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 Alliances seeks to forge an alliance with a powerful neighbor.

New Players.

John frowned as he stared out of the Obs deck at the depth of the space beyond.

The Andromeda had finally been released from the clutches of the yard dogs and was currently on maneuvers to get back into shape.

The routine procedure allowed him time to review the data brought from the raid on Yevin Three.

From what the reports indicated, the pods found in the Yevin hanger bays were exact duplicates of his. Several had even shown signs of use.

The only reason he could think the Peacekeepers would have pods, would be to probe the wormhole technology and figure out how to get a command cruiser through.

If that happened, all was lost.

"That wasn't their only base," a female voice announced from behind John. It was Rommie.

"I know. And that is what worries me. What if they are more advanced than we think? What if they are on the brink of cracking the wormholes and dropping a fleet on us?"

"Then we will have to counter them. We will have to strike them at their core. We have more ships than we have here, but they are currently protecting our other assets," Rommie announced clinically.

"Well, the Peacekeeper fleet is quite enormous. We will need more help," John said as he watched a fighter dart past the obs deck.

"You have an idea?" Rommie asked as she quirked an eyebrow.

"The Royal Independent Sebatian Colonies," John said as he picked up a flexi and activated it, showing a cluster of stars on the edge of Peacekeeper space two solar weeks away from the current border of Alliance space.

"Do you want me to contact Dylan?" Rommie asked as she marked the cluster of stars in her database.

"Please. I think we need to assemble an envoy and try and get the Royal Colonies into this."

* * * * * *

"You are proposing we send an emissary to the Royal Colonies?" Crais asked incredulously.

"Yes," John said simply. "Their fleet is impressive, even when compared to the behemoth that is the Peacekeeper Navy. If they would join us, we would have enough firepower to strike at the heart of the Coalition and end this portion of the war."

"But they are not known for being particularly friendly, what makes you think that we will convince them into an alliance?"

"They are not on friendly terms with the Peacekeepers. Perhaps they would like to extend their power some and gain some Sebatian territory in the process. Or perhaps they would like to take over all of Sebatian holdings," John suggested and Crais nodded.

"Just don't get your hopes up," he said as he leaned back.

"Now that we have settled that," Dylan said as he leaned forward. "Who is going to be sent on this little diplomacy operation?"

"Myself, of course," John said with a nod. "Captain Valentine, Mr. Anasazi and Crais will come along. I think that if we take Talyn and a squadron of Alliance destroyers we should be able to get there safely and still not make it look like we are being hostile."

"All right," Dylan said with a nod. "Rommie, can you have Command order one of the destroyer squadrons to prep for escort duty."

"Of course, Captain," Rommie's holo-gram said with a nod.

* * * * * *

Dylan watched Talyn and Mobian Destroyer Squadron Golf-Three-Nine disappear in the twisting nether of the slipstream and sat back in his command chair.

The possibility of bringing another major player into the Alliance was an appetizing one. The Sabra-Jaguar Ambassador to the Alliance had been complaining that the groups on this end of the Alliance weren't pulling their weight and were relying heavily on the Nietzschean fleet.

Dylan had taken almost twenty minutes informing him that the Luxon and Ilanics were still retooling their fleets and that as soon as that task was completed, they would be launching more independent assaults on the Coalition. He also informed Ambassador Chelin that the Ilanics were locked in a decades-long war with the Scorvians and were focused on maintaining border security.

The Ambassador had left rather mad and had returned to Alleghany where his offices, and the Commonwealth Embassy was located.

Dylan frowned as he brought up a star chart that had been taken at Yevin Three. After pressing a series of keys, the chart was divided in red, orange, blue and yellow blocks.

The current Alliance members were marked Blue, the Coalition members were red, the Scarrens orange and the multitude of independents were yellow.

He highlighted several of those yellow blocks and reviewed the data on the species residing in those territories. The Plokavian Territories, Sheyang Debris Fields and Halosian Empire were all located near the Royal Sebatian Colonies, and all had not yet approached by Alliance emissaries.

Dylan shook his head as he shut down the holo-gram and turned to the affairs of the fleet as plans were laid for more assaults on Coalition assets in the area.

* * * * * *

Captain Emily Gretchen frowned as her destroyer emerged from slipstream in what was designated the capitol system of the Royal Sebatian Colonies.

Commodore Ralph Simons paced behind her as sensor drones reached out to find the system's picket group.

Talyn lead the way into the system, the destroyer squadron falling in behind as escorts should the Sebatians attack.

After several tense seconds the holo-grid began lighting up with yellow triangles, marking unknown contacts. The fleet was positively swarming with Royal ships, and they seemed to be busy preparing for war.

Whole squadrons of battle cruisers sat in orbit of the single inhabited planet, flotillas of frigates and destroyers were spread across the system as pickets while cruisers patrolled in squadron formation. Eight Command Cruisers sat in orbit of the Capitol Planet, their hulls bristling with armaments as their Prowler compliments circled protectively.

"Commodore, Commander Crichton reports contact with one of the Sebatian patrol ships," Emily's communications officer reported.

"What do they say?" the destroyer squadron's flag officer asked.

"They have instructed him to make best speed to the planet. They request that we remain here with their picket squadrons. Crichton has informed them that we will comply."

"Very well," Commodore Simons nodded. "Order all ships to form up and wait here.

The ten ships of DDS-G39 brought themselves into a protective formation and halted their advance. Their com drones circled endlessly, listening for any messages from Crichton, while their sensor drones continued to probe in- system, recording the system and the fleet protecting it.

* * * * * *

Crichton, Crais, Captain Valentine and Tyr Anasazi were escorted through the bowels of the palace to an underground command center.

Marines, Royal Guards, Navy Officers and ratings marched this way and that, doing one task or another.

The palace looked more like a Military Command Post than the house of the Queen of the Sebatian Colonies.

Their escorts, a small squad of Royal Guards, were stone faced as they marched the group to meet with the Queen.

John had suggested that the four go because they all looked Sebatian, and he knew that it would much easier to negotiate without the risk of someone getting offended by outsiders coming with them.

John shook his head clear of those thoughts as the four walked through and enormous set of blast doors and into what was definitely a War Room.

Navy officers and enlisted personnel huddled here and there reviewing data, some were seated in front of consoles that displayed the system's space activity.

And in the middle, surrounded by Royal Guards, was Queen Tian Erasa, ruler of the Sebatian Colonies. Her long black hair was braided behind her, her green eyes looked them over as they entered. The Queen was thought to be one of the most beautiful women in the Royal Colonies, and John could see why.

She had been engaged in a conversation with a man that appeared to be her Fleet Admiral, but was now just looking at Crichton and his companions.

"Your Majesty, emissaries from the Restored Commonwealth and the Alliance of Planets," the leading guard announced as he bowed.

Crichton and Tyr stepped forward, bowing slightly to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, we bring greetings from Chancellor Ariana Lordis of Alleghany, and from the Chancellors of the Luxon and Ilanic Empires."

"Greetings," the Queen said with a nod. "It is good to see that the Alliance respects those that are their equal. What brings you to my chambers?"

"Your Majesty," Tyr began. "The Alliance finds itself locked in a war with the Peacekeepers and their Coalition of Allies. The Scarren Empire has struck at us as well. We come bringing an offer of Alliance to your Colonies. A treaty that would make us partners against the Coalition and against the Scarrens."

The Queen nodded, she had been expecting such an offer.

"Your offer has merit," the Queen admitted with a nod. "My scouts indicate that your fleet is strong, and you possess the ability to use Leviathan starburst on any vessel you chose. But what would my kingdom gain from a war with the Coalition? The deaths of my people, the destruction of my fleet and the ravages of war visited upon our planets."

The Queen shook her head and picked up a data-pad.

"You are not the first to extend such an offer to my people," she said as she had a guard hand the data-pad to John. "The Peacekeeper Coalition offered my kingdom a place on the ruling Council of the Coalition and a permanent end to their harassment of my shipping. Open trade lanes throughout the member planets of the Coalition and protection against your Alliance."

"The Coalition." Crais began but a look from the Queen cut him off.

"The Peacekeepers may have been my enemy in days past, but they have better things to do than harass me and my ships. I will tell you the same thing that I told the Peacekeeper emissary. The Royal Sebatian Colonies has formed alliances with several of the surrounding species. The Halosians, the Plokavians and the Interions have all joined us in a Confederation of Neutral Stars."

John and Tyr looked at each other and nodded.

"Very well," John said with a frown. "We will return to our commanders with your response."

* * * * * *

Dylan frowned as he reviewed the report compiled by the team that had gone to the Royal Colonies.

"The RSC has formed a Confederation with its neighbors?" Dylan asked as he set the flexi on the table before him.

"That's what it looks like," John said with a nod. "And they seem to be really nervous about it. As you can see from the sensor scans, that system was packed with warships. We could only see Sebatian designs, but I would assume that the other members of the Confederation are still gathering their fleets."

"It says here that they had eight Command Cruisers in orbit?" Dylan asked as he reviewed the force estimates.

"Yes, they had eight," Crais said with a nod.

"Not to mention at least five squadrons of battle cruisers," Tyr added. "And that palace was swarming with Navy and Marine officers and personnel. I think they are expecting a strike from the Coalition. Or maybe from us."

"Well we won't be obliging them," Dylan said simply. "We have enough on our hands without stirring up another hornet's nest with this Confederation."

"Agreed," Crais said with a nod.

"Then we will just have to fight the Coalition with what we have. Generals Li'Taran and General Ki'Tisan have reported that their fleets are seventy- three percent done with their conversion to slipstream technology. They estimate another three weeks at the outside before they are fully converted." Dylan pressed a key on the flexi. "Admiral Si Kinas reports that the Independent Planets will be commissioning their first slip-capable ships within the week. All members of the Alliance are on track for our estimates. Once they are complete and begin deployment, we will begin striking deeper into Coalition space."

The Alliance was preparing to take their war into full swing. Plans were being developed for a sweeping assault on the frontier outposts of the Coalition, and particularly the Peacekeepers.

Operation Sharpened Dagger would send two task groups of Alliance warships straight into the Peacekeeper territory, while each of the other Coalition members were targeted by a Task Group each.

Almost half of the active Alliance fleet was involved in the action, the other half positioned along the border with the Coalition to protect them against any counter-attacks.

The action would be devastating to the frontier fleets of the Coalition. If it worked that was.