Before I start writing, I'd just like to think Nairda for being willing to listen to my ideas and giving suggestions for ways that I can improve them.
Hammerchuckery: You'll have to wait and see just what the results of this incident will be. War isn't something to get into lightly. I must admit, I've never heard of the Asari, so I can't make the comparison.
Nyt Yanse: Yes, the Minbari are very arrogant and often hypocritical; you saw that even in the show. Lockley's fate was probably the grisliest of all the B5 characters. Needless to say, the ones responsible were obviously not taken alive.
Orionastro: you're assuming Earth is willing to make any kind of alliance with the Minbari. We despise them, and few Minbari understand the extent of that hatred.
John777: Yes, they could grant it, assuming of course that human scientists are able to understand the technology.
X X X X X X X X X X
December 10, 2260
Moscow
"Jeez, Alex, you're awake already?" Thomas wondered, rubbing his eyes. "I still feel like sleeping for another few hours… or days."
"I haven't been able to sleep." Alex admitted. Since the incident, he had been worrying about what was going to happen because of the Minbari incident. His eyes were still in his book.
"So what exactly are you reading?" Thomas asked.
"Book on Greek mythology; I'm currently reading about the Judgment of Paris. It's actually kind of interesting." Thomas took the book out of his hands, looking over the story. Alex glared, tempted to shove him to the ground and take it back.
"Paris has to be the stupidest human around. Actually taking sides when women are arguing? Is he out of his mind?" Thomas couldn't resist a laugh at the story. Alex took the opportunity to snatch the book out of his hand.
"Yeah, I know. Zeus was probably pretty smart when he decided to stay out of it. You ever been in that situation?"
"Yep, more than once. Course, one time was when two girls found out I was seeing them at the same time. They were yelling at me and at each other. I decided to get out of there while I still could."
"I'm surprised they didn't turn around and try to kill you. Can't say you wouldn't have had it coming."
"Nope, I managed to convince each of them that I dumped the other. It stayed peaceful for quite a while. One of the girls, man I tell you, best lay I've ever had."
"Yeah, and how did they not figure out you lied to him?" People like this drove him crazy when he was in school. Still, however much he disapproved, it seemed better than talking about what was going on out there. He felt slightly queasy just thinking about it.
"Neither of them were what you call smart. I know people would disagree with me, but school was great. Hated the work, and the teachers were boring as shit, but had tons of friends. How about you? You manage to get lucky with someone?"
"Nope, never had a girlfriend."
"That isn't necessarily a no."
"Ha-ha." Alex repeated dryly. "The answer is no." That wasn't entirely true, but he wasn't about to tell Thomas that. "I'm just as well pleased to be out of that damned place. At least in Boot Camp, everyone was suffering the way I was. How many girlfriends have you had?"
"Let's see; had my first girlfriend when I was 12, get lucky when I was 14, dated someone for a year…. Can't remember all of them… I've had 10 girlfriends and got lucky with 7 of them. One of them enjoyed the hell out of…"
"Okay, okay, I get it." Alex cut him off. He didn't exactly want all the details of his love life. Maybe it's jealousy, ha ha. Said a voice in his head.
"Jeez, you're acting like a priest or something. You're supposed to be as perverted as I am."
"Hey, it's not me, but… you like anyone in our platoon?"
"Well, Amanda's hot, but she isn't interested in me. Good pair on her, though, and she hasn't caught me looking."
"I wondered why you were still around."
"Maria seems interested in me, but I'm not sure about her. Maybe I can check around the civilians. I look pretty damn good in a uniform."
"Lieutenant Chang finds out, he'll kick your ass for it." Alex warned. "You know what the orders about fraternizing with civilians."
"Damn, you're a prude. Have you ever had any fun in your life?"
"Yes, I have fun; it's just different than what you consider fun."
"Reading? You need to have some real fun. Can't you use those holo-books, instead of paper? Besides, that's actually worth money now; not a lot of trees left."
"Hey, some of this stuff is pretty interesting."
"Maybe, but you still need to have some real fun. Next chance I get, I'm taking you out on the town and finding you a girl; won't be hard when you're wearing that uniform. It's a great… what do you call it?"
"Aphrodisiac."
"I was going to say girl magnet, but I guess that works. You sound like a professor."
"Thanks, Thomas."
"Didn't mean it that way; just need to relax and let loose a little bit, buddy. How about this as well: I'll let you know if any girls here have an interest in you and introduce you."
"Okay, thank you." Alex replied, having no intention of taking him up on that offer. The last time someone agreed to "help" him, it turned out to be nothing more than a giant laugh at his expense. He wasn't about to fall for something like that again.
Thomas turned around and saw Ta'kani still snoring on the couch, getting an idea. Before Alex could warn him against it, he put his face right next to his and poked him until he started waking up. His eyes were blurry, and he screamed in surprise and fear, grabbing his body and punching him in the gut, knocking him down to the ground. Thomas had the breath knocked out of him as he clutched his stomach, unable to move more than a few inches.
"I was trying to tell you not to do that." Alex sighed, shaking his head. "We don't exactly come from a good neighborhood and Narns are considerably stronger than humans. You're lucky he didn't kill you."
"That was just a joke?" Ta'kani, starting to be aware of his surroundings. "I thought it was someone who came in here to attack us."
"Not a burglar or gang member, just an idiot." Alex explained. "You're lucky to be alive, you know."
"Sorry about that….Thomas." Ta'Kani apologized. "Where we live, you have to be ready to defend yourself at a moment's notice. Are you all right?"
"I should… be fine." Thomas wheezed. They heard someone else walk into the barracks.
"Hey, it's our turn to go out and patrol." Angela informed them. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Oh, Tom's just learned why it's a bad idea to startle a Narn." Alex replied. "Ta'Kani's the reason I wasn't beaten up on a daily basis in school. Can you walk, pal?"
Thomas tried to pick himself up and fell to the floor. The two of them hauled him up, while he wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "Damn, man. If we have to fight the Minbari, you're going to kick their asses!" Thomas chuckled weakly, coughing.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Angela stated. "Earth has already been devastated; I don't think we could survive a second attack."
"Maybe not now, but one day, I'd like to give them what they deserve." Alex snarled. They continued walking, while Thomas slowly got his breath back. Their orders were simply to patrol the city, make sure they didn't have a problem with criminals. Some soldiers had already gotten into gunfights with gangs who ruled certain neighborhoods and did not want to give them up. They were defeated relatively quickly, but caused several casualties and one death.
"You guys ever have to shoot anyone?" Thomas asked.
"No, though a couple weeks ago, someone tried to mug us." Alex replied. "Needless to say, he learned that was an unwise idea. It was tempting to kill him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Hope I don't end up regretting that."
"Hey, we're soldiers, not murderers." Angela declared. "These are our own people. Still, considering the state of this city, little wonder they called us in. Makes me glad I don't live here."
"So who did you lose in the Minbari war?" Alex blurted out. It wasn't a guarantee, but a good guess; most people currently living on Earth lost someone, even if it was someone they weren't especially close to.
Angela glared, but decided to answer. "I lost my grandpa to one of those asteroids they sent flying towards Earth. He lived in Sydney and died along with nearly everyone else who lived there."
"Both my parents were dead." Alex replied. "My dad died at the Battle of the Line. I'm reminded of it; everywhere I go, I see stone walls honoring those who sacrificed their lives. Maybe he died a hero, but that doesn't matter to me; I'd rather have a living father than a dead hero. My mom died in the bombardment shortly afterwards. We were supposed to get on a transport, but something went wrong and they wouldn't let us on. Guess that worked out for the best, since if we had gotten on it, both of us would be dead."
"That sucks, man." Thomas shook his head. "Maybe I'm lucky, if you could say something like that; I lost a couple cousins, though I was little and didn't know them very well."
"Most of my family is still on Narn; they decided to send me here in hopes of me having a better life." Ta'Kani contributed to the conversation. "I've seen holograms of what Narn looks like; it's even worse than Earth, in spite of everything. The Centauri occupied it for 100 years, destroying it with no thought to what would happen to us. It's far from fully recovered and it'll likely take thousands of years to repair the damage."
"Yep, we can understand that better than most." Thomas replied.
"But I don't think they are strong enough to fight the Centauri and win, not alone at least." Alex added. Ta'Kani was irritated, but where many Narns would shout or even attack, he conceded to his brother's logic. He didn't loathe them as much as he would have had he still lived on Narn, but he was still a Narn with everything that meant. "Still, with our alliance, if they attack, we have a strong chance of victory. Even alone, you could probably last about 2 years the way we did, unless some ultra-advanced decided to help them… but what are the odds of that?"
They stood on one of the corners, keeping a wary eye out for any trouble. Orders stated that their weapons were to stay holstered unless they had a reasonable belief that their lives were in danger. Alex saw a fellow soldier carrying his PPG rifle around, when his commander shoved it down and screamed: "Put your gun down! This Ain't fucking Minbar!" Still, their actions had cut crime down to next to nothing.
All four of them heard sounds in the distance. "Any idea what they're saying?" Angela wondered.
"It could be trouble, but I'm not sure." Alex responded. "Let's check it out, but stay alert." All of them put their hands on their pistols, ready to use them at a moment's notice. As they got closer, it started to become clear. It was far more than a single voice; they spotted a crowd of at least a thousand, all of them screaming.
"Death to the Minbari! Death to the Minbari!" They cried, waving signs and stomping their feet.
"So do we go in there and shut them up?" Ta'Kani wondered.
Nope, orders are to simply keep an eye on things unless it turns violent." Angela stated. "Don't think those were the exact words, but close enough. Besides, I don't exactly want to fire on our own people."
"We have tolerated the Minbari menace for long enough!" The one of the podium screamed, to the cheering of the crowd. "Their goal was to exterminate us! They arrived at Earth, leveled our cities, burned our land, slaughtered innocent people for their own amusement! The Minbari committed crimes that rivaled Deathwalker herself! How many have you have lost a loved one to them? How many?" All over the crowd, shots of anger and various stories were heard.
"And now, not satisfied with the slaughter they caused 13 years ago, they attack us again, without warning, without provocation! They killed close to a thousand humans, and what have the idiots in power done? Nothing! Now is the time to take revenge, for our enemy to learn what it means to attack the Earth Alliance!" The crowd applauded, many of them raising their fists to the sky in defiance.
"I'll be damned if he doesn't have a point." Thomas stated.
"Maybe, but can we win?" Angela wondered. "That's my concern."
X X X X X X X X X X
December 11, 2260
Geneva, Switzerland
"Thank you all for coming." Foreman told her staff, meeting for the tenth time over the past few days. The question had not changed, nor did her cabinet's suggestions. "Our question is very simple: what do we do about the incident?" That was a simple way to describe it and easier than saying that close to 1,000 people were killed by a Minbari ship. Tensions were high, but she knew she had to keep calm; the fate of the Earth Alliance could rest on what she decided to do next.
"Well, this latest attack obviously ends all consideration of cutting the military budget." Dutord pointed out. "If anything, they will want to increase it, in spite of how much they have to pay for it."
"We should launch a counterattack immediately." Baskov declared. "We have put up with their aggression for too long and have paid a heavy price for it. The Minbari cannot be allowed to simply get away with a strike against our territory! If we do not respond, that will send a message of weakness to our neighbors."
"The only question is: if it becomes a full-scale war, will we be able to win it?" Jackson pointed out. "We have made great strides in lessening the technological gap, but when it comes to open war, they still have quite an edge on us." He turned on the hologram, which revealed the battle against the Trigati. They had seen it several times by now, but all of them still felt a strong stab of anger seeing it again, smiling when the dying Minbari ship was obliterated, although not without first damaging their base. "In the war, on average, we lost about 6 of our Novas for every one of their ships we destroyed. Now I would say the ratio is about 5 to 2. What we don't know is how large the Minbari fleet is."
"They're likely smaller than us; their economy is very limited." Dutord pointed out. "We don't know for sure, but our highest estimate is 60 Trillion credits, less than ¼ of ours."
"All the more reason why we should hit them." Boskov insisted. "If we do not, they will attack us. Look at what they did to us over a misunderstanding! They could easily decide to attack us again for the destruction of their ship. The fact that they were attacking us won't matter to them!"
"About 57 percent of people are in favor of going to war with the Minbari." Vercetti spoke up. "We're having rallies all over Earth, Mars, and other areas. The people are angry and they have a right to be. I admit, this is a difficult choice, because despite our gains, I do not think we can realistically win a war against the Minbari. If this were, say, 2264, we'd have a decent chance but at the moment, probably not. We might be able to defend ourselves against an attack, but not win an offensive struggle."
"I don't think we can avoid war; we'd better make a counterstrike, hit them as hard as we can." Boskov advocated. "We're going to end up at war with them sooner or later, anyway. Why not do it on our terms, hit them with overwhelming force before they have a chance to organize?"
"It would take over a month for our fleet to hit the Minbari border, probably around 6 weeks." Dutord pointed out. "We'd have to take them by complete surprise, everything would have to go well, and we could not pause in our offensive. It's feasible, yes, but not likely."
"We cannot let this go unanswered." Foreman stated. "On the other hand, we probably won't win if it comes to open war. How are we in terms of defenses?"
"Our new defense platforms have a crew of 200, plasma cannons, beam cannons, nuclear weapons, and rail guns that can impact at 300 Terajoules." Baskov informed. "Currently, we have 9 completed stations: 2 around Earth, 1 on Mars, 2 at Proxima, 3 on Durani, and 1 at Vega. 23 more are currently being constructed, and we estimate about 4 months for all of them to be completed. It's a big movement over our orbital platforms."
"It would provide an impressive defense, even more so if there were more of them." Vercetti stated. "However, they are still too few in number to make a significant difference in defense."
"If war breaks out, we will likely have to focus on defense." Foreman stated. "It's highly unlikely that we can defeat the Minbari, but we can survive if we know what to do. I hope we can find a way to avoid this, but we know what the Minbari are like."
"If we're going to war, we'd better hit them first." Baskov declared. "Our ships can prove to be a deadly opponent to them if we can choose the terms of the battle. Hit them as fast as we can before they are able to build their forces and strike us. We know where their base is in their territory."
"We can strike at their supply lines if they try to invade us." Vercetti suggested. "It bought us plenty of time during the last war, and allowed us to survive, albeit without a victory. What about our allies?"
"Do you really think they'll be willing to help us?" Baskov shook his head. "We made an alliance with them after we saved their ungrateful hides from the Dilgar. When we asked for their aid, they all refused; they were terrified of the Minbari! They wouldn't even accept refugees from conquered colonies! Our people were turned back, forced to endure the Minbari onslaught." Even though they did not attack civilian centers on any planet but Earth, that did not apply to fleeing ships. Compared to the Minbari ships, they were slow and clumsy, with only a handful having any significant arsenal, it was nothing more than target practice. Minbari cruisers gleefully shot down all ships fleeing from colonies. "Sometimes I think we should have taken the Dilgar up on their offer."
"And turn our civilization into an imperialist power?" Dutord refuted. At the beginning of the Dilgar War, when they were only beginning their slaughter of the League, they made an offer to the Earth Alliance: to attack the League, forcing them to fight on two fronts, and greatly increasing their territory. Earth ultimately turned it down, though there were some who found the offer to be quite appealing. After the war, though, increasing numbers felt that decision to be a big mistake.
"Many people would say yes, and considering what happened, I have a hard time blaming them." Jackson pointed out. "The Minbari were forced to the negotiation table when their economy collapsed. If we had even a third of the League, we could have outlasted them and delivered a victory."
"I'm not sure our allies are quite as useless and cowardly as some in this room think." Vercetti informed. "The Narns gave us weapons, although they did their best to gouge us for it. The Drazi sent a fleet to help us and it disappeared in hyperspace. One thing that Earth Alliance managed to prove to the others is that the Minbari are not as powerful and invincible as they believed. We survived their attack once; if it becomes necessary, we can do so again."
"I would like to think so, but we must plan for the worst." Foreman stated. "We have to operate on the assumption that if war comes, we will be alone."
"No, the worst case scenario, Madam President, would be the Centauri joining them in an attack to expand their borders." Dutord refuted. "Emperor Turhan refused to do so, and even kept others from taking our colonies as we rebuilt. Emperor Refa, on the other hand, is someone we need to worry about. Our intelligence reports say that they are building up their faces, and there can only be one reason for that. Their current government wants to bring them back to what they call their 'glory days'."
"So not only to we have a probable war with the Minbari, we have to worry about the Centauri hitting us on a second front." Baskov sighed. "With them at least, we can count on support. The Narns hate them with a passion and the Centauri are well aware. If they move forces to hit us, they may decide to open a front of their own. The Drazi may very well decide to do the same thing. I suggest we capitalize on that, keep the Centauri focused on them to reduce the chances of them striking us from behind."
"We're going to need all our strength to survive a Minbari attack." Foreman stated. "Last time, the highest estimates the other races gave us for survival was 6 months. It took the Minbari two years to reach Earth and we made them bleed every step of the way."
"How long will it take to finish upgrading the First Fleet?" Vercetti asked.
"At the rate it's going, another 3 days." Baskov stated. "It's already been given Hydras as escort ships instead of Corvettes, so it's going faster than expected. I suggest we give Sheridan command of the fleet when it's done. If anyone is capable of defeating them, it's him."
"I agree, despite the risk of angering the Minbari." Dutord stated.
"They're already furious with us for surviving." Jackson pointed out. "We need to do whatever will help us survive. In addition, we should replace the Corvettes as fast as we possibly can, focus on building those instead of fleetships. We already have enough Omegas for 10 fleets, and if we put our full effort into it, we can upgrade every fleet we have with them within 12 to 16 months."
"From the reports I have, it's likely to take about 4 years at the current rate to replace all our fleets with Hydras." Baskov reminded him. "If we put most of our effort into building them, we can cut that down to around 20 months."
"Okay, we'll send the message to them." Foreman declared. "We need to do it as quickly as possible. The sheer numbers of Omegas we have should suffice for a while. What about our new project?"
"We've got a second one built and tested." Baskov replied. "It's still proving difficult and expensive to build them. It'll be years before we can mass produce them."
"Still, we've taken an important first step that few of us thought we could manage for at least another decade." Dutord stated. "I've looked at the technical specifications. In theory, it should be able to destroy a Minbari cruiser in ship to ship combat."
"Even if that happens to be true, we only have a couple of prototypes." Vercetti responded. "The Minbari have at least 300 of their fleetships, not including their escorts. We'd better accelerate the upgrades of our fleets. It'll take 4 years to fully do so at the current rate; we'd better do it in half the time, if not faster."
"Another action we should take is to land soldiers on our core colonies, if not on all of them." Baskov stated. "It took the Minbari 8 months to take Durani and Proxima, due to the amount of soldiers we landed on the planet. I suggest 500,000 at a minimum to secure the inner colonies."
"A big part of the reason it took them so long is because we attached nuclear weapons onto waves of fighters and slammed them into the ships." Jackson reminded him. "We used thousands, and most didn't get through, but it was still effective, especially since they were slow to adapt."
"Then perhaps we should do the same this time, if hostilities break out, which I think they will." Baskov recommended. "Our Corvettes are little more than target practice for them, but if we use them as kamikazes, they can still hit hard enough to destroy even the strongest of their ships."
"You cannot seriously be considering this!" Vercetti protested. "You would send our men and women to a guaranteed demise."
"We have to consider the worst case scenario." Baskov pointed out. "If we are unwilling to strike first and fight the Minbari on our terms instead of theirs, we must use any and all means at our disposal."
"Won't they be expecting it?" Jackson asked. "As a whole, the Minbari leadership is inflexible, but there were a few skilled, capable leaders that gave us endless trouble. They at least will likely be prepared for such a tactic. I highly doubt it will be nearly as effective a second time."
"We're actually considering something like this?" Foreman shook her head. "Perhaps we can do it if we absolutely must, but I do not want that as our first option."
"None of us do, but it's something I suggest we consider." Vercetti stated. "The upgraded ships may prove to be a challenge to the Minbari, but I still don't think they will defeat them in open combat. At most, it will raise the ratio to 2 of our ships destroyed for every one we take out."
"Still, at those odds, we'd have a real chance of success." Baskov smiled. "We can build ships faster than they can. That's something we saw during the war and with our operations afterwards."
"We still don't know how large their fleet is right now." Dutord pointed out. "Many of their ships left the siege of Earth to hunt down the refugees, destroy the civilian structures on our colonies, and to wipe out the remnants of our fleet." The first two were a major strategic blunder that went a long way to costing them the war. With the kind of power their ships could generate, they would have eventually managed to destroy resistance on Earth, especially with the Mass Drivers they installed.
"One thing we need to do is halt all commercial traffic." Foreman declared. "We'd better change the codes on the beacons, keep the Minbari confused as to just where our colonies are." The Earth Alliance had thousands of stars within its borders, covering hundreds of light years. Out of all those stars, very few had planets, and even fewer were of any value and had any sort of infrastructure. They built the beacon network as soon as they started exploring other stars, building beacons in both normal space and hyperspace so their ships would not get lost. Whenever they did, they were never found.
"That's going to keep transports grounded for some time until they adjust to the new codes." Jackson pointed out. "At the least, we should wait until we've garrisoned the colonies and unless war actually starts, in which case there were be few civilian transports going through hyperspace anyway."
"Except for refugees from the outer colonies, which will be hit first." Baskov pointed out. "We've built shelters far enough underground to where it's unlikely the Minbari could get to them from space, but at the same time, they may deploy troops on the ground. Perhaps we should reinforce the outer colonies as well."
"We only have a certain amount of resources." Foreman sighed. "If we had more time, we could do as you suggest. Unfortunately, we do not have time. If we can somehow avoid conflict, then we will be able to do more for them."
"If we're not willing to make a first strike and fight this war on our terms, I say we concentrate on building Hydras and the new battle stations." Baskov stated. "With our defense platforms, the beam cannons we placed on them have a high yield, enough to quickly destroy even a Minbari cruiser, but it isn't able to fire for very long. We've based the main guns of the Warlock on them. The yield isn't nearly as high, but they can fire for a lot longer than our platforms." With the platforms, they didn't need to worry about life support or any kind of artificial gravity, so they could put all the power into the weapons systems. However, the reserves for the fusion reactor would be quickly burned through and because they were unmanned, they were lightly armored and quickly destroyed. It allowed them to build the platforms quickly, but it also made them vulnerable to attack.
"So where should we meet the Minbari for negotiations?" Jackson wondered. "Considering the public outcry, I suggest we do not do so on Earth or any of our colonies for that matter. Perhaps we can do so on one of their colonies, but would they agree to that?"
"We'll open talks with the League worlds, see if any of them are willing to host talks in their territory." Foreman stated. As they continued to talk, she had a bad feeling in her gut. However much I may want to wipe the Minbari Federation out of existence, I can't. They can do the same to us, though; can we avoid another war, especially one we can't win?
X X X X X X X X X X
December 12, 2260
Valen'tha
In the depths of hyperspace, a group of Sharlins floated, their sole purpose being to protect the Grey Council from possible attack. That was important even at the best of times, doubly so now. The council had gathered in their usual circle and at first glance, as impassive as ever. Beneath the surface, however, there was a great deal of apprehension.
"I have some important news: the humans have sent us a communication, offering negotiations for the… incident." Hestxa declared. As of one Earth Month ago, she was the new leader of the Grey Council. They kept the position vacant for over 10 years (15 Earth Years) out of respect for the fallen Dukhat, but they had finally decided to choose someone new. She was among the youngest leaders of the Minbari in recent history, at around 50 years old with dark eyes and a slight amount of hair on her head. "The question is: do we accept?"
"There is only one thing we need to do: attack and destroy them!" Morann exclaimed. "It is what we should have finished last time and we have been paying for it ever since!"
"I do not believe it is quite that simple." Coplann of the Warrior Caste stated. "There is little will for another war among the people. Not only do they feel remorse over what happened before, they are not confident that we can win. The belief that we cannot be defeated has been greatly harmed."
"We have a way to win: we can still get to Earth!" Morann insisted. Unlike many, he did not deny that what the humans said about their actions was true. He just felt that it was nothing less than they deserved. He was a member of the Wind Swords, the branch of the Warrior Caste that committed most of the atrocities. "It's not necessary to besiege it, allowing them to pick us of. We had a method of doing so before, only we refused to use it!"
"Are you proposing to use the weapons of that… creature?" Hedronn asked in disgust; he was of the Worker Caste, and they were generally the least willing to go to war. "We are Minbari, not Dilgar!"
"The Trigati attacked them first, and if we are seen as launching a war of aggression because of it, other worlds may stand up to defend Earth." Jenimer warned. "We should put our fleet on maximum alert, but not strike unless they attack us first."
"We can frighten them off, warn them that any who help them will be destroyed." Morann stated. "Our fleet still has the capability to wipe them off the face of the galaxy!" The only reason they had failed in doing so previously was that their tactics were poor, and they diverted too much of their strength into hunting down the refugees.
"The other worlds no longer believe in our invincibility, and I will not support a war of aggression." Rathenn of the Religious Caste warned. "We should respond to their communication, and try to mend ties with Earth. We need all the allies we can get. The Shadows are already moving."
"And that is the true test ahead of us." Hestxa interjected. "The Shadows are moving, as are their servants. We must have allies if we are to win the coming war. The humans are still primitive, but they are skilled and determined warriors, as we found. They would be an invaluable ally." However, there was still a question to be asked: why had they not acted? She had to admit, it would be the perfect opportunity for them, yet they had done nothing. There were no reports of a deity-like force, no mysterious disappearances, nothing.
"They're far more likely to join the Shadows against us!" Morann shouted. "They are brutal, they are violent, and they revel in death and destruction. If we truly want to prepare for the coming war, we must eliminate them as a species. I do not wish to think of how dangerous they would be with the power of the ancient enemy behind them!"
"What of the new designs the Vorlons have assisted us with?" Codroni wondered; she knew they were still few in number, but had much potential. As a member of the Religious Caste, she agreed with the warriors in needing more powerful ships. "They are much faster than any ship we currently have and their firepower rivals a Sharlin. The human's technological prowess concerns me. They advance faster than any other race I have seen. The only ones who moved at their speed were the Dilgar and perhaps the Centauri."
"We still hold a considerable lead." Coplann reassured. "War might be unavoidable, but I believe that we can keep our two civilizations at peace, even if we hold little love for one another."
"We also cannot be seen as the aggressors." Durlan of the Worker Caste pointed out.
"Yes, and we do not know what their allies will do." Jenimer warned. "Our economy collapsed during the war and it took us years to rebuild. That was from fighting the humans alone. With the Narns and the Drazi allied with them, it could collapse all the faster."
"Which means we're paying for our isolation." Morann snarled. "We must fight them on their terms, and when we attack, attack all targets on the colonies, civilian and military. Once we get to Earth, we turn it into a graveyard! Let the others see what it means to provoke the Minbari!"
"I'm afraid I cannot agree; we are simply not prepared for a major war." Coplann replied. "We badly underestimated Earth and paid a heavy price for it. Few have the will to fight a war, and we have lost too much time due to distractions."
"Then let us… deal with our distraction permanently." Morann grinned. "The reason it took us 1.3 years to reach their homeworld was because we did not know where it was, nor did we know where most of their colonies were. They will not be able to fool us that way a second time."
"Yes, and even with their advanced technology, with a truly determined attack, they will fall to us." Shakiri of the Warrior Caste declared. "They have retaken their entire civilization, all because we were not willing to fight another war to stop them. We are already paying for it now. The humans have already struck at our forces once, and it was foolish not to declare war then. We had more than sufficient cause to do so!"
"However, we do not have absolute proof of it." Codroni refuted. "I concede that it is likely, but there was still some doubt."
"And you would allow them to do so again?" Morann asked in bewilderment. "They were responsible and all of us know it!"
"We have lost track of the question: do we agree to meet with them?" Hestxa asked the others. "They are offering to meet with us in neutral territory, Kirani space." She gave them grudging credit for not being willing to do so in their own territory. Unlike many Minbari, she was quite aware of the sheer amount of hatred the humans felt for them. Our time seems to be at an end. Our population is only 1/3 of what it was in the time of Valen and it was declining even then.
"Do we know anything about them?" Coplann asked.
"Only that they are a nominal member of the League of non-Aligned Worlds, and hold a similar appearance to humans." Durlan informed the others.
"Are they allied with them, as the Narns and Drazi are?" Coplann asked. "I do not believe we should go to war unless they attack, but I do think that we should enhance our intelligence gathering in their space. We must have a reasonable estimate of their capabilities."
"I agree with your assessment, Coplann." Rathenn stated. "Considering that they have chosen neutral territory to have these talks and that they are willing to enter into negotiations instead of launching an attack against us, I believe we should do the same. I believe the human term is 'extend the tree branch'."
"Yes, we can do that, and while they believe that we genuinely intend peace, we can launch a surprise attack and quickly defeat their forces." Shakiri suggested. "If they are conducting negotiations, they will not be expecting such a thing."
"You would carry out such a dishonorable action?" Codroni asked in disgust, forgetting that when Lennon was making peace overtures, they made the exact same plan.
"I refuse to support that." Jenimer stated. "I believe we should at least try to make amends with the humans, start forming diplomatic ties. It will take generations for our relations to be more than hostile, but when war would only lead to massive destruction for both sides, is peace not a better alternative?"
"Not with someone like the humans." Morann rebuffed. "Look at what they did to the Warriors they captured. I saw their remains with my own eyes! How can you believe we can reach any lasting agreement with them.
"Neither of us conducted ourselves well during the war." Hestxa reminded him. She remember Delenn's words when she was sent to face judgment: "The humans' spirit and nobility has been destroyed; anger and hatred has taken its place, and I cannot see its end." Hestxa knew that War Crimes were widespread of both sides, that many indulged in cruelty because they had the power to do it. Some Warriors committed suicide after doing what their leaders had asked them to do. We are taught that understanding is not required, only obedience. That should not apply with what some were asked to do, but I see no simple way of changing it. "They despise us for it, and we them. It is a gaping wound that has been seeping hate for far too long. Perhaps we should try to heal the wound."
"I may agree in principle, though we must not lower our guard." Coplann replied. "Valen told us: 'if you want peace, prepare for war'."
"I would also agree; it will also tell the other worlds that we are taking a step in a positive direction." Durlan added his opinion.
"No, I refuse to agree with that." Morann snarled. "Peace with the humans is an illusion; war is the only thing that will give us the security we need."
"Even if I agreed with your position, which I do not, can our economy withstand it?" Jenimer asked. "Yes, we would likely win if we had to fight them, but we would suffer heavily, much more than last time. Or have you forgotten the fate of the Trigati?" When he learned the news, it disquieted him. He could not believe the humans had advanced so far in just a matter of years. They were still much more advanced, but the gap had shrunk a great deal. He remember how heavily the Warriors suffered on the ground on their way to Earth. They had lost close to 600,000 in ground battles, about 80 percent of them on just the final three human colonies. Those three alone took the Minbari half a year to conquer and secure (about 9 Earth months) all the while enduring constant raids by the remains of the human fleets. The humans lost even more, but they were stubborn and skilled, more so than most members of the Warrior Caste. The casualty ratio was far more even than it was in space. That was not including the 10 million who died on Earth, with three times that many wounded.
"Let us settle this now." Hestxa declared. "Those of you who believe that we should go to war, please step outside of the circle." Morann and Shakiri stepped out. "Step back." They did so. "Now who believes we should make an attempt to negotiate with the humans?" All the other stepped forward. "Then we shall negotiate; we will send a response agreeing to meet with them in Kirani space. We will not launch any attack in human territory unless they decide to strike us first." As leader of the Grey Council, she knew that she had the power to overrule them and send the Minbari to war. However, she felt that war was not a decision to be made lightly and knew of the high price they would pay should hostilities break out.
X X X X X X X X X X
Centauri Republic Population: 13.3 billion
Credits per capita: 33,000. Total GIP: 439 Trillion
Earth Alliance Population: 7.65 billion
Credits Per Capita: 34,200 Total GIP: 261.63 Trillion
Drazi Freehold Population: 7.3 billion
Credits per Capita: 18,900 Total GIP: 137.97 Trillion
Abbai Matriarchy Population: 5.7 billion
Credits Per Capita: 21,600 Total GIP: 123.12 Trillion
Vree Conglomerate Population: 6.8 Billion
Credits per Capita: 16,400 Total GIP: 111.52 Trillion
Kirani Union Population: 7.2 Billion
Credits per Capita: 13,250 Total GIP: 95.4 Trillion
Brakiri Syndicracy Population: 5.1 Billion
Credits per Capita: 17,600. Total GIP: 89.76 Trillion
Yolu Republic Population: 8.2 billion
Credits per Capita: 9,700. Total GIP: 79.54 Trillion
Hyach Gerontocracy Population: 6.4 billion
Credits per Capita: 12,400 Total GIP: 79.36 Trillion
Narn regime Population: 5.8 Billion
Credits per Capita: 10,800 Total GIP: 62.64 Trillion
Minbari Federation Population: 5.1 billion
(Est.) credits per Capita: 11,600 Total GIP: 59.16 Trillion
Cascor Empire Population: 6.2 billion
Credits per Capita: 8,400. Total GIP: 52.1 Trillion
Ikesa Population: 7.3 Billion
Credits per Capita: 6,950. Total GIP: 50.73 Trillion
Grome Population: 5.7 Billion
Credits per Capita: 7,800 Total GIP: 44.46 Trillion
Hurr Population: 2.8 billion
Credits per Capita: 5,700. Total GIP: 15.96 Trillion
Llort Population: 3.1 billion
Credits per Capita: 4,600. Total GIP: 14.26 Trillion
Pak'ma'ra Population 3.34 billion
Credits per capita: 4,050. Total GIP: 13.52 Trillion
Onteen Population: 2.7 billion
Credits per Capita: 3,800 Total GIP: 10.26 trillion
Descari Population: 2.2 billion
Credits per Capita: 3,400 Total GIP: 7.48 Trillion
Balosian Population 1.12 Billion
Credits per Capita: 2,600. Total GIP: 2.91 Trillion
Sheridan was looking through the annual report on all known civilizations. It was quite likely if not for the war, they would have surpassed the Centauri by now. Things being as they were, though, they were still a major power. For how much longer, though? I try to be optimistic, but I highly doubt that we can defeat the Minbari. At most, we can survive, but victory is out of the question.
Still, that didn't stop the crowds from gathering all over Earth Alliance territory, making loud, angry speeches about how evil the Minbari were and how they deserved death. However, Sheridan knew that speeches were one thing; actually fighting and defeating them was quite another.
He started making plans in his head. If war broke out, the most important thing to do was buy time. Earth Alliance did not have to defeat the Minbari; they simply had to resist. Their economy was far more limited than theirs, and not capable of fighting a protracted war. So what's better than giving them exactly what they don't want? Sheridan thought.
Sheridan went through his brain, going through what techniques had worked best during the last war. Defensive formations had the fleet split into three, with a main fleet of ships, and more to cover the left and right flanks. It was designed so that any attacking fleet would be unable to isolate a certain pocket of their forces and destroy them piecemeal. In addition, so the enemy would be facing all the firepower of Earthforce no matter what direction they tried to attack in. It worked very well against the Dilgar 30 years before, and was designed from concerns of a Centauri invasion.
Until the Dilgar War, Earth was considered a minor power by nearly everyone. Because of it, they had attempted to become a member of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds in 2185, but were rejected due to their extensive history of warfare. There were always fears of the Centauri deciding to turn them into one of their conquests. Intelligence had picked up indications that some in their government had wanted to do just that. Of course, after the Dilgar War, which took even Earth nearly 3 years to win, those plans were barely heard of again. Earth Alliance proved that it was a power to be reckoned with, and had a mutual defense treaty with the League.
Yeah, and we found out how much that was worth when we were in trouble. Sheridan laughed bitterly. He sometimes wondered what would have happened if he decided to take the job as First Officer on the Prometheus. Would things have been different? Could they have averted a war that claimed the lives of billions? Perhaps it would have made no difference at all, that he would simply have been relieved when he refused to fire on the Minbari. Still, he couldn't help but wonder at times.
Never mind that; let's say if war breaks out, we go on the offensive. What formation would work best? A V formation would allow them to concentrate their firepower on a single area, but it would limit what they could use to the beam cannons. Turning to a 30 or 45 degree angle would solve that problem, but also mean less agility and speed. Perhaps the Hydras can help solve that problem. They have one main gun and while in sheer weight of fire, they don't come close to an Omega, they are much more maneuverable and can attack and retreat with a reasonable chance of getting back to the main fleet safely. It might not be as effective as some think, but definitely something to consider. They're smaller, faster, and thus, harder to hit than our main ships.
An alternate idea was to use the V formation, but structure the ships in a similar way as they would if they were defending a colony, combining offensive and defensive formations. It would allow them to take advantage if an opening presented itself, but at the same time, hold a fighting retreat if things went wrong. Sheridan remembered what many of their losses were during the middle stage of the war, when the Minbari started attacking the inner colonies. When the captains got the order to retreat, it sometimes turned into a rout, which allowed the Minbari to pick them off easily.
He turned on a screen of a Minbari cruiser, an image from the Battle at Vega Colony. Its main gun was firing at a Nova, which was doing its best to fight back, although not with much success. Some of its shots hit, which damaged the cruiser, but it quickly fell to the Minbari onslaught. "They've still got a major firepower edge on us." Sheridan sighed. He wasn't sure just how powerful their main gun was, but based on how quickly the Nova was destroyed, and the amount of armor the human ship had, it was quite possible that it was in the Petawatt range. Their total firepower certainly is, but I'm not sure about the main gun. It was still about 3 times stronger than the main weapons on the Omegas. Still, one major weakness is that as far as I can see, there are no guns on the rear of their ships, and their armor isn't all that strong, for all their impressive weaponry. However, considering that they are more maneuverable than us, it's going to be a difficult weakness to exploit.
Sheridan continued running scenarios through his head, basing it on what he saw during the war and what sort of techniques the Minbari used. If their stealth technology wasn't so good, we could have won or at least survived. They attacked in a straight line, no efforts to make themselves less of a target. Now could there be a way to lure them into a trap that their technology can't get them out of, take advantage of their weakness? Obviously, our fleetships aren't going to be fast enough to do the job, but what about the Hydras? It's far from perfect, but it could give us a real chance of victory.
Over the years, Sheridan saw multiple what-if novels written by science fiction authors, what would the galaxy be like if the Minbari had stopped their crusade, what if they had won, what if they had not gotten complacent after the Dilgar War, if the League had followed through with their defense treaties.
One such novel he looked over had a plot where the Earth Alliance managed to win because they broke the Minbari stealth. Considering the gap in firepower, we wouldn't have won an outright victory. We may have survived, have stopped them at Proxima or Durani, but victory? Not likely. More of them had a scientist or team of scientists come up with some miracle weapon that saved them all in the nick of time. That was a common plot of science fiction and had been for centuries, but was usually unrealistic. Real life didn't work that way.
Now we've got Markab space that we can use to make them bleed and strain their economy. Technically, it still belongs to them, but that's only a technicality. They're a minority on their own colonies. We have relatively few shipyards there, but it's still territory the Minbari have to take.
They had hundreds of ship building areas just in Sol's solar system alone. Very few built whole ships; most built just parts of the ship and transported them elsewhere. The intention was to make sure their industrial system was not wiped out in a single attack. Even during the siege of Earth, there were shipyards left untouched in the asteroid field. Ships they built there were often given little armor, focusing on the weapons systems or simply just ramming them into the Sharlin. They weren't even jump capable, as their supplies of Quantium-40 were cut off, but it helped keep them on their toes.
Another thought: if it comes down to a siege in the Core Colonies, we can send raiding attacks with emphasis on the transports. Sheer firepower won't kill everyone. If they try to bypass it without making sure the colony is secure, it allows us to pick them off. They have to send in their warriors. If we make the main focus of our efforts the transports when it comes to survival, even if God forbid, we have to use kamikazes again, it should prove an effective tactic. Sheridan wondered why few thought of that before, or at least that such a tactic had been dismissed. So far as he knew, it was not utilized during the war. Their primary focus was on the Sharlins which were difficult to take down. The Minbari supply lines were not guarded nearly as well as Earth would have done. In the early stages on the war, that made little difference. However, as the Minbari fought farther and farther away from home, it started to really slow them down, delaying conquest and securing colonies, and so on. They got better at it later on, realizing that they had to protect their supplies, but never diverted as much as they should have. Perhaps they simply didn't have the manpower to do it. From the information we've gathered about the Minbari, they are a relatively small civilization, about the size of an average member of the League. Population estimates are from 3 to 6 billion.
The more I look at this, the more I think we have a real chance of survival should war break out again. We weren't prepared the last time around but we are, for all intents and purposes, in a war-time economy. Our fleet is nearly the size of the Centauri war machine. Even the highest estimates of Minbari strength state that we have twice as many ships as they currently do. If we play this correctly, if we're prepared for the worst case scenario and not confident that we can defeat them no matter what, we've got a chance. Even after seeing half a dozen of their bases destroyed, the brass still didn't understand how advanced the Minbari were. They sent the entire Second Fleet, veterans of the Dilgar War, to hit the closest colony, to hopefully hinder the Minbari war effort, convince them that they were not something they could walk all over, and hopefully bring them to the negotiation table. None of them returned, and intelligence discovered that the Minbari suffered relatively low losses.
Afterwards, optimism of victory all but disappeared and people began to get frightened. Earthforce was under tremendous pressure to find a way to win, lack of sleep contributing to multiple strategic blunders. There were even rumors that a couple Admirals had literally died of sleep deprivation. Sheridan was unsure about the truth to those rumors, but the fact that they were even around said something about what kind of odds they were facing. Hopefully, we'll be able to do better this time around. Even if war doesn't happen now, I think we're going to end up fighting them again one day.
Out of the known area of the Minbari Federation, very few stars had planets and even fewer had colonies. Of course, that was the case with even low level League worlds. It varied from a hundred to tens of thousands in the case of the Centauri. Earth Alliance was the largest after them, at about half their size. That's going to be a major problem if we decide to take the offensive. Even with the spies we've sent, we still have only a rough idea of where their colonies are. I wouldn't be surprised if they remember where our colonies are; they'd be foolish not to map it out.
He heard a beep from the video feed. He pushed his plans to the back of his head and checked the identification. Nodding, Sheridan said: "Open." Staring at him was his father. "Hello, Dad. How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't said hello in a while, but…"
"I understand, son." His dad smiled. "I'm sure you have a lot to do. I just wanted to let you know that they're sending me to assist in the negotiations."
"Have they decided on where it's going to be?" Sheridan asked. "At the very least, it shouldn't be on of our major colonies."
"They've come to the same conclusion. Have you seen reports of the demonstrations?"
"I've seen them; people are furious and they have a right to be."
"We're considering having the talks in Kirani space. I believe it would be best to have a neutral party oversee these talks. We've sent the Minbari a communiqué; so far, they haven't responded."
"Let's hope they're not using this as an excuse to attack us."
"You should know better than most that war isn't something you want to start at the slightest provocation, but that's neither here nor there. I know you, John; I know you're coming up with plans in your head. Be honest with me: if it turns into war, what are our chances?"
"Our chances of victory? Next to none." Sheridan responded. David nodded grimly, worried but not surprised by the assessment. "Still, if we prepare right now and prepare for the worst, we have a decent chance of survival. I was running plans through my head when you waved."
"That's good to hear. I was hoping that we could win, that they would learn some of the pain we have to endure, but it's never been a fair galaxy. More than likely, it never will be."
"One concern: is it a good idea to hold these talks in Kirani space, considering the magnitude of what could happen?" Sheridan was still far from sure that it would be a good idea to have any significant ties to them, but most felt differently. Once he learned more about them, the result did not surprise him, but still, it worried him.
"We have a highly professional staff." David knew what was on his son's mind. "Both the Narns and the Drazi offered to hold the talks in their territory, but the Minbari probably know that both of them are allied with us. Our relationship with the Centauri has soured in recent years, and the other known worlds are too far away for both of us. It would take at least a couple of months and the longer this hangs over our heads, the more frightened and the more angry people will be."
"I'm just not sure we can get anything out of them. I don't like them, never will, but I have to admit that they are stubborn. What can we even ask them for? They'd never give us any territory to placate us, the way Turhan did with the Narns on a couple occasions. An apology? I don't think that would be enough, not even close."
"I assure you, my diplomatic staff is going over the same questions. You're right; this is not going to be easy. I hate the Minbari, John. No parent should ever have to suffer the loss of their child." When Sheridan remember Elizabeth's death, a hot flash of anger went through him. Neither of them would ever forgive the Minbari for that.
"Much as I hate to say it, I wish you luck." Sheridan responded. He heard rumors of something new, a new design that would be able to defeat a Sharlin or at least match it on even terms. However, he didn't know for sure and hadn't done too much to find out all the details. Even so, what he did do told him that if it was true, it was at the very least a big step up from the Omega. "If it comes to war, you know where I'll be."
"I wouldn't expect anything less. I'll do my best to keep in contact with you. I'll see you later. Good-bye, son."
"Bye, dad." The screen went blank and Sheridan rubbed his temples. If this happened just 3 years later, we could match the Minbari. We could upgrade all the fleets, replace the escorts, increase the number of battle stations, maybe even start mass producing those new ships I keep hearing about. However, they had to deal with the way things were.
It didn't take long for someone to start knocking on his door. Sheridan pocketed his PPG, ready to grab it at a moment's notice. He knew it was extremely unlikely than someone would come after him here, but he learned to be prepared for anything. He opened the door and saw Leftcourt standing there. "Admiral, what can I do for you?" Sheridan asked and saluted.
"Come with me, Sheridan." Leftcourt. "You've been reassigned." Sheridan followed, hoping this meant that his ship was finally done with the upgrades. Both of them got inside the transport and exited Io's orbit. After about 15 minutes of traveling, his eyes widened. There had to be an entire fleet waiting for them. Just what is this about?
They docked onto the Agamemnon and walked inside. "Welcome to your new and improved ship, Admiral Sheridan." Leftcourt smiled.
"Admiral?" Sheridan managed to stutter out.
"Congratulations; you've just been promoted to command of the First Fleet." Leftcourt responded. "Considering your qualifications, you've more than earned it."
"Well… thank you very much, sir."
"Now the main modifications we made is to both the port and starboard sides of the ship. We've installed three beam cannon on each side, giving you a lot more power when you broadside a ship."
"This would more than double the total firepower these ships can bring to the battlefield."
"Exactly; in terms of armor, these ships are stronger than the Minbari. Apart from the stealth system, one thing we're sorely outmatched in is the amount of firepower we can bring. Even the main cannons on this ship have only about one third of the energy that the Minbari's main guns can unleash. It's the reason we've upgraded them; to try and equalize it."
"There is a problem, General: it would require more supplies which means more strain on our supply fleets and an increased vulnerability to being stranded."
"We've thought of that. In an emergency, the extra beam cannons can simply be shut off, but we still believe that to be a decent trade-off. Now we can really rival the firepower that the Minbari bring and surpass the Centauri by a considerable margin. They would make short work of the Centauri Primus."
"Any luck upgrading the scanners to the point where we have a decent chance of hitting them?"
"At long range, no. Their stealth is still far more advanced than anything we have. However, at that range, our countermeasures have developed to the point where they have difficulty getting an accurate lock onto our ships as well. The battle at our one of our bases took place at close range, and I'm happy to say we can get a reasonable lock at that range."
"Perhaps, but by then, we're in visual range." Sheridan reminded him. He remembered that one such tactic during the war was to install old-fashioned telescopes to the operating systems. It gave Earthforce more accuracy, but still not anywhere close to perfect. "Are we using the makeshift targeting we used during the war?"
"As a last resort, yes, but if it works, we'd much rather be able to target them electronically. At medium range, where most fleet battles take place, we estimate we can get a 30 percent lock."
"That's it?"
"Still far better than we managed during the war."
"So where will I be sending this fleet?"
"New America. It's the closest colony we have to the Minbari border. We want a show of force to… persuade some elements of the Warrior Caste that it would be unwise to start another war with us."
"Permission to speak freely?" When Leftcourt nodded, he continued: "Won't my presence there infuriate them and make them more likely to attack us? They still remember me there." Sheridan spoke with a certain amount of pride at that. Not only did he destroy the Black Star and three other cruisers, he worked as a convoy raider, slowing them down however he could. He helped design the guerilla warfare tactics once they learned they could not fight the Minbari openly.
"We know their opinion of you, but however much they wish you dead, they recognize your skills in the field." Leftcourt answered. "If they know you're in command of an entire fleet, they may think twice before starting another genocidal rampage."
"Let's hope they don't; we have a decent chance of survival, but the odds of victory are essentially nil unless our allies help militarily and I wouldn't count on that." Sheridan handed him a data crystal. "This contains some of the ideas and scenarios I've drawn up for use should they be necessary."
"Thank you; we appreciate any input you can give us." Leftcourt responded, pocketing the crystal. "At medium range, before the upgrades, we estimate that the losses ratio would have been roughly 3 to 1. With the upgrades, we're hoping to close that gap to 2." Leftcourt didn't mention that they had already done the same with the two Warlock prototypes. As things stood, those ships were going to have the capability to outmatch the Minbari in pretty much every way possible. The only difficult was, again, supplies.
"We still don't know how many ships they have. Our intelligence is incomplete, but our fleet is larger than theirs."
"Let's be careful about making assumptions."
"Sheridan, we know what we're doing. Now you have your orders. I'll be going back on the transport shortly." They saluted one another and he walked off. Sheridan stood there for several moments before walking to the bridge. Sensors stated that Leftcourt's shuttle was heading back to Io. He waited several minutes and then ordered the fleet to head for the jump gate. Yes, he could have simply created a bunch of jump points, but considering the enormous energy requirements that the upgrades needed, he felt it best to save energy.
It took them around 10 minutes to reach the gate. They typed in the code, opening the jump point and flew through it. It was going to take over a month to arrive at their destination. I must admit, there are times when I wish I could retire, that I could stay on Earth and with Anna. Sheridan thought, as he did many times before. But… Earthforce needs me, especially considering our current situation.