Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.
Now we come to the second to last chapter in this story arc. After the next chapter, we'll finally get to the meat of the story. I won't spoil what it is, but let's just say that involves some cloak-and-dagger stuff.
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, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original 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.
BattleTech OST - Ochre Wall
BattleTech OST - Grim Sybil
UNSC Commonwealth
Approaching Chi Ceti IV
November 27th, 2525
Onboard the Paris-class Heavy Frigate Commonwealth, John-117 was walking towards the bunk room onboard the ship. It's official, he thought to himself. We are now at war with the Covenant.
He frowned. The news wasn't that much of a surprise; already, the Covenant had attacked multiple colonies in the Outer Rim. While most had successfully evacuated, quite a few hadn't. That had been impetus enough for the UEG to declare war and enact the emergency transfer of political power to the UNSC. Why give the UNSC emergency powers right now, he thought.
Another thought in his mind came up to answer that question. Perhaps they're confident in the military's ability to handle this crisis, he decided. That's what makes sense to me.
His thoughts were interrupted when he entered the bunk room. It was spartan, with the floor having a few chairs and tables. On the left, one could see crew lockers, while the right wall held the bunk beds. A single view port allowed him to see Chi Ceti IV. From this distance, it looked like a ball of rock and mud.
This was Blue Team's bunk room. Looking around, he could see his teammates doing a number of things, from sparring to exercising. He heard Sam shout, "Damnit!" as Kelly hurled him to the ground.
"You're still dropping your shoulder," Kelly observed.
"I know!" Sam grunted, then he regretted that. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."
"It's all right," Kelly replied. "That's bound to happen." Extending a hand, she hefted him back to his feet.
Upon spotting John at the door, all members of Blue Team came to attention. As soon as they did, John asked, "Does Project MJÖLNIR mean anything to anyone?"
The others frowned thoughtfully. "Gotta be some kind of weapon," Fred suggested. "Brass isn't very imaginative with code-names."
The intercom came to life just as Fred finished. "Spartan-117, report to the bridge."
"Yes, ma'am," John replied. Turning to the others, he said, "Sam, get everyone ready."
"You heard the petty officer!" Sam called out. "Dog the distractions and into uniforms, Spartans!" With that, they quickly got into their uniforms, while John made his way towards the bridge.
The Commonwealth's spacious bridge had room for 10 staff, though it carried eight currently. Dr. Halsey looked at the captain of the ship. A tall and stalwart man with Asian facial features, dark brown eyes and black facial hair, Captain Wallace had the bearing a Mongolian warlord more than a UNSC Captain. He also had the determination of one, as well as the stubbornness that came with such a personality.
Right now, however, Wallace was concerned with what his sensor officer was telling him. "Sir, faint sensor contact, UD at 120 to 9 klicks."
"Ghost contact," Wallace decided. "It's too sporadic to be a ship."
"Are you sure?" Halsey countered.
John entered the bridge at that moment. "Captain Wallace. Dr. Halsey (rank 1st)," he acknowledged with a salute.
"There it is again," Halsey noted.
"Doctor, that puts our ghost at eighty million klicks," Wallace interjected. "Even if it were a ship, and I don't concur that it is, it would take an hour for it to get within weapons range. Besides, it disappeared again."
"I would recommend that we go to red alert captain." Halsey pushed.
"We have plenty of time, unless there's something you're not telling us?" Wallace rebutted.
"This is not widely known, Captain, but the crew of the Heracles reported that the Covenant ship at Harvest disappeared, then reappeared much closer than before."
"An intra-system jump?" John asked.
"We believe so, Spartan," Halsey said.
Wallace shook his head. "Not possible. I can tell you for certain that Slipstream Space cannot be navigated that accurately."
"You mean, we cannot navigate it with that kind of accuracy," Halsey countered. "The Covenant, as far as we know, is more advanced than we are. It is very much in the realm of possibility that they can navigate Slipspace more accurately than we can."
Wallace's eyes turned hard and sharp, accusingly staring at Halsey for a moment. Fucking spooks, he cursed, before barking out orders. "All hands, general quarters. Bring the ship up to Combat Alert Alpha. Reactors to ninety percent, charge MAC to fifty, archers A2 through B1, safeties off."
Halsey nodded at that, a smile on her face. "We'll take the drop ship. I will see to it that these Spartans make it to Project MJÖLNIR."
Proximity warning alarms blared suddenly. "Captain, slipspace probe detected a single object in combat vicinity before going offline!" The sensor officer reported.
"Dammit. Helm, come about to course 1-2-5, zero plane! Reactors to full. Combat speed in ten seconds. All hands, brace for impact!" Wallace ordered.
A Slipstream window erupted into existence barely a thousand klicks off the Commonwealth's port bow, releasing an unknown ship. John supported Halsey when she stumbled as the Commonwealth's port side emergency thrusters activated, along with full propulsion, to steer the ship away from colliding with the unknown or being ripped apart by the rupture.
"Incoming weapons fire!" sensors and fire control officers exclaimed simultaneously.
"Bring us about!" Wallace ordered, as the unknown's rapid fire impacted the hull, staggering Wallace and Halsey.
"Multiple impacts port side!" Damage Control Officer informed. "Armor compromised in sections F6 through F11!"
Finding his footing, Wallce directed, "Fire Archers, cluster heads! Full spread!"
"Roger," the Fire Control Officer acknowledged.
As the unknown ship fired again, missile tubes on the port side of Commonwealth opened, releasing a flight of Archer Missiles. Erratically streaking toward the unknown like angry comets, point defense beams from the identifiably Covenant ship lashed out at them. Half the missiles went down in four seconds, the rest appearing to pre-detonate just before impact.
To Wallace's surprise, a yellow hexagon pattern shimmered and fluoresced around the ship like a sheath at the points of detonation, leaving it unmarred. "Energy shields." Halsey gasped. "That's… amazing!"
Wallace frowned. "Bring the ship around. Arm the MAC, free fire. Safeties off the Harpoons." He ordered. "Are the distress beacons launched and active?" Wallace asked his XO.
"Aye Sir!" Commander Talisa Huang replied.
A moment later, the MAC fired sending a ferric-tungsten slug at the covenant ship, impacting the shield once more, vaporizing in the process. More plasma torpedoes fired, hitting the Commonwealth before point defense could obtain a firing solution. A second shot fired from Commonwealth.
The shield held for a moment, slowing the round enough to let it punch cleanly through the ship before failing. The ship retreated, presumably to enact repairs.
They flew into that, didn't even try to dodge, Wallace observed. "Damage report?" he asked aloud.
"Two MAC capacitors misaligned, Archer doors E and C6 through 9 are slagged, armor compromised in… Decks 4 to 6; port and bow. Sections D13 and B15 are spaced, forty seven casualties, eleven injured so far sir," the Damage Control Officer reported. "Crew Quarters reporting a contained hull breach."
Wallace sighed. "Looks like the Lamellor performed as advertised." He turned to Halsey.
"Sir!" the COM Officer said. "Incoming response!"
"Put it through," Wallace ordered.
A moment later, a deep throated voice spoke. "This is Captain Akello of the SLS Beowulf responding to your distress signal. We are inbound on your position from our patrol route. Preparing to jump to your position."
"Got it," Wallace said. "Send them to port leading echelon." He ordered the COM Officer.
"Copy sir." Nav responded.
"Receiving transmission," Akello said. "Jumping in three... two... one..."
Wallace, Halsey and John watched as the Beowulf appeared portside. Captain Akello appeared on-screen. "Captain Wallace. I take it the unknown ship we're detecting is our recent alien friend?"
"Yes," Wallace said. "We have nasty scars, just drove them off. We don't know what they're here for, but they aren't leaving, and they appear overly aggressive. Seems they're after just us. We're sending logs. We need to disable it."
"Received," Akello said. "Should the Covenant ship return, we'll keep it occupied and, once down, begin boarding action."
"When it returns," Wallace said. "Keep an eye out while we do repairs. I'll send some marines your way for boarding when we're done."
"Understood. We'll keep them busy as you finish your mission."
Turning to his guests, Wallace said, "I have my orders to get you and yours to Chi Ceti IV at all costs. Under Emergency Protocol J53-21, I'm authorizing deployment of your special forces Doctor. Get them ready and armed while we patch up."
"Yes, sir," John replied with a salute. "We'll get the job done." With that, both he and Halsey left the ship.
. . .
If the planet looked like a mud ball from orbit, the weather was even worse, as the trio of pelicans, en route to the facility, soon found themselves suddenly swallowed in a massive thunderstorm. Onboard one, John-117 could feel it shuddering as they flew. A bolt of lightning crossed his vision, lighting the cockpit before fading away.
A signal came in over COMMS. "Incoming Pelicans. Identify yourselves."
Halsey quickly gave a reply. "This is Dr. Catherine Halsey. Clearance 197371-Alpha."
A reply came quickly. "Doctor, you are cleared for landing. Pad four. Welcome."
They broke through the thunderstorm, allowing them to see where they were at. The large facility soon came into view, nestled into a nearby gorge. The gunmetal gray color scheme allowed it to blend in with the rock walls. Four landing pads were present, while AA towers guarded the facility from aerial attackers.
The Pelicans landed on Pad Four. John disembarked at once as raindrops started falling. A gale was also blowing through the gorge, the wind howling as it moved past the facility.
"Damn," Samm remarked as he disembarked. "It's cold, wet and windy out here. I guess that's why no one's found the facility."
"That, and it's inside a gorge," Linda dryly observed. "Plus, if they did find the facility, they'd have to get past these towers. Some look like Pulse Lasers."
John nodded. "Agreed." With that, they headed inside with Dr. Halsey taking the lead, glad to be out of the rain. After a short elevator ride down, they arrived in a massive room made of thick titanium. Bright lights strobed on, revealing workstations and reinforced polycrete pillars. Five chambers were present up ahead, as well as an elevator in the center.
As soon as the team had entered, John asked, "So, what's Project MJÖLNIR if I might ask, ma'am?"
Halsey smiled, then motioned towards the central elevator doors. "This is Project MJÖLNIR," she announced. The floor doors in a part of the room opened, while motors whined as they lifted a platform.
It was what was on the platforms that had everyone's attention. John watched as the elevator brought up five suits of what appeared to be advanced combat armor. They were tall, composed of black bodysuits with olive green armor plates over them, each inscribed with their spartan numbers.
"This," Halsey explained. "Is the MJÖLNIR Powered Assault Armor." Pulling up a hologram, she continued. "The armored shell is a multilayer alloy of remarkable strength. An onboard computer connects to your neural interface to continually track tactical information. The inner structures are composed of a reactive metal liquid crystal that is amorphous, yet fractally amplifies and scales force." Fred cleared his throat. "Yes?"
"Ma'am," Fred began. "You're saying that this exoskeleton enhances both the wearer's strength and speed."
Halsey smiled. "Yes, 104. When worn by an appropriate user, it amplifies the user's strength and reflexes by a factor of five."
"Impressive," Linda said.
"Very much so," Halsey agreed. "However, this system is so reactive that our previous tests with non-augmented volunteers ended in failure. The amplified movements broke their bones, tore their muscles. Their own agony-induced spasms killed them. However, Blue Team, you are not normal humans. Your enhanced musculature and skeletons should be enough to allow you to harness the armor's power." Taking a breath, she said, "Now, I'll need a volunt -"
"I'll do it," John interrupted.
"Are you sure?" Fred asked. "You heard Halsey. That armor could injure you, maybe even kill you."
"Yes," John replied. "I'm sure."
Fred nodded in understanding. "OK." He replied.
"I thought you might volunteer," Halsey added, a smile on her face.
Halsey and the others stood near the testing room's entrance while John, inside MJÖLNIR, laid on a near-vertical bed. "Move very slowly," Halsey instructed him. "Deliberately. The armor cannot be powered down, the response cannot be scaled back."
John, keeping that in mind, decided to start out small. He slowly and gently moved his left arm up and brought his forearm in. Ouch, he thought as a zing of pain ran through his left wrist. Sprained wrist, minimal, he thought. Feeling something moving around, he said, "It's… shifting."
"Each suit has a gel filled layer to regulate temperature and fit," Halsey explained. "John, ready for your first step?"
John was silent for a moment before he finally said, "Yes, ma'am."
Everyone watched anxiously for John's reaction. "Come on, man," Sam encouraged his teammate. "You've got this."
Encouraged, John moved his right leg forward, taking a step. A metal clunk could be heard as the boot's sole touched the ground. To his relief, his bones didn't snap, though he could feel the pressure from the action. Taking another step forward, he stood up without any assistance. "It's… lighter than I expected." He curled his fingers experimentally.
"Easy now," Halsey cautioned him. Reaching over to one of the scientists in the room, she took the helmet and handed it to John. He could hear automatic seals closing, while a HUD came up in his field of vision. "Well?" Halsey asked. "How does it feel."
There was only one sentence that John used to describe the feeling. "Like I was made to wear it, ma'am." With that, a round of applause ensued.
Soon, the others had fully suited up. Halsey watched as Blue Team put the armor through its paces. It's like watching young gods, future lords of war testing their equipment, she thought.
The phrase was quite apt, even as she watched the Spartans try out their new armor. Fred, testing out his armor's capabilities, performed a jump no regular human could match. Reaching twelve meters in a single jump, he came down hard, landing on one of his hands and knees. Nearby, John was testing out his speed on a treadmill and Sam was hitting a polycrete pillar with enough force to crack it.
Before long, Blue Team had gathered. John cleared his throat, then spoke. "Spartans, this is what we trained our entire lives to do. If we lose here, we lose everything. Let's send our own message to the Covenant, as they did to us."
"Sir, yes sir!" the others shouted in reply.
The room's COM chirped. "Captain Wallace to Doctor Halsey."
"I read you captain," Halsey replied.
"The Covenant ship is on the move. Captain Akello's agreed to assist in keeping the ship pinned in place."
"Understood," Halsey noted. "Captain Akello?
"Receiving Wallace's marines now," Akello said. "We're go for your troops when they're ready."
"That's all right," Halsey decided. She turned to Blue Team. "John?"
"We'll board the ship," John said.
"Very well then," Akello acceded. "Just be careful." The COM clicked off.
Halsey smiled. "Godspeed, John."
"You too, Dr. Halsey."
. . .
As the Pelican banked into space, Sam spoke. "I'm just saying, you could have volunteered Red Team instead."
"You want me to pull over?" John teased. "Let you out right here?"
"As Chief Mendez would say, 'It's a long walk home,'" Kelly added. Sam laughed as some of the tension left his body.
"All right, people," John said. "We know that the Commonwealth's MAC made a hole into the ship's dorsal port side. We'll EVA in twenty mikes and get in through there, hopefully Beowulf and Commonwealth will have disabled the ship or dropped its shields by then. If not, Akello's boarding teams are set for deployment once the shields are down. Pelicans will be on auto pilot and cover ahead of us to take PD fire."
"Good thinking," Fred agreed.
"This is where things get odd, though," Linda said. "According to the scans Commonwealth got when the ship's shields failed briefly, we've got two heat sources at the rear and front of the ship. That said, we don't know where the bridge is, so my guess is they'll use en mass boarding teams to find it."
"It does make sense, in an odd sort of way," Sam noted. "However, given the fact that we're going up against religious fanatics, they'll try to blow the ship once they realize that we're moving for capture."
"Solid plan sir," John concurred. "Anything else?"
"Nope. Ready as can be," Fred confirmed.
"Suit patches are ready if we need them," Linda added. John nodded somberly. The training incident involving Cassandra, one of their fellow Spartans, came to mind.
The Pelican drew close to the Covenant ship, even as plasma fire raked past them, then John turned the craft around. Once the troop bay depressurized, the loading ramp opened. "John… if we miss," Kelly began.
"We won't," John reassured her. A second later, he crouched down, before leaping forwards, the thrusters on his armor firing. The others followed in rapid succession. Keying his COM, John said, "Beowulf, we're approaching the Covenant ship!"
"Roger that!" Akello replied. "Fire Control, keep the pressure up!"
John watched the Covenant ship grow ever larger as he rocketed towards it. Beowulf, on the side of the ship opposite to the Spartans, continued to hammer the Covenant ship's shields. Armor plates boiled off as Covenant weapons fire hammered into them in turn. One particle beam spluttered the ship's shields, which then shattered and faded into nonexistence.
A moment later, Akello came in over the COM. "That's it!" he shouted. "Their shields are down! Sending in boarding teams now! Get your asses onboard!"
"We're about to arrive!" John said. "Hold fire!"
"Copy!"
Spotting the hole on their side, John zipped inside, the thrusters on his armor flaring at the last moment as PD bolts whizzed past him and the others. He hit the interior of the ship with a grunt before his boots locked him down. Behind him, the others landed as well.
Sam raced ahead and reached a sealed bulkhead. "Looks like they've still got gravity control," he said.
"Keep moving." John ordered. "Engineering is likely in the rear." As they moved, John keyed his COM. "Beowulf, we're onboard the Covenant ship," John said. "Moving to engineering. Sitrep."
"Affirmative," came a different voice. "Lieutenant Odanga reporting. Cutting our way into the hull. Proving damn difficult, but we're almost through. We'll distract the crew while you get to engineering. Be advised, we're picking up lots of thermal contacts."
"Copy," John said. "Keep them distracted as long as possible."
"Understood. Lieutenant Odanga out!"
With that, the two teams split up, weapons ready as they advanced through the ship's hallways. This portion was well lit, though he could tell that the dark blue and purple colors absorbed most of the light, making the place seem darker than it really was.
As he moved down the hallway, Sam thought he spotted a flash of movement. At the same time, the sensor readout on his HUD showed a red dot. Swinging his rifle towards that direction, he spotted movement and fired.
The red-white beam of light lit the hallway up in an instant. On the other side was an Unggoy. It howled in agony as the laser speared it. A moment later, it flopped to the floor, dead.
"Target down," Sam said. "Looks like a Grunt."
"Bag its weapon," John ordered. Sam nodded, then did so.
As they continued onward, John noticed a contact on his tracker. Odd, he thought. There's nothing there,
yet the tracker says something's in the room with us. (which the readers can also determine, redundant)
Either it's a glitch, or...
That thought led to another, with John pulling his left hand back onto the under-slung grenade launcher's trigger. Slowly, he loaded a buckshot shell into the grenade launcher, before disengaging its safety.
He was about to signal the others when that something shimmered out of thin air and charged, a roar coming at them. At the same time, a twin pronged blade flashed to life in its right hand. Reflexively, John squeezed the trigger.
There was a loud, booming echo as the launcher fired, sending a swarm of flechettes towards the alien that suddenly charged at them, getting caught the full blast. It's roar cut short as the oversized shotgun blast shoved it backwards. A blue-white energy field snapped into existence, then shattered like broken glass.
Sam, spotting John's predicament, fired his own rifle, scoring a hit on the alien's neck, keeping it down for good. Turning on his suit lights, John observed the creature for the sake of recording. "Sangheili," he noted, before leading the team through the corridors once more.
"What was that field around it?" Kelly asked. "Never seen anything like it."
"A form of active camouflage," John said. "It was invisible before it attacked." Keying his comm, he said, "All teams be advised…"
Lieutenant Odanga ducked behind a bulkhead just in time to avoid a spray of plasma. One marine dragged a body behind cover, while two more focused fire on the large, toothy, mandibled alien pinning them.
The moment they'd boarded, they were met by mostly Kig-Yar and Grunts, with just a handful of Sangheili. His comm lit up suddenly. "All teams, be advised, enemy units have visual camouflage ability. Observe sensors." Reported the UNSC team.
"Noted. Blue Team, get your asses in gear! We're losing momentum rapidly!" Odanga responded.
"Understood," John said, closing the COM. "Blue Team, double time!" he directed.
A sound down the corridor led them to disperse into the alcoves. "Check fire!" a voice shouted. "Sergeant Tiepolo, SLDF Marines!" The man and his squad approached. "Got your principals here!" he reported.
"Got it. Return to White Team and reinforce it's position." 117 directed.
"Got it! We're moving!" Tiepolo replied, leading his squad towards the ship's center.
Blue team began sprinting down the hallways, moving towards what they hoped was engineering. Reaching a sealed, rhomboid shaped door, 117 ordered, "Breaching charges!"
"Got it," Sam said, placing them on the door. "Charge set!"
"Copy. Fred, Kelly, LMG and grenade launcher on the door! Linda, support!" Once the Spartans were in position, John nodded to Sam, "Blow it!"
A loud explosion resounded four seconds later, bending the doors inward, creating a center gap. Cycling the grenade launcher, Kelly fired a flashbang into the room, before switching to dual purpose grenades. Pops and bangs emanated from the room, along with surprised roars, squeaks and chirps.
John and Kelly stormed inside, weapons ready as they pushed through while Fred, Linda and Sam followed. They entered a large space filled with platforms, bridges, and consoles. Several Sangheili were in the room, as well as a few Grunts and Kig-Yar. All but two of the Sangheili had been debilitated by the flashbang.
Seeing the spartans storming inside, they raised their weapons and fired. Blue-white balls' of plasma zipped towards Blue Team. John and Blue Team took cover, laser weapons firing all the while.
Energy shields on the Sangheili flashed, then sputtered as high beam lasers broke through. Three Sangheili fell to the ground dead as a stone, while another roared as a laser beam severed its arm at the elbow. While John and Linda focused on the Sangheili, Sam, Kelly and Fred dealt with the Grunts and Kig-Yar, that fared worse than their overseers. Grunts fell like flies as the Kig-Yar hid behind like vambrace-mounted energy shields. Well-aimed grenades from Kelly bypassed that snag.
One of the aliens charged John. Not realizing it himself, Sam shouted, "Blue Lead!", then shoved John out of the way. At the same time, the Sangheili fired it's plasma rifle. Sam hissed as a burning sensation spread across his chest. He raised his weapon and fired, shattering the alien's shields, while Kelly followed up with her rifle.
"You good?!" John asked.
"I'm good!" Sam said. Getting up, he rejoined the firefight.
Before long, all the Covenant in the room were dead. "Get to work!" John ordered the Huragok. "Blue Team, spread out!" Moving to Sam, he asked, "Damage?"
Sam nodded while applying a suit patch. "Minor," he said. "Remind me to thank Linda for them."
"I'll be sure to," John said.
"Blue lead, got live ones here!" Fred said, spotting a gaggle of Huragok ignorantly working on their systems.
"Don't shoot," John said. "Tag and bag." A trill, and a text message, informed John that their Huragok had obtained the ship's layout. "Lieutenant Odanga. SitRep?"
"We're pulling back!" Odanga shouted. "We've taken major casualties! Lost a few to PD when they vented our compartment!"
"Understood, Sergeant. We'll handle it from here."
"Copy that!" Odanga responded. "Good luck, Blue Team!"
John nodded. "Everyone, on me! We're taking the bridge!"
"Schematics show it in the middle of the bulbous bow," Linda said.
"Then let's go."
. . .
Shipmaster Corevas 'Vortumee was working furiously to engage the ship's self-destruct. Nearby, many other Sangheili like him were busy trying to do the same, with an Artisan-Engineer at their side to advise them on what to do.
"Shipmaster!" The Artisan-Engineer said, her eyes focusing on him. "The heretics have disabled the self-destruct! We can't destroy the ship!"
"Can we vent the ship again?" 'Vortumee asked.
"No! That function's been disabled too!"
"Gods damn those heathens!" 'Roktamee, Vortumee's second-in-command, snarled. "They intend to take us alive or take the ship, maybe even both!"
'Vortumee frowned. "Then we shall deny them that privilege." Turning to the others, he activated his energy dagger. "All they will find is our cor -"
He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.
The doors blew open on both sides of the bridge. 'Vortumee was hurled to the floor. His vision flashed gray as his head smacked into the ground, while a dull ringing echoed in his ear canals. He was about to get up when a booted foot smashed into his side, knocking him to the ground before something hit him and he blacked out.
Nearby, 'Roktamee, despite his best efforts to fight back, was now pinned in place on the ground by eight people, while another eight held knocked out the Artisan-Engineer. Four of them wore green armor with gold faceplates, while the others wore black armor. "Unhand me heretics!" he roared. The Humans didn't respond, instead, one advanced and smashed the butt of it's rifle into 'Roktamee face, rendering him senseless.
On the other side of the exchange, Sam ensured that the gold armored alien was kept pinned to the floor. "Looks like the Captain," he told John.
"Agreed," John noted. "Cuff it. We'll take it in for interrogation. Kelly, signal Beowulf and Commonwealth. Tell them we have control of the ship."
"Copy that," Kelly agreed.
As Kelly keyed her COM, John looked at Linda. "We won this mission," Linda remarked.
"Yeah," Sam said. "If it keeps up like this, we'll win the war in just a few years."
John turned, observing the advanced controls and multiple species involved in this apparent raid. "No, I think we're just getting started." He said forlornly.
And here you go, ladies and gentlemen, Your newest lore entry. This time, it's on a ship class.
McKenna II-class WarShip
Production Information
Manufacturer: SinoViet Heavy Machinery, Reyes McLees Shipyards, Charybdis Defense Solutions, Dudyn Sky GmbH, Conklin AeroDynamix
Introduced: 2520
Production Year: 2520
Use: Battleship/Heavy Cruiser
Tech Base: Advanced Star League/United Earth Government
Mass: 11,500,000 tons
Cost: 35,487,380,000 UEG Credits
Technical Specifications
Length: 1,405 meters
Width: 355 meters
Fuel: 5,000 tons
Burn Rate: 39.95 tons
Cruising Acceleration: 35 g
Maximum Acceleration: 53 g
K-F Drive Integrity: 59
Lithium Fusion Battery: Yes
Armament:
12x NAC/40
8x NAC/35
12x NL55
6x AR-10
48x Heavy NPPC
48x ER PPC
48x LB 20-X AC
1x Heavy Mass Driver
Armor: 138,000 tons of Lamellor Ferro-Carbide
DropShip Capacity: 6
Crew: 3,819 personnel
103 Gunners 360 Bay Personnel 408 Officers 500 Marines 2,448 Enlisted
Bays:
90 Fighters (4 Doors)
36 Small Craft (4 Doors)
Cargo: 1,266,749 tons (6 doors)
Heat Sinks: 10,000 (Double)
Escape Pods/Life Boats: 80/80
Structural Integrity: 900
Description:
Far and away the best known SLDF WarShip, the McKenna II Battleship is one of the most advanced WarShips in the SLDF's arsenal, and is a symbol of the Star League-in-Exile's small, but significant military prowess and power. Contrary to popular belief, the McKenna II is actually a full overhaul of the original McKenna class using the advanced shipbuilding technologies afforded to the aerospace corporations and shipyards of the United Earth Goverment and it's military branch, the United Nations Space Command.
When the class was initially conceived, the SLDF knew that it needed a WarShip that would be able to fulfill the role the McKenna was originally designed to fill while being equipped with the latest technologies the United Earth Government and United Nations Space Command had to offer. Following a series of negotiations with the various ship building corporations of the UEG, Reyes-McLees, SinoViet Heavy Industries and a slew of other shipbuilding companies agreed to update the McKenna-class into a modern WarShip. To distinguish it from the original design, the refit was designated the McKenna II-class.
By the time the Covenant-UNSC-SLDF War began, all of the original McKenna-class WarShips that had left with General Kerensky during Operation: EXODUS had been refitted into the new McKenna II-class. Up to the midway point of the war, the McKenna II, despite not haivng energy shielding, was able to neutralize and compete with Covenant ships up to the same size. Against larger ships, the McKenna II had more difficulty, and it was not unheard of for multiple McKenna II's to engage larger class Covenant WarShips and survive with moderate to severe damage to their systems and superstructure. As the war progressed, and as various technologies were reverse-engineered from captured Covenant WarShips, the McKenna II's survivability improved. Once the war ended, however, the McKenna II-class had been rapidly outpaced by the progression of technology, leading to the development of the McKenna III-class that succeeded it.
Compared to the older McKenna-class, the McKenna II features significantly heavier armor, boasting 138,000 tons of Lamellor Ferro-Carbide, enough armor to shrug off multiple hits from plasma torpedoes. The McKenna II also makes use of large numbers of Naval PPCs and Naval Lasers in order to counter the Covenant's use of energy shields.
Armament:
Just like the original design, the forward arcs the McKenna II carries primarily Naval Autocannons and Lasers of the largest order, able to smash almost any other vessel in a single strike. However, with the addition of advanced targeting/tracking systems and long range sensors, the McKenna II carries a modified version of the UNSC 49F9A1 MAC which, due to it's tonnage and damage potential, is classified as a Heavy Mass Driver by SLDF standards.
Six AR-10 Capital Missile tubes, capable of launching any type of missile available, dot the surface of the McKenna II and give the ship the armor-piercing power necessary to face off with other Battleships and heavy Cruisers. The broadsides are where the real firepower lies, with 24 Hannibal Weapon Systems Series-20 Heavy Naval PPCs and four Misriah Armory Series-35 Naval Autocannons on each side. Able to strike targets thousands of kilometers away with extreme precision, they are split into groups of four to help concentrate their firepower against enemies. The aft quarters are similarly armed and directly aft are additional NAC/40's, NL55's, and AR-10s to deter pursuit and flanking maneuvers.
Six docking collars provide the McKenna II with an integral, dedicated DropShip escort. These small craft are backed by a full wing of 90 aerospace fighters. While the original McKenna lacked small-caliber close-in weaponry, the McKenna II, due to the reality of having to deal with Insurrectionist suicide-shuttles, is equipped with LB 20-X Autocannons and ER PPCs linked to the WarShip's BattleNet system, enabling them to act as both anti-fighter defenses and missile point-defense systems.
Variants:
2540 Refit
This updated version boasts a stronger structure for the same mass, increasing it's armor tonnage from 138,000 tons to 190,000 tons. The variant also boasts a higher safe and maximum acceleration thanks to more powerful engines, as well as a fusion reactor generating greater amounts of power, allowing the ship to fire more energy weapons than the original version. This refit also hosts a Lithium Fusion Battery Bank and an improved Compact K-F Drive, enabling significantly higher jump ranges. Most importantly, it boasts the first type of energy shields reverse-engineered by UNSC and SLDF scientists, enabling it to survive for longer periods of time against equivalent class Covenant warships.
McKenna II Command (WarShip class)
A special kit with expanded communication and intelligence abilities. Only one of this ship type currently exists, and it serves as the mobile HQ for the Director-General of the SLiE and SLDF High Command.