The Way Home – Going Home rework
by Warringer
Chapter 20
--
Petey was a little nervous. And he was the first to admit that being a warship and being nervous was not a good combination and tended to ended up with a good amount of collateral damage.
But he had any reason to feel nervous. He wasn't even two weeks old and before he could get through full trials, he was already going to fight a major battle, through 'major' was based on his perspective and that of the other parts of the fleet that would jump to Zaitaku to help the Shin'bi.
It wasn't the fact that it would be his first real battle without any real experience. His own performance in this battle would give Fleet Command on the Pride of Ferrol some help deciding if it was a good idea to have more than just one fully AI controlled warship.
Not only that. The general performance of all crews and fleet parts during the battle was going to show if the cooperation in the Liberty Defense Alliance was worth anything.
He doubted that the Ferron part of the fleet would make very much problems. Considering the need of leaving behind ships to defend Liberty, the Ferron part of the fleet, like any, was rather small. Besides himself, Thora's Revenge, the first of several Battle Cruisers, there was a single Cruiser, Spirit of Gol, designed to be a pure missile carrier with limited close combat capabilities, six Grav Frigates, build around a single heavy gravitic beam cannon, five Assault Frigates and three Missile Frigates. That made sixteen ships, with the ships besides him outfitted with additional modular packs for shields and Hyperlight Drives.
The Shin'bi themselves were going to send thirty five ships, about three quarters of their fleet. along. It was their homeworld and they wanted to defend it and all of the ships had been refitted with stronger shields and Hyperlight Drives. Some even had some of their kinetic weapons replaced with Plasma Cannons.
Petey had to note that the Plasma Cannons were deadly in close combat, but rather useless in really ranged combat.
Than there were the Dilgar. They were only able to send six ships along with the fleet and even if they had been repaired and in some cases retrofitted, each still was as far away from the pristine exterior and interior of himself as Liberty was from Gol. Each looked as if it had seen better days, which they most likely had, but the looks were deceptive in this case. He could call up the files about their capabilities after their refitting. The rest of their small fleet of warships was being left behind, through most still needed to be refitted. Or scuttled...
The Colonials could only send one ship with them, but this ship was the most powerful ship in the fleet and Petey considered himself to be a little behind power wise compared to the 'Beast', as the Pegasus was called just about everywhere. The Beast was about twice as long as himself and packed a whole lot more weapons. But it wasn't the weapons, the retrofitted systems or the Vipers that made her that powerful, but the crew. Professional trained soldiers and spacers, who had survived several battles with the Cylons and simply had the most experience.
As Petey thought about experience, he didn't really know were he could place the Kobayashi Maru. The crew was consisting of just six people, not counting several dozen Jacks and other robots milling around on the former warship-turned-pirate-turned-warship. Sure, he knew the Hyperions statistic data, both before and after getting thrown into this universe and getting turned into a pirate ship, but he couldn't really place the rag-tag crew.
He gave the electronic equivalent of a sigh and his holographic avatar appeared on his own bridge. Commander Nasal had already left his crew, having edged away from him after seeing the avatar for the first time.
His avatar gave a grin. Who would have thought that the Terran koala looked so much like the Ferron drop-bear.
He glanced at the display showing the fleet and crossed his arms behind his back. A small clock in the display counted down.
"Jump," he said to himself as the clock reached zero.
With that the whole fleet disappeared from Liberty orbit.
--
Harry stumbled and breathed in deep, trying not to throw up. He knew that he hated portkeys and floo travel, but Hyperlight Jumps not only felt similar, but were raising the whole sensation to new hights.
"Bloody hell," he muttered and placed a hand on his stomach before pressing his eyes shut for a moment.
He than looked around, noting that he was not the only one who felt ill. Von Bismark for example was looking a little green around his nose, while Jeff was holding a hand in front of his mouth and stormed out of the bridge. One should think that someone used to fight in micro-gravity could take something like that better than someone like Harry.
Ariel, Aleksandr and Shinosuke on the other hand were not looking like the whole 'mega portkey' had made them ill.
For a moment Harry's eyes remained on the large fluffy tail of Ariel, wandering down to her combat suited rear and up her body. He breathed in again forced himself to look away again. Great, he was close to fighting the first space battle in his life and his thoughts became x-rated while he looked at his tactical officer.
Not that he really wanted to be here. Either on the Chair, or preparing for a space battle. He'd rather go back to Babylon 4 and train with Shinosuke. Or maybe laze around with Ariel a little. Or maybe some relaxing time in bed with Ari...
He pressed his eyes shut and breathed in deep again trying to banish those thoughts, the sound of someone throwing up just outside the bridge told him that Jeff hadn't made it to the next toilet...
Somewhere in the back of his mind he was surprised that a former fighter pilot would throw up after something like this, while another part of his mind noted that the bone crest around the pseudo-Minbari's head changed color with his head, having taken on a deep green color. Pretty close to the 'cure for boils' that had spectacularry exploded into Nevilles face during the first year.
"We're right on target," McPherson noted and Harry looked up." Zaitaku."
A large green globe hung in the left side of the main viewer, white bands of clouds and blue stripes covering the nearly pure green like a marble.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment before looking towards Shinosuke. The Shin'bi had manned communications and now glanced at the display and as far as Harry could tell his teacher wanted to get down, back home.
Shinosuke shook his head lightly and looked down to his console.
"We're being challanged by Zaitaku Space Command," he said and looked over to Harry and von Bismark.
Harry eyed the German, who was breathing in, trying to loose the green tinge around his nose.
"Respond with our ID," he said, while Harry kept silent.
Sure, just McPherson, Ariel and Sinclair had any real knowledge of space combat, but officially, thanks to Enesby, Harry was the commander of the ship and von Bismark his first in command. Jeff was completely out of the 'chain of command' on the ship as he was just acting as observer and advisor to everyone.
Shinosuke nodded and looked back up towards the screen.
Harry had to say that Zaitaku seemed to be a beautiful world. According to the files he had read, the planet was about as large as Earth, but only about thirty percent were covered by water. There were no really large oceans, but rather large lakes and seas stretching over thousands of kilometers, while being only a few hundred kilometers wide.
The way the water was spaced out over the surface and the lack of large mountains over three thousand meters made the planet an oasis of life. Large forests and vast plains covered with grass gave the planet the nearly pure green marble that hung on the left side of the Maru.
"The response was meet and Admiral Takeshi and Admiral Takano want us for a conference call."
Harry nodded.
"Okay," he said and swallowed slightly." I guess the others are in it as well?"
Shinosuke nodded. Harry closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in deep again. Another Admiral he had to deal with now. And he just wanted to get back home to Hogwarts. Or if that was impossible back to Babylon 4...
--
Admiral Takeshi narrowed his eyes as he crossed his hands behind his back and hung the claw fingers of his wings over his shoulders. If Takano was to be believed he would talk to the Shogun in a few moments.
Takeshi didn't really know if he could take Takano for real about the whole business, but an Oracle had told Takano that he would bring the Shogun to Zaitaku. Normally Takeshi didn't give much of a damn for oracles, but in this case it was different.
The believe that the Shogun would come one day was deeply ingrained into the psyche of all Shin'bi, regardless of their nation or their religion. There were so many interpretation of the hundreds of oracles about the Shogun, that it was hard to get any real image him. But one thing was sure and every Shin'bi believed in it.
The Shogun would come one day, in the darkest hour of Zaitaku, and save the planet. And he would guide the Shin'bi into a great future.
Even an atheistic pragmatic like Takeshi believed in it.
As the communications officers worked to get the various, partly conflicting, communications protocols together into one whole, Takeshi glanced up to the gallery.
The Shin'bi standing up there, should not be here. Civilians like them should not be aboard a Space Fortress like Naginata in the middle of a possible invasion. But civilians they may be, they were more curious than anyone else about the proclaimed Shogun.
Takeshi breathed in deep and shook his head slightly.
Kagome-sama should not be here. The old woman should be down in the Great Temple of Edo, neither should her children. But as the Oracle of Edo, she had every right to be here. In the end it would be her who would proclaim if the one coming was the Shogun or not.
The main screen came to life and split into four images, even through there were five different commanders of the different fleets of the Liberty fleet that had come to help, as one ship lacked any visual communication equipment.
"Admirals, Commanders," Takeshi said and nodded towards the images in front of him." I'm Admiral Takeshi, currently the head of the Joint Defense Force of Zaitaku. I'm thanking you for coming to help us."
For a moment Takeshi hoped that the Shogun thing was reality. It would unite Zaitaku more than the Pirates ever managed to do. Even now the nations of Zaitaku were still only a loose alliance of countries who just happened to have the same goal. There were still short wars and conflicts being fought on the surface.
One thing was good about the whole Pirate situation. Hadn't they come, the conflicts of Zaitaku would have spread out into space.
Takeshi himself was a born spacer. Born and bred in space, he could really understand the conflicts of the surface.
Takashi noted the looks of the people on the display. They were not to far away for being who were considered 'galactic norm' and humanoid. The only difference of one was the blue skin and the red hair, while the second had slitted pupils and a little more hair in his face. The last one was seemingly a young male of the 'galactic normal'.
And he was the Shogun?
His eyes went back up to Kagome-sama and her entourage as he heard her draw in a sharp breath. Than he looked back at the screen.
"I think we should get down to business," he noted and frowned." The attackers are three quarters of an hour away from Zaitaku. We have send several small task forces at them to test their strength, but it was not very successful. We are very sure that we are not dealing with Pirates here."
"Admiral if I may," another, female voice, interrupted and the camera that had beforehand showed the possible Shogun showed a black and white furred face.
"Ariel of Salasia," the owner of the voice introduced herself." I am pretty sure that we are dealing with a Jurian 'Relieve Force', as they call it. The spherical ships belong to the Royal Salasian Navy. The nation of my people was pressed into the Galactic Union and the Jurians took over the government.
"I am very sure that the crews of those ship are going to listen to me, if I ask them to stand down."
Takeshi raised an eyebrow.
"And why should they?" he wondered.
"Because," she answered after a moment and breathing in." I am a member of the Salasian Royal Family."
'Great', Takeshi thought,' More complications...'
"I guess it can't hurt," he said after a moment before they began to talk about an assault plan.
--
"Frack!"
Mick ran, clutching the scrolls to his chest and he rounded a corner. Gunshots rang out behind him and he closed his eyes for a moment.
A scream of pain and panic, followed by the metallic footsteps of Centurions and a loud wail. More gunshots.
Mick swallowed and ducked himself closer at the wall.
He hadn't survived this far for nothing, he said to himself. The Cylons couldn't get their hands on the scrolls.
"Oh frack," he cursed again as he saw that the narrow street in the old parts of Athenes was blocked by a rather sturdy looking metal door.
He breathed in deep, looking around in a growing panic, trying to find a way out of the street, away from the Cylons.
"You cannot run," a sultry voice called out behind him." We're going to find you everywhere, Mick."
"Frack!" he cursed out again, louder this time.
The whoosing and whining sound of Cylon Raiders passed overhead, as if the Cylons wanted to hammer in the fact that he couldn't get away.
He breathed in deep, trying to calm himself down as he slowly looked over his shoulder.
She was standing there. The blond devil of a Cylon, smirking at him with a pair of Centurions standing behind her.
"What is so important about a pair of scrolls that you throw away our life for them?" she wondered and stepped closer.
Mick took a step back, against the door, cursing the fact that it was sheet metal and not a chain link fence. That he might have been able to climb and maybe get away.
"You won't get them." he said and swallowed, backed up against the wall.
No, they couldn't get the scrolls. They contained the wisdom of the Oracle of Athenes. If the Cylons got their hands on them the Oracles precognitions would mean that they could find Kobol and the Thirteenth colony. That they could find a way to...
His thoughts came to an abrupt stop and the Cylon was in front of him before he could even blink, grinning at this face as her hands gripped the scrolls.
"I got them already."
He swallowed again, bringing up his hand.
"No," he said and swallowed, pulling the pin of the grenade in it with his thumb before releasing the rail.
She blinked for a few moments and jumped back, his grip on the scrolls being harder so that they slipped from her hands.
A moment later the grenade detonated, ripping apart Mike and the scrolls.
Six winced as she came back up from behind a dumpster.
"Frack," she said and grit her teeth as a piece of paper from the scroll sailed down onto the dumpster in front of her.
She closed her eyes for a moment and than grabbed the piece of paper, looking down on it.
"...will come, his wrath turning the Children of Men back onto the right path to guide them both to true strength. The..."
Six frowned at the fragment and shook her head.
"God already has turned us to onto the right path," she said and glanced back over to the corpse of the man she had wasted a week to follow.
"What a waste," she noted and shook her head, throwing the paper fragment over her shoulder.