The Earth-Minbari War should have been a predetermined event, its battles and outcome fixed by a stable and recursive temporal loop. But whether by a quirk of fate, random chance, or even natural selection, the loop is broken in one particular iteration of time and space. Just as Terran ignorance sparked a war between Earth and Minbar, so too did Minbari arrogance spark another war at the same time. A war that would come to be known as the War of Revelation.
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War of Revelation (Babylon 5 AU)
- Thread starter Jaenera Targaryen
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Prologue
New
Jaenera Targaryen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2018
- Messages
- 791
- Likes received
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Babylon 5 franchise it belongs to J. Michael Straczynsky and Babylonian Productions
An Elysian warship cruised through space, sleek with sharp contours and angles broken only by a gun turret along the forward dorsal hull as well as the command tower to the rear. Plasma blazed from the ship's engines driving it towards its destination, while aboard the ship's crew both organic and synthetic stood at action stations, ready and waiting for the possibility of combat.
"Reporting," the sensor officer spoke up from one of the bridge crew pits, buried safe and deep within the command tower. "Long-range scans have a fix on Listening Post S7G. The station appears intact, but in a low-power state. Shields are down, and weapons are unpowered. No life signs detected."
"There should be over two dozen people on that station." Commander Marcus Thiel remarked from where he stood next to the command throne.
"Is it possible they're simply too deep in the station to be detected?" Captain Anton Canies asked.
"Possible," the sensor officer replied. "But extremely unlikely. With shields down, there shouldn't be anywhere inside the station that our sensors couldn't penetrate."
Anton pressed his hand against his lips, pursed in thought. "Continue scanning as we approach, just in case." he finally said.
"Yes, sir."
"Communications?" the captain asked.
"No response to any of our hails, sir." the communications officer replied. "Attempts to remote-access the station using fleet command overrides have also failed, although it doesn't appear to be the result of active countermeasures. Instead, from the look of things, either communications are down, or the main computer is offline or cut-off."
"Just what the hell happened here?" Marcus muttered.
"S7G is on the edges of the hinterland." Anton sighed. "It's entirely possible one of the coreward polities attacked after discovering its existence, and treated it as a hostile intrusion in their space. But if so, then Intel's assessment of the local astrography would be outdated, as to our knowledge this region of space is unclaimed and indeed, well-off the known hyperspace routes."
"...could be pirates." Marcus said after a moment.
"Possible," Anton said with a nod. "But there is at least one known coreward polity with an established capability to go off the beacon network."
"...they are supposed to be touchy, aren't they?" Marcus mused. "But if so, why leave the station intact and not simply destroy it after going through it with a fine comb?"
There was a long moment of silence, and then CO and XO alike turned to look at each other with a knowing glance and shared a nod. "Shields are up and weapons are charged." the latter reassured the former as they turned back to the tactical display.
"Good." Anton darkly said. "It's really looking like this is going to go bad sooner or later."
Even at cruising speed, it still took the light cruiser half an hour to enter striking range of the seemingly-desolate listening post. As it did so, armored doors on the ship's prow slid open, before boarding torpedoes blasted out at high speed. Not of their own power, at least not until they were clear of the ship, at which point the torpedoes' own plasma thrusters came to life, sustaining their motion and accelerating even further.
In just over a minute, the torpedoes slammed into the station, a combination of sheer momentum, the torpedoes' specially-shaped prows, as well as matter disruption fields along said prows, cutting through the armored outer hull and then into the thinner pressurized inner hull. Once the torpedoes came to a halt, armored doors slid open, allowing Pacifier robot infantry to disembark.
"Reporting," the ship's arms master began, standing on the command deck before the command throne with a datapad in one hand. "Pacifier platoons report no signs of life. The command deck is clear, as are all action stations. Pacifier platoons are still securing the living areas, and from there will proceed to the engineering spaces."
"Aside from the complete absence of our men," Anton said. "Have they found anything else out of place?"
"Minimal signs of combat," the arms master said, causing everyone to stiffen. "Plasma burns and blood splatter. From the look of things, the crew got taken by surprise and were overrun in short order. Unfortunately, we have yet to find evidence as to who the assailants were, nor what they did to our men's bodies."
"I already have suspicions as to who those assailants were." Anton shortly said before narrowing his eyes. "Unfortunately, it's all conjecture based on circumstantial evidence. What of the station's databases?"
"The Pacifiers report they've been locked down." the arms master replied. "It seems our men on the command deck managed to hold out long enough to secure the main computer. Whoever these assailants were, they didn't get anything out of the station databases."
"It's intact, then?" Anton asked with a sense of foreboding.
"By all accounts, yes."
"Those bastards stocked the bait well." Marcus hissed, and Anton nodded in agreement.
"Transmit the fleet command overrides." he ordered. "Download everything on those databases as well as the station logs before initiating the self-destruct sequence. Expedite it, arms master. This has all the makings of a trap."
"Understood, sir." the arms master said while relaying the captain's orders.
As for the captain himself, Anton just sat back into the command throne, a finger tapping nervously at an armrest. As it was, it didn't even take a few minutes for things to quickly go south.
"Sir," the arms master said with a note of alarm. "The Pacifiers are reporting ambushes in the living areas and towards the engineering spaces. They are engaging but…the assailants, they're Minbari!"
"As expected…" Anton snarled. "...damn aliens…order the Pacifiers to initiate a tactical withdrawal. Consolidate their positions and hold the command deck until the data has been transferred. Once we have the data, we will withdraw from this region of space immediately."
"Sir!"
Anton nodded as the arms master relayed his new orders, but then blinked as alarms began to sound. "Energy spike!" the warning came from the sensor section. "Incoming neutron beams!"
Eyes turned toward holographic displays just as blazing white particle beams slammed into the ship's portside screens. The ship didn't so much as tremble, but alerts and updates flashed on the displays as the ship's shields fended off a precise volley of neutron fire.
"Prepare to return fire!" Marcus shouted. "Enemy locations?"
"No readings on any EM bands." a crewman replied.
"The Minbari have advanced ECM." the sensor officer snapped. "Compensate!"
"Compensating…" the crewman replied, working her station before nodding after a few moments. "...we have them, sir. Bringing up on the tactical display, reading three capital ships and at least eighteen escorts."
"Damn, that's too much for us to handle." Marcus cursed. "Your orders, sir?"
"Hold fire, let's keep the enemy guessing what our ships are capable of aside from quantum shielding." Anton replied. "Divert power to shields. Status of download?"
"Forty-seven per cent complete, sir!"
"Expedite! Navigation, plot a course for Port Magna Nubae. Helm, standby for emergency slipspace jump. Once we have the data, get us out of here."
"Sir!"
For the next couple of minutes, the ship weathered the Minbari bombardment as they steadily closed, and then the download was complete. "Adjusting heading." the helm officer reported. "Standby for emergency slipspace jump once we're clear of the station's gravitational influence."
"Pacifiers are holding position in the station." the arms master reported as the ship sped away from the station. "Self-destruct is armed and set for detonation once we're clear of the blast radius. Standby…standby…standby…final transmission received - Glory to Mankind."
Anton blinked and then fixed his eyes on the image from the ship's aft scopes, watching as the station erupted in a flare of white-hot plasma, before exploding in a blinding flash. Reflexively, he brought his right arm up, and swung his open hand palm down over his chest in a ninety-degree angle.
"Glory to Mankind." he softly echoed, and he wasn't the only one.
"Minbari ships are picking up speed…hyperspace portals opening to port and starboard!"
Anton narrowed his eyes, as Minbari escorts micro-jumped to port and starboard. Plasma blazed as the Minbari vessels delivered powerful broadsides with fusion lasers, the Elysian shields buckling and barely holding at such close range, the ship finally trembling at the impacts.
Then to the Minbari's shock, a ring opened in space right before the Elysian ship's prow. Its interior was no different at first glance from the darkness of space, yet when the Elysian ship passed through the ring, it did not emerge from the other side, but seemingly disappeared, diving into the darkness before the ring flickered and went out.
"Slipspace transition successful!" the helm officer reported. "ETA at Port Magna Nubae is fourteen hours and twenty-two minutes."
"Very good." Anton said, finally relaxing into the command throne. "Have the crew stand down to alert level two. Comms, contact Fleet Command: inform them we have secured S7G's data and destroyed the facility. Also, we have identified and engaged the enemy - the Minbari."
"Yes, sir." the comms officer said with a nod before turning back to his subordinates.
"Looks like we caught the enemy by surprise back there." Marcus remarked. "Then again, to our knowledge no one aside from ourselves has ever used an alternative form of FTL aside from hyperspace."
"True enough." Anton said with a nod. "As for surprising the Minbari, well, I'd say the debt is partly paid then."
"The remainder to be repaid in future battles, sir?" Marcus said.
"Is there any other way to repay it?" Anton grimly asked.
"No, I suppose not, sir." Marcus admitted.
"And there you have it." Anton said with another nod before narrowing his eyes. "Looks like it's going to be a war. What a shame."
"As you say, sir."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
I will admit, I originally envisioned this as taking place in Star Trek, but decided to put it in Babylon 5 instead. The Earth Alliance could surely use some help, even if there's going to be fun times trying to figure out how and where an advanced interstellar Human civilization that isn't them popped up. Or not, depending on how first contact between Earth and Elysium goes.
As for the Minbari…yeah, let's see how they like fighting a war where they can't cheat.
War of Revelation
Prologue
Prologue
An Elysian warship cruised through space, sleek with sharp contours and angles broken only by a gun turret along the forward dorsal hull as well as the command tower to the rear. Plasma blazed from the ship's engines driving it towards its destination, while aboard the ship's crew both organic and synthetic stood at action stations, ready and waiting for the possibility of combat.
"Reporting," the sensor officer spoke up from one of the bridge crew pits, buried safe and deep within the command tower. "Long-range scans have a fix on Listening Post S7G. The station appears intact, but in a low-power state. Shields are down, and weapons are unpowered. No life signs detected."
"There should be over two dozen people on that station." Commander Marcus Thiel remarked from where he stood next to the command throne.
"Is it possible they're simply too deep in the station to be detected?" Captain Anton Canies asked.
"Possible," the sensor officer replied. "But extremely unlikely. With shields down, there shouldn't be anywhere inside the station that our sensors couldn't penetrate."
Anton pressed his hand against his lips, pursed in thought. "Continue scanning as we approach, just in case." he finally said.
"Yes, sir."
"Communications?" the captain asked.
"No response to any of our hails, sir." the communications officer replied. "Attempts to remote-access the station using fleet command overrides have also failed, although it doesn't appear to be the result of active countermeasures. Instead, from the look of things, either communications are down, or the main computer is offline or cut-off."
"Just what the hell happened here?" Marcus muttered.
"S7G is on the edges of the hinterland." Anton sighed. "It's entirely possible one of the coreward polities attacked after discovering its existence, and treated it as a hostile intrusion in their space. But if so, then Intel's assessment of the local astrography would be outdated, as to our knowledge this region of space is unclaimed and indeed, well-off the known hyperspace routes."
"...could be pirates." Marcus said after a moment.
"Possible," Anton said with a nod. "But there is at least one known coreward polity with an established capability to go off the beacon network."
"...they are supposed to be touchy, aren't they?" Marcus mused. "But if so, why leave the station intact and not simply destroy it after going through it with a fine comb?"
There was a long moment of silence, and then CO and XO alike turned to look at each other with a knowing glance and shared a nod. "Shields are up and weapons are charged." the latter reassured the former as they turned back to the tactical display.
"Good." Anton darkly said. "It's really looking like this is going to go bad sooner or later."
Even at cruising speed, it still took the light cruiser half an hour to enter striking range of the seemingly-desolate listening post. As it did so, armored doors on the ship's prow slid open, before boarding torpedoes blasted out at high speed. Not of their own power, at least not until they were clear of the ship, at which point the torpedoes' own plasma thrusters came to life, sustaining their motion and accelerating even further.
In just over a minute, the torpedoes slammed into the station, a combination of sheer momentum, the torpedoes' specially-shaped prows, as well as matter disruption fields along said prows, cutting through the armored outer hull and then into the thinner pressurized inner hull. Once the torpedoes came to a halt, armored doors slid open, allowing Pacifier robot infantry to disembark.
"Reporting," the ship's arms master began, standing on the command deck before the command throne with a datapad in one hand. "Pacifier platoons report no signs of life. The command deck is clear, as are all action stations. Pacifier platoons are still securing the living areas, and from there will proceed to the engineering spaces."
"Aside from the complete absence of our men," Anton said. "Have they found anything else out of place?"
"Minimal signs of combat," the arms master said, causing everyone to stiffen. "Plasma burns and blood splatter. From the look of things, the crew got taken by surprise and were overrun in short order. Unfortunately, we have yet to find evidence as to who the assailants were, nor what they did to our men's bodies."
"I already have suspicions as to who those assailants were." Anton shortly said before narrowing his eyes. "Unfortunately, it's all conjecture based on circumstantial evidence. What of the station's databases?"
"The Pacifiers report they've been locked down." the arms master replied. "It seems our men on the command deck managed to hold out long enough to secure the main computer. Whoever these assailants were, they didn't get anything out of the station databases."
"It's intact, then?" Anton asked with a sense of foreboding.
"By all accounts, yes."
"Those bastards stocked the bait well." Marcus hissed, and Anton nodded in agreement.
"Transmit the fleet command overrides." he ordered. "Download everything on those databases as well as the station logs before initiating the self-destruct sequence. Expedite it, arms master. This has all the makings of a trap."
"Understood, sir." the arms master said while relaying the captain's orders.
As for the captain himself, Anton just sat back into the command throne, a finger tapping nervously at an armrest. As it was, it didn't even take a few minutes for things to quickly go south.
"Sir," the arms master said with a note of alarm. "The Pacifiers are reporting ambushes in the living areas and towards the engineering spaces. They are engaging but…the assailants, they're Minbari!"
"As expected…" Anton snarled. "...damn aliens…order the Pacifiers to initiate a tactical withdrawal. Consolidate their positions and hold the command deck until the data has been transferred. Once we have the data, we will withdraw from this region of space immediately."
"Sir!"
Anton nodded as the arms master relayed his new orders, but then blinked as alarms began to sound. "Energy spike!" the warning came from the sensor section. "Incoming neutron beams!"
Eyes turned toward holographic displays just as blazing white particle beams slammed into the ship's portside screens. The ship didn't so much as tremble, but alerts and updates flashed on the displays as the ship's shields fended off a precise volley of neutron fire.
"Prepare to return fire!" Marcus shouted. "Enemy locations?"
"No readings on any EM bands." a crewman replied.
"The Minbari have advanced ECM." the sensor officer snapped. "Compensate!"
"Compensating…" the crewman replied, working her station before nodding after a few moments. "...we have them, sir. Bringing up on the tactical display, reading three capital ships and at least eighteen escorts."
"Damn, that's too much for us to handle." Marcus cursed. "Your orders, sir?"
"Hold fire, let's keep the enemy guessing what our ships are capable of aside from quantum shielding." Anton replied. "Divert power to shields. Status of download?"
"Forty-seven per cent complete, sir!"
"Expedite! Navigation, plot a course for Port Magna Nubae. Helm, standby for emergency slipspace jump. Once we have the data, get us out of here."
"Sir!"
For the next couple of minutes, the ship weathered the Minbari bombardment as they steadily closed, and then the download was complete. "Adjusting heading." the helm officer reported. "Standby for emergency slipspace jump once we're clear of the station's gravitational influence."
"Pacifiers are holding position in the station." the arms master reported as the ship sped away from the station. "Self-destruct is armed and set for detonation once we're clear of the blast radius. Standby…standby…standby…final transmission received - Glory to Mankind."
Anton blinked and then fixed his eyes on the image from the ship's aft scopes, watching as the station erupted in a flare of white-hot plasma, before exploding in a blinding flash. Reflexively, he brought his right arm up, and swung his open hand palm down over his chest in a ninety-degree angle.
"Glory to Mankind." he softly echoed, and he wasn't the only one.
"Minbari ships are picking up speed…hyperspace portals opening to port and starboard!"
Anton narrowed his eyes, as Minbari escorts micro-jumped to port and starboard. Plasma blazed as the Minbari vessels delivered powerful broadsides with fusion lasers, the Elysian shields buckling and barely holding at such close range, the ship finally trembling at the impacts.
Then to the Minbari's shock, a ring opened in space right before the Elysian ship's prow. Its interior was no different at first glance from the darkness of space, yet when the Elysian ship passed through the ring, it did not emerge from the other side, but seemingly disappeared, diving into the darkness before the ring flickered and went out.
"Slipspace transition successful!" the helm officer reported. "ETA at Port Magna Nubae is fourteen hours and twenty-two minutes."
"Very good." Anton said, finally relaxing into the command throne. "Have the crew stand down to alert level two. Comms, contact Fleet Command: inform them we have secured S7G's data and destroyed the facility. Also, we have identified and engaged the enemy - the Minbari."
"Yes, sir." the comms officer said with a nod before turning back to his subordinates.
"Looks like we caught the enemy by surprise back there." Marcus remarked. "Then again, to our knowledge no one aside from ourselves has ever used an alternative form of FTL aside from hyperspace."
"True enough." Anton said with a nod. "As for surprising the Minbari, well, I'd say the debt is partly paid then."
"The remainder to be repaid in future battles, sir?" Marcus said.
"Is there any other way to repay it?" Anton grimly asked.
"No, I suppose not, sir." Marcus admitted.
"And there you have it." Anton said with another nod before narrowing his eyes. "Looks like it's going to be a war. What a shame."
"As you say, sir."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
I will admit, I originally envisioned this as taking place in Star Trek, but decided to put it in Babylon 5 instead. The Earth Alliance could surely use some help, even if there's going to be fun times trying to figure out how and where an advanced interstellar Human civilization that isn't them popped up. Or not, depending on how first contact between Earth and Elysium goes.
As for the Minbari…yeah, let's see how they like fighting a war where they can't cheat.
Chapter 1
New
Jaenera Targaryen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2018
- Messages
- 791
- Likes received
- 9,978
Disclaimer: I do not own the Babylon 5 franchise it belongs to J. Michael Straczynsky and Babylonian Productions.
Elysia Augustus was the capital of the Imperium Elysio, and its capital was the Pomerium. Named after the sacred space of Rome of old, most of the city's inhabitants of 20 million lived in the Lower City, a vast collection of ziggurat-like arcologies and other structures that sprawled across an artificial plateau over twelve kilometers across at its widest point. To the western side of the city, the taller ziggurats of the Midline housed government functions both planetary and interstellar, among other eminent interests, all clustered around the highest ziggurat-arcology of them all.
The Capitol: seat of the Elysian Senate and the High Council alike. And it was in a chamber high up in the Capitol that the High Council met that day.
"Well, we knew this was inevitable." the First Lord said with a sigh. "I just wish it wasn't the Minbari who stumbled on our listening posts out in the Hinterland. Prickly aliens, not very friendly, to say the least."
"Not that diplomacy is going to even be possible to begin with." the Second Lord added while pinching his nose. "Minbari died during that skirmish. And from what our psyche profiles of the Minbari tell us, they're going to demand geometric retaliation for their fallen, and that's before factoring in the nature of our outposts near their space."
"We can hardly blame Captain Canies and his crew for defending themselves." the Lord High Admiral - regardless of her actual gender - said with mild heat. "Or for that matter, the crew of Listening Post S7G. Indeed, I must point out, and as the First Lord himself has just noted, our listening posts are out in the Hinterland. That is, relatively-uncharted space unclaimed by any polity, whether ourselves, the Minbari, or any other coreward polities."
"I agree." the Lord Commander said with a nod. "Our forces were merely defending themselves, although I will admit that we were spying on the Minbari and other coreward polities. Even if we were based in the Hinterland, that wouldn't make us look good."
"Information gathering on unknown or at least uncontacted polities is simply part and parcel of statecraft." the Keeper pointed out. "If the Minbari disagree, then they are simply naive."
"I'm not sure they'd disagree," the Lord Commander said. "Seeing as they have those so-called Rangers or whatnot of theirs, as much as they'd use it as an arguably-valid cassus belli."
"A fair point," the Keeper conceded. "Although I would still say it'd be something of an overreaction. An overreaction that regardless, we will have to respond in kind towards and if necessary, escalate."
"Escalation is going to be inevitable at any rate." the Second Lord said with a sigh. "Minbari are very proud and condescending, not that it's any surprise, considering how old their civilization is. Diplomacy will not be possible until their pride has been satisfied, pride already wounded by our apparent spying on them, no matter the rationale behind it, as well as the deaths of their own against our defenses. And it will only get worse as the fighting continues and more Minbari die."
"It's inevitable people die in war." the Lord High Admiral dryly said.
"I know." the Second Lord said with a nod. "And the Minbari do as well. In other words…"
"...total war." the Keeper concluded with a shared nod with his nominal superior off the council. "Nothing less would assuage their pride as well as justify and appease all their dead."
"If that's what they want, then that's what they'll get." the Lord High Admiral firmly said. "It's been centuries since the last war, but it too was no less total than what we seem to be facing. And it will end the same way."
"Not that there's any other acceptable alternative." the Lord Commander chimed in.
The First Lord coughed and gave a sharp glance at his fellow councilors. "Not necessarily," he said. "Our enemies in the past all proved unwilling to negotiate even with our ships over their worlds, which is why the Kishin and the Makareshi are both confined to their homeworlds for the foreseeable future, but that need not be the case with the Minbari."
"With respect, my lord," the Lord High Admiral began. "Do you truly think the Minbari will ever negotiate fairly for a peaceful end to the war?"
"...it's extremely unlikely," the First Lord admitted after a moment. "But I don't think it's impossible."
"At the very least," the Second Lord thoughtfully said. "Not until we've forced them fully on the defensive. Their pride will not allow it. And even then I'm not confident of our chances."
"Even so," the First Lord firmly said. "The option of diplomacy will remain on the table, until our hands are forced to end the war once and for all."
"Which begs the question: now what?" the Composer-General asked.
"Well," the Lord Commander replied. "Before anything else, we need to determine our objectives in this war with the Minbari. Those will be what we'll be fighting to achieve, after all."
"What is the mood in the Senate?" the First Lord asked the Speaker of the Senate.
The other man shrugged. "On this issue?" he asked back. "Annoyed, although not towards this council or the policies we've followed for centuries now. No, their annoyance is directed towards the Minbari botching what is essentially First Contact between our two civilizations, at the cost this will inflict on our society, and of course, at forcing the revelation of our existence towards the coreward polities not at a time or circumstances determined by either this council or the Senate."
"The Terrans, I imagine, are a source of concern for the Senate." the Composer-General said.
The Speaker sighed. "Yes," he admitted. "But opinions on Earth and its people are mixed in the Senate, as they always have been. On one hand, it's Earth. Our ancestors were forced to flee that world in the face of genocide, and the suspicion remains that's what we'll face again if we're revealed to them. On the other hand, it's not our ancestors' Earth, is it?"
The Composer-General sniffed but said nothing more, her opinions clearly on the former side of the argument.
"But on war with the Minbari," the First Lord said, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "What is the Senate's position?"
"The factions in the Senate haven't solidified any concrete positions towards the war," the Speaker replied. "Aside from a general sense that if it is to be war, then it must end with our victory."
"No point in war if it doesn't end in victory." the Keeper agreed.
"That should go without saying." the Lord Commander added his support.
"Agreed." the Lord High Admiral said with a nod.
"Then that's our first objective in this war." the First Lord said with a shake of his head. "We win. Everything else follows from there."
Port Magna Nubae, Elysium's primary naval base in the coreward direction from the empire. It shares its name with the surrounding sector, itself derived from the four colossal nebulae that dominate the local astrography, spanning nearly a thousand light-years across between them. The sector itself forms the great coreward frontier of the empire, sparse in habitable worlds, but with mineral-rich worlds aplenty. This has made it a major source of raw materials for the industries of the empire's heartland, with thousands of unmanned, fully-automated industrial outposts and over a hundred worlds settled and developed solely for mining and resource processing.
Port Magna Nubae itself is located on the fringes of the Great Nebula, the biggest of the four nebulae in the sector. Orbiting a young and docile red dwarf star, the port proper is built into a partly hollowed-out planetoid, with the fleet spire rising out of the planetoid's core while smaller ziggurat-arcologies, lesser spires, and other structures covered the surface of the hollow carved out of the celestial body by the Elysians. Planetary-grade quantum shields protected the naval base and its surrounding infrastructure, augmented further by hundreds of drone fabricator-hangars as well as anti-orbital anti-proton cannons and plasma torpedo batteries.
The surrounding system also featured multiple ancillary naval and artillery outposts, ensuring any enemy that dared attack would easily face capital ship patrols backed by millions at the very least of combat drones, all the while being bombarded at light-second ranges by anti-proton cannons. All before facing the hundreds of warships that made up the Coreward Fleet of the Elysian Empire.
Its military assets aside, however, Port Magna Nubae was also home to millions of civilians. Not just the families of men and women serving in the Elysian Navy, but also artisans, service providers, and various other specialists and hangers-on. For this reason, the port was not only largely self-sufficient, able to produce all the food, water, oxygen, and most of the spare parts it needed, but also fully-furnished in non-military services.
These included schools, hospitals, sports facilities, entertainment centers, and even civilian R complexes. Thus, while classed and treated as a military facility, Port Magna Nubae was for all intent and purposes a fully-developed world of the Elysian Empire.
"I'm home!" Zicui cheerfully called out as she stepped into her apartment, carrying bags heavy with groceries with her. Simultaneously, she reached out with her mind, instantly finding and touching her husband's mind who reacted with warm recognition.
Ah…working on his toys.
Not toys. Bronze sculptures. There's a difference.
Zi Cui giggled at her husband's mental rejoinder, making her way towards the kitchen across the apartment. She'd barely managed to set her groceries down on the dining table when footsteps could be heard approaching from behind, and then Anton Canies was walking into the kitchen.
"How was your trip to the grocery store?" he asked while walking over to help unload the groceries.
"Oh, the same as always." Zi Cui said after giving her husband a kiss on the cheek. "The turbolifts were slow and full, the maintenance robots kept getting in the way at the most inopportune time and places, and conversation with the other ladies at the store was dreadfully dull and mundane…"
Zi Cui paused and heaved a sigh. "Very everyday, all things considered." she said. "Something to be grateful for, considering what's coming."
"Well, there's…there's always a chance war could be averted." Anton said.
Zi Cui smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I hope so too."
"...speaking of which," Anton began after a few moments as he and Zi Cui busied themselves in the kitchen. "Nothing should be in the media about a possible war, at least not from what I've heard. Or has the Capitol gone public already?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Zi Cui reassured him. "Although we do live in a military base, so there might be gossip about that elsewhere and I just haven't heard. It's just…you know…well…I can't help but worry, you know?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Anton conceded before trying to change the subject. "What time is Yinghua supposed to be back from dance classes again?"
"I'm home!" Yinghua Canies shouted as she entered her family apartment, her nose simultaneously drawing her to the dining room even as her mind touched the expectant minds of her parents. "I smell…shrimp! Fried rice! Stir-fried vegetables!"
Dumping her sportsbag in a corner and quickly unzipping her jacket before tossing it onto the former, she made her way to the dining room just as her mother placed a big bowl of cut glass filled with ice, syrup, sugared fruit, and jelly onto the table. "Welcome home, Yinghua." Zi Cui greeted her daughter. "How was dance class?"
"It was fine." Yinghua replied while crossing into the adjoining kitchen to wash her hands at the sink. "Although I'm getting bored with the current routines, I wish we'd move onto the more advanced sets already."
"Well, that's up to your teacher." Anton said, putting down his datapad even as Zi Cui took his plate and served him up some dinner. "Talk to her, although if she thinks you still need more work at your current level, well, I'd defer to her if I were you."
Yinghua sighed. "Yeah, I know." she said while wiping her hands on a towel before returning to the dining room and sitting down. "Just griping, really…but aside from that, yeah, it's fun."
Anton smiled knowingly. "You say all that," he began. "But you still don't want to go professional, no matter how good you get?"
"I'm not good in front of crowds." Yinghua said primly. "If it's just my teachers, friends, and classmates, then all well and good. In front of potentially hundreds of strangers in person? Maybe millions if it's broadcast like during any professional dancing exhibit or competition? No, thanks. Sorry, if that disappoints you, though."
Anton just laughed. "Oh, it's fine." he said. "It's what makes you happy that's important."
Zi Cui hummed and nodded in agreement while putting food on her daughter's plate followed by her name. "And if you're worried that the twins will judge," she said. "You know they won't, right?"
"Yeah, I do." Yinghua said with a nod. "Although I do sometimes get a bit jealous they've got the nerve to compete professionally. Then again, you've got to have a lot of nerve to go solar surfing in the first place."
"That you do." Anton agreed after swallowing down a slice of garlic shrimp. "Even I wouldn't, and I'm void-rated for navy duty."
"Then I'm quite pleased to find my sons have surpassed their father in at least one way." Zi Cui said smugly, and causing the rest of her family to laugh.
"She's got you there, dad." Yinghua said.
"Well, can't say I'm not proud of my boys for that either." Anton admitted, and causing his family to laugh again.
Anton was busy making a wax model of a knight when he sensed the spike of alarm from his daughter. With ease born of training and experience, he unconsciously ignored the urge to get up and check on her, already knowing that despite her alarm she wasn't in any danger, and she'd be coming soon enough to tell her what had alarmed her so.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, the sound of slippered feet could be heard, and then with a knock, Yinghua burst into his workshop.
"Dad!" she said loudly. "You need to see the news!"
"That doesn't sound good." Anton dryly said, already putting his tools down and wiping his hands. "What is it?"
"We're at war!"
"...let me guess, the Minbari?"
Yinghua's jaw briefly fell open but she just as quickly recovered and linked the dots together. "Oh!" she said with wide eyes. "You were the ones the First Lord mentioned on the news…the ones who got ambushed by those aliens."
"Me and my crew, yes." Anton said, falling into step beside his daughter while heading for the living room. "Sorry for not telling you, but, well…it was supposed to be a secret."
"It's alright, I understand." Yinghua said. "You told mom, didn't you?"
"Of course I did." Anton scoffed. "She's my wife, and she deserved to know whenever I got close - no matter how remotely - to getting killed."
"Oh…well, yes…I understand…"
The conversation trailed off then, as they arrived at the living room, Zi Cui sitting on the couch watching the holo. Yinghua walked around and sat down next to her mother, while Anton stood behind them both, eyes grim and face set as he watched the First Lord address the Senate and the rest of the empire.
"...make no mistake, we did not choose to start this war," the First Lord was saying. "But we will end it, and with a resounding Elysian victory. Glory to Mankind!"
Thunderous applause echoed in the Grand Assembly Chamber as thousands of senators rose to their feet and clapped their hands, punctuated by shouts of 'WAR' from more bellicose members of the Senate. "Did they really attack without warning or cause?" Yinghua asked.
"Without warning, yes." Anton said with a sigh. "We've managed to gather that much. As for without cause…that's more complicated."
"What do you mean?" Yinghua asked.
"You know we keep an eye on the coreward regions, right?" Anton asked.
"Yes." Yinghua said in a nod. "They taught us that much in school, we need to keep an eye on all the aliens over there, and our cousins on Earth too. Just in case…oh. They caught us, didn't they? The Minbari thought we were spying on them, and attacked?"
"Pretty much."
"Seems like an overreaction to me, dad."
"You really think so, Yinghua?"
"Well…maybe I'm talking too much," the young woman reasoned. "But isn't it kinda expected for powerful species to spy on each other all the time? Sure, they didn't know that we existed before they found us out, but even if that might be a sign that our spying on them was part of something bigger, to go straight to war over it…"
Yinghua briefly paused and then shrugged. "...I don't know." she finished. "It just seems like they're taking this too personally, or something."
Anton smiled and patted his daughter on the head, causing her to purse her lips in mild annoyance. "True enough," he said. "But, remember that the Minbari have been around for a long time. They were a major coreward power thousands of years before our ancestors left Earth, long enough for past wars of theirs to pass somewhat into legend. And in all that time, no one has apparently been powerful enough to challenge them."
"No one until us, that is." Yinghua said.
"That remains to be seen."
"...really, dad?"
"You never know when it comes to the fortunes of war."
"...I'll take your word for it."
"That's my girl."
Yinghua smiled at her father's praise. "On a related note," Zi Cui chimed in. "Have you noticed the First Lord's choice of words?"
"Depends," Anton pointed out. "I missed most of the first part."
"I'm just thinking that he never actually defined what a 'resounding Elysian victory' actually would be." Zi Cui clarified.
"Hmm…maybe he's holding off on the details - aside from us winning the war - until the Senate's managed to give it a debate or two?" Anton said. "You know how these things work."
"True enough." Zi Cui said with a sigh. "Thinking charitably, though, I do hope the Minbari are willing to talk before it gets to the point of no return. If only to keep too many of our people from losing friends and family in a war that those aliens started."
"...I don't know, mom." Yinghua uncomfortably said. "From how dad described the Minbari, they don't seem the kind to talk unless they've got their enemies cornered and they're holding guns to their head. Or for that matter, to even surrender if they find themselves in the corner, and their enemies holding guns to their heads."
"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Anton grimly said. "It wouldn't be the first time we had to end a war against an enemy that wouldn't surrender, but personally, while I might not like aliens, neither do I enjoy even the thought of having to point anti-proton cannons at a living world and turn it to ash."
"...sorry, dad."
"...it's alright, Yinghua."
"I guess all we can do is pray to any gods that might be listening," Zi Cui said with another sigh. "And hope the Minbari prove reasonable before things get to that point."
"Yeah," Anton said while squeezing his wife's shoulder. "I hope so too."
A/N
And it's update time. And what an update it is, with a look at the Elysian capital, plus one of their naval bases, which is actually less of a base and more of a fortress-city or even system. Plus a look at our MC's home life, because I don't want him to be married to work with no life off his ship, but actually has a family waiting for him at home when he returns from the void.
That, and hints to Elysium and the Elysian's origins.
War of Revelation
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Elysia Augustus was the capital of the Imperium Elysio, and its capital was the Pomerium. Named after the sacred space of Rome of old, most of the city's inhabitants of 20 million lived in the Lower City, a vast collection of ziggurat-like arcologies and other structures that sprawled across an artificial plateau over twelve kilometers across at its widest point. To the western side of the city, the taller ziggurats of the Midline housed government functions both planetary and interstellar, among other eminent interests, all clustered around the highest ziggurat-arcology of them all.
The Capitol: seat of the Elysian Senate and the High Council alike. And it was in a chamber high up in the Capitol that the High Council met that day.
"Well, we knew this was inevitable." the First Lord said with a sigh. "I just wish it wasn't the Minbari who stumbled on our listening posts out in the Hinterland. Prickly aliens, not very friendly, to say the least."
"Not that diplomacy is going to even be possible to begin with." the Second Lord added while pinching his nose. "Minbari died during that skirmish. And from what our psyche profiles of the Minbari tell us, they're going to demand geometric retaliation for their fallen, and that's before factoring in the nature of our outposts near their space."
"We can hardly blame Captain Canies and his crew for defending themselves." the Lord High Admiral - regardless of her actual gender - said with mild heat. "Or for that matter, the crew of Listening Post S7G. Indeed, I must point out, and as the First Lord himself has just noted, our listening posts are out in the Hinterland. That is, relatively-uncharted space unclaimed by any polity, whether ourselves, the Minbari, or any other coreward polities."
"I agree." the Lord Commander said with a nod. "Our forces were merely defending themselves, although I will admit that we were spying on the Minbari and other coreward polities. Even if we were based in the Hinterland, that wouldn't make us look good."
"Information gathering on unknown or at least uncontacted polities is simply part and parcel of statecraft." the Keeper pointed out. "If the Minbari disagree, then they are simply naive."
"I'm not sure they'd disagree," the Lord Commander said. "Seeing as they have those so-called Rangers or whatnot of theirs, as much as they'd use it as an arguably-valid cassus belli."
"A fair point," the Keeper conceded. "Although I would still say it'd be something of an overreaction. An overreaction that regardless, we will have to respond in kind towards and if necessary, escalate."
"Escalation is going to be inevitable at any rate." the Second Lord said with a sigh. "Minbari are very proud and condescending, not that it's any surprise, considering how old their civilization is. Diplomacy will not be possible until their pride has been satisfied, pride already wounded by our apparent spying on them, no matter the rationale behind it, as well as the deaths of their own against our defenses. And it will only get worse as the fighting continues and more Minbari die."
"It's inevitable people die in war." the Lord High Admiral dryly said.
"I know." the Second Lord said with a nod. "And the Minbari do as well. In other words…"
"...total war." the Keeper concluded with a shared nod with his nominal superior off the council. "Nothing less would assuage their pride as well as justify and appease all their dead."
"If that's what they want, then that's what they'll get." the Lord High Admiral firmly said. "It's been centuries since the last war, but it too was no less total than what we seem to be facing. And it will end the same way."
"Not that there's any other acceptable alternative." the Lord Commander chimed in.
The First Lord coughed and gave a sharp glance at his fellow councilors. "Not necessarily," he said. "Our enemies in the past all proved unwilling to negotiate even with our ships over their worlds, which is why the Kishin and the Makareshi are both confined to their homeworlds for the foreseeable future, but that need not be the case with the Minbari."
"With respect, my lord," the Lord High Admiral began. "Do you truly think the Minbari will ever negotiate fairly for a peaceful end to the war?"
"...it's extremely unlikely," the First Lord admitted after a moment. "But I don't think it's impossible."
"At the very least," the Second Lord thoughtfully said. "Not until we've forced them fully on the defensive. Their pride will not allow it. And even then I'm not confident of our chances."
"Even so," the First Lord firmly said. "The option of diplomacy will remain on the table, until our hands are forced to end the war once and for all."
"Which begs the question: now what?" the Composer-General asked.
"Well," the Lord Commander replied. "Before anything else, we need to determine our objectives in this war with the Minbari. Those will be what we'll be fighting to achieve, after all."
"What is the mood in the Senate?" the First Lord asked the Speaker of the Senate.
The other man shrugged. "On this issue?" he asked back. "Annoyed, although not towards this council or the policies we've followed for centuries now. No, their annoyance is directed towards the Minbari botching what is essentially First Contact between our two civilizations, at the cost this will inflict on our society, and of course, at forcing the revelation of our existence towards the coreward polities not at a time or circumstances determined by either this council or the Senate."
"The Terrans, I imagine, are a source of concern for the Senate." the Composer-General said.
The Speaker sighed. "Yes," he admitted. "But opinions on Earth and its people are mixed in the Senate, as they always have been. On one hand, it's Earth. Our ancestors were forced to flee that world in the face of genocide, and the suspicion remains that's what we'll face again if we're revealed to them. On the other hand, it's not our ancestors' Earth, is it?"
The Composer-General sniffed but said nothing more, her opinions clearly on the former side of the argument.
"But on war with the Minbari," the First Lord said, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "What is the Senate's position?"
"The factions in the Senate haven't solidified any concrete positions towards the war," the Speaker replied. "Aside from a general sense that if it is to be war, then it must end with our victory."
"No point in war if it doesn't end in victory." the Keeper agreed.
"That should go without saying." the Lord Commander added his support.
"Agreed." the Lord High Admiral said with a nod.
"Then that's our first objective in this war." the First Lord said with a shake of his head. "We win. Everything else follows from there."
Port Magna Nubae, Elysium's primary naval base in the coreward direction from the empire. It shares its name with the surrounding sector, itself derived from the four colossal nebulae that dominate the local astrography, spanning nearly a thousand light-years across between them. The sector itself forms the great coreward frontier of the empire, sparse in habitable worlds, but with mineral-rich worlds aplenty. This has made it a major source of raw materials for the industries of the empire's heartland, with thousands of unmanned, fully-automated industrial outposts and over a hundred worlds settled and developed solely for mining and resource processing.
Port Magna Nubae itself is located on the fringes of the Great Nebula, the biggest of the four nebulae in the sector. Orbiting a young and docile red dwarf star, the port proper is built into a partly hollowed-out planetoid, with the fleet spire rising out of the planetoid's core while smaller ziggurat-arcologies, lesser spires, and other structures covered the surface of the hollow carved out of the celestial body by the Elysians. Planetary-grade quantum shields protected the naval base and its surrounding infrastructure, augmented further by hundreds of drone fabricator-hangars as well as anti-orbital anti-proton cannons and plasma torpedo batteries.
The surrounding system also featured multiple ancillary naval and artillery outposts, ensuring any enemy that dared attack would easily face capital ship patrols backed by millions at the very least of combat drones, all the while being bombarded at light-second ranges by anti-proton cannons. All before facing the hundreds of warships that made up the Coreward Fleet of the Elysian Empire.
Its military assets aside, however, Port Magna Nubae was also home to millions of civilians. Not just the families of men and women serving in the Elysian Navy, but also artisans, service providers, and various other specialists and hangers-on. For this reason, the port was not only largely self-sufficient, able to produce all the food, water, oxygen, and most of the spare parts it needed, but also fully-furnished in non-military services.
These included schools, hospitals, sports facilities, entertainment centers, and even civilian R complexes. Thus, while classed and treated as a military facility, Port Magna Nubae was for all intent and purposes a fully-developed world of the Elysian Empire.
"I'm home!" Zicui cheerfully called out as she stepped into her apartment, carrying bags heavy with groceries with her. Simultaneously, she reached out with her mind, instantly finding and touching her husband's mind who reacted with warm recognition.
Ah…working on his toys.
Not toys. Bronze sculptures. There's a difference.
Zi Cui giggled at her husband's mental rejoinder, making her way towards the kitchen across the apartment. She'd barely managed to set her groceries down on the dining table when footsteps could be heard approaching from behind, and then Anton Canies was walking into the kitchen.
"How was your trip to the grocery store?" he asked while walking over to help unload the groceries.
"Oh, the same as always." Zi Cui said after giving her husband a kiss on the cheek. "The turbolifts were slow and full, the maintenance robots kept getting in the way at the most inopportune time and places, and conversation with the other ladies at the store was dreadfully dull and mundane…"
Zi Cui paused and heaved a sigh. "Very everyday, all things considered." she said. "Something to be grateful for, considering what's coming."
"Well, there's…there's always a chance war could be averted." Anton said.
Zi Cui smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I hope so too."
"...speaking of which," Anton began after a few moments as he and Zi Cui busied themselves in the kitchen. "Nothing should be in the media about a possible war, at least not from what I've heard. Or has the Capitol gone public already?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Zi Cui reassured him. "Although we do live in a military base, so there might be gossip about that elsewhere and I just haven't heard. It's just…you know…well…I can't help but worry, you know?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Anton conceded before trying to change the subject. "What time is Yinghua supposed to be back from dance classes again?"
"I'm home!" Yinghua Canies shouted as she entered her family apartment, her nose simultaneously drawing her to the dining room even as her mind touched the expectant minds of her parents. "I smell…shrimp! Fried rice! Stir-fried vegetables!"
Dumping her sportsbag in a corner and quickly unzipping her jacket before tossing it onto the former, she made her way to the dining room just as her mother placed a big bowl of cut glass filled with ice, syrup, sugared fruit, and jelly onto the table. "Welcome home, Yinghua." Zi Cui greeted her daughter. "How was dance class?"
"It was fine." Yinghua replied while crossing into the adjoining kitchen to wash her hands at the sink. "Although I'm getting bored with the current routines, I wish we'd move onto the more advanced sets already."
"Well, that's up to your teacher." Anton said, putting down his datapad even as Zi Cui took his plate and served him up some dinner. "Talk to her, although if she thinks you still need more work at your current level, well, I'd defer to her if I were you."
Yinghua sighed. "Yeah, I know." she said while wiping her hands on a towel before returning to the dining room and sitting down. "Just griping, really…but aside from that, yeah, it's fun."
Anton smiled knowingly. "You say all that," he began. "But you still don't want to go professional, no matter how good you get?"
"I'm not good in front of crowds." Yinghua said primly. "If it's just my teachers, friends, and classmates, then all well and good. In front of potentially hundreds of strangers in person? Maybe millions if it's broadcast like during any professional dancing exhibit or competition? No, thanks. Sorry, if that disappoints you, though."
Anton just laughed. "Oh, it's fine." he said. "It's what makes you happy that's important."
Zi Cui hummed and nodded in agreement while putting food on her daughter's plate followed by her name. "And if you're worried that the twins will judge," she said. "You know they won't, right?"
"Yeah, I do." Yinghua said with a nod. "Although I do sometimes get a bit jealous they've got the nerve to compete professionally. Then again, you've got to have a lot of nerve to go solar surfing in the first place."
"That you do." Anton agreed after swallowing down a slice of garlic shrimp. "Even I wouldn't, and I'm void-rated for navy duty."
"Then I'm quite pleased to find my sons have surpassed their father in at least one way." Zi Cui said smugly, and causing the rest of her family to laugh.
"She's got you there, dad." Yinghua said.
"Well, can't say I'm not proud of my boys for that either." Anton admitted, and causing his family to laugh again.
Anton was busy making a wax model of a knight when he sensed the spike of alarm from his daughter. With ease born of training and experience, he unconsciously ignored the urge to get up and check on her, already knowing that despite her alarm she wasn't in any danger, and she'd be coming soon enough to tell her what had alarmed her so.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, the sound of slippered feet could be heard, and then with a knock, Yinghua burst into his workshop.
"Dad!" she said loudly. "You need to see the news!"
"That doesn't sound good." Anton dryly said, already putting his tools down and wiping his hands. "What is it?"
"We're at war!"
"...let me guess, the Minbari?"
Yinghua's jaw briefly fell open but she just as quickly recovered and linked the dots together. "Oh!" she said with wide eyes. "You were the ones the First Lord mentioned on the news…the ones who got ambushed by those aliens."
"Me and my crew, yes." Anton said, falling into step beside his daughter while heading for the living room. "Sorry for not telling you, but, well…it was supposed to be a secret."
"It's alright, I understand." Yinghua said. "You told mom, didn't you?"
"Of course I did." Anton scoffed. "She's my wife, and she deserved to know whenever I got close - no matter how remotely - to getting killed."
"Oh…well, yes…I understand…"
The conversation trailed off then, as they arrived at the living room, Zi Cui sitting on the couch watching the holo. Yinghua walked around and sat down next to her mother, while Anton stood behind them both, eyes grim and face set as he watched the First Lord address the Senate and the rest of the empire.
"...make no mistake, we did not choose to start this war," the First Lord was saying. "But we will end it, and with a resounding Elysian victory. Glory to Mankind!"
Thunderous applause echoed in the Grand Assembly Chamber as thousands of senators rose to their feet and clapped their hands, punctuated by shouts of 'WAR' from more bellicose members of the Senate. "Did they really attack without warning or cause?" Yinghua asked.
"Without warning, yes." Anton said with a sigh. "We've managed to gather that much. As for without cause…that's more complicated."
"What do you mean?" Yinghua asked.
"You know we keep an eye on the coreward regions, right?" Anton asked.
"Yes." Yinghua said in a nod. "They taught us that much in school, we need to keep an eye on all the aliens over there, and our cousins on Earth too. Just in case…oh. They caught us, didn't they? The Minbari thought we were spying on them, and attacked?"
"Pretty much."
"Seems like an overreaction to me, dad."
"You really think so, Yinghua?"
"Well…maybe I'm talking too much," the young woman reasoned. "But isn't it kinda expected for powerful species to spy on each other all the time? Sure, they didn't know that we existed before they found us out, but even if that might be a sign that our spying on them was part of something bigger, to go straight to war over it…"
Yinghua briefly paused and then shrugged. "...I don't know." she finished. "It just seems like they're taking this too personally, or something."
Anton smiled and patted his daughter on the head, causing her to purse her lips in mild annoyance. "True enough," he said. "But, remember that the Minbari have been around for a long time. They were a major coreward power thousands of years before our ancestors left Earth, long enough for past wars of theirs to pass somewhat into legend. And in all that time, no one has apparently been powerful enough to challenge them."
"No one until us, that is." Yinghua said.
"That remains to be seen."
"...really, dad?"
"You never know when it comes to the fortunes of war."
"...I'll take your word for it."
"That's my girl."
Yinghua smiled at her father's praise. "On a related note," Zi Cui chimed in. "Have you noticed the First Lord's choice of words?"
"Depends," Anton pointed out. "I missed most of the first part."
"I'm just thinking that he never actually defined what a 'resounding Elysian victory' actually would be." Zi Cui clarified.
"Hmm…maybe he's holding off on the details - aside from us winning the war - until the Senate's managed to give it a debate or two?" Anton said. "You know how these things work."
"True enough." Zi Cui said with a sigh. "Thinking charitably, though, I do hope the Minbari are willing to talk before it gets to the point of no return. If only to keep too many of our people from losing friends and family in a war that those aliens started."
"...I don't know, mom." Yinghua uncomfortably said. "From how dad described the Minbari, they don't seem the kind to talk unless they've got their enemies cornered and they're holding guns to their head. Or for that matter, to even surrender if they find themselves in the corner, and their enemies holding guns to their heads."
"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Anton grimly said. "It wouldn't be the first time we had to end a war against an enemy that wouldn't surrender, but personally, while I might not like aliens, neither do I enjoy even the thought of having to point anti-proton cannons at a living world and turn it to ash."
"...sorry, dad."
"...it's alright, Yinghua."
"I guess all we can do is pray to any gods that might be listening," Zi Cui said with another sigh. "And hope the Minbari prove reasonable before things get to that point."
"Yeah," Anton said while squeezing his wife's shoulder. "I hope so too."
A/N
And it's update time. And what an update it is, with a look at the Elysian capital, plus one of their naval bases, which is actually less of a base and more of a fortress-city or even system. Plus a look at our MC's home life, because I don't want him to be married to work with no life off his ship, but actually has a family waiting for him at home when he returns from the void.
That, and hints to Elysium and the Elysian's origins.
Chapter 2
New
Jaenera Targaryen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Babylon 5 franchise it belongs to J. Michael Straczynsky and Babylonian Productions.
A sharp chime sounded through the dark bedroom, causing the pair curled up under the sheets to stir from sleep. "Anton…your terminal…" Zi Cui murmured while keeping her eyes closed.
"...I know…" Anton muttered in his turn, rubbing his eyes while forcing himself up to a sitting position. He expected this would be coming, but he'd hoped it wouldn't be until the morning, given the distances involved in void warfare. Of course, that could also swing the other way, but still.
Quickly running a hand through his hair and grabbing a nearby robe to make himself look presentable than with just a simple shirt over a pair of underpants, he walked over to the terminal and sat down. "This is Captain Anton Canies speaking." he said after hitting an icon on the holographic display.
"Apologies for disturbing you so early, captain," a young woman said over the line. "But you've been ordered to report to Admiral Walter von Karbelnikoff's office within the next two hours. Also, I've been ordered to advise you to be ready for immediate dispatch within the next six hours at most."
"Acknowledged." Anton said with a nod.
"Once again, I apologize for disturbing you so early, captain." the young woman said before signing off.
Anton sighed while sitting back in his seat, before turning in his wife's direction as she turned the room lights on before walking over. "So, you'll be sailing off before the day is out." she said softly. "Long before it, even."
"So I am." Anton said.
Zi Cui hummed wordlessly, holding her arms tightly to herself. After a long moment, Anton stood up, and walking over, pulled her into a hug. "I've always known this might happen, ever since I married a soldier." she softly said. "But even so…I…"
"Hey," Anton murmured into her hair, rubbing his wife comfortingly in the back. "This isn't the first time I've gone into battle, you know that. And I've always come back, sound and safe."
"Yeah, but nothing like this." Zi Cui said. "This is…this is war. Not some little fight with a bunch of pirates or alien raiders like you've done before. I…"
The woman trailed off before shaking her head and pulling back to look her husband in the eyes. "Come back to me, alright?" she asked, raising a hand to cup her husband's face, their minds touching each other over their mate-bond. "Yinghua's still too young to lose her father, and while Siegfried and Dietrich are already old enough to live out on their own…"
Anton sighed, knowing he couldn't make such a promise. But, he couldn't just say that either. "I'll do my best." he said. It wasn't what his wife was asking for, but it was the only thing he could really say.
Zi Cui just smiled though, understanding her husband both from long familiarity and their mate-bond. "I suppose that'll do." she said. "And…well, I was hoping to tell you under better circumstances, but now that it's come to this…when you come back, you'll probably have a little one waiting for you."
Anton chuckled. "I suspected as much." he said. "There was an echo in our bond."
Zi Cui just chuckled as well. "Well, it's not our first." she said, placing a hand over her belly, Anton placing his hand over hers after a moment.
"I'll be back much sooner than that." he said, pulling his wife back into another hug and planting a kiss on her head.
"You're not a precog."
"No, but I'm an old soldier, so I don't need to be to know."
"Hmm…I'll hold you to that."
"And I'll live up to it, no worries."
Just over an hour later, and Anton was stepping into Admiral Karbelnikoff's office along with Commander Li Zhejiang, captain of the light cruiser Aurora. The two officers stood to attention, right arms rising and bending at a right angle to place a palm over their hearts in salute.
"Captain Canies, Captain Zhejiang," Admiral Karbelnikoff began with a nod. "I will be brief. Despite the First Lord's declaration of war, things have developed much sooner than expected. The Senate has yet to vote on any motion listing our victory conditions for this war, so aside from an expectation that we're to win it we're still in the dark at what we're aiming for. That said, our hands have been forced yet again."
"The Minbari have attacked more of our listening posts then, sir?" Anton asked.
Admiral Karbelnikoff nodded. "They have," he said. "But I already have other captains taking care of that. And the Minbari are bold, quick to act on any information they've recovered from our listening posts. Indeed, that is what I have in mind for the two of you."
The admiral paused to hit an icon on his console, simultaneously dimming the office lights and bringing up a holographic display. "We've received reports that several industrial outposts across the sector have gone silent." he said. "Recon drones indicate they've all been destroyed, with residual readings from the wreckage indicating the cause being high-power neutron beams."
"Only the Minbari are known to use such weapons among the coreward polities." Anton softly said. "Or at least in large quantities."
"Quite," Admiral Karbelnikoff said with another. "The logical assumption then is that they've dispatched raiders into our space, both to conduct area denial as well as recon in force. Simply put, this is unacceptable."
The admiral paused and looked at both his subordinates in the eye. "Captain Canies, Captain Zhejiang," he ordered. "I want you to take both your ships to your assigned region within the sector, and neutralize any raiders operating within. Given his seniority, Captain Canies will have operational command for this mission. Any questions?"
"Enemy numbers, sir?" Captain Zhejiang asked.
"No clear confirmation yet," the admiral replied. "But based on analysis of lingering engine emissions, spatial echoes, and hyperspace wakes from near the destroyed outposts, it seems the Minbari raiders are each operating alone, with one ship for every assigned region of space."
"They've got nerve," Anton said with narrowed eyes. "Scattering their forces like so…or just plain stupid. Arrogant and stupid."
"That," Captain Zhejiang pointed out. "Or the raiders are battlecruiser-equivalents."
"A fair point," Anton said. "But nothing unmanageable, so long as we're careful."
"I'll leave that to the two of you on the field." Admiral Karbelnikoff said.
"One last question, sir," Anton began. "I understand that both Captain Zhejiang's ship as well as my own will be operating on our own to deal with the raider in our assigned area of responsibility, but I assume we are free to support and be supported by allied squadrons in neighboring areas of responsibility?"
"So long as you don't abandon your area of responsibility," Admiral Karbelnikoff replied. "You are free to support or be supported by other allied squadrons."
"Understood, sir." Anton said with a nod.
Admiral Karbelnikoff nodded, and then getting up, saluted. "If there is nothing else, then you're dismissed," he said. "Glory to Mankind!"
Anton and Captain Zhejiang snapped to attention and saluted back. "Glory to Mankind!" they chorused.
"Engineering reports all solar furnaces at full functionality and ready to provide maximum power on order."
"Fabricator-hangars report all units as launch-ready and material stockpiles at capacity."
"Navigation is updated and temporospatial cohesion is normal."
"Captain on the bridge!"
"At ease." Anton said while stepping up to the command deck and relieving his XO at Ping Hai's command throne even as the rest of the bridge crew continued with final launch checks.
"We have our orders, sir?" Marcus asked.
"So we do." Anton said before the duty officer walked up.
"Sir," she began. "All sections report all-clear and ready to launch."
Anton nodded before tapping a button on his command throne's control panel. "All hands, this is the captain speaking." he said. "I will be brief, so I want you to listen as you are. As you are all aware, we are now at war. The Minbari have struck the first blow, and continue to strike with impunity even as we speak, seeking to set our coreward frontier ablaze. No doubt, from there they would seek to strike at the heart of our empire, at the worlds we and our ancestors have worked so hard to build. Not just for ourselves, but for our children, and their children. This cannot and will not stand. Within a few moments, we will set out to strike back against the invader for the first time since this war began, and deliver a message. A message that they cannot harm our worlds and threaten our people without fear of consequences, that the Children of Elysium will not cower before any alien threat, and that no matter what we face, Elysium will stand! More than that, Elysium will be victorious, no matter the cost! GLORY TO MANKIND!"
"GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND!"
"Helm," Anton gave the order as the cheers faded. "Take us out. Maneuvering thrusters only."
"Yes, sir." the helm officer said before turning the NCOs manning the helm controls. "Engage maneuvering thrusters, and take us out, Mister Ming Yi."
"Yes, sir." the petty officer manning the pilot station replied, even as he engaged the ship's maneuvering thrusters. "Thrusters engaged, Ping Hai, heading out."
Meanwhile, Anton just sat on his command throne, eyes and ears taking in the hustle and bustle of the bridge all around him. Then, as his ship cleared its moorings, he reached out with his mind, and brushed it against that of his family on one of the fleet spire's observation decks. For a few moments, he saw Zi Cui in her habitual red and black Hanfu, supported by their daughter in more everyday wear, looking out through the polycrystalline windows as the ships of the Elysian Navy set out into the void.
Take care.
I will. And don't worry, I'll be back.
I'll hold you to that.
Zi Cui smiled and Anton snapped his mind back into place, causing the vision to fade. Not that he was the only one, many of the crew, those whose tasks didn't necessitate complete focus at the moment, had similarly reached out for a moment to those of their loved ones watching their departure. Technically not encouraged, as it wasn't strictly necessary, but that was a rule all too commonly bent and indulged.
No matter how much Mankind had changed, evolved, and become more, some things would never change.
Nor should they.
"Docking moorings are clear." Marcus said.
"Engage main engines." Anton ordered. "Coordinate with the Aurora, and jump once we're clear of all gravitation influence for safe slipspace transition."
"Yes, sir."
Plasma blazed as the Ping Hai's main engines roared to life, accelerating the ship to a small fraction of the speed of light in less than a minute, in which time they cleared Port Magna Nubae's gravitational influence. "Navigation reports coordinates of our zone of operations inputted," Marcus reported. "And slipspace drive synced with that of the Aurora."
"Then execute." Anton said, and a near-inaudible hum echoed through the ship as the slipspace jump began. Out in space, a rift opened before the two light cruisers, their hulls shimmering with Cherenkov radiation and their engines blazing as they dove into the depths of slipspace, and then with a flicker of high-energy particles and radiation, the rift sealed shut behind them.
It took only a few hours to reach their destination, the Elysian industrial outpost of K-67B. The outpost wasn't actually a singular facility, instead composed of a core facility built into a large asteroid, along with multiple satellite stations built into many smaller asteroids or as space stations freely-orbiting the solar primary. Regardless, they were all completely automated, organic technicians only visiting once every few months for routine hardware and software checks, likewise for the freighters to carry away ore, refined metals, and processed chemicals from the outpost.
As Ping Hai and the Aurora approached the outpost's core facility, Captain Zhejiang teleported over to the former, and after a few minutes entered the Ping Hai's bridge. Snapping to attention before the ship's command throne, he threw a salute that Anton returned before getting up and joining him below the throne.
"Marcus?" he prompted, and the XO brought up the tactical plan on the main display.
"We have fifteen industrial outposts in this region of space." Marcus began. "Out of those, four have been destroyed by the Minbari. Based on sheer proximity as well as analysis of hyperspace eddies, tides, and currents, probabilities suggest Outpost K-67B will be the next target of the Minbari raider in this region."
"Both our ships will take an eccentric orbit around the outpost." Anton chimed in. "Not the most energy-efficient orbit, I know, but it will allow us to cover all possible approaches towards the outpost at long range with our anti-proton cannons. To avoid detection, once we've stabilized our orbit, both our ships will enter silent running."
Captain Zhejiang blinked. "Is that wise?" he asked. "At silent running, our engines will be cold, and our shields will offer no protection."
"True enough." Anton agreed with a nod. "But, it offers us a chance to catch the Minbari by surprise, and get off at least one free shot for each of our ships. That could make a big difference."
"A fair point." Captain Zhejiang conceded. "Thankfully, even in passive mode, spatial sensors should be enough to track and get a firing solution on Minbari ships. If we can cause enough damage, we'd confuse and shock them long enough that even if we don't get a kill-shot with our first volleys, we'd have enough time to reignite our engines and reset our shields."
"That is the idea, yes." Anton said. "However, even that might not be enough."
"Sir?"
"Spatial sensors in passive mode have relatively short range." Anton continued. "Enough that it might restrict our window to a dangerous degree. To that end, we'll also deploy sensor beacons across the system, both to warn us of the Minbari's arrival, as well as to identify their approach vector."
"I see." Captain Zhejiang said with a nod. "Yes, that should work. The beacons don't even have to use active scans from their hyperspace sensors, even passive detection will be enough to achieve both purposes."
"And with quantum entanglement impossible to intercept," Anton added. "There won't be any communications to detect, much less intercept."
"The only question now is if we have enough time to prepare before the Minbari arrive." Captain Zhejiang said.
"Then let's not waste any more time." Anton said.
"Understood, sir." Captain Zhejiang agreed with a nod.
"Sensor beacons at Quadrant E-15 detect hyperspace eddies indicative of vessels approaching this system!"
Despite Anton's concerns, they'd had enough time to deploy sensor beacons before assuming positions around the industrial outpost. Even then, it'd been more than four hours before the warning of the Minbari's approach sounded. Unfortunately, and as was the universe's wont, it'd come while the good captain was enjoying some coffee.
"All hands to combat alert 1!" Marcus ordered before turning to his captain. "We are running silent, sir. Quantum shields are inverted, engines are cold, and all sensors set to passive."
"Good." Anton said with a nod, eyes fixed on the tactical display. "Now, we wait."
As always, waiting still took up an unseemly amount of a soldier's time. No matter how much warfare changed, grown deadlier, and entered new battlefields, that much had not changed. As it was, it took another twenty minutes before a hyperspace portal opened, and a massive, tripod-like bulk of a Minbari warship emerged.
Massive by coreward standards, that is.
Fair was fair, it was bigger than any Elysian escort. However, it was smaller than either of the light cruisers present, to say nothing of the colossal dreadnoughts that formed the heart of the Elysian Navy.
But that didn't mean it couldn't be deadly, especially when both Ping Hai and Aurora were running silent. Inverted quantum shields masked them from detection on all EM bands and then some, but it also meant that those same shields wouldn't protect them from incoming attacks. Likewise, with engines cold, they had no real chances of evading enemy fire.
Then light stabs through the void, and for a moment, Anton's heart freezes. He doesn't let it show, but even so, as they are now…
Zi Cui…
Then with an even brighter flare of light, explosions erupt from the industrial outpost's core facility, its energy plant fatally compromised. Secondary explosions erupt one after another, and then a final, brilliant flash erupts as the whole facility explodes, reduced to white-hot debris and superheated gas and particles scattered and drifting across space.
"Thank goodness the station was fully-automated." Marcus breathed. "If it wasn't…"
"Do we have firing solutions?" Anton cut in.
"Firing solution locked in!" the weapons officer replied.
"Then fire!" Anton bellowed.
A moment later, and Ping Hai's prow turret turns in the direction of the Minbari warship, the barrels adjust minutely, and then light once again stabs through the void. Simultaneously, more beams lance towards the Minbari from Aurora's direction, the time difference barely a couple of seconds. Both volleys were on target, and surprisingly, cut through the armor of the Minbari vessel with some difficulty.
Enough to keep the ship from being destroyed all at once, but even so, explosions erupted through the void, the Minbari vessel reeling away, trailing fire and debris. "Engines to full!" Marcus barked. "Reset our shield generators, and prepare a second volley!"
"Sensors, status of the enemy vessel?" Anton growled, eyes narrowed at the Minbari vessel as seen through the scopes. It was starting to drift, which didn't bode well for its crew, but most importantly, it was largely intact. And considering their prow turrets were armed with anti-proton cannons, that was an unpleasant surprise.
Intelligence indicated that Minbari crystalline armor was optimized for defending against energy beams, but this is still a shock.
We'll have to keep it in mind in the future.
At the very least, I wonder if its protection is as good against solid projectiles, like those from our broadside guns or our torpedoes?
Anton blinked as the sensor officer ran up with a report. "Active scans indicate the Minbari have lost main power." he said. "It appears one of our beams damaged their power plant as well as their thruster assembly. They're dead in the water, sir."
"Should we finish them off, sir?" Marcus asked.
"No." Anton said, sitting back in the command throne. "Tempting, but this is a prime opportunity to obtain critical intelligence. Bring us about, and standby on boarding torpedoes. Inform Captain Zhejiang as well. Have the Pacifiers seize control of that ship, and then we'll tow it back to base so it and its secrets can be taken apart!"
"Sir!"
A/N
And the first shots of the war are fired. A bit brief for now, but then again, the battle has only just started, although it might as well be won, what with the Minbari dead in the water, and the Elysians preparing to send robot infantry in to board.
War of Revelation
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
A sharp chime sounded through the dark bedroom, causing the pair curled up under the sheets to stir from sleep. "Anton…your terminal…" Zi Cui murmured while keeping her eyes closed.
"...I know…" Anton muttered in his turn, rubbing his eyes while forcing himself up to a sitting position. He expected this would be coming, but he'd hoped it wouldn't be until the morning, given the distances involved in void warfare. Of course, that could also swing the other way, but still.
Quickly running a hand through his hair and grabbing a nearby robe to make himself look presentable than with just a simple shirt over a pair of underpants, he walked over to the terminal and sat down. "This is Captain Anton Canies speaking." he said after hitting an icon on the holographic display.
"Apologies for disturbing you so early, captain," a young woman said over the line. "But you've been ordered to report to Admiral Walter von Karbelnikoff's office within the next two hours. Also, I've been ordered to advise you to be ready for immediate dispatch within the next six hours at most."
"Acknowledged." Anton said with a nod.
"Once again, I apologize for disturbing you so early, captain." the young woman said before signing off.
Anton sighed while sitting back in his seat, before turning in his wife's direction as she turned the room lights on before walking over. "So, you'll be sailing off before the day is out." she said softly. "Long before it, even."
"So I am." Anton said.
Zi Cui hummed wordlessly, holding her arms tightly to herself. After a long moment, Anton stood up, and walking over, pulled her into a hug. "I've always known this might happen, ever since I married a soldier." she softly said. "But even so…I…"
"Hey," Anton murmured into her hair, rubbing his wife comfortingly in the back. "This isn't the first time I've gone into battle, you know that. And I've always come back, sound and safe."
"Yeah, but nothing like this." Zi Cui said. "This is…this is war. Not some little fight with a bunch of pirates or alien raiders like you've done before. I…"
The woman trailed off before shaking her head and pulling back to look her husband in the eyes. "Come back to me, alright?" she asked, raising a hand to cup her husband's face, their minds touching each other over their mate-bond. "Yinghua's still too young to lose her father, and while Siegfried and Dietrich are already old enough to live out on their own…"
Anton sighed, knowing he couldn't make such a promise. But, he couldn't just say that either. "I'll do my best." he said. It wasn't what his wife was asking for, but it was the only thing he could really say.
Zi Cui just smiled though, understanding her husband both from long familiarity and their mate-bond. "I suppose that'll do." she said. "And…well, I was hoping to tell you under better circumstances, but now that it's come to this…when you come back, you'll probably have a little one waiting for you."
Anton chuckled. "I suspected as much." he said. "There was an echo in our bond."
Zi Cui just chuckled as well. "Well, it's not our first." she said, placing a hand over her belly, Anton placing his hand over hers after a moment.
"I'll be back much sooner than that." he said, pulling his wife back into another hug and planting a kiss on her head.
"You're not a precog."
"No, but I'm an old soldier, so I don't need to be to know."
"Hmm…I'll hold you to that."
"And I'll live up to it, no worries."
Just over an hour later, and Anton was stepping into Admiral Karbelnikoff's office along with Commander Li Zhejiang, captain of the light cruiser Aurora. The two officers stood to attention, right arms rising and bending at a right angle to place a palm over their hearts in salute.
"Captain Canies, Captain Zhejiang," Admiral Karbelnikoff began with a nod. "I will be brief. Despite the First Lord's declaration of war, things have developed much sooner than expected. The Senate has yet to vote on any motion listing our victory conditions for this war, so aside from an expectation that we're to win it we're still in the dark at what we're aiming for. That said, our hands have been forced yet again."
"The Minbari have attacked more of our listening posts then, sir?" Anton asked.
Admiral Karbelnikoff nodded. "They have," he said. "But I already have other captains taking care of that. And the Minbari are bold, quick to act on any information they've recovered from our listening posts. Indeed, that is what I have in mind for the two of you."
The admiral paused to hit an icon on his console, simultaneously dimming the office lights and bringing up a holographic display. "We've received reports that several industrial outposts across the sector have gone silent." he said. "Recon drones indicate they've all been destroyed, with residual readings from the wreckage indicating the cause being high-power neutron beams."
"Only the Minbari are known to use such weapons among the coreward polities." Anton softly said. "Or at least in large quantities."
"Quite," Admiral Karbelnikoff said with another. "The logical assumption then is that they've dispatched raiders into our space, both to conduct area denial as well as recon in force. Simply put, this is unacceptable."
The admiral paused and looked at both his subordinates in the eye. "Captain Canies, Captain Zhejiang," he ordered. "I want you to take both your ships to your assigned region within the sector, and neutralize any raiders operating within. Given his seniority, Captain Canies will have operational command for this mission. Any questions?"
"Enemy numbers, sir?" Captain Zhejiang asked.
"No clear confirmation yet," the admiral replied. "But based on analysis of lingering engine emissions, spatial echoes, and hyperspace wakes from near the destroyed outposts, it seems the Minbari raiders are each operating alone, with one ship for every assigned region of space."
"They've got nerve," Anton said with narrowed eyes. "Scattering their forces like so…or just plain stupid. Arrogant and stupid."
"That," Captain Zhejiang pointed out. "Or the raiders are battlecruiser-equivalents."
"A fair point," Anton said. "But nothing unmanageable, so long as we're careful."
"I'll leave that to the two of you on the field." Admiral Karbelnikoff said.
"One last question, sir," Anton began. "I understand that both Captain Zhejiang's ship as well as my own will be operating on our own to deal with the raider in our assigned area of responsibility, but I assume we are free to support and be supported by allied squadrons in neighboring areas of responsibility?"
"So long as you don't abandon your area of responsibility," Admiral Karbelnikoff replied. "You are free to support or be supported by other allied squadrons."
"Understood, sir." Anton said with a nod.
Admiral Karbelnikoff nodded, and then getting up, saluted. "If there is nothing else, then you're dismissed," he said. "Glory to Mankind!"
Anton and Captain Zhejiang snapped to attention and saluted back. "Glory to Mankind!" they chorused.
"Engineering reports all solar furnaces at full functionality and ready to provide maximum power on order."
"Fabricator-hangars report all units as launch-ready and material stockpiles at capacity."
"Navigation is updated and temporospatial cohesion is normal."
"Captain on the bridge!"
"At ease." Anton said while stepping up to the command deck and relieving his XO at Ping Hai's command throne even as the rest of the bridge crew continued with final launch checks.
"We have our orders, sir?" Marcus asked.
"So we do." Anton said before the duty officer walked up.
"Sir," she began. "All sections report all-clear and ready to launch."
Anton nodded before tapping a button on his command throne's control panel. "All hands, this is the captain speaking." he said. "I will be brief, so I want you to listen as you are. As you are all aware, we are now at war. The Minbari have struck the first blow, and continue to strike with impunity even as we speak, seeking to set our coreward frontier ablaze. No doubt, from there they would seek to strike at the heart of our empire, at the worlds we and our ancestors have worked so hard to build. Not just for ourselves, but for our children, and their children. This cannot and will not stand. Within a few moments, we will set out to strike back against the invader for the first time since this war began, and deliver a message. A message that they cannot harm our worlds and threaten our people without fear of consequences, that the Children of Elysium will not cower before any alien threat, and that no matter what we face, Elysium will stand! More than that, Elysium will be victorious, no matter the cost! GLORY TO MANKIND!"
"GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND! GLORY TO MANKIND!"
"Helm," Anton gave the order as the cheers faded. "Take us out. Maneuvering thrusters only."
"Yes, sir." the helm officer said before turning the NCOs manning the helm controls. "Engage maneuvering thrusters, and take us out, Mister Ming Yi."
"Yes, sir." the petty officer manning the pilot station replied, even as he engaged the ship's maneuvering thrusters. "Thrusters engaged, Ping Hai, heading out."
Meanwhile, Anton just sat on his command throne, eyes and ears taking in the hustle and bustle of the bridge all around him. Then, as his ship cleared its moorings, he reached out with his mind, and brushed it against that of his family on one of the fleet spire's observation decks. For a few moments, he saw Zi Cui in her habitual red and black Hanfu, supported by their daughter in more everyday wear, looking out through the polycrystalline windows as the ships of the Elysian Navy set out into the void.
Take care.
I will. And don't worry, I'll be back.
I'll hold you to that.
Zi Cui smiled and Anton snapped his mind back into place, causing the vision to fade. Not that he was the only one, many of the crew, those whose tasks didn't necessitate complete focus at the moment, had similarly reached out for a moment to those of their loved ones watching their departure. Technically not encouraged, as it wasn't strictly necessary, but that was a rule all too commonly bent and indulged.
No matter how much Mankind had changed, evolved, and become more, some things would never change.
Nor should they.
"Docking moorings are clear." Marcus said.
"Engage main engines." Anton ordered. "Coordinate with the Aurora, and jump once we're clear of all gravitation influence for safe slipspace transition."
"Yes, sir."
Plasma blazed as the Ping Hai's main engines roared to life, accelerating the ship to a small fraction of the speed of light in less than a minute, in which time they cleared Port Magna Nubae's gravitational influence. "Navigation reports coordinates of our zone of operations inputted," Marcus reported. "And slipspace drive synced with that of the Aurora."
"Then execute." Anton said, and a near-inaudible hum echoed through the ship as the slipspace jump began. Out in space, a rift opened before the two light cruisers, their hulls shimmering with Cherenkov radiation and their engines blazing as they dove into the depths of slipspace, and then with a flicker of high-energy particles and radiation, the rift sealed shut behind them.
It took only a few hours to reach their destination, the Elysian industrial outpost of K-67B. The outpost wasn't actually a singular facility, instead composed of a core facility built into a large asteroid, along with multiple satellite stations built into many smaller asteroids or as space stations freely-orbiting the solar primary. Regardless, they were all completely automated, organic technicians only visiting once every few months for routine hardware and software checks, likewise for the freighters to carry away ore, refined metals, and processed chemicals from the outpost.
As Ping Hai and the Aurora approached the outpost's core facility, Captain Zhejiang teleported over to the former, and after a few minutes entered the Ping Hai's bridge. Snapping to attention before the ship's command throne, he threw a salute that Anton returned before getting up and joining him below the throne.
"Marcus?" he prompted, and the XO brought up the tactical plan on the main display.
"We have fifteen industrial outposts in this region of space." Marcus began. "Out of those, four have been destroyed by the Minbari. Based on sheer proximity as well as analysis of hyperspace eddies, tides, and currents, probabilities suggest Outpost K-67B will be the next target of the Minbari raider in this region."
"Both our ships will take an eccentric orbit around the outpost." Anton chimed in. "Not the most energy-efficient orbit, I know, but it will allow us to cover all possible approaches towards the outpost at long range with our anti-proton cannons. To avoid detection, once we've stabilized our orbit, both our ships will enter silent running."
Captain Zhejiang blinked. "Is that wise?" he asked. "At silent running, our engines will be cold, and our shields will offer no protection."
"True enough." Anton agreed with a nod. "But, it offers us a chance to catch the Minbari by surprise, and get off at least one free shot for each of our ships. That could make a big difference."
"A fair point." Captain Zhejiang conceded. "Thankfully, even in passive mode, spatial sensors should be enough to track and get a firing solution on Minbari ships. If we can cause enough damage, we'd confuse and shock them long enough that even if we don't get a kill-shot with our first volleys, we'd have enough time to reignite our engines and reset our shields."
"That is the idea, yes." Anton said. "However, even that might not be enough."
"Sir?"
"Spatial sensors in passive mode have relatively short range." Anton continued. "Enough that it might restrict our window to a dangerous degree. To that end, we'll also deploy sensor beacons across the system, both to warn us of the Minbari's arrival, as well as to identify their approach vector."
"I see." Captain Zhejiang said with a nod. "Yes, that should work. The beacons don't even have to use active scans from their hyperspace sensors, even passive detection will be enough to achieve both purposes."
"And with quantum entanglement impossible to intercept," Anton added. "There won't be any communications to detect, much less intercept."
"The only question now is if we have enough time to prepare before the Minbari arrive." Captain Zhejiang said.
"Then let's not waste any more time." Anton said.
"Understood, sir." Captain Zhejiang agreed with a nod.
"Sensor beacons at Quadrant E-15 detect hyperspace eddies indicative of vessels approaching this system!"
Despite Anton's concerns, they'd had enough time to deploy sensor beacons before assuming positions around the industrial outpost. Even then, it'd been more than four hours before the warning of the Minbari's approach sounded. Unfortunately, and as was the universe's wont, it'd come while the good captain was enjoying some coffee.
"All hands to combat alert 1!" Marcus ordered before turning to his captain. "We are running silent, sir. Quantum shields are inverted, engines are cold, and all sensors set to passive."
"Good." Anton said with a nod, eyes fixed on the tactical display. "Now, we wait."
As always, waiting still took up an unseemly amount of a soldier's time. No matter how much warfare changed, grown deadlier, and entered new battlefields, that much had not changed. As it was, it took another twenty minutes before a hyperspace portal opened, and a massive, tripod-like bulk of a Minbari warship emerged.
Massive by coreward standards, that is.
Fair was fair, it was bigger than any Elysian escort. However, it was smaller than either of the light cruisers present, to say nothing of the colossal dreadnoughts that formed the heart of the Elysian Navy.
But that didn't mean it couldn't be deadly, especially when both Ping Hai and Aurora were running silent. Inverted quantum shields masked them from detection on all EM bands and then some, but it also meant that those same shields wouldn't protect them from incoming attacks. Likewise, with engines cold, they had no real chances of evading enemy fire.
Then light stabs through the void, and for a moment, Anton's heart freezes. He doesn't let it show, but even so, as they are now…
Zi Cui…
Then with an even brighter flare of light, explosions erupt from the industrial outpost's core facility, its energy plant fatally compromised. Secondary explosions erupt one after another, and then a final, brilliant flash erupts as the whole facility explodes, reduced to white-hot debris and superheated gas and particles scattered and drifting across space.
"Thank goodness the station was fully-automated." Marcus breathed. "If it wasn't…"
"Do we have firing solutions?" Anton cut in.
"Firing solution locked in!" the weapons officer replied.
"Then fire!" Anton bellowed.
A moment later, and Ping Hai's prow turret turns in the direction of the Minbari warship, the barrels adjust minutely, and then light once again stabs through the void. Simultaneously, more beams lance towards the Minbari from Aurora's direction, the time difference barely a couple of seconds. Both volleys were on target, and surprisingly, cut through the armor of the Minbari vessel with some difficulty.
Enough to keep the ship from being destroyed all at once, but even so, explosions erupted through the void, the Minbari vessel reeling away, trailing fire and debris. "Engines to full!" Marcus barked. "Reset our shield generators, and prepare a second volley!"
"Sensors, status of the enemy vessel?" Anton growled, eyes narrowed at the Minbari vessel as seen through the scopes. It was starting to drift, which didn't bode well for its crew, but most importantly, it was largely intact. And considering their prow turrets were armed with anti-proton cannons, that was an unpleasant surprise.
Intelligence indicated that Minbari crystalline armor was optimized for defending against energy beams, but this is still a shock.
We'll have to keep it in mind in the future.
At the very least, I wonder if its protection is as good against solid projectiles, like those from our broadside guns or our torpedoes?
Anton blinked as the sensor officer ran up with a report. "Active scans indicate the Minbari have lost main power." he said. "It appears one of our beams damaged their power plant as well as their thruster assembly. They're dead in the water, sir."
"Should we finish them off, sir?" Marcus asked.
"No." Anton said, sitting back in the command throne. "Tempting, but this is a prime opportunity to obtain critical intelligence. Bring us about, and standby on boarding torpedoes. Inform Captain Zhejiang as well. Have the Pacifiers seize control of that ship, and then we'll tow it back to base so it and its secrets can be taken apart!"
"Sir!"
A/N
And the first shots of the war are fired. A bit brief for now, but then again, the battle has only just started, although it might as well be won, what with the Minbari dead in the water, and the Elysians preparing to send robot infantry in to board.
Hadrian.Caeser
Not too sore, are you?
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Could they go behind lines and nuke - or something worse - the Minvari colonies?
Jaenera Targaryen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Theoretically, yes, but that would burn too many bridges, and potentially make a diplomatic solution to the war a non-starter. And that's not something the First Lord is willing to do right now.