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

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I really appreciate it.

We have begun the end of the Clan Invasion story arc. After this, there will be a small exposition chapter, after which the next story arc will begin. For those of you wondering what will happen then, you are in for a very interesting surprise.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, WizKids, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

SABATON – Fields of Verdun

Federated Commonwealth

Pinnacle

December 27th, 3050

Inside of his BattleMech, Shepard could feel his heart beginning to race as he, and dozens of other people in the immediate vicinity, awaited the arrival of the Clan forces. Some people, in an effort to pass the time, and to get rid of some of the nervous energy, were busy taking care of some things. Shepard, personally, was tossing a small stress ball up and down in his hands, though it did little to distract him from the battle that was soon to come.

For thirty years, he thought, we have prepared for the coming of the Clans. For what will soon be a year now, we have fought valiantly against them. Now, we are entering a battle that will decide the fate of all those who live in the Inner Sphere. My only hope is that we hold strong in the face of the Clans full might.

His mind drifted back to memories of the times he had spent with his friends, and his squadmates. He could hear Garrus' laughter as he held Celicia in his arms as a child, while also remembering the smile on Nyreen's face as she held one of her newborn children. He remembered when Wrex and Grunt, in a score-settling match, had a wrestling competition, resulting in Wrex winning by a narrow margin. Pulling his mind away from those memories, he looked at a computer screen, Shepard looked at a satellite and tactical map of where they were looking at.

According to numerous surveys of the planet, Pinnacle was a planet that was fairly mountainous, with no oceans, but a collection of seas that covered parts of the planet. Much of the planet had been covered with ice, courtesy of an ice age that had recently ended, geologically speaking. The nearly constant cold air in the mountains, however, ensured that there was a layer of snow almost year-round on the ground, with the snow hiding large rocky outcroppings and other geological formations. Most dangerous of all were sinkholes that could form, courtesy of underground deposits of limestone that had been surveyed, and marked appropriately.

Shepard, for the most part, didn't have to worry about that, since they were in Pinnacle City, the Capitol of the planet. The city, which had once held eight hundred thousand people, had been evacuated in the weeks leading up to the battle that would commence today. The lack of traffic on the city streets made the town look like it was abandoned.

Checking the weather forecast, he frowned at what he saw. The reason why it was not snowing today, but rather raining, was easy to see. According to satellite scans, a large cold front was moving in, pushing a large mass of warm air over the city while bringing with it a number of storm cells. Outside, he could see cumulonimbus clouds that were moving over the city. Even with the sound-proofing in his 'Mech, he could hear thunder, while flashes of lightning were visible from his current position. This, however, was to be expected, since they were fighting during the sole month where the snow would melt, revealing patches of grass and lichen on the rocky terrain.

Checking the tactical map, he could see where they were at, in comparison to the rest of the city. Mason's Cavaliers had been ordered to hold Pinnacle City at all costs, with a company of Combat Vehicles that had been provided for fire support. Mason and one of the lances were currently in the North portion of the city, while Shepard was in the Northeastern portion of the city, both of which would be attacked by the Clans when they arrived. Providing support and relief was an entire RCT of 'Mechs, Combat Vehicles and logistical support.

Good thing Hanse prepared this planet just in case the Clans chose it for the Trial, Shepard noted. He made sure a number of Repair Bays were present, along with MFB's and numerous other facilities that'll help us win this trial. Now, it's up to us to show that his faith is well placed.

He was about to close the tactical map when a German accented voice came over the speakers. "To all military forces on the planet, this is General Strauss von Schmidt. I am not one for long speeches, so I'll endeavor to make this quick. Today is a lovely day, and I am honored to be a fellow comrade in the defense of this planet. Today begins the Trial of Possession that Ulric Kerensky, the Khan of Clan Wolf issued against our valiant and noble nation.

"Today, we will show the Clans why they made the fatal mistake of challenging the Federated Commonwealth's lawful authority. We will whittle their forces down, crush their warriors, and send them back to the Kerensky Cluster in pinewood boxes! We will fight them on the ice, we will fight them on the seas, we will fight them in the air and we shall fight them in space! We will never surrender, we will show no quarter, and we will not be defeated! Fight for your friends! Fight for your loved ones! Fight for all of the people in the Inner Sphere! ON, TO WAR!"

As soon as the speech ended, Colonel Michael Wright, a short, but stoutly built man that had a fierce some temper, began barking out orders in his gruff voice. "All scouting elements, begin scanning for all Clan forces that are inbound." There was a short pause, then, "Commander Shepard, move yourself to your destination firing position. You have OPCOM of your Lance."

"Roger that," Shepard nodded. "Anything else?"

"The Clans will be attacking from the Atlas mountain range located to the north of the city. In addition, we have a tornado warning in the area south of the city. I don't expect it to come and bother us, though."

"Got it. Any other orders sir?"

"Affirmative, Shepard. You will be assisting Scout Lance Bravo-3 in looking for the landing zones the Clans are using. Like I said, they're in the Atlas mountains, but we don't have a fix on the exact location. Bravo 3-1 will fill you in on the details."

"Affirmative," Shepard nodded. "Mason?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Mason nodded. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Chuckling, Shepard said, "Roger that. Moving to rendezvous with Scout Lance Bravo-3." Switching frequencies, he asked, "Garrus, Nihlus, you read me?"

"Affirmative," came the reply. "We're following you. What about Wrex and the others?"

"Wrex is coming as well. As for the others, they'll stay in the city to help out if the Clans get that close." With that, they began to move out from the city and towards the mountain range in question.

The mountains were not named after the ancient Greek titan of the same name in jest. The Atlas mountain range had the highest mountains on the planet, with one being slightly taller than Mount Everest on ancient Terra. For most of the journey, there was nothing to look at, except for the hardy flora and fauna that lived up in the highland terrain they were at.

As they moved along, Shepard heard his comm chime. "Commander Shepard, this is Bravo 3-1. We have you on sensors. Good to have you here."

"What's the SITREP?" Shepard asked.

"We think we have eyes on a Clan LZ. We just marked it out for long range artillery bombardment, but I think they spotted us. We've got a Star of 'Mechs coming towards us, and they're being followed by two Clusters. We're retreating towards the city, but some fire support on the enemy Star would be appreciated."

"Copy that," Shepard nodded. A few minutes later, he watched as a Commando, Jenner, Javelin and a Shadow Hawk moved past them. Following behind them were five Clan 'Mechs that were following as fast as they could. Looks like an Kit Fox, a Thor, Loki, Shadow Cat and Mad Cat coming through.

"Incoming hostiles!" Garrus shouted. "Permission to engage?"

"Granted," Shepard nodded. "Take them out."

"With pleasure," Garrus nodded. The twin LB 10-X Autocannons on his 'Mech fired, sending MAHEM shells towards the enemy 'Mechs. The Kit Fox suffered a direct hit to the cockpit, killing the Clan MechWarrior inside immediately, while another shell smacked into the Shadow Cat, staggering the 'Mech.

Nihlus, using his Victor, moved to support Garrus in engaging the Shadow Cat and Mad Cat. Ultra AC/20 roaring, he blasted apart the armor on the Shadow Cat before firing the SRM-4 pack into it's left torso. The enemy 'Mech retaliated with it's sole Gauss Rifle, knocking some armor off Nihlus' 'Mech, but not nearly enough to cause problems. In response, Nihlus fired the Ultra AC/20 again, blasting the enemy 'Mech's center torso. There was an explosion seconds later, and the enemy 'Mech slumped to the ground.

Oh, no you don't, Shepard thought as he saw the enemy Loki moving to engage them. Priming the the Plasma Rifle, he mashed the trigger with his index finger. Try this on for size.

In about fifty milliseconds, the compressed plastic-foam cartridge was flash heated, with the molecules being separated into atoms, before those atoms were fully energized. An instant later, the electrons were ripped away, with the gas that was the cartridge becoming a bolus of purple-white glowing plasma. In another fifty milliseconds, mass effect fields compressed the plasma, dramatically increasing it's aerodynamic efficiency, while also causing the plasma to become even hotter. A moment later, this bolus of plasma was shot into the barrel, where magnetic coils accelerated the bolus down the barrel, until it exited at hypersonic velocities.

The bolus moved so fast that, to an observer, it would've appeared to be a bright, purple-white streak of light. Flying through the air at hypersonic velocities, the bolus crossed the eight hundred meter distance in less than a half-second, smashing into the armor for the Loki that was approaching their position. In a few milliseconds, the Ferro-Fibrous armor plating melted, while being ripped off by the kinetic energy of the strike. The intense heat, combined with the kinetic impact, allowed the bolus to penetrate the armor and damage internal components.

From a distance, Shepard could see the left arm of the Loki being ripped off the 'Mech by the hypersonic bolus of plasma. The left arm was sent flying through the air by the powerful blow, before it smashed into the grass on the ground, becoming partially buried in the rock laden dirt. Whoa, he thought, caught off guard by the power of the weapon on his 'Mech. That ripped off that Thor's arm entirely! No wonder the Plasma Rifle's so popular despite being in limited production: it can perform armor-piercing attacks! Only Ferro-Lamellor armor can stop that kind of an attack!

Apparently, the surprise attack had caught the Clanners off guard as well, as moments later, he watched as the surviving 'Mechs scattered, with the Thor moving ahead of the damaged Loki. That shielded the Loki from the ER PPC bolts Shepard launched at the 'Mech. Damnit, he snarled internally.

That was when Wrex, who had been behind Garrus, marched forth in his customized Annihilator. Ultra AC/10's barked as they sent shells flying directly at the enemy Thor, tearing off armor plating. Pulse lasers fired up, with the emerald green beams causing Ferro-Fibrous armor plating to melt and drip off onto the ground. The Thor's MechWarrior, seeing that he was under attack, fired the LB 10-X mounted on it's left arm at him, causing some armor to ablate.

Wrex, however, had done more to his 'Mech than make it go faster. Once he was close enough, he utilized an upgrade that had been done for the Annihilator 'Mech: battlefists. The Thor was nearly knocked down when Wrex, using the arm actuators, hammered one of these fists into the enemy 'Mech, tearing off a copious amount of armor plating. Backing up, he fired the ER Small Pulse Lasers installed on his 'Mech, tearing off yet more armor plating.

When he fired the Ultra AC/10's again, he claimed the last kill of the skirmish. There was a loud KA-BOOM as the Fusion Engine detonated, killing the Clan MechWarrior as the 'Mech tore itself apart. The blast was powerful enough that it demolished the building, pulverizing concrete as though it was wet sand. Shepard instinctively raised the Marauder II's left arm to shield himself from the blast, though he did not need to. The building had absorbed most of the blast wave coming towards him.

Once the debris stopped flying, he said, "Enemy 'Mech destroyed."

"Good," Shepard nodded. "Garrus, Nihlus, how are you doing?"

"We're doing good," Garrus reported. Just then, Shepard spotted one of the two Clusters that were inbound. His heart sank when he spotted multiple Clan 'Mechs, Combat Vehicles, and even some Elementals.

"Oh, that's not fair!" Nihlus shouted.

"There's no such thing as fair in war," Shepard frowned. "Bravo-3, do you see this?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," came the reply, "We're lasing the area for artillery bombardment. That should make them think twice, but we need to retreat, otherwise we'll be buried neck deep in BattleMechs!"

. . .

On another part of the planet, Nyreen was having to battle both the Clan's Foot and Heavy Infantry units, which were typically solahma units, as well as the weather itself. Moving through the terrain as quickly as she could, she nearly slipped on rubble from one of the nearby buildings. Stumbling, she felt someone strong grabbing a hold of her before pulling her into cover, just as tungsten flechettes flew through where her head used to be.

Looking up and behind, she saw who had saved her from an untimely end: an AFFC Foot Soldier that had been following her, along with five other people. "You OK?" he asked her.

"I'm good," Nyreen nodded. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome!" came the reply. Sticking his head out of cover, the soldier fired off his M61B Pulse Laser Rifle. A loud scream of pain came a second later, followed by the man ducking into cover as flechettes pinged off his armor's kinetic barriers. The other soldiers also fired back, weapons barking loudly, or silently sending laser light towards the enemy.

Lightning crackled through the sky as Nyreen got up. Wiping rain from her facial plates, she looked to see the battle that was currently raging throughout the city. Arevas City was where she, along with Celicia and Kaidan, were stationed at in order to provide support for the infantry forces present here.

Right now, however, the AFFC forces were holding the line against a massive Clan Infantry attack force that was sent to take the city at all costs. While the Kell Hounds were busy keeping the enemy 'Mechs tied up, the infantry was having to deal with solahma units, as well as the occasional star of Clan Elementals sent to try to break through the front lines. All of this was because the Colonel in charge of their RCT had ignored valuable tactical advice, which was to keep the enemy 'Mechs as far from the city.

As such, trench warfare, combined with urban warfare, was the order of the day today. Double sided trenches had been dug, while support weapon emplacements had been built in specific foxholes, on the floors of buildings, as well as in bunkers that had been erected. Now, defensive tactics from the First World War, combined with modern technology, and other squads that were performing ambushes, were being put to the test once more.

Moving along, Nyreen could see the price they were paying for that Colonel's arrogance. She felt her stomach churn as she saw an AFFC soldier having his arm blasted off by a laser beam that tore into his armor. A scream of agony erupted from the soldier, while a medic ran over and began working to stem the bleeding. "FUCK!" the injured man screamed between sobs as tears ran down his face. "I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!"

"HOLD STILL!" the medic shouted as he worked to tie off the severed artery before any more blood could be lost. "LET ME STOP THE BLEEDING!" Looking around, he shouted, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"I GOT IT!" Nyreen shouted over the sound of mortars, machine guns and recoilless rifles firing. Using her abilities, she froze the panicking man in a stasis field, allowing the medic to tie off the severed artery, while applying medi-gel, which had recently entered manufacturing, to the wound, cutting off any more blood loss.

"Thanks!" he shouted.

"You're welcome!" Nyreen shouted. She was about to move when an explosion erupted behind her. Gasping, she was flung through the air by the blast wave, before landing face first onto the ground. Spitting out dirt, she checked to see if she was OK. Thank the Spirits, she sighed as she found that she had all four of her limbs still. I'm OK.

"Mom!" came a shout. She barely had time before Celicia came over and hoisted her to her feet. "You OK?!"

"I'm fine," Nyreen nodded. "What about Kaidan?!"

"He took a hit to the arm, but the armor stopped the round. He's back at it again!"

"Go help him!"

"Affirmative!" A moment later, Celicia disappeared as she used her abilities to get herself to Kaidan's location fast. Looking up, she could see Kaidan firing an M42C, the rifle roaring loudly as it sent 7.62mm HE rounds flying down range. His face, protected by a facial plate, was a mask of intense concentration as he gunned down more enemy forces.

Celicia, arriving where he was at, used her biotic abilities to send a shockwave down towards the enemy forces. A nearby piece of debris, once part of a building's exterior, shattered like glass, exposing a pair of solahma troops. Before they could react, Kaidan fired, killing the two aged Clan Warriors. Limbs were torn off by powerful explosions as the bullets detonated. Organs were exposed, and blood splattered onto the ground like red paint.

"Thanks!" Kaidan shouted.

As the battle raged, the wind continued to pick up in speed, as though it was heralding the arrival of something terrifying. That didn't alarm them, as the weather forecast services had issued a tornado watch. It was then that they began to hear a sound that wasn't typically heard on the front lines. To Nyreen, it sounded like a jet engine, only if it was constantly running at full throttle. Apparently, someone knew what it was, as a fearful cry echoed down the trench they were in. "TORNADO! TORNADO!"

Turning around, Nyreen saw the cause of the cry. Snaking down from a wall-like cloud formation from the storm above their heads was a funnel of cloud that was touching the ground. A cloud of dust was present where it contacted the ground, while debris began to fly into the air. At the same time, the wind picked up, with small pieces of debris being scattered around the ground.

As soon as she saw the funnel cloud, Nyreen felt a primal terror grip her heart, before her training shook the fear away. If there was a force that was feared by all on the battlefield, it was the wrath that Mother Nature could unleash at any moment. From earthquakes to hurricanes, each facet of Nature's fury was a factor that no military planner could fully compensate for.

Tornadoes were considered the most terrifying of these forces, and with good reason. With winds in excess of any other weather phenomena, tornadoes were able to pick up 100 ton 'Mechs as though they were toys, and send lighter vehicles and pieces of debris flying like LRM missiles. At that kind of weather, even battle hardened MechWarriors would break out into a cold sweat, if not outright terror, at the sight of a tornado. Such sights were one of the few occasions were both sides would stop fighting, and either seek shelter… or run as fast as they could to avoid being hurled through the air.

Apparently, the Clan Infantry were also gripped by the same terror, as many threw themselves into any depression into the ground, be it a sewer or a crater blasted into the ground by a mortar shell. Others still ran into buildings that were either fully, or partially, intact, trusting in the building to ensure that they would survive.

"What the hell?!" a soldier shouted. "I thought it wasn't gonna come our way! They said it was further to the south!"

"They must've thought wrong," Celicia frowned.

"It's coming right at us!" Kaidan, who had also heard the cry, shouted. "Everyone, get into the trenches or the buildings! It's our only chance!"

Hearing that, Nyreen grabbed an AFFC soldier and threw him and herself into the trench, while Kaidan did the same for another man. Using her biotics, Celicia threw dozens of people into the trenches, before doing the same herself. Nearby, the AFFC medic threw himself on top of the injured man he'd saved from death just a minute earlier. They were just in time.

As soon as they were in the trenches, Nature's fury struck. Nyreen felt the wind whip up around them with a fury that she had never experienced before. Sand, gravel and dirt flew into her face, causing her to cough and gag to clear her airways. The howling sound of the wind picked up, until it drowned out all other sounds in the area; even the sound of her breathing was silenced by the howling cacophony. Looking up, she watched as the tornado moved ever closer at high speed. Gripping onto whatever she could find as hard as she could, she watched as the tornado passed overhead.

After that, the roar became earth shaking, as winds in excess of anything they'd ever experienced buffeted them. Rain whipped through the air perpendicularly to the ground, while debris pelted anyone that was in the open. Even people in the trenches felt the dirt and debris whipping past them. Celicia had never heard such a sound in her life. By the Spirits, what's going on, her mind shouted, before her survival instincts, combined with her training, kicked in. She was about to check on Kaidan when she spotted Nyreen being sucked into the tornado. "MOTHER!" she screeched as Nyreen was whipped into the sky.

Nyreen, not anticipating what had happened, soon found herself at the mercy of Nature's fury. She tumbled a couple times, before she managed to stabilize herself, while the tornado whipped her through the air. Soon, she was being hurled along high over the battlefield at high speed, narrowly avoiding being hit by debris or being splattered against buildings.

It turned out, she wasn't the only one that had been sucked skyward either. Hearing a scream of terror, Nyreen watched as a machine gun crew was torn out of a nearby building as the tornado shredded the partially destroyed high-rise building. Using her biotics, she pulled the soldiers closer, before they grabbed onto her. "HANG ON!" she shouted. The soldiers, faces white with terror, held on and did not let go.

It wasn't just infantry that was at the mercy of nature either. Nyreen watched as Combat Vehicles and BattleMechs from both the Inner Sphere and Clans, were either sucked into the sky, or dragged along the ground. A Mars was knocked onto it's side as a Patton smashed into it's flank, while a Kit Fox was yanked skyward, before smashing into a Centurion, knocking the two 'Mechs to the ground.

Even the very buildings were not safe. One building promptly exploded as an APC smashed into it, sending debris flying everywhere, while a smaller building was ripped off it's foundation like someone peeling a sticker off of a window. The howl of the wind meant that Nyreen could only faintly hear the sounds of concrete shattering, windows breaking, and people screaming, before something hit them and silenced those screams forever. Closing her eyes, she began to desperately pray. Spirits of air, battle and fortune, please help us survive this terror! Please!

If those Spirits existed, they must have heard her plea, as moments later, she felt that they were descending. A moment later, she heard one of the men shout, "LOOK OUT!" Opening both eyes, she found that they were hurtling towards a skyscraper that had withstood the tornado's fury. Flaring her biotics, she created a mass effect field that reduced their mass until each soldier had about the same mass as a book. A moment later, they smacked into one of the glass panes for the skyscraper.

Glass shattered from the blow, with the quintuple flying into an office room. Unable to hold on, Nyreen felt her grip being ripped away, while they tumbled ass over teakettle and rolled. Cubicles and desks were knocked over by anyone that hit them, while others slid along the carpet on the ground, shouting all the while. Spotting the windows on the other side, she watched as they approached with lightning speed. Around ten seconds later, they smashed into the windows.

Again, the dice rolled in their favor, as rather than shattering, the windows cracked and bowed outwards as each one of them impacted. Smacking into a window, Nyreen felt the air being knocked out of her lungs, before she fell onto the ground again. She was gulping air, rather than breathing it in, as she slowly staggered to her feet after a few seconds of lying on the ground, stunned. "Spirits," she stammered. "D-did we s-survive t-that?"

"Oh, my ass!" one of the soldiers groaned as he rolled onto his chest. "I didn't know my ass had bones that could be broken!"

"I don't care about yer ass!" another grumbled.

"Hooboy!" another shouted. "We had absolutely no business surviving that. Some good, kind deity somewhere wants to see us survive!" Nearby, another soldier had a small necklace in his hands as he thanked whatever deity he worshiped for saving their lives. The necklace shook as the man's hands trembled from the adrenaline rush he was feeling.

"I agree," Nyreen nodded. "The Spirits must have saved us from whatever would've happened otherwise."

She was promptly interrupted by a loud CRASH! Jumping, the quintuple of troops watched as a Scorpion smashed into the windows where they had entered. A moment later, it fell, while the howling wind outside began to die down.

"SHIT!" a soldier shouted. "That was close!"

"Tell me about it," another nodded. Picking himself up, he said, "Let's get back to ground level and get to the front lines again. We're probably behind enemy lines, so expect resistance."

"So, who's the boss now?" another asked.

"I think she ought to be." One of the men pointed at Nyreen. "I'm Devon. This is Wright, O'Neil, and Alphonse."

"Nyreen," was the reply. "First things first, we need to get to ground level. Follow me." As they followed her to the ground, Nyreen knew one thing: this was a crazy battle now.

(Author's Q&A)

SuliMike23: Now the battle for the Inner Sphere's freedom begins.

P0k3d4th: Interesting idea. I'll definitely consider that.

Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.

MarauderPrime12: That it is. Whether it will be more hellish for the Clans or Inner Sphere will soon be seen.

edboy4926: You'll find out in a few chapters.

Chronus1326: Possibly. That is a good idea to consider. As for the latter question, that might happen in a future chapter. I'll have to discuss those ideas with my beta reader.

Blanchimont: Advances were made in materials science. That's why it can carry more guns: better materials means each weapon system can be smaller and lighter.