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

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

This is going to be one of a few parts to the R&R period that Shepard will be enjoying for the next few chapters. Yes, many of you would like to see some action, but the quieter moments in between missions are also essential for a good story. It helps ease the tension before other events ratchet it up again.

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 listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

Citadel

Apartment Penthouse

October 6th, 2186

Finally, some peace and quiet, Shepard thought as he walked out into the kitchen, dressed in a bathrobe. Grabbing a nearby coffee mug, he poured a cup for himself from a coffee machine that he had started before taking a shower. Once that was done, he put some sugar and cream into it before sitting down at the nearby sofa.

Taking a sip from the mug, he thought back to the events that had happened from the previous day. Good thing Sortek and Victor were able to sort out what happened, he though to himself, though what really makes me happy is that they found out the deception before Brooks and the Clone could get too far. How they figured it out was quite good. If I'd been more observant, I might've caught that as well.

The debacle, after that, quickly settled down from what he could recall. When the Council had asked why Sortek and Victor were inside of the Archives without arranging an appointment, he had quickly explained what had happened, and even went so far as to present his own clone to the Council. After that, the Council had played ball, though it was unclear as to what would happen now that the Clone was in custody.

I feel bad for that clone, Shepard thought as he finished his mug of coffee. I really do. He's got the body of a twenty seven year old man, but the mindset and emotional maturity of a person ten years younger than him. Hopefully, we can figure out a way to help him grow and mature into a strong and good person. Yes, he might've taken my identity, but for the most part, Brooks was the one responsible, and she's now pushing up daisies. With that in mind, he got up and began getting dressed.

Once he was fully dressed, he was about to head for the exercise gym when he heard the doorbell ring. Walking to the door, he turned on the camera, which showed, much to his surprise, that Ardan Sortek and Hanse Davion were standing outside. "Come on in," he said a moment later.

"Thank you," Hanse replied as he walked into the apartment. Looking around, he said, "Not a bad place, Shepard. Was this Anderson's?"

"Yes," Shepard replied. "He wanted me to take it off his hands."

"I see. He set you up quite nicely." Looking at Shepard, he said, "I heard about what happened, especially with you and your Clone. I must admit, it was eerily similar to what happened with me shortly after your arrival."

"Tell me about it." A moment later, Shepard asked, "So, why are you here? I thought you were too busy to come by."

"I was too busy, especially with getting a lend-lease agreement fully rounded out with the Council," Hanse explained. "Once that was done, however, I planned on taking a stroll on the Citadel. Imagine my surprise when Liara informed me you were attacked."

"I can," Shepard agreed. Looking at Sortek, he asked, "You doing alright?"

"Yep," Sortek nodded. "I was coming to check in on you. It's a pretty big shock, dealing with a clone of yourself. You alright?"

"I'm fine," Shepard nodded. "I admit, it was a very strange feeling, but I'm doing alright." Looking at Hanse, he asked, "So, how much spare time do you have?"

"Not much," Hanse replied. "I don't have much time, but I do have enough time to help you plan the party that's coming."

"What party?" Shepard asked.

"The kind that comes from a hard day at work fighting your clone," came another voice. Walking inside, Joker said, "Besides, we've all earned a bit of a party given everything we've done so far. Still, no one's gonna make you throw a party."

"You know what, it sounds like a good idea," Shepard mused. "Alright. So where do we start?"

"I'd start with getting the food ready to go," Hanse beamed. "I've thrown a few parties before, so I know how to get things going. Besides, I've decided to toss a few funds your way to purchase the supplies we need. We're also going to be inviting some people."

"Good," Joker beamed. "So, EDI, Cortez and Traynor are in. T'Soni's also coming along too."

"Wait, wait!" Shepard protested. "I'm in charge of the guest list."

"Yeah, so there's no uninvite button on this thing."

"Alright, but when it's time, I'll invite the rest."

"Cortez just invited James. So…"

"Fine…"

"I'm going to go out and see how much trouble I can get into without snapping a femur."

"Oh, look at this," Sortek noted. "Looks like some members of the crew have expressed an interest in some private time with you, Shepard. Looks like you might have to chat with a few."

"I guess." Shepard shrugged. "That fine with you, Hanse?"

"Yep," Hanse nodded. "Like I said, I was going to go for a stroll of the Citadel, so you can have your private time with them while I do so."

"Sounds good. Have a fun day."

"You too, Shepard.

. . .

True enough, once Hanse and Sortek had left, Shepard had decided to invite some members of the crew to the apartment. EDI's time with him had been quite… interesting, especially given the rings that she had shared with him. Never though people made rings for Spectres, of all things, he said to himself.

Then there was Kaidan, who he was waiting on right now. He mentioned wanting to head out and get something to eat, so I'm just waiting for him. He'd already made sure everything was ready to go for their trip out.

Just as he finished taking care of something, he heard the door chime. Looking behind him, he watched as Kaidan walked inside. "Hey, Shepard!" he beamed. "I'm starving! What have you got?"

"We're heading out, Kaidan," Shepard informed him.

Kaidan sighed. "I'm so tired of Apollo's. I'm cooking."

Shepard frowned. He'd seen Kaidan practice cooking on the Cavalier II before, and it hadn't been pretty. "Oh, no," he groaned. "Really?"

Kaidan smiled. "Come on," he snickered.

"You want me to sit here and watch you cook?"

"You're not watching me cook. You're drinking beer for me. Now sit your ass down." With that, Kaidan bent down and began sifting through some of the cabinets below the countertop.

"What are we having?" Shepard asked. "Canadian delicacy of some sort?"

"Uh… sure. Exactly. We have beef, bacon, beer. The foods of my people. Wish me luck." He handed Shepard a beer, before opening one for himself. Taking a swig, he said, "Hhmmm… not as good as a Pharaoh Beer , but better than nothing."

"I agree," Shepard added. "You know, funny little thing I learned from Vega on the truncated triangular bottle design."

"Oh?"

"It's unusual in that it's exactly forty millimeters wide at the top and sixty five millimeters wide at the base. What's really unusual is that these dimensions make the bottle the perfect tension gauge for the Alacorn's track tension. Only a freshly opened bottle has the exact dimensions required."

That got a chuckle out of Kaidan. "Nice to see that serendipity is alive and well in the 31st century."

"That it is," Shepard added, a smile on his face. "Still, if you need luck to cook us dinner, then we're screwed."

"Screwed?" Kaidan asked as he chopped up meat and got a pan ready for the grill. "You hurt me, Shepard. Relax, it's gonna be great."

"Guess we'll find out," Shepard decided as he looked at the news. Seeing footage from when Earth was invaded, he said, "So, remember how I saved the Citadel, and then – you weren't there – I survived the suicide mission? All those close calls I've had, only to be taken out by dinner." Noting that Kaidan hadn't said a thing, he asked, "Can it at least be quick and painless?"

"Funny," Kaidan mused. "You think I hauled your ass out of the fire just to poison you here, now?"

"I just helped take down my clone. I gotta figure anything's possible now."

"Huh." With that, there was some silence as they cooked a little while longer. After around thirty minutes, Kaidan showed him what was in the pan.

"Do we have some hot sauce?" Shepard asked.

A few minutes later, they were standing near the windows of the apartment, having finished up eating the food they had cooked. "That was great," Kaidan remarked. "Came a long way from the Cavalier II to this."

"Still waiting for the botulism to kick in," Shepard added.

"Hey, I thought I was pretty good," Kaidan countered.

"Actually, it was pretty good," Shepard admitted. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you. I'm an enigma. I've got skills. I mean, for example: fistfight, me and James. I'd win, right?" Hearing no response from Shepard, Kadian added, "What if I fought dirty."

Dream on, Shepard thought as he laughed internally.

. . .

Once Kaidan had left to take care of a few things, Shepard had decided to do a little work of his own. While doing so, he heard a chime from the laptop in the blackjack room. Sighing to himself, he walked over and took a look. Well, well, he noted. Looks like Garrus and Nyreen are wanting to have me meet them on the Sliversun Strip. They even say that Wrex, Traynor, Zaeed and a few others are there as well. Oh well… I do need to loosen up a little. With that, he got up and headed for the door.

A few minutes later, he was at the Silver Sun strip, heading for the casino that the late Khan had owned, known as the Silver Coast Casino. Walking up the stairs to the private booth, he found Garrus waiting for him. "Shepard," Garrus greeted him. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Shepard replied. "You?"

"Doing fine," Garrus added. Motioning to a chair, he said, "Come on. Take a seat."

"Sure," Shepard agreed. As he sat down, he asked, "Where's Nyreen?"

"Right here," came Nyreen's voice. Turning around, Shepard watched as she sat down near Garrus. For some strange reason, she seemed really happy, and Shepard could tell that she wasn't drunk or anything.

"You seem pretty chipper," he noted. "What's up?"

"Well," Nyreen remarked. "We did some tests and I found out something interesting."

Garrus, clearing his throat, decided to throw in the final word. "According to Chakwas, her original estimation that Nyreen couldn't safely have more children was wrong. It turns out, Nyreen can have as many kids as she wants, so when we heard that, we… well… naturally…"

"Let me guess," Shepard interrupted before leaning closer. "The two of you decided to have sex in order to have more kids?"

"Yes," Nyreen beamed. "We had some last night, and it was glorious. You humans were right when your kind said that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.' It won't affect my ability to fight, not until the second trimester, and that's a long ways away. Plus, there's more good news on that front: Celicia and Iavalia are dating now, along with Nihlus and Vorenus."

"Really?" Shepard asked, surprised. "I thought that they'd have difficulty adjusting to Turian culture, given that they grew up in the Inner Sphere and not at Palaven or some other Turian colony. What changed?"

"That's mostly because of us," Garrus explained. "We taught them Turian culture and societal values really well, enough that they quickly began fitting in nicely. Nihlus, though, is just like me in most regards; he admitted that he wouldn't make for a very good Turian, mostly because, like me, I hate being given bad orders."

"That doesn't mean that he's bad," Shepard countered. "It means that he listens to his conscience a lot more often than most, and when he spots something bad, he speaks up. That's called being conscientious, and I think that's an extension of your species personal responsibility."

"Hmmm… fair point," Garrus mused.

"Agreed," Shepard continued. "Still, I thought that Nyreen was too old to have anymore kids."

"Turian biology is different in that regard," Nyreen explained. "We don't go into menopause until we are around ninety years of age. Originally, it used to be forty, but as medical science progressed, our menopause age began to become higher and higher. The end result is that, thanks to FedCom medical science, I'll be able to have kids right up to the ripe age of a hundred. In some ways, I'll be my own grandmother."

At that, Shepard laughed long and heartily. After a minute, he calmed down and said. "Either way, that's good for you, Nyreen. I hope your family is a large and long lived one." Picking up a beer that Garrus had ordered for him, he said, "Here's to a long and happy family."

"Hear, hear!" Garrus beamed, tapping his bottle against Shepard's before the two guzzled their drinks down. Once both bottles were on the table, Garrus smiled and said, "That's enough for me tonight. I don't want to get staggeringly drunk." Getting up, he said, "See you around, Shepard."

"You too," Shepard replied. Those two deserve to have a happy family, he thought as he watched the two walk away. They really are meant for one another. I guess Garrus and Nyreen are what we'd call 'soul mates.'

With that, he got up and began walking down towards the exit to the casino. As he reached the stairs to the upper lounge's exit though, he spotted a familiar sight. Walking over, he asked, "Wrex, what are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Wrex groaned, before putting his head down on the counter. While quite slow, the impact was enough to make the counter shake, while jostling any drinks underneath the counter. "Escaping," he explained. "Ever since we cured the Genophage, it's been nothing but work."

"Council been riding you?" Shepard asked.

"Bah! Not those pyjack shit-slingers," Wrex replied. "No, it's the…" Leaning in more closely, he whispered, "It's the females, Shepard. Now that they're fertile again…" resting his head on the counter again, he moaned. "Ugh, I haven't slept in… I don't know how long." As he said this, Shepard noticed that Wrex's gait was a little wider than it usually was.

Then it hit him as to what Wrex meant. Oh, boy, he frowned internally. Apparently, all of the females have been forcing Wrex to mate with them. Now I understand why his gait's so unusual, and why he's so tired. Already, he was blushing, with the color being visible even in the lighting of the upper lounge.

As he thought this, an Asari bartender came over and asked, "Can I get you two anything?"

"Two drinks," Wrex replied. "And another bag of ice."

"I thought you'd be enjoying the… er… perks… of Krogan fertility," Shepard said uneasily, not knowing how Wrex would be taking it.

"Enjoying it?" Wrex asked, a little grumpy, though he knew where Shepard was coming from. "There's a line of females outside my dwelling right now! Stretches as far as the eye can see. I had to sneak out my own bathroom window! Even then, I was cornered by two more females on the ride from Tuchanka."

"And it's just you? They're not spreading the love around?"

"Sure, but everyone wants their firstborn to be strong and fit. I'm the leader of Clan Urdnot. I brought an end to the Genophage. Everyone on Tuchanka wants a piece of me, and Bakara's no help at all! She encourages it! I'm telling you, Shepard. I'm in no shape to fight Reapers."

"Considering everything we've been through, I can think of worse positions to be in."

"Trust me. I've been in every position since the last few days."

Just then, a few drinks slid over to them. "Here are your drinks," the bartender replied before setting down a while colored bag. "And a bag of ice."

Shepard, in response, took his drink and drank it, while Wrex did the same, while taking the bag of ice. While no one was looking, he promptly slipped the ice into his body glove and shifted it to where it rested in his groin region. He snarled, before grumbling, "And I thought Mordin's procedure was painful. Oh, well…" Sitting down, he said, "Shit, Shepard. We sure have been through it, haven't we?"

"Still going through it," Shepard remarked.

This time, Wrex laughed, though he was much happier now. "True. Well, here's to us, and to getting through it." Gulping down his drink, he shouted, "Korbal!" Seeing Shepard's confused expression, he said, "It means, victory or death, roughly."

"Ah… but you can't die, Wrex," Shepard countered. "You've got a family now… A really big family." Wrex was about to grumble when Shepard added, "Oh, and there's a couple female Krogan walking up the steps right now."

Hearing that, Wrex immediately sat upright and said, "Shit! Not this again!" With that, he quickly made his way out of the lounge.

Shepard was about to order another drink when he heard one of the females say, "Where'd Wrex go? Oh, well… I know of a breeding request for a certain Shepard."

Aw shit, Shepard frowned when he heard that. I remember that from when I helped Grunt out at Tuchanka. Well… time for me to exit stage left.

. . .

Fortunately, he managed to avoid the female Krogan after exiting the lounge and the casino in question. Heading over to another building, he found himself in what appeared to be the arcade area. There was a large wide floor that held entrances for the fighting arena, as well as a stairwell that led up into the upper parts of the building.

He was just about to head on out when he heard a familiar voice grumbling. "You're mine, you bastard! Damnit!"

Turning to his right, Shepard spotted a familiar person. "Zaeed?" he asked. Looking in that direction, he found that Zaeed was in front of what appeared to be a claw machine, inside of which were glowing balls that held prizes of some kind.

"Over here, Shepard," Zaeed replied. "This thing is fucking impossible!"

"What are you doing?"

"There was a kid here, sniveling brat, spending all her credits, crying," Zaeed explained.

"So you thought you'd get a prize for her."

"She asked. Looked simple enough – damnit!"

"Where's the kid?"

"What do I care? Got any credits, Shepard?"

"Isn't there something better we could go do?"

"What could possibly be more important than Zaeed Massani not getting bested by some fucking kid's game?"

"You really want one of those plushy toys," Shepard remarked, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. This is really funny, he said to himself. Oh, I am richly enjoying this!

"Damn right, I do!" Zaeed sarcastically agreed.

"OK, then," Shepard conceded, though the amused grin on his face said it all.

"Credits?"

"Sure, but even a bounty hunter's got to use his manners once in a while."

Zaeed was about to retort, then thought better of it. Given that Shepard was a little older than him now, it was obvious that he'd lose any argument. "Please?" he added.

"Sure," Shepard nodded. With that, he added in the credits, while Zaeed manipulated the mass effect field claw. "Easy," Shepard cautioned Zaeed, seeing that the latter was pulling upwards too fast. "Easy!" Just as he said it, one of the spheres fell back into the container.

Zaeed tapped a foot irritably, before he moved to the side, examining the machine. "This thing's obviously rigged somehow," he grumbled.

"Rigged?" Shepard asked.

Zaeed ignored him. "I'm going to hunt down the shit-for-brains 'inventor' of this crooked game and pull his inspiration out through his arse-hole. Probably some smart-ass Salarian bastard."

"Uh… you know that the dude's likely long dead now," Shepard corrected, knowing the history of the game Zaeed was struggling at.

"Like I give a fuck," Zaeed growled. "Credits?"

"Sure," Shepard added. "Go a little more slowly this time." Zaeed, while he frowned, took Shepard's advice. Sure enough, one of the spheres remained firmly attached to the manipulator, before he dropped it down the chute. "There you go. See? That wasn't so hard."

"Easy for you to say," Zaeed remarked as he took the toy in question over to the child.

"OK, Zaeed," Shepard remarked as the hardened merc came over. "Where to?"

"How should I know?" Zaeed asked. "What do ya feel like? Apollos? Casino? More claw?"

"But this time, you pay with your own credits," Shepard added.

"I'm man enough to pay for my own addictions, Shepard."

"Addiction? Already?"

"I'm an all-in kinda guy."

He does have a point, Shepard remarked as he left for the casino.

(Author's Q&A)

Guest: Thank you

SulliMike23: There aren't. I can assure you of that.

edboy4926: I know, but I don't think Brooks and the Clone could get away with their antics with the Prince's Champion around, or even the First Prince's son for that matter.

Touhoufanatic: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. I'm happy to see that you're enjoying the other chapters.