The laboratory thrummed with power. Rings of humming energy lit the walls, data charts dancing across holo-screens. At the centre stood Shepard, overseeing the colossal construct that had become his newest obsession.
The Matter Extraction Engine.
Suspended in orbit above Mandalore's second moon, the machine stretched like a cathedral forged of steel and light. Its purpose was simple yet terrifying it reached into the heart of suns, siphoning stellar matter, and refining it into pure, usable elements. Materials once rare or impossible to gather now flowed in abundance, ready to be poured into Shepard's nanite forges.
Mandalore would never again fear scarcity.
Weeks of failure, of lost clones and shattered hopes, had finally given way to triumph. Shepard watched as fifteen armored warriors his first true Spartans knelt before him. The updatedMjolnir-class Armor, enhanced with jetpacks, integrated HUDs, and reactors that could power cities, gleamed in the glow of the training halls.
The tests had been brutal. Body enhancements pushed to the brink. Neural integration between armor and warrior perfected. Yet this time, not a single life was lost. Mortality rate: zero.
The councillors present murmured in awe. For generations, Mandalorians had been forged through trial by fire. Now they were forged through science as well.
Shepard stood tall, voice carrying across the chamber."You are the first of many. Stronger, faster, harder to kill. Your bloodline will endure because of this gift. No invader will break Mandalore again."
The warriors struck their armored chests in salute, the thunder of metal echoing like drums of war.
That night, alone in his lab, Shepard studied the data. Enhanced bone density, muscular growth, increased neural response time. Every variable had been accounted for.
But Shepard was not a ruler who stood apart. He had no intention of creating a warrior caste while remaining untouched by the fire he demanded others endure.
He keyed the sequence, stripped down to the bio-suit, and stepped into the chamber.
Agony struck first white-hot needles through every cell. Muscles tore, bones screamed, nerves felt as if they were burning alive. He clenched his teeth, refusing to yield. Seconds became eternities.
Then, silence.
When Shepard opened his eyes, he could feel the difference in every movement. His body thrummed with power, his lungs drank air like it was fire, and his muscles coiled with untapped strength.
He flexed his hands, watching sparks dance across the sensors."It works," he whispered. "Not just for them… but for me."
Days later, Shepard entered the Great Hall. The Clan Council leaders from across Mandalore waited in silence as he stood before them.
His armor glowed faintly, the mark of a body transformed. Behind him, the first Spartan warriors marched in step, a living testament to his work.
Shepard's voice carried like a hammer striking iron.
"Mandalore has bled enough. We have lost too much to Death Watch, to outsiders, to the galaxy's endless wars. That ends now. I have given us a gift strength beyond strength. I will not hoard it."
He swept his gaze across them. Some stared in awe, others in fear, but none could look away.
"Every warrior of Mandalore will undergo this transformation. Every son, every daughter, every clan that bears our creed. You will not be forced but know this: those who stand enhanced will be the shield of our people. Those who refuse will stand aside."
A heavy silence fell. Then one by one, fists struck armoured chests in salute. The decision was unanimous.
The Spartan Age of Mandalore had begun