Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all for the wonderful support I received last chapter. I deeply appreciate it.
I've also decided to include a tribute to one of my favorite bands, as well as the writer of the song in the bold title letters for this chapter. I think you'll really enjoy what I did.
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.
SABATON – Camouflage (Bonus)
SSV Normandy
Earth
October 10th, 2186
While the naval battle was raging in orbit, Shepard and his team had transferred over to the Cavalier III, which was now burning as fast as it could for the surface. Inside the 'Mech Bay, Shepard could feel the ship shaking as the powerful engines pushed the vehicle at maximum acceleration. Occasionally, the loud ring of projectiles hitting the newly installed Heavy Ferro-Aluminum Armor would reverberate throughout the 'Mech Bay, but given how tough that stuff was, Shepard wasn't worried too much about a hull breach.
What he was more worried about, however, was getting his Marauder II ready to go. Slipping into the cockpit of his 'Mech once more, Shepard thought he spotted something new on the diagnostic readouts. "Fahad, what's this?" he asked.
Fahad, who was nearby, came over and said, "This here? Oh, that's a refit that we were able to do, given how much room is inside of the 'Mech due to technology becoming more compact. We were able to stuff an A-SRM-6 into the 'Mech, along with around 3 tonnes of ammo, around sixty missiles give or take a few."
"So, I basically have another short range option to work with."
"Basically."
Shepard nodded at that. I always wanted to have an missile launcher on my Marauder II. Looks like I got my wish. "Thanks," he said a moment later. "You can never have too much firepower."
"You're welcome," Fahad beamed. "Also, Shepard?"
"Yes?"
"Kick those Reapers in the bloody arse for me, will you? It's about time we did something about those wankers."
"I will. Good luck, Fahad."
"You too, Shepard." With that, Fahad walked away, while Shepard closed the cockpit to his 'Mech and strapped himself inside.
"Time to go to war," he said to himself as he began going through the power-up procedures. Soon, he could hear the hum of the 400 XL Fusion Engine in the background, while the controls in front of him lit up like a Christmas tree. Keying his comm, he said, "Bravo Lead online. Garrus, Kaidan, Vega, you read me?"
"Loud and clear," came Garrus' voice.
"Good to go," Vega replied.
"All good here," Kaidan finished.
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "We're going to be participating in Operation NORMANDY, which is our initial landing on the planet. Once we're out of the DropShip, we're going to be taking a four kilometer jog to the Hades Orbital Cannon Emplacements that the Reapers have set up. Our primary objective is to destroy them with the weaponry that our 'Mechs have. Once that's done, we'll secure the area for Anderson and his team. Any questions?"
"What are we look at in terms of resistance?" Kaidan asked.
"MIIO intelligence suggests that we'll be facing a new hostile on the field. My guess is that the Reapers have likely created a new unit to combat BattleMech forces."
"Shit," Vega growled. "As if those Banshees adapting somewhat to our laser weapons wasn't bad enough! Now we have to deal with Reaper 'Mechs as well?!"
"I know what y'all are probably thinking, but that's what we're dealing with. We got this intel courtesy of MIIO agents that were involved in a 'Mech battle at Palaven. The new hostiles are armed with mass accelerator cannons and their armor is heavier than our own, though intel suggests that it's roughly BAR 7 in terms of protection. Either way, we're not going to let them slow us down. We're heading there whether the Reapers like it or not. Any further questions?"
"Nope," Vega remarked.
"Not really, no," Garrus replied.
"Then when we land, we're heading out," Shepard decided. "Mason is going to be clearing out an LZ for Hammer to land at. This is the big one, so he's busted out all of the Assault 'Mechs for this. Just keep your eyes peeled, your fingers on the firing studs, and we'll all come back home in one piece."
Just as he said this, he felt the DropShip shudder, indicating that it had landed. "We've landed, Commanders," Ryana reported to them. "Operation NORMANDY is a go. Good hunting, you two."
"Roger that," Mason replied. "Shepard, you ready?"
"Ready," Shepard confirmed.
"Then let's head out." With that, Shepard engaged the speed governor for the throttle, before gently easing the 'Mech out of the 'Mech Bay and towards one of the doors. The door quickly slid upwards, allowing Shepard and the others to step outside and take a look around.
The sight that greeted them was nothing short of terrible and foreboding. The entire urban area they were at had been blasted to hell, with buildings having collapsed into piles of rubble, while some only had the walls standing. A few were still intact, but these were few and far between. The streets were choked with rubble and ruined vehicles, and Shepard thought he could see a few corpses here and there. The sky was filled with ash laden clouds that were dark gray in color, though this was due to the Citadel Beam creating an artificial weather pattern. At the edges of the horizon, he could see blue sky.
The foreboding sight was enough to affect even his team. "Fuck," Vega frowned. "It doesn't even look like home anymore."
"Looks like some planets in photographs of the Succession Wars," Kaidan observed. "In fact, this part of Earth looks more like Tintavel after the Tintavel Massacre than anything else."
"Damn," Garrus frowned. "Earth looks a lot worse than Palaven is right now."
"Either way, it ends here and now," Shepard decided. "The Reapers will pay for their crimes, and we'll be the ones to execute them. Begin heading out." As the 'Mechs began moving out, he keyed his comm and said, "Mason, anything else we know about?"
"Yeah," Mason replied. "One of your pilots, Cortez, is helping escort Alliance and AFFC Marines to the surface. They're part of advance teams that will help disable the cannons we weren't assigned to."
"Roger that," Shepard replied. With that, he continued to lead his Lance towards the Hades Cannons. As they advanced forwards, the sensors immediately began pinging his Neurohelmet, indicating an incoming hostile. "Target Acquired: Minotaur" the DIC reported.
Turning his torso to the left, Shepard zoomed in on an area that was roughly 600 meters from his current position. It was there that he saw it; to him, the new Reaper unit looked like a Brute, only of it was massively increased in size, and had an extra pair of arms attached to it. It stood on digitigrade legs and had an extra head that was fused to the back of the first one. The extra pair of arms were fused to the shoulders of the first pair, and Shepard thought he could see weapons on them.
"Hostile spotted 600 meters, 10 o'clock! Engaging!" he shouted, firing the Plasma Rifle on his 'Mech. A moment later, the purple bolus of plasma the weapon fired zipped through the air, before smashing into the now identified Minotaur. The plasma bolus smacked into the kinetic barriers, but the thermal transfer melted some of the armor.
The Minotaur shrieked in pain and surprise, before doing so in anger. Turning towards Shepard, it fired it's mass accelerator cannons, only for the projectiles to ricochet off of his 'Mech's own kinetic barriers. Firing the ER PPC's on his 'Mech, Shepard blasted the kinetic barriers, tearing them down and allowing his close range weapons to get to work. Emerald beams of light cut through the air, along with MAHEM-tipped SRM's.
Their armor's gotten tougher, he thought as the missiles blasted out craters in the Minotaur's armor, while the lasers cut angry white gouges onto the creature. Just then, it opened it's mouth, before a blue-white beam shot out of it. Shepard, reacting on instinct, threw his 'Mech into a sideways roll, barely avoiding the beam. "FUCK!" he shouted. "It's got a weapon in it's mouth!"
"I GOT IT!" Vega shouted, charging in with his King Crab. Firing the Ultra AC/20's installed in the arms, he blasted the Minotaur's head with MAHEM shells. In that moment, he got a lucky hit, as one of the four shells he fired blasted apart the Minotaur's head, sending it crashing to the ground. "You OK, Shepard?"
"I'm fine," Shepard replied. "What the hell was that, though?"
"I managed to scan the thing when it did that," Garrus replied. "Looks like the Reaper equivalent of the Gauss Rifle, only much smaller. I'd advise breaking that thing's line of sight when it pulls that thing out."
"Good idea," Shepard nodded. "Let's get to that Hades Cannon."
Fortunately, they didn't have to go very far to find the Hades Cannon in question. When they spotted it, Shepard noted that it looked similar to a Reaper destroyer, only it had a central gun that replaced where a Reaper's main body was at. Occasionally, it would fire a blue-white beam similar to that of a Thanix Cannon at hostile air targets.
"How do we disable this thing?" Kaidan asked.
"The joints," Garrus explained, using a TAG built into his 'Mech to highlight the joint areas. "They're not armored. We can hammer them with our weapons and bring them down. I recommend either Plasma Rifles, ER PPC's, Autocannon/20's or anything with similar firepower."
"Sounds like a plan," Shepard decided.
"INCOMING!" Vega shouted. "More Minotaur's, and we've got some Harvesters flying in!"
Spotting the incoming hostiles, Shepard shouted, "Then take them out!"
With that, the entire lance began an all-out assault on the hostiles coming towards them. Spotting a Minotaur, Shepard fired his ER PPC's, while also firing his Plasma Rifle. The combined salvo managed to whittle down it's barriers to 50%, with the A-SRM-6's blasting the barriers down to another 30%. Firing off his ER Medium Pulse Lasers, Shepard managed to tear though some of the Minotaur's armor, cutting it's arm off in the process.
The Minotaur, in response, fired it's heavy weapon at Shepard. The Marauder II shuddered as the magnetically accelerated molten projectile smashed into the barriers, bringing them down to 80%. Shepard, in retaliation, fired his Plasma Rifle again, bringing down the Minotaur's kinetic barriers, before firing his ER PPC's again. This time, the combined firepower tore into the Minotaur's center torso, killing the creature.
Nearby, Garrus was busy keeping the Harvesters from overwhelming their position. Both LB 10-X's were firing as quickly as Garrus could, while the ER Large and ER Medium Pulse Lasers were firing out into the sky. Every time he fired, a pair of Harvesters went down or exploded. Good thing they can't armor their aerial assets very much, he thought.
Meanwhile, Vega and Kaidan were working together to not only bring down the Minotaur's attacking them, but also the Hades cannons. The Ultra AC/20's on Vega's 'Mech, along with the twin ER Large Pulse Lasers and LRM-15 installed on his 'Mech were firing away, tearing apart any Minotaur's that got too close. Kaidan, on the other hand, was using his Nightstar's Gauss Rifles to tear into one of the Hades Cannon's legs, with Shepard adding in his own firepower as well.
Before long, there was a loud POP-CRACK as the joint on the Hades Cannon gave way. The entire weapon toppled over on that side, sending the emplacement's main gun to the ground with a thunderous CRASH! "That did it!" Kaidan reported. "Hades Cannon down!"
"Good work," Shepaard nodded. "Mason, do you read me? We disabled one of the guns!"
"Good work," Mason nodded. "You've got another one in your sector still! Take it out!"
"Roger that," Shepard replied as he began heading that direction. "Any news on Cortez?"
"His shuttle was shot down."
"FUCK! I hope he's going to be OK!"
"Me too."
. . .
Cortez was fucked, and he knew it, even as he surveyed the crash site for his shuttle. It was supposed to be a simple landing, he groaned. I guess when the Reapers are around, with guns like these, that this wouldn't be simple.
Looking around, he surveyed the crash site for the shuttle. When the Hades Cannon scored a direct hit on the Kodiak II's main engines, he had been forced to crash land into what had once been an apartment complex. Everyone in the crash, aside from him, had been killed by the force of the impact. He hadn't escaped unscathed either, as he could hear a mild ringing in his ears, and there was pain in his chest. Blood was also dripping from his nose, though he quickly fixed that up with some medi-gel.
I'm fucked, he frowned as he looked around. I am seriously fucked. The only thing I've got for self-defense is a Striker Carbine that's jammed, and my Hawk Eagle sidearm. In addition, he could hear Reaper troops moving outside. Still, he knew one thing: he wasn't going to die pleading for his life. If I'm going to die, I'll take them down with me.
Just then, he heard something snap, a piece of plastic likely, but it was enough to get him to grab his empty rifle. He promptly dug in, while furiously working to unjam his weapon. His heart thumped loudly in his ears as fear took a hold of him, despite the reassuring weight of the armor that he had now put on.
Just then, he thought he felt a weight on his right shoulder, causing him to jump and look to the right out of fright. Instead of a Marauder or Cannibal, Cortez found himself looking at a big Alliance Marine. The Marine's helmet was off, revealing a man with dark brown hair, a clean shaven face and a pair of friendly green eyes. Cortez was about to speak when the man said, "Wait. If Romeo wants to tangle, now they'll have two to dodge."
"Well, thanks a lot," Cortez shrugged, deeply glad to see that he hadn't been the only survivor. "My name's Cortez, Steve Cortez. What's yours?"
The Marine, in response, simply picked up the Striker Carbine and looked it over. With a surprising amount of speed, he unjammed the rifle, sending a mangled cartridge out of the ejection port, before loading a new mag into the weapon. "The boys just call me Camouflage," he said a moment later. As a new sound hit their ears, Camouflage said, "I think the Reapers don't appreciate our presence."
"Got any ideas?" Cortez asked.
"Yeah. Let's shoot our way out and head to the Thames River. Mix things up a little."
Without a plan of his own, Cortez quickly accepted it. Taking the rifle that Camouflage handed him, he quickly moved forwards, with Camouflage taking out his own Striker Carbine and moving forwards. Both men soon began descending down an incline made out of rubble and into the streets.
It was here that they found themselves being assaulted by Marauders and Cannibals, prompting them to take cover and take up their battle stance. Popping out of cover, Cortez fired his rifle at a pair of Cannibals, cutting them down with the AP/D rounds loaded into the weapon. Nearby, Camouflage fired his own rifle, cutting down a Marauder that was up ahead. Firing the underbarrel grenade launcher, he blasted apart a large group of Husks that were coming at them.
As they proceeded towards the Thames River, Cortez began to notice some odd things about Camouflage. For one thing, he didn't seem to run out of ammunition, though this was likely due to the fact that he was practicing trigger discipline, and had scavenged ammo from the Kodiak II. The other strange thing, though, was that the bullets the Reapers fired always seemed to miss him. A few even went right through him as if he wasn't there, Cortez noted. What is going on?
Firing his rifle again, Cortez thought he spotted an opportunity. "Look!" he shouted. "There's an opening right there! We can get to a building and call for extraction there!"
"No need to," Camouflage replied calmly. "The FOB's going to be set up nearby. Let's go." With that, both men took their chances and immediately began an all-out dash for the river Thames.
Just as they reached the river bank, though, gunfire immediately erupted from the left, forcing them to engage. Ambush, Cortez realized as he opened fire. As more and more Reaper troops poured into the area, he thought, This is it. I guess we've been had. Well, at least I got my chance to go out fighting.
Just then, he heard a loud screech, and his heart sank into his stomach. Up ahead, he spotted a Banshee that was moving towards their position. Firing at it, he could only watch as his bullets bounced off it's barriers. As he fired, the Banshee created a ball of dark energy in it's hands and hurled it at him. Even at this distance, Cortez knew he couldn't dodge the incoming projectile.
That was when something happened that shocked him. To his shock, Camouflage stepped into the way, almost as if the Marine was going to sacrifice himself to save him. Instead of that happening, though, he watched, mouth agape, as Camouflage swatted the incoming projectile back towards the Banshee with his right hand, just like it was a fly. The Banshee only had enough time to let out a shocked and terrified shriek before the dark energy bolus smacked into it.
There was a loud WOMP-BANG as the dark energy bolus detonated, creating a blast wave that was powerful enough that it killed all of the Reaper troops ambushing them, including the Banshee. Both Cortez and Camouflage had entered cover by that point, and were spared being killed. "I'd say it's time to beat feet, wouldn't you agree?" Camouflage casually asked.
"You think?" Cortez stammered in agreement as he followed the big marine.
. . .
In another part of London, Shepard and his team were gunning down a group of Minotaurs that were the last things standing between them and the Hades Cannon that they had to neutralize in this area. Firing the weapons on his 'Mech, Shepard gunned down another Minotaur, though he winced whenever his 'Mech got hit.
We're doing OK so far, but it's starting to get hairy, he noted as Kaidan and Vega destroyed the joint on the Hades Cannon's leg, sending it toppling over as well. Kaidan's down to half ammo on his Gauss Rifles, and Garrus is going to need a resupply very soon. Vega's doing alright, but he's down to a quarter of his Ultra AC/20's ammo. I hope we can get through these hostiles before long.
Just as he fired his Plasma Rifle at another Minotaur, something happened. Two Minotaurs approached each other, before grabbing each other around their waists. For a moment, Shepard was confused, then that confusion turned to horror when the two Minotaurs seemed to melt into each other, becoming larger and more heavily armored.
When the process was done, the two combined Minotaurs had melded together to form an new Reaper 'Mech that was taller than his 'Mech, and it had a single large head that resembled that of a dragon's. It now walked on a lower body resembling a Varren's, with a long tail with another head on it. It's upper body resembled that of a Turian's, though it's four arms were now gun arms, and it had a single head that was shaped like a dragon's.
Vega, having neutralized his own Minotaurs, happened to spot the new threat. "OHHH! THAT AIN'T FAIR!" he shouted.
"By Phaeston, what the hell is that?!" Garrus shouted.
"SHOOT! SHOOT!" Shepard roared. Almost everyone immediately fired every weapon on their 'Mechs at the new creature. While it's barriers hadn't formed yet, the thing's armor was as though as that of a 'Mech's, as Shepard found that their combined firepower only brought it's armor down by thirty three percent.
"S'KAK! It's tough!" Garrus snarled.
"LOOK OUT!" Kaidan shouted as the creature fired it's Thanix Gun, the blue-white stream of metal erupting from it's upper body's maw. Garrus couldn't dodge it in time, though, resulting in the right arm of his 'Mech being ripped off. "GARRUS!"
"I'M OK!" Garrus shouted. "I LOST HALF OF MY WEAPONS, THOUGH!"
"Hey, ugly!" Vega shouted as he fired his Ultra AC/20's at the larger Minotaur. "You want some of this?! COME AND GET ME!" The creature, hearing his voice on the 'Mech's loudspeakers, roared a challenge at him, before firing it's arm weapons at him. While Vega managed to dodge the first salvo, he knew the next one would rip through his 'Mech's armor and kill him.
Fate, however, had different plans in mind. Before it could fire, a massive swarm of LRM's smashed into the new Reaper 'Mech's lower body, causing it to stumble. Looking in that direction, Shepard watched as Mason's Mad Cat II arrived, along with Nihlus'Catapult and a few other MechWarriors. At that moment, he had everyone in his lance fire at the new Reaper 'Mech, while Mason and the others did the same.
The new Reaper 'Mech was promptly blasted apart under the withering salvo of weapons fire it was subjected to. It howled in rage and agony, before an ER PPC shot tore through it's center upper torso, destroying the creature for good. "No one's dying on my watch!" Mason shouted. Turning to the others, he asked, "You OK?"
"Garrus' 'Mech in State One," Shepard replied. "Beyond that, we're State Eight. How about you? I thought you were securing the FOB area."
"We finished doing so early," Mason explained. "The Reapers sent all of their 'Mechs towards your position. When we cleared the area out, we made best speed for your position. I've also got someone in here that wants to talk to you."
A moment later, Shepard was surprised to hear Anderson's voice. "Shepard," he remarked.
"Anderson?"
"The one and only. I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"It's good to see you."
"Likewise," Anderson beamed. "Looks like you've got yourself a fancy 'Mech. I'm still getting used to the idea of weaponized walkers. How'd you manage to do it?"
"Just went with the flow," Shepard shrugged.
"I see," Anderson noted. "Still, with the Hades Cannons down, Hammer can land. What's left of the resistance is holding an FOB that's near the Thames River, but the Reapers are countering already. Once we regroup, it's gonna be up to Hammer to take up the fight."
"Without you and the resistance, we'd be dead in the water."
"True," Mason agreed. "From the looks of things, he's the only reason why people on Earth are still alive."
"Let's not start handing out medals yet," Anderson admonished them. "The fighting's just getting started, and Hammer better be ready for it."
"They didn't start out getting along," Shepard remarked. "But thanks to the Federated Commonwealth, and the efforts of some valued friends, they're ready to stand side by side and win this war."
"Agreed," Anderson nodded as he signaled for them to head to the FOB. "That's what it's gonna take."
"Well, get it done," Shepard noted.
Anderson nodded, though he mumbled, "I was born in London," under his breath.
After some traveling, they soon reached the FOB, where Shepard spotted a Mobile Field Base being set up, along with four Mobile 'Mech Repair Bays. A few DropShips had landed, keeping the sky clear while offloading base building materials, medical supplies, muntions, etc. "Let's get our asses into the repair bays," Shepard ordered them. "I'm going to see if we can find Cortez."
. . .
Cortez could feel his legs burning like they were coated with burning Napalm as he continued up the incline. His shirt was soaping wet from his swim across the Thames River, while he could hear squishing sounds coming from his feet. Nearby, Camouflage remained as calm and stoic as ever, a slight smile on his face.
Eventually, as they climbed, Cortez spotted what he realized were DropShips. Seeing the MFB that was up ahead, he cheered loudly. "We made it!" he beamed.
"Told you we would," Camouflage nodded.
Turning around, Cortez smiled and said, "Thank you, Camouflage. If it weren't for you, I'd never have survived. See you around." He waved goodbye as he said this. Camouflage merely winked and smiled at him. A moment later, much to Cortez' shock, Camouflage seemed to vanish into thin air.
What the hell, he wondered. Did that just happen? Was I just rescued by the ghost of an Alliance Marine? As he approached the FOB, he heard footsteps approaching him. Turning to the right, he spotted two Marines, and, to his relief, Commander Shepard.
"Cortez!" Shepard beamed, grabbing Cortez in a bear hug. "When I heard your shuttle went down, I assumed the worst. Are you OK? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Yeah," Cortez replied. "I just had the weirdest experience in my life."
. . .
A few minutes later, inside the FOB, Anderson, Shepard and the others were listening to Cortez' tale, especially about the big battle he'd waged with Camouflage. One of the soldier nearby had gulped, though Anderson said, "I knew a Marine that went by that nickname. His real name was Alan Harper, but the others called him Camouflage, which was ironic, since he was the biggest damn Marine I'd ever seen. Very devout and kind person too, though he never flaunted his beliefs."
"What happened to him?" Shepard asked.
"He died shortly after being taken to a field hospital," Anderson explained. "A Marauder shot him in the chest with it's rifle, punched right through his armor. Just before he died, though, he said, 'Semper Fi', and he told me his dying wish, which was to save a young Alliance Marine caught in a barrage."
"That was me," Cortez realized. "Camouflage got his last wish."
"That he did," Anderson agreed. Reaching into a pocket, he handed Cortez some rectangular pieces of metal and electronics and said, "Here. These are his dog-tags. Given what you went through and how he saved you in the end, I think he'd want you to have these now."
"Thank you, sir," Cortez nodded, slipping the dog tags into his pocket.
"You're welcome, son. Now, let's get to work. We have a war to win."
(Author's Q&A)
edboy4926: Thank you
Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you. Keep on reading, as things are going to get much more interesting.
Violet Toyger: We will in a future chapter.
.nimrod: Definitely.
Aluriea: Thank you.
Blanchimont: Thank you. I'll correct that error soon.
SulliMike23: Yep. The Reapers are about to get their just desserts.
Chronus1326: Thank you.
galacticarmor2 Alt: Sounds like an interesting idea. I'll definitely consider it.