A/N: This is the second chapter and I hope you're enjoying it. Please review on what you like and what you don't like. It will help me a lot.
Chapter 2
"The Intervention"
Year 2515
Abbai Space
Utriel System
The space around Utriel II was serene. The planet was a scientific colony of the Abbai Matriarchate, lightly defended. There, the Abbai developed new technologies to the betterment of their people. The Abbai are a spiritual people, and they believe that a serene environment is necessary to a good scientific revelation. The Abbai labs were surrounded by lush humid gardens and lakes full of colorful corals and fish. 'A peaceful mind is the mother of invention', they say.
But their peace soon ends. Suddenly, two jump points open, disgorging six ships a kilometer long. The ships are yellow with details in black giving them a more predatory look. Soon after leaving jumpspace, the ships fire at the satellites orbiting the planet, green plasma pulses and x-ray lasers tearing through the metal as if they were not there.
Baroness Mir'chass, commander of the fleet, was disappointed. She expected to see the famous Abbai force fields working against their weapons. Probably, though, they were too energy intensive to equip in such disposable things such as satellites. It doesn't matter. She would carry her mission. The Abbai were taken by surprise, of course. The Dilgar had signed a non-aggression pact with them just after they started their expansion campaigns. The treaty was more of use to the Dilgar than to the Abbai. They knew the Abbai would abide by it, allowing the Dilgar to wreak havoc to the other races while preparing to attack Abbai space. Glorious Leader Jha'dur, long may she guide us, knew that. Though technologically advanced, the Abbai were too passive, too pacifist. Their ships were tough, but the ones piloting them, not so much.
Her fleet started to bombard the planet, they needed to force the Abbai to act.
"Launch the spy drones, we'll need them to watch the spectacle properly." She ordered.
"Milady, the largest laboratory complexes have raised shields, our weapons' damage was largely reduced." Said one of Mir'chass officers.
She smirked, finally, she got her chance.
"Good. Launch the Kass'sin." She ordered. "Aim it at the top of their shields."
She watched as her officers worked around her. Such young souls, vigorous, serving to the glory of the Dilgar. One of the officers signaled the launching of the weapon. She looked at the screen in awe as the bombs exploded when they hit the shields, releasing a thick cloud of grey gas that fell slowly through the force field and over the people who thought they were safe. Ah, what she would give for a bottle of the most expensive vis'shati to taste while living this moment. The spy drones were recording at maximum resolution, and she could see clearly through the transparency of the Abbai force fields. The filthy shoal running, their eyes bleeding, their skin melting, their cries of agony the most beautiful song she has ever heard. Long may Jha'dur guide them. She was a blessing to their people. The Glorious Leader realized that Abbai shields were incapable of stopping slow moving particles. While Dilgar particle beam fire was not much effective against them, other weapons such as gas were very effective. The gas they just used was developed by the Glorious Leader herself. Her intelligence was astonishing. Her strategy was simple: to use kinetic weapons to destroy the Abbai ships and then when they are hiding on their planet under their shields, use gas-based weapons to bypass the shields and kill the most of them without damaging too much the planet. Abba IV was an inhabitable planet, not perfect but still good to Dilgar colonization. It would be foolish to just destroy every planet they attack when guaranteeing living space to the Dilgar was their main objective.
Mir'chass looked at her crew, some sharing her sadistic gaze while looking at the world below being cleansed of the filth. Others, she noticed with contempt, were looking at the monument to the Dilgar glory with disgust and horror, not actually able to properly mask their feelings, and she knew they were trying to. One of them looked like he was going to vomit. Disgusting weaklings. There were still so many weaklings among her people, disgusting traitors who weren't capable of admiring the glory of their mission. It doesn't matter. The superior controls the inferior. The weak will be cannon fodder in this war, only the strong will survive and rule. They will die to allow the Dilgar to grow. Like the undesirable branches of a great tree, they will be cut off and, from their corpses, the Dilgar will feed and grow to heights never achieved.
United Systems Federation
Earth
Potsdam, Germany
Dilgar Embassy:
"Good Evening, I am Malik Heisenberg, and this is the Interstellar News Network. The Dilgar attacked the lightly defended Abbai science colony of Utriel II with chemical weapons at the 23 hours of yesterday, Paris time. The estimates are that between 8 and 11 million Abbai were killed in an unprovoked and brutal attack on a peaceful planet. The attack is also a clear violation of the non-aggression pact signed between the Dilgar and the Abbai six months ago and mediated by the USF. The attack on Utriel II added up the previous atrocities committed by the Dilgar in their war, led to the growth of pro-intervention factions in the Parliament in Paris. Around the USF space, people have demanded the federal government to intervene in the War of Dilgar Aggression."
The screen changed to show interviews with USF citizens throughout the Human space. A Virtuan woman called for peace while being interviewed inside a light rail, with a large window behind her showing the sunset at the shining city of Tron, in Virtua. Then it changed again. Now an elder from Asgard talking about how his ancestors fought the 'Nazis' almost six hundred years ago while walking through a busy, crystalline, prismatic bridge, the famous Bifrost Bridge, on Asgard, with the golden skyscrapers and snow-covered mountains being visible on the horizon. Again the screen changed. This time a woman from Aquaria. Outside the windows of the vehicle she was in, one of Aquaria's famous underwater bubble cities sparked with light. The woman, identified as one of the Aquarian members of the USF Parliament, was talking about how the USF should not let its non-interference policy get in the way of going against the atrocities committed by the other races. The screen returned to the anchor.
"The Dilgar Ambassador on Earth have not responded our interview requests yet, but he sent a written statement saying, quote: ' the actions of the Dilgar Imperium are a legitimate act of self-defense against the very alliance created to destroy us. Every exaggerated act from our military officers will be investigated and judged by Dilgar law.' unquote. We must remember that, other than some skirmishes with the Ch'lonas, Humanity has not been to war for more than two hundred years. The last of our wars being the Colonial Conflicts before the Treaty of Equals in 2300 and the foundation of the USF. Though some analysts say we are not prepared for war, Starfleet Command says..."
"Off." He said to the screen on the wall. Ambassador Chas'sar, of the Dilgar Imperium while looking at the mirror in front of him. More wrinkles appeared in the last months than in his entire life. Eight months of total war. eight months of total glory to the Dilgar state. And yet, here he was, trying to hold the Humans within their space, to convince them to not interfere. In the end, his was the most important task in all the Dilgar war effort. To keep the Humans from interfering.
Glorious Leader Jha'dur herself, long may she guide us, gave him this assignment. She herself said him that 'for such an advanced species, the Humans are too compassionate, too merciful, too soft.' They simply couldn't understand that for the Dilgar to live, they had to take the territory they need, they need living space more than anything. The fact that the filth in his area of space allied under a so-called 'League of Non-Aligned Worlds' against them was just the proof they need. Now they couldn't back off anymore. Their only options were to exterminate or be exterminated. But now, he knew his mission won't see success. The attack on Utriel II was the last straw. They would intervene, he knew it. Hopefully, the Glorious Leader already has a weapon she can use against them. That was the plan all along, to keep the Humans out of the war until the Dilgar were in a good position. Now was the time. The Abbai Matriarchate would have fallen by the end of this week. They would have the Abbai as slaves, installing their shields in Dilgar vessels. All space around the Dilgar core space will have bee pacified and fortified. The Glorious Leader predicted that they won't call him until next week and that they'll take at least two months, maybe one, to decide for going to war and to prepare an expeditionary force. It was time for him to leave. With her weapons, they will make the Humans bleed, and then make peace with them from a position of power, keeping the territory and the slaves they won. Well, that was Jha'dur's plan, but Chas'sar was not so sure of it. He has lived on Earth for years. He knows them, and he knows they will very probably defeat the Dilgar quickly.
"Milord, I've already bought your ticket to Omelos." His aide entered, already speaking. "You'll go by and Asgardian Starlines ship, your flight is the day after tomorrow. You get to the ship at the Chancellor Bismarck Spaceport, it'll get you to the Vortex Station, where a Dilgar ship will get you to Omelos." His aide paused. "Also... sir... the USF Parliament requested your presence at a meeting tomorrow to clarify about the war."
Tomorrow? Chas'sar turned to him with eyes wide. He then sighed tiredly. Quickly, indeed.
Earth
Paris, France
Palais de la Concorde
Parliament of the United Systems Federation:
"Despite the excuses just made by the Dilgar Ambassador, we were not capable of seeing any effort of the Dilgar government to lessen its exaggerate actions in their war against the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. It is clear that he is trying to gain time. If so, it means Jha'dur plans something, something that she knows she cannot do if we interfere. We must stop talking and start acting!" Said a parliamentarian from Asgard. "Comac IV, Tirolus, Halax, and now Utriel II. All of them, planets destroyed by Jha'dur's madness!"
"We have been sending humanitarian aid to the war zone since the beginning of this conflict. We must believe in our diplomatic team's capacity to bring the Dilgar to the negotiation table." A parliamentarian from Thermidor said.
"Their sun is going nova and they are too proud to let we help. Only defeat will bring them to the table" He sighed. "Members of the parliament, despite the Dilgar claims of being only defending themselves from inevitable aggression from the League, we know it actually is, a war of expansion. Our intelligence has been clear. The Dilgar Imperium is making use of deadly weapons of mass destruction, poisonous gas, bioweapons, nuclear strikes at heavily populated areas. The survivors are being used as slave labor to move the Dilgar war machine. Those are the lucky ones. The unlucky... well, they are being used as subjects in Jha'dur's experiments. You all have seen the reports from Starfleet Intelligence, you've seen the images they showed us."
They all silenced. Only the mention of the atrocities they saw remembered them of the disgust they felt. A parliamentarian from Earth stood up.
"We have a dilemma here. I understand it. On one side, we have our non-interference policy, on the other, the knowledge that we can stop the Dilgar." He paused. "When I was eight, my father told me a story about how our ancestor was an officer in the Nazi army during World War II. I remember I felt disgusted by having Nazi blood. I cried. My father then told me to never feel sorry for what my ancestors did, but instead to never do the same nor do nothing when someone does the same. He told me to never feel disgusted with myself because of what blood I carried, that all of us have the blood of heroes and villains. But then, he said that our ancestor was actually the kind of man to look up to, despite the Nazi front. He told me how he saved more than a thousand Jews helping them escape the concentration camp he worked in. After the war, the Allies tried him, as part of the denazification process. What they didn't expect, was that the people he saved would hear of their trial and together testify for him. This story is very important to us because it teaches us an important lesson," he sighed. "The basis of a legal system is not law, but principle. If the law hurts the principle, then the law is not applicable. The non-interference law was made to protect other species from oppression. Although, by not interfering, we are letting the same peoples we want to protect be oppressed. In our situation, the law is going against the principle and, therefore, it must be ignored. This way, our inaction is illegal. So, let's stop making excuses and just act!"
Dilgar Imperium
Omelos
The so-called Glorious Leader of the Dilgar Imperium, the Warmaster Jha'dur, looked at the document in her hands with attention. It was a list of demands from the Humans. The demanded her to withdraw from all occupied worlds, to release all the slaves and to surrender herself and her higher officers to be prosecuted for crimes against the sentience in an international court. Her refusal meant a declaration of war by the United Systems Federation.
That was unexpected.
Jha'dur expected she would have more time to build her forces and, then, when the Dilgar Imperium is strongly established, she could just go to the negotiating table. They gave her only some days to decide. She would have to act. While it was certain that the Humans are highly advanced, no one really knows what they weapons, or defenses or ships are really like in battle.
The Ch'lonas were the only race to have a fight with the Humans, and then they isolated themselves so deep in their space that even her wide intelligence network wasn't capable of reaching them. Her attempts to acquire information from the source were not successful too. For such a diplomatic race, the Humans are very isolationistic. Their technology could only be fully used by their citizens, even the alien ambassadors don't have full access. Chas'sar tried to smuggle some artifacts when he came back from Earth, a tricorder and some power cells, but they couldn't make it work, as it is necessary to be a registered USF citizen or resident to use them. Then they tried to analyze them, but they just self-destructed when they tried to, they disaggregated at the atomic level if her scientists are to be trusted.
According to Chas'sar, that was expected, as Humans are very careful about their technology. It frustrated Jha'dur as she expected to analyze pieces of the fabulous Human technology. A genius like herself would surely have been capable of uncovering its secrets if she had some working technology in her hands.
Now, she had nothing. It doesn't matter, she had the largest fleet the galaxy has ever seen by her side. They had just conquered the Yolu space and it would be much beneficial to the Dilgar. The Yolu were an old race, older than the Minbari, though with just the technology level of the Centauri. They were advanced, but they were a spiritual race not interested in war, they relied too much on their reputation and diplomacy as their defense policy. Their ships were strong, the stronger among the League races, but their numbers were too small. With a surprise attack by a large fleet, the Dilgar managed to make them bend the knee. She couldn't comply with the Humans' demands now, her people were too close to the glory to give up. But she had one last card up her sleeve. She would use their passions against them, it would give them time to upgrade the rest of her fleet with the Abbai, Drazi, and Yolu technology she acquired during the invasions and the weapons she bought from the Centauri.
She smirked. Those idiots thought they could control her, use her as their pawn. Nevermind, in the end, they would fall too. Jha'dur looked at the screen in front of her. The trap was set. She took the paper with both her hands and tore it with a smirk on her face. Omelos would rise to the top. She already controlled almost all of the League worlds. She would drive the Humans back to the Crescent in fear, they will wish to isolate themselves again for more five centuries, and when they decide to come out again, they will be surrounded.
Markab Space
Tyree System
USS Santos-Dumont:
Admiral Marco Rogers just miss the time when everything was easier. Seventeen years ago, he was the first Human to explore beyond the Crescent. Before that, Human society had been in peace for almost 200 years. After that, the USF had to balance on the powder keg that was the galactic politics. A new power, highly advanced and devoid of any previous rivalries with the other species could destabilize the balance of power. And it just had. The Centauri Republic was declining and everyone thought the USF would fill the power vacuum. Surprisingly, for them, the USF didn't. They just hadn't understood yet that the USF has no interest in any of their worlds or their riches or their technology. Humans are explorers now, not conquerors as they were once. But the power vacuum left had to be filled, and then the Dilgar Imperium applied to. Like a seaquake, they moved fast and deadly with their blitzkrieg tactics and, in less than nine months, they have occupied and enslaved almost all of the League worlds.
Rogers was there now in his ship, the USS Santos-Dumont, with the last free authority figures of the League races and, God forgive him for saying it, they were a pain in the ass. Even facing extinction they couldn't set aside their differences and just work together. They can kill themselves if they want to, but couldn't they do it after defeating the Dilgar? It was getting too annoying. The Gaim hive-queen just didn't want her room to be on the same deck as a Vree's. The Markab Girda was so pious that she started preaching that the Dilgar invasion was 'the gods manifesting their wrath on you. O, immoral souls'. When Mara asked her if she was immoral too since she is suffering the Dilgar invasion like all of the others, she seemed confused, as if the very idea of being immoral herself was totally foreign to her. And the Vree master tried to buy every piece of technology he saw. The last time Rogers said 'no', when he was trying to convince him to sell the warp core, he just signed some kind of bank check and gave to him, saying 'make your price, I'll pay.' Rogers sighed. And he thought the Abbai matriarch would be an easy one. But then she told him that, being a semi-aquatic race, she needed a pool or pond of some kind to swim. Rogers just programmed a room with a pool in the holodeck and said it was a special room for Humans to swim. She has been swimming in holographic water for days and hasn't complained yet.
The Santos-Dumont has been in this system waiting for a whole day. They were cloaked, so no concern about being found. The last forces of the League races were rallying there and he was responsible to deliver their leaders to them.
"Sir, I'm detecting jump points opening 40 thousand kilometers from us." Said Melian.
"Is that the League fleet?"
"Aye, sir. I detect Brakiri, Abbai, Drazi, Markab and Vree configurations."
"Where is the rest?" Said the pilot, Steven Martin, who was ignored. Lucas received his own ship two years ago, and Rogers just hadn't warmed up with Martin yet.
A beep from his chair's arm console got his attention. He had a transmission.
"They probably just got late, Martin. Takeru, call the League leaders, they will probably want to talk to them. I'll be in my ready room answering a call. Melian, you have the bridge."
"Aye, sir."
He went to the Captain's ready room attached to the bridge. Sitting at his office table, he sighed before tapping the screen. A holographic representation of Admiral Martin appeared in front of him.
"Admiral Martin."
"Rogers, are the League leaders well and sound?"
Rogers just sighed.
"They complain a lot, but they are very comfortable."
"They're politicians, they are supposed to complain." Admiral Martin said with a laugh. "Anyways, the Command has already drawn a preliminary action plan. The expeditionary fleet will be sent to your location. From there you will coordinate the League fleets to free the Vree space."
"Aye, sir. We are jus-" His comm badge beeped, He tapped it. "What is it."
Melian's voice came from the badge.
"Sir, we have more than one hundred jump points opening not far from us, the rest of the League fleet hasn't arrived yet."
Rogers looked to Admiral Martin.
"You know what to do." The Admiral said. "You need to hold the system until our fleet arrives. And the survival of the leaders is of great importance."
"Tell them to be quick." He said and walked to the door.
"Marco." The Admiral called. Rogers turned to him. "Keep my son alive." He said, ending the transmission.
Rogers smirked and entered the bridge, looking at the viewscreen while the League leaders stayed in the back.
"Report."
"A Dilgar fleet just jumped from hyperspace, sir. Seven hundred and twelve ships of standard Dilgar configuration. Mainly battlecruisers and corvettes. Weapons range in four minutes." Melian answered while adjusting her ear-address nervously.
"Us?"
"Three hundred and four ships. The rest of the League fleet didn't arrive, we should assume they were intercepted."
"What about our fleet?"
"Sixteen minutes, sir." Takeru said.
"Red Alert. Raise shields. Prepare to engage."
"Sir, I'm getting strange readings from the Dilgar ships." Her eyes widened. "They are raising shields, sir! Shield configuration, Abbai!"
Rogers cursed, Abbai shields worth nothing against his ship, but are very effective against the League races' weaponry. Though the Santos-Dumont is undeniably more powerful than anything in the system, it is still just one ship.
"Melian, find some weak spot on those shields. Takeru, order the League fleet to follow my lead. And, no, Madame Girda, I don't care if they are not supposed to obey an 'immoral infidel' such as myself."
They all obeyed him, while the Markab Girda just stared at him open-mouthed.
"Weapon range in one minute."
"Martin, they use laser weaponry, it means that their beams travel at lightspeed. Be ready to evasive maneuvers. Our shields may be tough, but let's just try to save them as much as we can."
"Aye, sir."
"Mara, try to hack into their systems, confuse their sensors, make them have a hard time locking into the League ships."
"Aye, sir."
"Senna, lock photon and quantum torpedoes, let's break their formation."
"Yes, sir."
"And, Takeru." Rogers looked at him.
"Sir?" He asked
"Just tell the fleet to hurry the hell up!"
A/N: Ok, that is the second chapter, enjoy. I hope it is good.
