Chapter 33: Gateways and Trouble
Reviewers: Thank you all again for your advice and help. This story is still going strong because of you.
Silvanas: The Eldar will come again during the final battle against the surviving chaos gods. I've heard of Freelancer but I don't know much about it.
Dark Retribution: Thank you. May the Emperor watch over you.
BGTom: I'm making it a Section 31 operative.
Darth: What race exists that could be more powerful than the Imperial Alliance?
Grayangle: If you're taking about Star Wars, you're right. There are power struggles in the Imperium, but they're subtle. Also, the Emperor has assigned most of the major troublemakers to the task of hunting out the chaos gods. I'm sorry if my chapters are a bit short. I'll try to make them longer. I know the last chapter was a bit dry. I'm sorry. The Imperium will come back in later chapters.
Sean: Thanks. I was thinking of having a wormhole to the Stargate SG-1 universe collapse, but B5 sounds cool too. For the Imperium!
gta5ccjs: Thanks for the praise. I probably will save Halo until last. I have read all the Halos books and my brother is a Halo game fanatic. Seventeen thousand words is a good start, and remember this. A story will always be crap to some people and brilliant to others. Don't ever give up on writing if that's what you like.
Oblivionknight7: It's not a cloaking device. It's a stealth system that prevents enemy ships from getting a target lock. I'm actually planning on the wormhole to the B5 universe collapsing.
Treymane: Based on what I've looked up, I agree on what you said about Dune. Thanks, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Joseph Rosario: The Eldar and Tau haven't yet joined their fleets with the Imperium, but that may happen soon. I know what a FPS is now. Thanks.
In orbit of Earth, the three wormholes had been opened. The wormholes resembled the Bajoran wormhole except that they were larger and without the cloud-like outer barrier.
On board Gateway Station, over two hundred technicians monitored the stability of the wormholes. If any errors were made at this stage, the wormholes could collapse. This was the sole objective of one person on board the station. With the elimination of the rouge agents, the main body of section 31 had planned their next move. They would sabotage the Gateway Station and have the blame fall on the Federation. They hoped that would generate friction and give them some sort of an opening to drive a wedge between the Federation and the Imperium. The agent had infiltrated the engineering section and prepared to do his thing.
"Keep a close eye on the reactor pressure," Engineer Mark Radule ordered. "At this stage we're using everything we've got."
"Right boss," Engineer Clark Deren replied. He went down to the second level to check the power feeds. He entered his access code and opened the panel when he felt an intense pain in his back. Then all feeling left him and he slumped to the floor.
"I'm sorry," the agent said as he withdrew the knife from the back of the officer. He didn't enjoy killing innocent humans whose only crime was being seduced by promises of power. He took out a small device and attached it to a main power relay. A few minutes later, it detonated.
In the main control bridge, chaos reigned.
"Sir, the power stream to the wormhole generator had become unstable!" One of the controllers reported.
"How is that possible?" Commander Stanton asked.
"Sensors recorded an explosion in main engineering sir. The primary power regulator system has been damaged. The engineers are attempting to repair it now."
"What is the status of the advance fleets?"
"They've already passed through the event horizons. Sir, wormholes one and two have been stabilized. However wormhole three is still collapsing."
"Call the ships back, and find what caused that explosion. Section 31," he whispered. "It had to be. "Put this station on full lockdown now! No one leaves!"
"Yes sir!" Throuout the station, blast doors slammed shut and airlocks were sealed. The agent knew the game was up. He hadn't expected to be able to escape. Still, he could still cause some damage. He made his way to the secondary reactor room. He was working on the door controls when a security party came around the corner.
"Freeze!" The sergeant ordered. The agent turned and drew his phaser. He was aiming when a fist connected with his face. He fell to the floor and spat blood. He attempted to activate his suicide implant, but something was stopping him. He tried harder when the butt of a phaser rifle knocked him into dreamland.
"Sir, we've lost wormhole three. The event horizon had shrunk to only one meter in diameter. We can communicate, but it could take months or ever years to reopen it."
"All right, inform Alliance Command. They're going to eat me alive for this."
"Sir, security reports they've captured a Section 31 agent on level seven."
"Good. Have him sedated and taken to me shuttle. At least now the boys upstairs'll have two people for target practice now," he said as he left the command deck.
Meanwhile, in another galaxy, a battle was about to begin.
"Launch all Starfuries and signal the other ships. Tell them company should be arriving any time now," Captain John Sheridan ordered.
"Copy," Commander Susan Ivoneva responded. "Sir request permission to join Starfury squadron."
"Request denied, we need you here," Sheridan answered.
"Captain we're asking those pilots to go against everything they've been taught. To open fire on their own people. One of us should be out there. One of us has to be out there," Ivonova said, fixing Sheridan with her you-can't-stop-me-so-don't-even-try look.
"Go, he said; know his second in command was right.
A minute later Ivonova was in her fighter.
"All right form up," she ordered.
"Jump gate activated," an officer reported. Sure enough, the jump gate opened and a large Earth Force fleet came through.
"Picking up seven, no eight Omega class destroyers. They're launching Starfuries." Then a message came in.
"This is Captain Thomas Smith of the Earth Alliance destroyer Agrippa to Babylon 5 and renegade ships. Surrender and prepare to be boarded." Sheridan signaled for a reply channel.
"This is Captain John Sheridan. You are executing an illegal order. President Clark had violated the Earth Alliance constitution by dissolving the senate and ordering the bombing of civilian targets on Mars. We will stand alone until Clark is removed from office. Come on Captain, you must see these orders are wrong."
"Enemy Starfuries moving in on attack vector."
"This is Sheridan to all ships. Do not initiate hostilities. Let them fire first. We won't start this fight, but by God we'll finish it."
"How are we going to survive a fleet that size?" The officer asked.
"We believe in our people, and we prey for a miracle," Sheridan said. He knew if Delenn didn't arrive soon, they were done for.
Then they got a miracle, just not the one they were expecting.
"Detecting a jump point forming above us, but it's different from any jump point I've ever seen. It's a lot bigger and I'm getting some strange readings. Picking up vessels emerging. My God, they're huge!"
A massive opening in space appeared and from that opening emerged fifteen Imperial Alliance ships. Seven Dictator Class cruisers, six Cobra torpedo escorts and two large cargo ships, carrying supplies for a staging base.
On board the fleet flagship, the command staff was attempting to get ascertain which side to aid. Fortunately, they had a secret weapon for cases like this.
"Seer Clethis, what do you sense?"
Alliance High Command, knowing the possibility of fast contacts and recognizing the need for rapid decision making, had added several powerful psykers to each ship in the advance fleets. They could scan the minds of any vessels or planets near the fleet and determine who they should aid. Master Seer Clethis was an Alpha class psyker and the head Seer for the expeditionary fleet.
"The station and two of the ships are attempting to secede from their human empire due to the perceived corruption of its leader. Also, some of the minds on the station hint at a dark power exerting control over this leader. It is my recommendation that we aid the station's defenders."
"Very well. Send a general hail." The Commander trusted every member of his crew, even the psykers. They had never given him any reason to doubt them.
"Captain, one of the ships is transmitting a message on an open channel," an officer reported.
"Let's hear it," Sheridan responded.
"This is Fleet Commodore Duncan West of the Imperial Alliance expeditionary force. This station is now under our protection. All Earth Alliance attack vessels are hereby ordered to withdraw or be destroyed. You have one minute to comply."
"Well, they certainly didn't waste any time," Sheridan remarked.
"The Agrippa is responding."
"Let's hear it."
"This is Captain Smith of the Agrippa to unknown ships. This is an internal Earth Alliance affair. Do not force us to engage your ships. Withdraw now."
"Captain, not only are you outnumbered but you are also heavily outgunned. I suggest you leave now or we will open fire."
"Captain, the destroyers are moving off. They're heading towards the unknowns."
"Any response from them?" Sheridan asked.
"The capital ships are moving into a wall formation and launching fighters. Seventy fighters from each of the big ships. The smaller ones either don't carry any or else they're keeping them in reserve. Man, those fighters are fast! They're moving at least twice as fast as the Starfuries and I don't even think they're going at top speed."
"Get me a view of them," Sheridan ordered. A screen showed Imperial Furies, Marauders, and the new Imperial Alliance Blaze class interceptors engage the Earth Alliance Starfuries and Thunderbolts. It was no contest.
Sheridan watched as the unknown fighters tore through Starfuries like they were nothing. Rapid-firing cannons that resembled Starfury guns and what looked like energy torpedoes tore through any fighter they hit. Return fire splashed off of some sort of energy shielding.
"Are you seeing this sir?"
"I sure am. Energy shielding. A technology we've never come close to creating, and their weapons are amazing. I'm glad they're on our side."
"Sir, the destroyers are moving into weapons range. They're firing." Sheridan watched as the plasma beams and pulse blasts met more shielding.
On board the Imperial Alliance flagship, the Dictator Class cruiser Vigilance, Fleet Commodore Duncan West watched his fighters tear through the enemy's. Then their capital ships opened up with their own guns. Two ships targeted the Vigilance, causing a mild shake.
"Four direct hits. Shields down to ninety-five percent. No damage. Orders sir?" Asked the tactical officer.
"Launch more bombers. Let's show them that we don't even need our capital ships to defeat theirs. Order all available fighters to concentrate on the enemy capital vessels."
"As you command," his ships' AI, Karen, answered.
With most of their Starfuries gone, the Imperial fighters and bombers had a clean run on the Earth Alliance destroyers. Pulse phasers and photon torpedoes tore into hull armor and through. Defense fire proved no match for Deflector Shields. Within minutes, five of the destroyers were gone. The other three were preparing to withdraw.
"Open a channel to the station," West ordered.
"They're responding. Audio only."
"This is Captain John Sheridan of the Babylon 5 station. We're-
"Wait a moment Captain. Three of the enemy vessels are attempting to escape. Would you like us to destroy then, allow them to withdraw, or disable and board them?"
Sheridan was floored. Strange ships had just come out of nowhere, destroyed six Omega class destroyers with only fighters that were outnumbered, and now they were asking him what he wanted done with the rest. He figured these new allies if that was truly what they were, could greatly assist in restoring the Earth Alliance. They could also prove a powerful psychological weapon as well.
"Let them go. I want President Clark to see what your ships are capable of. However, I would ask that you pick up any survivors."
"Very well Captain Sheridan. I also ask that I and a small delegation be allowed to come aboard your station. I would like to meet you in person."
"Permission granted Commodore. Babylon 5 out."
"Sir, detecting four more jump points opening," the officer reported.
The portal opened and from them came three Mimbari Sharlin class warcruisers and Delenn's ship.
"Ambassador Delenn is hailing us."
"Put her through." Sheridon ordered.
"Captain Sheridan, our sensors are detecting unknown vessels and large amounts of wreckage. What has happened?' She asked.
"I think we just made some new and very powerful friends. They're coming over to the station now. You should probably be here to meet them."
"I am on my way," she said, and then cut the transmission.
"Well," Sheridan said. "I think we just might win this war after all."
How was that? Long enough? Good enough? Now that they're stranded for the perceivable future, what will the Imperial Alliance ships do now? Also, should I keep in this galaxy for a few chapters or do the other two galaxies and switch off each chapter? You decide, after all, you're all my good friends. See ya soon, and don't forget to review!
ENTILZA