FIC: Babylon Faith (20/?)
FIC: Babylon Faith (20/?)
Ikarra VII
Colonel Gideon glanced around the King Arthur’s hushed bridge. “Re-entering atmosphere now!”
Lightning streamed and flashed around their fleet as they exited hyperspace squarely in a planet’s atomsphere, Gideon’s fingers firmly crossed that the metallurgists had done their work, and their ships wouldn’t be ripped apart by the forces battering them. Gideon gritted his teeth, sweat beading his brow as the ship shuddered and thrashed in the centre of the middle of its inter-galactic typhoon, winds lashing at its creaking hull. But then the ship righted and steadied, still unbelievably in one piece.
Gideon forced himself to focus on the mission and not lose himself in the glee flooding over him, they had to get the first part of the operation over with before the dragons were on them. “Round Table wing release payload!” he rasped into his intercom. He watched on his screen as each of his nine ships dropped the five sphere-shaped, midnight-black neutron bombs they carried, sending them hurtling towards the planet’s east side. “Olympian wing release payload!” A half-second later, forty-five more neutron bombs were plummeting towards the planet’s west side. “Aesir wing release payload!” The final wing sent its payload flying towards the planet’s north side. “Ships, climb out of the atmosphere in triangle wing formation!”
The ash-grey planet turned bright red as it cracked and shuddered, concussive waves erupting from it, ash-clouds chasing their ships as they fled orbit and raced up to meet the descending, wrathful dragons. Eyes fixed on the winged beasts, Gideon spoke into the fleet-wide intercom. “All available power to aft pulse canons!”
* * *
Minbar
Delenn’s footsteps clicked angrily as she strode through the corridor, Anla’shok escort trailing a respectful two steps behind. The two watching Minbari stiffened at their approach, stepping forward to block her way through the doorway they guarded. “You are not of the Grey,” one of them announced. “Not any more.”
Delenn met the Warrior Caste Minbari stare for stare. “I am Anla’Shok Na, I have the right,” she declared.
“You are not of the Grey,” he repeated. “Not any more.”
Delenn nodded thoughtfully. “Anla’Shok, remove this obstacle.”
In seconds both warrior caste were lying crumpled on the floor. “Thank you.” Delenn took a breath and stepped through into the darkened room beyond, the only exception the silvery ring illuminating the nine grey cowled figures in the room’s centre. “Is this what the Minbari have become?” she trilled as she strode in. “Old women to hide behind the efforts of younger races!”
“Have a care, Delenn!” One of the Warrior Caste representatives warned. “We are the chosen of Valen!”
“To be chosen of a warrior and a statesman like Valen is a honour,” she agreed with a curt nod. “But to be the dupes of a race of liars like the Vorlons, far less so. Only we know the truth, but it is a truth that you seem not to have learnt from!” Delenn paused, took a moment to compose herself, then continued. “Why are our warriors here, and not with the fleet?”
There were mutters of agreement, but the second of the warrior caste representatives stepped forward with a snarl. “Have a care, Delenn.”
“No,” she shook her head. “You have a care. Have the warrior caste not learnt from the examples of Duhkat, Brammer, and Neroon? Do they instead stick so closely to the example of Shakiri?” Delenn paused. “And even if your strategy was not so craven, not so self-interested, it is a strategy doomed to failure. I look upon the path you have chosen and are ashamed. Only if we stand together, united with our allies can we have the slightest hope to victory.”
“Your closeness to Starkiller blinds you,” one of the warrior caste replied.
“NO!” Delenn shook her head. “It is your presumptive arrogance and belief in the superiority of Minbari above all others that BLINDS you!”
“Very well Delenn,” the leader of the Worker Caste representatives stepped forward. “It will be as you say, all the Sharlins remaining here will leave to join Starkiller’s fleet within the hour.”
Delenn nodded curtly and turned to leave. “You had better hope you are right, Delenn.”
Delenn turned back to face the Warrior Caste leader. “Survive or die, this is the right course of action,” she declared. “Cowering while friends and allies die can never be right.”
* * *
Ikarra VII
Colonel Ivanova nodded dispassionately as the planet’s surface cracked like a rotten egg. The important part of their mission was now over, now she had to concentrate on getting as many of their people out of the firefight as possible. Ivanova watched on the monitor as Gideon’s battle group started their deep ascent out of the planet’s orbit, fighting gravity and atmospherics with every mile gained, and watched as the demons guarding the disintegrating planet began to drop to meet them. Ivanova spoke into her intercom. “We go now. And come in hot.”
* * *
Somewhere In Hyperspace
Lennier stared with wonder out of the Pinnace window, and into Hyperspace. “I must admit to a certain excitement at getting to meet your people.”
“That makes one of us I suppose,” Galen replied, the techno-mage’s eyes fixed on the controls before him.
Lennier glanced at his companion. “Are you not well thought of by your people?”
Galen smiled wryly. “I have a certain insubordinate reputation.”
Lennier eyed his companion. “I find that unsurprising.”
“Ha.” Galen looked at him. “Perhaps it’s all these alien influences I surround myself with.”
Lennier nodded slightly. “If it is my fault then I will endeavour to protect you to the best of my abilities.”
“I’ll be the first Techno-Mage with his own Minbari bodyguard,” Galen chuckled.
“But not the last when they realise how invaluable I am,” Lennier confidently stated.
Galen chuckled, then stiffened. “Something wrong.”
“No,” Galen shook his head. “Just my ship receiving the beacon from the Techno-Mages. Only our ships are equipped to pick up the signal.” Galen tapped away at his keyboard then sunk back in his seat. “I’ve given up remote control to the beacon, they’ll guide us in from there.”
* * *
Ikarra VII
“FIRE!” Gideon held onto his desk console as their ship was bathed in fire from the dragons, his own ship firing round after round into the hulking beast. Smoking craters burst open on the dragon’s chest even as it gusted yet more flames on them, their ship creaking under its frenzied attack. “FIRE!”
Energy arcs flew from their ship and pulsed into the monster, ripping deep into it. “Damn it!” Gideon ducked as a panel fell from the ceiling to explode onto his console, sparks erupting from the collision. “Cut all power to non-essential systems and direct them to the guns!” Lights dimmed to darkness. “FIRE!”
Energy pulsed from their canons, finally ripping the monster in two. Gideon grinned as his desk sensors beeped a warning about near-by opening hyperspace jumps. “Well ma’am,” he drawled under his breath. “It looks like the US. cavalry have arrived.”
* * *
“You want to do what?????”
Faith raised an eyebrow at Dureena’s screech. “I didn’t think you were hard of hearin’, hon. I said I want you to take us to these co-ordinates so I can meet with the Soul Hunters.”
“You’ve no idea-“.
“I read a ton of stuff about the Soul Hunters, I probably know more ‘bout them than you do,” Faith leaned forward in her seat, dark eyes intent on the alien. “And you know what I know ‘bout them? They’re old, older than the Minbari, maybe even older than the Drakh, and powerful too. The sorta power we need to take these assholes down.”
“And what do you intend to offer these demons for their assistance?” Dureena demanded.
“Let me worry about that.” Faith grimaced. “You don’t have to meet them, leave that to me.”
As Dureena turned away from her, Xander leaned over her shoulder and whispered. “I hope you know what you’re doing?”
Faith forced a smile as she looked up into Xander’s concerned eye. “Why change the habit of a lifetime?”
* * *
Ikarra VII
Energy arced out of their ships as they exited the hyperspace jumps, shredding into the dragons’ rears. Some tried to turn, to fly up to face them, but those who did, were torn apart by the incessant fire of the Earth ships below them. Some tried to ignore their attacks and dive for the Earth ships, but the result was the same, deadly fire ripping through them from both directions.
Of course a battle against such a terrible enemy, no matter how well-executed, could be wholly one-sided. Ivanova grimaced as she saw an out of control Sharlin leaking fuel lurch drunkenly into two other Sharlins before finally exploding into a blazing inferno. Ivanova grabbed her desk and struggled to stop from falling when their ship tilted suddenly, the blast from a charging dragon scorching metal and heating the ship’s interior.
Ivanova stared fearlessly ahead. The Shadows, Clark, the Old Ones, she’d faced them all and never taken a back step. She wasn’t about to start now. Ivanova pointed ahead and let out defiant yell. “Power to forward guns, blow that overgrown lizard out of MY sky!”
The ship’s guns, a very extension of her captain’s will, fired instantly, bathing the rising dragon in fire. The beast seemed to contort in pain, but continued rising, its varying head bobbing back and forth as they fired yet more fire. “FIRE AGAIN!” Ivanova screamed, her body suddenly soaked in sweat. The ship shuddered as its guns blasted, power arcing out to impact on the dragon, the gunners catching the beast on its under-belly, blood and gore spilling from its torn midsection. “TAKE OFF ITS HEADS!”
The next blast ripped through the beast’s necks, severing three of its heads off the thick stems, the beast briefly thrashing then floating lifelessly off into space.
Ivanova allowed herself a long, relieved breath. Then stumbled and almost fell as their ship shuddered under another attack, the entire ship seeming to creak. Ivanova glanced at the screen before grimacing as she saw a smouldering, injured dragon climbing fast and breathing fire onto their ship’s underside, ironically repeating their own tactic just seconds earlier. “Swing to face the attacker!”
The ship began the slow but inexorable manoeuvre to obey its commander, the far more agile dragon bathing it in fire throughout. Ivanova winced as she felt the ship grow hotter, its exterior scorching as its metal bubbled. “Sir!” her helmsmen let out a nervous but controlled cry. “The ship’s walls are failing!”
“Hold your nerve!” Ivanova nodded smugly as the ship finally finished their turn. “FIRE PRIMARY WEAPON!”
The white star shuddered as its neutron cannon pulsed white light at their winged adversary. The flying reptile’s heads flew back in an apparent scream as the scales on its underbelly were blazed away, the flesh underneath bubbling, as the laser tore through it. The white star shuddered as another dragon landed on top of them, grasping it between its huge claws like an eagle snatching up a dormouse.
Ivanova’s gaze snapped up to the ceiling as it began to creak. “Helms! Shake this ship from side to side. Weapons! Direct fire up into that bitch’s underbelly! I want loose!”
Ivanova grabbed the console before her as the ship began rocking from side to side. Energy arced from their ship’s twin fusion canons to slam into their attacker’s belly, flesh burning under their onslaught. She smirked as the dragon recoiled, releasing its grip. “Don’t let the bastard go!” she ordered. “I want it blown out of my sky!”
Fire bathed their ship as the winged monster countered their attack with one of its own, teethy maws opening wide as flames burst forth. Suddenly the ship’s lights dimmed as ship systems burnt out.
And then blue energy illuminated the dark sky as the EAS Odin raced to their action, their cannons slicing through the creature’s side, the monster twisting in a vain attempt to meet their new rival, then tearing apart.
Ivanova glanced around, nodding as she noted how well the battle was going, then spoke into her intercom. “Ivanova to all ships. Primary objective has been achieved, withdraw through hyperspace in five minutes.”