Chapter 1

October 13 CE 75
Delta System, Vega Sector
United Nations Colonial Territory

Cruising silently through the blackness of space, vessels of the Earth Alliance's Task Force Londo Bell maintained their vigil over the emerging colony worlds of the Delta System, the crown jewel of Earth's United Nations government Terra Forming Project.

Begun in conjunction with the Border Security Force operation, the Terra Forming Project was started in late CE 74 after the withdrawal of UE forces from Mechis III. As Earth Forces military units routed out space pirates and hostile governments with their battle-hardened troops, civilian colonists, government officials, militia, and others were moved in behind them to settle the new worlds. These systems were named according to the letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha, Delta, Beta, and Gamma Systems had so far been colonized. However, all four of these systems had proven to be rich with new resources, far more then had been expected by anyone. On top of that, their location on the border with the Bothan Confederacy had military strategic value as well, allowing United Nations units to be forward deployed but remain on their own territory. Other Earth Forces forward bases at Sluis Van and Yavin required a lot of red tape to be dealt with before their ships and soldiers could even set out from port, let alone train. Other nations, especially the Bothan Confederacy, wanted these worlds for themselves. The Delta System was especially valued and vulnerable to direct attack. And it was Londo Bell's job, with their four Nelson-class Cruisers and the Archangel-class Battleship Ranger to prevent any border incursions.

On the bridge of the Ranger, Captain James Taggart, commander of Londo Bell, sat tapping on the arm of his command chair. "Any further word from Delta II?" he asked.

The communications officer shook her head. "Negative, sir. All we got were the reports of orbital bombardment on the factory district and that the garrison base at Banzai Point was under attack by commandos and A-Wing fighters before going off the air."

"A-Wings? Why would New Republic starfighters be attacking our colony?" Taggart asked out loud. "So, we're going in blind. What else is new? Time to hyperspace jump point?"

"ETA 7 minutes, 34 seconds, Captain," said the navigation officer.

"Very well, then. Continue trying to make contact with Delta II. Use all civilian and military channels." What the hell is going on down there? He thought. An alert klaxon began sounding on the bridge. "What's going on!"

"We've got vessels emerging from hyperspace! Attempting to identify!" the sensor officer cried out. "We've got four Corellian Corvettes, two Assault Transports, and one Nebulon-B-class Escort Frigate. No IFF signals. Presume hostile. Visual sensors show some battle damage to the frigate and two of the corvettes, not to mention their exit vector is our entry vector to Delta II. Could be the ships that did the bombardment and those ATRs could have delivered or picked up the commandos."

"Very well. All hands, Level 1 battle stations! Sound general quarters, go to Red Alert status!" Alarms began going off all over the EAF warships and crewmembers scurried to their battle stations. Missile tubes were opened and beam cannons trained on the newly arrived ships. "Open a wide-spectrum channel to those ships." The com officer gave him a thumbs up, signaling that the channel was opened. "This is Captain James Taggart, commander of the Earth Alliance Task Force Londo Bell. You are in direct violation of UE space and are presumed to have been involved in acts of aggression against one of our colonies. You are hereby ordered to cut your engines and allow yourselves to be boarded."

"This is the frigate Gandos Skylight of the Bothan Confederacy Defense Forces. We are engaged in peaceful maneuvers in New Republic space. Under the New Republic charter, which both our nations are signatories of, you may not interfere in our right to freedom of navigation."

Taggart closed the com circuit and turned to the combat controller. "Mobile suit teams, launch now. Weps, lock missiles launchers onto the frigate and prepare to fire a shot across their bow with the portside Gottfried gun battery." Reopening the channel, "Gandos Skylight, I have reason to believe you have committed an act of aggression against one of our colonies. This is an act of war, and the charter does not apply in this situation. Cut your engines and-what the hell?" His speech was cut off as the Confederate ships jumped into hyperspace. "Ok, somebody tell me what's going on here."

"Looks like they ran," the executive officer said. "That's one way to solve the situation, I guess."

"Yeah..." Taggart shook his head. "Get us back on route to Delta II. Make the jump as soon as possible. XO, you have the bridge. I'm going to write my report for Earth HQ."

Task Force Londo Bell arrived at Delta II a short time later to find the colony in flames. The industrial center had taken a severe beating, while the Earth Alliance garrison installations were in shambles. As damage control continued on the surface, Captain Taggart tried to raise the local commanders on the radio. "United Nations Delta II Headquarters, this is the Earth Alliance Task Force Londo Bell. Come in, Delta II."

"Londo Bell, this is Colonel Marsh of the Delta II garrison. You boys missed one hell of a party down here."

"Colonel Marsh this is Captain Taggart. What's your situation?"

"Situation Normal: All Fucked Up. We took a pounding from a squadron of A-Wings that came off a frigate in orbit. They came in too fast for our air defenses or fighter patrols to respond to and knocked out all our surface-to-air missile batteries and strafed the birds lined up on our airstrip before launching concussion missiles into two barracks facilities, the control tower, and fuel depot. After that, a couple of transports landed and deployed troops – must have been a full company of them. They proceeded to set fire to more of our fighters on the airfield, and got into a running firefight with our Security Forces units and shot up the rec center and a few hangers before withdrawing back to their transports and taking off. Most of them withdrew anyways; we're still finding enemy commandoes all over the place, especially trying to gain access to the Command Center and the High Technology Aerial Weapons Center facility. And while this was all going on, a frigate and some corvettes proceeded to bombard the hell out of the factory district, but they got banged up a bit by the ground-based turbolaser batteries. Civilian casualties are going to be high."

"How badly did they hurt you?"

"Well, sir, I've got two squadrons of wrecked X-Wings sitting on the tarmac, along with my entire battery Patriot SAMs. The base Security Forces have over a hundred casualties, aircraft maintenance staff and pilots have also taken heavy losses, and we're still digging people out of the destroyed facilities, not to mention the civilians. I've moved an infantry company over from Camp Sutherland to cover for the SFs and I've still got M254 30mm railguns and Avenger point defense lasers for antiaircraft weapons, so we're covered for perimeter defense. The problem is we're down to just one fighter squadron and they're Y-Wings. Not exactly the best interceptors we've got, but it's all that's left."

"Understood. We're coming in now, and will assist you in the recovery efforts. Londo Bell out." Taggart turned to the helmsmen. "Commence atmosphere reentry."

October 15 CE 75

New Republic Senate Chambers

Imperial City, Coruscant

"Senator, I will not continue this subject!"

It was another round of "discussion" in the New Republic Senate, mostly involving shouting matches between the various senators and representatives from the different worlds and sectors over a variety of issues. Today, it was a labor dispute that had the Mon Calamari and Corellian senators at each others' throats.

"So, what do you think?" asked Senator James Williams, the Alliance representative to the New Republic.

"I'll give you 3 to 1 odds in favor of the Corellian Senator," replied Commander Robert Cottuli, temporary military attaché to the Earth's Senate Delegation. "4 to 1 if the Bakuran supports him."

"I'll pass, Commander. I've lost enough money to you." Williams said. "How about you, Ensign?"

"Not this time, sir." Ensign Meryin Hawke giggled. She was assigned as Cottuli aide from her former assignment with the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty, or ZAFT, the military forces of the PLANTs.

"So, how did the meeting with Fey'lya go?" Cottuli asked.

"Terrible," Williams replied. Borsk Fey'lya was the senator from the Bothan Confederacy. "The bastard refuses to any sort of compromise without a turnover of Delta VI to them. Our entire trade agreement is at risk because of this. And they still won't give us an explanation about what their ships were doing in the Delta System when Londo Bell ran into them."

"Well, we aren't just going to up and leave Delta VI" Cottuli said. "Abandoning our citizens is not something that the governments of the UE would stand for."

"I know that, but we've got to do something to get them to back off. The Bothans might have lost some of their influence from the Camaas Crisis, but they can still sway enough key senators against us." He sighed. "Anyways, how do you like today's session?"

"People actually elect these idiots? You could get more work done faster if you polled everyone in the galaxy!"

"You're probably right. But then what would we do for entertainment?"

Meryin tugged on Cottuli's sleeve. "When will it be our turn?"

Bobby checked his watch. "We're scheduled to present the bill after this, but the way this is dragging out, plus the fact that this session was supposed to have ended an hour ago, we probably won't get the chance to until next time. The next Senate general meeting isn't for two weeks, so it'll be awhile."

She looked at him curiously. "They already pushed us back once. Why so long?"

Cottuli shook his head. "It's because to most people here, we don't exist. The United Nations government is the bastard child state of the Republic. We may have defeated the Federation, and have the strongest military force of the member nations, but we're still looked down upon by the more established players."

"In any case, we're going to need more support to get this trade bill through the full Senate." Williams interrupted. "The Corellian, Diamalian, Sluis Sector and probably the Mon Cal senators will back us, which will sway a lot of votes, but not enough. We need one or two more influential senators to swing the votes to push it through." He started tapping his computer station. "What we need is for Fey'lya to either go for it or just abstain, but to do that, the Delta VI issue needs to be resolved. Any chance of backing the Bothans into a corner on that front, Commander? Military options I mean."

"Go to war with the Confederacy? You nuts?"

"I don't mean war, I mean a show of force, blockade, something like that."

"A show of force won't do anything, they'd just laugh at us. A blockade would get their attention and would definitely cause an effect. Only problem is we'd have a New Republic task force show up within a couple of days to break it and cause us to lose what little influence we have in the Senate." He paused for a moment. "They might not even need an NR task force. The latest intelligence information shows they've been building up their naval forces quite a bit. And it's worth noting, more then a couple of new customs ships."

"How much growth?" Williams asked.

"The latest photos shows at least six new frigates, seven corvettes, and a dozen system patrol craft. The kicker is the shiny new cruiser that they just completed."

"Sounds like they've been busy," Ensign Hawke put in.

Cottuli nodded. "This is a fact, and it's got me worried."

"Don't be, Commander." Williams said as the Senate chairman ended the session. "They still can't challenge the Earth Alliance and ZAFT forces. They won't so much as lift a finger against us."

October 16 CE 75

United Nations/Bothan Confederacy Border

1053 Zulu

Cruising silently through space, the Londo Bell task force patrolled the border with the Bothan Confederacy. After the incident over Delta II, it had been reinforced by three Drake-class Escort Vessels and two of their Nelson-class Cruisers had replaced their mobile suits with TIE Interceptor starfighters to give them added firepower and flexibility, along with a cadre of combat veteran pilots and naval officers. They now had the ability to take on the small battle groups harassing the colonies.

Begging with the Delta II incident, the Bothan Confederacy had begun what they had deemed "freedom of navigation" missions, sending Confederate warships into colonial territory. Often, these missions usually were followed by terrorist strikes against Earth Alliance and ZAFT military installations in the Delta System, especially around Delta VI, the crown jewel of the Terra Forming Project. Londo Bell and several other patrol groups had been dispatched to turn back the Confederate ships at the border, but with little success. The Bothans would simply hyper jump deeper into colonial territory. Earth Alliance Forces had begun their own "freedom of navigation" missions, sending patrol groups of warships into Confederate space, against the advice of the local commanders who didn't want their few available resources tied up on these missions. But the top brass refused to listen. Their pride had been wounded by the lack of intercepts by the border patrol and wanted payback. However, they were force to admit defeat after the first mission to Kothlis was ambushed by a Bothan naval force which opened fire and destroyed two of the smaller 150 meter Drakes in a matter of moments and forcing the rest of the fleet to withdraw. While this angered the brass even further, the missions were stopped. The border patrols continued with little success.

That was about to change. A Confederate task force came out of hyperspace almost directly on top of Londo Bell.

"Captain, we've got Confederate warships exiting hyperspace!" called out Ranger's sensor officer. "I show four Corellian Corvettes, two Corellian Gunships, one Nebulon-B Escort Frigate, and – oh shit! – one Mon Calamari MC-80b Heavy Cruiser!"

Taggart winced. His Nelsons and Drakes could easily take on the Corvettes and Gunships one on one, and Ranger was more then a match for the Escort Frigate. The problem was that there was no ship in Londo Bell's fighting force that could win against a Mon Calamari Cruiser. None of the patrols did. This was not good. "Are shields and weapons online or are they just cruising along?"

"Confirm shields and weapons online and at full power," the sensor officer replied. "They have not launched fighters or auxiliary craft at this time."

"Very well. All hands, level one battle stations! Signal the task force to raise shields and bring all weapons online. Load forward missile tubes with Tomahawks, aft tubes with Sledge Hammers. Open a channel with that fleet." Throughout the Ranger, the crew ran to their stations. Like most ships in the Earth Forces, Londo Bell had been retrofitted with deflector shield generators to improve survivability and these now activated, surrounding the ships with invisible domes of protective energy. Onboard Ranger, the primary weapons deployed from their retracted positions around the battle ship. 225cm Gottfried high-energy beam cannons, 110cm Valiant linear cannons and 75mm Igelstellung Close In Weapon Systems. The shutter doors on the anti-ship missile launchers opened.

"Sir, your communications channel is ready," the communications officer said.

Taggart picked up his phone. "Confederate task force, this is Captain James Taggart of the Earth Alliance Task Force Londo Bell. You are in direct violation of colonial space. I here by order you to withdraw at once or face the consequences."

"Londo Bell, this is Rear Admiral Kre'fey of the glorious Bothan Confederacy. We are engaged in free travel through New Republic territory. I can not comply with your request. Out." The connection broke.

"Well, he's a real cheeky bastard," Taggart said. "Alright then, we'll do this the hard way. Mobile suit teams only, launch and form a screen. Remember the Rules of Engagement, don't fire unless fired upon. Send a signal to Nav Buoy D-16. Message reads 'Close the net.' And stay alert!"

"Aye aye, sir!" called out the bridge crew.

A team of six GAT-02L2 Dagger Ls shot past the bridge of the Ranger from the Nelson-class Cruiser Paris. In their wake, came the eight GAT-04 Windams from the battleship's own complement. Additional units launched from the other Nelson and from the Drakes, more Dagger Ls, and they formed a loose screen in front of the battle group, leaving plenty of room for the Alliance ships' beam cannons, linear and Vulcan cannons, and missile launchers to shoot through. Everyone was prepared for a standoff.

It was not to be. Two Dagger Ls exploded as they entered the screen. Gunners aboard one of the Corellian Gunships had begun firing on the Earth Forces mobile suits. Their first volley had struck their targets dead on, but that was their only success, as EAF Dagger Ls and Windams flew forward destroyed the quad laser cannons and turbolaser cannons on both gunships in a matter of moments, their beam rifles and carbines piercing the shields of the Confederate vessels with ease. The Bothan warships began to array themselves for battle as Alliance bullets and beam weaponry from the warships began blasting their engines.

The Nebulon-B Frigate opened up with a salvo on the Ranger from its guns. The vessel's laser cannons and turbolasers peppered the shields with crimson light, causing the shields to turn a translucent yellow and begin to shrink slowly. The amount of fire slackened as Ranger's Windams began picking off weapons.

"Gottfrieds and Valiants, fire! Break the back of that frigate. Use the Tomahawks to exploit any gaps in the shields. Begin evasive maneuvers," Taggart ordered. "Send all mobile suits after the Mon Cal, targeting weapons. We've got to keep it at a distance!"

The Archangel-class battleship and the rest of Londo Bell was head on to the Confederate force, while Bothan fleet was line astern. This allowed both sides to concentrate their shield energy to one flank, though the Confederates was force to keep their shields more evened out due to the strafing runs by EAF mobile suits. Ranger was therefore able to bring almost its entire arsenal of weaponry to bear on its target while the frigate could only use the gun turrets in the port arc. Both of the dual beam cannon turrets opened fire on the slender hull connecting the engines of the Nebulon-B to the rest of the ship. The two linear cannons joined in adding to the fury. The shields quickly went opaque then collapsed around aiming point. As this was going on, Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missiles from eight of the Ranger's twelve forward missile tubes were launched. The massive cruise missiles struck the hull of the ship along a fifteen meter section. The first five struck the weakened shields and opened a gap for the remaining three which struck home. The explosions of three 1,000 pound conventional warheads in that small an area shattered hull plating and caused secondary explosions as the atmosphere vented in the damaged areas. The damage however was minimal.

When it came to the smaller thin skinned Corvettes and Gunships however, it was no contest. The Earth Forces ships packed superior firepower, tougher shields, and more accurate gunners. Additionally, attacks by their Dagger Ls knocked out most of their portside weapons before they could fully be brought into play. The 250 meter cruisers Paris, Illustrious, Battleaxe, and Brazen squared off with the four Corellian Corvettes, while the three 130 meter long Drakes engaged the disarmed Gunships. Three enemy vessels were destroyed in just five minutes of battle, while the remaining Confederates were heavily damaged and largely knocked out of the fight.

Through all the carnage came the Mon Calamari Heavy Cruiser Kothlis Warrior. The massive Bothan capital ship cruised through the battle area completely oblivious to the smaller Earth Alliance warships and mobile suits pecking away at it, missiles exploding harmlessly against its shields and beam weapons causing minor damage, while the cruiser's turbolaser batteries laid down a murderous carpet of energy bolts, knocking out four more Dagger Ls and two Windams and crippling the Battleaxe. There just wasn't enough firepower focused on it. The Kothlis Warrior would absorb what Londo Bell could dish out and give it back ten fold.

Out from the depths of hyperspace came two Nebulon-B Frigates, four Corellian Corvettes, six Nelson­-class Cruisers, a pair of Victory-class Star Destroyers, and an Interdictor Cruiser. The masterstroke of Vice Admiral William Cohen, the Alliance had led the Bothans into a trap. While Londo Bell had kept the Confederates busy, a battle group under Cohen's command had made a lightspeed jump when they had received the signal from Captain Taggart at the start of the battle to trap the enemy forces. The gravity well projectors of the Interdictor Cruiser Stellar Web prevented the Bothans, now severely outnumbered and outgunned, from escaping into hyperspace. The tables had clearly turned.

Aboard the Stellar Web, Vice Admiral Cohen now began directing the battle. He was full of himself for how this strategy had worked out. It had been a textbook ambush, and it brought a sinister smile to his face.

"Open a channel to that Bothan trash," Cohen ordered. "And have Londo Bell disengage from the Confederates and pull back. They've done their job."

"Aye, sir," the communications officer called out. "You're online with a wide-spectrum signal."

"Confederate commander, this is Vice Admiral William Cohen of the United Nations Space Command. I order you to surrender at once and prepare to be boarded."

"This is Rear Admiral Kre'fey. I can not comply with your request. Allow my vessels to pass!"

"Kre'fey, this is your final warning. Your forces have initiated an aggressive action against UN forces. Now, you can either surrender immediately or be destroyed. Those are your options."

The Mon Calamari Cruiser's guns let loose at Cohen's task force. Two Nelson-class Cruisers disappeared in an instant.

"Idiots," Cohen said. "Signal the Star Destroyers to launch a full missile barrage on that cruiser. All other ships are to hit the small fries. Let Londo Bell finish the frigate."

The Victory Star Destroyers Emerald Fire and Vigilant let loose first. Each ship possessed eighty concussion missile launchers and these were all aimed squarely at the Kothlis Warrior. A total of 160 concussion missiles hammered the Bothan vessel. Escape pods shot from all over as the mighty capital ship came apart under the barrage. One shuttle was able to slip away unnoticed however. The surviving Corvettes and Gunship were ripped apart by the energy weapons of Cohen's force. Only the frigate remained.

"Ready Lohengrin!" Taggart called out. "Target the engines, leave it dead in space."

From the bottom of the "legs" of the Ranger, the two Lohengrin positron blaster cannons deployed, aimed squarely at the Escort Frigate. They were in a fixed position however, requiring the Ranger to maneuver to get them targeted on the correct position. However, the results were worth the effort. A beam of positrons fired out from the battleship and striking the engine mounting dead on. The antimatter explosion severed the engines from the hull and sending the ship out of control. Out of power for shields and weapons, limited life support, no communications, and surrounded by UN forces, it was done for.

"Cohen to Corvette Night Caller. Deploy your marines to capture the ship. I doubt it's salvageable, but we might be able to gain some valuable intel." The admiral ordered and turned to Stellar Web's commander. "Captain Gonzales, you're clear to shut down your G-Wells."

"This is Night Caller. We're heading in now."

"Gravity well projectors are offline, Admiral," Gonzales said.

"Very well then," Cohen said sneering. "Contact headquarters and prepare to relay the battle data after I make my report." With that, he walked off the bridge.

Engines, IFF beacon, and lights shut down and drifting in an uncontrollable spin, a single craft remained under control of the Bothan Confederacy. It was a Lambda-class Shuttle that had escaped from the Kothlis Warrior the instant it was crushed by the Earth Forces. Aboard were Rear Admiral Kre'fey and the senior battle commanders. They all wore predatory grins for even though this would go down in history as a loss for the Confederacy, they had completed the mission given to them.

Waiting until the entire United Nations force, both Londo Bell and Cohen's task force, had jumped, Kre'fey encoded an encrypted communication and transmitted it out to his homeworld before having the shuttle jump into hyperspace.

The message was a simple one. Contained in it was the battle data and a short verbal message from Kre'fey. He said, "Phase One complete. Commence Phase Two."