Chapter 6

November 4th, 2241: Epsilon Eridani system, EAS Nelson, Earth Force flagship

One hundred standard years ago, no major power had heard of the planet Earth (or Terra as it was sometimes known). Sitting way out on her spiral arm, nearly on the Outer Rim, her civilization has only recently stepped out onto the larger galactic stage. When the distant Minbari were fighting the Ancient Enemy under their great leader Valen, the people of Earth (sometimes called Terrans) were still convinced their world was flat. When the Centauri took their dreams of empire to the stars and conquered much of the known galaxy, the people of Earth were still fighting nation against nation with wooden sailing ships. When the Narn threw off their chains, the people of Earth had not even left their own solar system. None of the major powers were aware of the existence of the small blue world, nearly on the Outer Rim. It seemed only the enigmatic Vree had had any sort of contact with Earth, and that unknown by the Terrans themselves. None were aware of Earth and her quiet, hard working people, and none knew how they would change the face of the galaxy.

They were 'discovered' by the Centauri, and lucky for them the Republic was retreating to lick its wounds from the Narn Uprising. The Centauri found the people of Earth delightful, their customs quaint, their serious industriousness admirable, their fractious ways charming. To quote one Centauri ambassador, "The people of Earth had art, and trinkets, and eccentricity to spare." To the jaded and decadent Centauri, the people of Earth were refreshing in their naïveté'. Like kindly old grandsires, the Centauri took Earth under their wing. They gave them jump gate technology, medical advancements, cast-off weapons, whole shiploads of interesting technological toys for the scientists of Earth to consume. For nearly two decades, everywhere the Centauri went, whether it was a diplomatic function, a trading session, or simply a party, they dragged along some Earth functionary or another. Many Centauri House Lords fostered officer exchange programs with Earth Force to teach them the niceties of how to make war among the stars. The Centauri introduced the Earth to the galaxy at large, showing them off and treating them like favorite grandchildren, even intimating they were related to the Centauri. And like favorite grandchildren, the Terrans saw and learned far more of the Centauri and the galaxy than even the Centauri themselves were aware.

Earth quietly grew and prospered, slowly expanding her influence. She treated and traded with her neighbors with nothing more than an easily resolved border dispute with the Narn to briefly cloud their horizon. The Earth Alliance just bustled onward, a minor player in the galaxy, their Centauri patronage notwithstanding. But all of that changed with the Dilgar War.

When the Dilgar leapt out into the galaxy, their swords dripping with the lifeblood of innocent billions, none of the major powers took a stand. They felt it was a conflict between the Dilgar and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, and best not to get involved. Only the Earth Alliance stood with the League against the Dilgar. They rose to the defense of the Markab, and with that one fateful action started the downfall of the Dilgar conquest and the rise of the Earth Alliance as a major power. In just a little more than a standard year they had almost single-handedly pushed the Dilgar back to their home system of Omelos and liberated the League homeworlds. Though others might wish to disagree, in reality nearly the entire League owes its freedom to the Earth. The Hyach, Abbai, Cascor, Balsoians, Gaim, Markab, Hurr, and Brakiri would most likely all be extinct were it not for the people of Earth. Though it speaks to their character that they aided those that could not do for themselves, it speaks more to their character that they did not extort the ravaged League, or set themselves up in place of the Dilgar as overlords.

It was memories of the Dilgar War that occupied the thoughts of Admiral Patrick Doyle. His flagship, the Nelson, was holding station in the Epsilon Eridani system. He watched the slow turning of the planet below as nearby, engineers rebuilt the destroyed jump gate. He sipped his ersatz coffee through the straw of his Admiral's cup, specially designed for low gravity. He glanced at the mug emblazoned with the Earth Force symbol with two stars beneath it, and again wished Earth's scientists could produce a stable full gravity field on a starship.

The Nelson slowly drifted with her escorts, the incomplete jump gate off to the port side. Admiral Doyle seemed to be watching the Explorer-class ship helping with the construction, but in reality he was momentarily lost in his memories of the Dilgar War. Men and women he knew, now lost. The early battles when the Dilgar's pride made them vulnerable. The bittersweet victory at Balos where nearly a third of Earth Force was lost. Balos was deemed a victory in that Warmaster Jha'dur had been slain. Even though her brilliant dark genius was absent for the final battle at Omelos, it had been a very near thing. He was certain the destruction of the Dilgar jumpgates and hyperspace beacons was her idea, even if it was only her spirit advising the remains of the Dilgar. The final assault at Omelos, watching helpless as Supreme Warmaster Gar'shan rammed the Hannibal.

Admiral Doyle restrained his sigh as he returned to the present and the current Narn-Centauri war. Clearly nine years of peace were more than enough for some. He glanced up at his Flag Captain who was just finishing buckling herself into a chair. Even here in the Admiral's ready room there was only a micro-gravity of 0.2 standard. The only place on the entire Nova-class dreadnought that had even half of normal gravity was right down the center of the ship. A rotating tube gave some small gravity for the crew's sleeping quarters, and the surgeon's medical labs. It was far too small an area to waste for frivolities, even one as important as the Admiral's comfort.

His Flag Captain was finally seated and sipping from a cup similar to Admiral Doyle's, though beneath the Earth Force symbol was "EAS Nelson-DN88" rather than stars. He caught a brief whiff of real coffee and...chicory as she sipped. "Did you get a package from home Donna?" he asked.

Captain Donna Peyroux looked at him and arched one finely shaped brunette eyebrow. She finished her swallow with a contented sigh and said, "Yes sir, I most certainly did."

Admiral Doyle had known Donna Peyroux for nearly twenty years, and had a good idea of who sent the gift. "Your grandfather?" he asked.

She smiled at him saying, "Why yes, Grandpap sent me five pounds of coffee for my birthday."

Admiral Doyle shook his head slightly in admiration and wonder. To send such a heavy package out here to Epsilon Eridani was expensive. But then again, Donna's family was old Southern money.

A look of undisguised longing came over the Admiral's face as he asked, "What kind?"

"French Market, of course," she replied. Her syrupy New Orleans accent drew the 'market' out into 'mahwket'. The eyebrow arched up again as she asked, "Would you like a cup sir?"

Admiral Doyle almost licked his lips, and then sighed. His cup of ersatz coffee (or what could only even remotely be referred to as coffee) needed to be his last for the day. These days too much of even the ersatz gave him headaches, and his doctors had been warning him to cut back in the last few months. To add real coffee to his diet today would be too much. He ruefully shook his head and said, "No thank-you Captain, I really shouldn't. Doctor's orders." He mused for a moment then added, "Though if the smell is any indication, it might be worth a stroke."

She chuckled saying, "Perhaps tomorrow sir."

Admiral Doyle waited a beat longer then said, "Captain, I want you to read this." He flipped a data recorder towards her. Captain Donna Peyroux, deft at low gravity maneuvers, snatched the recorder out of the air as it floated to her. She quickly skimmed the information as Admiral Doyle watched her reactions.

Her eyes widened, then looked up to the Admiral, "Are we sure this is accurate sir?"

He nodded. "I have been assured it is accurate to within five percent."

She shook her head, her regulation-length bob swirling in the low gravity. "This is impressive sir. The Narns loosing that many fleet assets at Kotac will change the course of the war, perhaps end it."

"Flip to the Intelligence assessment at the end of the report," he said. He watched her again as she read the attached Intelligence report.

She quietly whistled saying, "So that's why so much got destroyed at Kotac. It was a secret supply depot." She pursed her lips in thought, and then shifted them to a wry smile. "Your ah...friend Lord Roglark certainly has been busy."

"I'm not sure we should necessarily call him my 'friend' Donna," Admiral Doyle replied. "Acquaintance maybe?"

The brunette eyebrow went up again, "Did he send a message and gift for your last birthday?" Admiral Doyle nodded, thinking of the antique bottle of blackstrap rum Roglark had sent. It was sitting in his quarters right now. Captain Peyroux continued, "Does he call you 'Admiral' or 'Patrick?"

He sighed, "Patrick."

"What are his wive's names?" she asked.

"Chantra and Glaianna," he replied. She 'hmphed' and sat back sipping her coffee, her smile that of a contented cat. He threw up his hands and said, "All right, all right, so he is my friend."

"So will your friend continue to push the issue over Ardun?" she asked.

Admiral Doyle though for a moment then said, "Yes, unless the Emperor orders him to withdraw."

"That's right next door Pat," she said. "The Narn and Centauri conflict could engulf us here." She paused before continuing, "And its not like they haven't done it to us before."

Admiral Doyle nodded saying, "I know." He remembered the battle here from only a few weeks ago, before the Massacre at Quadrant 17. A Centauri squadron had jumped insystem, claiming to be looking for Narn warships. The captain of the battlecruiser had been pleasant enough, chit-chatting with the Earth Force commander on site. All of that changed with the arrival of a Narn squadron. Both had launched fighters, with the Earth Force commander ordering them to stand down. He had swung his Orestes-class battleship into the fray trying to protect several neutral ships waiting to use the jumpgate, but he was barely able to get the belligerent's attention. Shots were fired, starting with the Centauri fighter pilots. Things were rapidly getting out of hand when Admiral Doyle had arrived with the Nelson and several escorts. He ordered both the Narn and Centauri to stand down. To the Centauri's credit, they did just that, but not so the Narn. They used the opportunity to obliterate a Centauri destroyer, forcing the Centauri back into the fight. The Narn beat a hasty retreat, claiming victory as the Centauri tried to chase them down. The Earth Force tried to head them both off, but they jumped away into hyperspace.

During the fighting, another small freighter had used the jumpgate to arrive, despite the warnings broadcast by the Earth Force defenders. It hove to, watching the battle. Once the battle was over, Admiral Doyle had given the 'all clear' signal for the civilians to return. Then the unthinkable had happened: the just-arrived freighter exploded, centered inside the arms of the jumpgate. The force of the explosion touched off the Quantium 40 alloy of the jumpgate and completely destroyed it.

Absolutely no one, not even the Dilgar in the depths of their desperation near the end of the war had destroyed someone else's jumpgate (though they had happily destroyed their own). It was a crime against all sentient beings, and one that was unforgivable. Only terrorists even threatened to blow up jumpgates.

"From what I know of Lord Roglark," Admiral Doyle continued, "I don't think he would purposefully come here without orders from Emperor Turhan. He respects the Earth Alliance too much to bushwhack us." He paused before continuing, "Now some other 'feeling frisky' House Lord however..."

"And the Narns?" she queried.

Admiral Doyle blew out his breath forcefully through his lips. "Who was in charge on their front?"

Captain Peyroux checked for the information on the hand held display. "Citizen Malroth." She looked up at the Admiral and said, "Who the hell is he?"

Admiral Doyle thought for a moment then said, "Well I know Malroth is a member of the Kha'Ri, the Fifth Circle if I recall correctly." Admiral Doyle paused as he tried to remember, "He answers to Warleader G'Sten I think. He sometimes carries the rank of Warcaptain I think. He was born before The Uprising and was one of their freedom fighters." Nearly the entire Narn government, as well as all of the senior military officers were former freedom fighters.

"I'm not so sure being a resistance leader qualifies you for theater command," Captain Peyroux observed.

"Time will tell for Malroth I suppose," Admiral Doyle said. "They have pulled out all the stops to make their War College something worthy of the name." He paused then continued, "And they did pretty good against the Centauri in The Uprising."

Captain Peyroux snorted saying, "That war was the Centauri's to lose rather than the Narn's to win."

"True," he agreed.

The bloody conflict had lasted nearly two years. The Narn had risen up and thrown off the chains the Centauri had made for them. In the end, the Centauri had abandoned all of their colonies in Narn space, retreating back to Quadrant 17 coreward, and Quadrant 1 rimward. In the intervening years, the Narn had scooped up most of the abandoned Centauri worlds, pushing all of the way to what was now called the Buffer Zone. They had also conquered several pre-spaceflight cultures in their own backyard.

The Narn had skirmished off and on with the Centauri for the Buffer Zone ever since. But apparently the rules had now changed, as the Narn had escalated the conflict by destroying the Centauri colony at Quadrant 17. And now Lord Roglark, his friend, had destroyed the Narn colony and fleet supply depot at Kotac, deep behind the lines.

Admiral Doyle sat thinking. Captain Peyroux, very familiar with his style of command, waited silently until he spoke. "Donna, " he said, bringing out a data crystal from his desk, "I have here some new fleet orders: new assignments, new training, new deployments and rotations." He flicked the crystal out to Captain Peyroux. She caught the data crystal as Admiral Doyle continued, "Make sure we get these implemented as soon as possible, I want us to be ready no matter who comes calling." Donna Peyroux filled the old role of 'Captain of the Fleet' as well as Flag Captain.

She inserted the data crystal into the reader and skimmed the orders. Admiral Doyle saw her eyebrow raise again as she read them. "This is pretty aggressive Pat," she said quietly.

Admiral Doyle nodded. "Either possible enemies are aggressive. Both respect strength," he paused then continued, "and if either one smell any blood in the water..." He left the remainder unsaid. Both officers knew that the Narn would jump on any weakness, and the Centauri were predators, pure and simple. "Any questions?" he asked.

She scanned the data and said, "What about the Stanton?"

"What's wrong with the Stanton?" he asked.

"She's still having problems with the engine they installed at the Belt shipyards," she said. "Stanton's Chief Engineer can't get it calibrated properly. Commander Balinov requested to return there for proper calibration this morning."

Admiral Doyle sighed, something he would never do unless in the privacy of his own ready room. "All right," he said. "Rotate Stanton back to the Belt shipyards immediately." He shook his head and said, "I'll get on the horn for a replacement from Central Command. Any other problems?"

She looked up from the reader and said, "No sir, not at this time."

A ghost of a grin stole over Admiral Doyle's face as he intoned an ancient phrase, "You have received my orders from me personally, ignore them at your peril."

Captain Peyroux gave him a stunning smile as she snapped a crisp old-style British salute, "Aye-aye sir. I understand these orders and will follow them." She dropped her voice conspiratorially and said, "I certainly wouldn't want to be flogged around the fleet."

The quip drew a chuckle from Admiral Doyle as he said, "Dismissed." Captain Peyroux unbuckled herself from the chair, clipping the data reader to her belt as she forced herself to drift from the room.

Admiral Doyle leaned forward, elbows on his desk, laced fingers holding up his chin. He called up the Intelligence file on Lord Jentavus Roglark. He had no need to read the information, he knew the man well enough. He sat staring at the file pictures, trying to guess the plans behind the eyes. "Where will you go next Jentavus? Ardun? Quadrant 37? Here?" He sat thinking for a while, then shook off his misgivings and tried to catch up on his paperwork.

Admiral Doyle made a valiant effort on his paperwork, but he still found himself staring out of the armored viewport. An Explorer-class ship was helping to replace the destroyed jumpgate. Explorer-class ships were rare, with no more than six in the entire Earth Force. They usually spent their time on year-long missions into the unknown, cataloguing systems, searching for other alien civilizations, and continuing to map and expand the ancient jumpgate network. This particular Explorer ship, Miskatonic, had been diverted from exploration in the Outer Rim to help replace the jumpgate.

The Nelson had cleared the planet of Epsilon Eridani. Though this finally put the jumpgate reconstruction out of Admiral Doyle's view, it brought in something new: a long skeletal-armed structure, the beginnings of a large space station. Larger that the Orion battle stations from the Dilgar War, he was impressed at how quickly the superstructure had gone up. Even though many of the pieces were prefabricated and shipped whole, what had already been assembled was astonishing. Once completed it would hopefully prevent any further curb on shipping and commerce through this system, the current Narn-Centauri war notwithstanding. Admiral Doyle spent one last admiring moment staring out of the view port, and then got back to his paperwork.

He wasn't working long when Captain Peyroux's voice came over the comms, "Admiral, we have a Centauri convoy asking permission to jump in."

"Did they say why Captain?" Admiral Doyle asked.

"The commander of the escorts says one of the freighters had a total failure with its navigational computer," she said. Admiral Doyle could almost hear the shrug as she said, "They need to drop into realspace to replace the burned out system, reboot, and recalibrate before going back into hyperspace."

"A perfectly logical and reasonable request," thought Admiral Doyle. "How convenient." It was part of every standard treaty of navigation that any aid that could be rendered for ships damaged in hyperspace should be rendered. It was a slow death sentence to be lost in hyperspace, drifting off course until the food, water, power and air ran out, never to return to realspace. It was a common enough fear that nearly every empire or government gave consideration to ships needing repairs, even those of enemies.

In the past, the Dilgar were the only exception to this. They were too proud to ever ask for aid, and after the war began no species would ask the Dilgar: the fate of anyone in such a vulnerable position to the Dilgar was often a fate worse than death. At present, the sole exception to this common decency was between the Narn and Centauri. Though the Narn were happy to aid any other race, the Narn gave no aid to Centauri ships because the Centauri would never ask. The same could be said of the Centauri: they would help any others except the Narn because the Narn never ask. Admiral Doyle began unbuckling himself from his chair as he said, "Tell them to wait Captain, I'm on my way to the bridge."

Admiral Doyle, using hand-holds along the way, drifted out of his ready room to the bridge of the dreadnought. "Admiral on the bridge!" shouted the navigator. Every crewman and officer saluted Admiral Doyle as he made his way to the Admiral's Chair. He was glad this variant of the Nova-class dreadnought had been formally converted to a flagship. It made things so much simpler when the flag officer did not have to eject the captain so he could get a command chair.

Admiral Doyle buckled himself into the Admiral's Chair and said, "Comms."

The Comms Officer replied, "Aye sir!"

"Mr. Sterling, patch through the Centauri escort commander," he said.

Admiral Doyle waited until Comms Officer Sterling nodded and said, "Centauri commander patched through sir."

Admiral Doyle inhaled deeply before saying, "Centauri commander, I am Rear Admiral Patrick Doyle, Earth Force, Fourth Fleet commanding. How may we be of assistance?"

A Centauri male appeared on a screen near Admiral Doyle's chair. "Ah, Admiral Doyle, a pleasure to meet you!" he said. His smile was wide, showing his pointed incisors. "I am Ante-Commander Brentavo Epheros Maxilo, EnNa-House of Roglark," he said with a short bow. "I am in command of this convoy bound for Quadrant 1." His face changed to a more serious expression. "I am afraid that one of my flock has crashed its navigation computer, and we must drop out of hyperspace to make repairs."

He waited while Admiral Doyle stared at the screen, studying the Ante-Commander. "EnNa-House Of Roglark?" Admiral Doyle dredged up the meaning of that particular quantifier for Centauri titles: he was related directly to House Roglark by marriage. "Probably his first wife, Chantra."

As Admiral Doyle continued to coolly stare at the screen, the Centauri realized he would have to make the first move. Smiling again he said, "I would be most appreciative if you would give us permission into the Epsilon Eridani system to make repairs Admiral. I do not trust my damaged freighter to follow properly without its navigation computer, and taking her in tow will slow us down too much." Ante-Commander Maxilo grasped the braided lapels of his Roglark-blue uniform jacket and said, "You will grant this, yes?"

Admiral Doyle mentally sighed, knowing he could not refuse the request, no matter how false it seemed. He smiled to the screen as a flash of an idea came to him. "Ante-Commander, of course you may enter the system to make repairs." He paused then added, "Please vector to these coordinates for your jump." Admiral Doyle punched up the coordinates and sent them to the waiting Centauri thinking, "That should keep them far enough away from the gate and the base." He watched as the Centauri Ante-Commander received and read the coordinates.

Ante-Commander Maxilo could not keep his disappointment from showing. "So far from your repair facilities Admiral?" His expression changed to a humorous smile as he said, "I assure you Admiral, we have all bathed this trip."

"You misunderstand Ante-Commander," Admiral Doyle said. "It is for the protection of your ships. We have a great deal of construction going on near the gate, and to be frank, with one of your ships without proper navigation computers, I wish to avoid any sort of accident." He paused to let the Centauri digest that before continuing, "However, please allow me to make available to you some of our engineers to help you make your repairs. I am certain it will go quicker with help." "Let's see how he takes that."

If anything, the Centauri's smile grew wider as he said, "That is most gracious of you Admiral! We would welcome any assistance your talented engineers could give." He bobbed his head in a short bow, then broke the connection. Admiral Doyle looked up at Captain Peyroux who had floated over during the conversation.

She quietly said, "Pretty quick to agree to letting us on their ship, almost like he expected it."

A scintillating jump point opened in the distance, far beyond the planet at the designated coordinates. Through it flewtwo aggressive looking Vorchans and Maxilo's fan-winged scout, followed by fourteen freighters. The tag end of the convoy followed, consisting of two more Vorchans and another scout. "Kind of heavy for escort duty," Captain Peyroux observed.

Admiral Doyle shrugged saying, "Well there is a war on."

The Centauri ships took up station in a defensive formation. Captain Peyroux said, "Comms, send to Miskatonic Engineering: prepare a team and render assistance to the Centauri vessels." Within minutes a shuttle loaded with engineers from the Miskatonic streaked past the Nelson on its way to the Centauri convoy.

Nearly an hour passed as the Earth Force engineers assisted their Centauri counterparts. The Earth Force chief engineer transmitted that the task was done and they were returning to the Miskatonic. He had reported during the repairs that the navigation computer was certainly crashed, and that only a full replacement could have fixed the problem as being a civilian ship, it had no redundant computer.

The Centauri warships accompanying the freighters had been very respectful, staying with the freighters as requested. The scouts had not even done a tight-focus scan of the area, much to Admiral Doyle's relief. They had only done passive scans. The less the Centauri knew about the current situation here the better. It was still hard to shake the feeling that the Centauri were watching them though. Admiral Doyle chalked up his misgivings to the fact that both the Vorchan warships and Corvan-class scouts had their hull designs based on predatory birds.

The repairs and recalibrations complete the Centauri prepared to leave. "Centauri Ante-Commander Maxilo is hailing us sir," Comms Officer Sterling said.

Captain Peyroux glanced over to Admiral Doyle who nodded. "Patch him through," she ordered.

The face of Ante-Commander Maxilo appeared on Admiral Doyle's screen again. He smiled and bowed from the waist then said, "My deepest thanks to you Admiral Doyle, and our good friends from Earth. Your engineers were most proficient."

Admiral Doyle inclined his head and said, "No thanks are necessary Ante-Commander, it was only common decency to give you whatever help we could."

Ante-Commander Maxilo raised an eyebrow and said, "These days Admiral, decency is not so nearly common as it once was. I again thank you as we make our farewell." As Maxilo's scout opened a jump point to hyperspace, and the convoy began to leave, he paused as if to consider something and said, "Perhaps I could make a gift to you Admiral, when next I pass here." His face filled the screen as he moved closer to the camera. He whispered conspiratorially, "My Lord, my EnNa-cousin, told me you appreciate a liquor called 'spiced rum'. This is so?"

"So, Jentavus Roglark is his cousin by marriage," Admiral Doyle thought."I do," he said slowly.

Maxilo smiled and said, "Then perhaps I shall bring you some, in thanks, when next I come this way."

All of the Centauri ships had passed into hyperspace except Ante-Commander Maxilo's scout. Just as it was about to pass the event horizon of the jump point, a massive spike of energy came off the scout. The bridge erupted in shouted orders as Comms Officer Sterling said, "Sir we are being tight-focus scanned!" Admiral Doyle shook his head as they watched the jump point close, the Centauri gone. The tight-focus active scan had given the Centauri all of the information they needed about the Earth Force disposition here.

"Well," thought Admiral Doyle, "I guess Jentavus came here next."

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