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 months ago. Farscape crew is quite a bit older.

Summary: The Alliance looks to increase their holdings in the battle with the Peacekeepers, while the Scarrens begin their war.

Raising Waters.

Dylan paced on the Command Deck of the Andromeda.

It had only been a month since the Alliance had captured, and the Andromeda was still in the slip. Complications with repairs had caused the estimate of down-time to more than double. His flagship would be stuck in Fredis for at least another two weeks, if not more.

Despite the fact that his flagship was out of commission, Dylan had ordered the assault on the Coalition to continue without the firepower of the Andromeda. As he stood on the Command Deck, looking over the growing Alliance holdings, a Luxon/Nietzschean task force was approaching the Yevin system, where the Coalition maintained a large ground force and scientific facilities. * * * * * *

General Si'Peral frowned as his battleship emerged from the slipstream.

The Luxons were still not accustomed to the ride through the stream, and Si was no exception.

He looked over at his holo-grid as the rest of the joint task force emerged from slipstream and settled into their approach pattern.

The Yevin system didn't boast a significant space force, only a few cruisers, destroyers and frigates. But Alliance Command had decided to err on the side of caution. Beside his battleship, Si had five Luxon battle cruisers, ten destroyers and thirteen frigates. All were fully loaded with their compliment of fighter craft.

His Nietzschean counterpart, and Co-Commander of the Task Force, controlled one Nietzschean battle cruiser, four cruisers, nine destroyers and eleven frigates, as well as the Garuda wings docked aboard those ships.

But what was really the heart of the task force, were the seven assault transports near the rear of the formation.

Each of those transports carried a full battalion of Luxon shock troopers and another battalion of Nietzschean marines. All armed to the teeth and prepared to assault the Peacekeeper ground fortresses that protected their scientific holdings on the planet of Yevin-Three.

"General, Marshall Reynolds has informed us that his lead Garuda wings are detecting activity from the picket," Si'Peral's tactical officer announced.

"Acknowledged," Si'Peral said with a nod. "Order the task force to prepare for battle. Order the Intana and the Peras to remain behind and guard the transports. Tell them to protect those ships at all costs."

* * * * * *

"Ma'am, I'm reading two of their destroyers breaking off to guard those troop transports," Lieutenant Geri Asai announced on the Command Deck of the Peacekeeper light cruiser Orilas.

"They intend to take the planet by force," Captain Kesi Jeti said mostly to herself. "I want all marine forces landed and instructed to set up defensive perimeters around the scientist compounds. I want anti-air emplacements set up so they can't land on top of them. Once all of the Marines are away, we're going to head for the asteroid belt."

She strolled down the deck to a communications console and activated it.

"This is Captain Jeti to all ship captains. We are going to allow the Alliance to take control of the planet's space. However we are going to make our way to the asteroid belt and harass any ships that we can. I am also sending a courier to the nearest outpost system to retrieve reinforcements."

A wave of assents flowed over the com and Kesi nodded. Shuttles began separating from the ships of her patrols, and once every marine was off- loaded, those ships turned and made best speed to the safety of the asteroid belts.

Kesi had trained her ships on how to use the asteroids as a hiding place against enemy ships, for just this type of incident. That training would keep them safe if the Alliance decided that eliminating the picket was their priority, which she doubted. * * * * * *

"General, the picket has seemingly evacuated all of their shuttles to the planet's surface," Si'Peral's Second reported.

"Probably know we're going after their science facilities and dropped their marines," Si'Peral noted as he frowned. "Make best speed for the planet and order the transports to catch up. I want those ground forces to hit hard and fast. We don't need the Peacekeepers getting a defense plan worked out."

Si'Peral paced the length of his Command deck. The battle for the Yevin outpost had been expected to be long and painful. The sheer amount of ground power the Peacekeepers had permanently stationed there was expected to be a huge threat to deal with. They were likely well entrenched and prepared to fight to the last.

Si'Peral was not privy to what the Science facilities were rumored to hold, only that the Alliance wanted the bases as intact as they could manage, thus ruling out orbital bombardment.

So the Alliance High Command had turned to good old fashioned ground combat, and the thousands of Shock troopers that such an assault would require. Seven thousand ground troopers. All heavily armed and armored. Not to mention the artillery they would be provided.

* * * * * *

Sub-Officer Alyn Urich frowned as she tightened her armored. Her platoon had been deployed to Bunker Line Seven, right along the main path toward the Science facility in the valley below.

The line of reinforced bunkers was built at the top of the ridge, providing them excellent sight and lines of fire, but also making them prime targets for artillery.

And the Luxons would be bringing artillery.

She didn't have any personal combat experience with the other half of the assault force, soldiers that looked a lot like she did, but she did have some experience with Luxons. And if there was one thing the Luxons brought to a ground fight, it was heavy artillery.

So far none of the science facilities had been attacked. There were six of them spread across the face of this cold-hard rock called Yevin Three. Each was surrounded by two rings of bunkers; controlled a long-range artillery battery; were home to a squadron of prowlers and controlled heavy-duty anti- aircraft emplacements.

And two battalions, seven thousand total, of marines and commandos.

They would all be hard nuts to crack.

* * * * * *

Sergeant Ivan Derik, Sabra-Jaguar Marine Forces, looked up the battlefield at the ring of bunkers perched on the hill.

He was the Platoon Sergeant, Charlie Platoon, Baker Company. Lieutenant Aaron Drake and him were in charge of forty-eight other Nietzschean marines and were tasked as the spearhead of Baker Company's assault up the main road to Facility Four.

The Luxon Serat Company would join them in the attack, which would buy time for the Luxon artillery to dig in within range of the bunkers.

Their mission was to reach the bottom of the ridge and dig in. They would make foxholes, shell the bunkers with mortars and prevent any Peacekeeper charges while the Artillery prepared to pound the ridgeline with anti- bunker shells. And when the bunkers were properly pacified, they would take the ridgeline and hold it for the artillery to advance and begin firing on the second ring of bunkers.

Ivan knew the chances of survival in such a charge were somewhat doubtful, but they were high enough to risk the attack. That risk was especially worth taking if High Command thought those science facilities to be so important to the war against the Coalition.

Ivan frowned again. Intel had indicated that only Peacekeeper ground forces were present anywhere on the planet, and that only Peacekeeper warships had been in orbit. That seemed to indicate that the Science facilities were working on something the Peacekeepers didn't exactly want to share with their allies.

"Sergeant," Aaron interrupted over the com. "Command says we go in five. The fighter squadrons are gonna launch some bunker busters and smoke missiles to give us some cover. When I give the word, we roll."

"Yes, sir," Ivan said turning to his troops. "You heard the boss, we roll in five!"

Fifty Nietzschean marines pulled the slides back on their gauss rifles, chambering rounds and disengaging the safeties. They each pulled their helmets down over their heads and rose to crouching positions.

All around them Luxons followed suit, only they stood proudly, as if daring the Peacekeepers to take a shot at them.

Garuda fighters screeched over head, missiles detaching from their bellies as they banked hard to keep out of the anti-aircraft fire.

Several of the missiles streaked toward bunkers, their warheads programmed to bust the concrete structures wide open.

Others hovered near the ground before exploding, expelling huge clouds of grey smoke that covered the advance of the ground forces.

"ROLL!" Ivan shouted to his troops and fifty Marines and fifty Luxon shock troopers charged from the trench and into the smoke.

* * * * * *

"Here they come!" Alyn shouted as she spotted the enemy fighter craft launch their missiles.

A good portion of the anti-bunker missiles were knocked down by screening fire, but several made it through and Alyn winced as three of her fifteen bunkers exploded, taking five marines each with them.

She looked down the sight of her pulse rifle and frowned as the battlefield was covered in a dense smoke screen.

"This is Bunker Line Seven, we need artillery fire at coordinates Ango-Tera Seven, fire for effect!"

"This is Battery Three, locking on coordinates now. Firing for effect," the Artillery officer reported and seconds later the distinct crack of artillery fire echoed up from the valley.

And seconds after that the thud of those artillery rounds exploding echoed up from the smoke covered plains.

The shells those cannons were firing were specially designed to shred attacking ground forces. They exploded a metre above the ground and ejected shrapnel in all directions. But they were designed for unarmored personnel, and at least the non-Luxons were armored.

Alyn growled as she looked through her monoculars at the far end of the battle field.

As expected, the Luxons had brought artillery, and they were moving them to effective range.

"This is Bunker Line Seven, enemy is moving artillery into firing range. Estimate seven hundred metres from position. Can you target?"

"Negative, Line Seven. Maximum range is five hundred metres. Command estimates two-thirds of an arn before those guns are in place. You're on your own."

Alyn Urich growled and shut the com as she looked down at the battlefield.

A good number of the enemy troops had escaped the artillery barrage and were charging toward the base of the ridge.

"This is Sub-Officer Urich to all Line Seven bunkers, target enemy ground forces and open fire!"

Streams of pulse fire flowed from the twelve bunkers and Alyn smiled slightly as she saw enemies fall.

* * * * * *

Ivan had only lost three troops to the artillery barrage. Their armor had been specially designed to repel shrapnel strikes, much like the ones they had just been subjected to.

The Luxons had lost five troops to the strikes, their lighter armor not being designed to withstand the shelling, but they were still going strong.

As the Marines and Shock troops cleared the smoke clouds, the bunkers above opened fire with pulse rifles and cannons.

Ivan grimaced as a pair of his marines fell, heavy machine-gunners carrying 12mm auto-cannons. Two of his other marines quickly picked up the weaponry, though, and charged toward the safety of the ridge base.

Ivan ducked under the make-shift wire fence erected to slow them down, diving to the ground and rolling onto his back to watch his troops follow suit.

One marine tried going over a low spot in the fence, and just as he was about to land, a solid stream of pulse fire tore him apart.

As Ivan turned, he realized that Lieutenant Drake had just been killed.

"Boss is down!" He shouted over the com-line. "Check in!"

Ivan leaned back against the hill and listened as all but seven of his marines checked in. The Luxons had lost a total of eight so far, but none of the mortar teams.

"All mortar teams, set range at fifty meters and start with flare shells. I want to see how close we get!"

The five mortar teams set their weapons into position and dropped flare shells into the barrels. The thud of mortar fire echoed down the line as ten mortars, five Nietzschean and five Luxon, opened fire.

The flare shells arched up the ridge side and landed about fifteen meters short of their targets.

"Alpha mortar teams: set new range at sixty meters. Load flash-bang rounds. Baker mortar teams, set range at sixty-five meters, thud shells! We're moving up the hill. Move up ten meters and reset!"

The first set of mortars fired, their shells arching up and exploding, emitting bright light and electronic jamming particles. The second volley was close behind, detonating with a deafening crack. Under the cover of the enemy's confusion, the marines crawled up the hill side and flattened themselves to the dirt.

"Dig in here!" Ivan ordered as he quickly dug himself a foxhole. "Mortar teams set range at fifty-five meters and load up the high explosives. Let's crack these bunkers open!"

* * * * * *

Alyn growled as she shook her head. Her bunker had been hit by two thuds and three flashes.

All five of the marines inside were heavily disoriented and the auto- tracking cannons were off-line thanks to the jamming elements in the grenades.

She recovered just in time to see the enemy troops advance another ten meters up the hill.

"Damn it!" She shouted as she tried picking off a marine and failed. "They are gonna start hitting us with explosive shells! Lock down the upper portholes. Open up the top and start hitting them with mortars. I don't want those bastards surviving to take this ridge!"

* * * * * *

"All forward marine units, artillery batteries are in place. Firing is commencing. Hold tight."

Ivan grimaced as he heard the crack of distant artillery fire and the deadly whistle of incoming shells.

He had lost a mortar team and four more marines to the return fire from the bunkers. But he had successfully cracked open one of the bunkers and leveled another with fire.

Now the artillery was ready to go and that was going to be ugly.

Ivan raised his arm to indicate a cease-fire and then waved to order them to dig in further. The marines were ready when the first artillery shells hit the ridge-line.

The bunker-buster shells were precisely targeted using satellite images, meaning that they were going to hit their targets.

And surely enough, all but one of the remaining bunkers exploded fantastically, leaving the way open for the marines.

* * * * * *

Alyn Urich struggled to her feet in the cracked shell of Bunker Seven-One. Hers was the only bunker to survive the attack, and she wondered why that was.

But her curiosity quickly faded as she took account of her troops. One dead, one incapacitated.

Three were still able to fight, counting herself.

And the enemy was charging.

"Pulse rifles to full! Tear them apart!"

Each marine pushed two rifles through the portholes in the bunker, creating six streams of fire to tear the attackers apart.

* * * * * *

Ivan dove to the ground as the last remaining bunker created six streams of pulse fire. Five of his marines were cut down and three Luxons fell as well.

"Why won't you die?" He shouted. "Sanchez, I want a grenade in that bunker! All units, cover for him!"

All of the remaining marines turned their fire on the lone bunker, riddling the concrete with gauss and pulse fire.

Private Sanchez grabbed a high explosive grenade from his belt and pulled the detonator pin. When the fire from the bunker was stifled, he stood and threw the grenade.

He never missed.

Not even now.

The single grenade made it through a weapon porthole barely big enough to accommodate the sphere. And before they could escape, the five marines inside were incinerated. Never to fire another round in the defense of the science facilities. And leaving the path wide open for the advancing Alliance ground forces.