BattleTech: Combat Evolved - Definitive Edition

by IX404

We all know the tale. The SLDF under Aleksandr Kerensky's command leaves the Inner Sphere forever, before evolving into the Clans following Operation KLONDIKE. What if this was not the case? What if the entire Exodus fleet suffered a misjump that propelled them into another universe, one where Humanity will reclaim an ancient inheritance? This is the story of that possibility.

8. Advances & Plans

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/BattleTech crossover redux.

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

My apologies for taking a while with this chapter. It was a little more difficult than I anticipated. However, I hope you'll be as happy with the results as I was once it was completed.

Either way, I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you'll continue to support the story going forward.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, 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 its original composers and/or artists.

---

Reach

Naval Yard AS-9, SinoViet Heavy Industries

January 20th, 2793, 1100 Hrs (September 24th, 2522, 1100 Hrs)

"Attention, Attention," the PA blared. "Ship launch will commence in T-Minus 20 minutes. Repeat: Ship Launch in T-Minus 20 Minutes."

Ship Systems Specialist Richard Donovan glanced up, then returned to his work. Almost done, he thought. In just a few minutes, we'll run a final systems check, then this baby's ready for work.

The 'baby' in question was one of the McKenna-class WarShips the SLDF used as their primary heavy cruiser/battleship. While advanced and powerful by SLDF standards, UNSC warships had heavier armor, more powerful engines, and stronger internal structures.

As such, the SLDF had looked for shipbuilding companies that would be willing to upgrade their ships despite their age. SinoViet Heavy Industries had been one of dozens of companies that leaped at the chance, both for financial gain, and for the reputation and prestige it would gain them. Once the contract had been debated and hashed out, SinoViet, along with Reyes-McLees Shipyards, Ceres Industrial Metals and many others, had gotten to work upgrading the SLDF's workhorses in a collaborative effort.

Boy did we learn a lot, Donovan remarked. Not half bad internal systems, but a lot of things needed upgrading. That reminded him of his job. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he redoubled his efforts to finish checking the targeting computer he worked on.

"And there we go," he muttered softly. "New targeting system's working like a charm. Wonder how Anthony's doing."

"You're about to find out," came the reply. A tall and wiry man slapped Donovan on the shoulder. "Doing good here, though you really ought to stop muttering under your breath all the time. It's annoying."

"Sorry," Donovan said. "I just happen to love my work."

"I can tell," Anthony said. He glanced at the computer. "So, how's it coming?

"Fine," Donovan said. "New targeting computer's been installed. They should have a considerable range increase with their weapon systems. Their older models were junk compared to ours."

"Different priorities and different weapons. You remember when they did the test with those weaponized particle accelerators of theirs, yeah?"

"Yeah," Donovan said. "EM pulse nearly fried the test computer. Their systems were much more heavily shielded than our own, though we fixed that problem. Now they can take a zap and keep coming." He pursed his lips in thought. "Say, how're the reactor tests coming?"

"Perfectly," Anthony said. "I have to admit, I thought Reyes-McLees had their heads on backwards when they proposed the use of a 'sheared-flow stabilized z-pinch fusion reactor.'"

"Did they?"

Anthony made a rude noise. "Hell no! It was their best idea in years. Damn things produce more power than the standard inertial electrostatic reactors we use, and that's saying something. They tested the design out on some UNSC ships, but the REMFs have yet to approve the new reactors, despite those reactors being smaller, lighter and more efficient."

Donovan snorted. "Get real, Anthony. The REMFs in the UNSC would shoot that idea down due to 'expenses.'" He shook his head. "Damn idiots wouldn't know a good thing if it slapped them in the face."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Anthony finished. He glanced at the targeting computers. "Well, we should get to that final systems check. Don't want to waste anymore time than needed."

"Good idea." Donovan reached for his walkie-talkie. "Team Four, status?"

"Checks complete," came Team Four's reply. "We're waiting on you."

"All right," Donovan said. "Beginning systems check." He keyed in a series of diagnostic commands to the targeting computers onboard the entire ship. Within a few seconds, pleasing numbers came back on his laptop screen. "All systems green," he said.

"Team Three here," came another call-out. "Systems check on reactor complete. Everything's green."

"Life support systems are go," Team Two reported.

"All right," Donovan said. "Everyone, back to the station. Time to power the ship systems up. Inform the skeleton crew to begin boarding." Releasing the transmit switch, he turned to Anthony. "Time for us to go…"

A few minutes later, Admiral Belleau was on deck. He watched as his bridge crew filed back into position. All is well so far, he thought. Let us hope it remains that way. "Status?"

"All personnel reporting in," Vice Admiral Morley said. "Remaining skeleton crew will be onboard in eight minutes."

"Very good. Inform me when all personnel are onboard."

"Yes sir," Morley said. Before long, he said, "All personnel are onboard, sir."

"Excellent. Being reactor power-up sequence. Bring all systems online."

"Yes sir." Morely began commanding his subordinates. "Bring all systems online. Prep for reactor ignition."

"Yes sir," the others said.

"Comms, contact AS-9. Inform them we are powering-up."

"Yes sir," Lieutenant Reed said. Keying his comm, he said, "Anchor Station 9, this is Sevastapol. Initiating reactor power-up."

"Understood," AS-9's control officer, Commander Jameson, said. "Ready for reactor ignition."

"Copy," Reed said. He nodded towards Morley. "They're ready."

"Engineering?" Morely asked.

"Bringing reactor online, sir!" came the reply. In the back of the ship, engineers and technicians performed the final checks for the reactor. Switches were flipped and gauges checked. Then the Chief Engineer began the start-up sequence. "Reactor coming online… now!"

In the engineering bay, the new, ZFR-45 reactor came to life. Power rushed through the ship's circuitry and to all vital systems. "Reactor at 20% and holding!" Engineering reported. "Permission to raise power to 40%?"

"Granted," Belleau said. "Reed?"

"Yes, sir," Reed said. "Sevastapol to AS-9. Reactor start-up successful."

"Copy. Disengaging power feeds." Outside, power cables disconnected from the ship and retracted. "Power feeds disengaged."

"Copy," Reed said.

"Reactor at 40%!" Engineering reported. "Reactor at 60% and climbing…. Reactor at 100%! All parameters nominal. Engine checks complete."

"Very good," Belleau said. "Engines to 1/4th throttle. Navigation, plot course to the system jump point. We -"

"Sir, targeting system down!" Michael, the Fire Control Officer, shouted. "Possible cyber attack! Initiating hard restart!"

Belleau cursed under his breath. I had a feeling things were going too smoothly, he thought. "Systems check. Any other systems affected?"

"Negative," Chief Engineer Brian reported. "All systems green here. Affected system isolated. Had a minor spike in power output, but we've got it under control."

Belleau frowned. "Contact AS-9. Inform them of the situation."

"Yes sir," Reed said. "COM line is open, sir."

Belleau nodded, then keyed his seat's transmitter. "Admiral Belleau to Anchor Station 9, we have a targeting system failure. Can you confirm?"

"AS-9 here. Our defenses are down as well. Distress call's been sent to all available forces. Can you remain on station?"

Belleau frowned. Something's up, he thought. "Yes. We'll remain on station to provide defense until all systems are operational again. Can you link our computers with your targeting systems?"

"Affirmative," the Commander said. "Just one second… targeting systems are linked to yours."

"Sir, targeting data's coming in," Michael reported. "All weapons green."

"Excellent work, AS-9. We'll hold station and provide defense. Admiral Belleau out."

"Solid copy. AS-9 over and out."

Lieutenant Michael leaned in towards Reed. "If this is a cyber attack, there's gotta be an attack coming, or someone could've attempted to data-mine us. Why?"

"Don't know," Reed said. "Keep calm and await further orders." Michael nodded, though a worried expression remained on his face.

"Contact!" Second Lieutenant Harold shouted. "Four bogies bearing 0-4-0 mark 0-7-5!"

"On screen," Belleau ordered. The screen by his command chair changed to show the sensor readouts. Four small blips were making their way towards the shipyard. "AS-9, you reading this?"

"Affirmative," came the reply. "Four orbital taxi's on approach. Computers are not responding to our commands. Possible Insurrectionist attack underway."

Belleau frowned. We can't let them get too close, otherwise the station might be boarded, or destroyed. In an instant, he reached a decision. "AS-9. Beginning interception. Stand by for further reports." Closing the COM, he said, "Navigation, plot an intercept course. Fire Control, begin manual targeting of incoming bogeys."

"Yes sir," the officers said. There was a faint rumble as the new engines roared to life. The entire ship rotated, then rocketed towards the orbital taxis. At the same time, Michael switched the weapons from computer to manual targeting while informing the gunners.

Belleau barely felt a thing as the ship accelerometer exceeded 35g. Gravity control systems are working perfectly, he thought. Good. We'll intercept them in no time. "Order the orbital taxis to back off."

"Yes sir," Lieutenant Reed said. He keyed the COM, then said, "Sevastapol to incoming bogeys. You are in violation of UNSC aerospace. Squawk now and proceed out of the area immediately. Failure to comply will be seen as a hostile act. Respond. Over." He waited a few seconds, then transmitted the warning again. "No response," he said.

"Bogeys still incoming!" Second Lieutenant Harold reported. "Now accelerating towards AS-9!"

That sealed the orbital taxis fate in Belleau's mind. "Fire control, get manual targeting solutions. Fire a warning shot. If that is ignored, you have permission to fire missiles at them."

"Yes sir," Michael said. Sending the orders to the gunners, he watched and waited. Within seconds, a bright blue-white beam of light shot out from the right broadside of the Sevastapol. It missed the first orbital taxi by a few meters. The tug kept on coming.

LRM launchers on the hull opened fire immediately, with missiles streaking towards the enemy targtes. Most of the first volley missed, but ten missiles struck the first orbital taxi. The orbital taxi disappeared in a flash of light, engulfing the second orbital taxi in a fireball. "First targets destroyed!" Michael shouted. "Brace for shrapnel impact!"

There was a pause, then the ship shuddered. Loud clanging and pinging sounds could be heard throughout the ship as shrapnel bounced off the armor plating. "Status?!" Belleau shouted.

"Right Broadside taking damage!" Farragut, the Damage Control Officer, shouted. "Armor integrity at 96%!"

"Contact!" Harold shouted again. "Two more contacts! Bearing 0-4-0 mark 0-7-5! Distance to AS-9: 2 klicks!"

"Engage before they close in!" Belleau shouted. Another volley of missiles shot out from the Sevastapol's right broadside. Several missed, but another fifteen missiles scored a lucky hit on the second orbital taxi.

Again, both taxis detonated, this time with grave results. One of the nearby anchor stations tumbled as shrapnel smashed into it and ripped mechanical arms off along with armor plating. Several parts of the station depressurized as said shrapnel ripped through unshielded windows. Further away, armor on other anchor stations developed craters as debris smashed and vaporized against them.

Within seconds, the attack was over. Belleau waited for more bad news. "Status?"

"Scope is clear of contacts," Harold reported.

"All systems operational still," Farragut said. "Starboard armor damaged. Armor integrity at 92%"

Belleau frowned. Not great, but not terrible either. Flicking his transmit switch on, he said, "Sevastapol to AS-9. What's your status?"

"We're OK," Commander Jameson said. "AS-9 Delta has suffered severe damage; repair and rescue teams already mobilized. AS-9 Bravo to Charlie have taken moderate damage. AS-9 Alpha is unharmed. Your status?"

"All systems green. Right broadside armor at 92% integrity."

"Understood. Cyber attack defeated. All defenses online."

"Targeting system online," Michael reported. "All systems green again."

"Excellent," Belleau said. "We're coming in to AS-9 Alpha. Requesting armor replenishment."

"Granted," Commander Jameson said. "Approach on heading 3-5-0 mark 2-8-0."

"Understood," Belleau said. "Beginning course correction now. Admiral Belleau out." He turned to Lieutenant Reed. "Contact SLDF HQ. Inform them of the incident."

"Yes sir," Lieutenant Reed said.

. . .

Director-General Torrance frowned as he finished reading the report. "This is not good news, General. It would appear that the Insurrectionists have finally decided to strike at the UNSC, and they nearly got one of our ships in the process."

General Kerensky nodded. "I know. I was expecting an attack like this for some time. Intelligence Command reported that a strike like this was certain, though they were unable to pinpoint where it would occur."

Torrance's frown deepened. "We need to step up our game if Intelligence Command wasn't able to prevent the attack."

"Understood. I'll have people assigned to the problem ASAP. The Insurrectionists have made a terrible mistake. It's time we strike back."

"Agreed." As Kerensky left the room, Torrance activated a function on his computer. Within seconds, President Holt's face appeared on the screen. "Director-General," he said amicably. "Right on schedule. Are you here to discuss the economic agreements we made in further detail?"

"Yes," Torrance said, "but before we do, I would like to inform you of an incident we've had."

Holt frowned. "Let me guess: the Insurrectionists?"

"Quite so. I would like to speak to you and Chairman Edwards in a SCIF environment."

President Holt's smile faded into a frown. "I see. Give me one minute. I'll inform the Chairman of the situation. It's around the time he usually discusses these sorts of things with me anyway." His image winked out. Around two minutes later, both men appeared on the screen. "What happened?"

"Insurrectionists is what," Torrance said. Typing on his keyboard, he sent the relevant information to the two men. "Around two hours ago at Reach's AS-9 Naval Yard, there was a cyber attack on the station and the Sevastapol, which was then followed by four orbital taxis that attacked the station. They're still working things out, but they think those orbital taxis had FENRIS warheads onboard."

Chairman Edwards frowned. "I know about the incident, Torrance. I was informed the moment it occurred. ONI believes the Innies might've been trying to destroy the shipyard. Given that Admiral Belleau was on station when it happened, ONI believes there's a chance the Innies might've also been trying to get revenge for the botched attack on Madrigal's monitoring station seven years ago."

Torrance frowned. "You're pretty open about sharing this intel with us. Why?"

Edwards shook his head. "Normally, I'd wait to share this with you, but the Innies forced our hand."

"If that's the case, then the Insurrectionists might decide to begin attacking the settlements at Soell," Torrance remarked. "In fact, they already have. Around two weeks ago, we caught them trying to deploy genetically engineered anthrax we believe was stolen from an ONI lab on our colonies at Soell III and Soell IV. Since then, our citizens have been demanding that we visit retribution upon the Insurrectionists, and that's putting it politely."

Chairman Edwards' face took on a contemplative look. What Torrance is asking for is a very big if, he thought. It's an understandable one; after all, this is his people he's trying to defend, and his people want revenge against the Innies. That being said, Quid pro quo: every offer has a price.

"Fair enough," he said aloud. "I'll allow it, but on one condition: that the SLDF works with the UNSC in hunting down those responsible. Your WarShips are to be accompanied by our ships, your soldiers by our soldiers. After all, as you said, this is our problem, but we aren't adverse to accepting help, especially since your history states that you've got experience in handling insurrections."

"I agree," President Holt said. "Now that the Innies have become everyone's problem, we'll need to work together if we're to quash the Insurrection for good."

Torrance nodded. A favor for a favor. "I can agree to that. I'll inform General Kerensky that you're willing to pay ball. Now that we've taken care of that, I'd like to speak some more with your President."

"Very well," Chairman Edwards said. His image winked out.

"How has the HPG network been working out for you?" Torrance asked Holt.

"Quite well," Holt said. "We've resolved many of the problems that plagued the Outer Colonies. Now the Insurrection's losing steam, but it'll be a while before it fully dies out."

Torrance nodded. "Even then, it might not die out entirely. There'll always be people that'll commit terrorism, so there must always be people like us. That being said, I'm thankful for you taking the time needed to speak with me."

"Same here," Holt said.

. . .

In the SLDF's HQ, General Kerensky watched as everyone filed in for the meeting. Among them were his sons Andery and Nicholas. They're a high enough rank, he thought. If one of them is to become the Commanding Officer of the SLDF, they need ta attend these meetings too.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome," he said. "As you have all heard by now, the SLS Sevastapol was damaged when the Insurrectionists attacked a UNSC shipyard at Epsilon Eridani. Admiral Belleau defeated the attack, but this, along with the attempted bio-weapon attacks at Soell III and IV, represent a direct attack on the SLDF and it's government.

"We are not here to debate Admiral Belleau's actions; in fact, they are in keeping with the SLDF's highest traditions. Instead, we are here to find ways to combat the Insurrectionists before they begin a major attack on the SLiE. Admiral Belleau?"

Belleau's hologram shimmered to life. "Yes, sir?"

"Can you describe to us how the attack began, for memory's sake?"

"Yes sir," Belleau said. "Shortly before the attack began, we suffered a cyber attack that disabled our targeting computers. The Insurrectionists followed up with an attack by four orbital taxis that were loaded with FENRIS thermonuclear warheads. SLDF Intelligence Command believes, as does ONI, that the Insurrectionists had two targets: the Sevastapol, and Naval Yard AS-9."

"Why would they attack the Sevastapol?" General DeChavilier asked.

Another hologram shimmered to life. "I can explain. My apologies for my tardiness. Rear Admiral Malkovich, at your service."

"Your tardiness is excused," Kerensky said. "As you were saying?"

"Yes," Malkovich said. "ONI Section One believes that the Insurrectionists had two reasons for attacking. The first was to disable or destroy Naval Yard AS-9 in order to slow down the construction of new UNSC ships and to send a political statement: that even Epsilon Eridani isn't safe from the Insurrectionists. That said, it could also be a random attack from a random cell."

"And the other reason?" DeChavilier asked.

"The other reason is that the Innies might've been conducting this strike as revenge. Ever since Admiral Belleau assisted in halting the Innie attack at Madrigal, the Insurrectionists have been quite busy. While inconclusive at the time, Section One believed that the Insurrectionists were working to gather intelligence on the SLiE Some of our experts think that some Innies might hold a grudge over what happened seven years ago."

Admiral McTiernan frowned. "Seven years is a long time to hold a grudge. Why attack now?"

"We believe the Innies only recently acquired the means necessary to conduct this strike," Malkovich said. "However, one of our spies informed us of a likely perpetrator: Colonel James Watts."

More than a few groans filled the room and Kerensky frowned. Colonel James Watts was once a member of the UNSC, but when the Insurrection began to gather steam, he joined the Insurrectionists and quickly became one of their leaders. "That complicates things."

"It does," Belleau agreed. "From what I hear, he's usually called 'that bastard' by most people. Correct?"

"Yes," Malkovich said. "Ever since he joined the Insurrectionists, Colonel Watts has been a thorn in our side, especially since we haven't found him yet. However, our sources are fairly certain that Watts didn't authorize the strike purely for revenge."

"So why would he attack my ship?" Belleau asked.

"Likely for political reasons," Malkovich surmised. "Your subordinates onboard the William Adams were the first to have a fight with the Insurrectionists. When they were attacked, you jumped in and stomped on the Freedom Fighter. The other reasons I can think of are militarily. Your WarShips have quite an arsenal but are almost irreplaceable; it's likely that he believed that the loss of one such WarShip would force the SLiE to sue for peace with the various factions within the Insurrection."

Kerensky smiled grimly. If that is the case, then this failure is a tremendous error on his part. "He's a fool if he thinks this attack will force us to negotiate. That being said, finding Colonel Watts will be an extraordinary challenge."

"I agree," Admiral Strauss added. "If Colonel Watts has eluded pursuit for this long, finding him will not be easy. That, however, is why we must coordinate and pool our resources. Even then, it'll be a long shot, but I'm willing to be surprised."

"Agreed," Malkovich said. "However, as you've likely learned by now, finding Insurrectionist cells is the hard part. As the term implies, each of the Insurrectionists factions are broken up into a series of independent cells. Coordinating a rebellion is harder that way, but it also makes it very difficult to find out who the leaders are and where they are. So far, despite our best efforts, our strategy has been a reactive one, not a proactive one."

"Then maybe it's time to try something different," Nicholas said at length.

All eyes turned to him. "How so?" Malkovich asked.

"Instead of waiting for the Innies to come and attack us, we go and attack them. I know, I know; you're probably thinking 'how the hell is that going to work if we don't know where they are', but that's what I'm getting at."

"What is your proposal," Admiral Strauss asked.

"My proposal is this. Instead of reacting to each of the attacks, we begin doing what the Innies have been doing to the UNSC: plant deep-cover spies and sleeper agents disguised as sympathizers among them. Those individuals, who will be chosen for their deceitfulness and intelligence, will be seeded within the remaining Insurrectionist cells that haven't agreed to rejoin the UEG.

"Once inside, they will discreetly send information back to us, allowing us to find out where they will attack and when. Some will be explicitly tasked with finding the leaders of the Insurrection, whereupon we can begin to work towards destroying them."

The other Admirals began to nod. "The idea has merit," Strauss said at length. "Turn the Innies own tactics against them in order to defeat them. I like it, but how will we know if we've successfully inserted them into each of the Innie cells?"

"They'll inform us by sending discreet data packages to our surveillance and stealth vessels," Nicholas said. "As this is also going to be a joint op with ONI, their Prowlers should fit the bill. Once the initial package is sent, they'll continue to send is information via various means, from coded messages to physical dead drops, steganography, cut-outs and the like."

Now even Malkovich was nodding. "That sounds like an excellent strategy. It'll take years to get the necessary agents in place, but with a bit of work, it sounds like that strategy might work perfectly. We'll combine it with our other intelligence gathering methods for maximum effect."

"Agreed," General Kerensky said. "A more in-depth meeting later today will cover the niceties of working with the UNSC and ONI. Are there any further questions?" When none presented, he said. "Good. We'll meet again at 1700 hours. Dismissed!"

As the others filed out and the holographic images faded, Nicholas remained in the room. Kerensky frowned. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Nicholas said. "I was thinking back to that day around five years ago. Remember when I adopted Borodin?"

Kerensky nodded. "Yes, I remember. He was quite a hyperactive child when he met you."

"Yes," Nicholas said. "I still can't figure out who wanted to abduct him. You remember what happened that night, yes?"

Kerensky nodded again. Five years ago, to the day, an incident occurred when two men broke into Nicholas' house and attempted to abduct his adopted son Borodin. They'd nearly gotten away when Nicholas and his newly wed wife Natasha, unable to sleep, caught them in the act. They'd managed to rescue Borodin, but the abductors had gotten away and disappeared without a trace. Law enforcement had concluded they were part of a ring of child traffickers that had long since gone silent.

Since then, Nicholas has been pursuing Borodin's would-be abductors with a vengeance,Kerensky thought. Something tells me he doesn't think simple child traffickers would risk the wrath of the SLDF. "It still bothers you, doesn't it?"

"It does," Nicholas said. "How can I perform my job of keeping the SLiE safe if I can't keep my own son safe?! If it hadn't been for me and Natasha getting up, Borodin would've been who knows where and in who knows who's hands." He sighed. "Still, as you said then, there wasn't anything I could do then. All we can do is find who was responsible and bring them to justice."

Kerensky smiled and patted his son on the shoulder. "I'm certain you'll catch them someday, my son. In fact, I know because of your proposal today: you've taken Strauss' lessons to heart. Perhaps it was the Insurrectionists that decided to do what they tried to do to you."

Nicholas frowned, "Perhaps, but if that's the case, then why? I don't see any feasible reason for them doing so."

"I'm sure you'll find out. In any case, we'll discuss what to do about the Innies a few hours from now. For now, get ready for the meeting. I'll see you then."

As Kerensky left the room, Nicholas gazed back at the holo-projector. I don't know which of you tried to take my son, but I know it wasn't Innies.

A voice whispered in the back of his mind. Be careful around ONI. Who knows what they might do?

He shook his head. Maybe, but for now, we have more pressing matters. I will not allow the Innies to get a foothold in the SLiE, otherwise they might do something worse than scrap a few layers of armor off our WarShips. He turned and left the room, his dark thoughts echoing in his mind.

. . .

At Misriah Armory's Misriah Munitions Training Range on Mars, Weapons Specialist Farad Morgan was busy with the last few adjustments to one of the joint projects between the SLDF and UNSC. It's been six years since they authorized this collaboration, he thought. I can't wait to see what comes of this experiment.

The experiment in question was clamped inside a testing rig. It resembled an MA5B, the standard issue assault rifle used by the UNSC save for one difference: there was no ejection port. Next to it was an older looking rifle.

Morgan knew what it was, and it was also why he was nervous. The SLDF put a lot of faith into Misriah Armory and Hannibal Weapon Systems when it handed them the schematics and working examples of the Mauser 960 CAS, he thought. Part of him wondered if the SLDF had even done this to prevent them from stealing equipment to disassemble

Once the adjustments were made, he stepped into the control booth, where he and a dozen other technicians were gathered. Most were wearing specialized glasses designed to polarize at command. A few stood at the door, the Cameron Star emblazoned on their lab coats. "We're set and ready," one of them, Eric Ryder, PhD., said. "Start the test."

"All right," Dr. Townsend said. "Time to see if our collaboration with you guys is going to pay off."

"We've designed laser weapons before," Ryder said. "I'm sure that it'll work nicely."

"All right." Morgan said. "We are recording. Test #42-B commencing in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…" When he reached the countdown, he depressed a button. Said button was linked to a small metal bar that pushed on both rifle's triggers.

The moment they fully depressed, the nature of both rifles became apparent. Out of both of them, a powerful series of red beams flashed into existence. No noise was heard, save for a loud popping/crackling at the other end of the range. After a few seconds, the triggers were released, and the weapons went silent.

Stepping out of the booth, Morgan made sure both weapons were safe and proceeded to the test range. When he got there with the others, they all saw the same thing: a bullet sized hole that was cut into the metal. One of the SLDF technicians looked at figures on a datapad. "Impressive," he said. "The beam generated by the Mauser XM96 cut almost a third deeper into the testing material than the Mauser 960.

"That it is," Dr. Toland remarked. He rapped a knuckle on the material. "That being said, the true test needs to be conducted. Gentlemen, please bring in the test dummy." Two technicians nodded and left. They returned with a life sized testing dummy and placed it upright on it's stand. Once it was anchored down, they dressed the dummy in the standard BDUs the UNSC Marines wore. Within the dummy were cloned human organs.

Once more, everyone retreated to the testing booth. "Test #42-C commencing in 3… 2… 1…" He depressed the button again. More popping/crackling sounds could be heard from the other end of the range. When it stopped, they rendered the weapons safe again and took a look.

This time, Morgan whistled. "Damn! You guys seeing this?"

"Yeah," Townsend said. The BDU, once pristine looking, now had a good sized hole melted into it. Townsend might've been imagining things, but he thought he could see charred and burst organs inside the crater.

One of the technicians did a scan of the hole, then looked at them. "The armor failed the test," he said. "Looks like less armor and more maneuverability will be the future of personal protection, unless something else happens."

"We'll discuss the results of the test in our conference room," Morgan decided…

A few minutes later, they were inside the conference room. "From the looks of it," Ryder said, "the XM96B was able to generate a 300kj laser beam with each pulse."

"That's quite impressive," Townsend said. "That's more than the Mauser 960's 200 kilojoules. How about the pistols?"

"Smaller gain there," Morgan said. "180 kilojoules with each shot."

Ryder was nodding. "Not bad at all. We'll have to reduce the beam diameter to 8mm in order to get more penetration potential, but beyond that, not half bad. I'm more curious about the Man-Pack Particle Cannons that were brought here for testing."

That had everyone's attention. "Yeah," Townsend said. "Those. Major improvements were conducted to them. One of my teams managed to bring the power pack capacity up to eighty shots. We're working on getting to a hundred, but we think that'll take us a few more years to accomplish."

"Eighty isn't a bad number at all," Carter, the other SLDF Weapon Specialist, said. "The original power cells could only do around forty shots before they puttered out. What I'm more interested in is the recharge and fire rate. Most SLDF soldiers complained about the weight, bulk and long recharge time between each shot."

"We managed to fix that problem," Townsend said. "Inefficient capacitors and energy transfer systems really hurt it. The new version works like a charm." He tapped his datapad and showed the others.

On it's screen was a video showing a before/after showcase of the Man-Pack Particle Cannon. Almost everyone began to nod when they saw the 'after' part of the video. "Excellent!" Ryder said. "How much lighter is the damn thing?"

"It only weighs 10 kilograms now; still hefty, but enough for a man to carry without trouble. We focused mainly on getting rid of anything the weapon didn't need, while improving what it had with your assistance. Now that we've finished there, we can say that we've got a veritable particle gun."

"I'm also quite excited about the possibilities we now know of for that weapon system," Dr. Toland said. "If we can make a particle GPMG, then it's possible to make particle pistols, particle rifles, and so on."

"It's possible," Morgan agreed. "Question, though, is how much time do we need to get there, and will the REMFs agree with us? Barring a major war, I don't see any of that coming around. The laser weapons will, however, be accepted I think. Significantly less logistical footprint than the standard weapons."

"Speaking of which," Dr. Toland asked. "How are the new ballistic counterparts?"

"Doing good," Morgan said. "I spoke with Dr. Clark, who was in charge of that project. "They entered limited production a couple years ago. Two weeks from now, they'll enter full production, and the older models will either be converted or removed from service entirely."

"Good," Toland remarked. "I heard about the new MA5Cs and their new heavy projectile caseless ammo. Rumor has it the M7 SMGs received the most improvements."

"They did," Morgan confirmed. "They're highly accurate and quite powerful for their small size. That said, compared to the figures we've gotten from the laser rifles and pistols, I can say that laser weaponry will become the next step in infantry warfare: lighter, smaller logistical footprint, reliable, and powerful. Once all the manufacturing facilities have been expanded or retooled, we'll see laser weapons on the market."

"Agreed," Ryder said. Standing up, he said, "I think we should head back to our apartments now. Work day's done, and there's no reason to hang around. Be seeing y'all tomorrow." The others stood, then walked out of the room, content with the work they had done.