Chapter 26: The Long Dark
At last the time had come. As Kalain stood on the bridge of the Valen'tha and stared out into hyperspace, the Alyt of the ship stood next to him.
"It is time Master," he said, "We have reached the jump coordinates of Epsilon Eridani."
The time had come. He could feel it in his very bones. A future was to be born of the pain wrought here. Sixty ships, all ready to end the cycle of pain and suffering. He knew humanity would fight to the death. There was glory and honor to be gained here.
"And thus we ride into the battle," he quoted the words that Valen spoke as he launched his assault on Z'ha'dum so many years ago, "We bring fire to those who would see us dead. We turn this charade of warfare into the bright hope of life. Let it end. Let it end now."
He took a deep breath, a smile breaking across his face. "Holy One Kalain to Fleet. Jump into normal space."
It was near midnight, Epsilon Standard Time. Only the Agility, one of the Human Remnant's two Olympus-Class Carrier Gunboats patrolled the system, despite the heightened state of alert. Humanity's allies, the Shadows, had warned them to be ready.
Captain Trevor Hall was a hard-bitten man. He had been there at the Battle of Mars. He had lost his first ship, the Nova Dreadnaught Heracles and most of his crew to a Minbari cruiser. His hatred for them burned fierce and brightly. He sat strapped to his command chair, and he could feel the watchful eyes of his first officer, Commander Sandra Levitt on him. She was a good woman and a fine officer. But, she worried far too much.
"Jump points opening sir," she called from her console.
"How many?" he asked.
"A butt load of them," she said, and he smiled grimly.
"Alert the rest of the fleet," he ordered, "All hands to battle stations. Full power to weapons."
Kalain did not believe in strategy. If he was going to attack, he would attack. None of this dancing around, maneuvering into the right position. He had come out near the first two planets of the system and as such he was going to hit the ship and two stations floating like round barrels with panels in space.
"Scramble all fliers and attack the first of the space stations," he ordered, "After that, proceed to the second station."
Lochley could honestly say she didn't much care to see this situation again. But there was no way she was going to let them run roughshod over her station. No, she'd blow the ship sky high. David had decided to assist her pilots in the starfuries, leading Sheep's Head Squadron, since their squadron leader was down with a nasty strain of flu.
"Defense Grid activated," her XO called out from his station.
"Are they within firing range?" she asked, running her eyes over her station's console near the viewport.
"Fifty seconds," one of the crew in the lower bridge called out.
"Who wants to live forever anyways?" she asked with a scoff.
The Agility reversed engines, firing load after load of missiles at the incoming Minbari fleet. They were not firing back though, and that concerned him. D-n Minbari were probably waiting to be real close and then fire. The starfury squadrons assigned to the Agility fought in dogfights with the Minbari fighters. Human fighters were better at turning, considering their X and Y axis thrusters. That gave them their only real chance of fighting the superior Minbari fighters.
"Where's the Bel'reen?" Hall demanded, "I need her firepower?"
"Captain Maynard reports his engines have shorted out," the communications officer reported, "He says it's going to take him twenty minutes to get them back up and running."
Hall clenched his fists. That's why he hated Olympus gunboats. The engines had a bad tendency of shorting out.
"Continue to reverse until we get within a thousand kilometers to Babylon 2," he ordered, "She's the closer of the two. Any word on the arrival of any of the other ships?"
"Captain Morgernstren says the Lexington should be here in seven minutes," came the report.
"If we live that long."
The fate of humanity was in the balance. As the Minbari fleet reached optimum firing range of Babylon 2, the eight available cruisers of humanity rushed to the fight. But, they stood no chance against the sixty ships bearing down on them. Even the firepower of the five Babylon station, of which only four had crews and those remaining could not be brought to bear on the enemy fleet in a combined front, could not hope to do more than damage a few ships.
But, in hyperspace, six Shadow ships waited. They had only to wait the signal.
The Agility was dead in space. All ammunition had been fired, and the engines had shorted out. The price to be paid for being the military to a people that were strapped for cash. One Minbari cruiser was venting atmosphere though, and Captain Hall could get some small pleasure that he had at least damaged one ship which now limped back to the exit point. But, he was forced to sit and watch as the Minbari fleet passed him by.
He had no idea that Kalain wanted to play with this particular mouse cruelly. Let them watch their refuge burn, then destroy them. Perhaps he would even let them go, the knowledge of their failure to protect their people revenge enough.
But now, they were in firing range of Babylon 2. This one would not escape.
"All ships fire," Kalain ordered.
Babylon 2 stood no chance. It's pulse cannons were blazing away, and indeed it scored a hit, ravaging the front of the lead cruiser. But, the remaining fifty eight guns tore through it. Captain Sandra Hiroshi didn't even have time to order the crew to abandon ship before it was destroyed.
Kalain threw his head up and laughed. Victory and blood. What could be more sweeter to the senses?
"Master?" the Alyt said by him.
"What is it?" Kalain asked and the man pointed. And Kalain looked. And he cursed Valen for not finishing the job a thousand years ago.
Six Shadow ships wrinkled into normal space. They flanked the Hyperion-class Lexington and the Omega-Class Nemesis which were the first Human ships into the fray to help their beleaguered comrades. And between the eight of them the speared through the Minbari fleet, ship after ship erupting in a fiery glory. The Minbari fleet tried to turn on them.
Only to be attacked by the Charon and Apollo Nova Dreadnaught group. Ships turned to face them. Only to be hit by the Hyperion-Class destroyers Aggressor, Arrestor and Candasserri. They were also in range of Babylon 1's pulse cannons. Within a few seconds, the battle had turned from a one-sided affair, to a full out brawl and the tide was swiftly turning against the Minbari.
Kalain watched victory slipping from his grasp. He had only one choice to turn this battle around. There was nothing to be done otherwise. Fifteen of his ships had already been destroyed, not counting the two hit by the humans that had managed to jump into hyperspace.
"All ships," Kalain ordered, looking around with calmness born of tranquility in battle, "Move out towards the third planet. Rally there and turn to face the attacking fleet. Full engines."
Even as his ship speed forward, outracing the human ships, the Shadows still followed. And they brought death. Three ships were destroyed before they even made it a hundred kilometers. This was definitely looking bad.
"Here they come," Colonel Ari Ben Zayne said, looking very clear eyed and focused.
Takashima was more than a little surprised by that. After all the disregard he had shown over the past few months, to see him so engaged and committed was a change. It also assuaged her keeper.
Let him live then, it whispered into her mind, He may yet serve our purposes.
"I want all fighters to stay behind the station," he ordered, resting his hand on the control console, "Let them get within firing solution. Then, as soon as we fire, I want the starfuries to swing around both sides of the station and slide across the enemies flanks using their thrusters. Firing continuously and do as much damage as possible."
"Yes sir," she said, and relayed the instructions to the fighters.
Sirens blared throughout the city, and Sheridan stood on the room of their apartment. Anna sat beside him in a lounge chair, and they looked up at the small flashes of light that could be seen from exploding ships. And she looked extremely pale. She hadn't felt good the last couple of days in the mornings. But, she still was out here with him, and they held hands.
They could hear panic in the streets. People were afraid of dying. And why not? This could be the final stand of humanity. John had an open channel to the fleet, and Babylon 2 was already destroyed, and despite the turning tide, his old Lexington had been badly damaged, Charon was out of commission and so was the Arrestor and the Bel'reen and Agility. It was an ugly battle.
How he hated being down here! The blood lust called to him, as it did to all warriors. The fury of battle invigorated him. How he wanted to be up there. But...he had no ship. How he wished David was here. He had no idea where he had gone off too. He wouldn't have minded even that new guy...Garibaldi. He seemed a descent enough fellow. Or even Lennier. But no... Lennier was in the apartment, praying after a fashion. Praying for all those that were dying of his people.
"Anna?" he asked.
"Yes, John?" she asked.
"I love you," he said, "But...I want to be up there. Humanity's fate is being decided."
"But we have good allies now," Anna said, standing up and pushing the lounge chair closer to him, and laying back down wrapped her arms around him, "And it's all thanks to you. You have become the savior of our people."
Maybe...he thought to himself. Anna did not see the doubt in his eyes. He had been able to think more of the issue, and he was beginning to fear he had made a pact with the devil.
"Weapons are overheating!" Takashima called out from her console, "We need to let the system's cool or we risk losing the defense grid."
"How long do you need?" Ben Zayne asked, moving to beside her console and looking down, "No, we can't. It would take five minutes for us too cool down. We don't have that time."
"But sir..." she protested.
"If we cool it down we're all dead!" he barked, "Keep the system firing."
Kalain watched as the Human heavy destroyer plowed through the Talkara and he knew the battle was lost. There was no way for them to salvage the situation. Only twenty ships still remained in operation and the Shadows and humans were converging on his ship. They were destroying his ships one by one, and he knew this ship was lost.
"All hands abandon ship," he ordered and there was a slow but growing rush to the escape pods, "Aim this ship for Epsilon 3 and give me ramming speed. We're going to take out their capitol. Keep firing the lasers. Clear a path."
"Coming Master?" the Alyt asked and Kalain watched the ship turn and begin to run the gauntlet.
"Yes," he bowed his head, "I have no wish to die today. Besides, I am the leader of the Federation. Where would the Minbari be without me?"
Taking one last glance at the fighters they were plowing through, he turned and walked from the ship. The ship was a relic of a time he had broken. It had no place in the future he would create.
Thirty minutes later, the last of the Minbari ships were gone. They had tried to stop the dive bombing Minbari cruiser but were unsuccessful. It crashed into a district of New Geneva that was lightly populated. But, as Delenn of Mir looked out, she recognized the ship. Some of it was still intact. She looked over at Sinclair and the human woman who were sleeping. Not togtehr but the human woman didn't trust Delenn and made sure she was near her, even if sleeping.
So much blood. And for what?
-The time has come.-
Her eyes widened. She had heard that voice before. On the Valen'tha when Earth had fallen. When she had discovered who Valen was in the flesh.
"Time for what?" she asked softly.
-For the pebble to return to the beginning.-
She knew what that meant. Throwing a cloak over her and letting the hood fall, she left the apartment and began the long trip towards the burning remains of the Valen'tha.