Babylon 5 SI (37)

Holding the line at Proxima

(halting the unstoppable force.)

"Flinn and Beta Durani have been overwhelmed, the remnants of their defence fleets are rendezvousing here along with elements of the 7th and 5th fleets from Sol." The report was brief, but so many were these days. "they are half a day away at best after Colonel Black's rear-guard action delayed the Flinn assault fleet they won't be here for two days."

"And the Minbari fleet from Beta Durani?"

"According to the new scanners they did an about-face and are a day away from here at their maximum speed ma'am."

"it's Sir Lieutenant."

"Sorry, Admiral" he saluted.

"It seems they have gotten a hold of our Navigational transponder frequencies" she flipped through several pages of the pad she had been given. "let's just hope the failsafe's held out."

"Failsafe's ma'am?"

"classified Lieutenant." she said, never taking her eyes from the device in her hand. "has admiral Cunningham contacted us yet?"

"no Ma'am he has not."

"I'm heading to my ready room contact me if the Bone Heads make any change in their course." She stood and made her way to the secondary door hidden behind the ships iconographic Seal wall at the rear of the command and control centre.

The room was not overly large but had a desk and comfortable chair along with a small two-person sofa and a single lower seat for a person to sit opposite her desk. She sat behind the counter and made herself comfortable for a moment.

She pressed a small button, and the hidden computer console opened, she entered her command code, and the screen jumped to life.

The computer was a hidden tool that only commanders knew about classified communication and record keeper for the commander's log, and the device could also connect to the galactic information network that Earth Force Naval Intelligence had set up for diplomats and intelligence agents.

"connect to Admiral Cunningham" she ordered the machine as she continued to filter through the information in her pad. The computer beeped several times in rapid succession, and the room sealed itself from the rest of the ship.

"Cunningham here Admiral Santos."

"you were right old friend there heading here now."

"Are you sure they could have just detected a fleet build-up and not know the purpose yet."

"no, their standard MO is not to leave survivors as soon as Tobi retreated, they should have followed him into the jaws of our trap not turned around and headed straight here."

"do we know how they managed to crack our navigational computers then?" he asked

"no, but from the look of their fleets I believe that the failsafe's have indeed held, their computers should have changed the coding for Earth to Alpha here."

"how many are we expecting to come knocking?" he asked

"from the looks of the tactical arrays not including the fleet that's a few days away were looking at around 25 heavy units and there escorts so around 500 not including fighters."

"so, we will be about even"

"yes, but they know that they cannot enter our range anymore with out being destroyed so this will be a long-range slugging match that we cannot win."

"we have to find away to get them to come into our range."