten years of armistice is suitable."

"Excellent. Now, when do you wish to commence this Trial of Possession?"

"December of this year."

"I see. We can do that. I look forwards to facing you on the field of battle."

"And you as well, Ulric." With that, the communication channel cut out.

As soon as the comm-channel cut out, Ulric strode over to his desk once again, his mind whirling as he considered how best to approach this new development. Why would Hanse bid now, when he refused to do so many times before, a part of him wondered. He wouldn't bid for this unless... His eyes widened fractionally as realization hit him like a freight train. Unless he considers the time gained to be of value to him. If that is the case, then it also benefits me as well. We have much to learn from the Inner Sphere, even if we do lose. Keying his table intercom, he said, "Send in Garth Radick immediately. I have need to speak with him."

. . .

At Rasalhague, the same planet Shepard was at, Shepard was watching the 'Mech Bay Technicians with interest as they installed a new weapon system onto his 'Mech. Dozens of the technicians were scurrying all across his Marauder II, with some using the most recent omni-tools that had come onto the market. Others, however, carried more advanced variations of the older tools that had been used to service 'Mechs.

Hearing someone coming over to him, Shepard turned to see Fahad coming over. "Morning, Fahad," he beamed. "Work coming along nicely?"

"You bet your arse it's coming along nicely," Fahad smiled back. The engineering tech was in a good mood today, though one couldn't tell from the way he shouted at the techs. "I gotta hand it to NAIS and TIWT, they make some good stuff. Never knew them omni-tools, or what have you, would come in so handily. They've really allowed us to fine-tune much of the gear that we have."

"I can agree with that. They are quite useful where we come from." Looking at the weapon system they were installing, he asked, "What's the weapon, if I might ask. I know it's a Plasma Rifle, but what kind of Plasma Rifle is it?"

"I can explain that," Fahad nodded, having thoroughly read the instruction manual before beginning the weapon's installation. "It's a Defiance Novashot Model 2 Plasma Rifle, best one on the market from what I recall. Fires a compressed plasma bolus at a velocity of 5.6 kilometers per second. That's as fast as a Norse-Storm M-7D Gauss Rifle."

"Sounds like it might replace the Gauss Rifle," Shepard shrugged.

"No, it won't," Fahad countered.

"Why?"

"For one, it generates a considerable amount of heat, around the same as an ER PPC to be precise. Gauss Rifles, on the other hand, generate very little heat. In addition, the Plasma Rifle has a slower fire rate when compared to the Gauss Rifle. I've also heard of another weapon that's also in limited production right now."

"Oh?"

"Hyper Assault Gauss Rifles. From what I heard, TIWT took a series of supercapacitors and launch tubes, before arranging them in a manner similar to the Rotary Autocannons that are starting to become popular. They fire smaller slugs than traditional Gauss Rifles, but they fire a lot more of them in rapid succession. Mason recently bought one for Grunt's Atlas, and a few for the Daishi that entered manufacturing about a year ago."

That brought a memory to the forefront of Shepard's mind. During one of their clashes with the Clans at the Skallevoll system, Mason had managed to snag a Clan 'Mech as salvage, after which he had it sent to NAIS via command circuit for study and analysis. According to info they found, it was known as the Dire Wolf, though it was given the official designation of Daishi by Inner Sphere personnel.

The Draconis Combine had a different name for it, a nickname that had become quite popular: Gurētodesu. Translated from Japanese, it meant 'Great Death', and it wasn't hard to see why the Combine called it as such. Carrying nearly as much armor as the Marauder II, the Dire Wolf came in at a hundred tons, and was armed with four ER Large Lasers, four Medium Pulse Lasers and a pair of Ultra AC/5's. Powering it was an 300 XL Fusion Engine, allowing it to move at roughly 54 kilometers/hour, not as fast as the new Annihilators, but still quite fast.

The one they had in their arsenal had only recently arrived from the Inner Sphere's newest 'Mech Works, but it was more than ready for war against the Clans. From what Shepard could recall, the ER Large Lasers had been swapped out for ER Large Pulse Lasers, with the same being done for the Medium Pulse Lasers. The Ultra AC/5's had been swapped out for Ultra AC/10's, while LRM-10 had been replaced with the newly designed Advanced LRM-10's, which had a shorter arming range, flew farther and dealt more damage than the older system.

Most impressive, of all, was what was armoring the 'Mech. Nearly fifteen tons of Ferro-Lamellor armor covered the 'Mech which, combined with the Endo Steel chassis, reduced the weight of the 'Mech to around 90 tonnes. As such, they'd used the extra room and weight to install a Null Signature System, which made it more difficult to detect the 'Mech at range.

Seeing the 'Mech for himself, Shepard nodded and said, "I know what you mean. Still, our version of the Gurētodesu is much more dangerous than what the Clans have. Greater range, more oomph and better armor. Plus, it's harder to detect."

"I can agree with that," Fahad nodded.

They were about to continue when the intercom chimed. "Commander Shepard to the TACOPS Room. Repeat: Shepard to TACOPS Room." Moments later, it clicked off.

"Business calls once again," Shepard frowned. "See you around, Fahad."

"You too," Fahad nodded as Shepard began walking towards the stairwell.

Walking out of the stairwell and into the TACOPS room, Shepard found Mason and Ryana standing around the holotable. Age was starting to show on the two, with the two experienced mercenaries hair beginning to whiten. In addition, Mason had a slight limp whenever he walked, the result of shrapnel from an Ultra AC/5 having punched through his left hip. Beyond that, he was doing quite fine.

"I'm here," Shepard nodded. "What's up?"

"We just got a new contract," Mason informed him, "and it's a big one."

"What is it?"

"The First Prince himself has extended a contract to our company," Ryana elaborated. "According to the contract, we are going to be participating in a Trial of Possession for Pinnacle. Hanse has invited dozens of merc companies to help shore up his own forces at the system."

Hearing that, Shepard realized what was going on. Hanse did it, he realized. He's challenged the Clans to a battle for Terra. Feeling his heart beginning to race, he asked, "What are the terms for the trial?"

"According to the contract, we're going to be fortifying fifteen cities on the sole habitable planet in the system," Ryana continued. "Our goal is to hold onto as many cities as possible, but we cannot lose more than seven, otherwise the Clans win the trial. Our mission is to secure one of the cities that will be at the most risk for a Clan takeover and hold it at all costs against the Clans."

Attrition warfare, Shepard noted internally. It's a similar story to what happened during the First World War, as well as some of the battles of the Second World War. Against the Clans, it was an interesting tactic to use. "What's the catch?" he asked.

"We'll be fighting this battle in the next month," Mason added. "December 27th is when the battle is to commence."

"At least we'll have Christmas."

"At least. Beyond that, though, it's going to be preparation for war against the Clans. From what you told me of the original timeline, we might be fighting for three to four weeks on this planet. A lot of the cities we'll be holding will be reduced to rubble and debris."

"As long as the civilian population is evacuated, and as long as we hold them against the Clans, then that's a price well worth paying," Shepard decided. "We can always rebuild cities. We can't rebuild people."

"Very true," Mason nodded. "Might want to go inform your team what's going to happen. They'll need to be ready." As he left, Mason added, "We might not survive this battle."

"I know," Shepard nodded. The faces of those that had died under his command flashed through his memory before he banished the memories back to where they came from. Still, I do not intend to lose anyone to the Clans. Too many people have died under my command. I will not see more people in my team suffer while I'm alive!

Guest: Thank you.

taintedahab: Yep. I wrote that into the chapter you've probably read by now. Plasma Rifles won't be replacing Gauss Rifles, only supplementing them

Violet Toyger: Thank you. I'm happy to see that I'm doing well by your standards.

RandomReader: Interesting... I'll be thinking that over. I don't think that mass accelerators would be replacing infantry small arms though. As for why, I can reference chapter thirteen of eevee's fanfiction 'On the Illusion of Might' as the reasons why mass accelerators would make for very poor combat vehicle and infantry weapons. WarShips might be a different story, though.

Chronus1326: You're welcome, and thank you for your kind words.

edboy4926: Thank you once again. I appreciate it.

SulliMike23: Yep, if only the Draconis Combine wasn't so stubborn. Unfortunately, that's how their society works. As for the Clans honoring the outcome of the Trial of Possession, we'll have to wait and see.

Guest: That it is. I can agree with that.

MarauderPrime12: Thank you.

Just a Crazy-Man: Yay indeed. We're going to be seeing even more action soon.

THATs1I3ntGUY: That's an interesting possibility. I'll definitely be considering that.