Into The Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and universes that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement - sadly all Robotech and Babylon Five characters remain the property of Harmony Gold, Babylon Productions Inc and Warner Brothers respectively - I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs - also known as lawyers - firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give to anyone.
Chapter Four
Minbari War Cruiser Agiati
Sometime Later
Sitting in his command chair on the bridge of the Agiati Alyt Rastenn observed the holographic display at the front of the bridge as several jump points formed near his small fleet. Emerging from the glowing blue vortices were the reinforcements that Branmer had dispatched to assist in the attack on the human military base. Led by the flagship of Shai Alyt Sineval the reinforcements consisted of a single Shagotti-class battlecruiser, twenty Sharlin-class war cruisers and forty two Tinashi-class war frigates. A truly formidable force more than powerful enough to eliminate the base that they'd found, especially when combined with his own four ship fleet.
"Incoming message from the Trigati," his first officer reported from the workstation to his right even as it emitted a crystalline sounding trill.
"Put it through," Rastenn ordered.
Immediately the holographic field at the front of the bridge activated and stabilised bringing in a larger than life image of the face and upper torso - clad in the more elaborate uniform of his rank - of Shai Alyt Sineval one of the most senior commanders in the entire Minbari fleet. Sineval was clearly standing in the tactical centre of the Trigati as opposed to being on the bridge as behind him he could see nothing but a dark room, with his second Durann standing in the background. Which was understandable as he would be able to better coordinate the movements and actions of his force's from there than from the bridge which was no doubt under the control of his first officer Alyt Kalain.
"Greetings Alyt Rastenn," Sineval said with a smile. "Shai Alyt Branmer informs me that you have located a human military base."
"Yes Shai Alyt we have," Rastenn replied. "Analysis of data from our probes indicate that the base is located above the third planet of the system the Earthers refer to as Altair. I sent in a scout ship to learn more about the base and the strength and disposition of its defensive forces."
Sineval nodded as that made sense, while the humans were not much of an obstacle even they, like any cornered animal, could be dangerous at times. "Have they reported back?"
"Unfortunately shortly after they arrived we received an abortive distress call from them," Rastenn replied, "they indicated that they were under heavy enemy attack. The transmission terminated abruptly at that point so I have to assume that they have unfortunately been destroyed."
Sineval scowled knowing that was not the best of news, though it was not entirely unexpected. The ships they were using as scout vessels were normally light border patrol and law enforcement ships armed primarily with pulsed fusion cannons and a light neutron cannon. Their armour was thinner and their stealth systems considerably less powerful than the systems used on the mainstay warships of the Minbari Federation. Thus it wasn't impossible for powerful enough human sensors - such as those on one of their military bases or one of their dreadnoughts - to burn through the stealth and vector either fighters or full on warships onto the craft. Which would quickly lead to the craft's destruction as while less advanced than their own the Minbari had already learned the hard way that Earther weapons were nothing to sneer at when it came to firepower. Certainly they could easily destroy a mere scout ship, especially given the extensive damage even a handful of hits could inflict on their war cruisers.
"I see," he said after a moment of silence. "That is not the best of news, but the humans will pay for the deaths of our brothers and sisters on the scout ship."
"That they will," Rastenn agreed with the grim smile of a warrior who soon expected to exact vengeance on his enemy. He had known the scout ships crew well, most of them were from his clan after all, and their deaths hurt though they had all known the risks that came with crewing such a light vessel on a mission as dangerous as scouting enemy positions.
"Move your ships into formation with mine," Sineval ordered. "Once our jump engines have completed their recharge cycle we will travel to this human base and destroy it. For our lost brothers and sisters and most importantly for Dukhat."
"For Dukhat," Rastenn and his entire bridge crew repeated all of them once again feeling the rage and hatred that had spread like wildfire through the Minbari people when the news of Dukhat's murder had broken. A crime against the heart and soul of their people that would be avenged - with the annihilation of the race who had dared to strike against their betters.
Sineval nodded at their response and closed the connection from his end. The holographic field shimmered and dissipated.
"Navigation move us into standard combat formation with the Shai Alyt's forces," Rastenn ordered.
"Yes alyt," one of the navigators replied from the dual pod-like workstations at the front of the bridge where the navigators sat and directed the ship wherever they were bid to go. Rastenn leaned back in his command chair as a faint vibration in the deck beneath him let him know that the Agiati's gravitic engines had started up and the cruiser was beginning to manoeuvre to join the fleet. A fleet that would within half an hour at the most be unleashed upon the human military base…
…he was looking forward to it.
SDF-1
A Short Time Later
Standing before the bridge viewports Captain Henry Gloval observed the military base over Altair III as the SDF-1 moved towards it. It was certainly an impressive structure as the station was clearly inspired by the hypothetical space habitat called a Von Braun wheel, being wheel shaped, connecting to a cylindrical central hub via a series of spokes making it look somewhat like a bicycle wheel. The station rotated at a constant pace, providing artificial gravity through centrifugal force unlike their own station's back home which had true artificial gravity as that had been one of the first systems they'd successfully reverse engineered from the SDF-1 after she first fell from the sky and crashed on Macross Island.
A series of satellites were placed around it, each at least a hundred metres in diameter, which their sensors confirmed were armed with a mixture of lasers, missiles and heavy plasma cannons. While impressive, their sensor analysis showed that they would be inferior in performance to the defence satellites that the UEDF was developing to deploy around Earth as a supplement to the Grand Cannons. But then these people have had to develop almost all their technology on their own, he thought, they haven't had a giant hyper advanced alien battleship conveniently fall out of the sky on their planet to reverse engineer technology from. Without that advantage it's impressive how far they've come even if their ships lack some of the things we take for granted like artificial gravity. Mixed in amongst the defence satellites were a number of smaller objects - each about fifty metres across - that their sensors confirmed were self-guiding orbital mines each armed with a two hundred megaton fusion warhead.
Through the viewports he could also see a number of skeletal structures in orbit of Altair III, which were clearly ship construction/repair slips, along with more defence platforms and another - more lightly built - wheel shaped space station. Below on the surface he could see red lights outlining the tops of the domes that covered the mining colonies on the airless world below. I wonder what they're mining here, he thought, it has to be important to justify the expenses involved in setting up and running a colony on a giant airless rock like Altair Three. He made a mental note to ask General Bradshaw the next time they spoke in person…
…if they ever actually spoke again.
The reason that they might not was the same reason why the space around the planet and the military base was doing a very good impression of a hive of angry bees. Fighters were everywhere, launching from various locations and moving up into formation as were numerous warships from small corvettes - though small was a relative term as the EA corvettes were the same size as a Armour-class cruiser, though there power signatures were naturally much lower being even lower than an Oberth-class destroyers - to the massive fifteen hundred metre long dreadnoughts. The reason for the sudden turmoil was simple.
The Minbari were coming.
"Sir we're being hailed by the Minerva," Claudia reported, "General Bradshaw is requesting to speak with you as a matter of urgency."
Gloval raised an eyebrow wondering what the other man wanted. "Put him through," he said, moving back towards the centre of the bridge where he would be in easy range of the camera pickups. He looked up at one of the monitors as it washed with static before pulling in an image of the other man. He was immediately struck by the serious concerned expression on Bradshaw's face.
"Captain Gloval, it's good you responded so quickly. I'm afraid that I have some disturbing news," Bradshaw said in greeting, the fact that he hadn't bothered with too much in the way of pleasantries communicating quite clearly how serious what he had say was.
"That's alright whatever is the matter," Gloval asked. "Is it the Minbari?"
Bradshaw nodded. "Our hyperspace probes have detected a large Minbari fleet moving in on us," he replied, "at their current speed they will reach this system within fifteen minutes. I have called for reinforcements but the closest group won't be here for another twenty minutes. They'll jump in just in time to be slaughtered by the boneheads."
"No they won't," Gloval answered, having already determined that he would help protect these people from the Minbari. While it was an EarthForce ship that had started this, the Minbari were also at fault for escalating the conflict to the level they had. Planning the genocide of an entire race for the death of a single individual was as extreme an overreaction as anything he had ever heard of.
Bradshaw blinked. "What do you mean," he asked.
"As you are aware this ships sensors can see through the Minbari stealth technology, our Cat's Eye recon planes have the same gravitic sensor technology that we do though the range is obviously shorter," Gloval explained. "With your permission we will join your fleet, I can then spread my Cat's Eyes through your fleet and you can link your fire control systems to their sensors allowing…"
"...allowing us to see and actually hit the Minbari for once," Bradshaw finished sounding hopeful all of a sudden. "Permission granted. How many of these Cat's Eye recon craft do you have available?"
"Thirty-five," Gloval replied immediately. "I can have Lisa work out a deployment pattern for your entire fleet. In the meantime, how many Minbari ships are inbound?"
"Sixty-eight. They're going to have us outnumbered nearly two to one."
Gloval smiled somewhat evilly at that. He knew precisely how to even the odds. "I believe we can help there as well," he said, "allow us to take the first shot of the battle."
Bradshaw blinked. "We can do that! But what good will that do?"
"Trust me it will let us inflict a devastating first strike upon the Minbari fleet."
The distant EarthForce general frowned and looked thoughtful. "Normally I would ask you to provide me with a lot more detail than that," he said after a few moments of silent contemplation. "But given how we are pressed for time, and having seen the power level of your secondary turrets, I will allow you to make the first shot. Though Captain Gloval if we survive this I'm going to want to learn a hell of a lot more about your ship."
"I am sure that can be arranged," Gloval replied having already guessed that that would be the price of allowing them to help in the coming battle with the Minbari. Especially as he didn't intend to hold back against those who would commit genocide over the death of a single individual. It was a massive overreaction if ever there was one, no individual - no matter how loved or important - was worth the extermination of an entire people. Something that he intended to display to the Minbari by unleashing the full power of this ship upon them.
"I look forward to it," Bradshaw replied. "I will have our IFF codes transmitted to you along with a suitable place in our formation. Is there anything special you need us to bear in mind for when you fire your main gun?"
"Just keep all your fighters and ships well clear of our forward arc," Gloval answered.
"Understood. May fortune shine upon us, Bradshaw out."
The communication link closed down as the EarthForce general broke the connection from his end. The screen changed back to showing ship status information. "Alright everyone let's begin preparing this ship for combat," Gloval said as he moved back to his command chair and sat down. "Lisa, prepare to scramble all our veritech's and Cat's Eye recon craft, make sure all the veritech's are fully outfitted for anti-ship strikes. Claudia, prepare all of our weapons systems, especially the reflex cannon for firing. Sammie, Kim make sure all systems are fully operational and that the civilians were carrying are all in the safest possible areas of the ship without compromising operational efficiency."
"Aye sir," everyone acknowledged.
"Sir we're receiving IFF codes from the Minerva," Claudia reported, "we're also receiving position information. We're to take up a position between the Minerva and the Amun."
"Acknowledge them Claudia and pass the IFF codes to all stations and small craft."
"Aye sir."
Minbari War Cruiser Trigati
Fifteen Minutes Later
Standing in the tactical centre of his flagship Shai Alyt Sineval observed as the holographic field descended all around him before stabilising making it appear as though he was standing in space. All around him, backdropped against the ever shifting red-on-black clouds of hyperspace, was the majestic sight of a Minbari war fleet assembled into battle formation ready to jump into normal space and once more deliver the hammer blows of Minbari justice on those who had dared to strike at the Grey Council and take Dukhat away from them. Squadrons of Niall fighters had been deployed ready to engage the human fighter craft that would no doubt attempt - and fail - to carry out attack runs on his fleet.
"Shai Alyt all ships report that they are in position and ready to jump," Alyt Durann reported from behind him. It is a pity that the destruction of our scoutship means that we won't be able to execute our normal jump emergence attack tactic. It would make this so much easier, Sineval thought, though he was aware that the successful utilisation of that tactic was happening less and less. The humans were growing wise to that tactic and didn't fall for their ruses quite so often now, not to mention many of their major military bases now routinely broadcast a vortex frequency jamming field; making it almost impossible for them to open jump points close enough to the base and any defending ships to inflict meaningful damage. It was quite vexing and most of the warrior caste had absolutely no idea where the humans had acquired the technology to do that, he however, like other senior members of the wind swords clan, knew from a certain guest of theirs that the technology was Dilgar in origin.
He mentally shook off his thoughts. "Very good," he said before speaking louder so the fleet comm pickups would hear his voice. "Shai Alyt Sineval to all ships jump into normal space on my mark… jump"
The response to his orders was immediate as jump vortices formed in front of every cruiser and frigate in the fleet. Sineval turned his full attention forward to the vortex that formed in front of his own ship. With only the faintest of jolts, that the worker caste shipwrights were never quite able to eliminate though certainly not for lack of trying, the Trigati crossed the threshold between hyperspace and normal space. The red-on-black background momentarily gave way to the blue ethereal energies of an incoming hyperspace vortex before then to the star and nebula studded darkness of normal space.
Ahead of the fleet was the human military base, quite a sizable one he noted with a number of repair and refit docks nearby, surrounded by a defensive field of weapons platforms and self-guiding fusion mines. Between the base and its fixed defences was a fleet of thirty-three human warships.
He immediately noticed a number of differences with this fleet. Thirty-two of the ships were the expected mix of corvettes, frigates, cruisers and dreadnoughts - all of designs that they had seen, and effortlessly killed, numerous times before since this war had begun - but one was different. It was more compact being larger than the cruisers but smaller than the dreadnoughts though still somewhat blocky and angular in the way human ships were. It was also like the cruisers painted blue and white. A new prototype perhaps?
Arrayed around the fleet were the expected x-shaped human fighters - which had legitimately earned the respect of many a Niall pilot as Sineval would admit that though the design was simple the human Starfury was an incredibly impressive fighter for any of the younger races and one that could outmanoeuvre a Niall something even the Centaur Sentri couldn't do - but mixed in with them in their own squadron-strength formations were fighters that looked like they belonged both in another era and in a planet's atmosphere. Behind the human fleet were more fighter-sized ships that looked like they belonged in a planet's atmosphere though these had a strange disc-shaped structure on the top and did not appear to be armed. This type seemed to be spread out among the entire fleet for some reason, though each had an escort of two of the other new fighters.
All in all it was somewhat confusing.
"Durann have the sensors scan those new ships," he ordered with a concerned frown. He didn't like it when enemies sprung surprise new designs on you as it meant their capabilities were unknown and were thus a complication, one that he could do without. Not that it would make much difference in the end the humans here would still die under his guns.
"Yes alyt," Durann answered before using a comm unit in her ear to relay the command to the bridge. Before emitted a yelp of surprise. "Shai Alyt, we are being targeted by the entire human fleet."
"What! Impossible," Sineval exclaimed, "the humans have never been able to target us before. How are they doing it? Is our stealth system malfunctioning in some way?"
"I have no idea, according to the bridge our stealth systems are working perfectly. Ugh sir, look at the new ship."
Sineval frowned but did as Durann suggested. Just in time to see the forward section of the new ship splitting apart and rotating into two booms giving it the appearance of a tuning fork. What in Valen's name, he thought a moment before strange, eldritch energy arcs began flickering along the booms before snapping together in the intervening space. His eyes widened as he recognised a weapon being charged to fire even if he hadn't quite seen a weapon like this before.
"Destroy that ship now," he ordered as the glow of energy between the booms became almost unbearably bright. Then it was blasting towards him and there was a sudden feeling of tremendous heat and unbearable light…
…then everything went dark.
SDF-1
A Few Moments Earlier
Sitting in his command chair Captain Gloval observed his tactical screens as the fleet of Minbari warships emerged from the glowing blue vortices of their jump points. He had to admit that the Minbari ships were beautiful vessels to look at with the sleek frigates somewhat reminding him of a barracuda while the bigger cruisers looked somewhat like a gigantic ribbed whale crossed with a sunfish. The blue material that their hulls were clad in, which gleamed slightly like diamond in the sun, was also beautiful to look at. Clearly the Minbari were very knowledgeable and experienced in the art of ship making and possessed a level of technology that was incredibly impressive…
… of course it only made what they had chosen to do with that technology all the more reprehensible. And now it was time to show them just what he thought of them, and how much of an obstacle he intended to be in their path to the extermination of humanity.
"Minbari fleet in range sir," Claudia reported, "all EarthForce ships report solid weapons lock's thanks to our Cat's Eyes. Currently they are holding fire, though I'm not sure how long that's going to last."
"Given how the Minbari have been killing there brothers and sisters in arms wholesale that probably won't last long," Gloval replied, "but we don't need it to. Activate the main gun, you may fire when ready."
"Aye sir," Claudia answered before exchanging a momentary, amused look with Lisa as they both realised that Captain Gloval had just inadvertently quoted the Star Wars villain Wilhulf Tarkin when he'd given the orders to fire the Death Star's superlaser at both Alderaan and later the rebel base on Yavin IV. Then she relayed the orders to the gunnery control rooms to activate the main cannon and to target the biggest Minbari warship, which due to its position at the centre of the fleet was no doubt their command ship.
Moments later there came the whirring of immensely powerful motors throughout the hull as the ship's bow - as it had done just over a day ago and a universe away - split apart into two booms that rotated forty-five degrees before locking into position. Arcs of pure power began to flicker along the booms - looking momentarily like some high school electrical experiment - before snapping together between the booms as the energy of an ongoing reflex reaction began to be collected between the booms - held in place and focused through powerful gravitational and electromagnetic fields. For the next forty-five seconds the power build up continued until a single small control - that looked so innocuous for a button that when pressed would unleash the most powerful energy weapon known to humankind - on Claudia's console lit up indicating the build up of a firing charge was completed.
She flipped up the cover over the small red button. "Firing main cannon… now sir," she reported as her finger stabbed down on the button.
The moment Claudia's finger pressed the button the reflex cannon - which was now glowing so brightly that the SDF-1 looked like she had a star captive between the booms of her main gun - discharged unleashing a wall of unfathomable energy over three hundred metres in diameter upon the Minbari fleet. The beam crossed the relatively short distance - well by the standards of robotech warfare where combat distances were measured in the hundreds of thousands of kilometres - between the two fleets and slammed into the Minbari flagship like the fist of an angry god.
Instantly the Shagotti-class war cruiser Trigati flashed to vapour, incinerated in a mere nanosecond, gravitic defence fields and polycrystalline armour designed to repel Shadow weaponry offering absolutely no resistance to the forces arrayed against it. It was only the first as the beam spread out slightly into a wider cone; more Minbari warships were enveloped by the beam and instantly annihilated. Even those Minbari ships that weren't directly impacted by the energistic firestorm shattered and exploded as torrents of positrons and antiprotons spilling from the beam slammed like antimatter sledgehammers into their polycrystalline armour and in the process triggered the simple but devastating reaction that occurred when matter and antimatter encountered one another.
The beam vanished but the damage was already done for as the glare of the explosions and the beam faded, and sensor screens blanked out by the sheer intensity of the energy release cleared, the damage revealed was almost beyond belief. A whole third of the Minbari fleet was simply gone - erased from existence so completely that not even dust remained to mark where they had been - with a number of other ships listing, many leaking atmosphere and debris from numerous breaches in the hull, heavily damaged and helpless.
EAS Minerva
"God Almighty!"
General Bradshaw didn't know who it was on the bridge who made the exclamation, and frankly he didn't care as he quite understood what the other EarthForce officer was feeling as it was one that he frankly shared. The absolutely colossal energy beam that the SDF-1 had just generated and directed at the Minbari fleet was powerful beyond belief. While he had known that the SDF-1 was an immensely powerful warship even he was shocked beyond measure by this display of power. He had thought the Minbari jump point attack was devastating but the power of that weapon - whatever it was - simply blew that away.
"Status of the Minbari fleet?" he asked after a moment of stunned silence. On the screens he could see that Minbari were clearly in a state of confusion, their communications and formations completely shattered by that one, unfathomably powerful, shot.
"Sir twenty two Minbari capital ships - including their lead ship - have been destroyed as have sixty-five percent of their fighter cover," the lieutenant manning the main sensor station reported sounding both shocked, amazed and somewhat horrified by the results he was narrating. All three emotions were completely understandable given the power of the weapon that they had just seen. "Eight more capital ships including two cruisers are heavily damaged, all eight are venting atmosphere and appear to have lost main power and appear to be losing auxiliary power. They're launching lifepods.
"Three more cruisers and several of the frigates have less severe damage and retain main power though they're manoeuvres are sluggish. It looks like they've got some damage to their drive fins as well as minor hull breaches," the lieutenant concluded.
"Orders sir."
"Dispatch fighters to coral the Minbari lifepods but they are not to under any circumstances fire upon them," Bradshaw ordered it would be nice to have some Minbari prisoners to interrogate for once. "All ships shift targeting to the remaining operational Minbari warships and open fire."
"Aye sir."
Even as the remaining Minbari warships attempted to recover from the shocking destruction or disabling of two thirds of their attack force, the fleet of thirty-two EarthForce warships opened fire. A blistering wall of plasma bolts, plasma mortar rounds, charged particle bolts, missiles and lasers flew towards the disorientated Minbari.
Guided by the sensor telemetry from the SDF-1 and its Cat's Eye reconnaissance planes for the first time since the war had begun the firepower of EarthForce struck the Minbari with perfect accuracy. Dozens of Minbari warships shuddered in agony as heavy firepower overpowered gravitic defence fields to slam into polycrystal armour that resisted, just, the force of the impacts though it was scorched and pitted by the assault. Before they could recover a second salvo arrived, armour shattering and melting allowing the firepower of EarthForce to begin punching deep burning wounds in the hulls of the Minbari ships.
Though shaken by everything that had just happened coming under fire, shockingly accurate fire at that, acted much like a bucket of cold water to the Minbari warriors enabling them to recover their focus and begin fighting back. Unleashing a hail of green and yellow-green energy beams as neutron and fusion beam cannons opened fire upon their hated human foes. Two Hyperion's died immediately sliced apart by neutron cannon fire, even as a third volley of firepower from the EarthForce ships slammed into the Minbari fleet sending two of the frigates and one of the cruisers to their doom in brilliant explosions.
Things went from bad to worse for the Minbari as it was at that moment that the SDF-1 opened fire again, unleashing a brilliant hail of blue heavy and standard particle beams. All focused on just two of the remaining Minbari cruisers, each cruiser taking several high intensity beams each. Weakened armour melted and vaporised allowing the beams to slice into then through the metal hull beneath. The beams sliced through compartment after compartment across numerous decks with an almost contemptuous ease. One of the cruisers exploded as the deadly, slicing beams cut through the vessel's main reactor, instantly collapsing the containment field and exposing the artificial singularity there to the tremendous pressure of normal space time. Instantly the singularity winked out of existence releasing all of its energy into normal space at once in a cataclysmic burst of energy and hard radiation.
Though gutted, the second targeted cruiser fared slightly better. Instead of being destroyed it lost all power and began spinning slowly out of control. But not for long as a EarthForce missile homed in on the crippled ship, with only one homicidal goal on its electronic mind, slamming into the hull and detonating a one megaton fusion warhead instantly erasing the cruiser from existence.
And still the killing went on.
Minbari War Cruiser Agiati
That Same Time
"Damage report."
Alyt Rastenn had to shout to get his voice heard over the wailing of klaxons reporting that the Agiati had sustained serious damage and the moans of wounded warriors who lay where they fell across the bridge. As he finished speaking he coughed as the increasingly thick, acrid smoke, itself a testament to the amount of damage they'd sustained, filling the air of the bridge tickled the back of his throat.
Never in his worst nightmares had he ever thought that a battle could be so against his people so quickly and so completely. They were the Minbari, chosen of the Vorlons and the oldest of the Younger Races. Like most of his caste he had long believed that that made them invincible and invulnerable to harm from any race this side of the mythical Shadows and their thralls. To find that they were not so invincible was thus a very unwelcome dose of cold reality. The fact that it was the humans, a species they had been casually killing for the last nine months, who were doing this to them made it even more so.
"Alyt the hull has been breached in forward sections three, five and nine on decks six and seven. Collateral damage in all surrounding compartments," his first officer responded. "We have a fire in the hangar bay, fire control crews are attempting to contain it now. Neutron cannons one and four are destroyed as are fusion cannons one, two, three, five and seven. Main power is down to sixty percent, engineering reports damage to fusion reactor four and the secondary containment generator for the singularity core. Full power will not be restored until they can repair them."
"Fleet status," Rastenn asked, even as the Agiati shuddered violently and the overhead lights flickered. "What was that?"
"Direct heavy plasma hit to the dorsal fin," the other Minbari responded before coughing in the smoke filled air. "Primary sensor array destroyed. Another one like that and they'll rip the fin right off the ship.
"Fleet status In Valen's name?"
"What is it?"
"Alyt seventy-five percent of our forces have been destroyed, all remaining ships report heavy to severe damage. Alyt we just lost the Silani, that was the last cruiser besides ourselves."
"How many ships are left?"
"Besides ourselves, twelve Tinashi."
"In Valen's name," Rastenn breathed before snapping to his duty as the only ranking Minbari officer left alive in this fleet as the shok'na on the frigates didn't have either the experience or rank to survive this situation. They would just continue to fight and certainly be destroyed, the traditions of the warrior caste wouldn't let them do otherwise or realise that they had a greater duty to perform. Which was to inform the Grey Council about the humans unfathomably powerful new weapon and their sudden ability to target their ships.
"Communications contact all our surviving ships," he ordered, "I want to know if their jump engines are online."
"We're going to retreat?" his first officer asked as an explosion on the holographic display signalled the death of another of their ships. "But we can't, we haven't destroyed the enemy."
"And we're not going to be able to, we are outnumbered and outgunned. If we stay here we will be destroyed," Rastenn explained, "while warrior caste tradition demands that we do that there are more important things to worry about than just tradition. We need to inform both the Grey Council and the caste elders about the humans' new weapon and their ability to now target our ships. We cannot do that if we're dead."
The other warrior looked conflicted, tradition and duty clearly warring with one another inside of him before he nodded. "I understand," he said at last, "though the caste elders won't forgive us."
"I'll take any of their ire as the decision is mine," Rastenn replied as another ship vanished in a fireball hammered to pieces by a storm of human fire. While they were still firing back at the human fleet they weren't destroying them quickly enough, this battle would only end with the loss of their fleet. "Now check our jump engines."
"Yes alyt."
"Alyt the remaining Tinashi report that their jump engines are fully operational," communications reported.
"Our own jump engines are online alyt," his first officer added as two of the three remaining Tinashi exploded and another resonating shudder ran through the deck as the Agiati took another hit.
"Very well all ships are to jump into hyperspace immediately," Rastenn ordered.
"Yes alyt."
EAS Minerva
"Sir the remaining Minbari warships are retreating to hyperspace."
General Bradshaw nodded, he could see it himself on the tactical screens. Jump points were opening near the remaining Minbari warships, warships that were all obviously damaged trailing atmosphere, debris and the bodies of dead and dying crew members from the numerous breaches that had been blown in their crystalline hull. The Minbari ships were turning to face the jump points, fleeing the battle that they had - for the first time since this entire war had begun - decisively lost.
"So I see," he said waving a hand at the thin film of smoke filling the bridge, the legacy of a small fire that had been started after a Minbari fusion beam struck the Minerva. A fire that had since been put out. "All ships cease fire, let them go."
"Sir?" his flag captain, Captain James Harrison, asked clearly not understanding why he was willing to let the Minbari go given how many of their brothers and sisters the Minbari had slaughtered without mercy. Surely killing all the Minbari warships here, now that they had the chance, was justified.
"I said let them go," Bradshaw replied, "they'll take the knowledge of their defeat here back to their people. It will spread fear in their ranks that they are not so invincible after all and put their leadership on notice that their days of killing us wholesale are coming to an end and that they are about to face a real war not a live fire exercise. It might even open the possibility of establishing a dialogue with them to end this."
"I doubt the Minbari will go for it; they're likely just to get angrier," Harrison commented, though he could see where his superior was coming from. Until now the Minbari had honestly not really had any reason to talk to them with anything other than their weapons, weapons that could kill their ships with ease while the Minbari ships sat virtually invulnerable behind their stealth fields. Now they had lost that advantage - thanks to the SDF-1, assuming of course that they could easily replicate whatever sensors the extra-dimensional warship and its Cat's Eye planes used to see through the stealth - and in the process lost a sizable number of warships. A devastating defeat by anyone's standards, it might be enough to convince the Minbari to open up a line of communication to end this conflict.
"I know but it's a chance that we should take."
"I understand sir," Harrison replied even as their discussion became academic as the surviving Minbari ships disappeared through their jump points into hyperspace.
This battle was over.
"All ships stand down from action stations," Bradshaw ordered, "scramble all medical ships there are going to be a lot of injured people from both our side and the Minbari who need help. And make our people aware that I want all Minbari prisoners we take treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention. If anyone abuses them, well make sure that they know they will answer to me and I will not be merciful."
"Sir, we're receiving a message from the SDF-1. Captain Gloval is requesting permission to send out his own search and rescue craft to assist."
"Grant it. Also inform Captain Gloval that I would like to arrange a meeting with him on the station as soon as possible."
"Aye sir."
"Once you've done that, open a Gold Channel to EarthForce Command. We need to inform them of our victory here today and how it was achieved."
"Aye sir."
Minbari War Cruiser Agiati
A Few Minutes Later
"Scanners confirm no sign of pursuit alyt. It appears that the humans have let us go."
"Understood," Rastenn replied with a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the humans would send ships into hyperspace after them, but so far there had been no sign that they had done so. Instead they seemed content to let the battered and bruised survivors of the battle leave, something that he guiltily acknowledged he would not have done had the situation been reversed. "All ships stand down from combat stations. Begin making what repairs we can and tending to the wounded. Then set course for the nearest fleet base, best possible speed."
"Yes alyt."
"Communications contact Shai Alyt Branmer and the Grey Council let them know that I need to speak with them immediately."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. That last plasma bolt disabled our long range communications array, we have local comms only. The other two ships indicate similar loss of long range comms. Damage control is trying to repair it but it is not looking promising."
"Damn. Keep me updated on their progress."
"Yes alyt."
As the bridge crew began attending to their post battle duties, though with an undercurrent of shock and dismay, Rastenn leaned back in his command chair and sighed softly to himself. He understood, and shared, the feeling of his bridge crew. The Minbari were not used to losing battles, let alone being beaten so quickly and so decisively. He didn't know exactly how the Council of Caste Elders and the Grey Council were going to react to what he had to tell them whenever he eventually got to talk to them. He did know however that the news of the defeat would not go down well…
…not well at all.