Commonscape
By: Griffin
Copyright notice: All characters belong to their respective owners, all
original characters and plot elements belong to me.
Note: Most of the Andromeda crew is current as far as about 2 weeks ago. Farscape crew is a bit older.
Summary: D'Argo arrives with a Luxon battle group just in time to fend off a massive Peacekeeper attack.
Alliance Forged In Blood
Ka D'argo sat in the pilot's chair of his Luxon fighter and smiled slightly to himself as his ship emerged from the nebula surrounding Z-21302.
He made a direct line for the appointed meeting place: Orbital Three.
As he approached, he spotted Moya and Talyn sitting in two of the docking slips with scorch marks as if they had been attacked. As he got closer, he spotted another ship. The vessel was of an unfamiliar design and about the size of a Peacekeeper cruiser.
As he neared the orbital, he contacted the command center and received authorization to dock.
As he disembarked from Lola, D'Argo was met by Chiana, the gray Nebari giving the Luxon a hug as he stepped from the docking tube.
"Hey there big guy," she said as she released him from her grasp. "How was the trip?"
"It was good to see my home world again," D'Argo admitted. "I was able to contact many of my family and tell them how I was doing."
"That's great!" Chiana said with a grin.
"Where are John and Aeryn?" D'Argo asked as he looked around.
"Well, that's a long story, I'll tell you on the way."
* * * * * *
D'Argo stepped aboard the Andromeda Ascendant with a weary expression. The ship's interior was immaculate, much like the interior of a Peacekeeper vessel, even if the design style was a bit different.
The crew of the ship was varied, though a vast majority of them looked distinctly Sebatian. He had been greeted by an attractive darker female and a pair of soldiers that were currently escorting him to the conference room where John, Aeryn and the ship's captain were talking.
As they arrived, the captain rose.
"Welcome, I'm Captain Dylan Hunt, Commanding Officer of the Andromeda Ascendant and officer of the Restored Commonwealth," the man said as he took D'Argo's hand in a firm handshake.
"You have quite the handshake for a Sebatian," D'Argo said as he looked around the room.
"I'm not a Sebatian," Hunt announced. "As I've just finished telling John, I'm a human that is from a heavy-gravity home world."
D'Argo looked over and realized that John looked shell-shocked.
* * * * * *
"He's been in there for almost seven arns," Aeryn whispered to D'Argo as the pair sat outside the small room aboard the Andromeda. Inside John was reviewing what had happened to his world and his people.
He had been rather unhappy about it and hadn't come out to eat or even speak to anyone else.
"Can you blame him?" D'Argo asked. "Everything he knew is gone and there is no way for him to get it back."
"I understand that, but this is irrational," Aeryn argued. "If he."
Aeryn was cut short as the door slid open and John stepped through it, his face tight: a mask of his inner feelings. He had nothing now but those around him, and he was just going to have to live with that.
"I see only one option," John said simply. "We embrace this Captain Hunt and his Commonwealth. This ship is more than sufficient to provide us with a home. And if this 'Commonwealth' is as extensive as these people boast, they could prove to be useful allies."
"We would have to talk to Crais first," Aeryn announced, as if no one else knew.
"Of course," John said as he started toward the docking hatch and Talyn. * * * * * *
"There's no doubt, Boss," Seamus Harper said with a grin. "They are, while on a very primitive level and extremely unstable, slip-drives. And if what these people are telling me is correct, it would fit."
"How is that?" Dylan asked the overzealous Harper.
"Well, they tell me that only these 'Leviathan' transports have this 'Starburst' ability. The thing is, these ships are bio-mechanoid. They are living creatures. That go right with what we know about slip-technology and the inability of mechanoids to pilot through the 'stream. And from what I can gather they are usually only in this starburst for a matter of moments before they drop right back out, which means that they probably don't have the exotic matter lens capacity that we have to maintain our slipstream travel."
Dylan nodded and looked over the flexi that Harper had been holding.
"This is indeed interesting," he noted with a slight nod. * * * * * *
"We know nothing of these people or of their intentions!" Crais argued on the bridge of Talyn. "For all we know, they are lying to you so they can collect the bounty on us with the Peacekeepers."
"Crais, there is one thing that no one could just appear and know. There is no way that they could know all about Earth and its many odd historical facts unless they were from Earth at one point. So I think we should join this 'Dylan Hunt' and try to help him in this sector."
"I agree. And if this Restored Commonwealth is anything as big as that man is saying then we could get the Luxon Empire and the Independent Planets on board and reach some sort of peace with the peacekeepers," D'Argo said in agreement with John.
"Very well, but if this goes wrong then I will not be held responsible for it!" Crais said in surrender."
"Fine then, let's get down to his ship and start negotiating."
Alarms sounded suddenly and all eyes went to the front view screen as Talyn brought up the reason for the alert.
At the very edge of the Gas Field a Peacekeeper Task Force had made penetration.
As more and more ships passed into clear space the four realized they were in trouble.
"Let's go!" John said as he, Aeryn and D'Argo ran to their ship. "Pilot, transmit all of the data you have on PK ships to the Andromeda Ascendant. They need to know everything about the capabilities of those ships that we do."
"Sir, Crichton and his comrades are launching in their fighter craft and Talyn is separating from the drift," the sensor officer announced.
"Sir, transmission from Moya has been received. The download includes files on the incoming vessels and their capabilities."
"Good. Launch slip-fighter wings one through four and go to battle stations," Dylan ordered as he quickly read the different classes of ships that he would be fighting.
"Sir, the system fleet is moving to merge and the commander has requested our assistance in this battle."
"Tell them we're going to give them all the help we can," Dylan ordered.
"Sir, I'm reading multiple separations. They're launching fighter craft!"
"Tell the slip-fighters to stay in close until the real fight begins." * * * * * *
"John, I'm going to try to sneak into the clouds and attack them from the rear," D'Argo said as he angled his ship toward the gas cloud.
"Alright, go," John told him as he turned toward the incoming Prowlers. "Aeryn, you and I will form up with the lead wing of fighters from the Andromeda. Let's just hope they recognize us as their friends." * * * * * *
"Admiral Vron, the system fleet has merged and is moving for a heavy engagement. The battle cruiser that just separated from the Orbital has launched four wings of unknown fighters and is moving into position for combat."
"Good, more prey."
"Sir, we're having a hard time getting a lock on that battle cruiser with our frag cannons. They seem to be jamming our sensors somehow."
"Then get some marauders in there to tell us where that ship is at!" Admiral Tajal Vron yelled at his command deck.
His command carrier was the flagship of Task Force Aurona, the Task Force assigned by High Command to take system Z-21302 for the Peacekeepers. He had under his command: three battle cruisers, six heavy cruisers, eleven light cruisers, twenty destroyers and all of the Prowlers and Marauders that went with them.
It was a prestigious post and he grinned as he imagined the promotion that he would get for finally stamping out this pocket of resistance.
* * * * * *
"Ma'am, that battle cruiser that entered the system a little while ago is moving toward the PK fleet and has launched four fighter wings. What are your orders?"
"Contact them and tell them that we are going to enter formation with them. I want our prowlers to keep flanking positions on their destroyers. Have the Marauders take out the peacekeeper prowlers." Admiral Silara Kien ordered.
The system fleet had the peacekeepers outnumbered but only slightly. The battle cruiser calling herself the 'Andromeda Ascendant' that the fighters she had launched, would as some impressive firepower to the system picket.
* * * * * *
Aeryn pulled her prowler back around onto the tail of the PK Marauder. She squeezed the trigger on her flight stick and a spray of pulse beams tore into the armored hide of the enemy ship.
The Marauder tried to bank away from Aeryn, but Prowlers were more maneuverable and Aeryn released another spray of pulse fire.
This time there was little armor to protect the Marauder and the fighter craft exploded brilliantly.
Aeryn grinned as she turned toward another target, chasing down one of the lead PK Prowlers.
* * * * * *
"The Shining Starburst just took a direct hit to her command deck. Her executive officer has taken command from the auxiliary command post," Lieutenant Grens reported from the communications section of the system picket's flagship the Illusion of Darkness.
That was the fifth heavy cruiser to take heavy damage. Three had lost engine power, one had lost her power core and had to be abandoned and now this.
Two of her heavy cruisers had been completely destroyed, as had five of her light cruisers and nine of her destroyers.
But she was inflicting damage too. The PK command carrier had taken some heavy damage, one of the battle cruisers had been completely destroyed, and another had taken damage to her weapons deck. Two of the heavy cruisers had been destroyed as had three of the light cruisers and eight of the destroyers.
But overall, even with the fire the Andromeda was adding, the damage to the picket was heavier than that dealt to the attackers.
"Prepare the fleet to withdraw to the forts! We're taking too much damage!"
* * * * * *
It had been a little over an hour since the battle had been joined and the Andromeda was taking a beating.
Over two dozen of the 'frag' shells had hit the hull and the repair bots were going to take forever to fix the damage.
A quarter of the fighters had either been destroyed or damaged beyond fighting capability.
And for all of that the missiles Andromeda was launching were finding fighters or Marauders as their primary target.
Dylan swore as he noted the change in posture of the picket.
"They're going to pull out," he growled and Tyr nodded.
"Indeed. They agree that survival in this fight is impossible."
"Rommie, I want those missiles targeted at the enemy capitol ships. It's time to end this."
"Affirmative, targeting missiles at enemy capitol ships and commencing with full barrage." Rommie paused. "Dylan, I'm detecting a large task force emerging from the stellar cloud. They appear to be lead by the vessel that D'Argo was piloting."
"Signal from incoming vessels," Tyr announced. "It's A Luxon battle group."
* * * * * *
Admiral Tajal Vron looked at his sensors in disbelief. The Luxon battle group was almost right on top of him. There was no way that he was going to escape and it would be nearly impossible for him to defeat both the Luxons and the picket. Especially when the large battle cruiser had started targeting his capitol ships with those deadly projectiles.
"Order all ships to scatter," Admiral Tajal Vron said as he panicked. He was dead and he knew it. "Helm, take us in to the heart of the picket. Engineering, prepare to overload the power core. We'll make them remember us."
* * * * * *
"D'Argo, boy am I glad to see you," John said as D'Argo formed up with John and Aeryn.
"John, that Command Carrier is turning toward the heart of the fleet and I am detecting an increase in their core power levels."
"They're going to create a makeshift depth charge!" John yelled as he scrambled to activate his comms.
"This is John Crichton. All ships target that Command Carrier. It is going to destroy the system fleet!" * * * * * *
Dylan watched as the Command Carrier sliced through the frigates and destroyers of the system fleet toward its heart.
The ship shuddered as missile after missile slammed into its armor and frag rounds exploded in proximity to its engines.
But the command ship continued on its path and then, in the blink of an eye, the ship disappeared in a brilliant flash and was replaced by an expanding ball of plasma fury.
Rommie's hologram flinched as ship after ship was swallowed by the plasma.
The shockwave from the explosion rocked the Andromeda and then it was all over.
The plasma dissipated and the survivors quickly began scanning the wreckage.
* * * * * *
"We lost twelve ships and over twenty thousand crew members in that fight," the Acting Commander of the Z-21302 system fleet announced in a closed meeting with Dylan Hunt, John Crichton, D'Argo and the Luxon Battlegroup Command Li'Taran.
"We also lost many of our warriors," General Li'Taran, added.
"Then this alliance only makes more sense," Dylan said as he pressed a key.
A holo-gram appeared above the table.
"This is a depiction of where we are in relation to where I am from. It is in another galaxy altogether and even with the best of our pilots will take nearly three weeks to cross. If we were to form an alliance, we would be able to bring warships from the Commonwealth and establish a fleet base on this side. That would allow us to begin building warships that your fleets could use to strike at the Peacekeepers."
"But what do you get out of the deal?" Admiral Grenat asked.
"We get crews for our warships, bases to refuel and allies against our enemies should they try to attack us."
"The Luxon Empire sent me here to secure alliances," Li'Taran said simply. "I will send a courier ship to my homeworld to confirm this, but the High Council will not question my choice. Captain Hunt, you have yourself an ally."
"Good," Dylan said as he shook the Luxon's hand. "And the Alleghany?"
"I will take it before our Council," the admiral said simply as he shook his head and left.
Note: Most of the Andromeda crew is current as far as about 2 weeks ago. Farscape crew is a bit older.
Summary: D'Argo arrives with a Luxon battle group just in time to fend off a massive Peacekeeper attack.
Alliance Forged In Blood
Ka D'argo sat in the pilot's chair of his Luxon fighter and smiled slightly to himself as his ship emerged from the nebula surrounding Z-21302.
He made a direct line for the appointed meeting place: Orbital Three.
As he approached, he spotted Moya and Talyn sitting in two of the docking slips with scorch marks as if they had been attacked. As he got closer, he spotted another ship. The vessel was of an unfamiliar design and about the size of a Peacekeeper cruiser.
As he neared the orbital, he contacted the command center and received authorization to dock.
As he disembarked from Lola, D'Argo was met by Chiana, the gray Nebari giving the Luxon a hug as he stepped from the docking tube.
"Hey there big guy," she said as she released him from her grasp. "How was the trip?"
"It was good to see my home world again," D'Argo admitted. "I was able to contact many of my family and tell them how I was doing."
"That's great!" Chiana said with a grin.
"Where are John and Aeryn?" D'Argo asked as he looked around.
"Well, that's a long story, I'll tell you on the way."
* * * * * *
D'Argo stepped aboard the Andromeda Ascendant with a weary expression. The ship's interior was immaculate, much like the interior of a Peacekeeper vessel, even if the design style was a bit different.
The crew of the ship was varied, though a vast majority of them looked distinctly Sebatian. He had been greeted by an attractive darker female and a pair of soldiers that were currently escorting him to the conference room where John, Aeryn and the ship's captain were talking.
As they arrived, the captain rose.
"Welcome, I'm Captain Dylan Hunt, Commanding Officer of the Andromeda Ascendant and officer of the Restored Commonwealth," the man said as he took D'Argo's hand in a firm handshake.
"You have quite the handshake for a Sebatian," D'Argo said as he looked around the room.
"I'm not a Sebatian," Hunt announced. "As I've just finished telling John, I'm a human that is from a heavy-gravity home world."
D'Argo looked over and realized that John looked shell-shocked.
* * * * * *
"He's been in there for almost seven arns," Aeryn whispered to D'Argo as the pair sat outside the small room aboard the Andromeda. Inside John was reviewing what had happened to his world and his people.
He had been rather unhappy about it and hadn't come out to eat or even speak to anyone else.
"Can you blame him?" D'Argo asked. "Everything he knew is gone and there is no way for him to get it back."
"I understand that, but this is irrational," Aeryn argued. "If he."
Aeryn was cut short as the door slid open and John stepped through it, his face tight: a mask of his inner feelings. He had nothing now but those around him, and he was just going to have to live with that.
"I see only one option," John said simply. "We embrace this Captain Hunt and his Commonwealth. This ship is more than sufficient to provide us with a home. And if this 'Commonwealth' is as extensive as these people boast, they could prove to be useful allies."
"We would have to talk to Crais first," Aeryn announced, as if no one else knew.
"Of course," John said as he started toward the docking hatch and Talyn. * * * * * *
"There's no doubt, Boss," Seamus Harper said with a grin. "They are, while on a very primitive level and extremely unstable, slip-drives. And if what these people are telling me is correct, it would fit."
"How is that?" Dylan asked the overzealous Harper.
"Well, they tell me that only these 'Leviathan' transports have this 'Starburst' ability. The thing is, these ships are bio-mechanoid. They are living creatures. That go right with what we know about slip-technology and the inability of mechanoids to pilot through the 'stream. And from what I can gather they are usually only in this starburst for a matter of moments before they drop right back out, which means that they probably don't have the exotic matter lens capacity that we have to maintain our slipstream travel."
Dylan nodded and looked over the flexi that Harper had been holding.
"This is indeed interesting," he noted with a slight nod. * * * * * *
"We know nothing of these people or of their intentions!" Crais argued on the bridge of Talyn. "For all we know, they are lying to you so they can collect the bounty on us with the Peacekeepers."
"Crais, there is one thing that no one could just appear and know. There is no way that they could know all about Earth and its many odd historical facts unless they were from Earth at one point. So I think we should join this 'Dylan Hunt' and try to help him in this sector."
"I agree. And if this Restored Commonwealth is anything as big as that man is saying then we could get the Luxon Empire and the Independent Planets on board and reach some sort of peace with the peacekeepers," D'Argo said in agreement with John.
"Very well, but if this goes wrong then I will not be held responsible for it!" Crais said in surrender."
"Fine then, let's get down to his ship and start negotiating."
Alarms sounded suddenly and all eyes went to the front view screen as Talyn brought up the reason for the alert.
At the very edge of the Gas Field a Peacekeeper Task Force had made penetration.
As more and more ships passed into clear space the four realized they were in trouble.
"Let's go!" John said as he, Aeryn and D'Argo ran to their ship. "Pilot, transmit all of the data you have on PK ships to the Andromeda Ascendant. They need to know everything about the capabilities of those ships that we do."
"Sir, Crichton and his comrades are launching in their fighter craft and Talyn is separating from the drift," the sensor officer announced.
"Sir, transmission from Moya has been received. The download includes files on the incoming vessels and their capabilities."
"Good. Launch slip-fighter wings one through four and go to battle stations," Dylan ordered as he quickly read the different classes of ships that he would be fighting.
"Sir, the system fleet is moving to merge and the commander has requested our assistance in this battle."
"Tell them we're going to give them all the help we can," Dylan ordered.
"Sir, I'm reading multiple separations. They're launching fighter craft!"
"Tell the slip-fighters to stay in close until the real fight begins." * * * * * *
"John, I'm going to try to sneak into the clouds and attack them from the rear," D'Argo said as he angled his ship toward the gas cloud.
"Alright, go," John told him as he turned toward the incoming Prowlers. "Aeryn, you and I will form up with the lead wing of fighters from the Andromeda. Let's just hope they recognize us as their friends." * * * * * *
"Admiral Vron, the system fleet has merged and is moving for a heavy engagement. The battle cruiser that just separated from the Orbital has launched four wings of unknown fighters and is moving into position for combat."
"Good, more prey."
"Sir, we're having a hard time getting a lock on that battle cruiser with our frag cannons. They seem to be jamming our sensors somehow."
"Then get some marauders in there to tell us where that ship is at!" Admiral Tajal Vron yelled at his command deck.
His command carrier was the flagship of Task Force Aurona, the Task Force assigned by High Command to take system Z-21302 for the Peacekeepers. He had under his command: three battle cruisers, six heavy cruisers, eleven light cruisers, twenty destroyers and all of the Prowlers and Marauders that went with them.
It was a prestigious post and he grinned as he imagined the promotion that he would get for finally stamping out this pocket of resistance.
* * * * * *
"Ma'am, that battle cruiser that entered the system a little while ago is moving toward the PK fleet and has launched four fighter wings. What are your orders?"
"Contact them and tell them that we are going to enter formation with them. I want our prowlers to keep flanking positions on their destroyers. Have the Marauders take out the peacekeeper prowlers." Admiral Silara Kien ordered.
The system fleet had the peacekeepers outnumbered but only slightly. The battle cruiser calling herself the 'Andromeda Ascendant' that the fighters she had launched, would as some impressive firepower to the system picket.
* * * * * *
Aeryn pulled her prowler back around onto the tail of the PK Marauder. She squeezed the trigger on her flight stick and a spray of pulse beams tore into the armored hide of the enemy ship.
The Marauder tried to bank away from Aeryn, but Prowlers were more maneuverable and Aeryn released another spray of pulse fire.
This time there was little armor to protect the Marauder and the fighter craft exploded brilliantly.
Aeryn grinned as she turned toward another target, chasing down one of the lead PK Prowlers.
* * * * * *
"The Shining Starburst just took a direct hit to her command deck. Her executive officer has taken command from the auxiliary command post," Lieutenant Grens reported from the communications section of the system picket's flagship the Illusion of Darkness.
That was the fifth heavy cruiser to take heavy damage. Three had lost engine power, one had lost her power core and had to be abandoned and now this.
Two of her heavy cruisers had been completely destroyed, as had five of her light cruisers and nine of her destroyers.
But she was inflicting damage too. The PK command carrier had taken some heavy damage, one of the battle cruisers had been completely destroyed, and another had taken damage to her weapons deck. Two of the heavy cruisers had been destroyed as had three of the light cruisers and eight of the destroyers.
But overall, even with the fire the Andromeda was adding, the damage to the picket was heavier than that dealt to the attackers.
"Prepare the fleet to withdraw to the forts! We're taking too much damage!"
* * * * * *
It had been a little over an hour since the battle had been joined and the Andromeda was taking a beating.
Over two dozen of the 'frag' shells had hit the hull and the repair bots were going to take forever to fix the damage.
A quarter of the fighters had either been destroyed or damaged beyond fighting capability.
And for all of that the missiles Andromeda was launching were finding fighters or Marauders as their primary target.
Dylan swore as he noted the change in posture of the picket.
"They're going to pull out," he growled and Tyr nodded.
"Indeed. They agree that survival in this fight is impossible."
"Rommie, I want those missiles targeted at the enemy capitol ships. It's time to end this."
"Affirmative, targeting missiles at enemy capitol ships and commencing with full barrage." Rommie paused. "Dylan, I'm detecting a large task force emerging from the stellar cloud. They appear to be lead by the vessel that D'Argo was piloting."
"Signal from incoming vessels," Tyr announced. "It's A Luxon battle group."
* * * * * *
Admiral Tajal Vron looked at his sensors in disbelief. The Luxon battle group was almost right on top of him. There was no way that he was going to escape and it would be nearly impossible for him to defeat both the Luxons and the picket. Especially when the large battle cruiser had started targeting his capitol ships with those deadly projectiles.
"Order all ships to scatter," Admiral Tajal Vron said as he panicked. He was dead and he knew it. "Helm, take us in to the heart of the picket. Engineering, prepare to overload the power core. We'll make them remember us."
* * * * * *
"D'Argo, boy am I glad to see you," John said as D'Argo formed up with John and Aeryn.
"John, that Command Carrier is turning toward the heart of the fleet and I am detecting an increase in their core power levels."
"They're going to create a makeshift depth charge!" John yelled as he scrambled to activate his comms.
"This is John Crichton. All ships target that Command Carrier. It is going to destroy the system fleet!" * * * * * *
Dylan watched as the Command Carrier sliced through the frigates and destroyers of the system fleet toward its heart.
The ship shuddered as missile after missile slammed into its armor and frag rounds exploded in proximity to its engines.
But the command ship continued on its path and then, in the blink of an eye, the ship disappeared in a brilliant flash and was replaced by an expanding ball of plasma fury.
Rommie's hologram flinched as ship after ship was swallowed by the plasma.
The shockwave from the explosion rocked the Andromeda and then it was all over.
The plasma dissipated and the survivors quickly began scanning the wreckage.
* * * * * *
"We lost twelve ships and over twenty thousand crew members in that fight," the Acting Commander of the Z-21302 system fleet announced in a closed meeting with Dylan Hunt, John Crichton, D'Argo and the Luxon Battlegroup Command Li'Taran.
"We also lost many of our warriors," General Li'Taran, added.
"Then this alliance only makes more sense," Dylan said as he pressed a key.
A holo-gram appeared above the table.
"This is a depiction of where we are in relation to where I am from. It is in another galaxy altogether and even with the best of our pilots will take nearly three weeks to cross. If we were to form an alliance, we would be able to bring warships from the Commonwealth and establish a fleet base on this side. That would allow us to begin building warships that your fleets could use to strike at the Peacekeepers."
"But what do you get out of the deal?" Admiral Grenat asked.
"We get crews for our warships, bases to refuel and allies against our enemies should they try to attack us."
"The Luxon Empire sent me here to secure alliances," Li'Taran said simply. "I will send a courier ship to my homeworld to confirm this, but the High Council will not question my choice. Captain Hunt, you have yourself an ally."
"Good," Dylan said as he shook the Luxon's hand. "And the Alleghany?"
"I will take it before our Council," the admiral said simply as he shook his head and left.
